# verses

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thou shalt hear in the heavens, in the habitation of thy dwelling place, their prayer and their supplication and do what is right unto them


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and forgive thy people that have sinned against thee and all their rebellions by which they have rebelled against thee and cause those who carried them captive to have mercy on them,


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for they [are] thy people and thy inheritance, which thou didst bring forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the iron furnace.


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Let thine eyes be open unto the supplication of thy servant and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that they call for unto thee.


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For thou didst separate them from among all the peoples of the earth, [to be] thy inheritance, as thou didst speak by the hand of Moses, thy servant, when thou didst bring our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD.


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And it was [so], that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands extended toward heaven.


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Blessed [be] the LORD that has given rest unto his people Israel according to all that he had said; not one word has failed of all his good word, which he spoke by the hand of Moses, his servant.


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that he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his rights, which he commanded our fathers.


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And let these my words, with which I have made supplication before the LORD, be near unto the LORD our God day and night that he maintain the judgment of his servant and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require;


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Let your heart, therefore, be perfect with the LORD our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.


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And Solomon offered sacrifices of peace, which he offered unto the LORD, [which were] twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the sons of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD.


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That same day the king sanctified the middle of the court that [was] before the house of the LORD, for there he offered the burnt offerings and the presents and the fat of the peace [offerings] because the brasen altar that [was] before the LORD [was] too small to receive the burnt offerings and the presents and the fat of the peace [offerings].


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And at that time Solomon held a feast and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before the LORD our God, for seven days and another seven days, [even] fourteen days.


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On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they, blessing the king, went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had done unto David, his servant, and unto Israel his people.:


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And when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the LORD and the king's house and all Solomon's desire which he was pleased to do,


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And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication that thou hast made in my presence. I have sanctified this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever, and my eyes and my heart shall be there all the days.


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And if thou wilt walk before me as David, thy father, walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, keeping my statutes and my rights,


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then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever as I spoke unto David, thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.


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[But] if ye shall obstinately turn from following me, ye or your sons, and will not keep my commandments [and] my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them,


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I will cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them, and this house, which I have sanctified unto my name, I will cast out of my sight, and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all peoples;


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and at this house, [which] was high, any one that passes by it shall be astonished and shall hiss, and they shall say, Why has the LORD done thus unto this land and to this house?


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And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt and have taken hold upon other gods and have worshipped them and served them; for this the LORD has brought upon them all this evil.


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And it came to pass at the end of twenty years in which Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the LORD and the king's house


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(for which Hiram, the king of Tyre, had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees and with gold, according to all his desire), that then King Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.


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And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him, and they did not please him.


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And he said, What cities [are] these which thou hast given me, my brother? And they called them the land of Cabul unto this day.


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And this [is] the account of the levy which King Solomon raised to build the house of the LORD and his own house and Millo and the wall of Jerusalem and Hazor and Megiddo and Gezer.


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[For] Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had gone up and taken Gezer and burnt it with fire and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city and given it [for] a gift unto his daughter, Solomon's wife.


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likewise all the cities of store that Solomon had and cities for his chariots and cities for his horsemen and that which Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and in all the land of his dominion.


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[And] all the peoples [that were] left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which [were] not of the sons of Israel,


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their children that were left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel were not able utterly to destroy, upon those Solomon levied a tribute of bondservice unto this day.


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But of the sons of Israel, Solomon did not impose service, but they [were] men of war, or his servants or his princes or his captains or rulers of his chariots or his horsemen.


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And those that Solomon had made princes and officers over Solomon's work [were] five hundred and fifty, who bore rule over the people that wrought in the work.


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But Pharaoh's daughter came up out of the city of David unto her house which [Solomon] had built for her; then he built Millo.


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And three times in a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace [offerings] upon the altar which he built unto the LORD, and he burnt incense upon the altar that [was] before the LORD, after the house was finished.


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And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Eziongeber, which [is] beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom.


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And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon.


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And they went to Ophir and brought gold from there, four hundred and twenty talents and brought [it] to king Solomon.:


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And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with enigmas.


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And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bore spices and very much gold and precious stones; and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.


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And Solomon told her all her questions; there was not [any] thing hid from the king, which he did not tell her.


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likewise the food of his table and the sitting of his servants and the attendance of his ministers and their apparel, and his butlers and his burnt offering which he sacrificed in the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her.


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And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in my own land of thy words and of thy wisdom.


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But I did not believe it until I came, and my eyes have seen that not even the half was told me. Thy wisdom and good exceeds the fame which I heard.


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Blessed [are] thy men, blessed [are] these thy servants, who stand continually before thee [and] that hear thy wisdom.


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Blessed be the LORD thy God, who delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel; because the LORD has always loved Israel, therefore he made thee king, to do justice and righteousness.


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And she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold and a very great store of spices and precious stones; never [again] did there come such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.


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And the navy of Hiram, that had brought the gold from Ophir, also brought in from Ophir a great plenty of brazil wood and precious stones.


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And the king made of the brazil wood banisters for the house of the LORD and for the king's houses, harps also and psalteries for the singers; there never had been such brazil wood, nor was it seen [again] unto this day.


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And King Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, beside [that] which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.


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Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,


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besides [what he had] from the merchantmen and from the trade of the spice merchants and from all the kings of Arabia and from the princes of the land.


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And King Solomon made two hundred shields [of] beaten gold; six hundred [shekels] of gold went into each shield.


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Likewise [he made] three hundred shields [of] beaten gold; three pounds of gold went into each shield; and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.


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The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne [was] round behind, and [there were] stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays.


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And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps; there was not the like made in any other kingdom.


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And all King Solomon's drinking vessels [were of] gold, and likewise all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; [there was] no silver, for in the days of Solomon it was not esteemed.


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For the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish with the navy of Hiram; once every three years the navy of Tarshish came, bringing gold, silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.


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And all the earth sought to see the face of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.


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And they each one brought his presents each year, vessels of gold and vessels of silver and garments and arms and spices, horses, and mules.


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And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen, and he had a thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he put in the cities of the chariots and with the king at Jerusalem.


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And the king made silver [to be] in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars [to be] as the sycamore trees that [are] in the vale, for abundance.


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And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt and linen yarn, for the king's merchants bought the horses and yarn.


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And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred [shekels] of silver, and a horse for one hundred and fifty, and so by their hand they supplied all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.:


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But King Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, [and] Hittites,


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of the Gentiles [concerning] which the LORD had said unto the sons of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you, [for] surely they will turn away your heart after their gods. Solomon clave unto these in love.


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And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart.


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For it came to pass when Solomon was old, [that] his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as [was] the heart of David, his father.


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For Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites.


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And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD and went not fully after the LORD, as [did] David his father.


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Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the mount that [is] before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the sons of Ammon.


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And the LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart was turned aside from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared unto him twice,


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and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep that which the LORD had commanded him.


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Therefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Because this has been in thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee and will give it to thy servant.


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But I will not do it in thy days for David, thy father's sake, [but] I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.


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However, I will not rend away all the kingdom, [but] will give one tribe to thy son for David, my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen.


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And the LORD stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad, the Edomite; he [was] of the king's seed in Edom.


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For it came to pass, when David was in Edom, and Joab, the captain of the host, had gone up to bury the slain, after he had smitten every male in Edom


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that Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt, Hadad [being] yet a little child.


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And they arose out of Midian and came to Paran; and taking men with them out of Paran, they came to Egypt, unto Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who gave him a house and appointed him food and gave him land.


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And Hadad found great grace in the sight of Pharaoh so that he gave him to wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Queen Tahpenes.


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And the sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath, his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh's house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh's household among the sons of Pharaoh.


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And when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers and that Joab, the captain of the host was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, Let me depart that I may go to my own land.


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Then Pharaoh said unto him, But what hast thou lacked with me that, behold, thou seekest to go to thy own land? And he answered, Nothing; however, let me go anyway.


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And God stirred him up [another] adversary, Rezon, the son of Eliadah, who fled from his lord Hadadezer, king of Zobah.


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And he gathered men unto him and became captain over a band, when David slew those [of Zobah]; and they went to Damascus and dwelt there, and they made him king in Damascus.


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And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, besides the evil that Hadad [did], and he abhorred Israel and reigned over Syria.


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Likewise Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon's servant, whose mother's name [was] Zeruah, a widow woman, lifted up his hand against the king.


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And this [was] why he lifted up [his] hand against the king: Solomon in building Millo, closed the breach of the city of David, his father.


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And the man Jeroboam [was] a mighty man of valour, and Solomon, seeing that the young man was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.


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And it came to pass at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah, the Shilonite, found him in the way; and he [was] covered with a new garment; and the two [were] alone in the field.


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and he said to Jeroboam, Take ten pieces for thyself, for thus hath said the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to thee;


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and he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel


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because they have forsaken me and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh, the god of the Moabites, and Milcom, the god of the sons of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do [that which is] right in my eyes and [to keep] my statutes and my rights, as [did] David his father.


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But I will not take any of his kingdom out of his hand, for I will make him prince all the days of his life for David, my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes:


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And unto his son I will give one tribe, that David my servant may have a lamp always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name in her.


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And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desires and shalt be king over Israel.


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And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee and wilt walk in my ways and do [that which is] right in my sight, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David, my servant, did, that I will be with thee and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee.


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Solomon sought, therefore, to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose and fled into Egypt unto Shishak, king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.


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And the rest of the acts of Solomon and all that he did and his wisdom, [are] they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon?


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And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David, his father; and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.:


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And it came to pass, when Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard [of it] (for he had fled from the presence of King Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt),


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that they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came and spoke unto Rehoboam, saying,


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Thy father made our yoke grievous; now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.


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Then King Rehoboam consulted with the old men that had stood before Solomon, his father, while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people?


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And they spoke unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day and wilt serve them and answer them by speaking good words unto them, then they will be thy servants for ever.


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But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him [and] who stood before him.


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And he said unto them, What counsel give ye that we may answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father put upon us lighter?


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And the young men that were grown up with him spoke unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spoke unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou [it] lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them: My little [finger] is thicker than my father's loins.


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And now whereas my father ladened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father has chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.


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So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed, saying, Come to me again the third day.


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and spoke to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke; my father [also] chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.


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Therefore, the king did not hearken unto the people, for the cause was from the LORD, to confirm his word, which the LORD spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam, the son of Nebat.


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So when all Israel saw that the king did not hearken unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? There is no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents.


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Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who [was] over the tribute, but all Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. Then king Rehoboam made speed to get into his chariot and flee to Jerusalem.


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And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation and made him king over all Israel; there were none that 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 chosen [men] of war, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon.


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


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Thus hath the LORD said, Ye shall not go up nor fight against your brethren, the sons of Israel; return each one to his house, for this thing is from me. They hearkened, therefore, to the word of the LORD and returned to depart, according to the word of the LORD.


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And Jeroboam rebuilt Shechem in Mount Ephraim and dwelt therein, and going out from there, rebuilt Penuel.


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if this people go up to sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem; for the heart of this people shall turn again unto their lord, [even] unto Rehoboam, king of Judah, and they shall kill me and go again to Rehoboam, king of Judah.


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And having [taken] counsel, the king made two calves of gold and said unto [the people], It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.


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And this became an [occasion for] sin, for the people went [to worship] before the one, [even] unto Dan.


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And he made a house of high places and made priests of the lowest of the people, who were not of the sons of Levi.


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[Then] Jeroboam ordained a solemnity in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the solemnity that [was celebrated] in Judah; and he sacrificed upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made. He also ordered in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.


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So he sacrificed upon the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the month which he had devised of his own heart, and made a feast unto the sons of Israel; and he climbed up on the altar to burn incense.:


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And, behold, a man of God came out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel; and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.


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And he cried against the altar by the word of the LORD and said, O altar, altar, thus hath the LORD said: Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee.


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And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This [is] the sign which the LORD has spoken: Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the [ashes with the burnt] fat that [are] upon it shall be poured out.


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And when King Jeroboam heard the word of the man of God, who had cried out against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.


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The altar also was rent, and the [ashes with the burnt] fat were poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.


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Then the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king's hand was restored him again and became as [it was] before.


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And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a gift.


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But the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thy house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place,


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for so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread nor drink water nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.


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Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel, and his sons came and told 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 unto the king.


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And their father said unto them, What way did he go? And his sons showed him the way the man of God had gone, who had come from Judah.


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and went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak; and he said unto him, [Art] thou the man of God that didst come from Judah? And he said, I [am].


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And he said, I may not return with thee nor go in with thee; neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place,


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for it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.


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And the [other] said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou [art], and an angel spoke unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thy house, that he may eat bread and drink water. [But] he lied unto him.


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And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back,


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and he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus hath the LORD said, Forasmuch as thou hast rebelled against the mouth of the LORD and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee,


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but didst come back and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of which [the LORD] did say to thee, Eat no bread and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.


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And when he had eaten of the bread and after he had drunk, the prophet that had brought him back saddled an ass for him,


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and as he went, a lion met him by the way and slew him, and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, and the lion also stood by the carcase.


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And, behold, men passed by and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase; and they came and told [it] in the city where the old prophet dwelt.


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And when the prophet that had brought him back from the way heard of it, he said, It [is] the man of God, who rebelled against the word of the LORD; therefore, the LORD has delivered him unto the lion, who has torn him and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke unto him.


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And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase; the lion had not eaten the carcase nor torn the ass.


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And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God and laid it upon the ass and brought it back. And the old prophet came to the city to mourn and to bury him.


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And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre in which the man of God [is] buried; lay my bones beside his bones.


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For that which he proclaimed by the word of the LORD 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 this thing Jeroboam did not return from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places; whoever would, he consecrated him, and he became [one] of the priests of the high places.


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And this became the cause of sin unto the house of Jeroboam for which it was cut off and destroyed from off the face of the earth.:


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And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou not be known to be the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh, for Ahijah the prophet [is] there, who told me that [I should be] king over this people.


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And take with thee ten loaves and cracknels and a cruse of honey and go to him, that he shall tell thee what shall become of this child.


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


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But the LORD had said unto Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam shall come to consult thee regarding her son, who [is] sick; thus and thus shalt thou say unto her, for it shall be, when she comes, that she shall come in disguise.


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And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet as she came in at the door, that he said, Come in, wife of Jeroboam; why art thou in disguise? For I [am] sent to thee [with] heavy [tidings].


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Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus hath the LORD God of Israel said, Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people and made thee prince over my people Israel,


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and rent the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it thee, and [yet] thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments and who followed me with all his heart, to doing only that [which was] right in my eyes,


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but hast done evil above all that were before thee, for thou hast gone and made thee other gods and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back;


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therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam and will cut off from Jeroboam [everyone] that pisses against the wall, the one that is shut up along with the one that is left in Israel, and will burn away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man burns away dung until it is all gone.


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The one that dies of [those of] Jeroboam in the city, the dogs shall eat, and the one that dies in the field, the fowls of the air shall eat; for the LORD has spoken [it].


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Arise thou, therefore, go to thy own house, [and] when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die.


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And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he only of those of Jeroboam shall enter into [the] grave because in him there is found [some] good thing of the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.


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And the LORD shall raise up a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam in this day, but what [if] even now?


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For the LORD shall smite Israel as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he had given to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river because they have made their groves, provoking the LORD to anger.


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And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who sinned and who has made Israel sin.


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Then Jeroboam's wife arose and departed and came to Tirzah; [and] as she entered by the threshold of the house, the child died.


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And they buried him, and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word of the LORD, which he had spoken by the hand of his servant Ahijah, the prophet.


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And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they [are] written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.


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And the days which Jeroboam reigned [were] twenty-two years, and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab, his son, reigned in his stead.


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And Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, reigned in Judah. Rehoboam [was] forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD chose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother's name [was] Naamah, an Ammonitess.


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And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to anger more than all that their fathers had done in their sins which they committed.


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


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And there were also male [cult] prostitutes in the land, [and] they did according to all the abominations of the Gentiles which the LORD had cast out before the sons 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 the LORD and the treasures of the king's house; he took it all away, and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made.


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And King Rehoboam made in their stead brasen shields and committed [them] unto the hands of the chief of the guard, who kept the door of the king's house.


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And when the king went into the house of the LORD, the guard bore them and brought them back [afterward] into the guard chamber.


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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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And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And his mother's name [was] Naamah, an Ammonitess. And Abijam, his son, reigned in his stead.:


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


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Nevertheless for David's sake, the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him and to establish Jerusalem.


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Because David had done [that which was] right in the eyes of the LORD and had not turned aside from any [thing] that he had commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah, the Hittite.


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Now 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 slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David, and Asa, his son, reigned in his stead.


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


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For he took away the male [cult] prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.


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And he also removed Maachah, his mother, from [being] queen because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol and burnt [it] by the brook Kidron.


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But the high places were not removed; nevertheless, Asa's heart was perfect with the LORD all his days.


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And he brought in the things which his father had dedicated and the things which he himself had dedicated, into the house of the LORD, silver and gold and vessels.


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And Baasha, king of Israel, went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might not allow any to go out or come in to Asa, king of Judah.


text:
Then Asa took all the silver and the gold [that were] left in the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house and delivered them into the hand of his servants, and King Asa sent them to Benhadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,


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[There is] a covenant between me and thee [and] between my father and thy father; behold, I have sent unto thee a bribe of silver and gold; come and break thy covenant with Baasha, king of Israel, that he may depart from me.


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So Benhadad hearkened unto King Asa and sent the princes of the hosts, which he had against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon and Dan and Abelbethmaachah and all Cinneroth, 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, with which Baasha had been building; and King Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.


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The rest of all the acts of Asa and all his might and 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? Nevertheless, in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet.


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And Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, his father; and Jehoshaphat, his son, reigned in his stead.


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And Nadab, the son of Jeroboam, began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa, king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years.


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And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father and in his sins with which he made Israel sin.


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And Baasha, the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which [belonged] to the Philistines, for Nadab and all Israel had laid siege to Gibbethon.


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And when he came into the kingdom, he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not a [living] soul [of those] of Jeroboam, until he had destroyed him, according unto the word of the LORD, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah, the Shilonite,


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because of the sins of Jeroboam with which he sinned and with which he made Israel sin and because of his provocation with which he provoked the LORD 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, began to reign over all Israel in Tirzah; [and he reigned] twenty-four years.


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And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin with which he caused Israel to sin.:


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Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust and made thee prince over my people Israel, and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam and hast made my people Israel sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins;


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behold, I will burn up the posterity of Baasha and the posterity of his house and will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat.


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He that dies of Baasha in the city, the dogs shall eat; and he that dies of his in the fields, the fowls of the air shall eat.


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Now the rest of the acts of Baasha and 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 likewise by the hand of the prophet Jehu, the son of Hanani, had come [the] word of the LORD upon Baasha and upon his house and upon all the evil that he did in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, so that he was made like the house of Jeroboam and because of having smitten him.


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In the year twenty-six of Asa, king of Judah, Elah, the son of Baasha, began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, [and he reigned] two years.


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And his servant Zimri, captain 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 smote him and killed him, in the year twenty-seven of Asa, king of Judah, and reigned in his stead.


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And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, [that] he smote all the house of Baasha; he left him not one that pisses against a wall, neither of his kinsfolk, nor of his friends.


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Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke against Baasha by Jehu, the prophet,


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for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah, his son, by which they sinned and by which they made Israel sin, provoking the LORD 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 year twenty-seven of Asa, king of Judah, Zimri began to reign in Tirzah, [and he reigned] seven days. And the people [were] encamped against Gibbethon, which [belonged] to the Philistines.


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And the people [that were] in the camp heard it said, Zimri has conspired and has killed the king. Therefore, all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp.


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And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the palace of the king's house and burnt the king's house over him with fire, and died,


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for his sins which he committed in doing evil in the sight of the LORD, in walking in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he did, making Israel sin.


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Now the rest of the acts of Zimri and his treason that he wrought, [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 Tibni, the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri.


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But the people that followed Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tibni, the son of Ginath; so Tibni died, and Omri reigned.


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In the year thirty-one of Asa, king of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel, and he reigned twelve years; he reigned six years in Tirzah.


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And he bought the mountain of Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver and built on the mount and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, lord of the hill, Samaria.


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For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and in his sin with which he made Israel sin, provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities.


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Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did and his might that he showed, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?


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And in the year thirty-eight of Asa, king of Judah, Ahab, the son of Omri, began to reign over Israel. And Ahab the son of Omri, reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years.


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for it was as a light thing unto him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and he took to wife Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal and worshipped him.


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Ahab also made groves, and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.


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In his time Hiel, the Bethelite, rebuilt Jericho. He laid the foundation thereof in Abiram, his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest [son] Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he had spoken by Joshua the son of Nun.:


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Then Elijah, the Tishbite, [who was] of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.


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Leave this place and turn to the east and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that [is] before the Jordan,


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So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD; for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that [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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And it came to pass after a while that the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.


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Arise, go to Zarephath of Zidon, and thou shalt dwell there; behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.


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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 of sticks; and he called to her and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.


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And as she was going to fetch [it], he called to her again and said, Bring me also, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand.


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And she said, As the LORD thy God lives, I have no baked bread, but only a handful of meal in a pitcher and a little oil in a cruse; and now I [was] gathering two sticks that I may go in and prepare it for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.


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And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; [go and] do as thou hast said; but first make me a little cake of bread baked under the ashes and bring [it] unto me, and afterwards thou shalt make for thee and for thy son.


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For thus hath said the LORD God of Israel, The pitcher of meal shall not be consumed, neither shall the cruse of oil fail until the that day when the LORD shall send rain upon the earth.


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[And] the pitcher of meal was not consumed, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke by Elijah.


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And it came to pass after these things [that] the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.


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And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? Art thou come unto me to call my iniquity to remembrance and to cause my son to die?


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And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom and carried him up into the chamber where he abode and laid him upon his own bed.


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And he cried unto the LORD and said, O LORD my God, hast thou even brought evil upon the widow, with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?


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And he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried unto the LORD and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.


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And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah, and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.


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And Elijah took the child and brought him down out of the chamber into the house and delivered him unto his mother, and Elijah said, See, thy son lives.


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Then the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou [art] a man of God [and] that the word of the LORD [is] true in thy mouth.:


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And it came to pass [after] many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, show thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.


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And Ahab called Obadiah, who [was] the governor of [his] house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly,


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for when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them in groups of fifty in caves and sustained them with bread and water.)


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And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go through the land to all the fountains of water and to all the brooks; peradventure we may find herbage to save the horses and mules alive that we not lose all the beasts.


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


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And as Obadiah was in the way, Elijah met him; and when he recognized him, he fell on his face, and said, [Art] thou not my lord Elijah?


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And he said, In what have I sinned that thou should deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, for [him] to slay me?


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[As] the LORD thy God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek thee; and when they [all] said, [He is] not [here]; he has caused kingdoms and nations to swear an oath if they have found thee [or] not.


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And it shall come to pass [as soon as] I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee where I know not; and [so] when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me; but I, thy servant, fear the LORD from my youth.


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Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid one hundred men of the LORD'S prophets in groups of fifty in caves and sustained them with bread and water?


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And Elijah said unto him, As the LORD of the hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself unto him today.


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And it came to pass when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, [Art] thou he that troubles Israel?


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And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.


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Now therefore send [and] gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel, and 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 near unto all the people and said, How long shall ye halt between two opinions? If the LORD [is] God, follow him; but if Baal, [then] follow him. And the people did not answer him a word.


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Then Elijah spoke again unto the people, I, [even] I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets [are] four hundred and fifty men.


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Give us, therefore, two bullocks, and let them choose one bullock for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay [it] on wood and put no fire [under it]; and I will dress the other bullock and lay [it] on wood and put no fire [under it].


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And invoke ye in the name of your gods, and I will invoke in the name of the LORD; and it shall be that the God that answers by fire is God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.


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So Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves and dress [it] first, for ye [are] many, and invoke in the name of your gods, but put no fire [under it].


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And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed [it] and invoked in the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, answer us. But [there was] no voice nor anyone that answered. And they jumped up and down near the altar which they had made.


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And it came to pass at noon that Elijah mocked them and said, Cry aloud, for he [is] a god; peradventure he is talking or he had to go to the latrine, or he is on a journey, [or] he sleeps and will awake.


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And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets until the blood gushed out upon them.


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And when midday was past, [even] so they prophesied until the [time] of the offering of the [evening] sacrifice, and [there was] neither voice nor anyone that answered nor anyone that heard.


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Then Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD [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, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name;


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and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; then he made a trench round about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.


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And he put the wood in order and cut the bullock in pieces and laid [it] on the wood and said, Fill four pitchers with water and pour [it] on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.


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And he said, Do [it] the second time, and they did [it] the second time. And he said, Do [it] the third time, and they did [it] the 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, LORD God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou [art] God in Israel and [that I am] thy servant and [that] I have done all these things at thy word.


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Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that thou [art] the LORD God and [that] thou shalt convert their heart back again [to thee].


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Then fire of the LORD fell, which consumed the burnt sacrifice and the wood and the stones and the dust and licked up the water that [was] in the trench.


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And seeing it, all the people fell on their faces, and they said, The LORD, he [is] the God; the LORD, he [is] the God.


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And Elijah said unto them, Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they seized them; and Elijah took them down to the brook Kishon and slew them there.


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So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, and he cast himself down upon the earth and put his face between his knees


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


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And the seventh time he said, Behold, a little cloud like the palm of a man's [hand] arises out of the sea. And he said, Go and say to Ahab, Prepare [thy chariot] and descend that the rain not stop thee.


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And it came to pass in the meanwhile that the heavens became black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.


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And the hand of the LORD was upon Elijah, who girded up his loins and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.:


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And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and of how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.


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Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do [to me], and more also, if by tomorrow at this time I have not made thy person as one of them.


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And when he saw [that], he arose and departed [to save] his life and came to Beersheba, which [is] in 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 juniper [tree]; and desiring to die, he said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I [am] not better than my fathers.


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And as he lay and slept under a juniper [tree], behold, then an angel touched him and said unto him, Arise [and] eat.


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Then he looked and behold, [there was] a cake baked on the coals and a cruse of water at his head. And he ate and drank and went back to sleep.


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And the angel of the LORD came again the second time and touched him and said, Arise [and] eat, for there is a great journey before thee.


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And he arose and ate and drank and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights unto Horeb, the mount of God.


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And there he went into a cave, where he lodged; and the word of the LORD [came] to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?


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And he replied, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of the hosts, for the sons of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, [even] I only, am left, and they seek me to take my life.


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And he said, Go forth and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, [but] the LORD [was] not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, [but] the LORD [was] not in the earthquake.


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And after the earthquake a fire, [but] the LORD [was] not in the fire. And after the fire, a still small voice,


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Which when Elijah heard [it], he covered his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the door of the cave. And, behold, [there came] a voice unto him, saying, What doest thou here, Elijah?


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And he replied, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of the hosts because the sons of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, [even] I only, am left, and they seek me to take my life.


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And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way by the wilderness of Damascus; and thou shalt arrive [there] and anoint Hazael [to be] king over Syria;


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and Jehu, the son of Nimshi, thou shalt anoint [to be] king over Israel; and Elisha, the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah, thou shalt anoint [to be] prophet in thy place.


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And it shall be [that] he that escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall slay; and he that escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall slay.


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And I will cause seven thousand to remain in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which 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 with the twelfth. And Elijah passed by him and cast his mantle upon him.


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So he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and [then] I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again, for what have I done to thee?


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And he returned back from him and took a yoke of oxen and slew them and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen and gave unto the people and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and served him.:


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Then Benhadad, the king of Syria, gathered all his host together; and [there were] thirty-two kings with him and horses and chariots; and he went up and besieged Samaria and warred against it.


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And he sent messengers to Ahab, king of Israel, into the city and said unto him, Thus hath Benhadad said,


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Thy silver and thy gold [is] mine; thy wives also and thy children, [even] the goodliest, [are] mine.


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And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy word, I [am] thine and all that I have.


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And the messengers came again and said, Thus hath Benhadad said, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver and thy gold and thy wives and thy children,


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yet I will send my servants unto thee tomorrow about this time, and they shall search thy house and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be [that] whatever is precious in thine eyes, they shall put [it] in their hand and take [it] away.


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Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, Understand, I pray you, and see how this man seeks only evil, for he sent unto me for my wives and for my children and for my silver and for my gold, and I denied him not.


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So he said unto the messengers of Benhadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do, but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed and brought him word again.


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And Benhadad sent unto him again and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, that the dust of Samaria shall not be enough for the [open] hands of all the people that follow me.


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And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell [him], Let not him that girds on [his harness] boast as he that puts it off.


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And when he heard this word, as he [was] drinking with the kings in the pavilions, he said unto his servants, Set [yourselves in array]. And they set [themselves in array] against the city.


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And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab, king of Israel, saying, Thus hath the LORD said, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into thy hand today, that thou shalt know that I [am] the LORD.


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And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus hath the LORD said, [Even] by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall begin the battle? And he answered, Thou.


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Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two: and after them he numbered all the people, [even] all the sons of Israel, [being] seven thousand.


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And they went out at noon. But Benhadad [was] drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings that helped him.


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And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first. And Benhadad had sent out men who warned him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria.


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


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So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the army followed after them.


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And each one smote the man that came against him; and the Syrians fled; and Israel pursued them. And Benhadad, the king of Syria, escaped on a horse with some of the horsemen.


text:
And the king of Israel went out and smote the horsemen and the chariots and smote the Syrians with a great slaughter.


text:
And the prophet came to the king of Israel and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and consider, and see what thou must do, for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.


text:
And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods [are] gods of the mountains; therefore, they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.


text:
And prepare another army like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot; then we will fight against them in the plain, [and] surely we shall be stronger than they. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so.


text:
And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Benhadad numbered the Syrians and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.


text:
And the sons of Israel were numbered and took provisions and went against them; and the sons of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the land.


text:
[Then] the man of God came and spoke unto the king of Israel and said, Thus hath the LORD said, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD [is] God of the mountains, but he [is] not God of the valleys, therefore, I will deliver all this great multitude into thy hand that ye may know that I [am] the LORD.


text:
And they pitched one over against the other seven days. And [so] it was that in the seventh day the battle was joined; and the sons of Israel slew of the Syrians one hundred thousand footmen in one day.


text:
But the rest fled to Aphek into the city, and the wall fell upon twenty-seven thousand of the men [that were] left. And Benhadad also fled and came into the city, into an inner chamber.


text:
Then his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel [are] merciful kings; let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins and ropes upon our heads and go out to the king of Israel; peradventure he will give thee thy life.


text:
So they girded sackcloth on their loins and [put] ropes on their heads and came to the king of Israel and said, Thy servant Benhadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. And he replied, If he is yet alive, he [is] my brother.


text:
Now these men took this as a good omen and quickly took this word from his mouth, and they said, Thy brother Benhadad! And he said, Go ye, bring him. Then Benhadad came forth to him, and he caused him to come up into the chariot.


text:
And [Benhadad] said unto him, The cities, which my father took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt make plazas for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria, and I will leave here confederated with thee. So he made a covenant with him and sent him away.


text:
Then a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour by the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.


text:
Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall smite thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him and smote him.


text:
So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the way and disguised himself with a veil over his eyes.


text:
And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king, and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside and brought a man unto me and said, Guard this man; if by any means he should get away, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.


text:
And when thy servant was busy here and there, he disappeared. Then the king of Israel said unto him, So [shall] thy sentence [be]; thou thyself hast decided [it].


text:
Then he quickly took the veil away from his face; and the king of Israel recognized that he [was] of the prophets.


text:
And he said unto him, Thus hath the LORD said, Because thou hast let go out of [thy] hand the man of my anathema, therefore, thy life shall go for his life and thy people for his people.


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


text:
And Ahab spoke unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard that I may have it for a garden of herbs because it [is] next to my house, and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; [or] if it seems good unto thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.


text:
And Ahab came into his house, sad and angry, because of the word which Naboth of Jezreel had spoken to him, for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he lay down upon his bed and turned away his face and would eat no bread.


text:
And Jezebel, his wife, came to him and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad that thou dost eat no bread?


text:
And he said unto her, Because I spoke with Naboth of Jezreel and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee [another] vineyard for it; and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard.


text:
And Jezebel, his wife, said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? Arise [and] eat bread and let thy heart be merry; I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth of Jezreel.


text:
So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed [them] with his seal and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that [were] in his city dwelling with Naboth.


text:
and set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And [then] carry him out and stone him that he may die.


text:
And the men of his city, [even] the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them [and] as it [was] written in the letters which she had sent unto them.


text:
Then the two men, sons of Belial, came in and sat before him; and those men of Belial witnessed against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth blasphemed God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones that he died.


text:
And it came to pass when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead that she said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth of Jezreel which he refused to give thee for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.


text:
And it came to pass when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth of Jezreel, to take possession of it.


text:
Arise, go down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, who [is] in Samaria; behold, [he is] in the vineyard of Naboth, where he is gone down to possess it.


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And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus hath the LORD said, Hast thou murdered and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him again, saying, Thus hath the LORD said, In the same place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall the dogs also lick thy blood, even thine.


text:
And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O my enemy? And he answered, I have found [thee] because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.


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Behold, I will bring evil upon thee and will burn away thy posterity and will cut off from Ahab him that pisses against the wall and he that is kept and he that is left in Israel.


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And I will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha, the son of Ahijah, for the provocation with which thou hast provoked [me] to anger and made Israel to sin.


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And of Jezebel, the LORD has also spoken, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the rampart of Jezreel.


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Him that dies of Ahab in the city, the dogs shall eat, and him that dies in the field, shall the fowls of the air eat.


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(Truly there was none like unto Ahab, who sold himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife incited him.


text:
He was very abominable, following idols, according to all the [things] that the Amorites did, whom the LORD cast out before the sons of Israel.)


text:
And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh and fasted and slept in sackcloth and went softly.


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Seest thou how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days, [but] in his son's days I will bring the evil upon his house.:


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


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And the king of Israel said unto his servants, Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead [is] ours, and we are late in not taking it out of the hand of the king of Syria?


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And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramothgilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I [am] as thou [art], my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.


text:
Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up, for the Lord shall deliver [it] into the hand of the king.


text:
And the king of Israel replied unto Jehoshaphat, [There is] yet one man, Micaiah, the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD; but I hate him, for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.


text:
And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in the plaza at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets prophesied before them.


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And Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, made himself horns of iron, and he said, Thus hath the LORD said, With these shalt thou push the Syrians until thou have consumed them.


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And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead and be prospered, for the LORD shall deliver [it] into the king's hand.


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And the messenger that had gone to call Micaiah spoke unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets [declare] good unto the king with one mouth; now let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them and speak [that which is] good.


text:
So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go and be prospered, for the LORD shall deliver [it] into the hand of the king.


text:
And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but [that which is] true in the name of the LORD?


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Then he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains as sheep without a shepherd; and the LORD said, These have no master; let them return each man to his house in peace.


text:
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?


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Then he said, Hear thou, therefore, the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne and all the host of the heavens standing by him on his right hand and on his left.


text:
And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said in this manner and another said in that manner.


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And the LORD said unto him, In what manner? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade [him], and prevail also; go forth and do so.


text:
Now, therefore, behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD has decreed evil concerning thee.


text:
Then Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, went near and smote Micaiah on the cheek and said, Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go from me to speak unto thee?


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And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see in that day when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself.


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Then the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah and carry him back unto Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king's son


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and say, Thus hath the king said, Put this [fellow] in the prison and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I return in peace.


text:
And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me. Then he said, Hearken, O people, every one of you.


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And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself and enter into the battle, but put thou on thy robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle.


text:
But the king of Syria commanded his thirty-two captains that had rule over his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.


text:
And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, Surely this [is] the king of Israel. And they turned aside to fight against him, but Jehoshaphat cried out.


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And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it [was] not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him.


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But a [certain] man, shooting his bow in perfection, smote the king of Israel between the joints of [his] coat of mail; therefore, he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thy hand and carry me out of the host, for I am wounded.


text:
And the battle had increased that day, and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians and died in the evening, and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot.


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And at the going down of the sun there went a proclamation throughout the camp, saying, Every man to his city and every man to his own land.


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And they washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria, and they also washed his armour; and the dogs licked up his blood, according unto the word of the LORD which he had spoken.


text:
Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did, and the ivory house which he made and all the cities that he built, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?


text:
And Jehoshaphat, the son of Asa, began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab, king of Israel.


text:
Jehoshaphat [was] thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name [was] Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.


text:
And he walked in all the ways of Asa, his father; he turned not aside from it, doing [that which was] right in the eyes of the LORD. Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away, [for] the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places.


text:
Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat and his might that he showed and how he warred, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?


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And the remnant of the male [cult] prostitutes, which had remained from the days of his father Asa, he consumed out of the land.


text:
Jehoshaphat had made ships in Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go, for the ships were broken at Eziongeber.


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


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And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, his father, and Jehoram, his son, reigned in his stead.


text:
Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the year seventeen of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel.


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And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin,


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for he served Baal and worshipped him and provoked to anger the LORD God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.:


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And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that [was] in Samaria and was sick, and he sent messengers and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover of this disease.


text:
But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and thou shalt say unto them, Is there no God in Israel, [that] ye go to enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron?


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Now therefore, thus hath the LORD said, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.


text:
And they said unto him, We met a man who said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you and say unto him, Thus hath the LORD said, Is there no God in Israel, [that] thou dost send to enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.


text:
Then he said unto them, What manner of man [was he] who came up to meet you and told you these words?


text:
And they answered him, [He was] a hairy man and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It [is] Elijah, the Tishbite.


text:
Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him, and, behold, he sat on the top of a mountain. And he spoke unto him, Man of God, the king has commanded thee to come down.


text:
And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I [am] a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And fire came down from heaven, that consumed him and his fifty.


text:
Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly.


text:
And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I [am] a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.


text:
And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up and came and fell on his knees before Elijah and besought him and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight.


text:
Behold, fire has come down from heaven and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties; therefore, let my soul now be precious in thy sight.


text:
Then the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah, Go down with him; do not be afraid of him. And he arose and went down with him unto the king.


text:
And he said unto him, Thus hath the LORD said, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, peradventure is there no God in Israel to enquire of his word? Therefore, thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.


text:
So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram ([son of Ahab]) reigned in his stead, in the second year of Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, because [Ahaziah] had no son.


text:
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?:


text:
And it came to pass, when the LORD would take Elijah up into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.


text:
And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD has sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said [unto him], [As] the LORD lives and [as] thy soul lives, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.


text:
And the sons of the prophets that [were] at Bethel came forth to Elisha and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head today? And he said, Yes, I know [it]; be silent.


text:
And Elijah said unto him again, Elisha, tarry here, for the LORD has sent me to Jericho. And he said, [As] the LORD lives and [as] thy soul lives, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.


text:
And the sons of the prophets that [were] at Jericho came to Elisha and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head today? And he answered, Yes, I know [it]; be silent.


text:
And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here, for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan. And he said, [As] the LORD lives and [as] thy soul lives, I will not leave thee. And [thus] the two went on.


text:
And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood in front of them afar off; and the two of them stood by the Jordan.


text:
And Elijah took his mantle and wrapped [it] together and smote the waters, and they separated to one side and the other so that they both went over on dry ground.


text:
And when they had gone over, Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee before I am taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.


text:
And he said, Thou hast asked a difficult thing. If thou shalt see me [when I am] taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee, but if not, it shall not be so.


text:
And it came to pass, as they still went on and talked, that, behold, a chariot of fire with horses of fire separated the two, and Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind.


text:
And as Elisha saw [it], he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more, and he took hold of his own clothes and rent them in two pieces.


text:
And lifting up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, he went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan.


text:
And taking up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, he smote the waters, and said, Where [is] the LORD God of Elijah? And when he smote the waters, they separated to one side and the other, and Elisha went over.


text:
And seeing him, the sons of the prophets who [were] at Jericho said, The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha. And they came to meet him and bowed themselves to the ground before him.


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And they said unto him, Behold now, there are fifty strong men with thy servants; let them go and seek thy master; peradventure the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley. And he said, Do not send [them].


text:
But when they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men, and they sought him three days, but did not find him.


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And when they came again to him (for he tarried at Jericho), he said unto them, Did I not tell you to not go?


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And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, the seat of this city [is] good, as my lord sees, but the water [is] evil, and the ground barren.


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And he went forth unto the springs of the waters and cast the salt in there and said, Thus hath the LORD said, I have healed these waters; there shall be no more death or barrenness in them.


text:
Then he went up from there unto Bethel, and as he was going up by the way, the young men of the city came forth and mocked him, saying, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.


text:
And he turned back and looked on them and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And two bears came forth out of the forest and tore apart forty-two young men of them.


text:
Now Jehoram, the son of Ahab, began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.


text:
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like his father and like his mother, for he put away the images of Baal that his father had made.


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


text:
And Mesha, king of Moab, was a pastor and rendered unto the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs and one hundred thousand rams, with the wool.


text:
And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab has rebelled against me; wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up; I [am] as thou [art], my people as thy people [and] my horses as thy horses.


text:
So the king of Israel went and the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and as they walked round about seven days' journey through the desert, there was no water for the host or for the beasts that followed them.


text:
Then the king of Israel said, Alas! The LORD has called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!


text:
But Jehoshaphat said, [Is there] not a prophet of the LORD here, that we may enquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here [is] Elisha, the son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.


text:
And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the LORD is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.


text:
Then Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? Go to the prophets of thy father and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, No, for the LORD has called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab.


text:
And Elisha said, [As] the LORD of the hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee nor see thee.


text:
For thus hath the LORD said, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet this valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye and your livestock and your beasts.


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And this is [but] a light thing in the sight of the LORD; he will also deliver the Moabites into your hands.


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And ye shall smite every fenced city and every choice city and shall fell every good tree and stop every fountain of water and mar every good piece of land with stones.


text:
And it came to pass in the morning, when the present was offered, that water came by the way of Edom, and the land was filled with water.


text:
And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered all that were able to gird on a girdle and upward and stood in the border.


text:
And when they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water before them [as] red as blood;


text:
and they said, This [is] blood; the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another. Now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.


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But when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites so that they fled before them, but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in [their] country.


text:
And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land each man cast his stone and filled it, and they stopped all the fountains of water and felled all the good trees until they left their stones only in Kirharaseth, for the slingers went about [it] and smote it.


text:
And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was overcoming him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords to break through unto the king of Edom, but they could not.


text:
Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead and offered him [for] a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation in Israel, and they departed from him and returned to [their own] land.:


text:
Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant, my husband, is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant feared the LORD; and the creditor is come to take my two sons to be his servants.


text:
And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? Tell me what thou hast in the house? And she said, Thy handmaid has nothing in the house except a flask of oil.


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Then enter in and shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons and pour out into all those vessels, and as each one is full, set it aside.


text:
So she went from him and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought [the vessels] to her, and she poured out [the oil].


text:
And when the vessels were full, she said unto her son, Bring me yet [another] vessel. And he said unto her, [There are] no more vessels. Then the oil stopped [flowing].


text:
Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell this oil and pay thy debtors and live thou and thy sons of the rest.


text:
And it also happened that one day Elisha passed through Shunem, where [there was] an important woman, and she constrained him to eat bread. And [so] it was, [that] as often as he passed by, he turned in there to eat bread.


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


text:
Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall, and let us set for him there a bed and a table and a stool and a candlestick so that when he comes to us, he shall turn in there.


text:
Then he said to Gehazi, his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him.


text:
And he said unto [Gehazi], Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been diligent for us with all this care; what shall I do for thee? Dost thou have need that I speak for thee unto the king or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among my own people.


text:
And he said, What then shall we do for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she has no child, and her husband is old.


text:
And he said, At the appointed time, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, No, my lord, [thou] man of God, do not deceive thy handmaid.


text:
But the woman conceived and gave birth a son at appointed time that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.


text:
And when the child was grown, it came to pass one day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.


text:
And when he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees until noon and [then] died.


text:
Then she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God and shut [the door] upon him and went out.


text:
And calling her husband, she said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men and one of the asses that I may run to the man of God and come again.


text:
And he said, Why must thou go to him today? [It is] neither new moon nor sabbath. And she said, Peace.


text:
Then she caused the ass to be saddled and said to her servant, Lead and go forward; slack not the pace for me except I bid thee.


text:
So she went and came unto the man of God to Mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi, his servant, Behold, [yonder is] that Shunammite.


text:
Run now, I pray thee, to meet her and say unto her, Dost thou have peace? And thy husband? And the child? And she answered, Peace.


text:
And when she came to the man of God in the mountain, she caught him by the feet. And Gehazi came near to thrust her away; but the man of God said, Let her alone, for her soul [is] bitter within her; and the LORD has hid [it] from me and has not revealed it to me.


text:
Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins and take my staff in thy hand and go; if thou meet anyone, salute him not; and if anyone salutes thee, answer him not again, and lay my staff upon the face of the child.


text:
Then the mother of the child said, As the LORD lives and [as] thy soul lives, I will not leave thee. And he arose and followed her.


text:
And Gehazi had gone on before them and had laid the staff upon the face of the child, but [there was] neither voice, nor attention. Therefore he went again to meet him and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.


text:
[Then] he went up and lay upon the child and put his mouth upon his mouth and his eyes upon his eyes and his hands upon his hands; [thus] he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.


text:
Then he returned and walked through the house to and fro and went up and stretched himself upon him again; and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.


text:
And he called Gehazi and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And as she was coming in unto him, he said, Take up thy son.


text:
Then she entered in and fell at his feet and bowed herself to the ground and took up her son and went out.


text:
And Elisha returned to Gilgal. Then there was a famine in the land; and the sons of the prophets [were] sitting before him, so he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot and make pottage for the sons of the prophets.


text:
And one went out into the field to gather herbs and found a wild vine and gathered his lap full of wild grapes and came and shred [them] into the pot of pottage, for they knew [them] not.


text:
So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of that pottage, that they cried out and said, O [thou] man of God, [there is] death in the pot. And they could not eat it.


text:
But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast [it] into the pot, and he said, Pour out for the people that they may eat. And there was no evil thing in the pot.


text:
Then a man came from Baalshalisha, who brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of wheat in the head. And he said, Give unto the people that they may eat.


text:
And his minister said, How can I set this before one hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat, for thus hath the LORD said, They shall eat, and [some] shall be left over.


text:
So he set [it] before them, and they ate, and [some was] left over, according to the word of the LORD.:


text:
Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high esteem because by him the LORD had given salvation unto Syria; he was also a mighty man in valour, [but he was] a leper.


text:
And the Syrians had gone out by companies and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid, and she waited on Naaman's wife.


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And she said unto her mistress, If my lord would ask the prophet that [is] in Samaria, he would remove his leprosy.


text:
And [Naaman] went in and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that [is] of the land of Israel.


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And the king of Syria said, Go, depart, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver and six thousand [pieces] of gold, and ten changes of raiment.


text:
And he [also] took the letter to the king of Israel, which said, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have [therewith] sent Naaman, my servant, to thee, that thou may remove his leprosy.


text:
And when the king of Israel read the letter, he rent his clothes and said, [Am] I God, to kill and to give life, that this man sends unto me to remove the leprosy of this man? Therefore now consider and see how he seeks a quarrel against me.


text:
And when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, Why hast thou rent thy clothes? Let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.


text:
And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall be restored, and thou shalt be clean.


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But Naaman went away angry and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD, his God, and strike his hand over the place and remove the leprosy.


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


text:
Then his servants came near and spoke unto him, and said, My father, [if] the prophet had bid thee [do some] great thing, would thou not have done [it]? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash and be clean?


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Then went he down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.


text:
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, but in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing from thy servant.


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But he said, As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take [it], but he refused.


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Then Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth? For from now one thy servant will offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the LORD.


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In this thing [may] the LORD pardon thy servant, [that] when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand, if I also bow myself in the house of Rimmon, that the LORD pardon thy servant in this thing, if I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon.


text:
But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master has spared Naaman, this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought. As the LORD lives, I will run after him and take something from him.


text:
So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw [him] running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him and said, [Is] there no peace?


text:
And he said, Peace. My master has sent me, saying, Behold, even now two young men of the sons of the prophets came to me from Mount Ephraim; give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver and two changes of garments.


text:
And Naaman said, If you wish take two talents. And he urged him and bound two talents of silver in two bags with two changes of garments and laid [them] upon two of his servants; and they bore [them] before him.


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And when he came to a secret place, he took [them] from their hand and bestowed [them] in the house; and he let the men go, and they departed.


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But [when] he went in and stood before his master, Elisha said unto him, From where [comest thou], Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went nowhere.


text:
Then he said unto him, Did not my heart go [with thee] when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? [Is it] a time to receive money and to receive garments and oliveyards and vineyards and sheep and oxen and menservants and maidservants?


text:
The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper [as white] as snow.:


text:
The sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too tight for us.


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Let us go, we pray thee, unto the Jordan, and each one take a beam from there, and let us make us a place there where we may dwell. And he answered, Go.


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But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water, and he cried and said, Alas, master! It was borrowed.


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And the man of God said, Where did it fall? And he showed him the place. Then he cut down a stick and cast it in there and caused the iron to swim.


text:
Then the king of Syria warred against Israel and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place [shall be] my camp.


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And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware to not pass through such [and such] a place, for the Syrians are going there.


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Then the king of Israel sent to the place, which the man of God told him and warned him of and kept himself from there, not once nor twice.


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Therefore, the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled over this thing, and he called his servants and said unto them, Will ye not show me which of us [is] for the king of Israel?


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Then one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king, but Elisha, the prophet that [is] in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.


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And he said, Go and spy where he [is], that I may send and take him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, [he is] in Dothan.


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So he sent horsemen and chariots there and a great host, who came by night and compassed the city about.


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And when the servant of the man of God was risen early to go forth, behold, a host compassed the city both with horsemen and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! What shall we do?


text:
And Elisha prayed and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw; and, behold, the mountain [was] full of horsemen and chariots of fire round about Elisha.


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And when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD and said, Smite these people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.


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And Elisha said unto them, This [is] not the way, neither [is] this the city; follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. And he led them to Samaria.


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And when they came into Samaria, Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these [men], that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, [they were] in the midst of Samaria.


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And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite [them]? Shall I smite [them]?


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And he answered, Thou shalt not smite [them]; would thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and return to their master.


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And he prepared great provision for them; and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.


text:
And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad, king of Syria, gathered all his host and went up and besieged Samaria.


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And there was a great famine in Samaria as they besieged it until an ass's head was [sold] for eighty [pieces] of silver and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five [pieces] of silver.


text:
And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, a woman cried unto him, saying, Save me, my lord, O king.


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And he said, If the LORD does not save thee, from where shall I save thee? Out of the threshingfloor, or out of the winepress?


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And the king said unto her, What ails thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy 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 unto her on the next day, Give thy son that we may eat him. But she has hid her son.


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And when the king heard the words of the woman, he rent his clothes; and he passed by [like this] upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, [he had] sackcloth within upon his flesh.


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


text:
And Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and [the king] sent a man unto him. But before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? Look, 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 yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him; and he said, Behold, this evil [is] of the LORD; for what should I wait for the LORD any longer?:


text:
Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus hath the LORD said, Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour [shall be sold] for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.


text:
Then a captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, Behold, [if] the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see [it] with thine eyes, but shalt not eat of it.


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And there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate, who said one to another, Why shall we stay here until we die?


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If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine [is] in the city, and we shall die there; and if we stay here, we shall die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians; if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.


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And they rose up at the beginning of the night, to go unto the camp of the Syrians; and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, [there was] no man there.


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For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots and a noise of horses, [even] the noise of a great host; and they said one to 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 had arisen and fled at the beginning of the night and had left their tents and their horses and their asses, even the camp as it [was], and had fled for their lives.


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And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank and took silver and gold and raiment and went and hid [it] and came again and entered into another tent and took from there [also] and went and hid [it].


text:
Then they said one to another, We do not well; this day [is] a day to [give] good tidings, and we are silent; if we tarry until the morning light, we shall be taken in the iniquity. Now, therefore, come, that we may enter in and give the news in the king's house.


text:
So they came and called unto the porter of the city, and they told them, saying, We went to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, [there was] no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied and asses tied, and the tents as they [were].


text:
And the king arose in the night and said unto his servants, I will now show 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.


text:
Then one of his servants answered and said, Let [some] take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city (for they [are] as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it; they [are] also as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed) and let us send and see.


text:
They took, therefore, two chariot horses; and the king sent after the camp of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.


text:
And they went after them unto the Jordan; and, behold, all the way [was] full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned and told the king.


text:
Then the people went out and spoiled the camp of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was [sold] for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.


text:
And the king appointed the prince on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate; and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him.


text:
And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel shall be tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria.


text:
Unto which that prince had answered the man of God, and said, Even if the LORD should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat of it.


text:
Then Elisha spoke unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household and sojourn wherever thou canst sojourn; for the LORD has called for a famine which shall come upon the land seven years.


text:
Then the woman arose and did as the man of God told her; and she went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.


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


text:
And the king had talked with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha has done.


text:
And as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. So Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this [is] the woman, and this [is] her son, whom Elisha restored to life.


text:
And when the king asked the woman, she told him. Then the king appointed unto her a eunuch, saying, Restore all that [was] hers and all the fruits of the lands since the day that she left the lands, even until now.


text:
Elisha went to Damascus; and Benhadad, the king of Syria, was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come here.


text:
And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thy hand, and go, meet the man of God and enquire of the LORD by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?


text:
So Hazael went to meet him and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Benhadad, king of Syria, has sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?


text:
And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou may certainly recover. But the LORD has showed me that he shall surely die.


text:
Then Hazael said unto him, Why does my lord weep? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the sons of Israel; their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword and wilt dash their children and rip up their women with child.


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And Hazael said, But what, [is] thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The LORD has showed me that thou [shalt be] king over Syria.


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So he departed from Elisha and came to his master; who said to him, What did Elisha say to thee? And he answered, He told me [that] thou may surely recover.


text:
And it came to pass on the next day that he took a thick cloth and dipped [it] in water and spread [it] on his face so that he died; and Hazael reigned in his stead.


text:
And in the fifth year of Joram, the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoshaphat [being] then king of Judah, Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, began to reign.


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He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife, and he did evil in the sight of the LORD.


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Yet with all this, the LORD would not destroy Judah for David, his servant's sake, as he had promised him to give him always a light of his sons.


text:
So Joram went over to Zair and all his chariots with him, and he rose up by night and smote the Edomites, who had compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots; and the people fled into their tents.


text:
Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time.


text:
And 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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And Joram slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Ahaziah, his son, reigned in his stead.


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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 began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name [was] Athaliah, the daughter of Omri, king of Israel.


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And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD, as [did] the house of Ahab; for he [was] the son-in-law of the house of Ahab.


text:
And he went with Joram, the son of Ahab, to the war against Hazael, king of Syria, in Ramothgilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram.


text:
And King Joram went back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given 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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Then Elisha, the prophet, called one of the sons of the prophets and said unto him, Gird up thy loins and take this flask of oil in thy hand and go to Ramothgilead.


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And when thou comest there, thou shalt see Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, there; go in and make him arise up from among his brethren and take him to an inner chamber.


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Then take the flask of oil and pour [it] on his head and say, Thus hath the LORD said, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door and flee and do not tarry.


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And when he came, behold, the captains of the host [were] sitting, and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of all us? And he said, To thee, O captain.


text:
And he arose and went into the house, and he poured the oil on his head and said unto him, Thus hath said the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD, [even] over Israel.


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And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab, thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants, the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel.


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For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisses against the wall, he that is shut up as well as he that is left in Israel.


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And I will 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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And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and [there shall be] no one to bury [her]. And he opened the door and fled.


text:
Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord, and [one] said unto him, Is there peace? Why did this mad [fellow] come to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man and his communication.


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And they said, We know not; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus he spoke unto me, saying, Thus hath the LORD said, I have anointed thee king over Israel.


text:
Then they hastened, and each man took his garment, and put [it] under him in a high throne, and blew the shofar, saying, Jehu is king.


text:
So Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram was keeping Ramothgilead, with all Israel, because of Hazael, king of Syria.


text:
But King Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael, king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If it is your desire, [then] do not let anyone go forth [nor] escape out of the city to tell the news in Jezreel.


text:
So Jehu rode and went to Jezreel, for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah, king of Judah, was come down to see Joram.


text:
And the watchman, who stood in the tower of Jezreel, spied the company of Jehu as he came and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take a horseman and send to meet them and let him say unto them, Is there peace?


text:
So one on horseback went to meet him and said, Thus saith the king, Is there peace? And Jehu said, What hast thou to do with peace? Turn behind me. And the watchman gave notice, saying, The messenger came to them, but he does not return.


text:
Then he sent out another on horseback, who came to them, and said, Thus saith the king, Is there peace? And Jehu answered, What hast thou to do with peace? Turn behind me.


text:
And the watchman gave notice again, saying, He also came unto them and does not return, and the pace of him who is coming [is] like the pace of Jehu, the son of Nimshi, for he comes impetuously.


text:
And 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 found him in the portion of Naboth of Jezreel.


text:
And when Joram saw Jehu, he said, Is there peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the fornications of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts [are so] many?


text:
But Jehu drew his bow with his full strength and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot.


text:
Then said [Jehu] to Bidkar, his captain, Take him [and] cast him in the edge of the portion of the field of Naboth of Jezreel. Remember that when thou and I went together after Ahab, his father, the LORD pronounced this sentence upon him, saying,


text:
Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons, said the LORD, and I will requite thee in this portion, said the LORD. Now, therefore, take [and] cast him into the portion, according to the word of the LORD.


text:
But when Ahaziah, the king of Judah, saw [this], he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him and said, Smite him also in the chariot. [And they did so] at the ascent to Gur, which [is] by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo and died there.


text:
And his servants carried him to Jerusalem and buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David.


text:
And Jehu came to Jezreel, and when Jezebel heard [of it], she painted her face and tired her head and looked out of a window.


text:
And he lifted up his face to the window and said, Who [is] on my side? Who? And two [or] three eunuchs looked at him.


text:
And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down, and [some] of her blood was sprinkled on the wall and on the horses; and he trode her under foot.


text:
And he entered in, and after he ate and drank, he said, Go, see now this cursed [woman] and bury her; for [after all] she [is] a king's daughter.


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But when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of [her] hands.


text:
And they returned and told him. And he said, This [is] the word of the LORD, which he spoke by his servant Elijah, the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel.


text:
And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel so that no one shall be able to say, This [is] Jezebel.:


text:
And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters and sent to Samaria unto the princes of Jezreel, to the elders, and to those that brought up Ahab's [children], saying,


text:
Now as soon as this letter comes to you, unto those who have your master's sons and who have chariots and horsemen and who have the arms and munitions of the city,


text:
see [which] is the best and most upright of your master's sons and set [him] on his father's throne and fight for your master's house.


text:
But they were exceedingly afraid and said, Behold, two kings could not stand before him; how then shall we stand?


text:
And he that [was] over the house and he that [was] over the city, the elders also, and those who had brought up [the children] sent to Jehu, saying, We [are] thy servants and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will not make any king; thou shalt do [that which is] good in thy eyes.


text:
Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye [are] mine and [if] ye will hearken unto my voice, take the heads of the male sons of your master and come to me to Jezreel by tomorrow this time. Now the king's sons, [being] seventy males, [were] with the great men of the city, who had brought them up.


text:
And when the letter came to them, they took the king's sons and slew seventy males and put their heads in baskets and sent him [them] to Jezreel.


text:
And a messenger came and told 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 the morning.


text:
And in the morning, he went out and stood and said to all the people, Ye [are] righteous; behold, I conspired against my master and slew him; but who slew all these?


text:
Know now that of the word of the LORD which the LORD spoke concerning the house of Ahab, nothing shall fall to the ground, for the LORD has done [that] which he spoke by his servant Elijah.


text:
So Jehu slew all that had remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and all his kinsfolk and all his priests until he left him none remaining.


text:
And he arose and departed and came to Samaria. [And] as he [was] at a pastor's shearing house in the way,


text:
Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah, king of Judah, and said, Who [are] ye? And they answered, We [are] the brethren of Ahaziah, and we go down to salute the sons of the king and the sons of the queen.


text:
So he said, Take them alive. And after they took them alive, they slew them at the well of the shearing house, forty-two men, without leaving any of them.


text:
And when he had departed from there, he met Jehonadab, the son of Rechab; and after he saluted him, he said to him, Is thy heart right as my heart [is] with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it is, give [me] thy hand. And he gave [him] his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot.


text:
And he said, Come with me, and thou shalt see my zeal for the LORD. So they had him ride in his chariot.


text:
And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that had remained of Ahab in Samaria, until he had [completely] destroyed him, according to the word of the LORD which he had spoken to Elijah.


text:
And Jehu gathered all the people together and said unto them, Ahab served Baal a little [but] Jehu shall serve him much.


text:
Now, therefore, call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests; let no one be lacking, for I have a great sacrifice [to do] to Baal; whoever is lacking shall not live. But Jehu did [it] in subtilty to the intent that he might destroy those that served Baal.


text:
And Jehu sent through all Israel, and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there was no one lacking that did not come. And they came into the house of Baal, and the house of Baal was full from one end to another.


text:
And he said to the one that [was] over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all those that served Baal. And he brought them forth vestments.


text:
And Jehu went with Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal and said unto the servants of Baal, Search and make sure that none of the servants of the LORD are here with you, but only the servants of Baal.


text:
And when they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu put eighty men outside and said, Whoever leaves alive any of the men whom I have brought into your hands, his life shall be for that of the other.


text:
And after they had finished offering the burnt offering, Jehu said to those of his guard and to the captains, Go in, [and] slay them; let none escape. And they smote them with the edge of the sword, and the guard and the captains left them where they fell and went to the city of the house of Baal,


text:
And they broke down the image of Baal and broke down the house of Baal and made it a latrine unto this day.


text:
However with all this, Jehu did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin [with] the golden calves that [were] in Bethel and in Dan.


text:
And the LORD said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing [that which is] right in my eyes [and] hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that [was] in my heart, thy sons shall sit on the throne of Israel unto the fourth [generation].


text:
But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart; neither did he depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had caused Israel to sin.


text:
In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short, and Hazael smote them in all the borders of Israel,


text:
from the Jordan toward the rising of the sun, all the land of Gilead, of Gad, of Reuben, and of Manasses, from Aroer, which [is] by the river Arnon, to Gilead and to Bashan.


text:
Now the rest of the acts of Jehu and all that he did and all his might, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?


text:
And Jehu slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz, his son, reigned in his stead.


text:
And Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, seeing that her son was dead, arose and destroyed all the royal seed.


text:
But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash, the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons [which were] slain; and they hid him, [even] him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain.


text:
But the seventh year Jehoiada sent and took rulers over hundreds, captains and people of the guard, and brought them to him into the house of the LORD and made a covenant with them, causing them to swear an oath in the house of the LORD, and he showed them the king's son.


text:
And he commanded them, saying, This [is] the thing that ye shall do; a third part of you that shall enter in on the sabbath shall be the keepers of the watch of the king's house;


text:
and a third part [shall be] at the gate of Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard; so ye shall have the watch of the house of Mesah.


text:
And two parts of all you that go forth on the sabbath, even they shall keep the watch of the house of the LORD about the king.


text:
And ye shall compass the king round about, each man with his weapons in his hand; and he that comes within these orders shall be slain. Ye must be with the king as he goes out and as he comes in.


text:
And the captains over the hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada, the priest, commanded; and each man took his men that were to come in on the sabbath with those that should go out on the sabbath and came to Jehoiada, the priest.


text:
And the priest gave the captains over hundreds King David's spears and shields that [were] in the house of the LORD.


text:
And the guard stood, each man with his weapons in his hand, round about the king, from the right corner of the house to the left corner of the house, next to the altar and the house.


text:
Then he brought forth the king's son and put the crown upon him and [gave him] the testimony, and they made him king by anointing him; and they clapped their hands and said, [Long] live the king.


text:
And when Athaliah heard the noise of the people running, she came to the people into the house of the LORD;


text:
and when she looked, behold, the king stood by the pillar, as was his right, and the princes and the trumpeters by the king, and all the people of the land rejoiced and blew with trumpets. Then Athaliah rent her clothes and cried, Treason, Treason.


text:
Then Jehoiada, the priest, commanded the captains of the hundreds that governed the host and said unto them, Take her forth outside the order of the house and kill with the sword any that follow her. (For the priest had said, Let her not be slain in the house of the LORD.)


text:
And they laid hands on her, and she went by the way by which the horsemen enter into the king's house, and there she was slain.


text:
Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people, that they should be the LORD'S people; and likewise between the king and the people.


text:
And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal and broke it down; his altars and his images they broke in pieces thoroughly and slew Mattan, the priest of Baal, before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the LORD.


text:
And he took the rulers over hundreds and the captains and the guard and all the people of the land, and they brought down the king from the house of the LORD and came by the way of the gate of the guard to the king's house. And he sat on the throne of the kings.


text:
And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was at rest [after] they slew Athaliah with the sword [beside] the king's house.


text:
In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name [was] Zibiah of Beersheba.


text:
And Jehoash did [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD all the time that Jehoiada, the priest, instructed him.


text:
But with all this, the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.


text:
And Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the sanctified things that is brought into the house of the LORD, the money of the [redemptions of] each one that passes [the account], the money of each soul according to the estimation of each one, [and] all the money that comes into any man's heart to bring into the house of the LORD,


text:
let the priests receive it, each man of his kinsmen; and let them repair the breaches of the house, wherever any breach shall be found.


text:
But it was so [that], in the year twenty-three of King Jehoash, the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house.


text:
Then King Jehoash called for Jehoiada, the priest, and the [other] priests and said unto them, Why do ye not repair the breaches of the house? Now, therefore, receive no [more] money of your kinsmen, but deliver it to repair the breaches of the house.


text:
And the priests consented to receive no [more] money from the people, neither to be responsible to repair the breaches of the house.


text:
Then Jehoiada, the priest, took an ark and bored a hole in the lid of it and set it beside the altar, on the right side of the entrance to the house of the LORD; and the priests that kept the door put all the money [that was] brought into the house of the LORD in it.


text:
And when they saw that there was much money in the ark, the king's scribe and the high priest came up and counted the money that was found in the house of the LORD and guarded it.


text:
And they gave sufficient money into the hands of those that did the work and of those that had the responsibility of the house of the LORD; and they laid it out to the carpenters and builders that repaired the house of the LORD,


text:
and to the masons and hewers of stone and to buy timber and hewed stone to repair the breaches of the house of the LORD and for all that was laid out for the house to repair [it].


text:
But of that money that was brought into the house of the LORD, they did not make bowls of silver nor snuffers nor basins nor trumpets nor any vessels of gold or vessels of silver for house of the LORD


text:
Moreover they did not require accounts from the men into whose hands they delivered the money to be bestowed on workmen, for they dealt faithfully.


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


text:
And Jehoash, king of Judah, took all the holy things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated and his own holy things and all the gold [that was] found in the treasury of the house of the LORD and in the king's house and sent [it] to Hazael, king of Syria; and he went away from Jerusalem.


text:
And 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?


text:
And his servants arose and made a conspiracy and slew Joash in the house of Millo, as he was going down to Silla.


text:
For Jozachar, the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad, the son of Shomer, his servants, smote him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David; and Amaziah, his son, reigned in his stead.:


text:
In the year twenty-three of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, began to reign over Israel in Samaria [and reigned] seventeen years.


text:
And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD and followed the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin; and he did not depart from them.


text:
And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael, king of Syria, and into the hand of Benhadad, the son of Hazael, all [their] days.


text:
But Jehoahaz grieved [before] the LORD, and the LORD hearkened unto him, for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.


text:
(And the LORD gave Israel a saviour so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians, and the sons of Israel dwelt in their tents as beforetime.


text:
With all this, they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, [but] walked in them; and the grove also remained in Samaria.)


text:
Neither did he leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen and ten chariots and ten thousand footmen, for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like dust to be tread upon.


text:
Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz and all that he did and his might, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?


text:
And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria; and Joash, his son, reigned in his stead.


text:
In the year thirty-seven of Joash, king of Judah, Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, began to reign over Israel in Samaria [and reigned] sixteen years.


text:
And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin; he walked in them.


text:
And the rest of the acts of Joash and 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?


text:
And Joash slept with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat upon his throne; and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.


text:
Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness of which he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariots of Israel, and the horsemen thereof!


text:
And he said to the king of Israel, Put thy hand upon the bow. And he put his hand [upon it]; and Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands.


text:
And he said, Open the window towards the east. And when he opened it Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD'S salvation, and the arrow of salvation from Syria; for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, until thou have consumed [them].


text:
And he said again, Take the arrows. And he took [them]. Then he said to the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote three times, and stopped.


text:
Then the man of God was angry with him, and said, If thou would have smitten five or six times; then thou would have smitten Syria until thou had consumed [it]; whereas now thou shalt smite Syria three times.


text:
And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year.


text:
And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band [of men]; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha; and when the dead man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.


text:
But the LORD was merciful unto them, and had compassion on them, and looked upon them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and did not desire to destroy them or to cast them from his presence as yet.


text:
And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael the cities, which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz, his father, by war. Three times did Joash smite him, and he recovered the cities of Israel.:


text:
In the second year of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah, the son of Joash, king of Judah, began to reign.


text:
He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign and reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name [was] Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.


text:
And he did [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like David his father; he did according to all things as Joash his father did.


text:
With all this, the high places were not taken away; as yet the people sacrificed and burnt incense on the high places.


text:
And as soon as the kingdom was confirmed in his hand, he slew his servants which had slain the king, his father.


text:
But the sons of those who had slain him he slew not; according unto that which is written in the book of the law of Moses where the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but each one shall die for their own sin.


text:
He slew of Edom in the valley of salt ten thousand and took Selah by war and called the name of it Joktheel unto this day.


text:
Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look each other in the face.


text:
And Jehoash, the king of Israel, sent to Amaziah, king of Judah, this reply, The thistle that [was] in Lebanon sent to the cedar that [was] in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife. And the wild beasts that [were] in Lebanon passed by and trode down the thistle.


text:
Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and thy heart has lifted thee up; glory [in this], but tarry at home. Why should thou meddle in evil that thou should fall, [even] thou, and Judah with thee?


text:
But Amaziah would not hear. Therefore Jehoash, king of Israel, went up; and he and Amaziah, king of Judah, looked each other in the face at Bethshemesh, which [is] in Judah.


text:
Furthermore, Jehoash, king of Israel, took Amaziah, king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, the son of Ahaziah, at Bethshemesh and came to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits.


text:
And he took all the gold and silver and all the vessels that were found in the house of the LORD and in the treasury of the king's house and the sons as hostages and returned to Samaria.


text:
Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash, which he did, and 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?


text:
And Jehoash slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam, his son, reigned in his stead.


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


text:
And the rest of the acts of Amaziah, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?


text:
Now they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and slew him there.


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


text:
Then all the people of Judah took Azariah, who [was] sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.


text:
In the fifteenth year of Amaziah, the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria [and reigned] forty-one years.


text:
And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin.


text:
He restored the borders of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he had spoken by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, who [was] of Gathhepher.


text:
For the LORD saw the affliction of Israel, [that it was] very bitter, for [there was] no one shut up nor any left nor any to help Israel;


text:
and the LORD had not yet determined to blot out the name of Israel from under heaven; therefore, he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam, the son of Joash.


text:
Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did and his might, how he warred and how he recovered Damascus and Hamath to Judah in Israel, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?


text:
And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, with the kings of Israel, and Zachariah, his son, reigned in his stead.:


text:
In the year twenty-seven of Jeroboam, king of Israel, Azariah, son of Amaziah, king of Judah, began to reign.


text:
He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name [was] Jecholiah of Jerusalem.


text:
And he did [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.


text:
But with all this, the high places were not removed; the people sacrificed and burnt incense still on the high places.


text:
And the LORD smote the king so that he was a leper unto the day of his death and dwelt in a separate house. And Jotham, the king's son, [was] over the house, judging the people of the land.


text:
And 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?


text:
So Azariah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David; and Jotham, his son, reigned in his stead.


text:
In the year thirty-eight of Azariah, king of Judah, Zachariah, the son of Jeroboam, began to reign over Israel in Samaria six months.


text:
And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin.


text:
And Shallum, the son of Jabesh, conspired against him, and smote him before the people and slew him, and reigned in his stead.


text:
And the rest of the acts of Zachariah, behold, they [are] written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.


text:
This [was] the word of the LORD which he spoke unto Jehu, saying, Thy sons shall sit on the throne of Israel unto the fourth [generation]. And so it came to pass.


text:
Shallum, the son of Jabesh, began to reign in the year thirty-nine of Uzziah, king of Judah; and he reigned a full month in Samaria.


text:
For Menahem, the son of Gadi, went up from Tirzah and came to Samaria and smote Shallum, the son of Jabesh, in Samaria and slew him and reigned in his stead.


text:
And the rest of the acts of Shallum and his conspiracy which he made, behold, they [are] written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.


text:
Then Menahem smote Tiphsah and all that [were] therein and the borders thereof from Tirzah because they had not opened [to him], therefore, he smote [it]; [and] all the women therein that were with child he ripped up.


text:
In the year thirty-nine of Azariah, king of Judah, Menahem, the son of Gadi, began to reign over Israel [and reigned] ten years in Samaria.


text:
And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart all his days from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin.


text:
[And] Pul, the king of Assyria, came against the land; and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand.


text:
And Menahem exacted the money upon Israel, from all the mighty men of virtue, 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:
And 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?


text:
In the year fifty of Azariah, king of Judah, Pekahiah, the son of Menahem, began to reign over Israel in Samaria [and reigned] two years.


text:
And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin.


text:
But Pekah, the son of Remaliah a captain of his, conspired against him and smote him in Samaria, in the palace of the king's house, with Argob and Arieh and with him fifty men of the sons of Gilead; and he killed him and reigned in his place.


text:
And 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.


text:
In the year fifty-two of Azariah, king of Judah, Pekah, the son of Remaliah, began to reign over Israel in Samaria [and reigned] twenty years.


text:
In the days of Pekah, king of Israel, came Tiglathpileser, king of Assyria, and took Ijon, Abelbethmaachah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, Galilee, and all the land of Naphtali and carried them captive to Assyria.


text:
And Hosea, the son of Elah, made a conspiracy against Pekah, the son of Remaliah, and smote him and slew him and reigned in his stead, in the year twenty of Jotham, the son of Uzziah.


text:
And 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.


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


text:
He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name [was] Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.


text:
And he did [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD; he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done.


text:
With all this, the high places were not removed; the people sacrificed and burned incense still in the high places. He built the higher gate of the house of the LORD.


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?


text:
In those days the LORD began to send against Judah Rezin, the king of Syria and Pekah, the son of Remaliah.


text:
And Jotham slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, his father; and Ahaz, his son, reigned in his stead.:


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


text:
Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem and did not do [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD his God like David, his father.


text:
But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel and even made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the Gentiles, whom the LORD cast out from before the sons of Israel.


text:
Likewise he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.


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


text:
At that time Rezin, king of Syria, recovered Elath to Syria and drove the Jews from Elath; and the Syrians came to Elath and dwelt there unto this day.


text:
So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglathpileser, king of Assyria, saying, I [am] thy servant and thy son; come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria and out of the hand of the king of Israel, who have risen up against me.


text:
And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasury of the king's house and sent [it for] a bribe to the king of Assyria.


text:
And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him, for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and took it and carried [the people of] it captive to Kir and slew Rezin.


text:
And King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglathpileser, King of Assyria, and saw the altar that [was] at Damascus; and king Ahaz sent to Urijah, the priest, the fashion of the altar and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship of it.


text:
And Urijah, the priest, built an altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus; so Urijah, the priest, made [it] while King Ahaz returned from Damascus.


text:
And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar; and the king came near to the altar and offered upon it.


text:
And he burnt his burnt offering and his present and poured his drink offering and sprinkled the blood of his peace [offerings], next to the altar.


text:
And the brasen altar which [had been] before the LORD, he cause to be moved in front of the forefront of the house, from between the altar and the house of the LORD, and he put it beside the altar towards the Aquilon.


text:
And King Ahaz commanded Urijah, the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering and the evening present and the king's burnt sacrifice and his present, and likewise the burnt offering of all the people of the land and their present and their drink offerings, and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice; and the brasen altar shall be mine to enquire [by].


text:
And King Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases and removed the lavers from off them and took down the sea from off the brasen oxen that [were] under it and put it upon a pavement of stones.


text:
And the covert for the sabbath that they had built in the house and the king's entry outside, he moved behind the house of the LORD, for the sake of the king of Assyria.


text:
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?


text:
And Ahaz slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Hezekiah, his son, reigned in his stead.:


text:
In the twelfth year of Ahaz, king of Judah, Hosea, the son of Elah, began to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.


text:
And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.


text:
Against him came up Shalmaneser, king of Assyria; and Hosea became his servant and gave him presents.


text:
And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hosea; for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and brought no present 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.


text:
Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land and went up to Samaria and besieged it three years.


text:
In the ninth year of Hosea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away into Assyria and placed them in Halah and in Habor [by] the river of Gozan and in the cities of the Medes.


text:
For [so] it was that the sons of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods


text:
and walked in the statutes of the Gentiles, whom the LORD had cast out from before the sons of Israel, and in the [statutes] of the kings of Israel, which they had made.


text:
And the sons of Israel had secretly done [those] things that [were] not right against the LORD their God, building themselves high places in all their cities, from the towers of the watchmen to the fenced cities.


text:
and there they burnt incense in all the high places like the Gentiles, whom the LORD had carried away before them, and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:


text:
Yet the LORD testified against Israel and against Judah, by all the prophets [and by] all the seers, saying, Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments [and] my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers and which I sent to you by the hand of my servants the prophets.


text:
Notwithstanding, they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, who had never believed in the LORD their God.


text:
And they rejected his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and his testimonies which he testified against them, and they followed vanity and became vain and went after the Gentiles that [were] round about them, [concerning] whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.


text:
And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God and made themselves molten images, [even] two calves, and made groves and worshipped all the host of heaven and served Baal;


text:
and they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire and used divination and enchantments and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.


text:
Therefore, the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.


text:
But not even Judah kept the commandments of the LORD their God; to the contrary, they walked in the statutes of Israel which [they themselves] had made.


text:
And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel and afflicted them and delivered them into the hand of spoilers until he had cast them out of his presence.


text:
For he rent Israel from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, king; and Jeroboam drove Israel from following the LORD and made them commit a great sin.


text:
For the sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them


text:
until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.


text:
And the king of Assyria brought [Gentiles] from Babylon and from Cuthah and from Ava and from Hamath and from Sepharvaim, and placed [them] in the cities of Samaria instead of the sons of Israel; and they possessed Samaria and dwelt in the cities thereof.


text:
And [so] it was at the beginning of their dwelling there [that] they did not fear the LORD; therefore, the LORD sent lions against them, which slew [some] of them.


text:
Therefore, they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, The Gentiles, which thou hast removed and placed in the cities of Samaria, do not know the judgment of the God of that land; therefore, he has sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them because they do not know the judgment of the God of the land.


text:
Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry there one of the priests whom ye brought from there; and let them go and dwell there and teach them the judgment of the God of the land.


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


text:
However each nation made gods of their own and put [them] in the houses of the high places which those of Samaria had made, each nation in their city in which they dwelt.


text:
And the men of Babylon made Succothbenoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,


text:
and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.


text:
So they feared the LORD and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.


text:
They feared the LORD and served their own gods after the manner of the gentiles whom they carried away from there.


text:
Unto this day they do after the former manners; they do not fear the LORD, neither do they keep his statutes nor his ordinances nor the law and the commandments which the LORD commanded the sons of Jacob, whom he named Israel,


text:
with whom the LORD had made a covenant and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods nor worship them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them,


text:
but only the LORD your God who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice.


text:
And the statutes and rights and the law and the commandments, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do every day; and ye shall not fear other gods.


text:
So these Gentiles feared the LORD and served their graven images, and likewise their sons and their grandsons; as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.:


text:
Now it came to pass in the third year of Hosea, son of Elah, king of Israel, [that] Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign.


text:
He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also [was] Abi, the daughter of Zachariah.


text:
And he did [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David, his father, did.


text:
He removed the high places and broke the images and cut down the groves and broke in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days, the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and he called it Nehushtan.


text:
He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that neither after him nor before was there any like him among all the kings of Judah.


text:
For he cleaved unto the LORD [and] did not depart from following him, but kept his commandments which the LORD commanded Moses.


text:
And the LORD was with him, [and] he prospered in all things in which he went forth; and he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.


text:
He smote the Philistines, [even] unto Gaza and the borders thereof, from the towers of the watchmen to the fenced city.


text:
And in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which [was] the seventh year of Hosea, son of Elah, king of Israel, Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, came up against Samaria and besieged it.


text:
And at the end of three years, they took it; [even] in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that [is] the ninth year of Hosea, king of Israel, Samaria was taken.


text:
And the king of Assyria carried away Israel unto Assyria and put them in Halah and in Habor [by] the river of Gozan and in the cities of the Medes:


text:
because they had not hearkened unto the voice of the LORD their God, but had broken his covenant [and] all that Moses, the servant of the LORD, commanded and would not hear [them] nor do [them].


text:
Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came up against all the fenced cities of Judah and took them.


text:
And Hezekiah, king of Judah, sent unto the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have sinned; return from me; that which thou puttest on me I will bear. Then the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah, king of Judah, three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.


text:
And Hezekiah gave [him] all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasury of the king's house.


text:
At that time Hezekiah cut off [the gold from] the doors of the temple of the LORD and [from] the hinges which Hezekiah, king of Judah, had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria.


text:
And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which [is] in the highway of the washer's field.


text:
And they called the king, and Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, who [was] over the household, and Shebna, the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the writer of chronicles went out to them.


text:
And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence [is] this in which thou dost trust?


text:
Thou sayest (but [they are but] vain words), [I have] counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou hast rebelled against me?


text:
Now, behold, thou dost trust upon the staff of this bruised reed, [even] upon Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it; so [is] Pharaoh, king of Egypt unto all that trust in him.


text:
But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: is he not the one whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away and has said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?


text:
Now therefore, I pray thee, give hostages unto my lord, the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou art able on thy part to set riders upon them.


text:
How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, even though thou dost trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?


text:
Furthermore, Have I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land and destroy it.


text:
Then said Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language, for we understand [it], and do not talk with us in the Jews' language in the ears of the people that [are] on the wall.


text:
But Rabshakeh said unto them, Has my master sent me to thy master and to thee, to speak these words and not rather to the men who sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung and drink their own piss with you?


text:
Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language and spoke, saying, Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria.


text:
Thus hath the king said, Let not Hezekiah deceive you, for he shall not be able to deliver you out of my hand.


text:
Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.


text:
Do not hearken unto Hezekiah, for thus saith the king of Assyria, Give me a blessing and come out to me, and [then] each one of you shall eat of their own vine and of their own fig tree, and each one shall drink the waters of their own well,


text:
until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olives, of oil, and of honey, that ye may live, and not die. Do not heark unto Hezekiah, for he deceives you, saying, The LORD will deliver us.


text:
Peradventure have any of the gods of the Gentiles delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?


text:
Where [is] the god of Hamath and of Arpad? Where [is] the god of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and of Ivah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?


text:
What god out of all the gods of the lands has delivered their land out of my hand that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?


text:
But the people remained silent and did not answer him a word, for the king had commanded, saying, Do not answer him.


text:
Then Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, who [was] over the household, and Shebna, the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the writer of chronicles, came to Hezekiah with [their] clothes rent and told him the words of Rabshakeh.:


text:
And when King Hezekiah heard [it], he rent his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the LORD.


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


text:
to say unto him, Thus hath Hezekiah said, This day [is] a day of trouble and of rebuke and blasphemy, for the sons are come to the place of breaking forth, and she that gives birth has no strength.


text:
Peradventure, the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria, his master, has sent to reproach the living God and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God has heard; therefore, lift up [thy] prayer for the remnant that is left.


text:
And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus hath the LORD said, Do not be afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.


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


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


text:
And when he heard it said of Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee; he sent messengers again unto Hezekiah, saying,


text:
Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah, king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou dost trust deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.


text:
Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly; and shalt thou be delivered?


text:
Peradventure have the gods of the Gentiles delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, [as] Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the sons of Eden, who [were] in Thelasar?


text:
Where [is] the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah?


text:
And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD and spread it before the LORD.


text:
And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, saying, O LORD God of Israel, who dwellest [above] the cherubim, thou alone art the God unto all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.


text:
Incline, O LORD, thy ear and hear; open, O LORD, thine eyes and see and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.


text:
and have cast their gods into the fire, for they [were] not gods, but the work of men's hands, wood or stone; therefore, they have destroyed them.


text:
Now, therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save us now out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou alone [art] the LORD God.


text:
Then Isaiah, the son of Amoz, sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus hath the LORD God of Israel said, [That] which thou hast prayed to me regarding Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.


text:
This [is] the word that the LORD has spoken concerning him: Has he despised thee? Has he laughed thee to scorn, O virgin daughter of Zion? He has moved his head behind thy back, O daughter of Jerusalem.


text:
Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? And against whom hast thou exalted [thy] voice and lifted up thine eyes on high? Against the Holy [One] of Israel.


text:
By the hand of thy messengers, thou hast reproached the Lord and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots I have come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof [and] the choice fir trees thereof; and I will enter into the habitation of his borders [and into] the forest of his Carmel.


text:
I have dug and drunk the waters of others, and with the sole of my feet I have dried up all the rivers of defended places.


text:
Hast thou never heard that from a long time [ago] I made her, [and] from ancient times I have formed her? Now I have made her come, and it shall be to lay waste fenced cities [into] ruinous heaps.


text:
Therefore their inhabitants' hands were too short; dismayed and confounded, they shall be [as] the grass of the field and [as] the green herb, [as] the hay on the housetops, that is dried up before it comes to maturity.


text:
Because thou hast raged against me and thy tumult has come up into my ears, therefore, I will put my hook in thy nose and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou didst come.


text:
And this [shall be] a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, and in the second year such things as grow [again] of themselves; and in the third year ye shall sow and reap and plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them.


text:
And that which has escaped, that which is left of the house of Judah, shall yet again take root downward and bear fruit upward.


text:
For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant and deliverance out of Mount Zion; the zeal of the LORD of the hosts shall do this.


text:
Therefore, thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city nor shoot an arrow there nor come before it with shield nor cast a bank against it.


text:
By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and he shall not enter into this city, saith the LORD.


text:
And it came to pass that night that the angel of the LORD went out and smote in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand [men]; and when they arose early in the morning, behold, the corpses of the dead.


text:
And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch, his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, smote him with the sword and fled into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon, his son, reigned in his stead.:


text:
In those days Hezekiah became sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, came to him and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thy house in order, for thou shalt die, and not live.


text:
I beseech thee, O LORD, remember how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done [that which is] good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept with great weeping.


text:
And before Isaiah had gone out into the middle of the court, the word of the LORD came to him, saying,


text:
Turn again and tell Hezekiah, prince of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David, thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears; behold, I will heal thee; on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.


text:
And I will add unto thy days fifteen years, and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David's sake.


text:
And Hezekiah had said unto Isaiah, What [shall be] the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I shall go up into the house of the LORD the third day?


text:
And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees or go back ten degrees?


text:
And Hezekiah answered, It is an easy thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees, but not for the shadow to return backward ten degrees.


text:
Then Isaiah, the prophet, cried unto the LORD, and he caused the shadow to return by the degrees by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward.


text:
At that time Berodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and presents unto Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.


text:
And Hezekiah hearkened unto them and showed them all the house of his precious things, the silver and the gold and the spices and the precious ointment and [all] the house of his weapons and all that was found in his treasury; there was nothing in his house nor in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.


text:
Then Isaiah, the prophet, came unto King Hezekiah and said unto him, What did these men say, and where did they come from unto thee? And Hezekiah replied, They are come from a far country, [even] from Babylon.


text:
And he said, What have they seen in thy house? And Hezekiah answered, All [the things] that [are] in my house they have seen; there is nothing among my treasury that I have not showed them.


text:
Behold, the days come that all that [is] in thy house and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day shall be carried into Babylon; nothing shall be left, saith the LORD.


text:
And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, they shall take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.


text:
Then Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, The word of the LORD which thou hast spoken is good. And he said, For shall there not be peace and truth in my days?


text:
The rest of the acts of Hezekiah and all his might and how he made a pool and a conduit and brought water into the city, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?


text:
Manasseh [was] twelve years old when he began to reign and reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name [was] Hephzibah.


text:
And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the Gentiles, whom the LORD cast out before the sons of Israel.


text:
For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah, his father, had destroyed, and he raised up altars for Baal and made a grove, as Ahab, king of Israel, had done; and he worshipped all the host of heaven and served those things.


text:
Likewise, he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, In Jerusalem I will put my name.


text:
And he made his son pass through the fire and observed times and used enchantments and dealt with spiritists and diviners and multiplied much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke [him] to anger.


text:
And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD had said to David and to Solomon, his son, In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever;


text:
neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers, only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.


text:
But they did not hearken, and Manasseh caused them to err and to do more evil than did the Gentiles whom the LORD destroyed before the sons of Israel.


text:
Because Manasseh, king of Judah, has done these abominations [and] has done more evil than all that the Amorites did, who [were] before him and has also made Judah sin with his idols;


text:
therefore, thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I [am] bringing [such] evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears shall tingle.


text:
And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab; and I will wipe Jerusalem as [a man] wipes a dish, wiping [it] and turning [it] upside down.


text:
And I will forsake the remnant of my inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies, and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies


text:
because they have done [that which was] evil in my sight and have provoked me to anger since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day.


text:
Moreover, Manasseh shed innocent blood very much until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another besides his sin with which he made Judah sin so that they would do [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD.


text:
Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh and all that he did and his sin with which he sinned, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?


text:
And Manasseh slept with his fathers and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza; and Amon his son reigned in his stead.


text:
Amon [was] twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name [was] Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.


text:
And he walked in all the way that his father walked in and served the idols that his father had served and worshipped them;


text:
[Then] the people of the land slew all those that had conspired against King Amon, and the people of the land made Josiah, his son, king in his stead.


text:
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?


text:
And he was buried in his sepulchre in the garden of Uzza, and Josiah, his son, reigned in his stead.:


text:
Josiah [was] eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name [was] Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.


text:
And he did [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD and walked in all the way of David, his father, and did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.


text:
And in the year eighteen of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the LORD, saying,


text:
Go up to Hilkiah, the high priest, that he may sum the silver which has been brought into the house of the LORD, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people;


text:
and let them deliver it into the hands of those that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD; and let them give it to those that do the work in the house of the LORD, to repair the breaches of the house,


text:
and there is to be no accounting required of those unto whom the money is delivered because they deal faithfully.


text:
Then Hilkiah, the high priest, said unto Shaphan, the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.


text:
And Shaphan, the scribe, came to the king and brought the king word again and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house and have delivered it into the hand of those that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD.


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Likewise, Shaphan, the scribe, declared unto the king, saying, Hilkiah, the priest, has delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.


text:
And the king commanded Hilkiah, the priest, and Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Achbor, the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan, the scribe, and Asahiah, a servant of the king's, saying,


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Go and enquire of the LORD for me and for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found, for great [is] the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.


text:
So Hilkiah, the priest, and Ahikam and Achbor and Shaphan and Asahiah went unto Huldah, the prophetess, the wife of Shallum, the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe, who dwelt in Jerusalem in the house of doctrine; and they spoke with her.


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Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place and upon its inhabitants, [even] all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read,


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because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore, my wrath is kindled against this place and shall not be quenched.


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But to the king of Judah who sent you to enquire of the LORD, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Because thou didst hear the words [of the book],


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and thy heart became tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD when thou didst hear what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become desolate and cursed, and hast rent thy clothes and wept before me; I also have heard [thee], saith the LORD.


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Behold, therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace, and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.:


text:
And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests and the prophets and all the people, from the smallest to the greatest; and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which had been found in the house of the LORD.


text:
And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, that they would walk after the LORD and keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all [their] heart and all [their] soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in that book. And all the people confirmed the covenant.


text:
And the king commanded Hilkiah, the high priest, and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that had been made for Baal and for the grove and for all the host of heaven; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron and caused their dust to be carried unto Bethel.


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And he put down the religious [persons] whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places round about Jerusalem; likewise, those that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.


text:
And he brought out the [graven image of the] grove from the house of the LORD outside Jerusalem unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron and stamped [it] small to powder and cast the powder of it upon the graves of the sons of the people.


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He likewise broke down the houses of the male [cult] prostitutes that [were] by the house of the LORD where the women wove hangings for the grove.


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And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba, and broke down the high places of the gates that [were] in the entering in of the gate of Joshua, the governor of the city, which [were] on a man's left hand at the gate of the city.


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Nevertheless, the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but they did eat of the unleavened bread among their brethren.


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And he defiled Tophet, which [is] in the valley of the sons of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.


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And he took away the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance of the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathanmelech, the chamberlain who [was] in charge of the Parbar, and burned the chariots of the sun with fire.


text:
And the king cast down the altars that [were] on the top 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 the LORD and made haste and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron.


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Likewise, the king defiled the high places that [were] before Jerusalem, which [were] on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon, the king of Israel, had built unto Ashtoreth, the abomination of the Zidonians, and unto Chemosh, the abomination of the Moabites, and unto Milcom, the abomination of the sons of Ammon.


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And he broke the images in pieces and cut down the groves and filled their places with the bones of men.


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Likewise, the altar that [was] at Bethel [and] the high place which Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin, had made: both that altar and the high place he broke down and burned the high place [and] stamped [it] small to powder and burned the grove.


text:
And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that [were] there in the mount and sent and took the bones out of the sepulchres and burned [them] upon the altar and polluted it, according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who had proclaimed these words.


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Then he said, What title [is] this that I see? And the men of the city told him, [It is] the sepulchre of the man of God, who came from Judah and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Bethel.


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And he said, Let him alone; let no one move his bones. So his bones were saved along with the bones of the prophet that had come out of Samaria.


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And all the houses also of the high places that [were] in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke [the LORD] to anger, Josiah took away and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Bethel.


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And he slew all the priests of the high places that [were] there upon the altars and burned men's bones upon them and returned to Jerusalem.


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Then] the king commanded all the people, saying, Make the passover unto the LORD your God, as [it is] written in the book of this covenant.


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Such a passover had not been made since the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah.


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In the same manner Josiah burned the spiritists, the diviners, the teraphim, the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might confirm the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had found in the house of the LORD.


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There was no king before him that converted [like this] to the LORD with all his heart and all his soul and all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither did any like him arise after him.


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Even with all this the LORD did not turn from the fierceness of his great wrath, with which his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him to wrath.


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And the LORD said, I must also remove Judah out of my sight as I have removed Israel, and I must reject this city Jerusalem which I had chosen and the house of which I 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 Pharaohnechoh, king of Egypt, went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates; and King Josiah went against him; but as soon as he saw him, he slew him at Megiddo.


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And his servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo and brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own sepulchre. Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz, the son of Josiah, and anointed him and made him king in his father's stead.


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Jehoahaz [was] twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name [was] Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.


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And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.


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And Pharaohnechoh put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, as he was reigning in Jerusalem; and put the land to a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.


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Then Pharaohnechoh made Eliakim, the son of Josiah, king in the place of Josiah his father and changed his name to Jehoiakim and took Jehoahaz and carried him to Egypt, and he died there.


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And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he caused the land to be valued to give [this] money according to the commandment of Pharaoh; he exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, of each one according to the estimation of [his worth], to give [it] unto Pharaohnechoh.


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Jehoiakim [was] twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name [was] Zebudah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.


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And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.:


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In his time Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years; then he turned and rebelled against him.


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And the LORD sent against him armies of the Chaldees and armies of the Syrians and armies of the Moabites and armies of the sons of Ammon and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by his servants the prophets.


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Surely at the commandment of the LORD [this] came upon Judah, to remove [them] out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did


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and also for the innocent blood that he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the LORD would not pardon.


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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 never came out of his land again, for the king of Babylon had taken all that pertained to the king of Egypt from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates.


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Jehoiachin [was] eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother's name [was] Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.


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And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.


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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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So Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, went out to the king of Babylon, he and his mother and his servants and his princes and his eunuchs; and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.


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And he carried out of there all the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon, king of Israel, had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.


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And he carried away all Jerusalem and all the princes and all the mighty men of valour, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths; none remained except the poorest sort of the people of the land.


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He likewise carried Jehoiachin away to Babylon and the king's mother and the king's wives and his officers, and the mighty of the land; he carried them all into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.


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All the men of might, [which were] seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths [which were] one thousand, all [that were] strong [and] apt for war, the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.


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And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, his father's brother, king in his stead and changed his name to Zedekiah.


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Zedekiah [was] twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name [was] Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.


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And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.


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For the anger of the LORD was against Jerusalem and Judah until he cast them out from his presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.:


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And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth [day] of the month, [that] Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came, he and all his host, against Jerusalem and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about.


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And on the ninth of the month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.


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And the city was broken up, and all the men of war [fled] by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which is by the king's garden, with the Chaldees round about the city; and they went by the way of the plain.


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And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, after all his army had been scattered from him.


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And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him with fetters of brass and carried him to Babylon.


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And in the fifth month, on the seventh of the month, which [was] the year nineteen of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.


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And he burnt the house of the LORD and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great [man's] house he burnt with fire.


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And all the army of the Chaldees, that [were with] the captain of the guard, broke down the walls of Jerusalem round about.


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Now the rest of the people [that were] left in the city and the fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, carried away.


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And the Chaldees broke in pieces the pillars of brass that [were] in the house of the LORD and the bases and the brasen sea that [was] in the house of the LORD and carried the brass of them to Babylon.


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They also took away the pots and the shovels and the snuffers and the spoons and all the vessels of brass, with which they ministered.


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And the censers and the bowls [and] such things as [were] of gold [in] gold and of silver [in] silver the captain of the guard took away, also


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the two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD; the brass of all these vessels was without weight.


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The height of the one pillar [was] eighteen cubits, and the chapiter upon it [was] brass; and the height of the chapiter three cubits, and network and pomegranates upon the chapiter round about, all of brass; and the second pillar was like [the first] with network.


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And the captain of the guard took Seraiah, the chief priest, and Zephaniah, the second priest, and the three keepers of the door;


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and out of the city he took a eunuch, that was set over the men of war, and five men of those that were in the king's presence, who were found in the city, and the principal scribe of the host, who mustered the people of the land, with sixty men of the people of the land [that were] found in the city.


text:
And the king of Babylon smote and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away out of their land.


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And [as for] the people whom Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, left in the land of Judah, he made Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor over them.


text:
And when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, [even] Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Careah, and Seraiah, the son of Tanhumeth, the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah, the son of Maachathi, they and their men.


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Then Gedaliah swore to them and to their men and said unto them, Do not fear the servants of the Chaldees; dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.


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But in the seventh month, Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama of the royal seed, came and ten men with him and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah.


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Then all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose and went to Egypt, for they were afraid of the Chaldees.


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And it came to pass after thirty-seven years of the captivity of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh [day] of the month, [that] Evilmerodach, king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, out of the prison house;


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and he spoke kindly to him and set his seat above the seats of the kings that [were] with him in Babylon.


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And he changed his prison garments, and he ate bread continually before him all the days of his life.


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And the king caused him to be given his food continually, each thing in its time, all the days of his life.:


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And the sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raamah, and Sabtecha. And the sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.


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And unto Eber were born two sons; the name of the one [was] Peleg because in his days the earth was divided, and his brother's name [was] Joktan.


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Now the sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine: she gave birth to Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan.


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Now these [are] the kings that reigned in the land of Edom before [any] king reigned over the sons of Israel. Bela, the son of Beor, and the name of his city [was] Dinhabah.


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And when Husham was dead, Hadad, the son of Bedad, who smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead; and the name of his city [was] Avith.


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And when Baalhanan was dead, Hadad reigned in his stead. The name of his city [was] Pai, and his wife's name [was] 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 unto him of the daughter of Shua, the Canaanitess. And Er, the firstborn of Judah, was evil in the sight of the LORD, and he slew him.


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And Tamar, his daughter-in-law, gave birth unto him Pharez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah [were] five.


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whose sisters [were] Zeruiah, and Abigail. The sons of Zeruiah [were] three: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.


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And Caleb, the son of Hezron, begat Jerioth of Azubah, [his] wife. And her sons were Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.


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And afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir, the father of Gilead, whom he married when he [was] sixty years old, and she gave birth to Segum unto him.


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And Geshur and Aram took the cities of Jair from them, with Kenath and its towns, [even] sixty cities. All these [were] of the sons of Machir, the father of Gilead.


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And after Hezron was dead in Calebephratah, then Abiah, Hezron's wife, gave birth to Ashur unto him, the father of Tekoa.


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And the sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron, were Ram, the firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, [and] Ahijah.


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And the sons of Jada, the brother of Shammai: Jether and Jonathan; and Jether died without children.


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Now Sheshan had no sons, but daughters. And Sheshan had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name [was] Jarha.


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Now the sons of Caleb, the brother of Jerahmeel, [were] Mesha, his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph, and of his [other] sons, Mareshah, the father of Hebron.


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She also gave birth to Shaaph, the father of Madmannah, Sheva, the father of Machbenah and father of Gibea. And Achsah [was] the daughter of Caleb.


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These were the sons of Caleb, the son of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah: Shobal, the father of Kirjathjearim,


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And the families of Kirjathjearim: the Ithrites and the Puhites and the Shumathites and the Mishraites; of them came the Zareathites and the Eshtaulites.


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The sons of Salma: Bethlehem and the Netophathites, the crowns of the house of Joab, and half of the Manahethites, the Zorites.


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And the families of the scribes who dwelt at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, [and] Suchathites. These [are] the Kenites that came of Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab.:


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Now these were the sons of David, which were born unto him in Hebron: the firstborn, Amnon of Ahinoam, the Jezreelitess; the second, Daniel of Abigail of Carmel;


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the third, Absalom, the son of Maachah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah, the son of Haggith;


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[These] six were born unto him in Hebron, and there he reigned seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years.


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And these were born unto him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon, four of Bathshua, the daughter of Ammiel:


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[These were] all the sons of David, beside the sons of the concubines, and Tamar [was] their sister.


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And the sons of Josiah: the firstborn, Johanan; the second, Jehoiakim; the third, Zedekiah; the fourth, Shallum.


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And the sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel and Shimei. And the sons of Zerubbabel: Meshullam, Hananiah, and Shelomith, their sister.


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The sons of Hananiah: Pelatiah and Jesaiah, the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, the sons of Shechaniah.


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And the son of Shechaniah: Shemaiah, and the sons of Shemaiah: Hattush, Igeal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat, six.


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And Reaiah, the son of Shobal, begat Jahath, and Jahath begat Ahumai and Lahad. These [are] the families of the Zorathites.


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And these [were of] the father of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash, and the name of their sister [was] 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 Ephratah, the father of Bethlehem.


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And Naarah gave birth to Ahuzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari unto him. These [were] the sons of Naarah.


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And Jabez was more honoured than his brethren, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I gave birth to him with sorrow.


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And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou would bless me indeed and enlarge my border and that thy hand might be with me and that thou would deliver [me] from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.


text:
And Eshton begat Bethrapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah, the father of Irnahash. These [are] the men of Rechah.


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and Meonothai, who begat Ophrah. And Seraiah begat Joab, the father of the inhabitants of the valley of Charashim, for they were craftsmen.


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And the sons of Ezra: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon; and also begat Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah, the father of Eshtemoa.


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And his wife Jehudijah gave birth unto him Jered, the father of Gedor, and Heber, the father of Socho, and Jekuthiel, the father of Zanoah. And these [are] the sons of Bithiah, the daughter of Pharaoh, which Mered took.


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And the sons of the wife of Hodiah, the sister of Naham, [were] the father of Keilah, the Garmite, and Eshtemoa, the Maachathite.


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And the sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Benhanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi: Zoheth and Benzoheth.


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The sons of Shelah, the son of Judah: Er, the father of Lecah, and Laadah, the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of those that wrought fine linen, of the house of Ashbea,


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and Jokim and the men of Chozeba, and Joash and Saraph, who had the dominion in Moab, and Jashubilehem. And [these are] ancient words.


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These [were] the potters and those that dwelt among plants and hedges, who dwelt there with the king for his work.


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And Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brethren did not have many children, neither did all their family multiply, like the sons of Judah.


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and at Bethmarcaboth and Hazarsusim and at Bethbirei and at Shaaraim. These [were] their cities until the reign of David.


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and all their villages that [were] round about the same cities, unto Baal. These [were] their habitations and their genealogy.


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and 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 [their] names [were] princes in their families, and they were multiplied greatly in the house of their fathers.


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And they came unto the entrance of Gedor, [even] unto the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks.


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And they found fat pasture and good, and the land [was] wide and spacious and quiet and peaceable, for [the sons] of Ham had dwelt there of old.


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And these written by name came in the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah and smote their tents and the habitations that were found there and destroyed them utterly unto this day and dwelt in their place because [there was] pasture there for their flocks.


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And likewise five hundred men of them, of the sons of Simeon, went to Mount Seir, having for their captains Pelatiah and Neariah and Rephaiah and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi.


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Now the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, (for he [was] the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel; and he was not counted as the firstborn.


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Beerah, his son, whom Tilgathpilneser, king of Assyria, carried away [captive]. He [was] prince of the Reubenites.


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And his brethren by their families, when the genealogy of their generations was reckoned, had as princes, Jeiel and Zechariah.


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And Bela, the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, dwelt in Aroer, even until Nebo and Baalmeon.


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And eastward he inhabited unto the entering in of the wilderness from the river Euphrates, because their livestock were multiplied in the land of Gilead.


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And in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagarites, who fell by their hand, and they dwelt in their tents throughout all the east [land] of Gilead.


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And their brethren of the house of their fathers [were] Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jachan, Zia, and Heber, 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 her towns and in all the suburbs of Sharon, upon their goings forth.


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All these were reckoned by their generations 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 and of Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh, valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword and to shoot with bow and skillful in war [were] four-forty thousand seven hundred and sixty, that went out to the war.


text:
And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand and all that [were] with them, for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them because they put their trust in him.


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And they took away their livestock; fifty thousand camels and two hundred and fifty thousand sheep and two thousand asses and one hundred thousand persons.


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For there fell down many slain because the war [was] of God. And they dwelt in their steads until the captivity.


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And the sons of the half tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land; they increased from Bashan unto Baalhermon and Senir and unto Mount Hermon.


text:
And these [were] the heads of the houses of their fathers: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valour, famous men, [and] heads of the houses of their fathers.


text:
But they rebelled against the God of their fathers and fornicated after the gods of the people of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.


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And for this the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul, king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser, king of Assyria, and he carried away the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh and brought them unto Halah and Habor and Hara and to the River Gozan, unto this day.:


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and Jehozadak went [into captivity], when the LORD carried away Judah and Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.


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The sons of Merari: Mahli, Mushi. These [are] the families of the Levites according to their fathers.


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And these [are they] whom David set over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after the ark had rest.


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And they served before the tent of the tabernacle of the testimony with singing until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, and [then] they remained in their ministry according to their right.


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And these [are] those that remained with their sons. Of the sons of the Kohath: Heman, a singer, the son of Joel, the son of Shemuel,


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And his brother Asaph, who stood on his right hand, [even] Asaph the son of Berachiah, the son of Shimea,


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And their brethren, the sons of Merari, [stood] on the left hand; Ethan, the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch,


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Their brethren, also the Levites, [were] given over unto all the ministry of the tabernacle of the house of God.


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But Aaron and his sons made incense upon the altar of the burnt offering and on the altar of incense, in all the work of the holy of holies, and to make reconciliation for Israel, according to all that Moses, the servant of God, had commanded.


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Now these [are] their dwelling places throughout their palaces in their borders, of the sons of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites; for theirs was the lot,


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And to the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of refuge of Judah, [namely], Hebron and Libnah with their suburbs, and Jattir and Eshtemoa, with their suburbs,


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And out of the tribe of Benjamin; Geba with her suburbs and Alemeth with her suburbs and Anathoth with her suburbs. All their cities throughout their families [were] thirteen cities.


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And unto the sons of Kohath, [who were] left of that family, [they gave] ten cities of the half tribe of Manasseh, by lot.


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And to the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, out of the tribe of Issachar and out of the tribe of Asher and out of the tribe of Naphtali and out of the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities.


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Unto the sons of Merari [were given] by lot, throughout their families, out of the tribe of Reuben and out of the tribe of Gad and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.


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And they gave by lot out of the tribe of the sons of Judah and out of the tribe of the sons of Simeon and out of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, these cities, which are called by [their] names.


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And [the residue] of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities with their borders out of the tribe of Ephraim.


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And they gave unto them, [of] the cities of refuge, Shechem in Mount Ephraim with her suburbs; [they gave] also Gezer with her suburbs,


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And out of the half tribe of Manasseh; Aner with her suburbs and Bileam with her suburbs, for the family of the remnant of the sons of Kohath.


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Unto the sons of Gershon [were given] out of the family of the half tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with her suburbs and Ashtaroth with her suburbs;


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And out of the tribe of Naphtali; Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs and Hammon with her suburbs and Kirjathaim with her suburbs.


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Unto the rest of the sons of Merari [were given] out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmon with her suburbs, Tabor with her suburbs;


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and on the other side of the Jordan by Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, [were given them] out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer in the wilderness with her suburbs and Jahzah with her suburbs,


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The sons of Tola: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Jibsam, and Shemuel, heads of the houses of their fathers. [Those] of Tola numbered by their families twenty-two thousand valiant men of might in the days of David.


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The son of Uzzi [was] Izrahiah; and the sons of Izrahiah: Michael, Obadiah, Joel, Ishiah, all of them, five princes.


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And with them, by their lineages, after the houses of their fathers, [were] bands of soldiers for war, thirty-six thousand [men], for they had many wives and sons.


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And their brethren among all the families of Issachar [were] valiant men of might, reckoned in all by their genealogies eighty-seven thousand.


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The sons of Bela: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri, five, heads of the houses of [their] fathers, mighty men of valour; and were reckoned by their genealogies twenty-two thousand and thirty-four.


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The sons of Becher: Zemira, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jerimoth, Abiah, Anathoth, and Alameth. All these [are] the sons of Becher.


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And the number of them, after their genealogy by their generations, heads of the houses of their fathers, mighty men of valour, [was] twenty thousand two hundred.


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The son of Jediael was Bilhan; and the sons of Bilhan: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar.


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All these [were] sons of Jediael, by the heads of their fathers, mighty men of valour, seventeen thousand two hundred [soldiers], fit to go out for war [and] battle.


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The sons of Manasseh: Ashriel, whom his concubine, the Aramitess, gave birth unto him; she also gave birth to Machir, the father of Gilead.


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And Machir took wifes of Huppim and Shuppim, whose sister's name [was] Maachah, and the name of the second [was] Zelophehad. And Zelophehad had daughters.


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And Maachah, the wife of Machir, gave birth to a son unto him, and she called his name Peresh, and the name of his brother [was] Sheresh, whose sons [were] Ulam and Rakem.


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Zabad, his son, Shuthelah, his son, Ezer, and Elead, whom the men of Gath [that were] born in [that] land slew because they came down to take away their livestock.


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And when he went in to his wife, she conceived and gave birth to a son, and he called his name Beriah, because he had been in affliction in his house.


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And [their] inheritance and habitation was Bethel with its towns, and eastward Naaran, and westward Gezer with its towns; likewise Shechem and its towns unto Gaza and its towns,


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and by the side of the sons of Manasseh, Bethshean and her towns, Taanach and her towns, Megiddo and her towns, Dor and her towns. In these dwelt the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel.


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All these [were] sons of Asher, heads of [their] father's houses, chosen, mighty men of valour, heads of princes. And the number throughout the genealogy of those that were apt for war [and] for battle [was] twenty-six thousand men.:


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And these [are] the sons of Ehud: these are the heads of the fathers who inhabited Geba, and they were removed to Manahath,


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And Shaharaim begat [sons] in the fields of Moab after he had sent away Hushim and Baara, his wives.


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Beriah [also] and Shema, who [were] heads of the fathers of the inhabitants of Aijalon, who drove away the inhabitants of Gath,


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And Ner begat Kish, and Kish begat Saul, and Saul begat Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.


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And Azel had six sons, whose names [are] these: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. All these [were] the sons of Azel.


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And the sons of Eshek, his brother: Ulam, his firstborn, Jehush, the second, and Eliphelet, the third.


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And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valour, expert archers who had many sons, and sons' sons, one hundred and fifty. All these [were] of the sons of Benjamin.:


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So all Israel were reckoned by genealogies, and behold, they [were] written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah, [who] were carried away to Babylon for their rebellion.


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Now the first inhabitants that [dwelt] in their possessions in their cities were thus of Israel, as of the priests, Levites, and the Nethinims.


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And in Jerusalem dwelt of the sons of Judah and of the sons of Benjamin and of the sons of Ephraim and Manasseh:


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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 Pharez, the son of Judah.


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and Ibneiah the son of Jeroham; and Elah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Michri; and Meshullam, the son of Shephathiah, 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 the fathers in the houses of their fathers.


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and Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, prince of the house of God;


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and Adaiah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Pashur, the son of Malchijah; and Maasiai, 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 the houses of their fathers, one thousand seven hundred and sixty, mighty men of valour for the work of the ministry of the house of God.


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And of the Levites: Shemaiah, the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, of the sons of Merari;


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and Bakbakkar, Heresh, and Galal, and Mattaniah, the son of Micah, the son of Zichri, the son of Asaph;


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and Obadiah, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun; and Berechiah, the son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who dwelt in the villages of the Netophathites.


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And until now in the companies of the sons of Levi these [have been] the porters in the king's gate towards the east.


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And Shallum, the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brethren of the house of his father, the Korahites, [were] over the work of the ministry, keepers of the gates of the tabernacle; and their fathers, [being] over the camp of the LORD, [were] keepers of the entry.


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And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, was the captain over them in time past, [and] the LORD [was] with him.


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[And] Zechariah, the son of Meshelemiah, [was] porter of the door of the tabernacle of the testimony.


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All these [which were] chosen to be porters in the gates [were] two hundred and twelve when they were reckoned by their genealogy in their villages, whom David and Samuel, the seer, ordained in their set office.


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So they and their sons [had] the oversight of the gates of the house of the LORD, [namely], the house of the tabernacle, by wards.


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And their brethren, [who were] in their villages, came every seven days in their set times with them.


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For these Levites, the four chief porters, were in [their] set office and were over the chambers and treasures of the house of God.


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And they lodged round about the house of God, because the charge [was] upon them, and the opening thereof every morning [pertained] to them.


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And [certain] of them had the charge of the vessels of ministry, that they should account for them when they were brought in and out.


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[Some] of them also [were] appointed to oversee the vessels and all the instruments of the sanctuary and the fine flour and the wine and the oil and the frankincense and the spices.


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And Mattithiah, [one] of the Levites, who [was] the firstborn of Shallum, the Korahite, had the set office over the things that were made in the pans.


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And [other] of their brethren, of the sons of the Kohathites, [were] over the showbread, to order [it] every sabbath.


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And of these there were singers, princes of the fathers of the Levites, [who remained] in the chambers [free from other work]; for they were employed in [that] work day and night.


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These heads of the fathers of the Levites [were] heads throughout their generations; these dwelt at Jerusalem.


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And Mikloth begat Shimeam. And they also dwelt with their brethren at Jerusalem, next to their brethren.


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And Azel had six sons, whose names [are] these: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan: these [were] the sons of Azel.:


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Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell down slain in Mount Gilboa.


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And the Philistines followed hard after Saul and after his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.


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Then said Saul to his armourbearer, Draw thy sword and thrust me through with it lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not, for he was sore afraid. Then Saul took a sword and fell upon it.


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And when all the men of Israel that [were] in the valley saw that, they fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, then they forsook their cities and fled, and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.


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And it came to pass on the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen in Mount Gilboa.


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And when they had stripped him, they took his head and his weapons and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry tidings unto their idols and to the people.


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all the valiant men arose and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons and brought them to Jabesh and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days.


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So Saul died for his rebellion which he committed against the LORD, [even] against the word of the LORD, which he did not keep, and also for consulting a spiritist, to enquire [of her]


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and not enquire of the LORD; therefore, he slew him and turned the kingdom unto David, the son of Jesse.:


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Then all Israel gathered themselves to David in Hebron, saying, Behold, we [are] thy bone and thy flesh.


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And moreover yesterday and the day before yesterday, when Saul was king, it was thou that led out and brought in Israel; and the LORD thy God hath said unto thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be ruler over my people Israel.


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Therefore, all the elders of Israel came to the king in Hebron, and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Samuel.


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Then David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which [is] Jebus, for there the Jebusites [were], the inhabitants of that land.


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And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not enter here. Nevertheless, David took the fortress of Zion, which [is] the city of David.


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And David said, Whoever smites the Jebusites first shall be head and prince. So Joab, the son of Zeruiah, went up first and was made the head.


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And he built the city round about, even from Millo round about, and Joab restored the rest of the city.


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These also [are] the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened him in his kingdom, with all Israel, to make him king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD.


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And this [is] the number of the mighty men whom David had: Jashobeam, of Hachmoni, the chief of the captains; he lifted up his spear against three hundred slain at one time and killed them.


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He was with David at Pasdammim, and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where [there] was an inheritance of land full of barley; and as the people fled from before the Philistines,


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they set themselves in the midst of [that] portion and delivered it and slew the Philistines; and the LORD saved [them] by a great salvation.


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Now three of the thirty principal ones went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the camp of the Philistines was pitched in the valley of Rephaim.


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And David longed and said, Oh, that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, that [is] at the gate!


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And those three broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that [was] by the gate and took [it] and brought [it] to David; but David would not drink [of] it, but poured it out to the LORD,


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and said, May God keep me from doing this thing. Shall I drink the blood of these men that have put their lives in jeopardy? For with [the jeopardy of] their lives they brought it. Therefore, he would not drink it. These things did these three mightiest.


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And Abishai, the brother of Joab, was chief of three, who had lifted up his spear against three hundred, whom he slew and had a name among the three.


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Of the three, he obtained the most honour in this second [group of three], for he was their prince; however, he did not attain to the [first] three.


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Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of great acts, of Kabzeel; he slew two lions of Moab; he also went down and slew a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day.


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And he slew an Egyptian, a man of [great] stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian's hand [was] a spear like a weaver's beam; and he went down to him with a staff and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and slew him with his own spear.


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He was the most honoured among the thirty, but did not attain to the [first] three. And David placed him in his council.


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Also the valiant men of the armies [were] Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan, the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,


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Ithai, the son of Ribai of Gibeah, [that pertained] to the sons of Benjamin, Benaiah, the Pirathonite,


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Now these [are] those that came to David to Ziklag, while he was yet restrained because of Saul, the son of Kish; and they [were] among the mighty men, helpers of the war.


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[They were] armed with bows and could use both the right hand and the left in [hurling] stones and [shooting] arrows out of a bow, [even] of Saul's brethren of Benjamin.


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The chief [was] Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah, the Gibeathite; and Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; and Berachah and Jehu, the Antothite,


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and Ismaiah, the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and more than the thirty; and Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Josabad, the Gederathite,


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And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David in the fortress in the wilderness, men of might of war [fit] for the battle, put in order with shield and buckler, whose faces [were like] the faces of lions and [were] as swift as the roes upon the mountains;


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These [were] of the sons of Gad, captains of the host. One of the least [was] over one hundred men, and the greatest over a thousand.


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These went over the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflown all its banks, and they put to flight all [those] of the valleys to the east and to the west.


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And David went out to meet them and answered and said unto them, If you are come peaceably unto me to help me, my heart shall be knit unto you; but if [you are come] to betray me to my enemies, seeing [there is] no violence in my hands, [let] the God of our fathers look [thereon] and rebuke [it].


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Then the spirit clothed himself in Amasai, [who was] chief of the thirty, [and he said], For thee, O David, and with thee, thou son of Jesse. Peace, peace [be] unto thee, and peace [be] to thy helpers; for thy God helps thee. Then David received them and put them among the captains of the band.


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And [some] of Manasseh passed over to David, when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle, although they did not help them, for the cardinals of the Philistines, upon counsel, sent him away, saying, He will pass over to his master Saul with our heads.


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As he went to Ziklag, there passed over to him of Manasseh, Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zilthai, heads of the thousands that [were] of Manasseh.


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And they helped David with a band; for they [were] all mighty men of valour and were captains in the host.


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For at [that] time help came every day to David until [it] [was] a great camp, like the camp of God.


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And this [is] the number of the heads of those that were ready armed for war [and] came to David in Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the LORD.


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Likewise Jehoiada, prince [of those of the lineage] of Aaron, and with him three thousand seven hundred;


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Of the sons of Benjamin, the kindred of Saul, three thousand; for in that time many of them had the charge of the house of Saul.


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And of the sons of Ephraim twenty thousand eight hundred, mighty men of valour, famous throughout the houses of their fathers.


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And of the half tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, who were designated by name, to come and make David king.


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And of the sons of Issachar, two hundred chief [men], who had understanding of the times and were wise to know what Israel ought to do; and all their brethren followed their word.


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Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all weapons of war, fifty thousand, who could keep rank; [they were] not of double heart.


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And of the other side of the Jordan, of those of Reuben and those of Gad and of the half tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of instruments of war for the battle, one hundred and twenty thousand.


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All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel; and likewise, all the rest also of Israel [were] of one heart to make David king.


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And there they were with David three days, eating and drinking, for their brethren had prepared for them.


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And likewise, those that were near them, [even] unto Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses and on camels and on mules and on oxen, [and] food, meal, cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins, and wine and oil, and oxen, and sheep abundantly; for [there was] joy in Israel.:


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And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, If [it seems] good unto you and unto the LORD our God, let us send everywhere to call our brethren who have remained in all the lands of Israel and with them [also] the priests and Levites [who are] in their cities [and] suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us;


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and let us bring again the ark of our God to us, for from the time of Saul we have not paid attention to it.


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So David gathered all Israel together, from Shihor of Egypt even unto the entering of Hemath, to bring the ark of God from Kirjathjearim.


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And David went up with all Israel to Baalah, [that is], to Kirjathjearim, which is in Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who dwells [between] the cherubim, whose name is called [on it].


text:
And they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and his brother drove the cart.


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And David and all Israel played before God with all [their] might, with songs and with harps and with psalteries and with timbrels and with cymbals and with trumpets.


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And when they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled.


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And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him because he had put his hand to the ark, and there he died before God.


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And David was displeased because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzza; therefore, that place is called Perezuzza to this day.


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So David did not bring the ark [home] to himself to the city of David but carried it into the house of Obededom, the Gittite.


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And the ark of God remained with the household of Obededom in his house three months. And the LORD blessed the household of Obededom and all that he had.:


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Now Hiram, king of Tyre, sent messengers to David, and timber of cedars, with masons and carpenters, to build him a house.


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And David, understanding that the LORD had confirmed him king over Israel and had lifted up his kingdom above his people Israel,


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Now these [are] the names of [his] children which were born unto him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,


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And when the Philistines heard that David was anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David. And David heard [of it] and went out against them.


text:
And David enquired of God, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? Wilt thou deliver them into my hand? And the LORD said unto him, Go up, for I will deliver them into thy hands.


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So they came up to Baalperazim, and David smote them there. Then David said, God has broken in upon my enemies by my hand like the breaking forth of waters. Therefore, they called the name of that place Baalperazim.


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Therefore, David enquired again of God; and God said unto him, Do not go up after them; go around them to come upon them over against the mulberry trees;


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and it shall be, when thou shalt hear a sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, [that] then thou shalt go out to battle; for God shall go forth before thee to smite the host of the Philistines.


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David, therefore, did as God commanded him, and they smote the host of the Philistines from Gibeon even to Gazer.


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And the fame of David went out into all those lands, and the LORD put the fear of him upon all the Gentiles.:


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And [David] made houses for himself in the city of David and prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.


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Then David said, The ark of God should not be brought except by the Levites, for the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister unto him perpetually.


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And David gathered all Israel together in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the LORD unto its place, which he had prepared for it.


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And David also called for Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab


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and said unto them, Ye [are] the chief of the fathers among the Levites; sanctify yourselves and your brethren and bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel unto [the place] that I have prepared for it,


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for because ye did not [do it thus] at the first, the LORD our God made a breach upon us because we did not seek him according to his ordinance.


text:
And the sons of the Levites bore the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD.


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And David spoke to the chief of the Levites to appoint of their brethren as singers with instruments of music, with psalteries and harps and cymbals sounding, and to lift up their 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 the sons of Merari and of their brethren, Ethan the son of Kushaiah,


text:
and with them their brethren of the second order, Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obededom, and Jeiel, the porters.


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and Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with psalteries on Alamoth.


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And Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obededom, Jeiel, and Azaziah, with harps on the Sheminith to excel.


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And Chenaniah, prince of the Levites in prophecy, for he presided in prophecy, because he [had] understanding.


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And Shebaniah, Jehoshaphat, Nethaneel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, blew the trumpets before the ark of God; and Obededom and Jehiah [were also] doorkeepers for the ark.


text:
So David and the elders of Israel and the captains over thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the house of Obededom with joy.


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And with God helping the Levites that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, they sacrificed seven bullocks and seven rams.


text:
And David [was] clothed with a robe of fine linen, and also all the Levites that bore the ark and the singers and Chenaniah, the prince of the prophecy of the singers. David also [had] upon him an ephod of linen.


text:
Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting and with sound of the shofar and with trumpets and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps.


text:
And it came to pass, [as] the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looking out at a window saw King David dancing and playing, and she despised him in her heart.:


text:
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 sacrifices 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 the LORD.


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And he dealt to all Israel, both men and women, to each one a loaf of bread and a good piece of flesh and a flagon [of wine].


text:
And he appointed [certain] of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD and to record and to thank and praise the LORD God of Israel:


text:
Asaph, the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obededom: and Jeiel with psalteries and with harps, but Asaph resounded with cymbals;


text:
and Benaiah and Jahaziel, the priests, with trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.


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Give unto the LORD the glory of his name; bring a present and come before him; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.


text:
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; and let [men] say among the Gentiles, The LORD reigns.


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Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the LORD, because he comes to judge the earth.


text:
And say, Save us, O God our saving health, and gather us together and deliver us from the Gentiles, that we may give thanks to thy holy name [and] glory in thy praise.


text:
Blessed [be] the LORD God of Israel from eternity unto eternity. And all the people said, Amen and praised the LORD.


text:
So he left there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD Asaph and his brethren to minister before the ark continually, each thing in its day;


text:
and Obededom with their brethren, sixty-eight; Obededom also the son of Jeduthun and Hosah [to be] porters.


text:
And Zadok, the priest, and his brethren, the priests, before the tabernacle of the LORD in the high place that [was] at Gibeon,


text:
to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD upon the altar of the burnt offering continually morning and evening, according to all that is written in the law of the LORD, which he commanded Israel;


text:
and with them Heman and Jeduthun and the rest that were chosen expressly by name, to give thanks to the LORD, because his mercy is eternal.


text:
And with them Heman and Jeduthun with trumpets and cymbals to sound, and with [other] musical instruments of God. And the sons of Jeduthun [were] porters.


text:
Now it came to pass, as David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan, the prophet, Behold, I dwell in a house of cedars, and the ark of the covenant of the LORD under curtains.


text:
for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel unto this day, but have gone from tent to tent, and from [one] tabernacle [to another].


text:
Wherever I have walked with all Israel, did I speak a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why have ye not built me a house of cedars?


text:
Now, therefore, thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus hath the LORD of the hosts said, I took thee from the sheepfold, from following the sheep that thou should be ruler over my people Israel;


text:
and I have been with thee wherever thou hast walked and have cut off all thy enemies from before thee and have made thee a name like the name of the great men that [are] in the earth.


text:
Likewise I have ordained a place for my people Israel and have planted him that he dwell by himself and no longer be moved; neither shall the sons of iniquity waste them any more, as before,


text:
since the time that I commanded judges [to be] over my people Israel. I have humbled all thy enemies and announce unto thee that the LORD will build thee a house.


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And it shall come to pass, when thy days are fulfilled to go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.


text:
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] that was before thee;


text:
but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom for ever, and his throne shall be established for evermore.


text:
And David, the king, came and sat before the LORD and said, Who [am] I, O LORD God, and what [is] my house, that thou hast brought me here?


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And [yet] this was a small thing in thy eyes, O God, for thou hast [also] spoken of thy servant's house for a great while to come and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O LORD God.


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O LORD, for thy servant's sake and according to thy own heart, thou hast done all this greatness, in making known all thy great things.


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O LORD, [there is] none like thee, neither [is there any] God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.


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And what one nation in the earth [is] like thy people Israel, whom God went to ransom [to be] his own people, to make thee a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out the Gentiles from before thy people, whom thou didst redeem out of Egypt?


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For thy people Israel didst thou make thy own people for ever, and thou, LORD, didst become their God.


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Therefore, now, LORD, let the thing that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house be established for ever and do as thou hast said.


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Let it even be established, that thy name may be magnified for ever, that it may be said, The LORD of the hosts, God of Israel, is God unto Israel; and [let] the house of David thy servant [be] established before thee.


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For thou, O my God, hast told thy servant that thou wilt build him a house; therefore, thy servant has found [in his heart] to pray before thee.


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now it has pleased thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be before thee for ever; for thou, O LORD, hast blessed it, and [it shall be] blessed for ever.:


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Now after this it came to pass that David smote the Philistines and subdued them and took Gath and her towns out of the hand of the Philistines.


text:
And David smote Hadarezer, king of Zobah in Hamath, as he went to establish his dominion unto the River Euphrates.


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And David took from him a thousand chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen; David also hamstrung all the chariot [horses], but reserved those of one hundred chariots.


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And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadarezer, king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians two-twenty thousand men.


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Then David put [garrisons] in Syria, the [Syria] of Damascus, and the Syrians became David's servants, bringing him presents. For the LORD saved David wherever he went.


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And David took the shields of gold that the servants of Hadarezer carried and brought them to Jerusalem.


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Likewise from Tibhath and from Chun, cities of Hadarezer, David took very much brass, with which Solomon made the brasen sea and the pillars and the vessels of brass.


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he sent Hadoram, his son, to King David, to greet him and to bless him because he had fought against Hadarezer and smitten him, for Hadarezer had war with Tou. And he [sent him] all manner of vessels of gold and silver and brass,


text:
which king David dedicated unto the LORD, with the silver and the gold that he brought from all [these] Gentiles, from Edom and from Moab and from the sons of Ammon and from the Philistines and from Amalek.


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And he put a garrison in Edom, and all the Edomites became David's servants. Thus the LORD saved David wherever he went.


text:
And Joab, the son of Zeruiah, [was] over the host; and Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, writer of the chronicles;


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and Zadok, the son of Ahitub, and Abimelech, the son of Abiathar, [were] the priests; and Shavsha was scribe;


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and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, [was] over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and the sons of David [were] first, at the hand of the king.:


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Now it came to pass after this that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon, died, and his son reigned in his stead.


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And David said, I will show mercy unto Hanun, the son of Nahash, because his father showed mercy to me. And David sent ambassadors to comfort him concerning his father. So the servants of David came into the land of the sons of Ammon to Hanun, to comfort him.


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But the princes of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun, Does it seem unto thee that David honours thy father, that he has sent comforters unto thee? Are not his servants come unto thee to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?


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Then Hanun took David's servants and shaved them, and cut off their garments in half, exposing their buttocks and sent them away.


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Then they left, and it was told David how the men were served. And he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards are grown and [then] return.


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And when the sons 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 chariots and horsemen out of Syria of the rivers ([Mesopotamia]), and out of Syria of Maachah and out of Zobah.


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So they hired thirty-two thousand chariots, and the king of Maachah and his people, who came and pitched camp before Medeba. And the sons of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities and came to battle.


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And the sons of Ammon came out and put the battle in order before the gate of the city, and the kings that had come [were] by themselves in the field.


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Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose out of all the choice of Israel and put [them] in order against the Syrians.


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And he put the rest of the people into the hand of Abishai, his brother, putting them in order against the sons of Ammon.


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And he said, If the Syrians are too strong for me, then thou shalt save me; but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for thee, then I will save thee.


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Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people and for the cities of our God; and let the LORD do [that which is] good in his sight.


text:
So Joab and the people that [were] with him drew near before the Syrians unto the battle; and they fled before him.


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And when the sons of Ammon saw that the Syrians had fled, they likewise fled before Abishai, his brother, and entered into the city. Then Joab returned to Jerusalem.


text:
And when the Syrians saw that they were smitten before Israel, they sent ambassadors and drew forth the Syrians that [were] beyond the river, whose captain was Shophach, the prince of the host of Hadarezer.


text:
And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel and passed over the Jordan and came upon them and ordered his host against them. And when David had put his troops in order against the Syrians, they fought with him.


text:
But the Syrian fled before Israel, and David slew of the Syrians [those of] seven thousand chariots, and forty thousand footmen; likewise he killed Shophach, the captain of the host.


text:
And when the servants of Hadarezer saw that they were smitten before Israel, they made peace with David and became his servants; neither would the Syrians help the sons of Ammon any more.:


text:
And it came to pass, that after the year was expired, at the time that kings go out [to battle], Joab led forth the power of the army and destroyed the country of the sons of Ammon and came and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem. And Joab smote Rabbah and destroyed it.


text:
And David took the crown of their king from off his head and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and [there were] precious stones in it; and it was set upon David's head. And in addition to this he took exceeding much spoil out of the city.


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And he brought out the people that [were] in it and dominated [them] with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. Even so dealt David with all the cities of the sons of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.


text:
And it came to pass after this that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite, slew Sippai, of the lineage of the giant; and they were subdued.


text:
And there was war again with the Philistines, and Elhanan, the son of Jair, slew Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff [was] like a weaver's beam.


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And yet again there was war at Gath, where [there] was a man of [great] stature, who had twenty-four fingers and toes, six [on each hand], and six [on each foot]; and he also was the son of the giant.


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These were born unto 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 princes of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know [it].


text:
And Joab answered, The LORD make his people a hundred times as many more as they [are]; but, my lord the king, [are] they not all my lord's servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why will he be a cause of guiltiness unto 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 unto David. And they found in all Israel eleven times one hundred thousand men that drew sword, and of Judah four hundred seventy thousand men that drew sword.


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Among these the Levites and the sons of Benjamin were not counted, for the king's word was abominable to Joab.


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And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing; but now, I beseech thee, take away the iniquity of thy servant, for I have done very foolishly.


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Go and tell David, saying, Thus hath the LORD said, I offer thee three [things]: choose one of them that I will do unto thee.


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either three years' famine or three months to be destroyed before thy foes while the sword of thine enemies overtakes [thee] or else three days [of] the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.


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Then David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait; let me fall now into the hand of the LORD, for very great [are] his mercies, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.


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And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it; and as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and he repented of that evil and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thy hand. And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan, the Jebusite.


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And David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD stand between the heaven and the earth, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders [of Israel], [who were] clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.


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And David said unto God, [Is it] not I [that] commanded the people to be numbered? Even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but [as for] these sheep, what have they done? Let thy hand, I pray thee, O LORD my God, be against me and against my father's house, but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.


text:
Then the angel of the LORD told Gad to tell David that David should go up and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.


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And David went up according to the word of Gad, which he had spoken unto him in the name of the LORD.


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And Ornan turned back and saw the angel, and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.


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And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out of the threshingfloor and bowed himself to David with [his] face to the ground.


text:
Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of [this] threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the LORD; thou shalt grant it to me for the full price, that the plague may be stayed from the people.


text:
And Ornan said unto David, Take [it] to thee, and let my lord the king do [that which is] good in his eyes; I even give [thee] the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing instruments for wood and the wheat for the present; I give it all.


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And King David said to Ornan, No, but I will truly buy it for the full price, for I will not take [that] which [is] thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.


text:
And David built there an altar unto the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace [offerings] and called upon the LORD, 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 the LORD had answered him in the threshingfloor of Ornan, the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.


text:
For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt offering [were] at that season in the high place at Gibeon,


text:
but David could not go before it to enquire of God, for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the LORD.:


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Then David said, This [shall be] the house of the LORD God, and this [shall be] the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.


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And David commanded to gather together the strangers that [were] in the land of Israel, and he made them masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God.


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Likewise, David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings, and brass in abundance without weight,


text:
also cedar trees in abundance, for the Zidonians and those of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David.


text:
And David said, Solomon, my son, [is] yet young and tender, and the house [that is] to be built for the LORD [must be] magnificent par excellence, of fame and of glory throughout all lands; I will [therefore] now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.


text:
And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my heart to build a house unto the name of the LORD my God;


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but the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly and hast made great wars; thou shalt not build a house unto my name because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.


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Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about, for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto 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 for ever.


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Now, my son, the LORD be with thee, and be thou prospered and build the house of the LORD thy God, as he has said of thee.


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Only the LORD give thee wisdom and understanding and give thee commandments for Israel, and that thou keep the law of the LORD thy God.


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Then shalt thou be prospered if thou shalt keep thyself to do the statutes and rights which the LORD charged Moses with concerning Israel; be strong and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.


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Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the LORD one hundred thousand talents of gold and a thousand thousand talents of silver, and the brass and iron are without weight, for it is in abundance. Likewise, I have prepared timber and stone, unto which thou shalt add.


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Moreover [there are] workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber and all manner of expert men for every manner of work.


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Of the gold, the silver, and the brass and the iron, [there is] no number. Arise [therefore], and go to work, and the LORD be with thee.


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[Is] not the LORD your God with you who has given you rest on every side? For he has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the LORD and before his people.


text:
Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; arise therefore and build the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built unto the name of the LORD.:


text:
were numbered from the age of thirty years and upward; and their number by their polls, man by man, was thirty-eight thousand.


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Of which, twenty-four thousand [were] to set forward the work of the house of the LORD, and six thousand [were] officers and judges;


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moreover, four thousand [were] porters, and four thousand praised the LORD with the instruments which [David] had made to praise [therewith].


text:
And David divided them into courses according to the sons of Levi, [namely], Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.


text:
The sons of Shimei: Shelomith, Haziel, and Haran, three. These [were] the chief of the fathers of Laadan.


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And Jahath was the first, and Zizah the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not multiply [in many] sons; therefore, they were in one reckoning, according to [their] father's house.


text:
The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. And Aaron was separated, that he should be dedicated to the most holy things, he and his sons for ever, to burn incense before the LORD, to minister unto him and to bless in his name for ever.


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And the son of Eliezer [was] Rehabiah, the chief. And Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.


text:
The sons of Hebron: Jeriah, the first, Amariah, the second, Jahaziel, the third, and Jekameam, the fourth.


text:
And Eleazar died and had no sons, but daughters and their brethren, the sons of Kish, took them [as wives].


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These [are] the sons of Levi after the houses of their fathers, [even] the chief of the fathers, as they were counted by number of names by their polls, that did work in the ministry of the house of the LORD, from the age of twenty years and upward.


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For David said, The LORD God of Israel has given rest unto his people, and he shall dwell in Jerusalem for ever.


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And also unto the Levites, they shall no [longer] carry the tabernacle, nor any vessels of it for its ministry.


text:
And their station was at the hand of the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the LORD, in the courts, and in the chambers, and in the purifying of all holy things, and in the work of the ministry of the house of God,


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both for the showbread and for the fine flour for the sacrifice and for the unleavened cakes and for [that which is baked in] the pan and for that which is fried and for all manner of measure and size,


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and to offer all burnt sacrifices unto the LORD in the sabbaths, in the new moons and solemnities, by number, according to the order commanded unto them, continually before the LORD.


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And that they should keep the charge of the tabernacle of the testimony and the charge of the holy [place] and the charge of the sons of Aaron, their brethren, in the ministry of the house of the LORD.:


text:
But Nadab and Abihu died before their father and had no children; therefore, Eleazar and Ithamar had the priesthood.


text:
And David distributed them, Zadok [being] of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, according to their turns in their ministry.


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And there were more men found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar, and [thus] were they divided. Among the sons of Eleazar, [there were] sixteen chief men of the houses of [their] fathers and eight among the sons of Ithamar according to the houses of their fathers.


text:
They divided them, therefore, by lot, one with another for of the sons of Eleazar and of the sons of Ithamar there were princes of the sanctuary and princes of God.


text:
And Shemaiah, the scribe, the son of Nethaneel, [one] of the Levites, wrote them before the king and the princes and before Zadok, the priest, and Ahimelech, the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers of the priests and Levites; one paternal house being taken for Eleazar, and [one] taken for Ithamar.


text:
These [were] their orderings in their service to come into the house of the LORD, according to their right, in the ministry of Aaron, their father, as the LORD God of Israel had commanded him.


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And of the sons of Levi that remained: Of the sons of Amram, Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah.


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The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. These [were] the sons of the Levites according to the houses of their fathers.


text:
These, likewise, cast lots over against their brethren, the sons of Aaron, in the presence of David, the king, and Zadok, and Ahimelech, and the chief of the fathers of the priests and Levites, even the principal fathers over against their younger brethren.:


text:
Moreover David and the captains of the host separated unto the ministry the sons of Asaph and of Heman and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals; and the number of men that were [suitable] for the work of their [respective] ministry was,


text:
of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah, the sons of Asaph under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied at the hand of the king.


text:
Of Jeduthun: the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the hand of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp, to give thanks and to praise the LORD.


text:
Of Heman: the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamtiezer, 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 lift up the horn. And God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.


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All these [were] under the direction of their father for song [in] the house of the LORD, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the ministry of the house of God, under the hand of the king, of Asaph, of Jeduthun, and of Heman.


text:
So the number of them, with their brethren that were instructed in the songs of the LORD, [even] all that had understanding, was two hundred eighty-eight.


text:
And they cast lots, ward against [ward], the small as well as the great, the one with understanding as well as the disciple.


text:
Now the first lot came forth for Asaph to Joseph; the second to Gedaliah, who with his brethren and sons [were] twelve;


text:
Concerning the divisions of the porters, of the Korhites: Meshelemiah, the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph.


text:
The sons of Meshelemiah: Zechariah, the firstborn, Jediael, the second, Zebadiah, the third, Jathniel, the fourth,


text:
The sons of Obededom: Shemaiah, the firstborn, Jehozabad, the second, Joah, the third, and Sacar, the fourth, Nethaneel, the fifth,


text:
Also unto Shemaiah, his son, were sons born, that ruled throughout the house of their fathers, for they [were] mighty men of valour.


text:
The sons of Shemaiah: Othni, Rephael, Obed, Elzabad, and their brethren, strong men; likewise, Elihu and Semachiah.


text:
All these of the sons of Obededom; they and their sons and their brethren, valiant men strong for the ministry, [were] sixty-two, of Obededom.


text:
Of Hosah, of the sons of Merari: Simri, the chief, (for [though] he was not the firstborn, yet his father made him the chief)


text:
Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah, the third, Zechariah, the fourth; all the sons and brethren of Hosah [were] thirteen.


text:
Among these [were] the divisions of the porters, [even] among the chief men, [having] wards one against another [two by two], to minister in the house of the LORD.


text:
And they cast lots, the small as well as the great, according to the houses of their fathers, for each gate.


text:
And the lot of the east fell to Shelemiah. Then for Zechariah, his son, a wise counsellor, they cast lots; and his lot came out for the north.


text:
To Shuppim and Hosah to the west, with the gate Shallecheth, by the causeway of the going up, ward against ward.


text:
To the east six Levites, to the north four by day, to the Negev four by day, and toward the house of the consultation two by two.


text:
And of the Levites, Ahijah [was] over the treasures of the house of God and over the treasures of the holy things.


text:
[As concerning] the sons of Laadan; the sons of Gershon: of Laadan; chief fathers of Laadan [were] Gershon and Jehieli.


text:
The sons of Jehieli: Zetham and Joel, his brother, [who were] over the treasures of the house of the LORD.


text:
And his brother Eliezer, Rehabiah, his son, Jeshaiah, his son, Joram, his son, Zichri, his son, and Shelomith, his son.


text:
This Shelomith and his brethren [were] over all the treasures of the holy things, which David, the king, and the chief fathers, the captains over thousands and hundreds, and the princes of the host had dedicated.


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Likewise, all that Samuel, the seer, and Saul, the son of Kish, and Abner, the son of Ner, and Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and all that anyone had dedicated; it was under the hand of Shelomith and of his brethren.


text:
Of the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his brethren, men of valour, a thousand seven hundred, presided over Israel on the other side of the Jordan westward in all the work of the LORD and in the service of the king.


text:
Of the Hebronites [was] Jerijah, the chief among the Hebronites, according to the generations of his fathers. In the fortieth year of the reign of David they were sought for, and there were found among them mighty men of valour at Jazer of Gilead.


text:
And his brethren, men of valour, [were] two thousand seven hundred chief fathers, whom King David made rulers over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, for every matter pertaining to God and affairs of the king.:


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Now the sons of Israel after their number, who were chief fathers and captains of thousands and hundreds, and their officers that served the king in any matter of the courses, who came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year, each course [was] of twenty-four thousand.


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Over the first course for the first month [was] Jashobeam, the son of Zabdiel, and in his course [were] twenty-four thousand.


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And over the course of the second month [was] Dodai, an Ahohite, and in his course [was] prince Mikloth; in his course likewise [were] twenty-four thousand.


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The third captain of the host for the third month [was] Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, a chief priest: and in his course [were] twenty-four thousand.


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This [is that] Benaiah, [who was] mighty [among] the thirty, and above the thirty; and in his course [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; and in his course [were] twenty-four thousand.


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The fifth for the fifth month [was] prince Shamhuth, the Izrahite; and in his course [were] twenty-four thousand.


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The sixth for the sixth month [was] Ira, the son of Ikkesh of Tekoah; and in his course [were] twenty-four thousand.


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The seventh for the seventh month [was] Helez, the Pelonite, of the sons of Ephraim; and in his course [were] twenty-four thousand.


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The eighth for the eighth month [was] Sibbecai, the Hushathite, of Zarhi; and in his course [were] twenty-four thousand.


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The ninth for the ninth month [was] Abiezer, the Anetothite, of the Benjamites; and in his course [were] twenty-four thousand.


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The tenth for the tenth month [was] Maharai, the Netophathite of Zarhi; and in his course [were] twenty-four thousand.


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The eleventh for the eleventh month [was] Benaiah, the Pirathonite, of the sons of Ephraim; and in his course [were] twenty-four thousand.


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The twelfth for the twelfth month [was] Heldai, the Netophathite of Othniel; and in his course [were] twenty-four thousand.


text:
Presiding, likewise, over the tribes of Israel: over the Reubenites [was] prince Eliezer, the son of Zichri; over the Simeonites, Shephatiah, the son of Maachah.


text:
Over Judah, Elihu, [one] of the brethren of David. Over those of Issachar, Omri, the son of Michael.


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Over those of Zebulun, Ishmaiah, the son of Obadiah. Over those of Naphtali, Jerimoth, the son of Azriel.


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Over the sons of Ephraim, Hosea, the son of Azaziah. Over the half tribe of Manasseh, Joel, the son of Pedaiah.


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Over the other half [tribe] of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo, the son of Zechariah. Over those of Benjamin, Jaasiel, the son of Abner.


text:
But David did not number those twenty years old and under because the LORD had said he would multiply Israel like to the stars of the heavens.


text:
Joab, the son of Zeruiah, had begun to number, but he did not finish; and because of this, wrath fell upon Israel; and [thus] the number was not put in the account of the chronicles of King David.


text:
And Azmaveth, the son of Adiel, had charge of the king's treasures and of the treasures of the fields, of the cities, and of the villages, and of the castles, [was] Jehonathan, the son of Uzziah;


text:
and over those that did the work of the tillage of the ground in the fields [was] Ezri the son of Chelub;


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and over the vineyards [was] Shimei, the Ramathite; over the increase of the vineyards for the wine cellars [was] Zabdi, the Shiphmite;


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and over the olive trees and the sycamore trees that [were] in the low plains [was] Baalhanan, the Gederite; and over the cellars of oil, Joash;


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and over the cows that fed in Sharon [was] Shitrai, the Sharonite; and over the cows [that were] in the valleys [was] Shaphat, the son of Adlai;


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and over the sheep [was] Jaziz, the Hagerite. All these [were] the princes of the substance which [was] King David's.


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And Jonathan, David's uncle, was a counsellor, a wise man, and a scribe; and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni had charge of the king's sons.


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And after Ahithophel [was] Jehoiada, the son of Benaiah, and Abiathar. And Joab was the general of the king's army.:


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And David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the princes of the companies that ministered to the king by course, and the princes over the thousands, and princes over the hundreds, with the princes over all the substance and possession of the king, and his sons, with the officers, and with the mighty men, and with all the valiant men, unto Jerusalem.


text:
Then David, the king, stood up upon his feet and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: [As for me], I [had] in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD and for the footstool of our God and had made ready for the building.


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But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build a house for my name because thou [hast been] a man of war and hast shed blood.


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However, the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever, for he has chosen Judah [to be] the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he liked me to make [me] king over all Israel;


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and of all my sons (for the LORD has given me many sons) he has chosen Solomon, my son, to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel.


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And he said unto me, Solomon, thy son, he shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him [to be] my son, and I will be his father.


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Moreover, I will establish his kingdom for ever if he is constant to do my commandments and my judgments as at this day.


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Now, therefore, in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the LORD and in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the LORD your God, that ye may possess this good land and leave [it] for an inheritance for your sons after you for ever.


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And thou, Solomon, my son, know thou the God of thy father and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing soul, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts. If thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.


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Take heed now, for the LORD has chosen thee to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do [it].


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Then David gave to Solomon, his son, the pattern of the porch and of its houses and of its treasuries and of its upper chambers and of its inner parlours and of the place of the seat of reconciliation,


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and the pattern of all that he had [received] by the Spirit of the courts of the house of the LORD and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God and of the treasuries of the holy things;


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also for the courses of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the ministry of the house of the LORD, and for all the vessels of ministry of the house of the LORD.


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[He gave] gold by weight for that of gold, for all the vessels of each manner of service; [silver also] for all the vessels of silver by weight, for all the vessels of each service.


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[Gold] by weight for the candlesticks of gold, and for their lamps of gold, by weight for every candlestick, and for its lamps; and for the candlesticks of silver by weight, [both] for the candlestick and [also] for its lamps, according to the service of each candlestick.


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And by weight [he gave] gold for the tables of showbread, for each table; and, [likewise], silver for the tables of silver.


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Also pure gold for the fleshhooks and the bowls and the cups, and for the golden covers [he gave gold] by weight for every basin; and [likewise silver] by weight for every basin of silver;


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and for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the pattern of the chariot of the cherubim, that spread out [their wings] and covered the ark of the covenant of the LORD.


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All [this], [said David], the LORD made me understand in writing by [his] hand upon me, [even] all the works of this pattern.


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And David said to Solomon, his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do [it]; fear not, nor be dismayed, for the LORD God, [even] my God, [will be] with thee; he will not leave thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work of the service of the house of the LORD.


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Behold the courses of the priests and the Levites, in all the ministry of the house of God; [they shall be] with thee in all the work; all of them voluntarily, with wisdom in all ministry; likewise, the princes and all the people to execute all thy commands.:


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Furthermore, David, the king, said unto all the congregation, Only Solomon, my son, has God chosen; he is young and tender, and the work [is] great, for the palace [is] not for man, but for the LORD God.


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Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God, gold for the things of gold, and silver for the things of silver, and brass for the things of brass, and iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood; onyx stones, and [stones] to be set, black stones and of different colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance.


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Moreover, because I have my delight in the house of my God, I have in my own treasury, gold and silver, [which] I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the house of the sanctuary:


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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 manner of work [to be made] by the hands of the workmen. And who [then] is willing to consecrate [the offering] of his hands today unto the LORD?


text:
Then the princes of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and the princes of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king's work, offered willingly


text:
and gave for the service of the house of God five thousand talents of gold and ten thousand daily wages and ten thousand talents of silver and eighteen thousand talents of brass and one hundred thousand talents of iron.


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And each one gave the precious stones that they had to the treasure of the house of the LORD, into the hand of Jehiel, the Gershonite.


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Then the people rejoiced to have offered willingly because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD. Likewise, David the king rejoiced with great joy


text:
and blessed the LORD before all the congregation; and David said, Blessed [be] thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.


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Thine, O LORD, [is] the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the honour, for all things in the heavens and in the earth [are thine]; thine [is] the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.


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The riches and the glory are before thee, and thou dost reign over all, and in thy hand [is] power and might and in thy hand the greatness and the strength of all things.


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But who [am] I, and what [is] my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? For all things [come] of thee and of thine own have we given thee.


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For we [are] strangers before thee, and sojourners, as [were] all our fathers; our days on the earth [are] as a shadow, and [there is] no other hope.


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O LORD our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee a house for thy holy name [comes] of thy hand and [is] all thy own.


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I know also, my God, that thou dost try the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now have I seen with joy that thy people, who are present here, have given willingly unto thee.


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O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep for ever this purpose in the thoughts of the heart of thy people and prepare their heart unto thee.


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Likewise, give unto Solomon, my son, a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all [these things], and to build the palace, for which I have made provision.


text:
Then David said to all the congregation, Now bless the LORD your God. And all the congregation blessed the LORD God of their fathers and bowed down and worshipped before the LORD and the king.


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And they sacrificed sacrifices unto the LORD and offered burnt offerings unto the LORD, on the next day, [even] a thousand bullocks, a thousand rams, [and] a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel.


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And they ate and drank before the LORD on that day with great gladness. And they made Solomon, the son of David, king the second time and anointed [him] unto the LORD as ruler and Zadok as priest.


text:
Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David, his father, and was prospered; and all Israel heard him.


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And all the princes and the mighty men and all the sons likewise of King David, submitted themselves unto Solomon, the king.


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And the LORD magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel and bestowed upon him [such] glory of the kingdom as had not been on any king before him in Israel.


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And the time that he reigned over Israel [was] forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned thirty-three [years] in Jerusalem.


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And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and glory; and Solomon his son reigned in his stead.


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Now the acts of David, the king, first and last, behold, they [are] written in the book of Samuel, the seer, and in the book of Nathan, the prophet, and in the book of Gad, the seer,


text:
with all his reign and his might, and the times that went over him and over Israel and over all the kingdoms of the lands.:


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And Solomon, the son of David, was strengthened in his kingdom, and the LORD his God [was] with him and magnified him exceedingly.


text:
Then Solomon spoke unto all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds and to the judges and to every prince in all Israel, the chief of the fathers.


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So Solomon and all the congregation with him went to the high place that [was] at Gibeon, for there was the tabernacle of the testimony of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness.


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But David had brought the ark of God up from Kirjathjearim to [the place which] David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem.


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Moreover, the brasen altar that Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made [was] there before the tabernacle of the LORD; and Solomon and the congregation sought unto it.


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And Solomon went up there to the brasen altar before the LORD, which [was] at the tabernacle of the testimony, and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it.


text:
And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast showed great mercy unto David, my father, and hast placed me as king in his stead.


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Now, O LORD God, let thy word unto David, my father, be established, for thou hast placed me as king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude.


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Give me now wisdom and knowledge that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can judge this thy people, [that is so] great?


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And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thy heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth or glory, nor the life of thy enemies, neither yet hast asked long life, but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou may judge my people, over whom I have placed thee as king,


text:
wisdom and knowledge [is] granted unto thee; and I will also give thee riches and wealth and glory such as none of the kings have had that [have been] before thee, neither shall any after thee have the like.


text:
Then Solomon returned to Jerusalem from the high place that [was] at Gibeon, from before the tabernacle of the testimony, and reigned over Israel.


text:
And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen, and he had a thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, which he placed in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem.


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And the king made silver and gold at Jerusalem as [plenteous] as stones, and he made cedar trees as the sycamore trees that [are] in the vale for abundance.


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And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn; the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price.


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And they went up and brought forth out of Egypt a chariot for six hundred [shekels] of silver and a horse for one hundred and fifty; and so they brought out [horses] for all the kings of the Hittites and for the kings of Syria, by their hands.:


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And Solomon counted seventy thousand men to bear burdens and eighty thousand to hew in the mountain, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.


text:
And Solomon sent to Hiram, the king of Tyre, saying, As thou didst deal with David, my father, sending him cedars to build himself a house to dwell in, [even so deal with me].


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Behold, I must build a house unto the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate [it] to him [and] to burn aromatic incense before him and for the continual showbread and for the burnt offerings morning and evening on the sabbaths and on the new moons and on the solemn feasts of the LORD our God, which is to be perpetual in Israel.


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But who is so powerful as to build him a house, seeing the heavens and heavens of the heavens cannot contain him? Who [am] I then that I should build him a house, except to burn incense before him?


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Send me now, therefore, a wise man who knows how to work in gold and in silver and in brass and in iron and in purple and crimson and blue and that knows how to engrave figures with the craftsmen that [are] with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David, my father, provided.


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Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and pine trees, out of Lebanon, for I know that thy servants are skillful at cutting timber in Lebanon, and, behold, my servants [shall] be with thy servants


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to prepare me timber in abundance, for the house which I am about to build [shall be] great and wonderful.


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And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat and twenty thousand measures of barley and twenty thousand baths of wine and twenty thousand baths of oil.


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Then Hiram, the king of Tyre, answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, Because the LORD has loved his people, he has placed thee as king over them.


text:
Hiram said, moreover, Blessed [be] the LORD God of Israel, that made the heavens and the earth, who has given to King David a wise son with knowledge, good sense and understanding, that he might build a house for the LORD and a house for his kingdom.


text:
the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father [was] a man of Tyre, skillful to work in gold and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, in fine linen, and in crimson; also to engrave any manner of figure and to invent any design which shall be put to him, with thy craftsmen and with the craftsmen of my lord David, thy father.


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Now, therefore, let my lord send unto his servants the wheat and the barley the oil and the wine, which he has spoken of;


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and we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need, and we will bring it to thee in rafts by sea to Joppa, and thou shalt cause it to be carried up to Jerusalem.


text:
And Solomon numbered all the strangers that [were] in the land of Israel, after David, his father, had already numbered them; and one hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred were found.


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And he set seventy thousand of them [to be] bearers of burdens and eighty thousand [to be] hewers in the mountain, and three thousand six hundred overseers to make the people work.:


text:
Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in the Mount Moriah which had been shown unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan, the Jebusite.


text:
Now these [are the measurements on which] Solomon founded the building of the house of God. The first measurement was the length of sixty cubits and the breadth of twenty cubits.


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And the porch that [was] in the front of the length was of twenty cubits, according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the height [was] one hundred and twenty; and he overlaid it within with pure gold.


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And the greater house he covered with fir wood, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains.


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And he [also] covered the house with precious stones for beauty, and the gold [was] gold of Parvaim.


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Thus did he cover the house, its beams, its posts, its walls, and its doors, with gold and engraved cherubim on the walls.


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And he made the house of the holy of holies, its length was twenty cubits, according to the breadth of the house, and its breadth was twenty cubits, and he covered it with fine gold, [amounting] to six hundred talents.


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And the weight of the nails [was] fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.


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And inside the house of the holy of holies he made two cherubim of figured work and overlaid them with gold.


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And the wings of the cherubim [were] twenty cubits long; one wing [of the one cherub was] five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house; and the other wing [was likewise] five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub.


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And [one] wing of the other cherub [was] five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house; and the other wing [was] five cubits [also], joining to the wing of the other cherub.


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The wings of these cherubim spread themselves forth twenty cubits, and they stood on their feet, and their faces [were] inward.


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Also he made in front of the house two pillars of thirty-five cubits high, and the chapiter that [was] on the top of each of them [was] five cubits.


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And he made chains, [as] in the oracle, and put [them] on the heads of the pillars and made one hundred pomegranates and put [them] on the chains.


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And he reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand and the other on the left, and 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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He also made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, entirely round and five cubits high; and a line of thirty cubits girded it round about.


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And under it [were] figures of oxen, which did compass it round about, ten in each cubit, compassing the sea round about. Two orders of oxen [were] cast, when it was cast.


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It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north and three looking toward the west and three looking toward the Negev and three looking toward the east; and the sea [was set] above upon them, and all their hinder parts [were] inward.


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And the thickness of it [was] a handbreadth and the brim of it like the work of the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies, [and] it received and held three thousand baths.


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He also made ten lavers and put five on the right hand and five on the left, to wash in them; they cleansed the work of the burnt offering in them; but the sea [was] for the priests to wash in.


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And he made ten candlesticks of gold according to their form, and set [them] in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the left.


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He also made ten tables and placed [them] in the temple, five on the right hand and five on the left. And he made one hundred basins of gold.


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Furthermore, he made the court of the priests and the great court and doors for the court and overlaid the doors of them with brass.


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And Hiram made the pots and the shovels and the basins. And Hiram finished the work, that he had been making for King Solomon for the house of God,


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Two pillars and the pommels and the chapiters, [which were] on the top of the two pillars, and the two networks to cover the two pommels of the chapiters which [were] on the top of the pillars;


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four hundred pomegranates on the two networks; two orders of pomegranates on each network, to cover the two pommels of the chapiters which [were] upon the pillars.


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and the pots and the shovels and the fleshhooks and all their vessels, did Hiram, his father, make to King Solomon for the house of the LORD of the purest brass.


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In the plain of the Jordan did the king cast them, in clay of the ground, between Succoth and Zeredathah.


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Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance, for the weight of the brass could not be found out.


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And Solomon made all the vessels that [were for] the house of God, the golden altar also, and the tables upon which the showbread [was set];


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likewise, the candlesticks with their lamps, that they should burn according to the ordinance before the oracle, of pure gold;


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also the snuffers and the basins and the spoons and the censers, [of] pure gold. [Regarding] the entry of the house, its inner doors for the most holy [place] and the doors of the house of the temple, [were of] gold.:


text:
Thus all the work that Solomon made for the house of the LORD was finished, and Solomon brought in [all] the things that David his father had dedicated; and the silver and the gold and all the vessels, he put among the treasures of the house of God.


text:
Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the families of the sons of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which [is] Zion.


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Therefore, all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king in the solemnity which [was] in the seventh month.


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And they brought up the ark and the tabernacle of the testimony and all the vessels of the sanctuary that [were] in the tabernacle; these did the priests [and] the Levites bring up.


text:
Also King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel that were assembled unto him before the ark sacrificed sheep and oxen, which could not be told nor numbered for multitude.


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And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, to the oracle of the house, into the holy of holies, under the wings of the cherubim.


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For the cherubim spread forth [their] wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and its staves from above.


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And they drew out the staves so that the ends of the staves of the ark could be seen before the oracle, but they could not be seen from outside. And they were there unto this day.


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[There was] nothing in the ark except the two tables which Moses put [in it] at Horeb, with which the LORD had cut a covenant with the sons of Israel when they came out of Egypt.


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And when the priests came out of the sanctuary (for all the priests [that were] present were sanctified [and] did not [then] wait by course,


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and the Levite singers, all of those of Asaph, those of Heman, and those of Jeduthun, together with their sons and their brethren, [being] clothed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets).


text:
And they sounded the trumpets and sang with one voice, all together as one [man] praising and thanking the LORD, when they lifted up [their] voice with trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, when they praised the LORD, [saying], For [he is] good, for his mercy [endures] for ever; and the house was filled with a cloud, [even] the house of the LORD,


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so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.:


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And the king turned his face and blessed the whole congregation of Israel, and all the congregation of Israel was standing.


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And he said, Blessed [be] the LORD God of Israel, who has with his hand fulfilled [that] which he spoke with his mouth to my father David, saying,


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Since the day that I brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city among all the tribes of Israel to build a house in, that my name might be there; neither did I choose any man to be a prince over my people Israel.


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But I have chosen Jerusalem that my name might be there and have chosen David to be over my people Israel.


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Now it was in the heart of David, my father, to build a house unto the name of the LORD God of Israel.


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But the LORD said to David, my father, Forasmuch as it was in thy heart to build a house for my name, thou didst well in that it was in thy heart;


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notwithstanding, thou shalt not build the house, but thy son which shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build a house for my name.


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The LORD, therefore, has performed his word that he has spoken, for I am risen up in the place of David, my father, and am set on the throne of Israel, as the LORD had said, and have built the house unto the name of the LORD God of Israel.


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And in it I have put the ark, in which [is] the covenant of the LORD that he made with the sons of Israel.


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[Then] he stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel and spread forth his hands.


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For Solomon had made a brasen scaffold, five cubits long and five cubits wide and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court; and upon it he stood and knelt down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel and spread forth his hands toward heaven


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and said, O LORD God of Israel, [there is] no God like thee in the heaven nor in the earth who keeps covenant and [shows] mercy unto thy servants that walk before thee with all their hearts;


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who hast kept unto thy servant David, my father, that which thou hast promised him; thou didst say it with thy mouth and hast fulfilled [it] with thy hand, as [it is] this day.


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Now, therefore, O LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David, my father, that which thou hast promised him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit upon the throne of Israel, under the condition that thy sons keep their way, walking in my law, as thou hast walked before me.


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Now then, O LORD God of Israel, let thy word stand firm, which thou hast spoken unto thy servant David.


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Is it true that God is to dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee, how much less this house which I have built!


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But thou shalt look upon the prayer of thy servant and upon his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer with which thy servant prays before thee


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that thine eyes may be open upon this house day and night, upon the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there, to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant prays in this place.


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Hearken, likewise, unto the supplications of thy servant and of thy people Israel when they shall pray in this place; hear thou from the heavens, from thy dwelling place, even hear and forgive.


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If a man sins against his neighbour and an oath is laid upon him to make him swear, and the oath comes before thy altar in this house,


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thou shalt hear from heaven and do right unto thy servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head, and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness.


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And if thy people Israel should fall before their enemies because they have sinned against thee and if they should convert and confess thy name and pray and make supplication before thee in this house,


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thou shalt hear from the heavens and forgive the sin of thy people Israel and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers.


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If the heavens should become shut up, that there be no rain because they have sinned against thee; [yet] if they pray in this place and confess thy name and become converted from their sins when thou dost afflict them,


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thou shalt hear [them] from heaven and forgive the sin of thy servants and of thy people Israel, and thou shalt teach them the good way, that they may walk therein, and send rain upon thy land which thou hast given unto thy people for an inheritance.


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If there should be famine in the land, or if there should be pestilence, if there should be blasting, or mildew, locusts, or caterpillars; if their enemies besiege them in the cities of their land; whatever affliction or sickness there may be;


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every prayer and every supplication made of any man, or of all thy people Israel or of anyone who knows his affliction and his grief in his heart, if they shall extend their hands towards this house,


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thou shalt hear from the heavens, from the place of thy habitation, and forgive and render unto each one according to his ways, having known his heart (for thou only knowest the hearts of the sons of men),


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that they may fear thee and walk in thy ways all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.


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And also unto the stranger, who is not of thy people Israel, but is come from a far country for thy great name's sake and thy mighty hand and thy stretched out arm, if they come and pray in this house,


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thou shalt hear from the heavens, from the habitation of thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calls unto thee for, that all the peoples of the earth may know thy name and fear thee, as [do] thy people Israel, and let them know that thy name is invoked upon this house which I have built.


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If thy people go out to war against their enemies by the way that thou shalt send them and they pray unto thee toward this city which thou hast chosen, toward the house which I have built for thy name,


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If they sin against thee (for [there is] no man who does not sin,)and thou art angry with them and deliver them over before [their] enemies so that those that take them carry them away captives unto an enemy land far off or near,


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and they come into their right mind in the land where they are carried captive, if they convert and pray unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done iniquity and have dealt wickedly,


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if they convert unto thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been carried captives and pray toward their land, which thou didst give unto their fathers, and [toward] the city which thou hast chosen and toward the house which I have built unto thy name,


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thou shalt hear from the heavens, from the dwelling place of thy habitation, their prayer and their supplications and do their judgment and forgive thy people who have sinned against thee.


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Now, my God, let, I beseech thee, thine eyes be open and [let] thine ears [be] attentive unto the prayer [that is made] in this place.


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Now, therefore, arise, O LORD God, to [inhabit] thy resting place, thou and the ark of thy strength; let thy priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation and let thy merciful ones rejoice in goodness.


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O LORD God, do not turn away the face of thy anointed one; remember the mercies of David, thy servant.:


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And when Solomon finished praying, the fire came down from the heavens and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house.


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And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD'S house.


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And when all the sons of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they fell to the ground upon the pavement upon their faces and worshipped and praised the LORD, [saying], For [he is] good, for his mercy endures for ever.


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And King Solomon offered in sacrifice twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep; and so the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.


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And the priests were upon their watches, and the Levites with the instruments of music of the LORD, which David the king had made to praise the LORD, because his mercy [endures] for ever, when David praised by their hand. Likewise, the priests sounded trumpets before them, and all Israel was on their feet.


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Solomon also sanctified the middle of the court that [was] before the house of the LORD, for there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the peace [offerings] because the brasen altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offerings and the present and the fat.


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Then Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt.


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And in the eighth day they made a solemn assembly, for they had made the dedication of the altar in seven days, and they had celebrated the solemn feast for seven days.


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And on the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away into their tents, glad and merry in heart for the goodness that the LORD had showed unto David and to Solomon and to Israel his people.


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Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD, and the king's house; and all that came into Solomon's heart to make in the house of the LORD and in his own house was prospered.


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And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and have chosen this place for myself for [a] house of sacrifice.


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If I shut up the heavens that there be no rain or if I command the locusts to devour the land or if I send pestilence among my people;


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if my people, upon whom my name is invoked, shall 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 will heal their land.


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so that now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be in her for ever; and my eyes and my heart [shall be] there perpetually.


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And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee and keep my statutes and my rights,


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I will confirm the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David, thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man [to be] ruler in Israel.


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But if ye turn away and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods and worship them,


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I will pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, I will cast out of my presence, and will make it [to be] a proverb and a byword among all peoples.


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And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passes by it, so that they shall say, Why has the LORD done thus unto this land and unto this house?


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And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and worshipped them and served them; therefore, he has brought all this evil upon them.:


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And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own house,


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that Solomon rebuilt the cities which Hiram had given him and caused the sons of Israel to dwell there.


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Likewise, he rebuilt Bethhoron the upper and Bethhoron the lower, fenced cities with walls, gates, and bars;


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and Baalath and all the store cities that Solomon had and all the chariot cities and the cities of the horsemen and all that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and throughout all the land of his dominion.


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[As for] all the people [that were] left of the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, which [were] not of Israel,


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[but] of their sons, who were left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel, did not consume, Solomon made them pay tribute until this day.


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But of the sons of Israel Solomon did not make servants for his work, for they [were] men of war, and his princes and his captains, and princes of his chariots and horsemen.


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And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David unto the house that he had built for her, for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David, king of Israel, because [the places are] holy, unto which the ark of the LORD has come.


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Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the LORD on the altar of the LORD, which he had built before the porch,


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that each thing might be offered in its day, according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths and on the new moons and on the feasts three times in the year, [that is] in the feast of unleavened bread and in the feast of weeks and in the feast of the tabernacles.


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And he appointed, according to the order of David his father, the courses of the priests to their service and the Levites to their charges, to praise and minister before the priests, each thing in its day; the porters also by their courses at each gate, for so had David, the man of God, commanded.


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And they departed not from the commandment of the king unto the priests and Levites concerning any matter or concerning the treasures.


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Now all the work of Solomon was prepared from the day of the foundation of the house of the LORD and until it was finished. [So] the house of the LORD was perfected.


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For Hiram had sent him ships by the hands of his servants and servants that had knowledge of the sea, and they had gone with the servants of Solomon to Ophir and had taken from there four hundred and fifty talents of gold and brought [them] to King Solomon.:


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And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with enigmas at Jerusalem, with a very great host and camels that bore spices and gold in abundance and precious stones. And when she was come to Solomon, she spoke with him of all that was in her heart.


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and the food of his table and the seat of his servants and the attendance of his ministers and their apparel, his butlers also and their apparel, and his sacrifices which he sacrificed in the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her.


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And she said to the king, [It was] a true report which I heard in my own land of thy word and of thy wisdom,


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but I did not believe their words until I came, and my eyes had seen [it], and, behold, not even the half of the greatness of thy wisdom was told me, [for] thou dost exceed the fame that I heard.


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Blessed [are] thy men and blessed [are] these thy servants, who stand continually before thee and hear thy wisdom.


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The LORD thy God be blessed, who delighted in thee to set thee on his throne, [to be] king for the LORD thy God because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore, he made thee king over them, to do judgment and righteousness.


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And she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold and of spices great abundance and precious stones; never [had there been] any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.


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Also the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who had brought gold from Ophir, brought brazil wood and precious stones.


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And the king made [of] the brazil wood stairs to the house of the LORD and to the king's palace and harps and psalteries for the singers, and such [wood] had never been seen before in the land of Judah.


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And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, more than what she had brought unto the king. Then she turned and went away to her own land with her servants.


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besides [that which] the traders and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land brought gold and silver to Solomon.


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And King Solomon made two hundred bucklers [of] beaten gold; six hundred [shekels] of beaten gold went to each buckler.


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And [he made] three hundred shields [of] beaten gold; three hundred [shekels] of gold went to each shield. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.


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And [there were] six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, [which were] fastened to the throne, and stays on each side of the seat, and two lions standing by the stays.


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There were also twelve lions standing on one side and on the other upon the six steps. There was not the like made in any kingdom.


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And all the drinking vessels of King Solomon [were of] gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon [were of] pure gold. In the days of Solomon silver was not esteemed.


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For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram, and 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, that God had put in his heart.


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And of these, each his present, vessels of silver and vessels of gold and raiment, arms, spices, horses, and mules, every year.


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And Solomon also had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.


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And he reigned over all the kings from the river even unto the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt.


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And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees as the sycamore trees that [are] in the low plains in abundance.


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Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, [are] they not written in the books of Nathan, the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah, the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo, the seer against Jeroboam, the son of Nebat?


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And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David, his father; and Rehoboam, his son, reigned in his stead.:


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And when Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, heard [it], who [was] in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of Solomon, the king, Jeroboam returned out of Egypt.


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Thy father made our yoke grievous; now, therefore, ease thou somewhat the grievous servitude of thy father and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee.


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Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men that had stood before Solomon, his father, while he yet lived, saying, What do you counsel to reply to this people?


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And they spoke unto him, saying, If thou wilt seek the good of this people and please them and speak good words to them, they will be thy servants for ever.


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But he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men that were brought up with him, that stood before him.


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And he said unto them, What do you counsel us to reply to this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Ease somewhat the yoke that thy father did put upon us?


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Then the young men that were brought up with him spoke unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou answer the people that spoke unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make it somewhat lighter for us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little [finger] is thicker than my father's loins.


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For whereas my father put a heavy yoke upon you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I [will chastise you] with scorpions.


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So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had commanded, saying, Come again to me on the third day.


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and answered them after the advice 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 hearken unto the people, for the cause was of God, that the LORD might perform his word, which he spoke by the hand of Ahijah, the Shilonite, unto Jeroboam, the son of Nebat.


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And when all Israel [saw] that the king would not hearken unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David or inheritance in the son of Jesse? Every man to your tents, O Israel! Now, David, see to thine own house! So all Israel went to their tents.


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Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who [was] over the tribute and the sons of Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. So King Rehoboam made speed to get into a chariot and fled to Jerusalem.


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And when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he gathered of the house of Judah and Benjamin one hundred and eighty thousand chosen [men], who were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.


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Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,


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Thus hath the LORD said, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren; return each man to his house; for this thing is done of me. And they heard the word of the LORD and returned and did not go against Jeroboam.


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and in all the cities [he put] shields and spears. He fortified them greatly, having Judah and Benjamin on his side.


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And the priests and the Levites that [were] in all Israel gathered unto him out of all their borders.


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For the Levites left their suburbs and their possessions and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest's office unto the LORD.


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And he ordained himself priests for the high places and for the demons and for the calves which he had made.


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And from after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem to sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers.


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So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and made Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, strong for three years because they walked three years in the way of David and of Solomon.


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And Rehoboam took Mahalath, the daughter of Jerimoth, the son of David, to wife, [and] Abihail, the daughter of Eliab, the son of Jesse;


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And after her he took Maachah, the daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah and Attai and Ziza and Shelomith.


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But Rehoboam loved Maachah, the daughter of Absalom, above all his wives and his concubines (for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines and begat twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.)


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And Rehoboam made Abijah, the son of Maachah, as head and prince among his brethren, for [he thought] to make him king.


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And he caused him to be instructed and dispersed of all his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, unto every fenced city; and he gave them provisions in abundance. And he desired many wives.:


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And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had confirmed the kingdom and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him.


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And it came to pass [that] in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak, king of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem, because they had rebelled against the LORD,


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with twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen; and the people [were] without number that came with him out of Egypt: the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians.


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Then Shemaiah, the prophet, went to Rehoboam and [to] the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus hath the LORD said, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore, I have also left you in the hand of Shishak.


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And when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; [therefore], I will not destroy them, but I will deliver them shortly; and 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 know what it is to serve me and to serve the kingdoms of the nations.


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So Shishak, king of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house; he took it all; he also carried away the shields of gold which Solomon had made.


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And in their place King Rehoboam made shields of brass and committed [them] to the hands of the princes of the guard that kept the entrance of the king's house.


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And when the king entered into the house of the LORD, the guard came and brought them, and [afterward] they returned them again into the guard chamber.


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And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him that he would not destroy [him] altogether; and also in Judah things went well.


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So King Rehoboam was strengthened and reigned in Jerusalem; and Rehoboam [was] forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And 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 was] war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.


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And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David, and Abijah, his son, reigned in his stead.:


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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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And Abijah set the battle in order with an army of valiant men of war, four hundred thousand chosen men; and Jeroboam set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, [being] mighty men of valour.


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And Abijah stood up upon Mount Zemaraim, which [is] in the mountains of Ephraim, and said, Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel;


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do ye not know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, unto him and to 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, is risen up and has rebelled against his lord.


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And there are gathered unto him vain men, the sons of Belial, and have 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 ye think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David because ye [are] a great multitude, and ye have with you the golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods.


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Have ye not cast out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and have made you priests after the manner of the peoples of [other] lands, so that whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, [the same] may become a priest of those that are not gods.


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But as for us, the LORD [is] our God, and we have not forsaken him; and the priests, which minister unto the LORD, [are] the sons of Aaron, and the Levites [wait] upon [their] business;


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and they burn unto the LORD every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and aromatic incense, and they place the showbread upon the clean table, and the candlestick of gold with its lamps, to burn every evening; for we keep the charge of the LORD our God, but ye have forsaken him.


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And, behold, God himself [is] with us for [our] captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the LORD God of your fathers, for ye shall not prosper.


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But Jeroboam caused an ambush to come about behind them; so they were before Judah, and the ambush [was] behind them.


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So when Judah looked back, behold, the battle [was] before and behind; and they cried unto the LORD, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.


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Then the men of Judah gave a shout, and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.


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And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter; so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.


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Thus the sons of Israel were humbled at that time, and the sons of Judah prevailed because they relied upon the LORD God of their fathers.


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And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam and took cities from him, Bethel with its towns and Jeshanah with its towns and Ephron with its towns.


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Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah; and the LORD struck him, and he died.


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But Abijah waxed mighty and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.


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And the rest of the acts of Abijah and his ways and his words [are] written in the story of the prophet Iddo.:


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So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David, and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land had rest ten years.


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for he took away the altars of the strange [gods] and the high places and broke down the images and cut down the groves


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and commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and they fulfilled the law and the commandments.


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Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images, and the kingdom had rest before him.


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And he built fenced cities in Judah, for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years because the LORD had given him rest.


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Therefore, he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities and make about [them] walls and towers, gates, and bars, now that the land [is] ours; because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought [him], and he has given us rest on every side. So they built and were prospered.


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And Asa had an army [of men] that bore shields and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand and out of Benjamin, that bore shields and drew bows, two hundred and eighty thousand; all these [were] mighty men of valour.


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And there came out against them Zerah, the Ethiopian, with a host of a thousand thousand and three hundred chariots and came unto Mareshah.


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And Asa cried unto the LORD his God and said, LORD, [it is] nothing with thee to help, whether with many or with those that have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou [art] our God; do not let man prevail against thee.


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And Asa and the people that [were] with him pursued them unto Gerar, and the Ethiopians were overthrown until there were none [left] alive, for they were destroyed before the LORD and before his host, and they carried away very much spoil.


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And they smote all the cities round about Gerar, for the fear of the LORD came upon them; and they spoiled all the cities, for there was exceeding much spoil in them.


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They smote also the booths of livestock and carried away sheep and camels in abundance and returned to Jerusalem.:


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and he went out to meet Asa and said unto him, Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD [is] with you, while ye are with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.


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For many days Israel [has been] without the true God, and without a priest and without a teacher and without law,


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but when they in their trouble turned unto the LORD God of Israel and sought him, he was found of them.


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And in those times [there was] no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great destruction upon all the inhabitants of the lands.


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And one Gentile destroyed the other, and one city the other; for God discomforted them with all adversity.


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And when Asa heard the words and prophecy of Oded, the prophet, he was comforted and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin and out of the cities which he had taken in Mount Ephraim and repaired the altar of the LORD, that [was] before the porch of the LORD.


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And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon, for many of Israel had gone over to him, when they saw that the LORD his God [was] with him.


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So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.


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And they offered unto the LORD the same day, of the spoil [which] they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.


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And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;


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that whoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.


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And they swore unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting and with trumpets and with shofar.


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And all those of Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them; and the LORD gave them rest round about.


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And also [concerning] Maachah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from [being] queen because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa cut down her idol and stamped [it] and burnt [it] at the Brook Kidron.


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But with all this the high places were not taken away out of Israel; nevertheless, the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.


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And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated and that he himself had dedicated, silver and gold and vessels.


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In the year thirty-six of the reign of Asa, Baasha, king of Israel, came up against Judah and built Ramah, to the intent that he might let no one go out or come in to Asa, king of Judah.


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Then Asa brought out the silver and the gold out of the treasuries of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent unto Benhadad, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,


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[There is] a covenant between me and thee, as [there was] between my father and thy father; behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha, king of Israel, that he may depart from me.


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And Benhadad hearkened unto King Asa and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they smote Ijon and Dan and Abelmaim and all the store cities of Naphtali.


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Then Asa, the king, took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timber thereof, with which Baasha was building, and he built Geba and Mizpah with it.


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And at that time Hanani, the seer, came to Asa, king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore, the host of the king of Syria has escaped out of thy hands.


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Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thy hand.


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For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of [those] whose heart [is] perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly, for from now on thou shalt have wars.


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Then Asa was wroth with the seer and put him in the prison house, for [he was] in a rage with him because of this [thing]. And Asa killed [some] of the people at the same time.


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And, behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, they [are] written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.


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And Asa in the year thirty-nine of his reign was diseased from his feet up; yet in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians.


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And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and aromas prepared by the apothecaries' art; and they made a very great burning for him.:


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And he placed forces in all the fenced cities of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah and likewise in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa, his father had taken.


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And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the first ways of his father David and sought not unto the Baalim


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but sought the [LORD] God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel.


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Therefore, the LORD confirmed the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought Jehoshaphat presents, and he had riches and glory in abundance.


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And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD, and he took away the high places and groves out of Judah.


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Also in the third year of his reign he sent his princes, Benhail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethaneel, and Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah.


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And with them [he sent] the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, Levites, and with them Elishama and Jehoram, priests.


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And they taught in Judah and [had] the book of the law of the LORD with them and went about throughout all the cities of Judah and taught the people.


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And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that [were] round about Judah, so that they did not dare to make war against Jehoshaphat.


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And the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and tribute of silver; and the Arabians brought him flocks, seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred he goats.


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And these [are] the numbers of them according to the houses of their fathers: In Judah, princes of thousands; the prince Adnah and with him three hundred thousand mighty men of valour;


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after him, Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself unto the LORD and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valour;


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of Benjamin, Eliada, a mighty man of valour, and with him two hundred thousand armed with bow and shield;


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These were servants of the king, besides [those] whom the king had put in the fenced cities throughout all Judah.:


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And after [a few] years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance and for the people that [he had] with him, and persuaded him to go up [with him] to Ramothgilead.


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And Ahab, king of Israel, said unto Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramothgilead? And he answered him, I [am] as thou [art] and my people as thy people; and [we will be] with thee in the war.


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Therefore, the king of Israel gathered together of prophets four hundred men and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up, for God will deliver [it] into the king's hand.


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But Jehoshaphat said, [Is there] yet here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire by him?


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And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, [There is] yet one man here, by whom we may enquire of the LORD, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good unto me, but always evil; the same [is] Micaiah, the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.


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And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, were each sitting on their thrones, clothed in [their] robes, and they sat in the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.


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And Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, had made himself horns of iron and said, Thus hath the LORD said, With these thou shalt push Syria until they are consumed.


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And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead and be prospered, for the LORD shall deliver [it] into the hand of the king.


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And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets [declare] good to the king with one assent; let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good.


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And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramothgilead to battle or shall I forbear? And he said, Go up, and ye shall be prospered; they shall be delivered into your hands.


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And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou say nothing but the truth to me in the name of the LORD?


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Then he said, I did see all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd; and the LORD said, These have no master; let each one return to his house in peace.


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And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee [that] he would not prophesy good unto me, but evil?


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So he said, Therefore, hear the word of the LORD; I saw the LORD sitting upon his throne, and all the host of the heavens standing on his right hand and [on] his left.


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And the LORD said, Who shall entice Ahab, king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one spoke saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner.


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Then a spirit came out and stood before the LORD and said, I will entice him. And the LORD said unto him, In what manner?


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And he said, I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And [the LORD] said, Thou shalt entice [him], and thou shalt also prevail; go out and do [even] so.


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Now, therefore, behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets, and the LORD has decreed evil concerning thee.


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Then Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, came near and smote Micaiah upon the cheek and said, Which way did the Spirit of the LORD depart from me to speak unto thee?


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And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see on that day when thou shalt go from chamber to chamber to hide thyself.


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Then the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah and carry him back to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king's son


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and say, Thus hath the king said, Put this [fellow] in the prison and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction until I return in peace.


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And Micaiah said, If thou certainly return in peace, [then] the LORD has not spoken by me. And he said, Hearken, all ye peoples.


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And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself to enter into the battle, but put thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself and entered into the battle.


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Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the chariots that [were] with him, saying, Fight not with small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.


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And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, It [is] the king of Israel. Therefore, they compassed about him to fight; but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God separated them from him.


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And when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, they withdrew from pursuing him.


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But a [certain] man drew a bow in all his perfection and smote the king of Israel between the joints of [his] coat of mail; therefore, he said to his chariot man, Turn thy hand, and carry me out of the camp, for I am wounded.


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And the battle increased that day; howbeit, the king of Israel stayed [himself] up in [his] chariot against the Syrians until the evening, and about the time of the sun going down he died.:


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And Jehu, the son of Hanani, the seer, went out to meet him and said to king Jehoshaphat, Should thou help the ungodly and love those that hate the LORD? Therefore, the wrath of the presence of the LORD shall be upon thee.


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Nevertheless, good things have been found in thee, in that thou hast burned down the groves of the land and hast prepared thy heart to seek God.


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And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem, and he went out again through the people from Beersheba to Mount Ephraim and brought them back unto the LORD God of their fathers.


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and said to the judges, Take heed what ye do, for ye do not judge for man, but for the LORD, who [is] with you in the word of judgment.


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Therefore, now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do [it], for [there is] no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of bribes.


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Moreover, in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat placed [some] of the Levites and [of] the priests and of the heads of the fathers of Israel for the judgment of the LORD and for controversies. And they returned to Jerusalem.


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And he charged them, saying, Ye shall proceed thus in the fear of the LORD, in truth and with a perfect heart.


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In whatever case that shall come to you of your brethren that dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes or rights, ye shall warn them lest they become guilty against the LORD so that wrath will not come upon you and upon your brethren. Doing thus, ye shall not be guilty.


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Behold, Amariah, the high priest, who shall be over you in all matters of the LORD; and Zebadiah, the son of Ishmael, prince of the house of Judah, for all the king's matters; and the Levites [who shall be] teachers before you. Take courage and do, for the LORD shall be with the good.:


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It came to pass after this also [that] the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon and with them [others] besides the Ammonites came against Jehoshaphat to battle.


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Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, There comes a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea, and from Syria; and, behold, they [are] in Hazazontamar, which [is] Engedi.


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Then Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to seek the LORD and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.


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And Judah gathered themselves together, to consult the LORD; and out of all the cities of Judah they came to consult the LORD.


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And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,


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and said, O LORD God of our fathers, [art] not thou God in the heavens and dost thou [not] rule in all the kingdoms of the Gentiles? Is there not power and might in thy hand so that no one is able to withstand thee?


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[Art] not thou our God, [who] didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel and didst give it to the seed of Abraham, thy friend, for ever?


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If evil comes upon us or the sword of judgment or pestilence or famine, we shall stand before this house and in thy presence (for thy name [is] in this house) and cry unto thee out of our tribulations, and thou wilt hear us and save us.


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And now, behold, the sons of Ammon and of Moab and [those of] Mount Seir, whose [land] thou would not let Israel enter when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them;


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behold they reward us by coming to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.


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O our God, wilt thou not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that comes against us; we do not know what to do; but our eyes are [fixed] upon thee.


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Then 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, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation;


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and he said, Hearken, all Judah, and [ye] inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou King Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Do not be afraid nor dismayed before this great multitude, for the battle [is] not yours, but God's.


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Tomorrow ye shall go down against them; behold, they shall come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them next to the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.


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Ye shall not [need] to fight in this [battle[; set yourselves, stand [still], and see the salvation of the LORD with you. O Judah and Jerusalem; fear not, neither be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD [shall be] with you.


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Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with [his] face to the ground, and likewise all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.


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And the Levites, of the sons of the Kohath and of the sons of the Korah, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.


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And when they arose early in the morning and while they were going forth into the wilderness of Tekoa, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe the LORD your God, and ye shall be secure; believe his prophets, and ye shall be prospered.


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And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed some to sing unto the LORD and to praise in the beauty of holiness, while the army went out and to say, Praise the LORD, for his mercy [endures] for ever.


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And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set the sons of Moab and those of Mount Seir to ambush the sons of Ammon, who were coming against Judah; and they smote [one another].


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And the sons of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy [them]; and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, each one helped his companion to kill himself.


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And when Judah came to the watch tower of the wilderness, they looked for the multitude, and, behold, they [were] fallen to the earth dead, for none had escaped.


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And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to spoil them, they found among them an abundance of riches and of dead bodies and clothing and precious vessels which they took for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering in the spoil, it was so much.


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And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the LORD; therefore, they called the name of that place, The valley of Berachah, unto this day.


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Then they returned, those of Judah and those of Jerusalem with Jehoshaphat at their head, to go again to Jerusalem with joy, for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies.


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And the fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the land when they heard how the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel.


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Thus Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah; [he was] thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name [was] Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.


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And he walked in the way of Asa, his father, and did not depart from it, doing [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD.


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With all this the high places were not taken away, for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto 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, who [is] mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel.


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After these things, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, joined himself with Ahaziah, king of Israel, who was given over to wickedness;


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Then Eliezer, the son of Dodavah of Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD shall destroy thy works. And the ships were broken, and they were not able to go to Tarshish.:


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Now Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And Jehoram, his son, reigned in his stead.


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And he had brethren, sons of Jehoshaphat, Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these [were] the sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel.


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And their father had given them great gifts of silver and of gold and of precious things, with fenced cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he [was] the firstborn.


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Now Jehoram rose up against the kingdom of his father, and he strengthened himself and slew all his brethren with the sword and likewise [some] of the princes of Israel.


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And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, like as did the house of Ahab, for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife; and he wrought [that which was] evil in the eyes of the LORD.


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However, the LORD would not destroy the house of David because of the covenant that he had made with David and as he promised to give a light to him and to his sons for ever.


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Then Jehoram went forth with his princes and all his chariots with him, and he rose up by night and smote Edom who had compassed him in and all the captains of the chariots.


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With all this Edom [remained in] rebellion, out from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Libnah also rebelled at the same time to not be under his hand because he had forsaken the LORD 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 fornication and compelled Judah [unto this].


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And a writing came to him from Elijah, the prophet, that said this: Thus hath LORD, the God of David, thy father, said, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father nor in the ways of Asa, king of Judah,


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but hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fornicate, like unto the fornication of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father's house, [who were] better than thyself,


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behold, the LORD shall smite thy people with a great plague, and thy sons and thy wives and all thy goods;


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and thou [shalt have] great sickness, with disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day.


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Then the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and of the Arabians, that [were] near the Ethiopians;


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and they came up against Judah and invaded the land and carried away all the substance that was found in the king's house, and his sons also and his wives so that none of his sons remained except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.


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And it came to pass, that in process of time, after the end of two years, his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness; so he died of sore diseases. And his people made no burning for him, like they had done for his fathers.


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He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years and departed without being desired. And they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings.:


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And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his stead; for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp had slain all the elder [sons]. So Ahazia the son of Jehoram, king of Judah reigned.


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Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he began to reign, 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 sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab, for they were his counsellors, after the death of his father, to his destruction.


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And He walked after their counsel and went with Jehoram, the son of Ahab, king of Israel, to war against Hazael, king of Syria at Ramothgilead, where the Syrians smote Joram.


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And he returned to be healed in Jezreel because of the wounds which were given him at Ramah, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria. And Azariah, the son of Jehoram, king of Judah went down to see Jehoram, the son of Ahab, at Jezreel, because he was there sick.


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But this was of God so that Ahaziah would be tread under foot by coming to Joram; for when he was come, he went out with Jehoram [to encounter] Jehu, the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.


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And it came to pass that when Jehu was executing judgment upon the house of Ahab and found the princes of Judah and the sons of the brethren of Ahaziah, that ministered to Ahaziah, he slew them.


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And he sought Ahaziah, and they caught him (for he had hid himself in Samaria) and brought him to Jehu; and when they had slain him, they buried him, Because, they said, He [is] the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart. So the house of Ahaziah had no strength to be able to retain the kingdom.


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So when Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed 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 from among the king's sons that were being slain, and kept him and his nurse in the bedchamber. 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 slew him not.


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And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah, the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael, the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah, the son of Obed, and Maaseiah, the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat, the son of Zichri, into covenant with him.


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And they went about in Judah and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah and the heads of the fathers of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.


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And all the congregation made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said unto them, Behold, the king's son who shall reign, as the LORD has said of the sons of David.


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This [is] the thing that ye must do: A third part of you, those who enter on the sabbath, [shall be] porters at the doors with the priests and the Levites;


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and a third part [shall be] at the king's house; and a third part at the gate of the foundation; and all the people [shall be] in the courts of the house of the LORD.


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But let no one come into the house of the LORD, except the priests and the Levites that minister; they shall go in, for they [are] holy; but all the people shall keep the watch of the LORD.


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And the Levites shall compass the king round about, each one shall have his weapons in his hand; and whoever else comes into the house shall be put to death; and ye shall 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 the things that Jehoiada, the priest, had commanded, and each one took his men, those that were to come in on the sabbath with those that were to go [out] on the sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss the courses.


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Moreover, Jehoiada, the priest, delivered to the captains of hundreds spears and bucklers and shields, that [had been] king David's, which [were] in the house of God.


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And he set all the people in order, each one having his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, along by the altar and the house, by the king round about.


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Then they brought out the king's son and put the crown upon him and [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 noise of the people running of those that were praising the king, she came to the people into the house of the LORD:


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And she looked and, behold, the king stood at his pillar at the entrance and the princes and the trumpets by the king; and all the people of the land rejoiced and sounded with trumpets, and those that knew how to praise sang with instruments of music. Then Athaliah rent her clothes and said, Treason, Treason.


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Then Jehoiada, the priest, brought out the captains of hundreds that were set over the host and said unto them, Remove her from the order of the house, and whoever follows her, let them be slain with the sword. For the priest had commanded, Slay her not in the house of the LORD.


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So they laid hands on her, and she entered into the entrance of the horse gate of the king's house, and they slew her there.


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And Jehoiada made a covenant between him and between all the people and between the king that they should be the LORD'S people.


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Then all the people went to the house of Baal and broke it down and broke in pieces his altars and his images and slew Mattan, the priest of Baal, before the altars.


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Also Jehoiada ordered the offices of the house of the LORD under the hand of the priests, the Levites, whom David had distributed in the house of the LORD to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD, as [it is] written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, [as it was ordained] by David.


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He also set the porters at the gates of the house of the LORD so that there should be no way for anyone [who was] unclean to enter in.


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Then he took the captains of hundreds and the nobles and those that governed the people and all the people of the land and brought down the king from the house of the LORD; and they came through the high gate into the king's house and set the king upon the throne of the kingdom.


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And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was at rest after they had slain Athaliah with the sword.:


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Joash [was] seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name [was] Zibiah of Beersheba.


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And he gathered together the priests and the Levites and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and be diligent in this matter. However the Levites were not diligent.


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Therefore the king called for Jehoiada, the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem unto the tabernacle of the testimony the collection, [according to the commandment] of Moses, the servant of the LORD and of the congregation of Israel?


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For the wicked woman, Athaliah, and her sons had broken up the house of God, and they had also bestowed all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD upon Baalim.


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And at the king's commandment they made an ark and set it outside at the gate of the house of the LORD.


text:
And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem to bring in to the LORD the collection [that] Moses the servant of God [laid] upon Israel in the wilderness.


text:
And all the princes and all the people rejoiced and brought in and cast into the ark until they had fulfilled [their duty].


text:
Now it came to pass, that at what time the ark was brought unto the king's office by the hand of the Levites and when they saw that [there was] much money, the king's scribe and the high priest's officer came and emptied the ark and took it and returned it to its place. Thus they did day by day and gathered money in abundance.


text:
And the king and Jehoiada gave it to those that did the work of the service of the house of the LORD and hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the LORD and also those that wrought iron and brass to mend the house of the LORD.


text:
So the workmen wrought, and by their hands the work was done, and they restored the house of God and strengthened it.


text:
And when they had finished [it], they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, of which they made vessels for the house of the LORD, vessels to minister and to offer [with], and spoons and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoiada.


text:
But Jehoiada waxed old and was full of days when he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old when he died.


text:
And they buried him in the city of David among the kings because he had done good in Israel, both toward God and toward his house.


text:
Now after the death of Jehoiada, the princes of Judah came and worshiped the king. Then the king hearkened unto them.


text:
And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers and served groves and idols, and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for their guilt.


text:
Yet he sent prophets to them to bring them again unto the LORD, and they testified against them, but they would not give ear.


text:
And the Spirit of God clothed himself in Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, the priest, who being over the people, said unto them, Thus hath God said, Why do ye transgress the commandments of the LORD? Ye shall not prosper in this; for because ye have forsaken the LORD, he shall also forsake you.


text:
And they conspired against him and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD.


text:
Thus Joash, the king, did not remember the mercy which Jehoiada, his father, had done to him but slew his son; who said when he died, The LORD look upon [it] and require [it].


text:
And at the end of the year, the host of Syria came up against him, and they came to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus.


text:
For [even though] the army of the Syrians had come with a small company of men, the LORD delivered a very great host into their hand because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. So they executed judgments against Joash.


text:
And when they were departed from him (for they left him in great diseases), his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada, the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died; and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the sepulchres of the kings.


text:
Those that conspired against him were Zabad, the son of Shimeath, an Ammonitess, and Jehozabad, the son of Shimrith, a Moabitess.


text:
Now [concerning] his sons, and of the multiplication that he did of the taxes and the repairing of the house of God, behold, they [are] written in the story of the book of the kings. And Amaziah, his son, reigned in his stead.:


text:
Amaziah [was] twenty-five years old [when] he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name [was] Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.


text:
For when he was confirmed in the kingdom, he slew his servants that had killed the king, his father.


text:
But he slew not their children, but [did] as [it is] written in the law in the book of Moses where the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers, but each one shall die for his own sin.


text:
Moreover, Amaziah gathered Judah together and made them captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, according to the houses of [their] fathers, throughout all Judah and Benjamin; and he numbered them from twenty years old and above and found them three hundred thousand choice [men], [able] to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield.


text:
He also hired one hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel for one hundred talents of silver.


text:
But a man of God came unto him, saying, O king, do not let not the army of Israel go with thee, for the LORD [is] not with Israel [nor] with all the sons of Ephraim.


text:
But if thou wilt go, if thou wilt do [it], and strengthen thyself for the battle, God shall make thee fall before the enemy; for in God is the strength, to help or to cast down.


text:
Then Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The LORD is able to give thee much more than this.


text:
Then Amaziah separated the army of those that had come to him out of Ephraim, to go home again; therefore, their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in great anger.


text:
And Amaziah strengthened himself and led forth his people and went to the valley of salt and smote of the sons of Seir, ten thousand.


text:
And the sons of Judah took [another] ten thousand alive, whom they took unto the top of the rock and cast them down from the top of the rock, and they were all broken in pieces.


text:
But the soldiers of the army which Amaziah sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, fell upon the cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Bethhoron, and smote three thousand of them and took much spoil.


text:
Now after Amaziah came back from the slaughter of the Edomites, he brought the gods of the sons of Seir and set them up [to be] his gods and bowed down before them and burned incense unto them.


text:
Therefore, the anger of the LORD was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent him a prophet who said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of a people who could not deliver their own people out of thy hand?


text:
And as [the prophet] was speaking these things unto him, he said unto him, Art thou appointed as the king's counsel? Forbear; why should thou be smitten? Then the prophet forbare and said, I know that God has determined to destroy thee because thou hast done this and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.


text:
Then Amaziah, king of Judah, took advice and sent to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us see one another face to face.


text:
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 thy daughter to my son to wife. And behold, the wild beasts that [were] in Lebanon, passed by, and trode down the thistle.


text:
Thou sayest, Behold, I have smitten Edom; and [with this thy] heart lifts thee up to boast; abide now at home; why should thou meddle to [thy] hurt, that thou should fall, [even] thou, and Judah with thee?


text:
But Amaziah would not hear; for it [came] of God, that he might deliver them into the hand [of their enemies], because they had sought after the gods of Edom.


text:
So Joash the king of Israel went up; and they saw one another face to face, [both] he and Amaziah king of Judah, at Bethshemesh, which is of Judah.


text:
And Joash, the king of Israel, took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Bethshemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.


text:
And [he took] all the gold and the silver and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obededom and the treasures of the king's house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.


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


text:
Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, first and last, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel?


text:
From the time that Amaziah turned away from following the LORD, they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish, but they sent to Lachish after him, and slew him there.


text:
Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who [was] sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah.


text:
Uzziah [was] sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name [was] Jecoliah of Jerusalem.


text:
And he did [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did.


text:
And he persisted in seeking God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and in those days that he sought the LORD, God prospered him.


text:
For he went forth and warred against the Philistines and broke down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod and built cities about Ashdod and among the Philistines.


text:
And God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gurbaal and against the Mehunims.


text:
And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah; and his name spread abroad [even] to the entrance of Egypt, for he strengthened [himself] exceedingly.


text:
Moreover, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate and at the valley gate and at the corners and fortified them.


text:
He also built towers in the desert and dug many wells, for he had much livestock, both in the low country and in the plains, husbandmen [also] and vine dressers in the mountains and in Carmel, for he loved agriculture.


text:
Moreover Uzziah had an army of fighting men that went out to war in companies, according to the number of their account by the hand of Jeiel, the scribe, and Maaseiah, the governor, under the hand of Hananiah, [one] of the king's princes.


text:
The whole number of the chief of the fathers of the mighty men of valour [were] two thousand six hundred.


text:
And under their hand [was] an army, a host of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy.


text:
And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields and spears and helmets and coats of mail and bows and slings [to cast] stones.


text:
And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks to shoot arrows and great stones with. And his name spread far abroad, for he was marvelously helped until he was strong.


text:
But when he was strengthened, his heart lifted itself up unto corruption, for he rebelled against the LORD his God, entering into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.


text:
And Azariah, the priest, went in after him, and with him eighty priests of the LORD, [that were] valiant men.


text:
And they withstood Uzziah, the king, and said unto him, [It does] not [pertain] unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests, the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense; go out of the sanctuary, for thou hast rebelled; neither [shall it be] for thy glory before the LORD God.


text:
Then Uzziah was angry and [had] a censer in his hand to burn incense; and in this his anger with the priests, the leprosy rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, next to the altar of incense.


text:
And Azariah, the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he [was] leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from there, and he also hastened to go out because the LORD had smitten him.


text:
And Uzziah, the king, was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a separate house, [being] a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD; 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, first and last were written by Isaiah, the prophet, the son of Amoz.


text:
So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the royal burial field, for they said, He [is] a leper. And Jotham, his son, reigned in his stead.:


text:
Jotham [was] twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name [was] Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok.


text:
And he did [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah did; however, he did not enter into the temple of the LORD. But the people corrupted themselves yet.


text:
Moreover, he built cities in the mountains of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers.


text:
He fought also with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed against them. And the sons of Ammon gave him the same year one hundred talents of silver and ten thousand measures of wheat and ten thousand of barley. So much did the sons of Ammon pay unto him, both the second year and the third.


text:
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.


text:
And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and Ahaz, his son, reigned in his stead.:


text:
Ahaz [was] twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; but he did not do [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD, like David, his father.


text:
To the contrary he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and also made molten images unto Baalim.


text:
Moreover, he burnt incense in the valley of the sons of Hinnom and burnt his sons in the fire, after the abominations of the Gentiles whom the LORD had cast out before the sons of Israel.


text:
He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills and under every green tree.


text:
Therefore, the LORD his God delivered him into the hands of the king of Syria, and they smote him and carried away a great multitude of them captives and brought [them] to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hands of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter.


text:
For Pekah, the son of Remaliah, slew in Judah one hundred and twenty thousand in one day, [who were] all valiant men, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers.


text:
And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah, the king's son, and Azrikam, the governor of the house, and Elkanah, second after the king.


text:
And the sons of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, in addition to taking much spoil from them, which they brought to Samaria.


text:
But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name [was] Oded; and he went out before the host that came to Samaria and said unto them, Behold, because the LORD God of your fathers was angry with Judah, he has delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage. [This] reaches up unto heaven.


text:
And now ye purpose to keep subject the sons of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you, [but] are ye not guilty against the LORD your God?


text:
Now hear me therefore, and deliver the captives again, which ye have taken captive of your brethren; for the fierce wrath of the LORD [is] upon you.


text:
Then certain of the heads of the sons of Ephraim, Azariah, the son of Johanan, Berechiah, the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah, the son of Shallum, and Amasa, the son of Hadlai, stood up against those that came from the war


text:
and said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives here, for the sin against the LORD shall be upon us. Ye intend to add [more] to our sins and to our guilt, for our guilt is great, and [there is] fierce wrath against Israel.


text:
And the men which were expressed by name rose up and took the captives, and, with the spoil, clothed all that were naked among them and arrayed them and shod them and gave them to eat and to drink and anointed them and carried all the feeble of them upon asses and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brethren; then they returned to Samaria.


text:
The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country and towards the Negev of Judah and had taken Bethshemesh and Ajalon and Gederoth and Shocho with the its villages and Timnah with its villages, Gimzo also and its villages, and they dwelt in them.


text:
For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had made Judah naked and had completely rebelled against the LORD.


text:
For even though Ahaz took away a portion [out] of the house of the LORD and [out] of the house of the king and of the princes and gave [it] unto the king of Assyria, he did not help him.


text:
for he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, who had smitten him, and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them; [therefore], I will [also] sacrifice to them that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.


text:
And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God and shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and he made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem.


text:
And in all the cities of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the LORD God of his fathers.


text:
Now the rest of his acts and of all his ways, first and last, behold, they [are] written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.


text:
And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of Jerusalem, but they did not bring him into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel; and Hezekiah, his son, reigned in his stead.:


text:
Hezekiah began to reign [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.


text:
And he did [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David, his father, had done.


text:
In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them.


text:
and said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and ye shall sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers and carry forth the filthiness out of the sanctuary.


text:
For our fathers have rebelled and done [that which was] evil in the eyes of the LORD our God, for [they] have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD and turned [their] backs.


text:
They even shut up the doors of the porch and put out the lamps and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the sanctuary unto the God of Israel.


text:
Therefore, the wrath of the LORD has come upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he has delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes.


text:
For, behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives [are] in captivity for this.


text:
Now [it is] in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel that his fierce wrath may turn away from us.


text:
My sons, do not deceive yourselves, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should be his ministers and burn incense unto him.


text:
Then the Levites arose, Mahath, the son of Amasai, and Joel, the son of Azariah, of the sons of Kohath; and of the sons of Merari, Kish, the son of Abdi, and Azariah, the son of Jehalelel; and of the sons of Gershon; Joah, the son of Zimmah, and Eden, the son of Joah;


text:
And they gathered their brethren and sanctified themselves and entered in, according to the commandment of the king, by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD.


text:
And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse [it], and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took [it], to carry [it] out abroad into the Brook Kidron.


text:
Now they began to sanctify on the first [day] of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the porch of the LORD; and they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days; and in the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.


text:
Then they went in to Hezekiah, the king, and said, We have cleansed all the house of the LORD and the altar of burnt offering, with all its vessels, and the showbread table with all the its vessels.


text:
Likewise we have prepared and sanctified all the vessels, which King Ahaz in his reign cast away in his transgression, and, behold, they [are] before the altar of the LORD.


text:
Then Hezekiah, the king, rose early and gathered the rulers of the city and went up to the house of the LORD.


text:
And they offered seven bullocks and seven rams and seven lambs and seven he goats, for the sin of the kingdom and of the sanctuary and of Judah. And he commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer [them] on the altar of the LORD.


text:
So they killed the bullocks, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled [it] on the altar; likewise, when they had killed the rams, they sprinkled the blood upon the altar; they also killed the lambs, and they sprinkled the blood upon the altar.


text:
And they brought forth the he goats of the sin before the king and the congregation, and they laid their hands upon them;


text:
and the priests killed them, and they removed the sin with their blood upon the altar, to reconcile all Israel, for the king commanded [that] the burnt offering and [the atonement] for sin [should be offered] for all Israel.


text:
And he set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad, the king's seer, and of Nathan, the prophet, for that commandment [was] by the hand of the LORD, by the hand of his prophets.


text:
[Then] Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD began [also] with the trumpets and with the instruments of David, king of Israel.


text:
And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpets sounded; [and] all [this continued] until the burnt offering was finished.


text:
And when they had finished offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves and worshipped.


text:
Moreover, Hezekiah, the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the LORD with the words of David and of Asaph, the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and worshipped.


text:
Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto the LORD, come near and bring sacrifices and praises in the house of the LORD. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and praises, and as many as were of a free heart burnt offerings.


text:
And the number of the burnt offerings, which the congregation brought, was seventy bullocks, one hundred rams, [and] two hundred lambs; all these [were] for the burnt offering of the LORD.


text:
But the priests were too few so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings; therefore, their brethren, the Levites, helped them until the work was ended and until the [other] priests had sanctified themselves, for the Levites [were] more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests.


text:
And also the burnt offerings [were] in abundance, with the fat of the peace [offerings] and the drink offerings for [every] burnt offering. So the service of the house of the LORD was set in order.


text:
And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people, for the thing was [done] suddenly.:


text:
And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto the LORD God of Israel.


text:
For the king had taken counsel with his princes and with all the congregation in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in the second month.


text:
For they could not keep it at that time, because there were not enough priests sanctified, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem.


text:
So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the passover unto the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem because for a long [time] they had not done it as it is written.


text:
So the posts went with the letters from the hand of the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye sons of Israel, return unto the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.


text:
Do not be like your fathers, and like your brethren, who rebelled against the LORD God of their fathers and he gave them over to desolation, as ye see.


text:
Therefore, do not be stiffnecked as your fathers [were], [but] yield yourselves unto the LORD and enter into his sanctuary, which he has sanctified for ever and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you.


text:
For if ye return unto the LORD, your brethren and your children [shall find] mercy before those that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land, for the LORD your God [is] gracious and merciful and will not turn away [his] face from you if ye return unto him.


text:
So the posts passed from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh even unto Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them.


text:
Nevertheless, [some] men of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.


text:
Also in Judah the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the commandment of the king and of the princes, according to the word of the LORD.


text:
And many people assembled at Jerusalem to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great congregation.


text:
And they arose and took away the altars that [were] in Jerusalem, and they [also] took away all the altars for incense and cast [them] into the Brook Kidron.


text:
Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth [day] of the second month, and the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves with shame and brought in the burnt offerings into the house of the LORD.


text:
And they put themselves in order according to the ordinance, according to the law of Moses, the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood, [which they received] of the hands of the Levites.


text:
For [there were] yet many in the congregation that were not sanctified; therefore, the Levites had the charge of the killing of the passovers for each one [that was] not clean, to sanctify [them] unto the LORD.


text:
For a multitude of the people, [even] many of Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, and they ate the passover not as it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon each one


text:
[that] has prepared his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, even though [he is] not [cleansed] according to the purification of the sanctuary.


text:
Thus, the sons of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the solemnity of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness, and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD, day by day, with instruments of strength unto the LORD.


text:
And Hezekiah spoke unto the heart of all the Levites that had good understanding to [serve] the LORD, and they ate [the sacrifices] of the feast for seven days, offering sacrifices of peace and giving thanks unto the LORD God of their fathers.


text:
And the whole assembly took counsel to keep another seven days, and they kept [another] seven days with gladness.


text:
For Hezekiah, king of Judah, had given to the congregation a thousand bullocks and seven thousand sheep, and the princes gave to the congregation a thousand bullocks and ten thousand sheep, and a great number of priests sanctified themselves.


text:
And all the congregation of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the congregation that came out of Israel, and the strangers that came out of the land of Israel, and that dwelt in Judah, rejoiced.


text:
So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel [there was] not the like in Jerusalem.


text:
Then the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came [up] to the dwelling place of his sanctuary, unto heaven.:


text:
Now when all this was finished, all Israel went out, those that were present, to the cities of Judah and broke the images in pieces and cut down the groves and threw down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the sons of Israel returned, each man to his possession, into their own cities.


text:
And Hezekiah appointed the courses of the priests and the Levites after their courses, each man according to his service, the priests and Levites for burnt offerings and for peace [offerings], to minister and to give thanks and to praise in the gates of the tents of the LORD.


text:
The king's portion of his substance for the burnt offerings was the morning and evening burnt offerings and the burnt offerings for the sabbaths and for the new moons and for the solemn feasts, as [it is] written in the law of the LORD.


text:
Moreover, he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in the law of the LORD.


text:
And as soon as the commandment burst [forth and multiplied], an abundance of firstfruits of grain, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field was multiplied unto the sons of Israel; and likewise, they brought in the tithe, of all things in abundance.


text:
Also the sons of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the cities of Judah, gave in the same manner the tithe of the cows and the sheep, and the tithe of that which was sanctified of the things which had been promised unto the LORD their God, and laid [them] in heaps.


text:
And when Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the LORD and his people Israel.


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And Azariah, the high priest of the house of Zadok, answered him and said, Since [the people] began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have eaten and been satisfied and have had an abundance left over; for the LORD has blessed his people, and that which is left [is] this great store.


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Then Hezekiah commanded that they prepare chambers in the house of the LORD, and they prepared [them]


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and brought in the offerings and the tithes and the dedicated [things] faithfully, over which Cononiah, the Levite, [was] ruler and Shimei, his brother, [was] second.


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And Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah [were] overseers under the hand of Cononiah and Shimei his brother, at the commandment of Hezekiah, the king, and Azariah the ruler of the house of God.


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And Kore, the son of Imnah, the Levite, the porter toward the east, [was] over the freewill offerings of God, to distribute the offerings of the LORD and the most holy things.


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And at his hand [were] Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah in the cities of the priests, to faithfully give their brethren [their parts] according to their courses, to the great the same as to the small.


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Besides that which is counted for the males from three years old and upward, unto all that entered into the house of the LORD, his daily portion for their ministry in their charges according to their courses;


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both to those numbered among the priests by the house of their fathers and among the Levites from twenty years old and upward, in their charges by their courses;


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[and] likewise unto those of their generation with all their little ones, their wives, and their sons and daughters, through all the congregation, for in their faithfulness they sanctified themselves in holiness.


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Likewise, to the sons of Aaron, the priests, [who were] in the fields of the suburbs of their cities, in all the cities, the men that were expressed by name, gave portions to all the males among the priests and to all the lineage of the Levites.


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And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah and wrought [that which was] good and right and true before the LORD his God.


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And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God and in the law and in the commandments, he sought God and he did [it] with all his heart and was prospered.:


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After these things and [after] this faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came, and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fenced cities and thought to break them up.


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And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem,


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he took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which [were] outside the city, and they helped him.


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So many people gathered together, and they stopped up all the fountains and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?


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Also he strengthened himself and built up all the wall that was broken and caused the towers to be raised up, and another wall outside, and repaired Millo [in] the city of David, and made swords and shields in abundance.


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And he set captains of war over the people and gathered them together to him in the plaza of the gate of the city and spoke unto their heart, saying,


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Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria nor for 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] the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles. And the people were upheld 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 [himself laid siege] against Lachish, and all his power with him) unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that [were] at Jerusalem, saying,


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Thus hath said Sennacherib, king of Assyria, In whom do ye trust that ye abide in the siege in Jerusalem?


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Does not Hezekiah deceive you to give yourselves over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, The LORD our God shall deliver us out of 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, Ye shall worship before one altar and burn incense upon it?


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Have ye not known what I and my fathers have done unto all the people of [other] lands? Could peradventure the gods of the Gentiles of those lands deliver their lands out of my hand?


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Who [was there] among all the gods of those Gentiles that my fathers utterly destroyed that could deliver his people out of my hands? Why should your God be able to deliver you out of my hand?


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Now, therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you nor persuade you in this matter neither believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of my hands and out of the hands of my fathers; how much less shall your God deliver you out of my hand?


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In addition to this, he wrote letters that blasphemed the LORD God of Israel and spoke against him, saying, As the gods of the Gentiles of [other] lands could not deliver their people out of my hand, neither shall the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of my hand.


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Then they cried with a loud voice in the Jews' speech unto the people of Jerusalem that [were] on the wall, to make them afraid and to trouble them, that they might take the city.


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And they spoke against the God of Jerusalem as against the gods of the peoples of the earth, [which were] the work of the hands of man.


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And for this [cause] Hezekiah, the king, and the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.


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And the LORD sent an angel who cut off all the mighty men of valour and the captains and the princes in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And as he entered into the house of his god, those that had come forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword.


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Thus, the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hands of Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, and from the hands of all [others] and guided them concerning everything.


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And many brought a present unto the LORD to Jerusalem and precious gifts unto Hezekiah, king of Judah, so that he was magnified in the sight of all the Gentiles from then on.


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In those days Hezekiah was sick unto the death and prayed to the LORD, who responded to him and gave him a sign.


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But Hezekiah did not render again according to the benefit [done] unto him, for his heart lifted itself up; therefore there was wrath against him and against Judah and Jerusalem.


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Notwithstanding, Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, [both] he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.


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And Hezekiah had exceedingly great riches and honour, and he made himself treasures of silver and of gold and of precious stones and of spices and of shields and of all manner of pleasant vessels,


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storehouses also for the increase of grain and wine and oil and stalls for all manner of beasts and places for cattle.


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Moreover, he made himself cities and possessions of sheep and cows in abundance, for God had given him great substance.


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This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah was prospered in all that he did.


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However, because of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all [that was] in his heart.


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Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his mercy, 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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And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the chiefest of the sepulchres of the sons of David; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honour at his death. And Manasseh, his son, reigned in his stead.:


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Manasseh [was] twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.


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And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the Gentiles, whom the LORD had cast out before the sons of Israel.


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For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah, his father, had broken down, and he raised up altars for the Baalim and made groves and worshipped all the host of the heavens and served them.


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He also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever.


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He likewise built altars for all the host of the heavens in the two courts of the house of the LORD.


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And he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the valley of the sons of Hinnom; he also observed times, used enchantments, and was given over to witchcraft, consulting with spiritists and with diviners; he multiplied in doing much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.


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In addition to this, 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 over all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name for ever;


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neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from out of the land which I have appointed for your fathers under the condition that they take, keep, and do all that I have commanded them, the whole law, the statutes and the rights by the hand of Moses.


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So Manasseh deceived Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to do more evil than the Gentiles, whom the LORD had destroyed before the sons of Israel.


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Therefore, the LORD brought upon them the princes of the host of the king of Assyria who took Manasseh and bound him with fetters of brass and carried him to Babylon.


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And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,


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and when he prayed unto him, he was heard; for he heard his supplication and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD [was] God.


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Now after, this he built the wall outside the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, and at the entrance of the fish gate, and fenced Ophel and raised it up to a very great height and put captains of the army in all the fenced cities of Judah.


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Likewise, he took away the strange gods and the idol out of the house of the LORD and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD and in Jerusalem and cast [them] out of the city.


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And he repaired the altar of the LORD and sacrificed upon it sacrifices of peace and of praise and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel.


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Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer unto his God and the words of the seers that spoke to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, behold, they [are written] in the acts of the kings of Israel.


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His prayer also and how he was heard, and all his sins, and his trespass, and the places upon which he built high places, and set up groves and graven images, before he humbled himself; behold, these things are written among the words of the seers.


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So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house; and Amon, his son, reigned in his stead.


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But he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD, as Manasseh his father had done, for Amon sacrificed unto all the graven images which Manasseh, his father, had made, and served them.


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But he never humbled himself before the LORD as Manasseh, his father, humbled himself; to the contrary Amon multiplied the guilt.


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But the people of the land slew all those that had conspired against King Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah, his son, king in his stead.:


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


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For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David, his father; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places and the groves and the graven images and the molten images.


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And they broke down the altars of the Baalim in his presence; and the images [of the sun], that [were] on high above them, he cut down; and the groves and the graven images and the molten images, he broke in pieces and made dust [of them] and scattered [it] upon the graves of those that had sacrificed unto them.


