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The 32nd Chapter
After these deeds and truth,
Sennaherib king of Assur came and entered into Juda and pitched
against the strong cities and thought to draw them to him. And when
Hezekiah saw that Sennaherib was come and that he was purposed to
fight against Jerusalem: he took counsel with his captains and men
of might, to stop the water of the fountains that were without the
city: and they were content to help him. And so there gathered much
people together and stopped all the wells and the brook that ran
through the midst of the land, intending that the kings of Assur
should not find much water when they came? And he went to lustily
and built up the wall where it was broken, and made towers above
upon, and yet another wall without, and repaired Mello the city of
David, and made many darts and shields.
And he set Captains of war over the people and gathered them
together unto the large street of the gate of the city and spake
gently to them saying: Pluck up your hearts and be strong: Be not
afraid or in any wise discouraged for dread of the king of Assur,
and of the great multitude that is with him: for there is one
greater with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh: But with
us is the Lord our God for to help us and to fight our battles. And
the people were well couraged with the words of Hezekiah king of
Juda.
After that Sennaherib king of Assur sent of his servants to
Jerusalem (he himself lying before Lachis, and all his kingdom with
him) unto Hezekiah king of Juda and unto all Juda that were at
Jerusalem saying. Thus saith Sennaherib king of Assur: wherein do ye
trust, O ye that are besieged in Jerusalem? Hezekiah deceiveth you,
to deliver you to death, hunger and thirst, saying: the Lord our God
shall rid us out of the hand of the king of Assur. Is it not that
Hezekiah that put down his hillaltars and his other altars, and
commanded Juda and Jerusalem saying: before one altar ye shall bow
yourselves and upon that offer also.
Moreover have ye not heard what I and my fathers have done
unto the people of all lands? were the Gods of the people of other
lands able to save their lands out of my hand? which of all the Gods
of those nations that my fathers destroyed was it, that could
deliver his people out of mine hand, that your God should be able to
deliver you out of mine hand? Wherefore now let not Hezekiah deceive
you either persuade you of this fashion, nor yet believe him. For as
no God among so many nations and kingdoms, was able to rid his
people out of mine hand and the hands of my fathers: even so much
less shall your God keep you out of mine hand. And yet more did his
servants speak against the Lord God and against his servant
Hezekiah. And thereto he wrote a letter to rail on the Lord God of
Israel and spake therein saying: as the Gods of the nations of other
lands have not delivered their people out of mine hand, no more
shall the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of mine hand. And
they cried with a loud voice in the Jews speech unto the people of
Jerusalem that were on the walls, to fear them and to dismay them,
that they might have taken the city. And they spake against the God
of Jerusalem, as against the Gods of the nations of the earth, which
are the work of the hands of men.
But Hezekiah the king and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz
prayed concerning the thing and cried up to heaven. And the Lord
sent an angel and destroyed all the men of war and the Lords and
captains of the host of the king of Assur, that he turned his face
with shame towards his own land. And when he was come into the house
of his God, he was there overthrown with the sword even by them that
issued out of his bowels. And so the Lord saved Hezekiah and the
inhabiters at Jerusalem out of the hands of Sennaherib king of Assur
and of all other, and maintained them on all sides. In so much that
many brought presents unto the Lord to Jerusalem and precious gifts
to Hezekiah king of Juda: so that he was magnified in the sight of
all nations from thenceforth.
In those days Hezekiah was sick unto the death and besought
the Lord: which answered him and showed him a wonderful miracle: But
Hezekiah did not according to the courtesy showed him, for his heart
arose: and therefore came there wrath upon him and upon Juda and
Jerusalem. Notwithstanding Hezekiah meekened himself for the arising
of his heart, both he and the inhabiters of Jerusalem. Wherefore the
wrath of the Lord fell not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.
And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honor. And he
gathered him treasure of silver, gold, precious stones, spices,
shields and of all manner pleasant Jewels: and made store houses for
the fruits of corn, wine and oil: and stables for all manner of
beasts, and folds for sheep. And he made him towns because he had
cattle of sheep and oxen great abundance. For God had given him
substance exceeding much. And the said Hezekiah stopped the upper
water springs of Eihon and brought them down to the West side of the
city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works. But when the
ambassadors of the Lords of Babilon were sent to him to enquire of
the wonder that chanced in the land, God left him: to tempt him that
all that was in his heart might be known.
The rest of the deeds of Hezekiah and his goodness are written
in the vision of Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz in the book of
the kings of Juda and Israel. And then Hezekiah laid him to rest
with his fathers, and they buried him in the highest sepulcher of
the sons of David: and Juda and the inhabiters of Jerusalem did him
worship at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.
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The 33rd Chapter
Manasseh was twelve years old
when he was made king, and reigned fifty five years in Jerusalem.
And he did wickedly in the sight of the Lord, like unto the
abominations of the heathen which the Lord cast out before the
children of Israel. For he went to and built again the hillaltars
which Hezekiah his father had broken down. And he reared up altars
unto Baals and made groves and bowed himself unto all the host of
heaven and served them. And he built altars in the house of the
Lord: of which the Lord hath said in Jerusalem shall my name be for
ever. And he made altars unto all the host of heaven in the two
courts of the house of the Lord. And he burnt his children in fire
in the valley of the sons of Hennon. And he observed dismal days and
occupied witchcraft and sorcery, and maintained workers with spirits
and sears of fortunes: and wrought much evil in the sight of the
Lord, to anger him withal.
And he put the carved Image of an Idol which he had made, in
the house of God. Of which house God said to David and to Salomon
his son, in this house here in Jerusalem which I have chosen out of
all the tribes, I will put my name for ever, and no more bring the
seat of Israel from the land which I have ordained for your fathers.
If so be they shall be diligent to do all I have commanded by Moses
in all the law ordinances and manners. But Manasseh made Juda and
the inhabiters of Jerusalem to error and to do worse than the
heathen which the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel. And
when the Lord spake to Manasseh and to his people, they attended not
to him.
Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the Captains of the host
of the King of Assur, which took Manasseh in an hold and bound him
with chains and carried him to Babylon. And when he was in
tribulation he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself
exceedingly before the God of his fathers, and made intercession to
him: and he was entreated of him and heard his prayer and brought
him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. And then Manasseh knew how
that the Lord was very God.
After that he built a wall without the city of David on the
west side of Gihon in the brook and so forth to fish gate and round
about Ophel and brought it up of a very great height, and put
captains of war in all the strong cities of Juda. And he took away
strange Gods and the Idol out of the house of God, and all the
altars that he had built in the mount of the house of God and in
Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city. And he made an altar unto
the Lord and sacrificed thereon peaceofferings and thankofferings,
and charged Juda to serve the Lord God of Israel. Nevertheless the
people did offer still in the hillaltars, how be it unto the Lord
their God only. The rest of the acts of Manasseh and his
prayer unto his God, and the words of the sears of visions that
spake to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, are written
among the deeds of the kings of Israel. And his prayer and how he
was heard, and all his sin and trespass, and the places where he
made hillaltars and set up groves and carved Images before he was
meekened, are written among the deeds of the sears of visions. And
when Manasseh was laid to rest with his fathers, they buried him in
his own house: and Amon his son reigned in his room. Amon was twenty
two years old, when he began to reign, and reigned two years in
Jerusalem. And he did that displeased the Lord like unto Manasseh
his father, for Amon sacrificed to all the carved Images which
Manasseh his father made, and served them, and meekened not himself
before the Lord as Manasseh his father had meekened himself: But
Amon trespassed greatly. Wherefore his own servants conspired
against him and slew him in his own house. And the people of the
land slew all that had conspired against king Amon. And thereto the
people of the land made Josiah his son king in his room.
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The 34th Chapter
Josiah was made king when he was
eight years old, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty one years. And
he did that pleased the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his
father bowing neither to the right hand or to the left. In so much
that the eighth year of his reign, when he was yet a lad, he began
to seek after the God of David his father. And in the twelfth year
he began to purge Juda and Jerusalem of hillaltars, groves, carved
Images, and Images of metal: so that they brake down the altars of
Baals even in his presence, and the Idols that were upon them, he
caused to be destroyed. And the groves, carved Images, and Images of
metal he brake and made dust of them, and strewed it upon the graves
of them that had offered to them. And he burnt the bones of the
priests upon the altars, and cleansed Juda and Jerusalem. And even
so did he in the cities of Manasse, Ephraim, Simeon and Nephthali
thereto. And in the wildernesses of them round about he plucked
asunder altars and the groves and did beat them and stamp them to
powder, and beat down the idols throughout all the land of Israel:
and then returned to Jerusalem again.
And in the eighteenth year of his reign when he had purged the
land and the temple, he sent Saphan the son of Azaliah, and Maasiah
the governor of the city and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to
repair the house of the Lord his God. And when they came to Helkiah
the high priest, men delivered them the money that was brought into
the house of God, which the Levites that kept the entries had
gathered of the hands of Manasse and Ephraim and of all that yet
remained in Israel and of all Juda and Benjamin and of the
inhabiters of Jerusalem. And they put it in the hands of the workmen
that had the oversight of the house of the Lord. which gave it to
the laborers that wrought on the house of the Lord, to repair and
mend it, and to masons and carpenters to buy hewed stone and timber
for to make couples and beams for the houses which the kings of Juda
had destroyed: And the men wrought in the work of fidelity.
And the overseers of them to courage them forward, were Jahath
and Obadiah Levites of the children of Merari: and Sechariah and
Mesulam of the children of the Cahathites, and as many other of the
Levites as could skill of instruments of Music. And over the bearers
of burdens and over all that wrought, in whatsoever workmanship it
were, were there scribes, officers and porters of the Levites.
And as they brought out the money that was brought into the
house, Helkiah the priest found the book of the law of the Lord
given by Moses. And Helkiah answered and said to Saphan the scribe:
I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord, and gave
the book to Saphan. And Saphan carried the book to the king, and
brought the king word again, saying: all that was committed to thy
servants, that do they. And they have poured out the money that was
found in the house of the Lord and have delivered into the hands of
the overseers of the workmen. And then Saphan the scribe showed the
king, saying: Helkiah the priest hath given me a book, and he read
it before the king.
And when the king had heard the words of the law, he tare his
clothes, and commanded Helkiah and Ahikam the son of Saphan and
Abadon the son of Micah and the said Saphan the scribe and Asaia a
servant of the kings, saying: go and enquire of the Lord for me and
for them that are left in Israel and Juda concerning the words of
the book that is found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is
fallen upon us, because our fathers kept not the word of the Lord,
to do after all that is written in this book.
And Helkiah with them that pertained to the king went to
Holdah a prophetess wife of Selum the son of Thekohath the son of
Masarah keeper of the wardrobe (which prophetess dwelt in Jerusalem
in the second ward) and they communed so with her. And she said unto
them: thus saith the Lord God of Israel, tell ye the man that sent
you to me. Even thus saith the Lord: see, I will bring evil upon
this place and upon the inhabiters thereof, even all the curses that
are written in the book which they have read before the king of Juda,
because they have forsaken me and have offered unto other Gods to
anger me with all manner works of their hands, therefore is my wrath
set on fire against this place and shall not be quenched.
And as for the king of Juda which sent you to enquire of the
Lord, so shall ye say unto him: thus saith the Lord God of Israel
concerning the words which thou hast heard. Because thine heart did
melt and thou didest meek thyself before God, when thou heardest his
words against this place and against the inhabiters thereof: and
humblest thyself before me, and tarest thy clothes and weepest
before me, that have I heard also saith the Lord. Behold I will take
thee to thy fathers and thou shalt be put in thy grave in peace, and
thine eyes shall not see all the mischief that I will bring upon
this place and upon the inhabiters of the same, And they brought the
king word again. Then the king sent and gathered together all the
elders of Juda and Jerusalem. And the king went up into the house of
the Lord, and all the men of Juda and the inhabiters of Jerusalem
and the Priests and Levites and all the people great and small: and
read all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the
house of the Lord. And the King stood at his standing and made a
covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord and to keep his
commandments, his witnesses and his statutes with all his heart and
with all his soul and to fulfil the words of the appointment written
in the said book.
And he made to come forth all that were found in Jerusalem and
Benjamin, and the inhabiters of Jerusalem promised to keep the
covenant of the God which was the God of their fathers. And Josiah
put away all manner of abominations out of all lands that pertained
to the children of Israel, and brought all that were found in
Israel, to serve the Lord their God. And they turned not aside from
after the Lord God of their fathers as long as he lived.
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The 35th Chapter
And Josiah held the feast of
passover unto the Lord in Jerusalem, and they slew passover in the
fourteenth day of the first month. And he set the priests in their
offices and aided them in the service of the house of the Lord. And
he said to the Levites that taught throughout all Israel and were
sanctified unto the Lord: put the holy ark in the house which
Salomon the son of David king of Israel did build, ye need not to
bear it upon your shoulders. Wherefore now serve the Lord your God
and his people Israel. And prepare yourselves by your ancient
households and companies, according to the writing of David King of
Israel, and the writing of Salomon his son. And stand in the holy
place according to the divisions of the ancient households of your
brethren the children of the people, and after the division of the
ancient households of the Levites, and kill passover, sanctify and
prepare your brethren that they may do according to the word of the
Lord by the hand of Moses.
And Josiah gave to the common people in lambs and kids, for
passoverofferings only, unto all that were present thirty thousand
by tale, and three thousand oxen, even of the kings substance. And
his Lords gave willingly both unto the people and also unto the
priests and unto the Levites. Helkiah, Zachariah and Jehiel, rulers
of the house of God, gave unto the priests for passoverofferings two
thousand and six hundred lambs and kids, and three hundred oxen. And
Conaniah with Semeiah and Nathaneel his brethren, and Hasabiah and
Jaiel and Josabad Lords of the Levites, gave unto the Levites five
thousand passover offerings, and five hundred oxen.
And so the service went forward: and the priests stood in
their places, and the Levites in their companies at the kings
commandment. And they slew passover: and the priests sprinkled the
blood receiving it of the Levites, and the Levites stripped the
beasts. And they fetched away the burntofferings, to give them unto
the common people as they were divided by ancient houses, for to
offer unto the Lord, like as it is written in the book of Moses. And
so did they with the oxen too. And they dressed the passover with
fire as the manner was. But the other hallowed dedicate beasts they
*sod in pots, cauldrons and pans and divided them quickly among all
the common people. And afterward they made ready for themselves and
for the priests and for the children of Aaron, which were busied in
offering of burntofferings and the fat until night. And therefore
the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests the sons of
Aaron. And the singers the children of Asaph stood in their standing
according to the commandment of David and Asaph, Heman and Jduthun
the kings sear of visions: and the porters waited at every gate, and
might not depart from their service: But their brethren the Levites
prepared for them. And so all the service of the Lord went forward
the said day, in offering passover of burntofferings upon the altar
of the Lord, according to the commandment of king Josiah.
And so the children of Israel that could be found, offered
passover the same time and kept the feast of sweet bread seven days.
And there was no passover like to that, kept in Israel from the time
of Samuel the prophet: neither did any of the kings of Israel hold
such a passover feast as did Josiah and the priests and Levites and
all Juda, and as much of Israel as could be had, and the inhabiters
of Jerusalem. And this passover was holden in the eighteenth year of
the reign of Josiah.
After all this, when Josiah had finished the temple, Necho
king of Egypt came up to fight against Carcamis upon Euphrates, and
Josiah went out against him. And the other sent messengers to him
saying: what have I to do with thee thou king of Juda? I came not
against thee now at this time, but against an house with whom I have
war, and God bade me haste. Leave off therefore and meddle not with
God which is with me, lest he destroy thee. Nevertheless Josiah
turned not his face from him, but made him ready to fight with him,
and hearkened not unto the words of Necho out of the mouth of God.
And when he was come to fight in the valley of Magedo, the shooters
shot against the king Josiah. And the king said to his servants:
carry me away for I am sore hurt. And his servants had him out of
the chariot and put him in another, and brought him to Jerusalem
where he died and was buried in the sepulcher of his fathers. And
all Juda and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. And Jeremiah lamented
Josiah, and all singing men and singing women speak of Josiah to
this day, and made it an ordinance in Israel: and they be written in
lamentations. The rest of the acts of Josiah and his goodness in
following the writing of the law, and his deeds first and last are
written in the book of the kings of Israel and Juda.
*sod (boiled)
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The 36th Chapter
And the people of the land took
Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and made him king for his father in
Jerusalem. And Jehoahaz was twenty three years old when he began to
reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. For the king of
Egypt put him down at Jerusalem and merced the land in an hundred
talents of silver and a talent of gold. And the king of Egypt made
Eliakim his brother king upon Juda and Jerusalem, and turned his
name unto Jehoiakim, but Jehoahaz his brother Necho took and carried
him to Egypt. And Jehoakim was twenty five years old when he began
to reign, and he reigned an eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did
that displeased the Lord his God. Against him came Nabuchodonozor
king of Babylon and bound him in fetters to carry him to Babylon.
Thereto the king Nabuchodonozor carried off the vessels of the house
of the Lord to Babylon and put them in his temple at Babylon. The
rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his Abominations, and that was
laid to his charge, are written in the book of the Kings of Israel:
and Jehoiacin his son reigned in his stead. Jehoiacin was eight
years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and
ten days in Jerusalem: and did that displeased the Lord. And when
the year was out, king Nabuchodonozor sent and fetched him to
Babylon with the goodly vessels of the house of the Lord, and made
Zedekiah his brother king over Juda and Jerusalem.
And Zedekiah was twenty one years old when he began to reign,
and reigned a eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did that displeased
the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the
prophet at the mouth of the Lord. And thereto he rebelled against
Nabuchodonozor which had received an oath of him by God, and was too
stiff necked and too hard hearted to turn unto the Lord God of
Israel. Thereto all the rulers of the priests with the people
trespassed apace after all manner of abominations of the heathen and
polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.
And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his
messengers, sending them betimes: for he had compassion on his
people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of
God and despised their words and misused his prophets, until the
wrath of the Lord so arose against his people that it was past
remedy. And so he brought upon them the king of Caldeye and slew
their young men with the sword in their holy temple, and neither
spared young man nor maiden, neither old man, neither so much as him
that stooped for age: But gave all into his hand.
And all the vessels of the house of God both great and small,
and the treasures of the house of God, and the treasures of the king
and his lords he carried to Babylon every whit. And they burnt the
house of God and brake down the walls of Jerusalem and burnt all the
palaces thereof with fire with all the goodly stuff thereof, and
marred it. And he carried away them that had escaped the sword, to
Babylon, where they were servants to him and his children, until the
kingdom of Persia began to rule, to fulfil the word of the Lord by
the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had her pleasure of her
Sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate, she kept Sabbath until
she had fulfilled seventy years.
And the first year of Cyrus king of Persia to finish the word
of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit
of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all
this kingdom, and thereto to set it up in writing, saying: Thus
saith Cyrus king of Persia, all the kingdoms of the earth hath the
Lord God of heaven given me, which hath charged me to build him an
house in Jerusalem that is in the land of Juda. Wherefore whosoever
is among you of all his people, the Lord his God be with him, and
let him go up.
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Chapters 1-7
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8-16 |
17-24 |
25-31 |
32-end
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