king bade, saying, "Come to me again the third day." And the king
answered the people roughly, and forsook the counsel of the old men
which they had given him; and spoke to them after the counsel of the
young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to
your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you
with scorpions."
So the king hearkened not unto the people. And when all Israel saw
that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king,
saying, "What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in
the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house,
David." So Israel departed unto their tents.
But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah,
Rehoboam reigned over them. Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was
the taxgatherer; and all Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam
made haste to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. So
Israel rebelled against the house of David, unto this day. And it came
to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was returned, that they
sent and called him unto the assembly, and made him king over all
Israel: {240} there was none that followed the house of David, but the
tribe of Judah only.
And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of
Judah, and the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore thousand
chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel,
to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. But the
word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, "Speak unto
Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of
Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying, 'Thus saith
the Lord, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the
children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is
of me.'"
So they hearkened to the word of the Lord, and returned and went their
way, according to the word of the Lord.
And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty
and 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. And Judah did that which was evil in the sight of
the Lord; and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they
committed, above all that their fathers had done.
And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak
king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem: and he took away the
treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's
house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold
which Solomon {241} had made. And King Rehoboam made in their stead
shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the captains of
the guard, who kept the door of the king's house. And it was so, that
as often as the king went into the house of the Lord, the guard bore
them, and brought them back into the guard chamber. And there was war
between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. And Rehoboam died, and was
buried with his fathers in the city of David.
{242}
ABIJAH.
_How the Second King of Judah Won a Great Victory over Jeroboam_.
(For many years the two rival kings, Rehoboam and Jeroboam, fought
without either gaining a decided advantage, but Rehoboam died and his
favorite son, Abijah, came to the throne, who enlisted a great army
and fought a decisive battle with the older king, overwhelming him in
battle and taking away several cities.)
And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah to be chief, the
prince among his brethren: for he intended to make him king. And he
dealt wisely, and scattered all his sons throughout all the lands of
Judah and Benjamin, unto every fenced city.
In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over
Judah. Three years reigned he in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was
Maacah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.
And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. And Abijah joined
battle with an army of valiant men of war: and Jeroboam set the battle
in array against him with a great host of many thousands of those who
were mighty men of valor.
{243}{244}
[Illustration]
THE JEWS' WAILING PLACE, JERUSALEM.
Used by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.
The lower courses of great stones belonged to the ancient temple,
and the Jews gathered there every Friday afternoon to mourn over the
fall of their city. Some of these stones are 30 feet long, 8 feet
wide, and 3-1/2 feet high, weighing over 80 tons
[End illustration]
{245}
And Abijah stood up upon Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country
of Ephraim, and said, "Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel; ought ye
not to know that the Lord, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom over
Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of
salt? Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of
David, rose up, and rebelled against his lord. And there were gathered
to him vain men, who strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son
of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tender-hearted, and could not
withstand them. And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord
in the hand of the sons of David; and ye be a great multitude, and
there are with you the golden calves which Jeroboam made you for gods.
Have ye not driven 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? But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not
forsaken him; and we have priests ministering unto the Lord, the sons
of Aaron, and the Levites in their work: and they burn unto the Lord
every morning and every evening burnt offerings and sweet incense: the
showbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the
candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for
we keep the charge of the Lord our God; but ye have forsaken him. And,
behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with the trumpets
of alarm to sound an alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye
not against the Lord, the God of your fathers; for ye shall not
prosper."
But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about {246} behind them: so
they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them. And when
Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind them: and
they cried unto the Lord, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.
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. And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God
delivered them into their hand. And Abijah and his people slew them
with a great slaughter.
Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the
children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the Lord, the
God of their fathers. And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took
cities from him, Beth-el with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the
towns thereof, and Ephron with the towns thereof.
{247}
ASA.
_A Good King of Judah. He Makes a League with Syria Against the
Northern Kingdom_.
(With the good king Asa came a time of prosperity to Judah. He
fortified the cities and destroyed the idols, and won a great victory
over the host of the Ethiopians. But he made one serious mistake. An
enterprising king named Baasha had come to the throne in the northern
kingdom, and he began to make advances against Judah. He built a fort
at Ramah in a position which commanded the roads to the south. Then
Asa in his fear made a league with the king of Syria. This was the
beginning of those entanglements and leagues with foreign nations
which finally brought disaster to both kingdoms.)
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 was
quiet ten years.
And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his
God: for he took away the strange altars, and the high places, and broke
down the pillars, and hewed down the Asherim; and commanded Judah to
seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to do the law and the
commandment. Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high
places and the sun-images: and the kingdom was quiet before him. And he
built fenced cities in Judah: for the land was quiet, and he had no war
in those years; because the Lord had given him rest.
{248}
For he said unto Judah, "Let us build these cities, and make about
them walls, and towers, gates, and bars; the land is yet before us,
because we have sought the Lord our God; we have sought him, and he
hath given us rest on every side." So they built and prospered.
And Asa had an army of spearmen and bowmen many thousand, and all
these were mighty men of valor. And there came out against them Zerah
the Ethiopian with a mighty host; and he came unto Mareshah.
Then Asa went out to meet him, and they set the battle in array in the
valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. And Asa cried unto the Lord his God,
and said, "Lord, there is none beside thee to help, between the mighty
and him that hath no strength: help us, O Lord our God; for we rely on
thee, and in thy name are we come against this multitude. O Lord, thou
art our God; let not man prevail against thee."
So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the
Ethiopians fled. And Asa and the people that were with him pursued
them unto Gerar: and there fell of the Ethiopians so many that they
could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the Lord,
and before his host; and they carried away very much booty. And they
smote all the cities round about Gerar, for the fear of the Lord came
upon them: and they sacked all the cities; for there was much spoil in
them. They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep in
abundance and camels, and returned to Jerusalem.
And the spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of {249} Oded: and he
went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, "Hear ye me, Asa, and all
Judah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if
ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will
forsake you. Now for long seasons Israel hath been without the true
God, and without a teaching priest, and without law: but when in their
distress they turned unto the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him,
he was found by them. And in those times there was no peace to him
that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon
all the inhabitants of the lands. And they were broken in pieces,
nation against nation, and city against city: for God did vex them
with all adversity. But be ye strong, and let not your hands be slack:
for your work shall be rewarded."
And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet,
he took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of
Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the
hill country of Ephraim; and he renewed the altar of the Lord, that
was before the porch of the Lord. And he gathered all Judah and
Benjamin, and them that sojourned with them out of Ephraim and
Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they came to him out of Israel in
abundance, when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. So they
gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the
fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. And they sacrificed unto the Lord
in that day, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen
and seven {250} thousand sheep. And they entered into the covenant to
seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with
all their soul; and that whosoever would not seek the Lord, the God of
Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or
woman. And they swore unto the Lord with a loud voice, and with
shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.
And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their
heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found by
them: and the Lord gave them rest round about. And also Maacah the
mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she
had made an abominable image for an Asherah; and Asa cut down her
image, and made dust of it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron. But the
high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart
of Asa was perfect all his days. 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. And there was no more war
unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.
In the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa, 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.
Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house
of the Lord and of the king's house, and sent to Ben-hadad king of
Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, "There is a league 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."
{251}{252}
[Illustration]
LOOKING UP THE VALLEY OF JEHOSHAPHAT, OR THE VALLEY
OF KIDRON, FROM THE SOUTH.
Jerusalem on the left, the foot of the Mount of Olives on the right.
The cultivated land immediately in front was perhaps the place of
"the king's gardens"
This valley, which separates the temple mount from the Mount of
Olives, was not known as the valley of Jehoshaphat in the Bible
(except in Joel 3:12, though probably another locality is there
intended), but it has always been so called in later days. Perhaps
it was given the name of the king because of the great victory he
won over the allied forces of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, in a
valley which is near the Kidron as it turns toward the Dead Sea.
[End illustration]
{253}
And Ben-hadad hearkened unto King Asa, and sent the captains of his
armies against the cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon, and Dan, and
Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali. And it came to pass,
when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and let
his work cease.
Then Asa the king took all Judah; and they carried away the stones of
Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded; and he
built therewith Geba and Mizpah. 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 hast not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore
is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. Were not
the Ethiopians and the Lubim a huge host, with chariots and horsemen
exceeding many? yet, because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered
them into thine hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro
throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of
them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done
foolishly; for from henceforth thou shalt have wars."
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 oppressed
some of the people the same time. And in the thirty and ninth year of
his reign Asa was diseased in his feet; his disease was exceeding
{254} great: yet in his disease he went not to the Lord, but to the
physicians.
And Asa died in the one and fortieth year of his reign. And they
buried him in his own sepulchers, which he had hewn out for himself in
the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet
odors and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries' art:
and they made a very great burning for him.
{255}
JEHOSHAPHAT.
_The Story of a Good King Who Feared God and Served the Nation Well_.
(Jehoshaphat was one of the wisest and best of the kings of Judah. He
increased the territory of the nation greatly. He conquered Edom so
that it was governed by a vassal king. By conquering this country he
gained a seaport, and it is interesting to note that he fitted out a
fleet of ships and attempted to revive the trade of Solomon for the
gold of Ophir. The ships, however, never reached their destination.
They were wrecked when starting on their first voyage, and he did not
have the courage to repeat the attempt. For the first time since the
reign of Solomon, there was peace between Judah and Israel. A treaty
was made between the two kings, and Jehoram, heir to the throne of
Judah, was married to Athaliah, daughter of King Ahab of Israel.
Through this alliance it was hoped no doubt to join the two kingdoms
and restore the lost glory of the past. The attempt ended in failure.
Athaliah was wicked, like all the race of Ahab and Jezebel, and
brought only disaster to Judah.)
And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa reigned in his stead, and strengthened
himself against Israel. And he placed forces in all the fenced cities
of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of
Ephraim, which Asa his father had taken; and Jehoshaphat made peace
with the king of Israel. And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he
walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not the idols
of Baal; but sought the God of {256} his father, and walked in his
commandments, and not after the doings of Israel. Therefore the Lord
established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to
Jehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and honor in abundance.
Also in the third year of his reign he sent his princes, even
Ben-hail, and Obadiah, and Zechariah, and Nethanel, and Micaiah, to
teach in the cities of Judah; and with them the Levites; and with them
Elishama and Jehoram, the priests. And they taught in Judah, having
the book of the law of the Lord with them; and they went about
throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught among the people. And
the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were
round about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat. And
some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents, and silver for
tribute; the Arabians also brought him flocks, seven thousand and
seven hundred rams, and seven thousand and seven hundred he-goats.
And Jehoshaphat waxed great exceedingly; and he built in Judah castles
and cities of store. And he had many works in the cities of Judah; and
men of war, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem.
(Jehoshaphat made a league with Ahab king of Israel and they fought
together a battle in which Ahab was struck by an arrow from an
archer's bow and was killed.)
But Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to
Jerusalem. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him,
and said to King Jehoshaphat, "Shouldest thou help the wicked, and
love them that hate the {257} Lord? for this thing wrath is upon thee
from before the Lord. Nevertheless there are good things found in
thee, in that thou hast put away the Asheroth out of the land, and
hast set thine heart to seek God."
And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again among the
people from Beer-sheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and brought
them back unto the Lord, the God of their fathers. And he set judges
in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city,
and said to the judges, "Consider what ye do: for ye judge not for
man, but for the Lord; and he is with you in the judgment. Now
therefore 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 gifts."
Moreover in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set the Levites and the priests,
and the heads of the fathers' houses of Israel, for the judgment of
the Lord, and for controversies, And they returned to Jerusalem. And
he charged them, saying, "Thus shall ye do in the fear of the Lord,
faithfully, and with a perfect heart. And whensoever any controversy
shall come to you from your brethren that dwell in their cities,
between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and
judgments, ye shall warn them, that they be not guilty towards the
Lord, and so wrath come upon you and upon your brethren: this do, and
ye shall not be guilty.
"And, behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of
the Lord; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, {258} the ruler of the
house of Judah, in all the king's matters: also the Levites shall be
officers before you. Deal courageously, and the Lord be with the
good."
And it came to pass after this, that the men of Moab, and the men of
Ammon, and with them some of the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat
to battle. Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat saying, "There
cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea from Syria."
And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek unto the Lord; and he
proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves
together, to seek help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of
Judah they came to seek the Lord. And Jehoshaphat stood in the
congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before
the new court; and he said, "O Lord, the God of our fathers, art not
thou God in heaven? and art not thou ruler over all the kingdoms of
the nations? and in thine hand is power and might, so that none is
able to withstand thee. Didst not thou, O our God, drive out the
inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to
the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? And they dwelt therein, and
have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, 'If evil
come upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will
stand before this house, and before thee (for thy name is in this
house), and cry unto thee in our affliction, and thou wilt hear and
save.'
{259}{260}
[Illustration]
TOMBS IN THE VALLEY OF JEHOSHAPHAT.
Mount of Olives in the background.
In the valley of Jehoshaphat there are many ancient tombs, and there
are thousands of modern graves here also. The devout Jew earnestly
desires to be buried here, as he believes that Messiah will descend
on the Mount of Olives at the last day and pass through the valley
on the way to his throne in the city.
[End illustration]
{261}
And now, behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom thou
wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of
Egypt, but they turned aside from them, and destroyed them not;
behold, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession,
which thou hast given us to inherit. O our God, wilt thou not judge
them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh
against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee."
And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their
wives, and their children. Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah
came the spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation; and he
said, "Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and
thou King Jehoshaphat: thus saith the Lord unto you, 'Fear not ye,
neither be dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle
is not yours, but God's. To-morrow go ye down against them: behold,
they come up by the ascent of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end
of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel. Ye shall not need to
fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the
salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor
be dismayed: to-morrow go out against them; for the Lord is with
you.'"
And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all
Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord,
worshiping the Lord.
And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness
of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear
me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; believe in the Lord your
God, {262} so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall
ye prosper."
And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed them that
should sing unto the Lord, and praise the beauty of holiness, as they
went out before the army, and say, "Give thanks unto the Lord; for his
mercy endureth for ever."
And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set liers in wait
against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who were come against
Judah; and they were smitten. For the men of Ammon and Moab stood 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,
everyone helped to destroy another. And when Judah came to the
watch-tower of the wilderness, they looked upon the multitude; and,
behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and there were none
that escaped.
And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take the spoil of them,
they found among them in abundance both riches, and garments, and
precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than
they could carry away: and they were three days in taking of the
spoil, it was so much. And on the fourth day they assembled themselves
in the valley of Beracah; for there they blessed the Lord: therefore
the name of that place was called The valley of Beracah, unto this
day.
{263}{264}
[Illustration]
THE VALLEY OF JEHOSHAPHAT FROM THE NORTH.
Road to Bethany over the Mount of Olives in the center.
This is a view of the valley from a different point of view. The
road to Bethany is in the center, and the old Jerusalem-Jericho
road passes the head of the valley. It was in this direction that
David fled from the city at the time of the revolt of Absalom.
[End illustration]
{265}
Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat
in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the
Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies. And they came to
Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the
Lord. And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of the countries,
when they heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel. So
the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round
about.
And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was thirty and five years old
when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in
Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.
And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and turned not aside from
it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the Lord. Howbeit the
high places were not taken away; neither as yet had the people set
their hearts unto the God of their fathers.
And there was no king in Edom: a deputy of Jehoshaphat was king.
Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they
went not; for the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber.
Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, "Let my servants go
with thy servants in the ships." But Jehoshaphat would not. And
Jehoshaphat died and was buried with his fathers in the city of David
his father; and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead.
[Footnote: The story of a disastrous battle which Jehoshaphat
fought in company with Ahab as ally is told in connection with the
Story of Ahab.]
{266}
JEHORAM.
_The Evil Son of a Good Father_.
(Jehoram began his reign by murdering all his brothers, a not uncommon
custom in those bloody days. He was completely under the influence of
his wife Athaliah, daughter of that evil house of Ahab and Jezebel,
from which no good ever came. He lost the kingdom of Edom which his
fathers had won, and died at last a miserable death, no one wishing
him to live any longer.)
Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat reigned in his stead. And he had
brethren the sons of Jehoshaphat, Azariah, and Jehiel, and Zechariah,
and Azariah, and Michael, and Shephatiah: all these were the sons of
Jehoshaphat king of Israel. And their father gave them great gifts, of
silver, and of gold, and of precious things, with fenced cities in
Judah: but the kingdom gave he to Jehoram, because he was the
firstborn. Now when Jehoram was risen up over the kingdom of his
father, and had strengthened himself, he slew all his brethren with
the sword, and others also of the princes of Israel. Jehoram was
thirty and two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eight
years in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel,
as did the house of Ahab: for his wife was the daughter of Ahab: and
he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.
Howbeit the Lord would not destroy the house of David, {267} because
of the covenant that he had made with David, and as he promised to
give a lamp to him and to his children alway. In his days Edom
revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over
themselves. Then Jehoram passed over with his captains, and all his
chariots with him: and he rose up by night, and smote the Edomites
which compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots. So Edom
revolted from under the hand of Judah, unto this day: then did Libnah
revolt at the same time from under his hand: because he had forsaken
the Lord, the God of his fathers. Moreover he made high places in the
mountains of Judah, and led Judah astray. And there came a writing to
him from Elijah the prophet, saying, "Thus saith the Lord, the God of
David thy father, 'Because thou hast not walked in the ways of
Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah; but hast
walked in the way of the kings of Israel; and also hast slain thy
brethren of thy father's house, which were better than thyself:
behold, the Lord will smite with a great plague thy people, and thy
children, and thy wives, and all thy substance: and thou shalt have
great sickness.'"
And the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines,
and of the Arabians which are beside the Ethiopians: and they came up
against Judah, and raided, and carried away all the substance that was
found in the king's house, and his sons also, and his wives; so that
there was never a son left him, save Ahaziah, the youngest of his
sons. And after all this the Lord smote him in his bowels with an
incurable disease. And he died of sore {268} diseases. And his people
made no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers. Thirty and
two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in
Jerusalem eight years: and he departed without being desired; and they
buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchers of the
kings.
{269}
AHAZIAH.
(Ahaziah, the youngest son of Jehoram, next came to the throne, for it
seems that a marauding band of Arabians had actually raided Jerusalem
and had slain the older children of the king. Ahaziah was a poor weak
king who ruled weakly, and was killed, while on a visit to the king of
Israel, by Jehu, the usurper of the throne.)
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 eldest. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah
reigned. Twenty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign;
and he reigned one year in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was
Athaliah the daughter of Ahab.
He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab: for his mother was
his counselor to do wickedly. And he did that which was evil in the
sight of the Lord, as did the house of Ahab: for they were his
counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction. He
walked also after their counsel, and went with Joram the son of Ahab
king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead:
and the Syrians wounded Joram. And he returned to be healed in Jezreel
of the wounds which they had given him at Ramah, when he fought
against Hazael king of Syria. And Azariah the son of Joram king of
Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, {270} because
he was sick. Now the destruction of Ahaziah was of God, in that he
went unto Joram: for when he was come, he went out with Joram against
Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed to cut off the
house of Ahab. And the fate of Joram overtook him also, for he was
slain by the hand of Jehu.
And the house of Ahaziah had no power to hold the kingdom.
{271}
ATHALIAH.
_How a Queen Reigned in Judah and How Jehoiada the Priest Conspired
Against Her_.
(In addition to her share of downright wickedness, Athaliah possessed
the fierce tiger-like courage and ferocity of the race of Ahab. When
she heard that her son was dead she determined immediately to murder
all her unfortunate little grandchildren! She was a lovely
grandmother, indeed! She carried out her determination, and killed all
but one, whom she failed to find. Perhaps since she was so busy she
did not miss the little fellow! At any rate his good aunt Jehosheba
took little baby Joash and hid him and his nurse in a bedchamber. He
was kept concealed for six years, while the ugly old grandmother ruled
the nation with a rod of iron, and did all the bad and abominable
things she could think of. But by and by a priest named Jehoiada
thought a change would be most desirable. So he conspired against her.
He took the guard secretly into the palace and showed them little
Joash, who was now seven years old, and told them that he was their
true king, and they all swore allegiance to him. Then, next Sabbath
while the people were at worship, the guard surrounded the city with
the old weapons in their hands which had been King David's, and which
they had found hidden in the house of the Lord. And the priest brought
out little Joash and put a crown on his head, and all the people and
the soldiers clapped their hands and shouted, "God save the king!" And
the wicked old queen was there, angry enough, you may be sure, and she
tore her garments, and shouted shrilly, "Treason! Treason!" But the
soldiers only drove her to her palace, and there they killed her, and
that was the end of the evil woman, and nobody cared when she died.)
{272}
Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she
arose and destroyed all the sons of the king.
But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took
Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's
sons that were slain, even him and his nurse, and put them in the
bedchamber; and they hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not slain.
And he was with her hid in the house of the Lord six years: and
Athaliah reigned over the land.
And in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the captains over
hundreds, and of the guard, and brought them to him into the house of
the Lord; and he made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them
in the house of the Lord, and showed them the king's son.
And he commanded them, saying, "This is the thing that ye shall do: a
third part of you, that come in on the Sabbath, shall be keepers of
the watch of the king's house; and a third part shall be at the gate
Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard: so shall ye keep
the watch of the house, and be a barrier. And the two companies of
you, even all that go forth on the Sabbath, shall keep the watch of
the house of the Lord about the king. And ye shall compass the king
round about, every man with his weapons in his hand; and he that
cometh within the ranks, let him be slain: and be ye with the king
when he goeth out, and when he cometh in."
{273}{274}
[Illustration]
THE VALLEY OF THE KIDRON, LOOKING FROM JERUSALEM INTO THE WILDERNESS
OF JUDEA. ON THE LEFT IS THE VILLAGE OF SILOAM.
Used by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.
This is a very different view of the valley of the Kidron or the
valley of Jehoshaphat from those previously shown. The village of
Siloam, at the base of the Mount of Olives, is on the left and
Jerusalem is out of view on the right. There is now no water in the
ravine except in a very rainy season, but no doubt there was a
stream in ancient times. There is a spring which rises in the
valley, and which perhaps once flowed through it, but was diverted
to flow through the remarkable tunnel, built probably by Hezekiah,
through the ridge of the southern part of the temple hill. A very
ancient inscription found at the mouth of the tunnel in 1880
confirms this view.
[End illustration]
{275}
And the captains over hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the
priest commanded: and they took every man his men, those that were to
come in on the Sabbath, with those that were to go out on the Sabbath,
and came to Jehoiada the priest. And the priest delivered to the
captains over hundreds the spears and shields that had been King
David's, which were in the house of the Lord.
And the guard stood, every man with his weapons 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.
Then he brought out the king's son, and put the crown upon him, and
gave him the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and
they clapped their hands, and said, "God save the king!"
And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she
came to the people into the house of the Lord: and she looked, and,
behold, the king stood by the pillar, as the manner was, and the
captains and the trumpets by the king; and all the people of the land
rejoiced, and blew with trumpets.
Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and cried, "Treason, treason!"
And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds that were
set over the host, and said unto them, "Take her forth between the
ranks; and him that followeth her slay with the sword" (for the priest
said, "Let her not be slain in the house of the Lord").
So they made way for her; and she went by the way of the horses' entry
to the king's house: and there was she slain.
{276}
And Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the
people, that they should be the Lord's people; between the king also
and the people.
And all the people of the land went to the house of Baal, and broke it
down; his altars and his images broke they in pieces thoroughly, and
slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest
appointed officers over the house of the Lord. And he took the
captains over hundreds, 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 unto the king's house. And he sat on
the throne of the kings. So all the people of the land rejoiced, and
the city was quiet: and they slew Athaliah with the sword at the
king's house.
{277}
JOASH.
_A King Who Failed to Continue in Well-Doing_.
(For a while Joash was a very good king, but at last the wise priest
Jehoiada, who had made him king, died. As soon as this restraint was
removed Joash listened to the counsel of wild young princes, and so
far forgot the debt of gratitude he owed to Jehoiada that he killed
the son of the priest when he also reproved him for his evil deeds. In
the latter part of his reign, disasters came thick and fast. The
Syrians came down and swept Judah with fire and sword. They did not
kill Joash, but they left him at the end of his long reign of forty
years, a helpless sufferer from disease. Then the very servants of his
household conspired against him and murdered him in his bed.)
Joash was seven years old when he began to reign; and he reigned forty
years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba.
And Joash did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord all the
days of Jehoiada the priest.
And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to restore the
house of the Lord. 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 see that ye hasten the matter." Howbeit the Levites
hastened it not.
And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said {278} unto him,
"Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah
and out of Jerusalem the tax of Moses the servant of the Lord, and of
the congregation of Israel, for the tent of the testimony?" For the
sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God;
and also all the dedicated things of the house of the Lord did they
bestow upon the idols of Baal.
So the king commanded, and they made a chest, and set it without at
the gate of the house of the Lord. And they made a proclamation
through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in for the Lord the tax that
Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness. And all
the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into
the chest, until they had made an end. And it was so, that at what
time the chest 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 chief priest's officer came and emptied the chest, and
took it, and carried it to its place again. Thus they did day by day,
and gathered money in abundance.
And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the
service of the house of the Lord; and they hired masons and carpenters
to restore the house of the Lord, and also such as wrought iron and
brass to repair the house of the Lord. So the workmen wrought, and the
work was perfected by them, and they set up the house of God in its
state, and strengthened it. And when they had made an end, they
brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, whereof
were made vessels for the {279} house of the Lord, even vessels to
minister, and to offer withal, 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.
But Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and he died; an hundred
and thirty years old was he when he died.
And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he
had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house.
Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made
obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them. And they
forsook the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and served
the Asherim and the idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for
this their guiltiness. Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them
again unto the Lord; and they testified against them: but they would
not give ear. And the spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of
Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said unto
them, "Thus saith God, 'Why transgress ye the commandments of the
Lord, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the Lord, he
hath also forsaken you.'"
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. Thus
Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father
had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, "The
Lord look upon it, and require it."
And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the {280} army of the
Syrians 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 to the king of Damascus. For the army of
the Syrians came with a small company of men; and the Lord delivered a
very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the Lord,
the God of their fathers. So they executed judgment upon Joash.
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 buried him not in the
sepulchers of the kings. And these are they that conspired against
him; Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son
of Shimrith the Moabitess. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.
{281}
AMAZIAH.
_A King of Judah Who Was Conquered by a King of Israel_.
(The reign of Amaziah began with victory. He defeated the old foes of
Judah, the Edomites, in a great battle. He was so filled with foolish
pride at this success that he challenged the king of Israel to fight.
The king of Israel sent his refusal to this challenge in a very clever
little story of the cedar of Lebanon and the thistle. But Amaziah did
not heed the warning. Jehoash of Israel came down with his fighting
men and not only defeated the overconfident king but actually captured
Jerusalem and tore down a part of its walls.)
Amaziah was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he
reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was
Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the eyes of
the Lord, but not with a perfect heart.
Now it came to pass, when the kingdom was established unto him, that
he slew his servants which had killed the king his father. But he put
not their children to death, but did according to that which is
written in the law in the book of Moses, as the Lord commanded,
saying, "The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the
children die for the fathers; but every man shall die for his own
sin."
Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and ordered them according
to their fathers' houses, under {282} captains of thousands and
captains of hundreds, even all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered
them from twenty years old and upward, and found them three hundred
thousand chosen men, able to go forth to war, that could handle spear
and shield. He hired also an hundred thousand mighty men of valor,
mercenaries, out of Israel for an hundred talents of silver.
But there came a man of God to him, saying, "O king, let not the army
of Israel go with thee; for the Lord is not with Israel. But if thou
wilt go, do valiantly, be strong for the battle: God shall cast thee
down before the enemy; for God hath power to help, and to cast down."
And 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."
Then Amaziah separated them, to wit, the army that was come to him out
of Ephraim, to go home again: wherefore their anger was greatly
kindled against Judah, and they returned home in fierce anger.
And Amaziah took courage, and led forth his people, and went to the
Valley of Salt, and smote of the children of Seir ten thousand. And
other ten thousand did the children of Judah carry away alive, and
brought them unto the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top
of the rock, so that they all were broken in pieces. But the men 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
Beth-horon, and smote of them three thousand, and took much spoil.
{283}{284}
[Illustration]
TOMBS OF THE KINGS, NORTH OF JERUSALEM.
From a photograph in the possession of Rev. Louis F. Giroux of the
American International College, Springfield, Mass., and used by his
kind permission.
The Tombs of the Kings, so called, are hewn out of the solid rock.
[End illustration]
{285}
Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of
the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and
set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and
burned incense unto them. Wherefore the anger of the Lord was kindled
against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him,
"Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which have not
delivered their own people out of thine hand?"
And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto
him, "Have we made thee of the king's counsel? forbear; why shouldest
thou be smitten?"
Then the prophet forebore, and said, "I know that God hath determined
to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened
unto my counsel."
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 look
one another in the face in battle."
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 there passed by a
wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trod down the thistle.
"Thou sayest, 'Lo, I have smitten Edom'; and thine heart lifteth thee
up to boast: abide now at home; why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt,
that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?"
{286}
But Amaziah would not hear; for it was of God, that he might deliver
them into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought after the
gods of Edom. So Joash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king
of Judah looked one another in the face in battle at Beth-shemesh,
which belongeth to Judah.
And Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man
to his tent.
And Joash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash
the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and
broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the
corner gate, four hundred cubits. And he took all the gold and silver,
and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with
Obed-edom, and the treasures of the king's house, the hostages also,
and returned to Samaria.
And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of
Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years.
Now from the time that Amaziah did turn away from following the Lord
they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to
Lachish: but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there. And
they brought him upon horses, and buried him with his fathers in the
city of Judah.
{287}
UZZIAH.
_A King Who Ruled Wisely and Vigorously, But Who Was
Punished Because of Irreverence_.
(After the vainglorious Amaziah came Uzziah, a strong and vigorous
king. He encouraged agriculture, he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem and
fortified the city in a stronger way. He dug cisterns to water the
herds, and had many vineyards and orchards. He was successful in his
wars and extended his territory to the west, conquering several
Philistine towns. But the story goes on to say that he became so proud
of his success and his strength that he attempted to usurp the work of
the priests. While he was offering incense in the temple, which he had
no right to do, he suddenly became a leper. After that he was forced
to live in a house apart by himself while his son acted as regent for
him until he died.)
And all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old,
and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. He built Elath, and
restored it to Judah, after the king died. Sixteen years old was
Uzziah when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty and two years in
Jerusalem: and his mother's name name was Jechiliah of Jerusalem. And
he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all
that his father Amaziah had done.
And he set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had
understanding in the vision of God: and as long {288} as he sought the
Lord, God made him to prosper. And 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 he built cities in the country of
Ashdod, and among the Philistines.
And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians
that dwelt in Gur-baal, and the Meunim. And the Ammonites gave gifts
to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to Egypt, for he grew
exceeding strong.
Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at
the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them.
And he built towers in the wilderness, and hewed out many cisterns,
for he had much cattle; in the lowland also, and in the plain: and he
had husbandmen and vinedressers in the mountains and in the fruitful
fields; for he loved husbandry.
Moreover Uzziah had an army of fighting men, that went out to war by
bands, according to the number of their reckoning made by Jeiel the
scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah, one of
the king's captains. The whole number of the heads of fathers' houses,
even the mighty men of valor, was two thousand and six hundred. And
under their hand was a trained army, three hundred thousand and seven
thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help
the king against the enemy. And Uzziah prepared for them, even for all
the host, shields, and spears, and helmets, and coats of mail, and
bows, and stones for slinging. And he made in Jerusalem engines,
invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the battlements,
to shoot arrows and great stones. And his name spread far abroad; for
he was marvelously helped, till he was strong.
{289}{290}
[Illustration]
JERUSALEM, FROM THE WEST, LOOKING OVER THE POOL IN THE HEAD OF THE
VALLEY OF HINNOM.
The Jaffa Gate is in the wall a little to the right of the center of
the picture. The road in the center is the highway from Jaffa to
Jerusalem. The pool in the center is surrounded by Mohammedan
graves. The beginning of the road to Bethlehem runs from the Jaffa
Gate toward the left, at the base of the wall. The high buildings
towering over this road are the Tower of David, on the site of a
very ancient fortress. A garrison of Turkish soldiers is still kept
there.
[End illustration]
{291}
But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up so that he did
corruptly, and he trespassed against the Lord his God; for he went
into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore
priests of the Lord, that were valiant men: and they withstood Uzziah
the king, and said unto him, "It belongeth not 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 trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honor from the Lord
God."
Then Uzziah was angry; and he had a censer in his hand to burn
incense; and while he was angry with the priests, the leprosy broke
forth in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord,
beside the altar of incense. 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 quickly from thence. He himself hastened also
to go out, because the Lord had smitten him.
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, ruling the
people of the land. So Uzziah died; and they buried him with his
fathers in the field of burial which belonged to the kings; for they
said, "He is a leper": and Jotham his son reigned.
{292}
JOTHAM.
(Jotham reigned, it is said, sixteen years, but for all but two years
he was regent in place of his father who could not occupy the throne
because of his leprosy. On the whole his reign was good and he was
successful in his undertakings.)
Jotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he
reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jerushah
the daughter of Zadok. And he did that which was right in the eyes of
the Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah had done: howbeit he
entered not into the temple of the Lord. And the people did yet
corruptly.
He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord, and on the wall of
Ophel he built much. Moreover he built cities in the hill country of
Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers. He fought also
with the king of the children of Ammon, and prevailed against them.
And the children of Ammon gave him the same year an hundred talents of
silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of
barley. So much did the children of Ammon render unto him, in the
second year also, and in the third.
So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before the Lord
his God. He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and
reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And Jotham died, and they buried
him in the city of David: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.
{293}
AHAZ.
(With Ahaz came a period of disaster for Judah. He was a thoroughly
depraved character; weak, vacillating, yet obstinate and perverse. He
accepted the old idol worship in all its hideous forms, even
sacrificing his own children, it is said, to the awful god of fire,
Moloch. During his reign the land was swept by waves of invasion, and
many people were killed or carried off captive to Damascus and
Samaria. He tried to make an alliance with Assyria, but this resulted
in his practically becoming a vassal king. He paid a great tribute and
stripped the temple bare of its ornamentation and its precious vessels
to satisfy the demand.)
Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign; and he reigned
sixteen years in Jerusalem: and he did not that which was right in the
eyes of the Lord, like David his father: but he walked in the ways of
the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baal. Moreover he
burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his
children in the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen,
whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel. And he
sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and
under every green tree.
Wherefore the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of
Syria; and they smote him, and carried away of his a great multitude
of captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered
into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great
slaughter.
For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an {294} hundred and
twenty thousand in one day, all of them valiant men; because they had
forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. And Zichri, a mighty man
of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king's son, and Azrikam the ruler of the
house, and Elkanah that was next to the king.
And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two
hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much
spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.
But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded: and he went
out to meet the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them,
"Behold, because the Lord, the God of your fathers, was wroth with
Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them
in a rage which hath reached up unto heaven. And now ye purpose to
keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and
bondwomen unto you: but are there not even with you trespasses of your
own against the Lord your God? Now hear me therefore, and send back
the captives, which ye have taken captive of your brethren: for the
fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you."
Then certain of the heads of the children 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 them that
came from the war, and said unto them, "Ye shall not bring in the
captives hither: for ye purpose that which will bring upon us a
trespass against the Lord, to add unto our sins and to our trespass:
for our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel."
{295}
So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes
and all the congregation. And the men who have been named 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, unto their
brethren: then they returned to Samaria.
At that time did King Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him.
For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away
captives. The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland,
and of the south of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, and Aijalon,
and Gederoth, and Soco with the towns thereof, and Timnah with the
towns thereof, Gimzo also and the towns thereof: and they dwelt there.
For the Lord brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he
had dealt wantonly in Judah, and trespassed sore against the Lord. And
Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, but
strengthened him not.
For 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: but it helped him not. And in the time of his distress did he
trespass yet more against the Lord, this same King Ahaz. For he
sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus. And King Ahaz went to Damascus
to meet Tiglath-pileser 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 {296} pattern of it, according to all the workmanship
thereof. And Urijah the priest built an altar: according to all that
King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so did Urijah the priest make it
against King Ahaz came from Damascus. And when the king was come from
Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king drew near unto the
altar, and offered thereon.
And he burnt his burnt offering and his meal offering, and poured his
drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings, upon
the altar. And the brazen altar, which was before the Lord, he brought
from the forefront of the house, from between his altar and the house
of the Lord, and put it on the north side of his altar.
And King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, "Upon the great
altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening meal offering,
and the king's burnt offering, and his meal offering, with the burnt
offering of all the people of the land, and their meal offering, and
their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt
offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: but the brazen altar
shall be for me to inquire by."
Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that King Ahaz commanded.
And King Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver
from off them; and took down the sea from off the brazen oxen that
were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stone. And the covered
way for the Sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king's
entry without, turned he unto the house of the Lord, because of the
king of Assyria.
{297}{298}
[Illustration]
THE POOL OF HEZEKIAH IN JERUSALEM
From a photograph belonging to the Forbes Library, Northampton, Mass.,
and used by special permission
In the East where the water supply is scanty, pools or reservoirs
are made with cement floors to retain water, supplied by surface
drainage, by springs, or by conduits conducting the water from a
considerable distance. The water supply for Jerusalem comes from
reservoirs near Bethlehem, called the "pools of Solomon." The
picture shows a pool, now surrounded by houses, in Jerusalem, which
is connected by tradition with the name of the great king Hezekiah.
This energetic and able ruler certainly built a number of reservoirs
so that the city might have water in case of siege. The underground
aqueduct, 1,708 feet long, a wonderful piece of ancient engineering
skill, leading from Gihon to the upper pool of Siloam, is thought by
many to have been his work
[End illustration]
{299}
HEZEKIAH.
(One of the best and most famous of all the kings of Judah was
Hezekiah. He instituted great reforms and overthrew idol worship of
all kinds. He even destroyed the brazen serpent made by Moses, which
had become an object of worship. He was successful in his campaigns
against the Philistines. He fortified Jerusalem as it had been done
before. He was a lover of music and literature, and is said to have
written many hymns. The greatest event of his reign was the successful
defense of Jerusalem against the hordes of Sennacherib.)
Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old; and he
reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was
Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. And he did that which was right in
the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that David his father had done.
He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the
doors of the house of Jehovah, and repaired them.
And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them
together into the broad place on the east, and said unto them, "Hear
me, ye Levites; now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of
Jehovah, the God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out
of the holy place. For our fathers have trespassed, and done that
which was evil in the sight of Jehovah our God, and have forsaken him,
and have turned away their faces from {300} the habitation of Jehovah,
and turned their backs. Also they have shut up the doors of the porch,
and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt
offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel. Wherefore the
wrath of Jehovah was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered
them to be tossed to and fro, to be an astonishment, and an hissing,
as ye see with your eyes. For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the
sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity
for this. Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord, the
God of Israel, that his fierce anger may turn away from us. My sons,
be not now negligent: for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before
him, to minister unto him, and that ye should be his ministers, and
burn incense."
Then the Levites arose, and they gathered their brethren, and
sanctified themselves, and went in, according to the commandment of
the king by the words of the Lord, to cleanse the house of the Lord.
And the priests went in unto the inner part of the house of the Lord,
to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in
the temple of the Lord into the court of the house of the Lord. And
the Levites took it, to carry it out to the brook Kidron. Now they
began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the
eighth day of the month came they to the porch of the Lord; and they
sanctified the house of the Lord in eight days: and on the sixteenth
day of the first month they made an end.
Then they went in to Hezekiah the king within the palace, and said,
"We have cleansed all the house of the {301} Lord, and the altar of
burnt offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the table of
showbread, with all the vessels thereof. Moreover all the vessels,
which King Ahaz in his reign did cast away when he trespassed, have we
prepared and sanctified; and, behold, they are before the altar of the
Lord."
Then Hezekiah the king arose early, and gathered the princes of the
city, and went up to the house of the Lord. And they brought seven
bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he-goats, for a
sin offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary and for Judah. And
he commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer them on the altar
of the Lord. So they killed the bullocks, and the priests received the
blood, and sprinkled it on the altar: and they killed the rams, and
sprinkled the blood upon the altar: they killed also the lambs, and
sprinkled the blood upon the altar.
And they brought near the he-goats for the sin offering before the
king and the congregation; and they laid their hands upon them: and
the priests killed them, and they made a sin offering with their blood
upon the altar, to make atonement for all Israel: for the king
commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made
for all Israel. 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 Nathan the prophet: for the
commandment was of the Lord by his prophets.
And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, {302} and the
priests with the trumpets. And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt
offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song
of the Lord began also, and the trumpets, together with the
instruments of David king of Israel. And all the congregation
worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this
continued until the burnt offering was finished. And when they had
made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him
bowed themselves and worshiped. Moreover Hezekiah the king and the
princes commanded the Levites to sing praises unto the Lord with the
words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with
gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped.
Then Hezekiah answered and said, "Now ye have consecrated yourselves
unto the Lord, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into
the house of the Lord."
And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings; and as
many as were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings.
So the service of the house of the Lord was set in order. And Hezekiah
rejoiced, and all the people, because of that which God had prepared
for the people: for the thing was done suddenly.
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, the God of Israel.
For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the
congregation in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in the second month.
{303}{304}
[Illustration]
THE POOL OF SILOAM.
In connection with the "Pool of Siloam" a most interesting discovery
has been made. A tunnel hewn in the rock carries the water down the
west side of the Kidron Valley to a pool in the Tyropoeon, so that
it might be used by the people in the lower part of the city. In
June, 1880, an inscription was discovered near the mouth of this
tunnel which says that the work was carried on from both ends, that
the workmen met in the middle, and that the length was 1,200 cubits.
It is generally supposed that the tunnel was made during the reign
of King Hezekiah.
[End illustration]
{305}
For they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had not
sanctified themselves in sufficient number, neither had the people
gathered themselves together to Jerusalem. And the thing was right in
the eyes of the king and of all the congregation.
So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all
Israel, from Beer-sheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the
passover unto the Lord, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem: for they had
not kept it in great numbers in the way it is written. So the
messengers went with the letters from the king and his princes
throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of
the king, saying, "Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the Lord,
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may return to the
remnant that are escaped of you out of the hand of the kings of
Assyria. And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren,
which trespassed against the Lord, the God of their fathers, so that
he gave them up to desolation, as ye see. Now be ye not stiff-necked,
as your fathers were; but yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter
into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever, and serve the
Lord your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. For if ye
turn again unto the Lord, your brethren and your children shall find
compassion before them that led them captive, and 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."
So the messengers passed from city to city through {306} Ephraim and
Manasseh, even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and
mocked them. Nevertheless some of the people of Asher and Manasseh and
of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. Also in Judah was
the hand of God to give them one heart, to do the commandment of the
king and of the princes by the word of the Lord. And there assembled
at Jerusalem many people to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the
second month, a very great congregation. And they arose and took away
the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for incense took
they away, and cast them into the brook Kidron. Then they killed the
passover on the fourteenth day of the second month: and the priests
and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought
burnt offerings into the house of the Lord. And they stood in their
place after their order, according to the law of Moses the man of God:
the priests sprinkled the blood, which they received of the hand of
the Levites. For there were many in the congregation that had not
sanctified themselves: therefore the Levites had the charge of killing
the passovers for everyone that was not clean, to sanctify them unto
the Lord. For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim and
Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did
they eat the passover otherwise than it is written. For Hezekiah had
prayed for them, saying, "The good Lord pardon every one that setteth
his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, though he be
not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary."
{307}
And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people. And the
children of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of
unleavened bread seven days with great gladness: and the Levites and
the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with loud instruments
unto the Lord. And Hezekiah spoke comfortably unto all the Levites
that were well skilled in the service of the Lord. So they did eat
throughout the feast for the seven days, offering sacrifices of peace
offerings, and making confession to the Lord, the God of their
fathers. And the whole congregation took counsel to keep other seven
days: and they kept other seven days with gladness. For Hezekiah king
of Judah did give to the congregation for offerings 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. 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. 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. Then the priests the
Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and
their prayer came up to his holy habitation, even unto heaven.
Now when all this was finished, all Israel that were present went out
to the cities of Judah, and broke in pieces the pillars, and hewed
down the Asherim, and broke down the high places and the altars out of
all Judah and {308} Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they
had destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned,
every man to his possession, into their own cities. And Hezekiah
appointed the courses of the priests and the Levites after their
courses, every man according to his service, both the priests and the
Levites, for burnt offerings and for peace offerings, to minister, and
to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the camp of the Lord. He
appointed also the king's portion of his substance for the burnt
offerings, to wit, for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and
the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths, and for the new moons, and for
the set feasts, as it is written in the law of the Lord.
Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the
portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might give
themselves to the law of the Lord. And as soon as the commandment came
abroad, the children of Israel gave in abundance the first fruits of
corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field;
and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly. And the
children of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the cities of Judah, they
also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of
dedicated things which were consecrated unto the Lord their God, and
laid them by heaps. In the third month they began to lay the
foundation of the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month. And
when Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the
Lord, and his people Israel. Then Hezekiah questioned with the priests
and the Levites concerning the heaps.
{309}{310}
[Illustration]
DIGGING IN THE MOUND WHICH COVERS THE ANCIENT CITY OF LACHISH.
From a photograph of the Palestine Exploration Fund and used by
special permission.
Lachish, a very ancient city, was captured by the Hebrews when they
first came into Palestine. It was an important military post,
guarding the passes into southern Judea. It was captured by
Sennacherib in the great raid when he took "all the fenced cities of
Judah." Assyrian sculpture has been found depicting this siege of
Lachish. About 120 years later, the city was again captured by
Nebuchadnezzar when he carried the people into captivity. When the
people returned it was again occupied. The pictures show the
excavation in the mound which covers the site of this very ancient
city. In this mound there are 14 layers of ruins one above the
other. Important tablets dating before the first occupation of the
Hebrews have been found.
[End illustration]
{311}
And Azariah the chief priest, of the house of Zadok, answered him and
said, "Since the people began to bring the oblations into the house of
the Lord, we have eaten and had enough, and have left plenty: for the
Lord hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great
store." Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of
the Lord; and they prepared them.
After these things, and this faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria
came, and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fenced cities,
and thought to win them for himself. And when Hezekiah saw that
Sennacherib was come, and that he intended to fight against Jerusalem,
he took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters
of the fountains which were without the city; and they helped him. So
there was gathered many people together, and they stopped all the
fountains, and the brook that flowed through the midst of the land,
saying, "Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?"
And he took courage, and built up all the wall that was broken down,
and raised it up to the towers, and the other wall without, and
strengthened Millo in the city of David, and made weapons and shields
in abundance. And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered
them together to him in the broad place at the gate of the city, and
spoke encouragingly to them, saying, "Be strong and of a good courage,
be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the
multitude that is with him: for there is a greater with us than with
him: with him is {312} an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our
God to help us, and to fight our battles." And the people rested
themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to
Jerusalem (now he was before Lachish, and all his army with him), unto
Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem,
saying, "Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria, Whereon do ye trust,
that ye abide the siege in Jerusalem? Doth not Hezekiah persuade you,
to give you 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'? Hath 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 upon it shall ye burn incense'? Know ye not what I and my
fathers have done unto all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of
the nations of the lands any ways able to deliver their land out of my
hand? Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my
fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of my
hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of my hand? Now
therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this
manner, neither believe ye him: for no god of any nation or kingdom
was able to deliver his people out of my hand, and out of the hand of
my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of my hand?"
And his servants spoke yet more against the Lord God, and against his
servant Hezekiah. He wrote also letters, {313} to ridicule the Lord,
the God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, "As the gods of
the nations of the lands, which have not delivered their people out of
my hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of my
hand."
And they cried with a loud voice in the Hebrew language unto the
people of Jerusalem that were on the wall, to affright them, and to
trouble them; that they might take the city.
And they spoke of the God of Jerusalem, as of the gods of the peoples
of the earth, which are the work of men's hands. And Hezekiah the
king, and Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz, prayed because of this,
and cried to heaven. And the Lord sent an angel, which cut off all the
mighty men of valor, and the leaders and captains, in the camp of the
king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land.
And when he was come into the house of his god, his own children slew
him there with the sword.
Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the
hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all
other, and guided them on every side. And many brought gifts unto the
Lord to Jerusalem, and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah: so
that he was exalted in the sight of all nations from thenceforth.
In those days Hezekiah was sick even unto death: and he prayed unto
the Lord; and he spoke unto him, and gave him a sign. But Hezekiah
rendered not again {314} according to the benefit done unto him; for
his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon
Judah and Jerusalem. Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the
pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that
the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.
And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honor: and he provided him
treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for
spices, and for shields, and for all manner of goodly vessels;
storehouses also for the increase of corn and wine and oil; and stalls
for all manner of beasts, and flocks in folds.
Moreover he provided him cities, and possessions of flocks and herds
in abundance: for God had given him very much substance.
This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper spring of the waters of
Gihon, and brought them straight down on the west side of the city of
David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works.
And Hezekiah died and they buried him in the ascent of the sepulchers
of the sons of David: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem
did him honor at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.
[Footnote: The story of the relations between Hezekiah the king and
Isaiah the prophet will be found in Vol. V. of this series.]
{315}
THE DESTRUCTION OF SENNACHERIB
The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold,
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold;
And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea,
When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee.
Like the leaves of the forest when summer is green,
That host with their banners at sunset were seen;
Like the leaves of the forest when autumn hath blown,
That host on the morrow lay withered and strown.
For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast,
And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed;
And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill,
And their hearts but once heaved, and forever grew still!
And there lay the steed with his nostrils all wide,
But through them there rolled not the breath of his pride,
And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf,
And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf.
And there lay the rider distorted and pale,
With the dew on his brow and the rust on his mail;
And the tents were all silent, the banners alone.
The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown.
And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail,
And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal;
And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword,
Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord!
--_Lord Byron_.
{316}
HYMN BY THE EUPHRATES
O Thou that wilt not break the bruised reed,
Nor heap fresh ashes on the mourner's brow,
Nor rend anew the wounds that inly bleed,
The only balm of our afflictions Thou,
Teach us to bear Thy chastening wrath, O God!
To kiss with quivering lips--still humbly kiss Thy rod!
We bless Thee, Lord, though far from Judah's land;
Though our worn limbs are black with stripes and chains;
Though for stern foes we till the burning sand;
And reap, for others' joy, the summer plains;
We bless Thee, Lord, for Thou art gracious still,
Ev'n though this last black drop o'erflow our cup of ill!
Forgive, forgive,--even should our full hearts break;
The broken heart Thou wilt not, Lord, despise;
Ah! Thou art still too gracious to forsake,
Though Thy strong hand so heavily chastise.
Hear all our prayers, hear not our murmurs, Lord;
And, though our lips rebel, still make Thyself adored.
--_Henry Hart Milman_.
{317}
MANASSEH.
(Manasseh began his reign by doing every evil thing he could possibly
think of; he sacrificed to all the heathen idols and made his own
children "pass through the fire." In the book of Chronicles it is said
that he was taken captive and carried away to Babylon. Here he
repented of his many sins, and became a good and holy man.)
Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; and he reigned
fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in
the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the
Lord cast out before the children of Israel. For he built again the
high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; and he reared
up altars for the idols of Baal, and made Asheroth, and worshiped all
the host of heaven, and served them. And he built altars in the house
of the Lord, whereof the Lord said, "In Jerusalem shall my name be for
ever." And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two
courts of the house of the Lord. He also made his children to pass
through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: and he practiced
augury, and used enchantments, and practiced sorcery, and dealt with
them that had familiar spirits, and with wizards: he wrought much evil
in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.
And he set the graven image of the idol, which he had made, in the
house of God, of which God said to David {318} and to Solomon his son,
"In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the
tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever: neither will I any more
remove the foot of Israel from off the land which I have appointed for
your fathers; if only they will observe to do all that I have
commanded them, even all the law and the statutes and the ordinances
by the hand of Moses."
But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do that which is
evil more than did the nations, whom the Lord destroyed before the
children of Israel. And the Lord spoke by his servants the prophets,
saying, "Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations,
and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were
before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols: therefore
thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I bring such evil
upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears
shall tingle. 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 wipeth a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. And I will
cast off 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; because they have done that which is evil in my sight,
and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth
out of Egypt, even unto this day.'"
Moreover Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err,
so that they did evil more than did {319} the nations, whom the Lord
destroyed before the children of Israel. And the Lord spoke to
Manasseh, and to his people: but they gave no heed. Wherefore the Lord
brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, who
took Manasseh in chains, and bound him with fetters, and carried him
to Babylon. And when he was in distress, he besought the Lord his God,
and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. And he
prayed unto him; and he was intreated of him, and heard his
supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom.
Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God.
(God forgave his sin, and he went back to his kingdom to serve him
all the rest of his life.)
Now after this he built an outer wall to the city of David, on the
west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish
gate; and he compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great
height: and he put valiant captains in all the fenced cities of Judah.
And 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.
And he built up the altar of the Lord, and offered thereon sacrifices
of peace offerings and of thanksgiving, and commanded Judah to serve
the Lord, the God of Israel. Nevertheless the people sacrificed still
in the high places, but only unto the Lord their God. So Manasseh died
and they buried him in his own house: and Amon his son reigned in his
stead.
{320}
THE PRAYER OF MANASSEH.
(In the Apocrypha is found a prayer which is said to have been the
prayer of Manasseh, king of Judah, while he was in captivity in
Babylon. It is certainly a very beautiful prayer for forgiveness and
pardon.)
[Footnote: Apocrypha--See note at the end of the volume.]
"O Lord Almighty, that art in heaven, thou God of our fathers, of
Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and of their righteous race; who hast
made heaven and earth, with all the ornament thereof; who hast bound
the sea by the word of thy commandment; who hast shut up the deep, and
sealed it by thy terrible and glorious name; whom all things fear,
yea, tremble before thy power; for the majesty of thy glory cannot be
borne, and the anger of thy threatening toward sinners is
irresistible: thy merciful promise is unmeasurable and unsearchable;
for thou art the Lord Most High, of great compassion, longsuffering
and abundant in mercy, and repentest of bringing evils upon men. Thou,
O Lord, according to thy great goodness hast promised repentance and
forgiveness to them that have sinned against thee: and of thine
infinite mercies hast appointed repentance unto sinners, that they may
be saved. Thou therefore, O Lord, that art the God of the just, hast
not appointed repentance to the just, to Abraham, and Isaac, and
Jacob, who have not sinned against thee; but thou hast appointed
repentance unto me that am a sinner: for I have sinned above the
number of the sands of the sea. My transgressions are multiplied, O
Lord: my {321} transgressions are multiplied, and I am not worthy to
behold and see the height of heaven for the multitude of mine
iniquities. I am bowed down with many iron bands, that I cannot lift
up mine head by reason of my sins, neither have I any respite: for I
have provoked thy wrath, and done that which is evil before thee: I
did not thy will, neither kept I thy commandments: I have set up
abominations, and have multiplied detestable things. Now therefore I
bow the knee of mine heart, beseeching thee of grace. I have sinned, O
Lord, I have sinned, and I acknowledge mine iniquities: but, I humbly
beseech thee, forgive me, O Lord, forgive me; and destroy me not with
mine iniquities. Be not angry with me for ever, by reserving evil for
me; neither condemn me into the lower parts of the earth. For thou, O
Lord, art the God of them that repent; and in me thou wilt show all
thy goodness: for thou wilt save me, that am unworthy, according to
thy great mercy. And I will praise thee forever all the days of my
life: for all the host of heaven doth sing thy praise, and thine is
the glory for ever and ever. Amen."
{322}
AMON.
(Amon failed to profit by his father's experience, but turned again to
idolatry. After only two years on the throne, he was assassinated by
his own courtiers, who probably expected to make one of their own
number king. In this, however, they were disappointed, for the people
insisted upon making the son of Amon, Josiah, a little boy only eight
years old, the king.)
Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign; and he
reigned two years in Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in the
sight of the Lord, as did Manasseh his father: and Amon sacrificed
unto all the graven images which Manasseh his father had made, and
served them. And he humbled not himself before the Lord, as Manasseh
his father had humbled himself; but this same Amon trespassed more and
more. And his servants conspired against him, and put him to death in
his own house. But the people of the land slew all them that had
conspired against King Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah
his son king in his stead.
{323}
JOSIAH.
_The Story of the Little Boy Who Became a Good King_.
(The reign of Josiah was marked by one of the most sweeping and
important reforms in the history of Judah. For the first ten years of
his reign, until the king reached the age of eighteen, things went in
much the old idolatrous way. Then the young king began to assert
himself with spirit. First he ordered repairs made upon the temple,
which had fallen into decay and ruin. While these repairs were going
on, Hilkiah, the high priest, made a great discovery. He found an old
book of the law. He hastened to tell Shaphan the scribe, who in turn
told the king. When the king read this book, and discovered how the
nation had disobeyed the law he was in great distress. He called an
assembly of all the people and the law was read to them. Then he
ordered a great reform. The idols were all swept away, and the old law
was established everywhere. But after all, this good king met a sad
fate. A great army of the Egyptians advanced against the country. They
were not intending to destroy Judah, but Josiah, fearing that the
nation was in danger, went out to fight them. They met in the great
battle of Megiddo. The army of Judah was destroyed, and Josiah,
mortally wounded by the arrows of the Egyptian archers, was taken back
to Jerusalem to die.)
Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned
thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in
the eyes of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father,
and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
{324}
And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, that the
king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the
scribe, to the house of the Lord, saying, "Go up to Hilkiah the high
priest, that he may make account of the money which is brought into
the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the door have gathered of
the people: and let them deliver it into the hand of the workmen that
have the oversight of the house of the Lord: and let them give it to
the workmen which are in the house of the Lord, to repair the breaches
of the house; unto the carpenters, and to the builders, and to the
masons; and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the house."
Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was
delivered in to their hand; for they dealt faithfully.
And Hilkiah the priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, "I have found the
book of the law in the house of the Lord."
And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan, and he read it. And Shaphan
the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and
said, "Thy servants have emptied out the money that was found in the
house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen that have
the oversight of the house of the Lord."
And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, "Hilkiah the priest hath
given me a book."
And Shaphan read it before the king. And it came to pass, when the
king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his
clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and the king's
officers, saying, {325} "Go ye, inquire 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."
So Hilkiah the priest, and the king's officers went to Huldah the
prophetess, who said, "Thus saith the Lord, 'Behold, I will bring evil
upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words
of the book which the king of Judah hath read: because they have
forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might
provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands; therefore my
wrath shall be kindled against this place, and it shall not be
quenched.' But unto the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the
Lord, thus shall ye say to him, 'Thus saith the Lord, the God of
Israel: As touching the words which thou hast heard, because thine
heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before the Lord, when
thou heardest what I spoke against this place, and against the
inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse,
and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee,
saith the Lord. Therefore, behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers,
and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine
eyes see all the evil which I will bring upon this place.'"
And they brought the king word again. And the king sent, and they
gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem. And the
king went up to the house {326} 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, both small and great: and he read in
their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found
in the house of the Lord. And the king stood by the pillar, and made a
covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his
commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his
heart, and all his soul, to confirm the words of this covenant that
were written in this book: and all the people consented to the
covenant. 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 were made for
Baal, and for the Asherah, and for all the host of heaven: and he
burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the
ashes of them unto Beth-el.
And he put down the idolatrous priests, 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; them also that burned incense
unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all
the host of heaven. And he brought out the Asherah from the house of
the Lord, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at
the brook Kidron, and beat it to dust, and cast the dust thereof upon
the graves of the common people. 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 {327} Beer-sheba; and he broke down the
high places of the gates that were at 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. Nevertheless the priests of the high places came
not up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they did eat bread
among their brethren. And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley
of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his
daughter to pass through the fire to Molech. And he took away the
horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun; and he burned the
chariots of the sun with fire. And the altars that were on the roof of
the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the
altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the
Lord, did the king break down, and beat them down from thence, and
cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron. And 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 builded for heathen
gods, did the king defile.
Moreover the altar that was at Beth-el, and the high place which
Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, even that
altar and the high place he broke down; and he burned the high place
and beat it to dust, and burned the Asherah.
And the king commanded all the people, saying, "Keep the passover unto
the Lord your God, as it is written in this book of the covenant."
Surely there was not kept such a passover from the days of the judges
that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of
the kings of Judah.
{328}
But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah was this passover kept to
the Lord in Jerusalem. And like unto him was there no king before him,
that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and
with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after
him arose there any like him. Notwithstanding the Lord turned not from
the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled
against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had
provoked him. And the Lord said, "I will remove Judah also out of my
sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city which I
have chosen, even Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, 'My name
shall be there.'"
After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of
Egypt went up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah
went out against him. But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, "What
have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee
this day, but against the house wherewith I have war; and God hath
commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who
is with me, that he destroy thee not."
Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised
himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the
words of Neco, from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley
of Megiddo. And the archers shot at King Josiah; and the king said to
his servants, "Take me away; for I am sore wounded." So his servants
took him out of the chariot, and put him in {329} the second chariot
that he had, and brought him to Jerusalem; and he died, and was buried
in the sepulchers of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned
for Josiah.
And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and singing
women spoke of Josiah in their lamentations, unto this day; and they
made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the
lamentations.
(Another account of the reformation of Josiah and his death
is taken from the Apocrypha.)
[Footnote: See note at the end of the volume.]
And Josiah held the passover in Jerusalem unto his Lord, and offered
the passover the fourteenth day of the first month; having set the
priests according to their daily courses, being arrayed in their
vestments, in the temple of the Lord. And he spoke unto the Levites,
the temple-servants of Israel, that they should hallow themselves unto
the Lord, to set the holy ark of the Lord in the house that King
Solomon the son of David had built: and said, "Ye shall no more have
need to bear it upon your shoulders: now therefore serve the Lord your
God, and minister unto his people Israel, and prepare you after your
fathers' houses and kindreds, according to the writing of David king
of Israel, and according to the magnificence of Solomon his son: and
standing in the holy place according to the several divisions of the
families of you the Levites, who minister in the presence of your
brethren the children of Israel, offer the passover in order, and make
ready the sacrifices {330} for your brethren, and keep the passover
according to the commandment of the Lord, which was given unto Moses."
Thus were the things that belonged to the sacrifices of the Lord
accomplished in that day, in holding the passover, and offering
sacrifices upon the altar of the Lord, according to the commandment of
King Josiah. So the children of Israel which were present at that time
held the passover, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days. And
such a passover was not held in Israel since the time of the prophet
Samuel. Yea, all the kings of Israel held not such a passover as
Josiah, and the priests, and the Levites, and the Jews, held with all
Israel that were present in their dwelling place at Jerusalem. In the
eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover held. And the
works of Josiah were upright before his Lord with a heart full of
godliness. Moreover the things that came to pass in his days have been
written in times past, concerning those that sinned, and did wickedly
against the Lord above every people and kingdom, and how they grieved
him exceedingly, so that the words of the Lord were confirmed against
Israel.
Now after all these acts of Josiah it came to pass, that Pharaoh the
king of Egypt came to raise war at Carchemish upon Euphrates: and
Josiah went out against him. But the king of Egypt sent to him,
saying, "What have I to do with thee, O king of Judah? I am not sent
out from the Lord God against thee; for my war is upon Euphrates: and
now the Lord is with me, yea, the Lord is with me hasting me forward:
depart from me, and be not against the Lord."
{331}
Howbeit Josiah did not turn back unto his chariot, but undertook to
fight with him, not regarding the words of the prophet Jeremiah spoken
by the mouth of the Lord: but joined battle with him in the plain of
Megiddo, and the princes came down against King Josiah. Then said the
king unto his servants, "Carry me away out of the battle; for I am
very weak." And immediately his servants carried him away out of the
host.
Then got he up upon his second chariot; and being brought back to
Jerusalem he died, and was buried in the sepulcher of his fathers. And
in all the land they mourned for Josiah; and Jeremiah the prophet
lamented for Josiah, and the chief men with the women made lamentation
for him, unto this day: and this was given out for an ordinance to be
done continually in all the nation of Israel.
{332}
JEHOAHAZ.
(Jehoahaz was the third son of Josiah, but was made king after the
death of his father over the heads of his brothers. His reign lasted
only three months. Neco the Egyptian, conqueror of Josiah at Megiddo,
sent a detachment to Jerusalem which deposed the king and took him
away captive to Egypt.)
Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made
him king in his father's stead in Jerusalem. Jehoahaz was twenty and
three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in
Jerusalem. And the king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem, and took
tribute from the land, an hundred talents of silver and a talent of
gold. And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah
and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Neco took
Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.
{333}{334}
[Illustration]
AN OLD STREET OF JERUSALEM
[End illustration]
{335}
JEHOIAKIM.
(The Egyptians who deposed Jehoahaz put Eliakim, whose name they
changed to Jehoiakim, on the throne and he became during his reign of
eleven years one of the worst and most idolatrous kings who ever sat
upon the throne. He persecuted the prophets of his time, and
especially Jeremiah. His hatred of this great prophet, and how he put
him in the foulest dungeon of Jerusalem, is told elsewhere. [Footnote:
In Volume V. of this series.] The following is one of the prophet's
fierce denunciations of this wicked king:)--
"Thus saith the Lord: Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and
speak there this word, and say, 'Hear the word of the Lord, O king of
Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants,
and thy people that enter in by these gates. Thus saith the Lord:
Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of
the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence, to the
stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood
in this place. For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter
in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David,
riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his
people. But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith
the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation.' For thus saith
the Lord concerning the house of {336} the king of Judah: 'Thou art
Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon: yet surely I will make thee a
wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited. And I will prepare
destroyers against thee, everyone with his weapons: and they shall cut
down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire. And many nations
shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbor,
Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this great city? Then they
shall answer, Because they forsook the covenant of the Lord their God,
and worshiped other gods, and served them.'
"Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him: but weep sore for him
who goeth away; for he shall return no more, nor see his native
country. For thus saith the Lord touching Shallum the son of
Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, who
went forth out of this place: 'He shall not return thither any more;
but in the place whither they have led him captive, there shall he
die, and he shall see this land no more.'
[Footnote: Shallum was perhaps the original name of Jehoahaz, the
preceding king, who after his brief reign had been carried captive
to Egypt. ]
"Woe unto him who buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his
chambers by injustice; who useth his neighbor's service without wages,
and giveth him not his hire; who saith, 'I will build me a wide house
and spacious chambers,' and cutteth him out windows; and it is ceiled
with cedar, and painted with vermilion.
"Shalt thou reign, because thou strivest to excel in cedar? did not
thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice? then it was
well with him. He judged the {337} cause of the poor and needy; then
it was well. 'Was not this to know me?' saith the Lord.
"But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and
to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do
it. Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of
Josiah, king of Judah: They shall not lament for him, saying 'Ah, my
brother!' or, 'Ah sister!' they shall not lament for him, saying, 'Ah
lord!' or, 'Ah his glory!'
'He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth
beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
"Go up to Lebanon, and cry; and lift up thy voice in Bashan: and cry
from Abarim; for all thy lovers are destroyed. I spake unto thee in
thy prosperity; but thou saidst, 'I will not hear.' This hath been thy
manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not my voice. The wind shall
feed all thy shepherds, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely
then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness. O
inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how greatly
to be pitied shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee! 'As I live,'
saith the Lord, 'though Jehoiachin the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah
were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence; and
I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into
the hand of them of whom thou art afraid, even into the hand of
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.
And I will cast thee out, and thy mother who bore thee, into another
country, where ye were not born; and there shall {338} ye die. But to
the land whereunto their soul longeth to return, thither shall they
not return.'
"Is this man Jehoiachin a despised broken vessel? is he a vessel
wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed,
and are cast into the land which they know not? O earth, earth, earth,
hear the word of the Lord.
"Thus saith the Lord, 'Write ye this man childless, a man that shall
not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting
upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.'
"'Woe unto the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my
pasture!' saith the Lord.
"Therefore thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, against the
shepherds that feed my people: 'Ye have scattered my flock, and driven
them away, and have not visited them; behold, I will visit upon you
the evil of your doings, saith the Lord. And I will gather the remnant
of my flock out of all the countries whither I have driven them, and
will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and
multiply. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them:
and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be
lacking,' saith the Lord.
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a
righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and
shall execute judgment and justice in the land. In his days Judah
shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name
whereby he shall be called, 'The Lord is our righteousness.'
{339}
"Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no
more say, 'As the Lord liveth, who brought up the children of Israel
out of the land of Egypt'; but, 'As the Lord liveth, who brought up
and who led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country,
and from all the countries whither I had driven them; and they shall
dwell in their own land.'
"Concerning the prophets. Mine heart within me is broken, all my bones
shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath
overcome; because of the Lord, and because of his holy words. For the
land is full of evil doers; for because of swearing the land mourneth;
the pastures of the wilderness are dried up; and their course is evil,
and their force is not right. For both prophet and priest are profane;
yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the Lord.
"Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery places in the
darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring
evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the Lord. And
I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied by Baal,
and caused my people Israel to err. In the prophets of Jerusalem also
I have seen an horrible thing; they walk in lies, and they strengthen
the hands of evil doers, that none doth return from his wickedness:
they are all of them become unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants
thereof as Gomorrah.
"Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets:
'Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, {340} and make them drink the
water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone
forth into all the land.'
"Thus saith the Lord of hosts, 'Hearken not unto the words of the
prophets that prophesy unto you; they teach you vanity: they speak a
vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord. They
say continually unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye
shall have peace; and unto everyone that walketh in the stubbornness
of his own heart they say, No evil shall come upon you. For who hath
stood in the council of the Lord, that he should perceive and hear his
word? who hath marked my word, and heard it? Behold, the tempest of
the Lord, even his fury, is gone forth, yea, a whirling tempest: it
shall burst upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the Lord shall
not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the
intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall understand it
perfectly. I sent not these prophets, yet they ran: I spoke not unto
them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my council, then
had they caused my people to hear my words, and had turned them from
their evil way, and from the evil of their doings. Am I a God at hand,
saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret
places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven
and earth? saith the Lord. I have heard what the prophets have said,
that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.
{341}{342}
[Illustration]
VIEW LOOKING TOWARD JERUSALEM FROM THE WEST.
Used by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.
This view looks toward the city from the southwest. The winding road
enters at the Jaffa gate.
[End illustration]
{343}
"'How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy
lies; even the prophets of the deceit of their own heart? which think
to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell
every man to his neighbor, as their fathers forgot my name for Baal.
The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath
my word, let him speak my word faithfully.'
"'What is the straw to the wheat?' saith the Lord. 'Is not my word
like as fire?' saith the Lord; 'and like a hammer that breaketh the
rock in pieces?'
"'Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets,' saith the Lord, 'that
steal my words everyone from his neighbor.' 'Behold, I am against the
prophets,' saith the Lord, 'that use their tongues, and say, He
saith.' 'Behold, I am against them that prophesy lying dreams,' saith
the Lord, 'and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies,
and by their vain boasting: yet I sent them not, nor commanded them;
neither shall they profit this people at all,' saith the Lord.
"And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee,
saying, 'What is the burden of the Lord?' then shalt thou say unto
them, 'What burden! I will cast you off,' saith the Lord.
"And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall
say, 'The burden of the Lord,' I will even punish that man and his
house. Thus shall ye say everyone to his neighbor, and everyone to his
brother, 'What hath the Lord answered?' and 'What hath the Lord
spoken?' And the burden of the Lord shall ye mention no more: for
every man's own word shall be his burden; for ye have {344} perverted
the words of the living God, of the Lord of hosts our God.
"Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, 'What hath the Lord answered
thee?' and 'What hath the Lord spoken?'
"But if ye say, 'The burden of the Lord'; therefore thus saith the
Lord: 'Because ye say this word, The burden of the Lord, and I have
sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the Lord;
therefore, behold, I will utterly forget you, and I will cast you off,
and the city that I gave unto you and to your fathers, away from my
presence: and I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a
perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten."
(This prophecy was already hastening on to fulfillment. The power of
Egypt had been broken by Nebuchadnezzar at the battle of Carchemish,
and now the great king of Babylon came sweeping down upon Judah to put
an end to its existence as a nation. Tradition says that the evil
king, Jehoiakim, was slain during a sally from the walls, and that his
dead body lay there dishonored and unburied.)
Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he
reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Zebidah
the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. And he did that which was evil in
the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. In
his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became
his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him. And
the Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldeans, and bands of the
{345} Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of
Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the
word of the Lord, which he spoke by the hand of his servants the
prophets. Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah,
to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according
to all that he did; and also for the innocent blood that he shed; for
he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood: and the Lord would not
pardon. So Jehoiakim died.
{346}
JEHOIACHIN.
(Jehoiachin had hardly begun his reign before the city of Jerusalem
yielded to the assaults of the armies of Babylon, and the king, with
the flower of the nation, men, women, and children, artisans and
soldiers, were carried away into captivity. Tradition says that a
later king of Babylon, Evil-Merodach, released Jehoiachin, then
fifty-five years old, and treated him with distinguished respect.)
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign; and he
reigned in Jerusalem three months. And he did that which was evil in
the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done. And
the army of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and
the city was besieged. And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came unto
the city, while his soldiers were besieging it; and Jehoiachin the
king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and
his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of
Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign. And he carried out
thence 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. And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and
all {347} the mighty men of valor, even ten thousand captives, and all
the craftsmen and the smiths; none remained, save the poorest sort of
the people of the land. And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon; and
the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the
chief men of the land, carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to
Babylon. And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and the
craftsmen and the smiths a thousand, all of them strong and apt for
war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon. And the
king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father's brother king in his stead,
and changed his name to Zedekiah.
{348}
ZEDEKIAH.
(Over the remnant of Judah Nebuchadnezzar placed a vassal king who
swore the strongest oaths of allegiance to his superior. After
reigning some years, however, he rebelled. Then followed one of the
most desperate sieges of history. Jerusalem was ringed about by forts,
assailed by all the enginery of the times. Famine and pestilence
walked in her streets, and at last the city yielded. Zedekiah and his
family escaped in the confusion, but were quickly captured and brought
before Nebuchadnezzar. The cruel conqueror killed the children of the
captive king before his sight, and then put out his eyes.)
Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign; and he
reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in
the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. For
through the anger of the Lord did it come to pass in Jerusalem and
Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence: and Zedekiah
rebelled against the king of Babylon.
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 army, against Jerusalem, and encamped
against it; and they built forts against it round about. So the city
was besieged unto the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
{349}{350}
[Illustration]
GREAT STAIRWAY APPROACHING HEROD'S TEMPLE AT SAMARIA.
Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.
There are only a few ruins left to tell the story of the once proud
city of Samaria. The old temple of Baal is thus described:--
"It was of a size sufficient to contain all the worshipers of Baal
that the northern kingdom could furnish. Four hundred and fifty
prophets frequented it. In the interior was a kind of inner fastness
or adytum, in which were seated or raised on pillars the figures
carved in wood of the Phoenician deities as they were seen, in
vision, centuries later, by Jezebel's fellow-countryman, Hannibal,
in the sanctuary of Gades. In the center was Baal, the Sun-God;
around him were the inferior divinities. In front of the temple,
stood on a stone pillar the figure of Baal alone"
This city, completely destroyed by the Assyrians, was rebuilt by
Pompey. Herod, in pursuance of his commercial policy, which was
based on intercourse with the west, and of his plan of governing the
country with strongholds garrisoned by Gentile soldiers devoted to
his interests, made Samaria a strong fortress.
[End illustration]
{351}
On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was sore in the city,
so that there was no bread for the people of the land. Then a breach
was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way
of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king's garden: and
the king escaped from the city.
But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and overtook him in
the plains of Jericho: and all his army was scattered from him. Then
they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to
Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. And they slew the sons of
Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound
him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
Now in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which was the
nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came
Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, an officer of the king of
Babylon, unto Jerusalem: and he burnt the house of the Lord, and the
king's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house,
burnt he with fire. And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with
the captain of the guard, broke down the walls of Jerusalem round
about. And the residue of the people that were left in the city, and
those that fled to the king of Babylon, and the residue of the
multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away
captive. But the captain of the guard left of the poorest of the land
to be vinedressers and husbandmen. And the pillars of brass that were
in the house of the Lord, and the bases and the brazen sea that were
in the house of the Lord, did the Chaldeans break in pieces, and
carried the {352} brass of them to Babylon. And the pots, and the
shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of
brass wherewith they ministered, took they away. And the firepans, and
the basins; that which was of gold, and that which was of silver, the
captain of the guard took away. The two pillars, the one sea, and the
bases, which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord; the brass of
all these vessels was of great weight. So Judah was carried away
captive.
{353}
THE KINGDOM OF THE NORTH
JEROBOAM.
(The story of the revolt of the northern part of the kingdom from the
south has been told in the story of Rehoboam. Jeroboam, who became the
king of the northern territory, was little improvement over Rehoboam,
his rival in the south. He was not of royal birth, but, as a bright
young man in Solomon's court, came under the great king's notice. He
plotted, however, against his master, and, his treachery being
discovered, fled to Egypt. As soon as Solomon died, Jeroboam returned
from Egypt, and became the leader of the successful revolt against the
tyranny of the young king of the south.)
_The New Kingdom_.
Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and dwelt
therein; and he went out from thence, and built Penuel. And Jeroboam
said in his heart, "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David:
if this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at
Jerusalem, then will the heart of this people turn again unto their
lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me, and
return to Rehoboam king of Judah." Whereupon the king took counsel,
and made two calves of gold; and he said unto them, "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." And he set the one {354} in
Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin: for
the people went to worship before, the one, even unto Dan. And he made
houses of high places, and made priests from among all the people,
which were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in
the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the
feast that is in Judah, and he went up unto the altar; so did he in
Beth-el, sacrificing unto the calves that he made: and he placed in
Beth-el the priests of the high places which he had made. And he went
up unto the altar which he had made in Beth-el on the fifteenth day in
the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own
heart: and he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and went up
unto the altar, to burn incense.
_The Prophet from Judah and His Fate_.
And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the
Lord unto Beth-el: and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn
incense. And he cried against the altar by the word of Jehovah, and
said, "O altar, altar, thus saith Jehovah: 'Behold, a son shall be
born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he
sacrifice the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee,
and men's bones shall they burn upon thee.'"
And he gave a sign the same day, saying, "This is the sign which
Jehovah hath spoken: 'Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes
that are upon it shall be poured out.'"
{355}{356}
[Illustration]
STREET OF AN ANCIENT EASTERN CITY.
From a photograph taken by Prof. Lewis Bayles Paton of Hartford
Theological Seminary, and used by his kind permission.
Notice the houses built over the street converting it almost into a
tunnel.
[End illustration]
{357}
And it came to pass, when the king heard the saying of the man of God,
which he cried against the altar in Beth-el, that Jeroboam 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 draw it back again to him. The altar also was rent, and the
ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man
of God had given by the word of Jehovah. And the king answered and
said unto the man of God, "Entreat now the favor of Jehovah thy God,
and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again."
And the man of God entreated Jehovah, and the king's hand was restored
him again, and became as it was before.
And the king said unto the man of God, "Come home with me, and refresh
thyself, and I will give thee a reward."
And the man of God said unto the king, "If thou wilt give me half
thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor
drink water in this place: for so it was charged me by the word of the
Lord, saying, 'Thou shalt eat no bread, nor drink water, neither
return by the way that thou camest.'"
So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to
Beth-el.
Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and one of his sons came
and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in
Beth-el: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them also they
told unto their father.
{358}
And their father said unto them, "What way went he?" Now his sons had
seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah.
And he said unto his sons, "Saddle me the ass."
So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon. And he 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 camest from Judah?" And he said, "I
am."
Then he said unto him, "Come home with me, and eat bread."
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: 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.'"
And he said unto him, "I also am a prophet as thou art; and an angel
spoke unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, 'Bring him back with
thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water.'"
But he lied unto him. So he went back with him, and did eat bread in
his house, and drank water. 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: and he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah,
saying, "Thus saith the Lord, 'Forasmuch as thou hast been disobedient
unto the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which,
the Lord thy God commanded thee, but camest back, and hast eaten bread
and drunk water in the place of the which he said to thee, Eat no
bread, and drink no water; thy body shall not come unto the sepulcher
of thy fathers.'"
{359}{360}
[Illustration]
THE RUINS OF SAMARIA
From a photograph belonging to the Forbes Library, Northampton,
Mass., and used by special permission
"To-day amid the peaceful beauty of the scene--the secluded vale
covered with cornfields through which the winding streams flash and
glisten into the hazy distance, and the gentle hill rises to the
olives waving over its summit--it is possible to appreciate
Isaiah's name for Samaria, the crown of the pride of Ephraim, the
flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat
valley. There by the entrance of the gate Ahab drew his sentence of
death from the prophet of Jehovah; and there they washed his blood
from his chariot, when they had brought him back to his burial.
There Jezebel slew the prophets of Jehovah and Jehu the priests of
Baal."
[End illustration]
{361}
And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk,
that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had
brought back. And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and
slew him: and his body was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it;
the lion also stood by the body.
And, behold, men passed by, and saw the body cast in the way, and the
lion standing by the body: and they came and told it in the city where
the old prophet dwelt. And when the prophet that brought him back from
the way heard thereof, he said, "It is the man of God who was
disobedient unto the mouth of the Lord: therefore the Lord hath
delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him,
according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke unto him."
And he spoke to his sons, saying, "Saddle me the ass."
And they saddled it.
And he went, and found his body cast in the way, and the ass and the
lion standing by the body: the lion had not eaten the body, nor torn
the ass.
And the prophet took up the body of the man of God, and laid it upon
the ass, and brought it back: and he came to the city of the old
prophet, to mourn, and to bury him.
And he laid his body in his own grave; and they mourned over him,
saying, "Alas, my brother!"
And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his
sons, saying, "When I am dead, then bury {362} me in the sepulcher
wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones. For
the saying which he cried by the word of the Lord against the altar in
Beth-el, and against all the houses of the high places which are in
the cities of Israel, shall surely come to pass."
After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made
again from among all the people priests of the high places: whosoever
would, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high
places. And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to
cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.
_How the King's Son Died_.
At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. And Jeroboam said
to his wife, "Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be
not known to be the wife of Jeroboam: and get thee to Shiloh; behold,
there is Ahijah the prophet, who spoke concerning me that I should be
king over this people. And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels,
and a cruse of honey, and go to him: he shall tell thee what shall
become of the child."
And Jeroboam's wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to
the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see; for his eyes were blind
by reason of his age.
And the Lord said unto Ahijah, "Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to
inquire of thee concerning her son; for he is sick: thus and thus
shalt thou say unto her: for it shall be, when she cometh in, that she
shall feign herself to be another woman."
{363}
And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she carne
in at the door, that he said, "Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why
feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to thee with heavy
tidings. Go, tell Jeroboam, 'Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel:
Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee
prince over my people Israel, 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 do that only which was right in mine eyes; but hast done
evil above all that were before thee, and hast gone and made thee
other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast
me behind thy back: therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the
house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male child,
and will utterly sweep away the house of Jeroboam, as a man sweepeth
away dung, till it be all gone. Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city
shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the fields shall the fowls
of the air eat: for the Lord hath spoken it.'
"Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine house: and when thy feet
enter into the city, the child shall die. And all Israel shall mourn
for him, and bury him; for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the
grave: because in him there is found some good thing toward the Lord,
the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam. Moreover the Lord shall
raise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of
Jeroboam that day. For the Lord shall smite Israel, as {364} a reed is
shaken in the water; and he shall root up Israel out of this good
land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond
the River; because they have made their Asherim, provoking the Lord to
anger. And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam,
which he hath sinned, and wherewith he hath made Israel to sin."
And Jeroboam's wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah: and as
she came to the threshold of the house, the child died.
And all Israel buried him, and mourned for him: according to the word
of the Lord, which he spoke by the hand of his servant Ahijah the
prophet. And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty
years: and he died, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.
{365}{366}
[Illustration]
MOUNT GERIZIM.
Mount Gerizim (2,849 feet) faces Mount Ebal, and in the narrow pass
between them is Shechem. The Samaritans erected a temple on the
mountain, making it the central shrine of the nation and a rival of
Jerusalem, about the year 432 B.C. The flat stone shown in the
picture is the place of sacrifice, which is still maintained by a
little community of Samaritans.
[End illustration]
{367}
NADAB.
(The dynasty of the house of Jeroboam was very brief after the death
of its founder. Nadab his son reigned only two years, when he was
murdered by a common soldier, probably while he was laying siege to
one of the towns of the Philistines.)
And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second
year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. And
he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the
way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. 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 were laying siege to Gibbethon.
Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and
reigned in his stead.
{368}
BAASHA.
(Baasha, who assassinated Nadab and usurped the throne, seems not to
have been of royal blood. He was probably an adventurous soldier who
saw his opportunity and won his way to the crown by sheer force of
audacity and daring. He began his reign by killing all the possible
aspirants to the throne in the persons of the family of Jeroboam. His
reign was marked by a succession of wars with Judah.)
And it came to pass that, as soon as Baasha was king, he smote all the
house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he
had destroyed him; according unto the saying of the Lord, which he
spoke by the hand of his servant Ahijah the Shilonite: for the sins of
Jeroboam which he sinned, and wherewith he made Israel to sin; because
of his provocation wherewith he provoked the Lord, the God of Israel,
to anger. And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all
their days.
In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah
to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, and reigned twenty and four years.
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in
the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.
And the word of the Lord came to Jehu against Baasha, saying,
"Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the {369} dust, and made thee
prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of
Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to
anger with their sins; behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and
his house; and I will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the
son of Nebat. Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat;
and him that dieth of his in the field shall the fowls of the air
eat."
And Baasha died, and was buried in Tirzah; and Elah his son reigned in
his stead. And moreover by the hand of the prophet Jehu the son of
Hanani came the word of the Lord against Baasha, and against his
house, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the
Lord, to provoke him to anger with the work of his hands, in being
like the house of Jeroboam, and because he smote him.
{370}
ELAH.
(The son of Baasha, the adventurer, seems to have been as weak and
incompetent as his father was ready and daring. While his army was off
to the wars, he stayed at home and indulged his appetites. He was
"drinking himself drunk" in the house of his steward Arza, when Zimri,
captain of his chariots, came in and murdered him in cold blood as he
lay like a beast in the slumber of drunkenness.)
In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son
of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two years. And
his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against
him: now he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of
Arza, which was over the household in Tirzah: and Zimri went in and
smote him, and killed him, and reigned in his stead. 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 a single man child,
neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends. 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, for all the sins of Baasha,
and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned, and wherewith they
made Israel to sin, to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger
with their vanities.
{371}{372}
[Illustration]
MOUNT HERMON.
Mount Hermon, the great mountain barrier of northern Palestine,
rises 9,200 feet above the sea. In the picture the range can be seen
dimly, the ravines being filled with snow.
[End illustration]
{373}
ZIMRI.
(There was wild work in Tirzah for a few days after Zimri killed the
king. He followed up his advantage by assassinating all the children
of Elah, so the house of Baasha, like the house of Jeroboam, was
speedily exterminated. But Zimri's triumph was very short-lived. For
just one week he wore the purple. Then the army returned and fell upon
him. He went into the palace to defend himself, but finding his cause
hopeless, he burned the palace over his own head, and perished in the
flames. His name became a synonym for treachery in Israel, so that
later, when Jezebel looked from her lattice and saw her foe Jehu
below, she called out to him with the taunt, "Is it peace, thou
'Zimri,' thou master's murderer?")
In the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign
seven days in Tirzah. Now the people were encamped against Gibbethon,
which belonged to the Philistines. And the people that were encamped
heard that Zimri had conspired, and had also murdered the king:
wherefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king over
Israel that day in the camp. And Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all
Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. And it came to pass, when
Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the castle of the
king's house, and burnt the king's house over him with fire, and died,
for his sins which he sinned in doing that which was evil in the sight
of the Lord, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which
he did, to make Israel to sin.
{374}
OMRI.
(In the confusion which followed the death of Zimri, there were two
rival claimants to the throne, Omri and Tibni. Omri quickly prevailed,
however, and at once began to show his great genius as a ruler. He
established a dynasty so powerful that it lasted for four reigns. He
built the city of Samaria, and waged many successful wars against
neighboring peoples.)
Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts: half of the
people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half
followed Omri. But the people that followed Omri prevailed against the
people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath: so Tibni died, and Omri
reigned. In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri
to reign over Israel, and reigned twelve years: six years reigned he
in Tirzah. And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of
silver; and he built on the hill, and called the name of the city
which he built, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill,
Samaria. And Omri did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord,
and dealt wickedly above all that were before him. For he walked in
all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sins wherewith he
made Israel to sin, to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger
with their vanities. So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in
Samaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.
{375}{376}
[Illustration]
THE MOABITE STONE.
Used by special permission of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
A monument of a Moabite king, Mesha, in which he describes wars with
Omri, king of Israel. This famous stone was discovered in 1868. The
translation of the inscription is as follows:--
"I, Mesha, am the son of Chemosh-Gad, king of Moab, the Dibonite. My
father reigned over Moab thirty years, and I reigned after my
father. And I erected this stone to Chemosh at Kirkha, a (stone of)
salvation, for he saved me from all despoilers, and made me see my
desire upon all my enemies, even upon Omri, king of Israel. Now
they afflicted Moab many days, for Chemosh was angry with his land.
His son succeeded him; and he also said, I will afflict Moab. In my
days (Chemosh) said, (Let us go) and I will see my desire on him and
his house, and I will destroy Israel with an everlasting
destruction. Now Omri took the land of Medeba, and (the enemy)
occupied it in (his days and in) the days of his son, forty years.
And Chemosh (had mercy) on it in my days; and I fortified Baal-Meon,
and made therein the tank, and I fortified Kiriathaim. For the men
of Gad dwelt in the land of (Atar)oth from of old, and the king (of)
Israel fortified for himself Ataroth, and I assaulted the wall and
captured it, and killed all the warriors of the wall for the
well-pleasing of Chemosh and Moab; and I removed from it all the
spoil, and I (offered) it before Chemosh in Kirjath; and I placed
therein the men of Siran and the men of Mochrath. And Chemosh said
to me, Go take Nebo against Israel. (And I) went in the night, and
I fought against it from the break of dawn till noon, and I took it
and slew in all seven thousand (men, but I did not kill) the women
(and) maidens, for (I) devoted them to Ashtar-Chemosh; and I took
from it the vessels of Yahveh, and offered them before Chemosh. And
the king of Israel fortified Jahaz and occupied it, when he made war
against me; and Chemosh drove him out before (me, and) I took from
Moab two hundred men, all its poor, and placed them in Jahaz, and
took it to annex it to Dibon. I built Kirkha, the wall of the
forest, and the wall of the city, and I built the gates thereof, and
I built the towers thereof, and I built the palace, and I made the
prisons for the criminals within the walls. And there was no cistern
in the wall at Kirkha, and I said to all the people, Make for
yourselves, every man, a cistern in his house. And I dug the ditch
for Kirkha by means of the (captive) men of Israel. I built Aroer,
and I made the road across the Arnon. I built Beth-Bamoth, for it
was destroyed; I built Bezer, for it was cut (down) by the armed men
of Dibon, for all Dibon was now loyal; and I reigned from Bikran,
which I added to my land, and I built (Beth-Gamul) and
Beth-Diblathaim and Beth-Baal-Meon, and I placed there the poor
(people) of the land. And as to Horonaim, (the men of Edom) dwelt
therein (from of old). And Chemosh said to me, Go down, make war
against Horonaim and take (it. And I assaulted it, and I took it,
and) Chemosh (restored it) in my days. Wherefore I made . . . . year
. . . . and I . . . ."
{377}
AHAB.
_How a Wicked King Met His Death_.
(One of the wickedest kings who ever sat upon a throne was Ahab. This
story tells how, while fighting in company with Jehoshaphat, he met his
death in battle, and how the terrible prophecy of Elijah was fulfilled.
With his customary trickiness, he tried to escape notice in the battle,
by making his ally, the king of Judah, conspicuous. An archer, however,
drawing his bow at a venture, struck the king between the joints of his
armor, and inflicted a mortal wound.)
[Footnote: The story of the houses of Ahab and Jehu are told more
fully in "Tales of Elijah and Elisha," to be found in this volume.]
And they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel.
And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of
Judah came down to the king of Israel. And the king of Israel said
unto his servants, "Know ye that Ramoth-gilead is ours, and we are
still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria?"
And he said unto Jehoshaphat, "Wilt thou go with me to battle to
Ramoth-gilead?"
And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "I am as thou art, my
people as thy people, my horses as thy horses."
And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, "Inquire first, I pray
thee, for the word of the Lord."
Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, {378} about
four hundred men, and said unto them, "Shall I go against
Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?"
And they said, "Go up; for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of
the king."
But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not here a prophet of the Lord
besides, that we may inquire of him?"
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man by
whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah: but I hate
him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil."
And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say so." Then the king of
Israel called an officer, and said, "Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of
Imlah."
Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on
his throne, arrayed in their robes, in an open place at the entrance
of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.
And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron, and said,
"Thus saith the Lord, 'With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until
they be consumed.'"
And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead,
and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king."
And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spoke unto him, saying,
"Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with
one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them,
and speak thou good."
And Micaiah said, "As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me,
that will I speak."
{379}
And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, "Micaiah,
shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we forbear?" And he
answered him, "Go up, and prosper; and the Lord shall deliver it into
the hand of the king."
And the king said unto him, "How many times shall I adjure thee that
thou speak unto me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?"
And he said, "I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep
that have no shepherd: and the Lord said, 'These have no master; let
them return every man to his house in peace.'"
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell thee that
he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"
And he said, "Therefore hear thou the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord
sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on
his right hand and on his left. And the Lord said, 'Who shall entice
Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said on
this manner; and another on that manner. And there came forth a
spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, 'I will entice him.'
"And the Lord said unto him, 'Wherewith?'
"And he said, 'I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the
mouth of all his prophets.'
"And he said, 'Thou shalt entice him, and shalt prevail also: go
forth, and do so.'
"Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying {380} spirit in the
mouth of all these thy prophets; and the Lord hath spoken evil
concerning thee."
Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah on the
cheek, and said, "Which way went the spirit of the Lord from me to
speak unto thee?"
And Micaiah said, "Behold, thou shalt see on that day, when thou shalt
go into an inner chamber to hide thyself."
And 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; and say,
'Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with
bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in
peace.'"
And Micaiah said, "If thou return at all in peace, the Lord hath not
spoken by me." And he said, "Hear, ye peoples, all of you."
So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to
Ramoth-gilead. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, "I will
disguise myself, and go into the battle; but put thou on thy robes."
And the king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle.
Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty and two captains of his
chariots, saying, "Fight neither with small nor great, save only with
the king of Israel."
And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw
Jehoshaphat, that they said, "Surely it is the king of Israel"; and
they turned aside to fight against him: and Jehoshaphat cried out.
And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots {381} saw that
it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing
him. And a certain archer drew his bow at a venture, and smote the
king of Israel between the joints of the harness: wherefore he said
unto the driver of his chariot, "Turn thine hand, and carry me out of
the host; for I am sore wounded."
And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his
chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out
of the wound into the bottom of the chariot. And there went a cry
throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, "Every
man to his city, and every man to his country."
So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king
in Samaria. And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria; and
the dogs licked up his blood; according to the word of the Lord which
he spoke.
{382}
AHAZIAH.
_The Brief Reign of an Evil King_.
Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the
seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two
years over Israel. And he did that which was 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, wherein he made
Israel to sin. And he served Baal, and worshiped him, and provoked to
anger the Lord, the God of Israel, according to all that his father
had done.
And Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. And Ahaziah
fell down through the lattice in his upper chamber that was in
Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them,
"Go, inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of
this sickness."
But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Arise, go up
to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, 'Is
it because there is no God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of
Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou
shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt
surely die.'"
And Elijah departed. And the messengers returned unto him, and he said
unto them, "Why is it that ye are returned?"