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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?"
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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.
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THE POOL OF HEZEKIAH IN JERUSALEMFrom 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
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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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 inVol. V.of this series.]