From the Greek Septuagint text as was used by First Century Christians
Likely written by the scribe Ezra around 455-B.C.E.,
covering the history from the start of the reign of Solomon (about 1037-B.C.E.)
to the destruction of JeruSalem and Babylon, and the reign of King Cyrus of Persia (about 559-B.C.E).

Chapter 1

¹ Well, Solomon (the son of David) grew stronger in his kingdom because his God Jehovah was with him and made him great.

² Then Solomon spoke to all the generals, lieutenants, judges, governors of IsraEl, and family heads. ³ And thereafter, he and the entire assembly went to the high place in GibeOn where God's Tent of the Proofs was located that Moses (the servant of Jehovah) had made in the desert. ⁴ But at the time, the Chest of God wasn't there, because David had it carried from the city of KiriAth Jairim [and put it in] a tent that he had pitched for it in JeruSalem. ⁵ However, the bronze Altar that BeSeleEl (the son of UriAh and grandson of Or) had made was still there in front of the Tent of Jehovah, and that's why Solomon and the assembly went there.

⁶ Then Solomon offered a thousand whole burnt offerings as sacrifices to Jehovah there on the bronze Altar before the Tent of the Proofs. ⁷ And that night, God appeared to Solomon and said to him, 'Ask for whatever you wish and I will give it to you.'

⁸ And Solomon said to God, 'You've been extremely kind to my father David, and You've made me the king in his place. ⁹ So, O my God Jehovah, may You prove true to Your Name in all the things that You [promised] to my father David. For, You have made me the king over a people that are as vast as the dust on the ground. ¹⁰ So give me wisdom and understanding for when these people come before me, because, who can judge so many people!'

¹¹ And God said to Solomon, 'Because this is the desire of your heart, and you didn't ask for wealth, possessions, glory, the lives of your enemies, or for a long life, but for the wisdom and understanding to judge My people over whom I have appointed you king, ¹² I give you the wisdom and understanding. However, I am also giving you wealth, possessions, and glory. I'm giving you more than any of the kings that came before you or any who will come after you.'

¹³ So Solomon left The Tent of Proofs in the place of worship in GibeOn, and returned to JeruSalem to begin his reign over IsraEl.

¹⁴ Then Solomon started collecting chariots and horsemen; and [in time] he had a thousand, four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, which he stationed in cities that [he built] to hold the chariots, and he kept many of the men with him in JeruSalem.

¹⁵ And thereafter, the king made silver and gold as common in JeruSalem as stones, and the cedar wood in Judea was as common as mulberry trees in the plains.

¹⁶ Well, Solomon bought horses from Egypt, which he paid for with the [money] that the merchants made in their trading. ¹⁷ For, they would travel to Egypt and buy a chariot for six hundred silver coins, and a horse for a hundred-and-fifty silver coins, and then he would resell them to the kings of the Hittites and the Syrians.

Chapter 2

¹ Then Solomon gave the word to start building the Temple to the Name of Jehovah and a Palace for His Kingdom. ² So he brought together seventy-thousand laborers, eighty-thousand quarry workers (in the mountains), and three thousand, six hundred supervisors.

³ Thereafter, Solomon sent a message to King HiRam of Tyre, saying; 'I know what you did for my father David by sending cedars to build a palace for himself. ⁴ But look; I (his son) am now building a Temple to the Name of my God Jehovah, as a Holy Place for Him. It's a place to burn incense before Him through the ages and a place for Him to always stay, where we can sacrifice whole burnt offerings in the mornings, evenings, on the Sabbaths, during the New Moons, and on the Lord's holidays. I'm doing this for IsraEl.

⁵ 'Now, the Temple that I am to build will be great, because our God Jehovah is greater than all other gods. ⁶ Why, who is mighty enough to build a House for Him, since the sky and the heavens above can't bear His glory? And who am I to build a Temple to Him? Why, [I'm not qualified] to burn incense before Him. ⁷ So, please send me a wise man who knows how to work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron; and with blue [thread], purple [yarn], and scarlet cloth. [He must be able to take the lead] over those wise ones who are with me in Judah and JeruSalem, when it comes to carving the things that have been prepared by my father David.

⁸ 'Also, please send me cedar, juniper, and pine boards from Lebanon, because your servants know how to cut up the timber of Lebanon, and {Look!} your servants can direct my servants. ⁹ [I will send them to you] to bring back large quantities of timber for the great and glorious Temple that I am to build.

¹⁰ And look; I will send along gifts of grain as food for your servants who will cut the trees… a hundred-and-forty thousand bushels of wheat, a hundred-and-forty thousand bushels of barley, twenty-thousand jugs of wine, and twenty-thousand jugs of olive oil.'

¹¹ So King HiRam of Tyre sent a letter to Solomon that said, 'Jehovah must love His people to put such a king over them.' ¹² And he added, 'Praise Jehovah the God of IsraEl who made the heavens and the earth, and who gave King David such a wise son who knows enough and understands enough to build a Temple to Him and a Palace for His Kingdom.

¹³ 'Now, I have sent a man to you who is wise and knowledgeable; my servant HiRam. Why, his mother is one of the daughters of Dan, although his father is from Tyre. And he knows how to work with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood; and he knows how to weave blue [thread], purple [yarn], scarlet [cloth], and linen, and how to do carving. ¹⁴ He's good at doing everything that you will assign him to do alongside your wise men and the wise men of your father, my lord David.

¹⁵ 'And concerning the grain, barley, olive oil, and wine that my lord spoke of; let him send it to his servants ¹⁶ and we will cut all the trees of Lebanon that you need and send it on the sea to JopPa by barge. Then you can then carry it on to JeruSalem.'

¹⁷ So Solomon gathered all the foreign men in the land of IsraEl that had been counted by his father David, and he found that there were a hundred and fifty-three thousand, six hundred of them. ¹⁸ Then seventy thousand were put to work loading carriers, eighty thousand were put to work in the mountain quarries, and three thousand, six hundred were assigned as the supervisors.

Chapter 3

¹ Then Solomon started construction on the Temple of Jehovah on Mount MoriAh in JeruSalem, where Jehovah had appeared to his father David on the threshing floor that he had [bought] from Ornan the Jebusite. ² He started construction in the second month of the fourth year of his reign.

³ And when Solomon built the Temple of God, he made it a hundred feet long and thirty-three feet wide. ⁴ Then the columned porch that adjoined its full width along the front, was thirty-three feet wide and thirty-three feet high.

Inside, it was totally covered in pure gold. ⁵ It was a large building made of cedar wood that had been covered in pure gold and engraved with palms and chain work. ⁶ Valuable stones were then added to make the Temple more glorious. Using gold that he got from PharaOh Aim, ⁷ he gilded the Temple's walls, gatehouses, roofing, and doorways, and he carved cherubs on its walls.

⁸ Next, he made the Holy of Holies. Its width (running along the front of the Temple) was thirty-three feet, and it was thirty-three feet long. Then he had it covered with thirteen-tons of gold. ⁹ And the weight of each nail was the same as the weight of fifty gold coins. The upper rooms were also covered in gold.

¹⁰ Then inside the Temple, facing the Holy of Holies, he made two cherubs of durable wood that were covered with gold. ¹¹ They both stood thirty-three feet tall, and their wings were each eight feet long, ¹² touching the Temple walls on one side and touching each other [in the middle]. ¹³ Their [combined] wingspan was thirty-two feet, and they stood on their feet with their faces toward the [Holy].

¹⁴ Then he made the veil of blue [thread], purple [yarn], scarlet [cloth], and linen that was woven into [the shape of] cherubs.

¹⁵ And in front of the Temple there were two columns that each stood fifty-feet tall, and their caps were each eight-feet tall. ¹⁶ Then he made a chain-work for the corners that was put on the column caps, and a hundred pomegranate figures were mounted over the chain-work. ¹⁷ These columns were located on each side of the [entrance to] the Temple, and he named the one on the right Success, and the one on the left Strength.

Chapter 4

¹ Then he built a bronze Altar that was thirty-three feet long, thirty-three feet wide, and sixteen feet high. ² And after that, he had the [Sacred] Sea cast. It was round and sixteen feet in diameter. It stood eight-feet high and it was fifty-feet around. ³ This bathing tub [was resting on metal] calves that were standing in a sixteen-foot circle beneath it. ⁴ There were twelve calves that were cast in two types… three looked north, three looked west, three looked south, and three looked east, with their backsides facing inward, and the Sea sat on top of them.

⁵ [The Sea] looked like a palm in the middle, and its rim was like the edge of a cup, with carved lily buds [all around]. And it had a capacity of twenty-thousand gallons.

⁶ And after he finished that, he made ten washbasins, five of which were put on the right and five on the left. They were used to wash and rinse those who sacrificed the whole burnt offerings. However, the Sea could only be used by the Priests for washing.

⁷ Then he made ten of the unique gold lampstands and put them in the Temple, five on the right, and five on the left. ⁸ And he made ten tables and put them in the Temple… five on the right and five on the left. And he made a hundred gold bowls.

⁹ Next, he made the Courtyard of the Priests. It was very large, and it had bronze doorways.

¹⁰ He located the [Sacred] Sea next to the corner of the Temple, on the right side to the east.

¹¹ Then HiRam made the meat hooks, the censers, the grate for the Altar, and all the other items. For by then, he had completed the rest of the work on the Temple of God for King Solomon. ¹² He had made two columns with bases and caps. These caps had a meshwork that covered the tops. ¹³ And he made four hundred gold bells to cover the tops of the meshwork, and two kinds of pomegranates to cover the mesh on the bottom sides of the column caps.

¹⁴ HiRam made the ten wash tubs and their bases, ¹⁵ the Sacred Sea with the twelve calves beneath it, ¹⁶ the foot basins, ladles, cooking pots, meat hooks, and everything else. Then he brought it all to King Solomon at the Temple of Jehovah. It was all made of pure bronze ¹⁷ that he had cast for the king in a temporary structure, which he had built underground near the Jordan.

¹⁸ Solomon had a tremendous number of items made, because he had more than enough bronze. ¹⁹ He had everything made [that was needed] for the Temple of Jehovah, including the gold Altar, the tables, the place settings for the bread, ²⁰ the unique lampstands and their lamps for lighting [the Temple], which were all made from pure gold. ²¹ And there were the tongs, lamps, bowls, and incense pans, which were also made of pure gold, ²² as were the Temple doors and the inner door to the Holy of Holies.

Chapter 5

¹ After Solomon finished construction on the Temple of Jehovah, he carried in all the holy things of his father David (the things made of silver and gold) and put them into the Temple treasury. ² And thereafter, he held an assembly in JeruSalem of all the elders of IsraEl, all the tribal heads, and all the family heads of the sons of IsraEl, as they brought the Chest of the Sacred Agreement of Jehovah out of the city of David, which was on [Mount] Zion.

³ So, all IsraEl assembled with the king during the holiday of the seventh month, ⁴ including all the elders. Then the Levites picked up the Chest ⁵ and carried it to the Tent of Proofs, along with all the holy items, which the Priests and Levites were also carrying.

⁶ Then Solomon and the entire assembly of the God-fearing who had gathered there around the Chest, sacrificed so many calves and sheep that they couldn't be counted.

⁷ So the Priests carried the Chest of the Sacred Agreement of Jehovah and placed it inside the Temple, inside the Holy of Holies, beneath the wings of the cherubs. ⁸ And there it sat beneath the spread wings of the cherubs that watched over the Chest, with its bearing poles lying across the top. ⁹ And the bearing poles could be seen sticking through the covering to the Holy of Holies, but they couldn't be seen from outside [of the Temple]. Yet, they are still there to this day.

¹⁰ Nothing was in the Chest except the two tablets, which Moses had put there at The Dry Place (Horeb), when Jehovah made the [Agreement] with the sons of IsraEl after they left the land of Egypt.

¹¹ Then the Priests came out of the Holy Place. At the time, all the Priests were viewed as holy, since the assignments and the daily rotations ¹² had yet to be made among the Levites.

But then the musicians and singers from the families of Asaph, Heman, and IdiThoum (and those who were with them) dressed themselves in fine linen and stood in front of the Altar with their cymbals, stringed instruments, and woodwinds, along with a hundred and twenty Priests who blew their trumpets. ¹³ And they played a loud symphony, which was accompanied by singing, to acknowledge and praise Jehovah. Then the voices, trumpets, cymbals, and the other musical instruments reached a crescendo, singing, 'Jehovah is good and His mercies will last through the ages.'

And at that, the glorious cloud of Jehovah started to fill the Temple. ¹⁴ So, the Priests were no longer able to stand there and serve before the face of the cloud, because the glory of Jehovah was filling the Temple of God.

Chapter 6

¹ Then Solomon said, 'Jehovah says that He camps in a dark place. ² So I have built a House to Your Name as something holy to You… a place for You to camp through the ages.'

³ Then the king turned his head and blest the entire gathering of IsraEl as they were standing nearby. ⁴ And he said, 'Praise Jehovah the God of IsraEl, who spoke to my father David with His mouth, and who filled his hands saying, ⁵ From the day that I led My people out of the land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from among any of the tribes of IsraEl to build a [Temple] to My Name. Nor have I chosen a man to be a leader over My people IsraEl. ⁶ But now I have chosen JeruSalem as the place for My Name, and I have chosen David to lead My people IsraEl.

⁷ 'Then it came into the heart of my father David to build a Temple to the Name of Jehovah the God of IsraEl. ⁸ But Jehovah said to my father David, It's a good thing that your heart has been moved to build a Temple to My Name. ⁹ However, you may not build it for Me. Your son who comes from your loins will build a Temple to My Name.

¹⁰ 'Now, Jehovah has made the thing that He said come true, for I have taken the place of my father David, and I am sitting on the throne of IsraEl, just as Jehovah said. And now I've built a Temple to the Name of Jehovah the God of IsraEl. ¹¹ I've also put the Chest of the Sacred Agreement of Jehovah, which He made with IsraEl, there.'

¹² Then [he walked over] and stood against the Altar of Jehovah and raised his arms before the assembly of IsraEl. ¹³ For Solomon had made a bronze platform in the midst of the Temple courtyard that was eight-feet long, eight-feet wide, and five-feet high. So, he got up on it and fell to his knees before the whole assembly of IsraEl; then he raised his arms to the sky ¹⁴ and said: 'Oh Jehovah, God of IsraEl; There is no other god like You in the heavens or on the earth who keeps his agreements and shows mercy, as You have shown to Your children who are now standing before You with their whole hearts. ¹⁵ You kept [the agreement] that You made with Your servant David (my father), which You promised with Your mouth, and with which You've filled Your hands to this day.

¹⁶ 'And now, O Jehovah, God of IsraEl; keep [the promise] that you made with Your servant David (my father) when You said, There will never fail to be a man from you who sits before My face on the throne of IsraEl, for as long as your sons are careful to always obey My Laws, as you have done before Me.'

¹⁷ 'And now, O Jehovah, God of IsraEl; May the things that You said to Your servant David prove to be true; ¹⁸ that You will for a fact live as God upon the earth. But if the sky and the heavens of the heavens aren't enough to hold You, then how can this House that I built do so?

¹⁹ 'Please hear the prayers of Your servant, and listen to these things that I'm begging before You, O Jehovah God; please answer the prayers and petitions that Your servant has brought before You today. ²⁰ May Your eyes watch over this Temple day and night… this place that You said would be called by Your Name. Hear the prayer that Your servant is praying in this place… ²¹ listen to whatever things that Your servant and Your people IsraEl pray for in this place. Listen from the place where You are staying in the heavens and be forgiving. ²² For, if a man should sin against his neighbor and [the neighbor] then comes before the Altar at this Temple to curse him, ²³ listen to him from the heavens and act. Judge Your servants, and bring the bad ways of lawbreakers upon their own heads. Give justice to the just, and repay each one for his righteousness.

²⁴ 'And if Your people IsraEl should be devastated by their enemies for sinning against You, and then return and acknowledge Your Name and pray and beg before You in this Temple, ²⁵ please listen from the heavens and forgive Your people IsraEl. Then return the land that You gave to them and to their ancestors.

²⁶ 'And if You should hold back the skies so there is no rain, because of their sinning against You, and they come and pray and praise Your Name in this place, turning away from their sins because You have humbled them; ²⁷ listen to them from the heavens and forgive the sins of your servants and of your people IsraEl. Then show them the good ways to go, and bring rain upon Your land that you have given to Your people as their inheritance.

²⁸ 'Or if a famine comes upon the land, or a killing plague, or a wind-blown blight, or jaundice, or locust, or grasshoppers; or if an enemy should attack their cities – whatever the calamity or misery – ²⁹ please listen to the things that they beg and pray for. And if any man among all Your people IsraEl knows of a man who has an infection and has become disabled, and then he raises his arms toward this Temple, ³⁰ please listen to him from the Home that has been prepared for You and from the heavens, and forgive the man. Know his heart and give him the things he deserves. For, only You know the hearts of the sons of men. ³¹ May they all fear Your ways for as long as they live on the face of the land that You gave to their ancestors.

³² 'And when foreigners who are not of Your people IsraEl come from far-away lands because of Your great Name, strong hand, and raised arm, and they come to pray in this place, ³³ listen to them from Your Home in the heavens and do everything that they ask, so all the people of the earth will know Your Name and fear You, as do Your people IsraEl. And may they recognize that this Temple, which I built, bears Your Name.

³⁴ 'And if Your people go to war against their enemies – wherever You may send them – and they pray in the direction of this city that You chose, and toward this Temple that I've built to Your Name; ³⁵ listen from the heavens to the things that they beg and pray for, and bring them justice.

³⁶ 'And when they sin against You (for there isn no man who doesn't sin) and You strike them and hand them over to their enemies, and they are carried away as captives to lands that are near or far away, ³⁷ and they then turn their hearts to the land from which they were taken, and turn and beg to You in their captivity, saying, We have sinned! We have broken [Your] Laws! We were wrong! ³⁸ and then they return to You with their whole hearts and souls, and to this land from which they were taken captive, and pray toward the land that You gave to them and their ancestors, and toward this city which You chose, and toward this Temple that I have built to Your Name; ³⁹ listen to the things that they beg and pray for from Your home in the heavens, and bring them justice. Forgive Your people for their sins against You, O Jehovah. Open Your eyes and ears to the things that people beg for [in the direction of] this place!

⁴¹ 'And now, O Jehovah our God; Awaken from Your rest when it comes to this Chest of Your strength, and to Your Priests, O Lord our God. May they wrap themselves in Your salvation, and may Your sons rejoice in good things!

⁴² O Jehovah our God; Don't turn Your face away from Your anointed one. Remember the [goodness] of Your servant David!'

Chapter 7

¹ Then, as Solomon was finishing his prayer, fire came down from the sky and consumed the whole burnt offerings and the sacrifices; and the glory of Jehovah filled the Temple. ² So the Priests couldn't enter the Temple at that time, because the glory of Jehovah filled the Temple.

³ Now, when all the sons of IsraEl saw the fire come down and the glory of Jehovah in the Temple, they all fell to the stone pavement with their faces to the ground, bowing low and praising Jehovah, [saying], 'He is good, and He is merciful through the ages.'

⁴ And then the king and all the people offered [more] sacrifices before Jehovah. ⁵ King Solomon offered twenty-two thousand calves and a hundred-and-twenty thousand sheep. And with that, he and all the people dedicated the Temple of God.

⁶ Meanwhile, the Priests were standing watch, and the Levites were playing songs that were written to Jehovah by King David on their [musical] instruments, [and singing] the songs they had written, which acknowledged before Jehovah His mercy through the ages. Then the Priests stood out in front and blew their trumpets, as the people stood there [listening].

⁷ Thereafter, Solomon made the middle of the courtyard of the Temple of Jehovah holy by sacrificing whole burnt offerings and the fat of salvation. However, the bronze Altar that Solomon had made wasn't large enough to handle all the whole burnt offerings, gift offerings, and fat.

⁸ Well, Solomon observed the holiday for seven days, and all IsraEl stayed there with him; for it was a huge crowd that had come from as far away as the entrance to HaMath and the River of Egypt. ⁹ Then on the eighth day, he proclaimed a holiday recess to the Altar dedication, since they had already celebrated the holiday during the previous seven days. ¹⁰ So, on the twenty-third day of the seventh month, he sent the people back to their homes, and they all left joyfully and with happy hearts over all the good things that Jehovah had done to David, Solomon, and His people IsraEl.

¹¹ Now, Solomon had completed the Temple of Jehovah, his own palace, and everything else that he wanted to do for the Temple of Jehovah, and his house prospered. ¹² Then Jehovah appeared to Solomon one night and said to him: 'I've heard your prayers, and I've chosen this place for Myself as a Temple for sacrifices. ¹³ So, if I should stop up the sky and not allow it to rain, or if I should send locusts to eat all the trees, or if I should send a deadly plague among My people, ¹⁴ and then they become ashamed and once more have My Name called upon them, and they pray to Me and search for My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will listen to them from the heavens, forgive their sins, and heal their land; ¹⁵ for My eyes will be open and My ears will pay close attention to the prayers of these people.

¹⁶ 'I have also chosen this Temple and made it holy to My Name through the ages, so it will remain in My eyes and in My heart each day. ¹⁷ And if you come before Me, as did your father David, and do everything that I tell you to do, following My instructions and Commandments, ¹⁸ I will elevate the throne of your kingdom, just as I promised your father David when I said, No [descendant] of yours will be removed from the leadership of IsraEl.

¹⁹ 'However, if you should turn away and abandon My instructions and the Commandments that I've set before you, and go and serve other gods and bow before them, ²⁰ I will remove all of you from the land that I've given to you, and I will turn My face away from this Temple that I've made holy to My Name, and make it an example that will be talked about among the nations. ²¹ Then people who pass by this Temple that I've made so important will be shocked and ask, Why did Jehovah do all this to this land and to this house? ²² And they will be told, Because they abandoned Jehovah, the God of their ancestors who led them out of the land of Egypt, and they started following other gods, bowing before them and serving them. That's why God has brought all these bad things upon them.'

Chapter 8

¹ It was some twenty years after Solomon finished building the Temple of Jehovah and his own palace, ² that he started developing the cities which HiRam had given to him, and he settled the sons of IsraEl there. ³ He went to ZoBah (in HaMath) and strengthened its defenses, ⁴ then he built Tadmor in the desert, and he built several other fortified cities in HaMath. ⁵ He also built both Upper and Lower BethHoron, and he fortified them all with walls, bars, and gates; and that's where he kept his chariots and cavalry. ⁶ Then Solomon did all the things he wanted to do in JeruSalem, Lebanon, and throughout his kingdom.

⁷ Those who were left in the land that were descendants of the Hittites, Amorites, Pherezites, Hivites, and Jebusites (all those who weren't IsraElites) ⁸ and who hadn't been destroyed by IsraEl, were forced by Solomon to pay a tribute (which they still pay to this day). ⁹ And Solomon didn't appoint any IsraElites as servants in his kingdom, for these were his warriors, governors, great men, and those who were in charge of his chariots and cavalry. ¹⁰ There were two-hundred-and-fifty [of them] who were governors that King Solomon had appointed over the supervisors of public works among the people.

¹¹ Then Solomon built a palace for the daughter of PharaOh outside the city of David, where he sent her to live. For he said: 'You may not live as the wife of the king of IsraEl inside the city of David, for it is holy due to the fact that the Chest of Jehovah is there.'

¹² Solomon also sacrificed whole burnt offerings on the Altar that he built to Jehovah (in front of the Temple) ¹³ on each of the days that they calculated by the Commandments of Moses… on the Sabbaths, on the [New Moons], and on the three annual holidays (the Festival of fermentation-free Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Temporary Dwellings).

¹⁴ Then, following the instructions of his father David; he set up the divisions of the Priests and assigned their duties. He assigned the watches for the Levites, and for when they were to direct the other priests (as he understood it was to be handled each day), as well as the shifts for the gatekeepers of each of the gates. He did just as David (the man of God) had instructed… ¹⁵ all the commandments of the king were followed when it came to the Priests, Levites, and everything that had to do with the [Temple] treasures.

¹⁶ Solomon continued to set everything in order from the day that the Temple foundation was laid, to the day that it was completed. ¹⁷ Then Solomon built EziOn and Geber in ElAth by the Sea (in the land of Idumea). ¹⁸ And HiRam sent some of his servants (who were able seamen) with boats to be used by Solomon's servants, and they went to Ophir where they brought back fourteen-tons of gold to King Solomon.

Chapter 9

¹ Well, when the Queen of SheBa heard of Solomon's reputation, she came to JeruSalem to test him with riddles. And when she came, it was with a very large contingent of [servants] and with camels that carried huge amounts of aromatics, gold, and gems. And when she spoke to Solomon, she talked about everything that concerned her; ² then Solomon replied to everything that she asked, not missing a word.

³ Well, after the Queen of SheBa saw the Wisdom of Solomon, the Temple he had built, ⁴ the food on his tables, what his servants looked like, the stations and uniforms of his wine servers, and all the whole burnt offerings that he sacrificed at the Temple of Jehovah, she was beside herself. ⁵ And she said to the king, 'Everything that I heard in my own land about you and the wise things you say, are true! ⁶ However, I didn't believe any of it until I came and saw it with my own eyes. And look, they didn't tell me half the story, because I've [learned] so much from your wisdom! ⁷ Why, your men and your servants are blest to be able to always stand before you and listen to your wisdom. ⁸ May your God Jehovah be praised for choosing you and putting you on His throne as the king. Your God Jehovah must have a great love for IsraEl and [and must plan] for it to last through the ages, that He would put you as king over them as their righteous judge.'

⁹ Then she gave the king three-and-a-half tons of gold and a huge amount of aromatics and gems. And the aromatics that she gave him were without equal.

¹⁰ Then Solomon and HiRam's servants brought gold to Solomon from Ophir, as well as pine lumber and precious gems. ¹¹ The king used the wood to build the entryway stairs to the Temple of Jehovah, and to his palace, as well as harps and other stringed instruments for his musicians. And nothing like this had ever been seen before in the land of Judah.

¹² Then King Solomon gave the Queen of SheBa everything she desired and had asked for… which exceeded the [gifts] that she had brought to Solomon; and she returned to her land.

¹³ Well, the weight of the gold that was brought to Solomon that year was twenty tons. ¹⁴ And this was in addition to what his men had gained in their trading. For, all the kings of Arabia and all the governors of the land brought gold and silver to the king. ¹⁵ So Solomon had two hundred shields of pure gold hammered out, which were each made with six hundred gold coins, ¹⁶ and three hundred shields of three hundred gold coins each, which were then taken and hung in the king's palace, in [the room he called] the Forest of Lebanon.

¹⁷ Then the king had a huge throne made for himself from ivory tusks that were covered with pure gold. ¹⁸ And he had six steps to the throne that were overlaid with gold. There was a drop-off on either side of the throne, ¹⁹ and there were twelve [carved] lions on either side of the throne that were positioned along the drop-off, on the six steps leading up to the king's throne. Nothing like this was ever seen in any other kingdom.

²⁰ Everything that King Solomon had was made of gold, and everything in his palace and in the Forest of Lebanon was overlaid with gold. For, during the time of Solomon, silver was considered as nothing.

²¹ The king's ships would sail to TarShish with the servants of HiRam once every three years, and they would return to the king filled with gold, silver, ivory, and monkeys. ²² So Solomon became greater than all other kings in both wealth and wisdom, ²³ and all the kings of the earth would come before Solomon to listen to the wisdom that God had put into his heart. ²⁴ And when they came, they each brought gifts… items of gold and silver, clothes, balsam, spices, horses, and mules, which they did each year.

²⁵ So Solomon soon had four thousand mares for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, who he stationed in the cities that he built for his chariots, as well as with him in JeruSalem. ²⁶ He also ruled over all the kings, from the river and the land of the Philistines to the borders of Egypt.

²⁷ During his reign, gold and silver in JeruSalem became as common as stones, and cedar wood was as common as sycamores in the plains. ²⁸ Solomon also had horses delivered from Egypt and many other lands.

²⁹ The rest of the things that Solomon said – from beginning to end – [Look!] were written by the Prophet Nathan, by AhiJah the ShiLonite, and in the visions of the Seer JoEl, who saw things concerning JeroBoam (the son of NaBat).

³⁰ So, Solomon reigned over all of IsraEl for forty years. ³¹ Then he went to sleep and they buried him in a tomb in the city of David (his father), and his son RehoBoam started ruling in his place.

Chapter 10

¹ Well, RehoBoam went to SheChem, for there is where he was to receive his coronation as king over IsraEl. ² And when JeroBoam (the son of NaBat) heard of it, he returned from Egypt where he had been living since he had to flee from King Solomon, ³ because the assembly of IsraEl had called for him. And when he got there, he and the entire assembly went to the king and said, ⁴ 'Your father put a hard yoke on us. So now, free us from the hard service and the heavy yoke that your father put us under, and we will serve you.'

⁵ And [RehoBoam] replied: 'Leave me for three days, and then return [for an answer].' So the people left.

⁶ Well, King RehoBoam assembled all the older men who had served his father Solomon during his entire life, and asked, 'How do you suggest that I answer the people?'

⁷ And they told him: 'If you give a good reply to these people today and think well of them, they will serve you for as long as you live.'

⁸ However, he rejected this advice of the older men and listened to the advice of the younger men that he had grown up with, and whom he had chosen as his councilors. ⁹ For when he asked them, 'What do you suggest that I tell these people who came before me and asked me to remove the yoke that my father put on them?', ¹⁰ the young men who had been raised with him replied, 'When you speak to them say: Why, my little finger is greater than the loins of my father. ¹¹ So, if my father disciplined you with a heavy load, I will add to the weight of your yoke. And if my father disciplined you with whips, I will discipline you with scorpions!'

¹² So, when all the people and JeroBoam came before RehoBoam on the third day (for the king had said, 'Return to me on the third day'), ¹³ the king gave them the hard answer, because he had rejected the council of the older men, and he told them what the younger men had suggested. He said, ¹⁴ 'My father put you under a heavy yoke, so I will add to it. And my father disciplined you with whips, so I will discipline you with scorpions.'

¹⁵ The [reason why the] king had refused to listen to what the people said, was because God had caused the words that He said through AhiJah the ShiLonite concerning JeroBoam (the son of NaBat) ¹⁶ and all IsraEl to be fulfilled, and kept him from listening to them.

¹⁷ Then the people said to the king, 'What [do we owe] David and the inheritance of the sons of JesSeh? Run to your Tents, O IsraEl! And you return to your own house, O David!'

So, all the men of IsraEl returned to their homes, and RehoBoam only ruled over those who lived in Judah. ¹⁸ For, when King RehoBoam sent AdoniRam to collect their taxes, they threw rocks at him and killed him… and King RehoBoam had to run to his chariot to flee back to [the safety of] JeruSalem. ¹⁹ So, IsraEl annulled their allegiance to the house of David, which is still true today.

Chapter 11

¹ Well, when RehoBoam returned to JeruSalem, he called an assembly of Judah and BenJamin – a hundred and eighty thousand young men – for the purpose of going to war. Then he went off to fight IsraEl, in order to bring them back under his rule. ² But Jehovah told the Man of God ShemaiAh, ³ 'Tell RehoBoam (the son of Solomon, the king Judah) and all IsraEl, Judah, and BenJamin, that Jehovah says you must not go and attack your brothers. Everyone must just go back home, because I have said this!'

⁴ As the result, they obeyed the words of Jehovah and they didn't attack JeroBoam. ⁵ So RehoBoam [reigned] in JeruSalem and he built [many] fortified cities throughout Judah. ⁶ He also refortified BethLehem, AiTan, Thekoe, ⁷ BethSoura, SocChoth, OdolLam, ⁸ Gath, MariSan, Ziph, ⁹ AdoRaim, LachIsh, Azeka, ¹⁰ SaraA, AiLom, and Hebron (in Judah and in BenJamin). ¹¹ He built strong walls around them and appointed governors over them, then he sent them provisions of food, olive oil, and wine, ¹² and he armed each city with shields and spears. He made all the cities that he ruled in Judah and BenJamin very strong.

¹³ Then all the Priests and Levites who had been scattered throughout IsraEl left their homes and came to him. ¹⁴ They left their homes and all their possessions, and moved to Judah and unto JeruSalem, because JeroBoam and his sons drove them out, so they wouldn't represent [Jehovah in his land]. ¹⁵ For, he had assigned his own priests for the high places, his idols, his foolish things, and the calves that he made. ¹⁶ He also drove out everyone of the tribes of IsraEl whose hearts belonged to Jehovah the God of IsraEl. And they all moved to JeruSalem, where they could sacrifice to Jehovah the God of their ancestors. ¹⁷ So the [influx of] all these people strengthened RehoBoam (the son of Solomon) and the kingdom of Judah, for he followed in the way of David and Solomon for three years.

¹⁸ RehoBoam had married MolLath (the daughter of David's son JeriMoth and of AbiGail, the daughter of JesSeh's son EliAb), ¹⁹ and she gave birth to her sons JaOus, ShamariJa, and ZaAm. ²⁰ Then he married MaAchah (AbSalom's daughter), and she gave birth to AbiJah, JetThi, ZeZa, and SalemOth.

²¹ Now, RehoBoam loved AbSalom's daughter MaAcha more than his other wives and concubines (he had eighteen wives and thirty concubines, and he fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters), ²² so he appointed MaAcha's son AbiJah over his brothers to become king after him, ²³ and he became very powerful throughout the fortified cities and borders of Judah and BenJamin. He also sent huge amounts of provisions to them, but he asked for many wives.

Chapter 12

¹ Well, once RehoBoam was firmly established on his throne, he abandoned the Commandments of Jehovah, and all IsraEl followed along. ² Then in the fifth year of the reign of RehoBoam, Shishak (the king of Egypt) attacked JeruSalem, because they had sinned against Jehovah. ³ He came with twelve hundred chariots, sixty thousand cavalrymen, and innumerable soldiers from Egypt, Libya, SukKia, and Ethiopia, ⁴ and they captured all the fortified cities of Judah… then they came to JeruSalem.

⁵ Thereafter, the Prophet ShemaiAh went to RehoBoam and the governors of Judah who had fled to JeruSalem, and said to them, 'Jehovah says, You have abandoned Me, so I will abandon you into the hands of Shishak.'

⁶ Well, the king and all the governors of Judah were ashamed, and they said, 'Jehovah is just.'

⁷ And when Jehovah saw their shame, He sent word to ShemaiAh, saying, 'They feel ashamed, so I won't destroy them totally. I will give them some small consideration, and I won't pour out all My rage upon JeruSalem. ⁸ They will become My servants and they'll come to know what serving Me really means… and what it means to serve the kingdom of this land.'

⁹ Then Shishak (the king of Egypt) attacked JeruSalem and took all the treasures that were in the Temple of Jehovah, as well as all the treasures in the king's palace, including the gold shields that Solomon had made ¹⁰ (which RehoBoam later replaced with brass shields). Then Shishak stationed his own guards in the king's gatehouse, ¹¹ so whenever the king went to the Temple of Jehovah, they would go along and watch him, and then return with him.

¹² Well, because he felt ashamed, the anger of Jehovah turned away from him and he didn't remain corrupt to the end. So things went well for Judah, ¹³ as RehoBoam continued reigning in JeruSalem, and he started to regain his power.

RehoBoam was forty-one-years-old when he started his reign, and he ruled in JeruSalem (the city from among all the tribes of IsraEl where Jehovah chose to put His Name) for seventeen years. His mother's name was NoOmMa (she was an AmMonite). ¹⁴ But he continued to act wickedly, because he could never straighten out his heart toward seeking Jehovah.

¹⁵ [Look!] All the words of RehoBoam (from beginning to end) and all the things he did were recorded by the Prophet ShemaiAh and by the Seer AdDo.

RehoBoam stayed in a state of war with JeroBoam throughout his life. ¹⁶ Then he died and was buried in a tomb with his ancestors in the city of David, and his son AbiJah became king after him.

Chapter 13

¹ In the eighteenth year of the reign of JeroBoam, AbiJah started reigning over Judah, ² and he reigned in JeruSalem for three years. His mother's name was MaAcha, and she was the daughter of OuriEl from GibeOn.

[During the lifetime of] AbiJah, there was war between him and JeroBoam. ³ For, AbiJah brought together a huge force of four-hundred-thousand mighty warriors, and JeroBoam came against him with an even larger army of eight-hundred-thousand mighty warriors. ⁴ Then AbiJah stood on Mount SomorOn (in the mountains of Ephraim) and shouted: 'Hear me, O JeroBoam and all IsraEl; ⁵ Don't you know that Jehovah the God of IsraEl appointed King David to rule over IsraEl through the ages, and that He made a salt agreement with his sons? ⁶ And then JeroBoam, the son of NaBat and the servant of David's son Solomon rebelled against his lord ⁷ and gathered a group of troublemakers and lawbreakers to come against Solomon's son RehoBoam. And because RehoBoam was then young and timid at heart, he didn't oppose him face-to-face.

⁸ 'And now you dare to speak of resisting the kingdom of Jehovah and the hands of the sons of David, and you've gathered a huge army against us. But your gods are the gold calves that JeroBoam made for you. ⁹ Didn't you drive out the Priests of Jehovah… the sons of Aaron and the Levites? And didn't you choose your own priests from among the people of the land, so just anyone who came and offered seven rams was made the priest of something that isn't even a God? ¹⁰ But we have Jehovah as our God, and we haven't abandoned Him! His Priests, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, still serve before Jehovah in their daily rotations and offer whole burnt offerings to Jehovah in the mornings and evenings. They also burn the [sacred] incense, lay the [sacred] bread loaves on the table, and serve before the sacred lampstand of pure gold, keeping the lamps burning to light the nights.

¹¹ 'We're the ones who guard the watches of Jehovah the God of our ancestors, and you're the ones who have abandoned Him. ¹² So {Look!} Jehovah is leading us, and His Priests are blowing the signal trumpets that testify against you and the sons of IsraEl. You can't fight against Jehovah the God of your ancestors, because what you're doing won't be blest!'

¹³ Well at the time, [part of] JeroBoam's [army] was marching around Judah to ambush them from behind. So, while JeroBoam was there in the front, an ambush was forming behind Judah. Then, when the army of Judah looked around, ¹⁴ they found that they were being attacked from the front and from the rear. So they yelled to Jehovah and the Priests started blowing their trumpets. ¹⁵ And when the men of Judah started calling to Jehovah, He struck JeroBoam and IsraEl, there before AbiJah and Judah. ¹⁶ And then the sons of IsraEl turned and ran from Judah. So Jehovah saved them from their hands.

¹⁷ Then AbiJah and his men attacked, causing a great calamity for IsraEl, for they killed five-hundred-thousand of their mighty men. ¹⁸ So the sons of IsraEl were disgraced that day, and the sons of Judah became stronger, because they trusted in Jehovah the God of their ancestors.

¹⁹ Well, AbiJah pursued JeroBoam and captured the cities of BethEl and her surrounding towns, JeShanah and her surrounding towns, and EphRon and her surrounding towns. ²⁰ So JeroBoam was no longer strong during the rest of AbiJah's lifetime, because Jehovah struck him and ended him. ²¹ But AbiJah grew stronger and took fourteen wives for himself, fathering twenty sons and sixteen daughters.

²² All the rest of the things that AbiJah said and did are written in the scroll of the Prophet AdDo.

Chapter 14

¹ Then AbiJah died and they buried him in a tomb with his ancestors in the city of David, and his son Asa started reigning after him.

During the life of Asa, all was quiet in the land of Judah for ten years, ² and he did good things and was righteous before his God Jehovah. ³ He removed all the [pagan] altars and high places [of worship], he broke down their monuments, and he cut down their sacred poles. ⁴ Then he urged Judah to search for Jehovah, the God of their ancestors, and to obey His Laws and Commandments. ⁵ Throughout Judah he had all the altars and idols destroyed, and he brought peace to all the walled cities in the land. ⁶ So everything was peaceful, and there were no wars during that period, because Jehovah gave him rest.

⁷ Then [Asa] said to the people of Judah: 'We should rebuild all our cities and give them walls, towers, gates, and bars. For, since we've been searching for our God Jehovah, He has been searching for us, and He's provided us rest all around and blest us.'

⁸ Now at the time, Asa had three-hundred-thousand armed soldiers from the land of Judah who each carried shields and spears, and two-hundred-and-eighty-thousand bowmen with small shields, from the land of BenJamin. And they were all powerful warriors.

⁹ Then Zare the Ethiopian came against them with a million troops and three hundred chariots. ¹⁰ And when he reached MariSha, Asa came to meet him and attacked him in the ravine north of the city. ¹¹ Then Asa called to Jehovah his God and said, 'O Jehovah; It isn't impossible for You to save with many or with few, so strengthen us, O Jehovah God, for we will trust in You. We've come against this huge army in Your Name, O Jehovah our God, so don't allow any man to defeat You!'

¹² Well, Jehovah cut down the Ethiopians before Judah, and they fled. ¹³ Then Asa and his men chased after them all the way to Gedor. And there the Ethiopians couldn't find a place to hide, so they were cut down and defeated before Jehovah and his army, and [the Judeans] carried away much loot.

¹⁴ Now, because Jehovah was with them, the whole situation was reversed; for [Judah] attacked and destroyed all the towns around Gedor, and they ravaged all the [Ethiopian] cities, carrying away a huge amount of loot. ¹⁵ They even destroyed the tents and property of the shepherds, carrying away many sheep and camels; and then they returned to JeruSalem.

Chapter 15

¹ Then the Breath of Jehovah came over AzariAh (the son of Oded), and he went to meet with Asa, as well as with all of Judah and [the tribe of] BenJamin. And he said, 'Hear me Asa, and all Judah and BenJamin! ² As long as you're with Him, Jehovah will be with you. And if you search for Him, you'll find Him. However; If you abandon Him, He'll abandon you.

³ 'Now, IsraEl has been without the true God for a long time, and there has been no Priest who can explain things clearly, and no Law. ⁴ But since [you people] have returned to Jehovah the God of IsraEl, He will be found by you.

⁵ 'There has been no peace for those who enter or leave [our cities, until now], but Jehovah has brought a change of state to all those who live everywhere. ⁶ For, nation used to fight against nation and city against city, because God shocked them by bringing all sorts of problems upon them. ⁷ But now you must be strong and not lose your grip, because you will reap the reward of your [good] deeds!'

⁸ Well, after he heard these words of the Prophet AzariAh, Asa was moved to drive all the disgusting things out of the land of Judah and BenJamin. He dedicated all the [idols] that JeroBoam had captured in the mountains of Ephraim [to destruction], [and he repaired] the Altar of Jehovah that was in front of His Temple. ⁹ Then he [called an] assembly of Judah, BenJamin, and those of the tribes of Ephraim, ManasSeh, and SimeOn who were living among them (for many had moved there from IsraEl when they saw that Jehovah God was with him).

¹⁰ So they all came to JeruSalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa, ¹¹ and he sacrificed part of the things they had captured to Jehovah that day… seven hundred calves and seven thousand sheep. ¹² And they all agreed to search for Jehovah the God of their ancestors with their whole hearts and souls. ¹³ They also agreed that anyone who refused to search for Jehovah the God of IsraEl should die, whether they are young or old, male or female. ¹⁴ So everyone swore an oath to Jehovah in a loud voice, as the trumpets and horns were being blown. ¹⁵ And everyone in Judah was delighted to swear the oath with their whole souls… freely and of their own will. So they searched for Jehovah and they found Him; then He rested among them.

¹⁶ [Asa] then forced his mother MaAcha to stop worshiping before Astarte, and he cut down the idol, incinerated it, and had [its ashes] thrown into the Cedar (Kidron) Wadi. ¹⁷ However, he failed to remove the high places of worship that were then located all around Judah and IsraEl. Yet, Asa's heart remained [true] throughout the rest of his life. ¹⁸ He also recovered the holy things of his ancestor David and the holy things of the Temple of God… all the items of silver and gold.

¹⁹ And there was no more war through the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign.

Chapter 16

¹ It was during the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa that BaAsha (the king of IsraEl) attacked Judah, and he fortified Ramah to keep [his people] from entering or leaving the land of Asa (the king of Judah). ² Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasury in the Temple of Jehovah and the king's palace, and sent it to BenHader, the king of Syria who lived in Damascus, saying: ³ 'Let's create a treaty between you and me, and between my father and your father. Look! I'm sending you gold and silver; so come and scatter BaAsha (the king of IsraEl), and drive him away from me!'

⁴ Well, King BenHader listened to Asa and he ordered his generals to attack the cities of IsraEl. So they attacked AiOn, Dan, AbelMain, and [cities] throughout the land of NaphTali. ⁵ And when BaAsha heard what was happening, he stopped building Ramah and ended his projects. ⁶ Then King Asa gathered all Judah and they picked up the stones and timbers that BaAsha was using to build Ramah, and used them to build GabaE and MasPha.

⁷ Thereafter, the Prophet HanaNi went to Asa (the king of Judah) and said to him: 'Because you relied on the king of Syria and you didn't trust in your God Jehovah, the army of Syria won't remain under your control. ⁸ Don't [you remember] how large and courageous the armies of the Ethiopians and Libyans were, and how vast their cavalry was? And when you relied on Jehovah, He gave them into your hands. ⁹ For, the eyes of Jehovah search throughout the earth looking to strengthen any heart that is devoted to Him. But now I want you to know that you'll be going to war.'

¹⁰ Well, Asa was furious with the Prophet and had him thrown in prison (because he was so angry), and he had several people killed.

¹¹ {Look!} The rest of the things that Asa said and did (from beginning to end) are written in the scroll of the kings of Judah and IsraEl.

¹² It was during the thirty-ninth year of Asa's reign that he became seriously ill, for he was having problems with his feet. And rather than going to Jehovah for help, he went to the physicians. ¹³ So, Asa [died] and went to sleep with his ancestors, ending his reign in its fortieth year. ¹⁴ Then they buried him in a tomb that he had cut for himself in the city of David. They placed [his body] on a bed that was covered with aromatics and expensive perfumes, and they held a great funeral for him.

Chapter 17

¹ After that, [Asa's] son JehoShaphat took his place as the king. And JehoShaphat fortified the [land] against IsraEl ² by placing troops in all the walled cities of Judah. He also appointed governors over each city in Judah, and over all the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.

³ Now, Jehovah was with JehoShaphat, because he started out by following in the ways of his ancestor David. ⁴ He didn't [worship] any of the idols… just Jehovah, the God of his father. He obeyed the commandments of his father and he didn't follow in the ways of IsraEl. ⁵ So, Jehovah strengthened the kingdom under his hands, and all Judah sent him gifts. As the result, he became very rich and powerful.

⁶ He followed in the ways of [Jehovah faithfully], and he again removed all the high places of worship and all the sacred poles from the land of Judah. ⁷ Then, during the third year of his reign, he sent his governors, sons, and dignitaries (AbdiAn, ZachariAh, NathaniEl, and MichaiAh) to teach in the cities of Judah, ⁸ along with the Levites (ShemaiAh, NathaniAh, ZabDiAh, AsiEl, SemiRaMoth, JoNathan, AdoniJah, and TobiAh) and the Priests (EliSama and JoRam). ⁹ So they traveled throughout Judah with the book of the Law of Jehovah, going to each city and teaching [God's Law] to the people. ¹⁰ As the result, Jehovah brought a change over all the surrounding kingdoms, because they no longer went to war against JehoShaphat.

¹¹ Why, even the Philistines brought JehoShaphat gifts and things made of silver; and the people of Arabia brought him seven thousand, seven hundred male sheep, and seven thousand, seven hundred male goats. ¹² So he kept growing in stature and importance, as he built houses and fortified cities throughout Judah, ¹³ and he also started several public-works projects.

He kept a contingent of mighty warriors in JeruSalem, ¹⁴ and here are their numbers by houses and families:

• The generals of Judah were AdNah, the leader of three-hundred-thousand men;
• ¹⁵ JoAnan, the leader of two hundred and eighty thousand;
• ¹⁶ AmasiAh (the son of Zari, who was known for his zeal for Jehovah), the leader of two-hundred-thousand strong, mighty men.

• ¹⁷ And from [the tribe of] BenJamin came the strong, powerful leader EliAda, who had two-hundred-thousand bowmen that carried small shields.
• ¹⁸ And following him was JoZabad with a hundred-and-eighty-thousand mighty men of war.

¹⁹ These men were also the king's governors, who were in charge of the fortified cities throughout Judah.

Chapter 18

¹ Well, after JehoShaphat became very rich and famous, he decided to ally himself with the house of Ahab through marriage. ² So after several years, he went to visit Ahab in Samaria with a large contingent of his people, and he sacrificed many calves and sheep on behalf of Ahab. Then, to show his love for him, he consented to go with him to [fight at] RaMoth GileAd. ³ For, Ahab (the king of IsraEl) had asked JehoShaphat (the king of Judah), 'Will you go to RaMoth GileAd with me?' And he replied, 'You and your people are the same as [me and] my people, so we will join you in the war.'

⁴ However, JehoShaphat said to the king of IsraEl, 'But first, let's ask for [God's direction]!'

⁵ So the king of IsraEl gathered all his prophets (some four hundred men) and asked them, 'Should I attack RaMoth GileAd or should I wait?'

And they replied, 'Go there, and God will hand them over to the king!'

⁶ But then JehoShaphat asked, 'Aren't there any Prophets of Jehovah that we can ask?'

⁷ And the king of IsraEl replied, 'There's one man who searches for answers from Jehovah, but I detest him, because he never prophesies anything good for me. All he ever tells me is bad things. He is MichaiAh, the son of JemBla.'

But JehoShaphat said, 'The king shouldn't talk that way!'

⁸ Then the king called one of his eunuchs and said, 'Quickly! Go find MichaiAh (the son of JemBla) and bring him to me!'

⁹ Well at the time, the king of IsraEl and JehoShaphat (the king of Judah) were each sitting on their thrones in the broad area near the city gate of Samaria dressed in [their royal] robes, and all the prophets were there prophesying before them. ¹⁰ Then one of them (ZedekiAh, the son of CanaAn) made some iron horns for himself and said, 'This is what the Lord says: You will gore the Syrians with these until you've wiped them out completely!' ¹¹ And all the rest of the prophets said the same thing. They said, 'Go to RaMoth GileAd and you'll succeed, for the Lord will give it into the hands of the king.'

¹² Then, the messenger who had been sent to call MichaiAh said to him, 'Look! All the prophets are saying good things to the king, so it would be a blessing if you would tell him good things too.'

¹³ And MichaiAh replied, 'As Jehovah lives, I'll say whatever God tells me to say.'

¹⁴ So MicaiJah went before the king, and the king asked, 'Should I attack RaMoth GileAd or should I wait?'

And he replied, 'Go, and you will be blest, because it will be given into your hands!'

¹⁵ But the king said, 'How often do I have to tell you to swear to only tell me the truth in the Name of Jehovah?'

¹⁶ And MichaiAh said, 'I see IsraEl being scattered in the mountains like sheep without a shepherd. For Jehovah said, They will be without a leader, so each one should return to his home in peace.'

¹⁷ Then the king of IsraEl said to JehoShaphat, 'You see… didn't I tell you that he wouldn't prophecy anything good… just bad things?'

¹⁸ And MichaiAh said, 'That isn't so! [These are] the words of Jehovah! For, I saw Jehovah sitting on His Throne, and all the armies of the heavens were sitting beside Him on His right and on His left. ¹⁹ Then Jehovah asked: Whom could I send to deceive Ahab the king of IsraEl, so that he attacks RaMoth GileAd and is defeated? Well, one suggested this and another that, ²⁰ but then a spirit stepped forward into the presence of Jehovah ² and said, I can fool him! And when Jehovah asked how, ²¹ he said: I will go into the mouths of his prophets as a lying spirit. And [God] said: You will be able to fool him; so go there and do it!

²² 'As the result {Look!}, Jehovah has put a lying spirit into the mouths of all these, your prophets. And it was Jehovah who spoke these bad things against you, [not me].'

²³ Then ZedekiAh (the son of CanaAn) [came up] and hit MichaiAh in the jaw and shouted, 'How has the Lord's Breath passed from me to you, that you should feel so free to speak?'

²⁴ And MichaiAh answered, '{Look!} You will know it in that day when you must run from closet to closet to hide!'

²⁵ Then the king of IsraEl gave the order: 'Take MichaiAh and hand him over to Emer the city mayor, and to [my] son JoAsh the governor. ²⁶ Tell them that the king wants this man thrown into prison and just fed moldy bread and water until we return in peace!'

²⁷ And MichaiAh said, 'Well, as Jehovah told me; you're not going to return in peace… Listen all you people!'

²⁸ So the king of IsraEl and JehoShaphat (the king of Judah) rode up to RaMoth GileAd. ²⁹ And the king of IsraEl said to JehoShaphat: 'I'm going to disguise myself when I go into battle, so I want you to wear my clothes!' And the king of IsraEl disguised himself and rode into the battle.

³⁰ Then the king of Syria told the generals who were standing near him (those who were in charge of his chariots): 'Don't attack the regular soldiers, just attack the king of IsraEl.' ³¹ So when the generals in charge of the chariots saw JehoShaphat, they shouted: 'That's the king of IsraEl!' And they surrounded him and prepared to attack. But JehoShaphat called out, and Jehovah saved him by turning them away from him. ³² For, when the generals in charge of the chariots saw that it wasn't the king of IsraEl, they turned and left him.

³³ Then a skilled archer pulled his bow tight and shot an arrow at the king of IsraEl, hitting him in the middle of his chest, between his lungs. And [the king] said to his chariot driver, 'Turn around and take me away from the battle, because I'm in a lot of pain!'

³⁴ So the king of IsraEl left the battle that day, and there he sat on his chariot, right across from the Syrian lines, until the evening. Then he died just as the sun was setting.

Chapter 19

¹ Well, as JehoShaphat (the king of Judah) was returning to his palace in JeruSalem, ² the Prophet Jehu (the son of AnaNi) came to meet him. And he said, 'O King JehoShaphat; Why did you befriend and help a sinner who is hated by Jehovah? Now, because you did this, you've brought Jehovah's anger upon yourself. ³ However, good things have been said about you, because you removed the sacred poles from the land of Judah, and you've straightened your heart to search for Jehovah.'

⁴ So thereafter, JehoShaphat continued to live in JeruSalem, and he once again went to all the people (from BeerSheBa to the mountains of Ephraim) to turn them to Jehovah, the God of their ancestors. ⁵ He also assigned judges in all the walled cities of Judah, city by city. ⁶ And he told the judges: 'Pay close attention to what you're doing, because you aren't judging for men. Rather, the decisions you make are for Jehovah; ⁷ so may the fear of God rest upon you! And be careful about how you act, for your God Jehovah isn't unjust… He doesn't pay any attention to what a man looks like, nor does He accept bribes!'

⁸ Then JehoShaphat brought the Levites, the Priests, and the patriarchs of IsraEl to JeruSalem to serve as judges for Jehovah, and to judge the people of JeruSalem. ⁹ And the instructions he gave to them were: 'You must [judge] with the fear of Jehovah… in truth, and with a [pure] heart. ¹⁰ You must warn each man among your brothers who comes to you for justice from any of the cities, whether it's a matter of blood, of order, of the Commandments, of the Law, or of the decisions [of God], that they must not sin against Jehovah. And so that He doesn't become angry with you or your brothers, you must [remember this also] and not sin.

¹¹ '{Look!} I've appointed AmariAh the Priest over you, because every decision is the word of Jehovah. Also, ZabDiAh (the son of IshMaEl) is in charge of the house of Judah when it comes to the decisions of the king. And the scribes and Levites are there [to help you]. So be strong and act; and then Jehovah will bless the good!'

Chapter 20

¹ Then the sons of Moab, the sons of AmMon, and some of the Minaeans marched against JehoShaphat for war. ² So his [messengers] spoke plainly to JehoShaphat and told him: 'A huge army has come against you from the other side of the sea and from Syria. Look! They're already in AsaSan-Thamar (EnGedi)!'

³ Well, this frightened JehoShaphat and he went to seek [Jehovah's] guidance; then he proclaimed a fast in all Judah. ⁴ And thereafter, all Judah gathered to seek Jehovah's help, coming from all the cities of the land. ⁵ Then JehoShaphat stood up before the entire assembly of Judah in JeruSalem, at the Temple of Jehovah (in front of the new courtyard), ⁶ and said: 'O Jehovah, the God of my fathers; Aren't You the God of all that's above the sky, and don't You dominate all the kingdoms of the nations? Don't Your hands have the strength to dominate everything, and can anyone stand against You? ⁷ For, You are Jehovah… You're the One who destroyed those who lived in this land from before your people IsraEl, and You gave the land to the seed of AbraHam… he who loved you through the age. ⁸ And this is where they live and where they've built a Sanctuary to Your Name.

⁹ 'Now, [the people have said]: Should any bad things come against us, such as war, judgments, plague, or famine, we will come and stand before You, and You will save us; for the battle is Jehovah's.

¹⁰ 'And look! The sons of AmMon, Moab, and [people from] the mountains of Seir – those whose lands You refused to allow Your people to pass through as they returned from the land of Egypt, and from which they were driven away and couldn't conquer. ¹¹ But, look! They have now come here to drive us out of the inheritance that You gave us!

¹² 'O Jehovah our God; Won't You condemn them? Why, we aren't strong enough to resist such a huge army, and we don't know what to do to them. So, we're all looking to You!'

¹³ Well, all Judah was standing there before Jehovah, including their wives and children. ¹⁴ Then the Breath of Jehovah came over OziEl (the son of ZachariAh, a descendant of BenaiAh, the son of EliEl, the son of MathaniAh the Levite of the sons of Asaph) as he stood there in the assembly. ¹⁵ And he said, 'Listen all Judah, you who live in JeruSalem, and King JehoShaphat; for this is Jehovah's reply to you: Don't be afraid of that huge army, because this battle isn't yours, it belongs to God! ¹⁶ You must march against them tomorrow. Look; they will be marching along the road to Asa, and you will find them camped beside the river in the JeriEl Desert. ¹⁷ However, don't attack them, just stand there and watch; and then you'll see that the deliverance of Jehovah is with you, O Judah and JeruSalem. Don't worry and don't be frightened, for when you march to meet them tomorrow, Jehovah will be with you!'

¹⁸ Then JehoShaphat bowed to his face, and all Judah and the people of JeruSalem fell to their faces before Jehovah. ¹⁹ And the Levites (the sons of KoHath and KorAh) got up and started praising Jehovah the God of IsraEl, calling out loudly toward the heavens.

²⁰ Well, they got up early the next morning and marched into the ThecoE Desert. And as they were marching, JehoShaphat got up and shouted: 'Hear me, O Judah and those who live in JeruSalem! Trust in Jehovah and you'll find His trust… trust in His Prophet and you'll be blest!'

²¹ Then [he marched with] the people, and he sent the singers and [the Priests] who offer holy praise and acknowledgements, to march ahead of the army. And they were shouting, 'Praise Jehovah and His mercy through the ages!'

²² Well, as they were shouting these praises and acknowledgements, Jehovah caused the sons of AmMon to turn against Moab and the people of the mountains of Seir who were marching against Judah, and they all turned and started running away. ²³ Then the sons of AmMon and the Moabites attacked the people from the mountains of Seir, and they killed everyone who lived there… and then they started fighting among themselves until they were all destroyed.

²⁴ So when Judah reached the ridge along the edge of the desert, they looked down on the whole army and found them all lying on the ground dead… none were left; ²⁵ so JehoShaphat and his people went down and took all their possessions (there were many cattle, personal things, desirable things, and loot, and they took everything). Why, it took three days for them to pick up everything, because there was so much to be collected!

²⁶ Then on the fourth day, they all assembled in the Canyon of Blessing (which is what they started calling it because Jehovah had blest them there), and it's still called the Valley of Blessing to this day.

²⁷ Then all the men of Judah marched back to JeruSalem joyfully, with JehoShaphat taking the lead. For, everyone was so happy over what Jehovah had done to their enemies. ²⁸ And as they entered JeruSalem, they were playing stringed instruments, woodwinds, and trumpets, and they went to the Temple of Jehovah. ²⁹ Then Jehovah brought a change of state upon all the kingdoms of the land, for when they heard that Jehovah was fighting against the enemies of IsraEl, ³⁰ they allowed the kingdom of JehoShaphat to have peace and rest all around.

³¹ Well, JehoShaphat started his reign over Judah when he was thirty-five years old, and he reigned in JeruSalem for twenty-five years. His mother's name was Azuba, and she was the daughter of Sali. ³² He followed in the ways of his father Asa, and he never turned aside from doing what was upright before Jehovah. ³³ But the high places of worship were still there, and the people never straightened out their hearts to Jehovah, the God of their ancestors.

³⁴ {Look!} The rest of the things that JehoShaphat said, from beginning to end, have been written by Jehu (the son of AnaNi), who put it all in the scroll of the kings of IsraEl.

³⁵ But later on, JehoShaphat (the king of Judah) [displeased Jehovah] by working with AhaziAh (the king of IsraEl) to build boats in Ezion Geber, which they could sail to TarShish. ³⁶ So EliEzer (the son of DodiJa, from MarIsis) prophesied against JehoShaphat, saying: ³⁷ 'Because you befriended AhaziAh, Jehovah has destroyed all your work and broken your boats to pieces.'

As the result, they never sailed to TarShish.

Chapter 21

¹ Then JehoShaphat went to sleep with his ancestors and they buried him in a tomb in the city of David. And his son JehoRam started reigning in place of him.

² Now, JehoRam had six brothers, AzariAh, JeiEl, ZachariAh, AzariAh, MichaEl, and SaphatiAh, all of whom were sons of JehoShaphat, the king of Judah. ³ And their father had given them many gifts of silver, gold, shields, and walled cities in Judah; however, he gave the kingdom to JehoRam, because he was the firstborn. ⁴ But after JehoRam became strong in his kingdom, he killed all his brothers and some of the governors of IsraEl with a sword.

⁵ JehoRam was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in JeruSalem for eight years. ⁶ But he started acting like the kings of IsraEl and doing the same things as the house of Ahab, acting wickedly before Jehovah, because he married the daughter of Ahab. ⁷ However, Jehovah didn't want to destroy the house of David due to the agreement that He had made with David, when He told him that He would give him and his sons [as] a lamp through all the days.

⁸ Then Edom rebelled against Judah and appointed a king to rule over them. ⁹ So JehoRam, his leaders, and his cavalry went to Edom. But during the night, the generals in charge of his chariots found themselves surrounded, and they all retreated to their tents. ¹⁰ So Edom has continued their revolt against Judah down to this day. Then LobNa revolted and became free of [JehoRam's] rule, because he had abandoned Jehovah the God of his ancestors… ¹¹ he built the high places [of worship] in the cities of Judah, and led the people of Judah and JeruSalem astray.

¹² Then [JehoRam] received a letter from the Prophet EliJah that said, 'This is what Jehovah the God of your ancestor David has said: Because you haven't followed in the ways of your father JehoShaphat, or in the ways of Asa the king of Judah, ¹³ and have gone in the ways of the kings of IsraEl, and you've led the people of Judah and JeruSalem into [spiritual] immorality (as the house of Ahab is guilty of immorality), and because you murdered your brothers, the sons of your father who were all better than you; ¹⁴ {Look!} Jehovah is going to bring a great calamity upon you, your people, your sons, your wives, and everything you own… ¹⁵ then you're going to become very sick and feel worse each day until your belly bursts.'

¹⁶ So Jehovah sent the Philistines, the Arabians, and the people from around Ethiopia against JehoRam, ¹⁷ and they attacked Judah and beat them. Then they carried off everything that they found in the king's palace and in the houses of his sons and daughters. And the only son that survived was JehoAhaz (his youngest). ¹⁸ Thereafter, Jehovah struck him with a disease of the belly that couldn't be cured, ¹⁹ and it got worse day after day for two years. Then his belly broke open from the disease and he died in agony.

Well, his people didn't even hold a funeral for him as they had done for his ancestors. ²⁰ He was thirty-two years old when he started his reign, and he reigned in JeruSalem for eight years. But when he died, he wasn't highly regarded, so they buried him in a tomb in the city of David, but not among the kings.

Chapter 22

¹ Then the people of JeruSalem chose his youngest son AhaziAh to become their king, because all of his older sons had been murdered by a band of Arabian and AliMazonian highwaymen. ² So JehoRam's son AhaziAh became the king of Judah and started his reign in JeruSalem when he was twenty-five years old. His mother's name was AthaliAh, and she was the daughter of Omri.

³ AhaziAh also followed in the ways of the house of Ahab, because his mother was his counselor in sin. ⁴ So, like the house of Ahab, he acted wickedly before Jehovah, because [Ahab's family] were his counselors after his father died, and they led him into destruction. ⁵ For, he listened to their council and joined Ahab's son JehoRam (the king of IsraEl) in a war against HazaEl (the king of Syria) at RaMoth GileAd.

[In this war], A bowman shot JehoRam, ⁶ so he went to the hospital at JezreEl to be treated for the wound that he had received in his war against HazaEl (the king of Syria) at RaMoth. Then AhaziAh (the son of JehoRam, the king of Judah) went to see JehoRam (the son of Ahab) while he was recovering there in JezreEl. And that's when (under God's direction) the final event in the life of AhaziAh happened, ⁷ for he joined with JehoRam to fight against Jehu (the son of NimShi), the one whom Jehovah had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.

⁸ Now, as Jehu was punishing the house of Ahab, he found the governors of Judah along with some of AhaziAh's relatives, and he killed them all. ⁹ Then Jehu told [his men] to search for AhaziAh, and they caught up with him at the hospital in Samaria. So they showed Jehu where he was, and then Jehu killed him. But they buried him in a tomb, for they said, 'He's the descendant of JehoShaphat, a man who searched for Jehovah with his whole heart.'

Thereafter, with the death of AhaziAh, there was no one left to rule his kingdom. ¹⁰ And when his mother AthaliAh learned that her son AhaziAh had been killed, she tried to have everyone in the royal house of Judah murdered. ¹¹ But JehoSabeth (the king's daughter) stole his son JoAsh from the midst of the other sons of the king who were to be killed, and she hid him and fed him in a bed closet.

Now, JehoSabeth was the daughter of King JehoRam, the sister of AhaziAh and the wife of JehoiAda (the Priest). And she kept JoAsh with her, hidden from AthaliAh, so she wouldn't have him murdered, ¹² in the Temple of God, until he was six years old. And during that time, AthaliAh ruled the land.

Chapter 23

¹ Well, after seven years, JehoiAda figured that the time had finally come. So he took several army lieutenants (AzariAh the son of JehoRam, IshMaEl the son of JoAnan, AzariAh the son of Obed, MaAseJah the son of AdiJa, and EliSaPhan the son of ZachariAh) with him into the Temple of Jehovah. ² Then they traveled around Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah and all the family heads of IsraEl, and brought them to JeruSalem; ³ and this whole gathering of Judah made a sacred agreement with the king there at the Temple of God. For, [JehoiAda] showed the king's son to them and said, 'Look… this is the king's son! So, may he now become the king, just as Jehovah said concerning the house of David!

⁴ 'Now, this is what you must do: A third of you Priests and Levites should come here on the Sabbath and occupy all the [Temple] gates and entrances, ⁵ a third must surround the king's palace, and a third must occupy the central gate. Then all the people must assemble in the courtyards of the Temple of Jehovah… ⁶ don't let anyone enter the Temple who isn't a Priest or Levite! Allow all the officiating Levites to enter, because they are holy… and all the rest should guard the watches of Jehovah. ⁷ Each of the Levites should gather around the king with their weapons in their hands, and then kill anyone who dares to enter the Temple… and they must guard the king whenever he enters or leaves.'

⁸ So the Levites and all Judah did exactly as JehoiAda the Priest told them. Each of [the lieutenants] had his men in their stations from the time that the Sabbath started until its conclusion, and JehoiAda didn't allow the Priests to rest after their daily rotations. ⁹ He gave the Priests and army lieutenants their orders; then he armed them with swords, large shields, and even the small shields that King David had placed in the Temple of God, ¹⁰ and he stationed them (carrying weapons) from the room on the right of the Temple to the room left of the Altar, and all around the king's palace. ¹¹ Then he brought out the king's son and placed the trappings and proofs of his kingship upon him; then the [High] Priest JehoiAda and his sons anointed him as the king and shouted, 'Long live the king!'

¹² Well, when AthaliAh heard the sounds of the people running and shouting, praising the king, she went to the Temple of Jehovah ¹³ and saw {Look!} the king standing at his station in the king's entrance [to the Temple], and she heard the trumpets blowing. There, all the governors were standing around the king, the people of the land were joyfully shouting and blowing trumpets, the musicians playing their instruments, and the singers were singing praises.

Then AthaliAh tore her robe and shouted, 'Attack them!'

¹⁴ But JehoiAda the Priest told the army lieutenants, 'Throw her out of the Temple, then take her outside and kill her with your swords… don't kill her inside the Temple of Jehovah!'

¹⁵ Well, they released her and she walked through the gate of the horsemen toward the king's palace, and that's where they killed her.

¹⁶ Then JehoiAda proclaimed an agreement between himself, the people, and the king, that they were all going to be Jehovah's people. ¹⁷ And thereafter, all the people of the land went to the temple of BaAl and tore it and its altars down, and they ground his idols into a fine dust. Then they put Mathan (the priest of BaAl) to death in front of his altars.

¹⁸ Thereafter, [High] Priest JehoiAda commissioned the Priests and Levites to refurbish the Temple of Jehovah, and he reestablished the assignments and daily rotations of the Priests and Levites as they were set up by David for the Temple of Jehovah. Then he sacrificed whole burnt offerings to Jehovah in the way that was written in the Law of Moses, as they played the joyous songs that were written by David.

¹⁹ Later, the gatekeepers were assigned at the gates of the Temple of Jehovah, to prevent anyone who was unclean in any way from entering. ²⁰ And he gathered the family heads, the dignitaries, the people's governors, and all the people of the land. Then they conducted the king into Temple of Jehovah through the inner gate of the king's palace, and had him sit down on the king's throne. ²¹ However, although all the people of the land were joyful, everything became silent as they put Queen AthaliAh to death with a sword.

Chapter 24

¹ So, JoAsh was seven years old when began his reign, and he ruled from JeruSalem for forty years. His mother's name was SabiJa, and she was from BeerSheBa.

² JoAsh did what was right before Jehovah for as long as the [High] Priest JehoiAda was alive.

³ Now, JehoiAda had taken two women who bore sons and daughters to him.

⁴ After that, it came into the heart of JoAsh to repair the Temple of Jehovah. ⁵ So he brought together all the Priests and Levites and said to them, 'Go into all the cities of Judah and IsraEl each year, and collect enough money to strengthen the Temple of Jehovah… go do it quickly!'

Well, the Levites didn't do anything, ⁶ so King JoAsh called for JehoiAda, their leader, and asked, 'Why haven't you been overseeing the Levites, to make sure they are taking up the the collections from Judah and IsraEl that were specified by Moses (the man of God) for the gathering of IsraEl at the Tent of Proofs? ⁷ Why, [Queen] AthaliAh is to blame [for its condition], because it was her sons who wrecked the Temple of Jehovah; then they took all its holy things and dedicated them to the BaAls.'

⁸ 'And the king said: 'Make a [collection] chest and place it just outside of the entrance to the Temple of Jehovah. ⁹ Then have them travel throughout Judah, JeruSalem, IsraEl, and into the desert, and tell [the people] to bring the amount that was specified by Moses (the servant of God) to Jehovah.'

¹⁰ Well thereafter, all the people and their governors came and brought [their tithes] until the [collection] chest was filled. ¹¹ So, when the Levites carried the chest to the king's accountants, they found that they had more than enough money [to complete the Temple project]. Then the king's scribe and the High Priest's accountant emptied the chest, and put it back in its place. They did this each day, and they gathered huge amounts of money, ¹² which the king gave to the Priest JehoiAda and to those who were doing the work on the Temple of Jehovah; for they hired the stonecutters, carpenters, and metalworkers that were needed to repair Jehovah's Temple.

¹³ So everyone did their jobs, and soon the project of rebuilding and refurbishing the Temple was completed. ¹⁴ Then after it was done, they carried the rest of the money to King JoAsh and JehoiAda, and they made things that were required for the services at the Temple, such as gold incense pans, and other items of silver and gold. And thereafter, whole burnt offerings were sacrificed at the Temple of Jehovah through the rest of the life of JehoiAda.

¹⁵ Well, JehoiAda lived a very full life, which ended after a hundred-and-thirty years. ¹⁶ So they buried him in a tomb in the city of David… among the kings, because he had served IsraEl, God, and His Temple so well!

¹⁷ But after [High Priest] JehoiAda died, the governors of Judah came and bowed before the king, and the King [JoAsh] listened to them. ¹⁸ Then they abandoned the Temple of Jehovah the God of their ancestors, and started serving the Astartes and the idols… which has brought [God's] anger upon Judah and JeruSalem down to this day. ¹⁹ So [God] sent His Prophets to turn them back to Jehovah, and they warned the people; but they just wouldn't listen. ²⁰ Then the Breath of God came over AzariAh the Priest (who was JehoiAda's son), and he went before the people and told them, 'This is what Jehovah has said: Why are you overlooking My Commandments so the things you're doing won't be blest? You have abandoned Jehovah, so now He will abandon you!'

²¹ Well, following the orders of King JoAsh, they attacked him and stoned him to death there in the courtyard of Jehovah's Temple. ²² For, JoAsh had forgotten the mercy that JehoiAda (the father of [AzariAh]) had shown him, and had his son murdered.

And as [AzariAh] was dying, he said: 'Look down upon this O Jehovah, and judge!'

²³ Well, as that year came to its end, the armies of Syria came and attacked Judah and JeruSalem, and they killed all the rulers of the people, then they carried away loot and brought it to their king in Damascus. ²⁴ For, although the army of Syria that came against them wasn't very large, God gave [Judah] and their huge army into their hands, because they had abandoned Jehovah the God of their ancestors.

They also punished JoAsh, ²⁵ leaving him sick and broken. Then his own servants turned against him (over the blood of the son of JehoiAda the Priest), and they killed him in own his bed. So he died, and they buried him in a tomb in the city of David, but not in the tomb of the kings.

²⁶ Well, the men who attacked him were SaBed (the son of SamaAth the AmMonite), and JoZabed (the son of SomarOth the Moabite) ²⁷ and his sons (all five of them joined in killing him).

{Look!} The rest of the things [that JoAsh] said are written in the scrolls of the kings. Then his son AmaziAh became the king in his place.

Chapter 25

¹ AmaziAh was twenty-five years old when he started his reign, and he reigned from JeruSalem for twenty-nine years. His mother's name was JoAden, and she was from JeruSalem.

² Now, he did what was upright before Jehovah, but not with his whole heart.

³ When he became the king, he killed the servants who had murdered his father (the king), ⁴ but he didn't kill their sons, because of what was written in the Sacred Agreement of the Law of Jehovah, where Jehovah said, 'Fathers should not be put to death for their children, and sons should not die for their fathers.'

⁵ Then AmaziAh gathered [the troops] of Judah and divided them under the generals and lieutenants by the houses of their families throughout all Judah and JeruSalem. He had counted all those who were twenty-years old and up, and found that there were three-hundred-thousand mighty warriors who carried a spear and a shield. ⁶ But then he hired a hundred-thousand mighty, powerful warriors from IsraEl for three-tons of silver.

⁷ And thereafter, the man of God came to him and said, 'O king; You should not march with the forces of IsraEl, because Jehovah isn't with IsraEl or any of the descendants of Ephraim. ⁸ So, if you should choose to build your army with them, Jehovah will make you run from your enemies. For, Jehovah can either make you stronger, or force you to run.'

⁹ Then AmaziAh asked the man of God: 'But, what should I do about the three-tons of silver that I paid for the soldiers of IsraEl?'

And the man of God replied, 'Jehovah can repay you with more than that.'

¹⁰ So AmaziAh sent the soldiers away who had come to him from Ephraim; but this made them furious with Judah, and they went back to their homes in a rage.

¹¹ Well, AmaziAh's [army] did grow stronger, so he gathered his men and marched into the Salt Valley, where they attacked and killed ten thousand of the sons of Seir ¹² and brought back ten thousand captives to Judah. Then they led them to a high cliff and tossed them all over, ripping them to shreds.

¹³ But after that, the soldiers whom AmaziAh had sent away (those whom he didn't allow to join him in the war), attacked all the cities of Judah from Samaria to BethOron, killing three thousand and carrying away a lot of loot.

¹⁴ And meanwhile, after AmaziAh attacked Idumea, he brought back some of the gods of the sons of Seir. Then he erected them for himself as gods, and he bowed and offered sacrifices to them. ¹⁵ So Jehovah became very angry with AmaziAh, and sent His Prophet, who asked him, 'Why are you now looking to the gods that weren't able to save their own people from your hands?'

¹⁶ And the king replied, 'Have I appointed you as one of the king's councilors? Be careful that I don't have you whipped!' So the Prophet didn't tell him any more. He just said, 'I know that He will oppose you and ruin you, because He [sent me to you], and you refused to listen to my advice.'

¹⁷ Then AmaziAh (the king of Judah) sent word to JehoAsh (the son of JehoAhaz and grandson of Jehu, the king of IsraEl), saying, '[Why don't you] come and meet me face-to-face?'

¹⁸ And JehoAsh (the king of IsraEl) replied: 'A thorn bush in Lebanon sent word to the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Give me your daughter to be my son's wife. But then the wild animals of the fields of Lebanon went and trampled the thorn bush.

'So, now you're saying [to yourself], Why look! I have attacked Idumea, and your heavy heart has been lifted! But, [it would be better for] you to just go back home and sit in your palace.

¹⁹ 'Why have you assembled [your army] to do evil… because you will fall, and Judah will fall with you!'

²⁰ Well, AmaziAh just wouldn't listen, because Jehovah planned to hand him over to JehoAsh, due to his trusting in the gods of the Idumeans. ²¹ So AmaziAh (the king of Judah) and JehoAsh (the king of IsraEl) marched against each other, and they faced off at BethSamus in Judah. ²² Then the battle began, and Judah had to run from IsraEl – everyone ran back to their tents – ²³ and AmaziAh (the king of Judah, the son of JoAsh and grandson of JehoAhaz) was captured by JehoAsh (the king of IsraEl) at BethSamus. Then he was brought back to JeruSalem, where they tore down the city walls, from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate… seven hundred and fifty feet of it. ²⁴ And [JehoAsh] took all the gold and silver, all the things that he found in the Temple of Jehovah, the things being cared for by ObedEdom, and all the treasures in the king's palace. He also took away several of the sons of [AmaziAh's] allies, and he returned to Samaria.

²⁵ Well, AmaziAh (the son of JoAsh) the king of Judah thereafter survived the death of JehoAsh (the son of JehoAhaz) the king of IsraEl by fifteen years. ²⁶ And {Look!} all the things that AmaziAh said, from beginning to end, are written in the scroll of the kings of Judah and IsraEl. ²⁷ But after AmaziAh [rebelled] against Jehovah, there was an attempt to assassinate him, so he fled JeruSalem and went to LachIsh. And after he got to LachIsh, they found him and killed him there. ²⁸ Then they mounted his body on horses and buried him in a tomb with his ancestors in the city of David.

Chapter 26

¹ Then all the people of the land took UzZiAh, who was just sixteen years old, and appointed him as king in place of his father AmaziAh. ² He had been building ElAth, but he returned to Judah after the king went to sleep with his ancestors. ³ So UzZiAh was only sixteen years old when he started his reign, and he ruled in JeruSalem for fifty-two years. His mother's name was JecheliAh, and she was from JeruSalem.

⁴ [UzZiAh] did what was upright before Jehovah, every bit as much as did his father AmaziAh. ⁵ He searched for Jehovah throughout the entire life of ZachariAh, who was the one that [showed him] the need to fear Jehovah. So, during that time he searched for Jehovah, and all his ways were blest. ⁶ Thus, when he went to war with the Philistines, he tore down the walls of Gath, JabNe, and AshDod, and he built cities around AshDod, right there in the midst of the Philistines. ⁷ For, Jehovah gave him power over the Philistines, the Arabians, those who lived on The Rock, and the Minaeans. ⁸ Why, the Minaeans even brought him gifts, and his name became famous beyond Egypt.

⁹ Then UzZiAh built [battle] towers around JeruSalem at the gates and the corners [of the walls], and at the gates and the corners of the walls in the valley below, and he strengthened the [city walls]. ¹⁰ He also built forts in the desert and he dug many wells, because there were so many cattle in the plains of ShepheLa. In addition, he sent vinedressers into the mountainous areas and to CarMel, because he was fond of farming.

¹¹ However, UzZiAh [was also fond of] war, because he fought many battles. The accounts of these were recorded by the Scribe JeiEl and Judge MasSiAh, from what they were told by AnaniAh, the king's second-in-command.

¹² There were two thousand, six hundred generals in his army ¹³ [who were appointed over] three-hundred-and-seven thousand, five hundred men. They were always ready and prepared for war, to help the king against his opponents. ¹⁴ And UzZiAh took good care of them by providing them with shields, spears, helmets, chest plates, bows, and stone slings. ¹⁵ He also had war machines made for them in JeruSalem by an engineer (see the Conservapedia link, Uzziah, under the subheading Military Strength and Public Works), which were used to attack the towers and corners of [city walls] (they were used to shoot arrows and to throw huge boulders). These machines became famous throughout the whole earth, for he had such wonderful help… that is, until he grew strong.

¹⁶ However, after he became strong, his heart became very corrupt and he started sinning against his God Jehovah; for he went into the Temple of Jehovah to burn incense on the [sacred] Incense Altar. ¹⁷ Well, the [High] Priest AzariAh and eighty mighty Priests of Jehovah went in after him ¹⁸ and resisted King UzZiAh, saying to him: 'UzZiAh, you aren't allowed to burn incense to Jehovah! That may only be done by the Priests who have descended from Aaron and have been made holy to burn the incense. Leave this Holy Place, for you have left Jehovah! This glory will not be given to you by Jehovah God!'

¹⁹ Well, UzZiAh was furious, for there he was with the incense pan in his hand, ready to burn incense inside the Holy Place. And as he was raging against the Priests, leprosy started to appear on his forehead, right there before the Priests in the Temple of Jehovah and in front of the Incense Altar. ²⁰ So when AzariAh (the High Priest) and the other Priests turned to look at him, they saw the leprosy in his forehead, and they pushed him out of there. Why, even he was in a hurry to leave, because Jehovah was reproving him!

²¹ Well, King UzZiAh had leprosy until the day he died, and he was kept in a home for lepers, cut off from the Temple of Jehovah. As the result, his son JoTham ruled over his kingdom and judged the people of the land.

²² {Look!} The rest of the things that UzZiAh said, from beginning to end, were written by the Prophet IsaiAh (the son of Amoz). ²³ Then UzZiAh went to sleep with his ancestors, and they buried him in a tomb in the graveyard of his ancestors, but not among the kings, because they said: 'He's a leper.'

Then his son JoTham became the king after him.

Chapter 27

¹ JoTham was twenty-five years old when he started his reign, and he reigned in JeruSalem for sixteen years. His mother's name was JeroUsa, and she was the daughter of ZaDok.

² [JoTham] did what was upright before Jehovah in the same way that his father UzZiAh did (but he didn't enter the Holy Place of Jehovah). Yet, despite this, the people still kept corrupting themselves.

³ [JoTham] built the tall gatehouse of Jehovah, and he did a lot of building along the wall of Ophel. He also built cities ⁴ in the mountains of Judah, as well as places to live in the forests, and forts.

⁵ He fought wars with the king of the sons of AmMon and conquered him. And thereafter, the sons of AmMon had to send him three tons of silver, three hundred tons of wheat, and three hundred tons of barley each year, which they did for the first three years. ⁶ So JoTham grew strong, because he faithfully served his God Jehovah.

⁷ {Look!} The rest of the things that JoTham said and did, and the stories of his wars, are written in the scroll of the kings of Judah and IsraEl. ⁸ Then JoTham went to sleep with his ancestors and they buried him in a tomb in the city of David, and his son Ahaz started reigning in his place.

Chapter 28

¹ Ahaz was twenty-five years old when he started his reign, and he reigned in JeruSalem for sixteen years. ² He didn't do what was upright before Jehovah as did his ancestor David; rather, he went the way of the kings of IsraEl and made carved images, ³ offering sacrifices to them in the Valley of the Sons of Hinnom. He also [offered] his children in the fire, in the same disgusting way as the nations that Jehovah destroyed from in front of IsraEl had done. ⁴ And he burned incense on the high places, on roofs, and under every tree in the woods. ⁵ As the result, his God Jehovah handed him over to the king of Syria, who attacked him and carried off many prisoners that he took back to Damascus.

He also allowed the king of IsraEl to bring a great calamity upon him, ⁶ for PekAh (the son of RemaliAh, the king of IsraEl) killed a hundred-and-twenty thousand of his strong, might men (all on that same day); which happened because they had left Jehovah the God of their ancestors. ⁷ Then he executed ZechRi (the great man of Ephraim), MaAsa (the king's son), EzriKan (who was in charge of the king's palace), and ElKana (the king's right-hand man); ⁸ and he carried off three-hundred-thousand IsraElite women and children, along with everything of value, to Samaria.

⁹ Now, there was a Prophet of Jehovah in Samaria whose name was Obed; and when the army of IsraEl was returning to Samaria, he went out to meet them and said, '{Look!} The reason why these people have been given into your hands is because Jehovah the God of your ancestors is angry with Judah. But you have killed them in anger, and [news of this] has reached into the heavens. ¹⁰ And now you're saying that the sons of Judah and JeruSalem can be sold as male and female slaves. But {Look!} here I am among you to testify about this before your God Jehovah. ¹¹ So now, listen to me! Return your brothers whom you've taken as captives, because now the rage of Jehovah is upon you!'

¹² Well, then the leaders of Ephraim (AzariAh the son of JoHanan, BarachiAh the son of MoSolamOth, EzekiAs the son of SelLem, and AmasiAh the son of ElDai) said to those who were returning from the war: ¹³ 'There's no way that we will allow you to bring these captives to us, for that would bring a sin against Jehovah upon us. By talking this way, you're trying to add to our sins and our ignorance. For, we're already guilty of great sins, and the anger of Jehovah is already upon IsraEl.'

¹⁴ As the result, they released the captured warriors and laid all the loot they had taken before the rulers of the gathering. ¹⁵ Then those whose names were called out, took the captives and covered those who were naked with clothing from the loot, tied sandals on their feet, and gave them food to eat and something to clean themselves with. ¹⁶ And they mounted all those who were weak upon animals, and took them to JeriCho and to The City of Palms, along with the rest of their brothers, and then they went back [home] to Samaria.

¹⁷ Later on, King Ahaz sent for the king of Assyria to help him, because the Idumeans had attacked Judah and carried off captives. ¹⁸ Then the Philistines attacked his cities in the plains and to the south of Judah, capturing BethSamus, everything in the Temple of Jehovah and in the king's palace, and the governors. Then they handed AiLon, GadEron, SoChor and its surrounding towns, ThamNa and its surrounding towns, and GamZo and its surrounding towns over to their king, and they started living there. ¹⁹ For, Jehovah was humbling Judah, because their king (Ahaz) had turned away from Him.

²⁰ Then Tiglath-Pileser (the king of Assyria) came and helped him. ²¹ So Ahaz took the things in the Temple of Jehovah, the things in his palace, and the things that belonged to his governors, and gave it to the king of Assyria… not for his help, ²² but to keep them from attacking him.

Well, King Ahaz continued in his course of [rebellion] against Jehovah, for he then said: 'I will [ask for help] from the gods of Damascus' (who were beating him). ²³ And he said, 'Because the gods of the king of Syria are making them strong, I will offer sacrifices to them, and they will help me.'

Well, this became a trap to him and to all IsraEl.

²⁴ Then Ahaz took everything out of the Temple of Jehovah, cut it all to pieces, and locked the Temple doors. And thereafter, he built altars in every city and corner of JeruSalem, ²⁵ and he erected high places in all the cities of Judah to burn incense to foreign gods, which made Jehovah the God of their ancestors very angry.

²⁶ {Look!} The rest of the things that he said and did are written in the scroll of the kings of Judah and IsraEl. ²⁷ Then Ahaz went to sleep with his ancestors, and they buried him in a tomb in the city of David… but they didn't bury him in the tombs of the kings of IsraEl.

Then his son HezekiAh became king in his place.

Chapter 29

¹ HezekiAh was twenty-five years old when he started his reign, and he reigned in JeruSalem for twenty-nine years. His mother's name was AbBa and she was the daughter of ZachariAh.

² HezekiAh did what was upright before Jehovah, as his ancestor David had done. ³ And after his kingdom was established, in the first month, he reopened the doors to the Temple of Jehovah and had it repaired. ⁴ Then he brought back the Priests and Levites; he had them assemble on the east side [of the Temple] ⁵ and said to them: 'O Levites, listen to me! Now purify yourselves, and then purify the Temple of Jehovah the God of your ancestors. Clear out everything from the Holy Place that's unclean, ⁶ because our fathers have been [guilty of] rebellion and they've done evil things before our God Jehovah when they abandoned Him and turned their faces away from the Tent of Jehovah, showing Him the backs of their necks!

⁷ 'Why, they locked the Temple doors; they extinguished the lamps; they stopped burning the incense; and they stopped sacrificing whole burnt offerings in the Holy Place of the God of IsraEl. ⁸ That's why Jehovah has been so angry with Judah and JeruSalem, and why He appointed them as something to be wondered at and to be destroyed by Syria… as you can see is happening with your own eyes. ⁹ Look! Your fathers have been attacked with swords; and your wives, sons, and daughters have been carried off as captives into a land that isn't their own… and that's where they are now!

¹⁰ 'So because of these things, you must decide in your hearts to conclude a sacred agreement with Jehovah the God of IsraEl, for only then will He turn His anger and rage away from you! ¹¹ Don't give up, because Jehovah has selected you to stand before Him and to serve Him by officiating and burning the incense.'

¹² Then all the Levites stood up. From the sons of KoHath there was MaAl (the son of AmaSi) and JoEl (the son of AzariAh). From the sons of MeraRi there was Kish (the son of AbDi) and AzariAh (the son of JalLelEl). From the sons of GerSham there was JodaAd (the son of ZemMa) and JoAdam (the son of JoAcha). ¹³ From the sons of EliShaphan there was ZamBri and JeiEl. From the sons of Asaph there was ZachariAh and MathanAniAh. ¹⁴ From the sons of HeMan there was JeiEl and Semei. From the sons of IdiThoun there was SamaiAh and OziEl.

¹⁵ Then they gathered their brothers and purified themselves as the king had commanded them (and following the directions of Jehovah), so they could cleanse the Temple of Jehovah. ¹⁶ And thereafter, the Priests went inside and threw out everything that was unclean in the building and in the courtyards, and then the Levites took it all and threw it outside into the Cedar (Kidron) Wadi. ¹⁷ Then on that first day of the month, they celebrated their first New Moon festival. ¹⁸ And on the eighth day of the month, they went to the Temple of Jehovah and purified it, which took eight days, so they finished the project on the sixteenth day of the month.

¹⁸ Then they went to see King HezekiAh and said, 'We have purified all the things in the House of Jehovah, from the Altar for the whole burnt offerings and its utensils, to the table where the [sacred bread] is placed (along with its utensils), ¹⁹ and all the things that King Ahaz defiled during his defection. Everything has been prepared and purified, and look… everything is there in front of Jehovah's Altar.'

²⁰ Then King HezekiAh got up early the next morning and gathered all the city officials, and they went up to the Temple of Jehovah. ²¹ They brought along seven calves, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven winter-yearling goats as sin offerings for the kingdom… for the holy things and for IsraEl. Then he told the Priests (the sons of Aaron) to go up to the Altar of Jehovah, ²² and they sacrificed the calves; and then the Priests collected the blood and poured it on the Altar. Next, they sacrificed the rams and poured their blood on the Altar. Then they sacrificed the lambs and poured their blood on the Altar. ²³ Finally, they brought the winter-yearling goats to be sacrificed as sin offerings before the king and the gathering. So everyone placed their hands on [the goats], ²⁴ and the Priests sacrificed them, and then they poured their blood against the Altar to cover the sins of all IsraEl. For the king said, 'We are sacrificing these whole burnt offerings and sin offerings [on behalf of] all IsraEl.'

²⁵ Then the Levites stood in the Temple of Jehovah with their cymbals, stringed instruments, and woodwinds (as King David had instructed them), and the king's Seer Gad and the Prophet Nathan were also there, following the Commandments of Jehovah (because the order of things was in the hands of the Prophets). ²⁶ So the Levites were standing there with the instruments of David, and the Priests had their trumpets; ²⁷ and when HezekiAh told them to sacrifice the whole burnt offerings on the Altar, they started singing to Jehovah, accompanied by the trumpets and the instruments of David (the king of IsraEl). ²⁸ Then the whole assembly bowed to the ground as the singers were singing and the trumpets were blowing, until all the whole burnt offerings were sacrificed.

²⁹ Well, as they completed the offering, the king and all his guests bowed to the ground, ³⁰ and King HezekiAh and his dignitaries told the Levites to praise Jehovah in the words of David and the Prophet Asaph. So they sang these praises joyfully, and then they fell to the ground and bowed low.

³¹ Then HezekiAh [told the people]: 'Now that you've filled your hands for Jehovah, come forward and bring your sacrifices of praise to the Temple of Jehovah!' And the people eagerly started bringing their sacrifices of praise to the Temple as whole burnt offerings to Jehovah… ³² the gathering offered seventy calves, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs as whole burnt offerings to Jehovah. ³³ They also set aside as holy some six hundred calves and three thousand sheep.

³⁴ Well, because there were so few Priests, they were unable to cut up all the whole burnt offerings, so their brothers the Levites had to assist them until all the work was done and all the Priests were purified… for the Levites had been more eager to purify themselves than were the Priests. ³⁵ But there were more than enough of the whole burnt offerings, fat for the sacred deliverance offerings, and drink offerings, so the work in the Temple of Jehovah had begun. ³⁶ And HezekiAh and all the people were so joyful because God had prepared the people… and suddenly communication with Him was reestablished.

Chapter 30

¹ Then HezekiAh sent letters to all IsraEl and Judah, as well as letters to Ephraim and ManasSeh, inviting them to come to the Temple of Jehovah in JeruSalem to observe the Passover to Jehovah the God of IsraEl. ² Then the king and his governors laid plans for the entire assembly to come to JeruSalem to observe the Passover in the second month, ³ because they hadn't been able to celebrate it at the correct time (since the Priests weren't sufficiently purified and the people hadn't gathered in JeruSalem).

⁴ Well, this all pleased the king and the [people] so much ⁵ that they decided to send a proclamation throughout IsraEl (from BeerSheBa to Dan), inviting everyone there to come and observe the Passover to Jehovah the God of IsraEl in JeruSalem, because most of them hadn't responded to the [first] letters. ⁶ So they sent runners with letters from the king and his governors into all IsraEl and Judah (following the king's orders), saying, 'Sons of IsraEl; Return to Jehovah the God of AbraHam, IsaAc, and Jacob, for He will return to those who have escaped and survived the hand of the king of Assyria. ⁷ Don't be like your ancestors and your brothers who turned away from Jehovah the God of their fathers, for He handed them over for destruction, as you can see.

⁸ 'Don't stiffen your necks as your fathers did; give glory to Jehovah God! Come to the Holy Place that He made holy through the ages, and serve your God Jehovah; and then He will turn His rage and anger away from you. ⁹ For when you return to Jehovah, your brothers and your children will be shown compassion by those who have taken them captive, and He will return this land to you. Because, Jehovah our God is merciful and He feels pity, so He won't turn His face from us if we return to Him.'

¹⁰ Well, the runners traveled from city to city throughout the mountains of Ephraim and ManasSeh and into ZebuLun; and everywhere people made fun of them and ridiculed them. ¹¹ However, some of the men of Asher, ManasSeh, and ZebuLun did feel ashamed, and they came to Judah and into JeruSalem; ¹² and the hand of God gave them a united heart to do as the king and his governors had ordered… to follow the instructions of Jehovah.

¹³ Then they all gathered in JeruSalem, and so many people attended to observe the celebration of the fermentation-free bread in the (the second) month, [that it turned into] a huge assembly. ¹⁴ And thereafter, everyone got up and demolished all the [pagan] altars in JeruSalem and they tore down all the altars on which they had burned incense to their lying idols, and threw them into the Cedar (Kidron) Wadi. Then they sacrificed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the second month.

¹⁵ Well, the Priests and the Levites all felt ashamed, so they purified themselves and carried whole burnt offerings into the Temple of Jehovah. ¹⁶ Then each one took his station and handled his responsibilities, just as Moses (the man of God) had commanded, and the Priests received the [sacrificial] blood from the hands of the Levites, ¹⁷ because many of them had been purified. However, not all of the Levites who were to sacrifice the Passover had yet been purified to Jehovah, ¹⁸ because most of the people that had come from Ephraim, ManasSeh, IsSachar, and ZebuLun had not purified themselves. Yet, they ate the Passover, which was contrary to the Scriptures.

¹⁹ Then HezekiAh prayed for them, saying, 'Jehovah, the good God; [Please] cover [the sins] of those of us who have straightened our hearts to search for You, the God of our ancestors, and who haven't been purified as the Holy Things have been purified.'

²⁰ Well, Jehovah listened to HezekiAh and healed the people. ²¹ Then all the sons of IsraEl who were found in JeruSalem celebrated the holiday of the fermentation-free bread for seven days with great joy, singing praises to Jehovah each day, as the Priests and Levites played their instruments to the Lord.

²² Then, at the conclusion of the holiday of the fermentation-free bread loaves (at the end of seven days of sacrificing for salvation and for praising Jehovah the God of their ancestors), HezekiAh spoke to the hearts of the Levites and to all who were searching for Jehovah with a pure heart. ²³ And thereafter, the entire assembly agreed to observe it for another seven days… so they joyfully celebrated for seven more days!

²⁴ Then HezekiAh dedicated a thousand calves and seven thousand sheep on behalf of those who had assembled from Judah, and the governors dedicated a thousand calves and ten thousand sheep on behalf of the people, and [they gave] many holy things to the Priests. ²⁵ So everyone was happy – the Priests, the Levites, the whole assembly of Judah, and everyone else that was found in JeruSalem, including the foreigners who had come from the land of IsraEl and those who were living in Judah. ²⁶ It was a joyful day in JeruSalem, for there hadn't been one like it since the days of Solomon, the son of David, the king of IsraEl.

²⁷ Then the Levite priests got up and blest the people… and the things they said were heard, because their prayers reached to the Sacred Home in the heavens.

Chapter 31

¹ After that, all the IsraElites in the cities of Judah broke down the monuments, they knocked down the sacred poles, and they tore down the high places [of worship] and the shrines throughout Judah, BenJamin, Ephraim, and ManasSeh, until they were all gone. Then all IsraEl returned to the lands and cities of their inheritance.

² And HezekiAh reestablished the different responsibilities and the daily rotations of the Priests and Levites for sacrificing the whole burnt offerings, for offering sacrifices of salvation, and for praising, acknowledging, and officiating at the gates and courtyards of the Temple of Jehovah. ³ He also set aside a portion of his own possessions as whole burnt offerings to be sacrificed early in the morning, at dusk, on the Sabbaths, on the New Moons, and on the holidays, as it was written in the Law of Jehovah.

⁴ Then they spoke to the people who lived in JeruSalem about giving their due portion to the Priests and Levites, so they could do more in their services at the Temple of Jehovah. ⁵ He also sent word to the many sons of IsraEl to bring in the first fruits of their grain, wine, olive oil, honey, and the offspring of their fields; and a huge number from IsraEl and Judah brought their tenth portion. ⁶ Also, those from the cities of Judah brought a tenth of their calves, sheep, and goats, which they [offered] as holy to their God Jehovah… they brought it all in and piled it in heaps upon heaps.

⁷ It was the third month when they started the heaped piles of [offerings], which they stopped doing in the seventh month. ⁸ And when HezekiAh and his governors came and saw all the heaps, they praised Jehovah and His people IsraEl. ⁹ Then HezekiAh asked the Priests and the Levites about the heaps, ¹⁰ and thereafter he spoke to AzariAh (the High Priest and the head of the house of ZaDok) and said, 'When the first-fruits were brought to the Temple of Jehovah, we ate and drank; but we left a huge amount behind, and this is because Jehovah has blest His people… for we still have a lot left over.'

¹¹ Then HezekiAh told him to prepare a place for it in the Temple of Jehovah, which he did, ¹² and they carried in all the remaining first fruits and tenth portions, and stored them away. Then the Levite CononiAh was put in charge of it all, and his brother ShiMei was assigned as his assistant, ¹³ as were JeiEl, OzaZiAh, NaEth, AsahEl, JeriMoth, JoZabad, EliEl, SamachiAh, MaAth, and BenaiAh and his sons. They were all assigned under CononiAh and his brother ShiMei, by King HezekiAh and AzariAh (the head of the Temple of Jehovah).

¹⁴ JemNa, the Levite who was in charge of the east gate, was then put in charge of distributing the gifts, the first-fruits that were donated to Jehovah, and the holy things in the Holy of Holies ¹⁵ that were brought by the singers, and from BenJamin, JeShua, ShiMei, AmariAh, and SechoniAh, and the things that the Priests had stored away. Then he divide it among the Priests by the size of their families (counting all males from three years and up) and their daily rotations, ¹⁶ regardless of their genealogy, and gave it to all those who served at the Temple of Jehovah by the number of days that they actually served in the arrangement of the daily rotations. ¹⁷ It was also distributed among the Levites (by houses and families) who were twenty-years-old and older, by their arrangement of daily rotations, ¹⁸ classifications, genealogies, and by the number of sons and daughters they had, because they were entrusted with purifying the Holy Place.

¹⁹ Among the sons of Aaron (those who served as the officiating Priests from each of the cities), all the men were given assignments as Priests, as were those who were considered Levites. ²⁰ HezekiAh did this throughout all Judea, and everything he did was good and upright before his God Jehovah. ²¹ In all that he did – whether it was work at the Temple of Jehovah, or having to do with the Law or the instructions – he relied upon his God with his whole soul, and his ways were blest.

Chapter 32

¹ Well after these things were said, these facts came to the attention of SenNacherIb the king of Assyria. So he marched into Judah and camped around its walled cities, and talked about conquering them.

² Now, when HezekiAh saw that SenNacherIb had come, and that he intended to wage a war with JeruSalem, ³ he met with his councilors and generals, and discussed ways to stop up the springs and streams that were outside the city wall… and they vigorously assisted him. ⁴ So he recruited a large number of people and stopped up the waters of the springs, as well as the river that runs [in front] of the city. For they asked, 'Should the king of Assyria find a lot of water and grow strong?'

⁵ Then HezekiAh strengthened himself by rebuilding all the walls that had been torn down and all the battle towers. In fact, he built a perimeter wall around the city wall. He also strengthened the citadel in the City of David, and he made many other preparations. ⁶ Then he declared Marshall Law, and he gathered all his military leaders in the square at the gate that leads into the valley, and he spoke to their hearts, saying, ⁷ 'Be manly and strong! Don't allow the king of Assyria to frighten of terrify you – or any of those nations that are marching with him – because there are more with us than there are with him. ⁸ For, while those who are with him have arms of flesh, we have our God Jehovah to save us and to fight our battles!'

Well, the words of HezekiAh the king of Judah inspired confidence in the people. ⁹ But then SenNacherIb (the king of Assyria) sent his personal servants to JeruSalem (while he was marching on [the city of] LachIsh with his entire army). Then they spoke to HezekiAh and to all the Judeans who were gathered in JeruSalem, saying, ¹⁰ 'This is what SenNacherIb the king of the Assyrians has said: What are you people relying on that you've all [fled] to the stronghold of JeruSalem? ¹¹ Has HezekiAh deceived you into thinking that he can save you from hunger, thirst, and death by telling you that your God Jehovah will save you from the hands of the king of Assyria?

¹² 'Isn't this the HezekiAh who tore down His altars and high places of worship, and said to Judah and to those who live in JeruSalem, Now bow before this Altar, and here is where you should burn incense? ¹³ Why, don't you know what my ancestors and I have done to similar people? None of the gods of any of the other nations of the earth was able to save their people from my hand! ¹⁴ Which of any of the gods of these nations that my ancestors and I destroyed were able to rescue their people from my hands? So, how can your God save you from my hands?

¹⁵ 'Now, don't allow HezekiAh to fool you and persuade you to do what he says… don't trust him! For there's no way that any god of any nation or kingdom can save his people from my hands; and there's no way that your God will save you from my hands.'

¹⁶ Well, they continued speaking against Jehovah God and His servant HezekiAh. ¹⁷ And he even wrote a letter to berate Jehovah the God of IsraEl, and said concerning Him, 'No other god of any nation on earth has rescued his people from my hand, so there's no way that the God of HezekiAh will save his people from me!'

¹⁸ Then he yelled in the Jewish language at the people of JeruSalem who were manning the walls, and he told them to tear down the walls so he could take the city. ¹⁹ And he [again] spoke against the God of JeruSalem and against the gods of all the people of the earth (those that men made with their hands).

²⁰ Well, King HezekiAh and the Prophet IsaiAh (the son of Amoz) prayed about these things, calling into the heavens. ²¹ Then Jehovah sent a messenger, and he wiped out all the mighty warriors, all the rulers, and all the leaders in the camp of the king of Assyria, so he was forced to return to his own land in shame. And when he went to the temple of his god, those who came from his own belly overthrew him, [murdering] him with a broadsword.

²² So Jehovah saved HezekiAh and the people who were living in JeruSalem from the hands of SenNacherIb the king of Assyria (as well as all who were with him), and He provided a period of rest throughout the land. ²³ And thereafter, many people brought gifts to Jehovah in JeruSalem, and they brought presents to HezekiAh the king of Judah; for after that, he was highly respected by all the other nations.

²⁴ Sometime later, however, HezekiAh became ill to the point of dying, and he prayed to Jehovah, and God heard him and gave him a sign. ²⁵ But then, HezekiAh didn't repay [God] in the way that [God] had dealt with him; for he became proud in his heart, and this brought [God's] anger upon Judah and JeruSalem. ²⁶ And thereafter, God humbled the proud hearts of HezekiAh and those who lived in JeruSalem, and Jehovah's anger didn't come again during the days of HezekiAh.

²⁷ So HezekiAh became very rich and very famous. He filled his treasuries with silver, gold, precious gems, aromatics, weapons, and all sorts of desirable things. ²⁸ His cities had all types of produce, such as grain, wine, and olive oil; and his towns had stables for all sorts of animals and huge pens for the flocks [of sheep]. ²⁹ Then he built cities for himself, and he came to own vast herds of sheep and oxen, for [Jehovah had blest] all his holdings.

³⁰ Why, it was HezekiAh who blocked up the upper [spring] of GiHon and rerouted it to the south of the city of David; and all of HezekiAh's projects prospered.

³¹ Well, it so happened that ambassadors were sent to him from the rulers of Babylon to ask about the miracle that had taken place in his land, and that's when Jehovah left him (as a test), to find out the things that were in his heart.

³² {Look!} All of the rest of the things that HezekiAh said (and of his mercy) are written in the prophecy of IsaiAh (the son of Amoz) the Prophet, and in the scroll of the kings of Judah and IsraEl. ³³ Then HezekiAh went to sleep with his ancestors, and they buried him in the tomb along the road up to the tombs of the sons of David. All the people of Judah and those living in JeruSalem showed him great honor after he died.

Then his son ManasSeh started reigning in his place.

Chapter 33

¹ ManasSeh was twelve-years old when he started his reign, and he ruled in JeruSalem for twenty-five years. ² However, he acted wickedly before Jehovah and did the same disgusting things as the nations that Jehovah had destroyed before the sons of IsraEl. ³ He returned and rebuilt the high places [of worship] that his father HezekiAh had torn down; he erected columns to the BaAls; he erected sacred poles; and he bowed before and served all the armies of the heavens. ⁴ He even built altars inside the Temple of Jehovah, the place where Jehovah said, '[I will put] My Name in JeruSalem through the ages.' ⁵ And he erected altars to all the armies of the heavens inside the Temple courtyards. ⁶ Then he [sacrificed] his children in the fire at GeHenna; he [personally] foretold the future; he administered potions and went to fortunetellers; and he did many other bad things before Jehovah to anger Him.

⁷ He also carved and molded images and placed them inside the very Temple of God where Jehovah had said to David and to his son Solomon, 'I have chosen this House and JeruSalem from all the tribes of IsraEl, and I will put My Name here through the ages. ⁸ And I will not shake the foot of IsraEl from this land that I gave to their ancestors, as long as they're careful to do all the things that I've instructed them, and they follow the Laws, orders, and decisions that they were given by the hand of Moses.'

⁹ So ManasSeh misled Judah and the people of JeruSalem into acting worse than all the nations that Jehovah had removed from before the sons of IsraEl. ¹⁰ And Jehovah spoke to ManasSeh and his people, but they just wouldn't listen. ¹¹ So Jehovah led the rulers of the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they captured ManasSeh and put him shackles, then led him off to Babylon. ¹² And it was while he was in this terrible situation that he finally searched for the face of Jehovah his God, and he became very humble before the God of his ancestors. ¹³ He prayed to Him, and [God listened]… He heard his cries and returned him to JeruSalem [as king] over his kingdom, for ManasSeh had learned that Jehovah is God.

¹⁴ After that, he built a wall outside the city of David, from GiHon in the south, along the [Cedar] Wadi, and all the way around to the Fisherman's Gate. He also had a huge number of weapons [made], and he assigned generals and troops to each of the walled cities of Judah.

¹⁵ Then he removed the foreign gods and carved images from the Temple of Jehovah, as well as all the altars that he had built on the mountain where the Temple of Jehovah was located (as well as in JeruSalem and outside the city); ¹⁶ and then he erected an Altar to Jehovah. Thereafter, he sacrificed a salvation offering and a praise offering, and he told Judah to serve Jehovah the God of IsraEl. ¹⁷ However, the people kept on offering sacrifices in the high places, which weren't acceptable to their God Jehovah.

¹⁸ {Look!} The rest of the things that ManasSeh said, and of his prayer to God, and the [warnings from] the Seers who spoke to him in the Name of the Lord God of IsraEl, ¹⁹ and of how he prayed and God listened to him, and of all his sins and defections, and of the locations of the high places that he built, and of the sacred poles and the images he erected before he returned [to God], are written in the words of the Seers.

²⁰ Then ManasSeh went to sleep with his ancestors, and they buried him in a tomb in the garden [behind] his palace. And his son Amon started ruling in his place.

²¹ Amon was twenty-two years old when he started his reign, and he ruled in JeruSalem for two years. ²² Like his father ManasSeh, he acted wickedly before Jehovah, because he worshiped and sacrificed to all the idols that his father had made, ²³ and he was never humbled before Jehovah as his father ManasSeh was humbled; so he committed even worse sins than his father had. ²⁴ But his servants attacked and killed him in his palace, and then the people of the land attacked those who had killed King Amon, and they appointed his son JosiAh as king in his place.

Chapter 34

¹ JosiAh was eight years old when he started his reign, and he ruled in JeruSalem for thirty-one years. ² He did what was upright before Jehovah and followed in the ways of his ancestor David… he didn't deviate to the right or to the left.

³ It was in the eighth year of his reign (while he was still a boy) that he started searching for Jehovah, the God of his ancestor David. And in the twelfth year of his reign, he started cleansing Judah and JeruSalem of the high places [of worship], the sacred poles, the shrines, and the molded images. ⁴ He totally destroyed the things that were before his face… the altars and high places of the BaAls, as well as all those who were in charge of them. He cut down the sacred poles and carved images, and he had the molded images crushed to a fine powder, and then he had their dust thrown on the tombs of those who had sacrificed to them. ⁵ He also incinerated the bones of the priests on their own altars, and he cleaned up Judah and JeruSalem.

⁶ Then he did the same thing throughout the cities of ManasSeh, Ephraim, SimeOn, and NaphTali, and all the places around them. ⁷ He tore down the altars and the sacred poles, and he cut the idols into fine pieces. Then he beat down all the high places throughout the land of IsraEl, and he returned to JeruSalem.

⁸ It was during the eighteenth year of his reign that he urged a cleansing of the land and of the Temple; so he sent SaPhan (the son of EseliJa), MaAsa (the city mayor), and the City Recorder JoAh (the son of JoAhaz) to repair the Temple of his God Jehovah. ⁹ Then they went to the High Priest HelkiAh and gave him the money that had been collected by the Levites at the gates, which had been donated to the Temple by those from ManasSeh, Ephraim, the governors, and all the rest of Judah, BenJamin, IsraEl, and the people of JeruSalem. ¹⁰ They gave it to those who were in charge of doing the work in the Temple of Jehovah, to repair and fortify it; ¹¹ and they in turn, gave it to the builders and contractors to buy blocks of cut stone and wooden beams for the roof, for all of that had been destroyed by the kings of Judah.

¹² Now, the overseers who were in charge of the men that supervised the construction were Jeth and ObadiAh (Levites who were descendants of MeraRi), and ZachariAh and MosSalam (descendants of KoHath). However, all the Levites, including the musicians and singers, kept an eye on the project, ¹³ while the Levite scribes, gatekeepers, and judges watched over the laborers and their foremen.

¹⁴ It was while they were delivering the money that had been collected for the Temple of Jehovah that the High Priest HelkiAh found a scroll of the Law of Jehovah that [had been written] by the hand of Moses. ¹⁵ And HelkiAh said to SaPhan (the scribe), 'We've found the scroll of the Law in the Temple of Jehovah!'

Then HelkiAh gave the scroll to SaPhan, ¹⁶ and he carried it to the king and said, 'All your servants have been paid for doing their work. ¹⁷ They also melted down the silver that was found in the Temple of Jehovah and used it to pay the overseers and laborers.'

¹⁸ Then the Scribe SaPhan gave the king the [good news]. He said: 'This scroll was given to me by HelkiAh the Priest.' And then he read it before the king.

¹⁹ Well, when the king heard the words of the Law, he started ripping his clothes. ²⁰ Then he gave orders to HelkiAh, AchiKam (the son of SaPhan), AbDon (the son MichaiAh), SaPhan (the scribe), and his personal servant AsaiAh, saying, ²¹ 'Go and ask Jehovah about the things that are written in this scroll we found, on behalf of myself and everyone who is left in IsraEl and Judah. For, Jehovah's rage must surely be burning against us, because we've ignored what our ancestors told us about the words of Jehovah when they told us to do the things that are written in this scroll.'

²² So HelkiAh (and the others that the king had called) went to see the Prophetess HulDah (the wife of SelLem, the son of ThekoE and grandson of Aras, the one who was in charge of guarding the Commandments). She lived in JeruSalem, in the second section. And they told her everything that had happened.

²³ Then she told them, 'This is what Jehovah the God of IsraEl has said: Tell the man who sent you to me ²⁴ that Jehovah says [He is] calling down evil upon this place because of the things that are written in this scroll, which was read before the king of Judah. ²⁵ For, they have abandoned Me and burned incense to foreign gods to make Me angry at things they made with their hands. So, My rage is burning against this place, and it won't be extinguished.

²⁶ 'And tell this to the King of Judah who sent you to search for Jehovah… tell him that Jehovah the God of IsraEl says: ²⁷ Because you felt shame in your heart over the words that you heard, and because you humbled yourself before Me when you heard what I said about this place and those who live here, and because you were humbled and ripped your clothes, then wept before Me, I have listened to you. And Jehovah said, ²⁸ {Look!} I will count you among your ancestors and send you to your tomb in peace. So, your eyes won't see any of the bad things that I will bring upon this place and upon those who live here.'

Thereafter, they brought the message back to the king, ²⁹ and then the king gathered all the elders of Judah and JeruSalem, ³⁰ and they went to the Temple of Jehovah, along with all the people of Judah and JeruSalem (including the Priests and Levites)… all the people from the least to the greatest. Then he read all the words of the scroll of the Sacred Agreement that were found in the Temple of Jehovah.

³¹ Then the king stood on the podium and proposed a sacred agreement there before Jehovah… that they would obey His Commandments, testimonies, and orders with their entire hearts and souls, so as to observe the words of the Agreement that were written in the scroll. ³² Then he asked all in JeruSalem, Judah, and BenJamin to ratify this agreement with the Temple of Jehovah the God of their ancestors.

³³ Thereafter, JosiAh removed all the disgusting things from the land that the sons of IsraEl had made, and he decreed that everyone in JeruSalem and IsraEl should serve Jehovah their God. And throughout his life, he didn't turn aside from following Jehovah the God of his ancestors.

Chapter 35

¹ Then JosiAh observed the Passover to his God Jehovah… he offered the Passover sacrifice on the fourteenth day of the first month.

² He stationed the Priests at their watches, and granted them even more power to do their work at the Temple of Jehovah. ³ Then he urged the most prominent Levites in all IsraEl to dedicate themselves to serving Jehovah, and to return the Holy Chest [to its place] in the Temple… and that's what they did. They put the Holy Chest into the Temple that was built by Solomon (the son of David) the king of IsraEl. Then the king said to them, 'It isn't your job to be carrying anything on your shoulders… you're just to serve your God Jehovah and His people IsraEl!

⁴ 'Now, prepare the houses of your families to handle your daily rotations according to the way it was written by David, the king of IsraEl, and by the hand of his son Solomon. ⁵ Then take your stations in the Temple by your houses and families, so you can [help] your brothers, the sons of the people. Select some from each house of the families of the Levites, ⁶ then sacrifice the Passover and prepare the holy things, so that your brothers may observe it as Jehovah instructed through the hand of Moses.'

⁷ Then JosiAh dedicated some thirty-thousand sheep, lambs, and goat kids for the Passover (on behalf of the sons of the people), as well as three thousand calves (which had all belonged to the king). ⁸ Then his governors dedicated [animals] on behalf of the people, and brought them to the Priests and Levites. However, HelkiAh, ZachariAh, and JeiEl (the Chief Priests at the Temple of God) also offered two thousand, six hundred sheep, lambs and goat kids, and three hundred calves for the Passover. ⁹ And ConaniAh, BenaiAh, SamaiAh, his brother NathaniEl, AsAbiJah, JeiEl, and JoZabad (the heads of the Levites) dedicated five thousand sheep and five hundred calves on behalf of the Levites for the Passover.

¹⁰ Then everything was arranged. The Priests took their stations; the Levites handled their assignments as they were commanded by the king; ¹¹ and they sacrificed the Passover… the Priests poured out the blood, and the Levites did the cutting and skinning, ¹² as they prepared the whole burnt offerings. And then they delivered the portions to the sons of the people by houses and families, so they could bring them to Jehovah, as it is written in the book of Moses. This whole thing lasted into the morning. ¹³ Then, following the Law, they roasted the Passover on a fire, while the holy pieces were boiled in brass pots and kettles.

Everything went well, so they ran and [distributed the pieces] among the sons of the people.

¹⁴ Then the Priests prepared to sacrifice whole burnt offerings on behalf of themselves, and the fat was burned for themselves and their brothers (the sons of Aaron) until that night.

¹⁵ Then the singers and musicians (the sons of Asaph) took their stations… following the instructions of David, Asaph, Heman, and JediThun (the king's Prophets), and the gatekeepers and their supervisors manned their gates, so they didn't have to go anywhere to offer their holy things, because their brothers the Levites prepared it for them.

¹⁶ So, everything was set up for the service to Jehovah and to observe the Passover on that day. Then the whole burnt offerings were placed on the Altar of Jehovah, following the commands of King JosiAh. ¹⁷ And all the sons of IsraEl who were present for the Passover, celebrated the holiday of the fermentation-free bread for seven days. ¹⁸ There hadn't been another day like it in IsraEl since the time of the Prophet SamuEl, because the kings of IsraEl hadn't observed the Passover… but JosiAh did. And the Priests, Levites, all Judah and IsraEl, and everyone who lived in JeruSalem [was there before Jehovah].

¹⁹ This Passover was observed in the eighteenth year of the reign of JosiAh. However, the oracles, fortunetellers, family gods, idols, and beloved things were still common in the land of Judah and in JeruSalem. So King JosiAh had them all burned, following the Law that was written in the scroll that the High Priest HelkiAh had found in the Temple of Jehovah. There was never anyone else like him who had turned to Jehovah with his whole heart, soul, and strength in following the Law of Moses; nor was there anyone like him thereafter.

However, even this didn't turn away Jehovah's great anger and rage, because of the many ways in which Judah and ManasSeh had provoked Jehovah. For Jehovah said, 'I will for a fact remove Judah from before My face as I removed IsraEl; and I will push away JeruSalem (the city that I chose) and the Temple where I said that I would put My Name.'

²⁰ Then PharaOh Necho (the king of Egypt) attacked the king of Assyria at the EuPhrates River, and King JosiAh went to fight against him. ²¹ So [Necho] sent messengers to him, saying, 'What have I done to you, O king of Judah? For, I haven't come to wage war against you today; I'm fighting my battle here, because God told me to come here quickly. Be careful, because God is with me, and He can also ruin you.'

²² Well, JosiAh didn't turn back… he got ready to wage war, and he refused to listen to the words of Necho (that came from mouth of God), so he marched into the plains of MegidDo. ²³ Then a bowman shot King JosiAh, and he said to his servants, 'Lead me away, because I'm in a lot of pain.'

²⁴ So his servants took him out of his chariot and put him in a second chariot that was nearby, and carried him to JeruSalem, where he died. Then he was buried in a tomb with his ancestors, and all Judah and JeruSalem mourned him.

²⁵ [The Prophet] JeremiAh also mourned over JosiAh, and he spoke a dirge to all the governors and rulers over JosiAh that is still spoken to this day, for they told IsraEl to say: 'Look! It is written in the Lamentations.'

²⁶ {Look!} The rest of the things that JosiAh said and hoped for concerning the Law of Jehovah – ²⁷ all his words, from first to last – are written in the scroll of the kings of IsraEl and Judah.

Chapter 36

¹ Then the people of the land took JehoAhaz (JosiAh's son) and anointed him as king over JeruSalem, in place of his father.

² JehoAhaz was twenty-three years old when he started his reign, and he reigned in JeruSalem for three months. His mother's name was AmiTal, and she was the daughter of JeremiAh of LobeNa. He acted wickedly before Jehovah, as his ancestors had done. Then PharaOh Necho had him imprisoned in DebLatha (in the land of HaMath), so he couldn't serve as his vassal in JeruSalem. ³ And thereafter, he took him to Egypt and required [the people of IsraEl] to pay him thirty-tons of silver and sixty-pounds of gold.

⁴ Then PharaOh Necho put JosiAh's son EliAkim on the throne of Judah, and changed his name to JehoiAkim. But PharaOh Necho took his brother JehoAhaz to Egypt, where he died. Then [JehoiAkim] paid the silver and gold to the PharaOh, and a tax was imposed on the land by the word of PharaOh. Each person was required to hand over his silver and gold (as they were able) to PharaOh Necho.

⁵ JehoiAkim was twenty-five years old when he started his reign, and he ruled from JeruSalem for eleven years. His mother's name was ZechOra, and she was the daughter of NerYow from Ramah. He also acted wickedly before Jehovah… every bit as bad as his ancestors did.

It was during his reign that NebuChadnezzar (the king of Babylon) came to the land and made him his vassal king for three years. But he rebelled against him, and then Jehovah sent the Chaldeans (as well as bands of Syrian robbers, bands of Moabite robbers, the sons of AmMon, and [the people of] Samaria) against him. However, they left after Jehovah had sent a warning to them through His servants the Prophets.

Yet, Jehovah was still in a rage against Judah, because of the sins of ManasSeh and all the things he did, and because of all the innocent blood that JehoiAkim had spilled (he had filled JeruSalem with the blood of the innocent), so He planned to remove Judah from before His face. However, Jehovah didn't want to destroy everyone.

⁶ Then NebuChadnezzar (the king of Babylon) attacked [JehoiAkim] and took him off to Babylon in shackles, ⁷ along with many things from the Temple of Jehovah, which he put into his own temple in Babylon.

⁸ {Look!} The rest of the things that JehoiAkim said and did were written in the scroll of the words of the days of the kings of Judah. Then JehoiAkim went to sleep with his ancestors, and he was buried in a tomb at GanOza with his ancestors; so his son JehoiAchin started reigning in his place.

⁹ JehoiAchin was eighteen years old when he started his reign, and he ruled in JeruSalem for three months and ten days, for he acted wickedly in the presence of Jehovah. ¹⁰ Then, toward the end of the year, king NebuChadnezzar carried him off to Babylon, along with many valuable things from the Temple of Jehovah, and his uncle ZedekiAh became king over Judah and JeruSalem.

¹¹ ZedekiAh was twenty-one years old when he started his reign, and he ruled in JeruSalem for seven years. ¹² He also acted wickedly before his God Jehovah, and when the Prophet JeremiAh brought him word from the mouth of Jehovah, he wasn't shamed. ¹³ Then he annulled his allegiance to King NebuChadnezzar, which he had sworn before God… he just stiffened his neck and [hardened] his heart, and he refused to return to Jehovah the God of IsraEl.

¹⁴ Thereafter, the honorable men of Judah, the Priests, and the people of the land just got worse. They traded goodness for the wickedness and disgusting things of the nations, and they defiled the Temple of Jehovah in JeruSalem. ¹⁵ So Jehovah, the God of their ancestors, sent messages through His Prophets. They got up early each morning and brought [warnings] to spare His people and His Holy Place. ¹⁶ But all [the people] did was sneer at His messengers, treat their words with contempt, and mock His Prophets, to the point where Jehovah was furious with His people and it was [obvious] that there was no cure.

¹⁷ So He brought the king of the Chaldeans against them, and their young men were slaughtered with broadswords. They didn't spare His Holy Place or ZedekiAh, nor did they show mercy to the virgins. All the elders were captured and carried away, ¹⁸ and everything in the Temple of God (both large and small) – all its treasures – as well as all the treasures of the king and everyone of importance, was carried off to Babylon. ¹⁹ Then he burned the Temple of Jehovah, tore down the walls of JeruSalem, torched its palaces, and wiped away everything that was of any beauty.

²⁰ Then he carried off everyone who was left to Babylon, where they served as slaves for him and his sons… until the Medes came along ²¹ and fulfilled the words of Jehovah through JeremiAh, and after the land had observed its Sabbaths. For, during the seventy years that the land lay desolate, it was observing its Sabbath.

²² It was in the first year of Cyrus the king of Persia, after the fulfillment of the words of Jehovah through the mouth of JeremiAh, that Jehovah awakened the spirit of Cyrus and commanded him to send a written proclamation throughout his kingdom, that said: ²³ 'Cyrus the king of Persia says, All the kingdoms of the earth have been given to me by Jehovah the God of heaven, and He told me to build a Temple to Him in JeruSalem in Judea. So, who of you are His people? His God Jehovah is now with him, so let him [now return to JeruSalem]!'

Notes

Age, Eternal, Perpetual, Everlasting, Immortal, or Forever?

Two words imply infinite states in the Bible; one is the Greek word athanasia (undying), which is only found in two places, 1 Corinthians 15:53, where it mentions resurrected ones as clothing themselves with immortality, and at 1 Timothy 6:16, where Paul speaks of Jesus alone as having it. The other Greek word is aidios, which is used at Romans 1:20 to describe God's Power and Might as eternal, and at Jude 6 when speaking of the perpetual state of gloomy darkness that rebellious angels have been confined to.

However, the Greek word aionos, which is used throughout the Bible in various conjugated forms and is often translated as eternal and forever, is what the English word eon is derived from. It means an indefinite period, and there is no exact English word to translate it. The best equivalents are age or era.

Where the singular form (aionos) is used, this appears to mean a period such as a lifetime, generation, or era. And where the plural form of the word (aiōnōn) is used, it refers to a longer time… at least multiple generations. Also, where the term ages of the ages is used (such as at Ephesians 3:21), which is usually said in reference to The God, we would assume that this truly means forever.

It is noteworthy that aionos is the word that is used in the Greek Septuagint in place of the Hebrew word ohlam, which is also translated as forever and time indefinite in popular versions of the Ancient Scriptures of IsraEl. So, this one word (aionos) is translated as forever, everlasting, eternal, system of things, time indefinite, [end of] the world, long ago, from of old, etc. Obviously, something is very wrong here, because the word can't mean a period having a definite end in one place and infinity in another.

Take for example, the unique way that aionos is used in the question that Jesus' Apostles asked him, which is found at Matthew 24:3: 'Tell us; When will these things happen… what will be the signs when you are to arrive and this age will come to its conclusion?' Notice that aionos is also translated as world here in many Bibles, such as the KJ, and as system of things in other Bibles, such as the NWT. However, if the Apostles had meant any of those things, they would have used the Greek word cosmos (world or arrangement), not aionos.

You can see that aionos obviously doesn't mean forever, everlasting, or eternal in this case, nor did it mean world or system of things. It simply meant the age, or, the time before the end would come. And for them, that meant the age when God's Temple in JeruSalem would be destroyed, because that's what Jesus was explaining to them.

Yet, there are instances when some forms of the word could imply forever, such as when we find it in the form aiōniŏn. This is an adjective in the singular case, which, when combined with the Greek word zoe (in its various forms) is usually translated in other Bibles as everlasting life. However, that isn't a totally-accurate description.

In the past, we had tried to reconcile the words zoe aiōniŏn as meaning, life in the age. However, the word age in this instance would not be an adjective, so we have recently chosen, in most cases where we find this word combination, to translate them more accurately as age-long life, which we will agree could mean everlasting life.

For more information, see the linked Scriptural Commentary, Does the Bible Promise Everlasting Life?

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Anointing

At Exodus 29:29 we find that Aaron and his sons were to be 'anointed' as Priests to Jehovah, and that this action would make them 'holy' or clean. It also signified that they had been chosen to this office by God. And in Leviticus, when we read of the 'anointed' Priest, the reference seems to be to one of the Priests who has been chosen for the special office of what later became known as the High Priest.

The Greek word that we have translated as anointed here, is chriseis, which can also be translated as Christ (it's just a conjugation of Christos), since christ and anointed both come from the same root, which is Greek for olive oil. So, Jesus wasn't the first or the only one to be correctly referred to as a christ.

Why olive oil? Because, that substance was traditionally poured over the heads of those whom God chose to be Priests and kings over IsraEl. However, at least in the case of Aaron and his sons, fragrant herbs were added to the oil to give it a pleasing odor. This is implied at Exodus 25:7, where the IsraElites were asked to donate 'fragrances for anointing oil.' And we find the exact formula for the anointing oil at Exodus 30:34, where we read that it was to be made from 'sixteen pounds of choice myrrh flowers, eight pounds of sweet-smelling cinnamon, eight pounds of sweet-smelling calamus, sixteen pounds of cassia (for the Holy Place), and a gallon of olive oil.'

The physical anointing with oil also appears to have pictured their receiving God's Holy Breath, making them 'holy,' which was an appropriate description for Jesus years later. And remember that both the 'anointed' priests and the kings pictured Jesus. So, the term christ, when referring to them, is apropos.

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Bible Measurements

The most common unit for measuring length, height, and depth in the Bible is a cubit, which is the length of a man's forearm. And of course, the lengths of forearms vary depending on the size of the person; so a cubit may be anywhere between eighteen and twenty-two inches. However, to give you a better idea of the size and proportions of things in the Bible, we have converted the units of measure to more familiar terms, such as feet and inches. And we have roughly averaged the sizes or lengths.

Also, some units of measure, such as a cor (about 32 bushels), hin, or bath (about 6 gallons), have been roughly estimated, since such terms are obsolete.

We have also dropped the obscure names of coins, since most readers have no idea of their value, and simply inserted the type of coin they are (gold, silver, or copper), and sometimes their size, to provide you some frame of reference.

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Soul or?

The Greek word psyche (as in psychology) has been translated many ways, including soul, life, etc. However, psyche actually means something that breathes. It is used in the Bible to describe both breathing animals and breathing humans. So by definition, a soul cannot leave the body, because a soul is what the living body (whether human or animal) is (see Genesis 2:7).

In ancient Greece, philosophers eventually added another meaning to psyche: The inner person (as opposed to the person that others see and come to know). And with time, the pagan religion of Greece started to teach that this inner person is its own entity and can never die (is immortal). Over the centuries, this pagan Greek doctrine thereafter crept into the Christian religions. Please see the Wikipedia definition Soul for more history of the word.

However, such Greek philosophical thought never influenced Jesus and his Apostles. So, they consistently used psyche to indicate a living person or animal. Therefore, the later teaching that the soul is immortal stands in direct conflict with Jesus' promise of a resurrection, because, if a person is immortal (can never die) he/she can never be resurrected (brought back to life).

In addition, the teaching of the immortality of the human soul is totally without support from the Bible. For the word immortal(ity) (Gr: athanasia or undying) is only mentioned in the Bible in two places, and it isn't used with or applied to the word soul in either case. Both of these scriptures show that immortality is only given by God as a reward for righteousness. And as EzekiEl 18:4 says, 'The person (gr. psyche or soul) that is sinning will die (gr. apothaneitai).'

Of course, there are places in the Bible where the word soul means more than just a living, fleshly body. For example, God is recorded to have spoken of 'My Soul' in several places. Obviously, God is much more than just a 'soul' as most people think of that term, and He surely wasn't talking about His having a human body. So we must conclude that what He was referring to is His life or His person.

Then there are Jesus' words found at Matthew 10:28, which read, 'Don't be afraid of those who kill the body but can't kill the person (psyche or soul). Rather, be afraid of him who can destroy both the person (soul) and the body in the garbage dump.' Here, Jesus is using the word psyche (soul) to refer to the value of life that remains with God until the resurrection. And he obviously isn't referring the soul as immortal in this instance, because he says God will destroy (gr. apolesai) the [unrighteous] soul or person.

Unfortunately, no single word can be used to translate psyche in every possible Bible application, so various terms are used herein, depending on the circumstances, but always in an attempt to harmonize with the meaning.

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Breath

The Greek word pneuma (as in pneumonia, a breathing disease) means breath or wind – the movement of air. In other Bible translations, this word is often translated as spirit or ghost, as in Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. However, spirit is just a shortened form of the Latin word spiritu, which just means breath in Latin. And ghost conveys another meaning altogether.

In the Bible, the most common use of the word pneuma is to convey the idea of a force that can't be seen, such as breath or wind. And the problem with translating it as spirit or ghost, is that those words have been given religious meanings that aren't implied by the Greek texts.

Therefore, to prevent confusion, the Greek word pneuma is frequently translated as breath herein. However, there are exceptions, as in instances where the Bible refers to demons as 'spirits.' Translating pneuma as breath in these cases, although correct, might just be confusing. There are also places where we have left pneuma translated as spirit, when the word implies a person's tendency (or spirit). And, since the nuance implied by the word spirit in the English language (an unseen power) is correct, we recently changed back to translating pneuma as spirit in several places, when referring to God's Holy Spirit. However, recognize that pneuma is often best defined by calling it [God's] Holy Breath. For an example, see the Note Worshiping God In Spirit and Truth.

Another important use of the word pneuma is in the phrase, 'Breath of Life.' This phrase appears to mean more than just breathing, for it seems to refer to the entire mechanics of life itself. It's the unseen force of life for all creatures… it's what makes each cell alive. However, nowhere does the Bible describe the 'pneuma' as immortal, nor is it the same as the soul (a breathing thing), so it can (figuratively) 'return to God' at death,' because all hope of future life depends on God and His promise of a resurrection.

Note in particular how the term Breath is used at Job 27:3, where Job spoke of God's Breath or Spirit. For there he asked, 'Does the Breath of the Divine One remain in my nose?' As you can see from his application of this word, pneuma obviously referred to God's Breath, not to a person or to an unseen force. He was talking about that which comes from God and which caused him (Job) to breathe… the Breath of Life.

It is interesting that at Genesis 6:3, God said concerning the wicked people on earth before the Downpour: 'I won't allow My Breath to stay with these men through the age, for they are fleshly.' In Greek that reads, 'Ou me katameine to pneuma mou en tois anthropois toutoiseis ton aiona, dia ai einai autous sarka,' or, 'Not not should stay the Breath Mine with these men the age through, their being flesh.'

While the words Breath Mine (pneuma mou) here can refer to God's Holy Breath, it seems more likely that He is referring to the breath of life that He gave to Adam. So it appears as though what God was saying here, is that the breath of life (of the people of that age) would be removed prematurely. However, since God referred to it as 'My Breath,' there may be a link implied between God's Holy Breath and the breath of life.
For more information, see the linked document, 'The Powers of God's Holy Spirit.'

However, when Jesus died (as the words recorded at John 19:30 say), 'he hung his head and gave up the breath' (gr. kai klinas ten kephalen paredoken to pneuma, or, and inclined his head giving/up the breath). In this case, the obvious reference is to 'the breath of life,' or that force which gave him life as a human.

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The Heavens or Sky, the Earth or the Land?

In both the Ancient Scriptures of IsraEl (OT) and the Christian Era Scriptures (NT), we find all the realm of non-living creation divided into just three entities; the heavens (or sky), the earth (the land or ground), and the seas (or the waters) and rivers.

Now, in contemporary English, we understand that there is a difference between the heavens and the sky, the earth and the land (or ground), and the seas and waters. However, in both Hebrew and Greek, these fine distinctions that we accept because of our modern technology, can't be found. So, Genesis 1:1 is literally translated herein as, 'In the beginning, The God created the skies and the lands.' This is very accurate, because it was man's view of creation from the earth. There was just the land that he stood on, the sky above him, and the waters or seas over there. He had no technical understanding of the earth as a planet, because men had never seen the earth as a globe in space, as most of us have done today. However, because of these distinctions that we are aware of, translators must choose the proper words to provide the right nuances in English, in order for readers to grasp the proper meaning of each text. And as you will see, something as simple as selecting another synonym can give us a quite different view of the meanings of some common verses.

The Greek word ourano(n), for example, can be correctly translated as heaven, heavens, sky, and skies, depending on the context and tense. But if the translator should choose the wrong word, people will reach very different (and often wrong) conclusions, because of the nuances implied in English.

Likewise, the Greek words ge, ges, and gen can be translated as earth, earths, ground, grounds, land, or lands, depending on the context and tense. So, the symbolic words at 2 Peter 3:5, 6, for example, are translated herein as, 'The thing that they don't want to understand is this: That the ancient skies and land were out of the water, but (in obedience to God's instructions) they stood together between the waters.' (For an example of the problems created by the wrong use of the words ge, ges, and gen, see the linked document Isaiah 24 - Is It Speaking of Armageddon?).

Notice that the 'skies and land' were located 'between the water.' So, although other Bibles translated this verse as speaking of the 'heavens and earth,' the reference is to the portion of the heavens that are close to the earth… to the skies.

The same is true of the famous words of Jesus at Matthew 5:5, which read in Greek: 'Makarioi oi praeis hoti outoi kleronomesousin ten gen,' or, Blest the gentle for they will/inherit the (earth, ground, or land).' Notice that in some Bibles Jesus is recorded as saying, 'The meek will inherit the earth;' while in others he said, 'The meek will inherit the land.' Do you see the difference in nuances implied here? Yet, both word choices are equally correct.

And finally, when it comes to the seas (gr. tas thalassan), there are already distinctions as to different types of waters in the Greek text. For instance, seas are called thalassan and rivers are called potamos (or 'flowing'). However, notice (in Revelation 20: 13) how the resurrection of the dead is divided between those who died on land and those who were lost in the water; 'The sea gave up its dead, death and the grave gave up those dead in them, and they were all judged by the things that they did.'

We again find all three of these realms of creation brought together symbolically at Revelation 21:1, whIch we have translated as saying, 'Then I saw new skies and new lands, because the previous sky and land had disappeared, as did the sea.' So, did John see 'a new heavens and a new earth,' as some translate his words, or did he see 'new skies and new lands,' as we have quoted him? The Greek words that are used in the beginning of this verse are both in the plural tense, but in the singular tense in the latter half of the verse. So, what John says that he saw was 'new skies and new lands' which took the place of the old 'sky, land, and sea' that had just disappeared before him (he didn't see the globe and the realm of God disappear).

Also, in the case of where EliJah was taken away in a celestial chariot; most people think he was taken (as their Bibles put it) 'to heaven,' where he went to live with God. This isn't true, because King JehoRam later received a letter from Elijah (see 2 Chronicles 21:12). So, God had apparently used the celestial chariot to take him into 'the sky' (the proper translation here), where he was then sent to another place here on the earth. For more information on this, see the linked document, The Hereafter.

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Proper Pronunciation of the Letters C and CH in Greek Words

The most mispronounced letters when English-speaking people try to pronounce Greek or Hebrew names, is C (or CH). For, there is no 'soft C' pronunciation in those languages; it is always a hard C (as in Call), even when a CH is used (as in CHrist). So, the title Caesar was actually pronounced more like Kaiser (as in German). And the faithful woman Priscilla was called Prees-kee-lah, as the town of Laodicea was called La-oh-dee-keh-ah. However, don't try to pronounce those names and titles properly, because the mispronunciations are just too well entrenched in English.

When it comes to less familiar names though, one might try to pronounce them properly. Take for example, the name of the king of Elam, Chodollogomor, or the sons of Chet, or the people called the Chaldeans. In ancient Greek, they were pronounced (approximately and respectively), Kah-dah-lah-gah-mer, Ket, and Kahl-dee-owns. Oh yes, it helps to have an interlinear Bible translation to know how the word was actually spelled, and a knowledge of how Greek vowels are pronounced.

The Greeks had two letters that they pronounced as a K. One looks like a K and is pronounced that way, with the tongue touching the roof of the mouth. The other (the one we render as C and CH in English) looks like an X and is pronounced like a K, but with the tongue touching the soft palate at the back of the mouth, which gives a breathier sound to the K. For example, say Christ and notice the part of your mouth that the tongue touches. Then say Kill and notice the difference. This is the difference between CH and K.

So, why did the Greeks have different letters for such a small variation in sound? This is because they had no alphabet until about the time of their classical poet, Homer. They then borrowed or adapted their alphabet from the Hebrews (if you could examine both alphabets from that period, you would see the similarities). And since Hebrew is a more guttural language, their letter cheth (where the Greeks got their letter for CH from) has a far more pronounced palate sound.

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Why Capitals in Bible Names?

You have likely noticed that we are putting some of the letters in Bible names in capital letters. For example, we've started spelling such names as Jonathan as JoNathan, Isaiah as IsaiAh, and Eliezer as EliEzer. Why? Well, partly to help with the correct pronunciations of the names, and partly to show some translating consistency.

Of course, the common English pronunciation of Jonathan (for example) is Jon-uh-thun. But did you know that the first part of the name (Io in Greek, Ieho in Hebrew) refers to the name Jehovah, and the second part of the Name (Nathan) means Gift? So, the name was originally pronounced closer to Ye-hoh-nuh-thahn.

In the case of names that end with an iah, as in Isaiah, the last part of the name often includes the name of God. Isaiah, for example, means Salvation [of] JehovAH, and it was originally pronounced Ee-sai-Yah. Yet, there are other names (such as EliJah), where the IEs have been changed to Js.

So, why have translators substituted a capital 'J' for the letters 'Ie' in both of the above cases? Well, there is an inconsistency here, because there was no letter 'J' in Hebrew or Greek alphabets. However, the letters were changed to coincide with the common English pronunciations of these names. Unfortunately though, this process wasn't followed consistently by ancient translators; so while some names are spelled with a J, many others are still spelled with an Ie or Iah.

Another important word in names that we usually capitalize is 'El' (from the Hebrew Elohe, or God). So EliEzer (which people commonly pronounce Eelai-eezer and means God [has] Helped), should actually be pronounced Elee-ehzer. The same is true for the letters Ai, especially in the names of cities, because Ai in Hebrew refers to the word city. So, AiLam (for example) probably meant the City of Lam.

Similar words, such as Bel (as in BelShazzar), Baal, and Beel, refer to 'the Lord' or 'the God.' Also, the prefixes 'Ben' and 'Bar' mean 'the son of.' 'Beth' means 'the house of,' 'Beer' refers to a 'well,' 'Is' or 'Ish' means 'Man,' etc.

Does this mean that we have put all the capitals in the right places? No, for we make no claim to Hebrew scholarship (all our translating here has been from Greek). So, what we are trying to do is provide a better understanding to how these names were pronounced by First-Century Christians.

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BaAl, BeEl, and Bel

Throughout the Ancient Scriptures of IsraEl (OT), you will read of Gods, people, and places with names that start with Baal, Beel, and Bel. These terms mean the Lord, the Master, or the Owner, and they refer to various gods of nations, not necessarily to a particular god. The word was just a title for a god, and the God's name (or the place that he/it represented) follows the title, such as Beel Phegor (as found at Numbers 25:3). And where people called their god just Baal (or Beel), they were referring to the particular lord or god of that city or land. Also, where a person's name includes one of these terms (such as BelShazzar), it usually means that the person was named after a local god (in this case, Shazzar).

Of course, having the title Baal or Beel in a name doesn't necessarily imply that a person is a worshiper of a pagan god, for several faithful worshipers of Jehovah also had that title as part of their names. For example, the faithful Judge Gideon came to be known as JeroBaal (meaning 'May Baal Defend Himself'), because of his action in cutting down an altar to Baal. Also, one of King Saul's grandsons (through faithful JoNathan) was named MeriBaal (meaning 'Opposer of Baal'); one of King David's faithful warriors was named BaalJah (meaning 'Lord Jehovah'); and David named one of his sons BaalJada (meaning 'Lord Knows').

By the way, Baal is pronounced Bah-ahl and Beel is pronounced beh-el, not Bayel or Beel. So, you will usually find them spelled as BaAl or BeEl herein.

Also, in places where we find the letters El in a name or place, this is usually just a shortened version of the Hebrew word Elohim, meaning God. So, whereas many Bibles translate the Greek word 'Baithelbereth' (found at Judges 9:46) as 'Bethel Bereth,' or, 'the temple of god ElBereth,' or, 'the vault of the house of El-Berith;' recognize that 'Beth (or Baith)' means 'the house (or temple) of,' 'El' means 'God,' and 'Bereth' is that God's name. So, we have translated it there as 'the temple of God Bereth.'

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God's Messengers

Most Bible translations render the Greek word aggelos (pronounced ahn-gel-ose – with a hard g) as angel wherever it is found. However, aggelos is just the Greek word for messenger. True, in most cases where the Bible speaks of angels, it is referring to spirit messengers from God. However, this may not be the meaning in every instance, and always translating it as angel may distort what was meant.

For example, consider the words at Acts 12:15, where Peter had just been released from prison and came to the door of some faithful Christians. Here the housemaid told the people inside that Peter was outside. And according to many other Bibles, they thought that it was 'his angel' at the door. However, this rendering doesn't sound reasonable, for it would have been unusual for Christians to assume that an angel from God (who looked like Peter) was standing and knocking at their door. Rather, the rendering we have used herein makes more sense, 'So they said, It's his messenger.'

Another good example of why aggelos shouldn't always be translated as angel can be found at Genesis 32:3, which reads in Greek, 'Apasteile de Iakob aggelous emprosthen autou pros Hesau ton adelphon autou' or, 'Sent of Jacob angels(?) ahead of/him toward Esau the brother of/him.' Here Jacob was obviously sending human messengers to his brother, not heavenly ones (angels).

And consider the words at Numbers 20:14, where we read that Moses sent messengers (gr. aggelous – messengers, plural) from Cades to the king of Edom.' Then in verse 16, it says that 'Jehovah … heard our voice and sent His messenger (gr. aggelon – messenger, singular) who brought us out of Egypt.'

Obviously, the same word (with only conjugated variations) is used there to speak of two different types of messengers… those who were human and the one who was sent from heaven by God. And in this case, most Bibles translate the first instance as messengers, but the second as angel. We have not chosen to make this distinction, however, for the readers should be able to discern from the context which ones are human and which ones are spirit by themselves. And when there is some question, each person should keep an open mind.

Consider the words of Haggai 1:13, where we read: 'Then the Messenger (or angel) of Jehovah, Haggai, one of the messengers (or angels) of Jehovah, said to the people: Jehovah says, I am with you!'

Yet, Haggai was just a man, not a spirit. So, there may be other cases in the Bible where some translations have presumptuously written angel, when the one that God sent was a human messenger!

Also consider that; Translating aggelos as messenger when it is truly speaking of a spirit from God, helps to provide readers a better, deeper understanding of the actual role that such sons of God play in His dealings with mankind… and that the term angel isn't a type of creature or a heavenly rank (as most think), but an assignment that may even be temporary. It also helps us to understand why the Bible never speaks of female or baby angels (because dead men, dead women, and dead babies don't become angels, since heavenly spirits are direct creations by God).

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House, Temple, or Palace?

Throughout the Bible, the Greek word that is used in most places to describe the Temple of Jehovah is Oikos (pronounced Oy-koss), or House. That is also true when it comes to describing the building where the king lived. However, for clarification, we have usually chosen to translate the word as Temple when speaking of the place of worship of Jehovah, and as palace when speaking of the king's house. We have done this because, neither of these buildings were just regular houses, and the words Temple and palace better describe their appearance and use in contemporary American English.

There is a Greek word that might also mean Temple; it is iero, which was occasionally used to describe that place of worship. And another Greek word that is frequently used, is naos (pronounced nah-oss), which means the place of the Gods.

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Sinai, Horeb, or the Dry Place?

On which mountain did Moses meet with God… Sinai or Horeb? Actually, both names seem to be mentioned interchangeably in most Bibles, for at Exodus 34:2 Moses was told, 'So, be ready to climb Mount Sinai in the morning, then stand there [and wait] for Me on top of the Mountain.' But at Exodus 33:6, we find that the IsraElites were gathered at Mount Horeb. Why were both names used?

Well, Horeb may not have actually been a name, but a description that was mistranslated as a name… something that has happened with several other words in the Bible. Ho'reb is a Hebrew word for dry, which aptly describes this land in the Sin (pronounced Seen and/or Sheen) Desert, near the southern tip of Arabia. For it is where Moses, by the power of God, struck the rock to bring out water for the people to drink, since there was no other source of water there.

Sinai may have gotten its name from its prominent place toward the end of the Sin Desert, for Sin-ai could possibly mean the City in the Sin (Desert). However, Hebrew scholars say Sinai means bush, referring to the burning bush where God spoke to Moses.

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Garbage Dump or Hell Fire?

The Greek word Gehenna is often translated Hell Fire. Yet, the word simply means the Valley (heb. ga) of Hinnom. The Valley of Hinnom (also referred to as 'the Valley of the Sons of Hinnom') was a garbage dump that was located along one of JeruSalem's outer walls. It was a beautiful park before JeruSalem's conquest by Babylon, but it was defiled when apostate Jews offered their children as sacrifices on an altar to the God Moloch there (see 2 Chronicles 28:3). Then, after the repatriation to JeruSalem, the valley was used in a disrespectful way.

As a garbage dump, it was customary to keep the garbage burning to reduce the stench and to limit vermin, so sulfur and brimstone were frequently poured into the dump to keep the fires burning hot. This is why Jesus, when using the term, spoke of the fire as not being put out. Also, because worms (maggots) bred along the edges of the dump, he could say that the worms don't die there. But there is no indication that he was really talking about humans.

The only cases where humans were actually thrown into Gehenna provides an insight into what Jesus was talking about when he referred to people going there: The dead bodies of particularly vile criminals were thrown into Gehenna's fires whenever the population felt that they were undeserving of a decent burial.

As you read the Scriptures, you will notice the importance that Hebrews placed on being 'laid to rest with their ancestors.' So, when Jesus spoke of people being thrown into Gehenna, he was obviously referring to unrepentant sinners being thrown into the 'garbage dump.' In other words, in the eyes of God they were unworthy of a resurrection. This same fate (of no resurrection) is implied by the death of the wicked Queen JezeBel, whose body was eaten by dogs.

Such an outcome for the willfully wicked is also referred to in Matthew's account as the fire of the age. Why was that term used? Because fire destroys, and this destruction is for the ages.

For more information, see the linked document, 'Is there a Burning Hell?'

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Apostasy and Apostates

The Greek word apostasis (in its various conjugated forms) is used several times in the Ancient Scriptures of IsraEl (OT). We find it used at 2 Chronicles 28:19, for example, where we've rendered it as 'turned away,' because that's what the term really means. It refers to a turning away from a righteous God-fearing way of life. For, the Greek word (which we pronounce as apostasy in English) literally means, 'turn away from (apo)' a 'standing or state (stasis).' So, it doesn't refer to a disagreement over the way some doctrine is viewed, as the word is misapplied by some religious groups.

Almost all Bible references to apostasy are speaking of a turning away from the way of IsraElite life that is outlined in the Law. And there are just two places where this term (apostasy) is used to indicate someone's unfaithfulness in the Christian Era Scriptures (NT), at Acts 21:21 and at 2 Thessalonians 2:3.

At Acts 21:21 we read (concerning the Apostle Paul): 'But they have heard the rumor that you've been teaching Judeans who live among the nations an apostasy from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or to follow the traditions.'

Notice that Paul's teaching wasn't being called an apostasy; rather, the apostasy was not following the traditional Jewish way of life as outlined by Moses.

Actually, the proper word to use when speaking of teaching something that deviates from established doctrine is heresy, which is the word that the Catholic Church used extensively to accuse faithful Christians (and others) during their 'Inquisition' of 1400s and 1500s. Notice that they didn't accuse anyone of apostasy (turning from a Christian way of life), but of heresy (disagreeing with their established doctrines). So, they understood the difference.

There was at least one instance where Paul himself seemed to accuse and impose sanctions against other Christians for heresy. We find this account at 2 Timothy 2:17, 18, where he wrote: 'That was the problem with Hymenaeus and Philetus; they got away from the truth and started teaching that the resurrection has already happened, which misdirected the faith of some.'

So, deviating from teaching the truth of the Bible was a serious matter among First-Century Christians. However, in view of what Jesus said at Matthew 5:22 and what was said about Jesus at Jude 9, calling anyone such a thing as 'an apostate' or a 'heretic,' when there might be some question as to who is right, would be an even more serious matter before God.

The only other places in the Christian-Era Scriptures (NT) where the Greek word for apostasy is found, is where a 'certificate of dismissal' (divorce certificate) is mentioned (see Mark 10:4, for example). The words there are biblion apostasiu, which literally mean 'scroll of apostasy (or turning away).'

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Lachish

While many like to scoff at the Bible record and claim that its stories are myths and fairy tales; much of what is written there has been proven remarkably accurate and historical by modern archeology. For example, consider the events that are recorded to have happened in JeruSalem during the reign of King HezekiAh. At 2 Chronicles 32:9, we read of how the Assyrian King Sennacherib marched on the Judean city of Lachish before attacking JeruSalem. And today, letters about this attack from the general who was defending Lachish have been discovered, which can currently be found in the British Museum.

Also, the mention of HezekiAh's rerouting the spring of Gihon (found at 2 Chronicles 32:30) can be proven, since the underground diversion project has been uncovered by archeologists and is a famed tourist attraction in JeruSalem today (see the reference, Hezekiah's Tunnel).

However, did God's messenger wipe out the Assyrian army in a single night, as the Bible account says? While there's no record of this outside the Bible (the Assyrians surely would have been too proud to record such an amazing defeat), the fact that Babylon thereafter became the dominant world power with little resistance from the Assyrians, gives mute testimony to the fact that this happened.

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2 Chronicles 36:21 (Contributed)

It appears as though the writer of this verse wasn't speaking of the land fulfilling its Sabbaths, as is stated in the Greek. The Hebrew word that is used there is shavta. So in Hebrew it reads, 'to fulfill Jehovah's Word by JeremiAh until the ground pays off all its days of desolation, the ground will rest (heb. shavta) until seventy years are fulfilled.'

There is a special expression in the Hebrew, which means to observe or keep the Sabbath; it is 'lishmor shabat,' and this is not found in the Hebrew text here.

Why is this small detail important? It appears as though some have tried to twist Bible words in order to create some compromise between it and secular chronology, which chronology is far from being 100% accurate. They are trying to convince us that the land was actually desolated for 49/50 years and not for 70 years; yet this contradictions the Bible. Because, DaniEl 9:2 reads: 'I DaniEl came to understand the number of the years from the words that Jehovah had given to the Prophet JeremiAh, for there he prophesied that JeruSalem would lie desolate for seventy years.'

The word 'desolate' here, is translated from the Hebrew word horvot (plural), which means 'in ruins.' So JeruSalem was in a total state of ruin for seventy years.

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The Tent of Proofs

We are sure that many will object to our calling God's place of worship in the desert a 'tent' rather than a 'tabernacle.' However, tabernacle is just an obsolete word, the true meaning of which most people misunderstand. So for clarification, we have opted to use the modern word, tent. Because, it was for a fact, a portable building made of cloth.

Actually, this tent is often referred to in Greek as the skenes tou marturion, or, Tent (or Temporary Dwelling) of Testimony (or Proofs). And the reason why they called it that, was because it housed the kiboton martyrion (Box [of] Witness or Chest of Proofs), which is also referred to in other Bibles as the Ark of the Covenant. So, we have more closely translated it as the Tent of Proofs wherever these Greek words are found.

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Chest of Proofs

We are sorry to use such an unfamiliar term, but Ark of the Covenant may not accurately describe the sacred box that eventually held the tablets of the Ten Commandments, the writings of Moses and Joshua, the manna, and the walking stick of Aaron. First, the meaning of the ancient English word 'ark' has been lost in history. And the second word, 'covenant' (meaning, sacred agreement) isn't always used as part of the name in the Greek text. In some places it is called the kiboton marturion, which literally means Box [of] Testimony. So, although it may have been built to illustrate the Sacred Agreement (Covenant) between God and the IsraElites, it was also built to hold the Proofs of the things that God did for IsraEl. So, wherever the words kiboton marturion appear in the text, we have called it the Chest of Proofs. But it was also referred to as the Chest of the Sacred Agreement (or, Ark of the Covenant) at Exodus 27:21, for example, so that term must also be correct. However, after the IsraElites settled in the Promised Land it was always referred to as the kiboton marturion, or the Chest of Proofs.

Unfortunately, during the time of Samuel and the High-Priest Eli, the Philistines captured the Chest, emptied its contents, and then returned it to IsraEl empty, because, their having it brought a plague on them (see 1 Samuel 5:12). However, later, during the time of King Solomon, the sacred tablets containing the Ten Commandments were found to be still in the Chest, but nothing else (see 1 Kings 8:9); so we have to assume that they had been found and returned.

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Parvaim or PharaOh Aim?

Second Chronicles 3:6, 7 says in this Bible Translation: 'Using gold that he got from PharaOh Aim, he (Solomon) gilded the Temple's walls, gatehouses, roofing, and doorways, and he carved cherubs on its walls.'

Note that this is a different rendering than what is found in most Bibles, for most say that Solomon got the gold from (some land called) Parvaim, which has never been located. However, the Greek word that we have translated as PharaOh Aim is Pharou/aim, which could refer to PharaOh Amenemnisu, of the 21st Dynasty of ancient Egypt. And although the given period of his reign (1051–1047 BCE) is earlier than most would attribute to the reign of Solomon (but we don't), his reign may have actually lasted much longer, for he may be the same person as Amenemope, who is said to have reigned until 992-B.C.E. (see the linked Wikipedia article, Amenemope). However, our own chronological calculations put the lifetime of PharaOh Amenemnisu as concurrent with and overlapping the period of Solomon's Temple construction.

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