Why God Sent His People Away
An EasyEnglish Bible Version with Notes (1200 word vocabulary) on the Book of 2 Kings
Gordon Churchyard
Words in boxes are comments on the text.
The translated Bible text has been through Advanced Checking.
A word list at the end explains words with a *star by them.
Words in brackets, ( … ), are not in the *Hebrew Bible. They help us to understand the Second Book of Kings. The writer wrote the book in the Hebrew language.
2 Kings is a book about the people called Israelites. The Books of 1 Kings and 2 Kings tell us what happened after King David’s time. The Book of 1 Kings records how Solomon became king after David.
After Solomon died, the country called Israel became two countries. The south was called Judah. The north was still called Israel.
When the kings of Judah and Israel obeyed God, the people had *peace. Sometimes the kings did not obey God and they *worshipped other gods instead. Then bad things happened. When the people in Israel stopped obeying God, he sent *prophets. The most important prophet in 2 Kings is Elisha. He did things that someone could only do with the help of God. He told the people that they should *worship God again.
After Elisha died, many of the kings were very bad. In the end, God decided to send his people out of their country. This happened to the people in Israel first. Then it happened to the people in Judah. God did not let his people go back to their country for 70 years.
v1 After (King) Ahab’s death, (the country called) Moab fought against Israel. v2 (King) Ahaziah lived in Samaria. He fell from the window of an upstairs room. So, he became ill. So he sent people with this message: ‘Go to Baalzebub, (who is) the god in Ekron. Ask him if I will become well again after this illness.’ v3 Then an *angel of the *LORD spoke to Elijah who was from Tishbe. (The *LORD said,) ‘Go and meet the men that the king of Samaria has sent with a message. Say to them, “You should not go to speak to Baalzebub, (who is) the god in Ekron. You seem to think that there is no God in Israel.” v4 So this is what the *LORD says (to you, Ahaziah). “You will not leave the bed that you are lying on. You will surely die.” ’ Then Elijah went away.
v5 So the people with the message returned to the king. He asked them, ‘Why have you returned?’ v6 They replied, ‘A man came to meet us. And he said (this) to us. Go back to the king who sent you. Tell him, “This is what the *LORD says. You should not send men to speak to Baalzebub, (who is) the god in Ekron. You seem to think that there is no God in Israel. You will not leave the bed that you are lying on. You will surely die.” ’ v7 The king asked them, ‘What kind of a man was it who came to meet you? (Who) told you this?’ v8 They replied, ‘He was a man with hairy clothes and he wore a leather belt.’ (Then) the king said, ‘That was Elijah from Tishbe.’
v9 Then (the king) sent 50 men with their captain to Elijah. Elijah was sitting on the top of a hill. The captain went up to Elijah. He said to (Elijah), ‘(You are a) *man of God. The king says (to you), “Come down.” ’ v10 This was Elijah’s answer to the captain of 50 men. ‘If I am a *man of God, fire will come down from the sky. It will burn you and your 50 men.’ Then fire did fall from the sky. It burnt the captain and his men (so that they died).
v11 Then the king sent another captain and 50 men to Elijah. The captain said to him, ‘(You are a) *man of God. The king says, “Come down immediately.” ’ v12 Elijah answered, ‘If I am a *man of God, fire will come down from the sky. It will burn you and your 50 men.’ Then fire from God did fall from the sky. It burnt the captain and his 50 men (so that they died).
v13 So the king sent a third captain, with his 50 men. This third captain went up to Elijah. He fell to his knees (in front of Elijah). ‘*Man of God’, he prayed, ‘please be kind to me and to these 50 men. We are your servants. Do not cause us to die. v14 Look! Fire fell from the sky. It burnt the first two captains and all their men, (so that they died). But now, be kind to me.’ v15 The *LORD’s *angel said to Elijah, ‘Go down with him. Do not be afraid of him.’ So Elijah got up and he went down with the captain to the king. v16 (Elijah) said to the king, ‘This is what the *LORD says. You should not send men with a message to speak to Baalzebub, (who is) the god in Ekron. You seem to think that there is no God in Israel. You will never leave the bed that you are lying on. It is because you have done this. You will surely die.’
v17 So (Ahaziah) died. This is what the *LORD had told Elijah. Ahaziah had no son, so Joram became king after him. This was in the second year in which Jehoram was the king of Judah. (Jehoram was) the son of Jehoshaphat. v18 Many other things happened while Ahaziah was king. Also, he did many things. People wrote them in a book. It is called ‘the reports about the kings of Israel’.
Jehoshaphat was the king in Judah between 868 *B.C. and 847 B.C. Here are the dates of the kings of Israel.
871-852 B.C. Ahab
852-851 B.C. Ahaziah
851-845 B.C. Jehoram (also called Joram)
v1 The *LORD was ready to take Elijah up to *heaven in a strong wind. This was while Elijah and Elisha were going away from Gilgal. v2 Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here because the *LORD has sent me to Bethel.’ But Elisha replied, ‘I will not leave you. This is as true as the fact that the *LORD and you are (both) alive.’ So they went down to Bethel. v3 A group of *prophets were at Bethel. They came out (of Bethel) to Elisha and they asked him, ‘Do you know that the LORD will take your master from you today?’ ‘Yes, I do know’, said Elisha. ‘But do not talk about it.’
v4 Then Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here because the *LORD has sent me to Jericho.’ But Elisha replied, ‘I will not leave you. This is as true as the fact that the *LORD and you are (both) alive.’ So they went to Jericho. v5 A group of *prophets were at Jericho. They went out to Elisha and they asked him, ‘Do you know that the *LORD will take your master from you today?’ ‘Yes, I do know’, said Elisha. ‘But do not talk about it.’
v6 Then Elijah said to (Elisha), ‘Stay here because the *LORD has sent me to the (river) Jordan.’ But (Elisha) replied, ‘I will not leave you. This is as true as the fact that the *LORD and you are (both) alive.’ So they continued to walk (together). v7 50 men, from the group of *prophets, went and they stood near the (river) Jordan. They were not far away from where Elijah and Elisha were standing. (The prophets) could see them. v8 Elijah took off his coat. He *rolled it up. He hit the water with it. The water went to the right (side) and to the left (side). They both crossed (the river) on dry ground.
v9 After they had crossed (the river), Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Tell me (this). What can I do for you before (the *LORD) takes me from you?’ Elisha replied, ‘Let me have twice the amount of your *spirit.’ v10 ‘You have asked a difficult thing’, said Elijah. ‘But (watch) when (God) takes me from you. If you can see me, it will be yours. (If you cannot see me) it will not (be yours).’ v11 So they walked along and they talked together. Then, a *chariot that seemed to be on fire appeared. Horses (were pulling it). It went between them. Elijah went up to *heaven in a strong wind. v12 Elisha saw this. He shouted, ‘My *father! My father! (These are) the *chariots and the men on horses of Israel!’ Then Elisha did not see (Elijah) again. He took off his own clothes and he tore them into pieces. v13 He picked up the coat that had dropped from Elijah. He went and he stood on the edge of the (river) Jordan. v14 Then he took the coat that (Elijah) had dropped. He hit the water with it. And he said, ‘I want the *LORD, the God of Elijah, to do something for me.’ When he hit the water, it went to the right (side) and to the left (side). He crossed (the river).
v15 The group of *prophets from Jericho watched this. They said, ‘The spirit of Elijah is now on Elisha.’ And they went to meet (Elisha). They bent down in front of him. v16 And they said to him, ‘Look! We are your servants. There are 50 strong men with us. Let them go and look for your master. Maybe the Spirit of the *LORD has lifted him up. (Maybe) it has put him on a mountain or in a valley.’ ‘No’, Elisha replied. ‘Do not send them.’ v17 But they asked him many times. So he was too ashamed to say ‘no’. So he said, ‘Send them.’ And they sent 50 men. They looked for (Elijah) for three days, but they did not find him. v18 Elisha was staying in Jericho. When they returned to (Elisha), he said to them, ‘I told you that you should not go (to look for Elijah).’
v19 The men in the city (Jericho) said to Elisha, ‘Look, our master. You can see that this city is in a good place. But its water is bad and the land does not make good plants.’ v20 (Elisha) said, ‘Bring to me a new dish. Put salt into it.’ So they brought it to him. v21 Then (Elisha) went out to the (bad) water. He threw the salt into it. He said, ‘This is what the *LORD is saying. “I have made this water clean. It will never cause people to die again. The land will never give bad plants again.” ’ v22 The water has been good to this day. This is what Elisha had said.
v23 From there, Elisha went up to Bethel. While he walked along the road, young (men) came out of the town. They *laughed at (Elisha). ‘Go up, you bald (man)!’ they said. ‘Go up, you bald (man)!’ v24 (Elisha) turned and he looked at them. He prayed that the *LORD would do something bad to them. Then, two bears (wild animals) came out from the forest. They hurt 42 of the young (men). v25 Then Elisha went to the mountain (called) Carmel. From there, he returned to Samaria.
v1 Jehoram (was) the son of Ahab. (Jehoram) became the king of Israel in Samaria. (This was when) Jehoshaphat had been the king of Judah for 18 years. (Jehoram) was king for 12 years. v2 The *LORD saw that he did very bad things. But he was not as (bad) as were his father and his mother. (Jehoram) did throw away the special stone of *Baal that his father (Ahab) had made. v3 But he still did the wrong things that Jeroboam had done. (Jeroboam) was the son of Nebat. He had caused (many people in) Israel to do (those wrong things). (Jehoram) continued to do them.
v4 Mesha (was) the king of Moab. He was a sheep farmer. He had to supply the king of Israel with 100 000 young sheep. (He) also (had to supply) the soft hair from 100 000 male sheep. v5 But after Ahab died, the king of Moab decided not to do this for the king of Israel. v6 So, at that time, King Jehoram went out from Samaria. He caused all (the men in) Israel to march (with him). v7 He also sent this message to Jehoshaphat, (who was) the king of Judah. ‘The king of Moab will not obey me. Will you go with me to fight against (the king of) Moab?’ ‘I will go with you’, (Jehoshaphat) replied. ‘I am as you are. My people (are) as your people. My horses (are) as your horses.’ v8 ‘What road should we go on to attack (Moab)?’ (Jehoram) asked. ‘Through the sandy part of Edom’, (Jehoshaphat) replied.
v9 So the king of Israel, the king of Judah and the king of Edom went together (to Moab). After they had marched round (Edom) for 7 days, there was no more water. (There was no water) for the army or for their animals. v10 ‘What (has happened)?’ said the king of Israel. ‘Has the *LORD brought us three kings together to give us to the (king of) Moab?’ v11 But Jehoshaphat asked, ‘Is there not a *prophet of the *LORD here? We could ask him what the *LORD is saying.’ A leader of the king of Israel’s army answered him. ‘Elisha, (who is) the son of Shaphat, is here. He (was the man who) poured water on Elijah’s hands.’ v12 Jehoshaphat said, ‘He will tell us what God is saying (to us).’ So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to (Elisha).
v13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, ‘We have nothing to say to each other. Go to the *prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.’ ‘No!’ the king of Israel replied. ‘The *LORD told us three kings that we must come here together. (He is) giving us to Moab.’ v14 Elisha said, ‘I am the servant of the very powerful *LORD, who is really alive! I would not look at you if Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, was not with you. (But I think that) he is a good man. (If he were not here), I would not look at you. v15 But now, bring a *harpist to me.’ While the harpist was making music, the *LORD started to use Elisha powerfully. v16 Then Elisha said, ‘This is what the *LORD is saying. Dig many long holes in this valley. v17 (Do it), because the *LORD is saying this. You will not see wind or rain. But this valley will become full of water! You, your cows and your other animals will be able to drink. v18 This is a very easy thing for the *LORD to do. He will also give (the people in) Moab to you. v19 You will destroy every city that has strong walls. (You will destroy) every important town. You will cut down every good tree. You will fill every hole where they get water. You will put stones on to every good field, so that they will be of no value.’ v20 The water was there on the next morning, at the time when (the *priests) burnt food as gifts to (the *LORD)! (The water) came from the direction of Edom. The land was full of water!
v21 All (the people in) Moab had heard that the kings had come to fight against them. So the (leaders of Moab) asked every man who could fight, whether young or old, to come. They put them on the border (of Moab). v22 When (the men from Moab) got up early (the next) morning, the sun was shining on the water. (They were) the other side of the border. The people from Moab saw that the water seemed red. (They thought that) it was like blood. v23 ‘That is blood’, they said. ‘Those kings have fought each other and they have killed each other. Come on, (people from) Moab. We will take what we can find!’ v24 So the people from Moab came to where Israel’s men were. But then, Israel’s men stood up and they fought against (the people from Moab). (The people from Moab) ran away. The men from Israel attacked their country and they killed the people from Moab. v25 They destroyed the towns. Each man threw a stone on to every good field, until they covered them (with stones). They filled every hole where (the people from Moab) got water. They cut down every good tree. Only Kir Hareseth kept all its stone (walls). But men with *weapons were all round it. They also attacked it. v26 Then the king of Moab saw that he was not beating his enemies in the war. So he took with him 700 men with *swords. They tried to get to the king of Edom. But they failed. v27 So he took his oldest son. (This son) would have been king after him. He killed him on the wall of the city (Kir Hareseth) to make his god happy. They were very angry with (the people from) Israel. So (the people from Israel) left Moab and they returned to their own country.
Jehoram is also called Joram in some Bibles. Samaria was the capital of Israel. The special stone of *Baal was where people *worshipped *Baal. *Baal was a false god. Worship means ‘to love and to be a servant of’. The kings of Israel caused their people to worship *Baal. Perhaps this was to keep them away from God’s house in Jerusalem. 1 Kings 22:47 tells us that there was no king of Edom at this time. The king of Judah ruled Edom. So the ‘king of Edom’ here means the leader of Edom.
Verse 20 The water came from the direction of Edom so the people in Moab would not know about it!
Verse 25 Kir Hareseth was the capital of Moab.
v1 There was a group of *prophets. The wife of one of these men spoke aloud to Elisha. (She said,) ‘My husband is dead. He was your servant and he loved the *LORD. (My husband) should have given money to a certain man. (But he did not), so that man will come to take my two children. They will become his slaves.’ v2 Elisha said to her, ‘How can I help you? Tell me, what have you got in (your) house?’ She said (to Elisha), ‘I, your servant, have nothing in the house, only a pot of *oil.’ v3 Then (Elisha) said, ‘Go to the people who live near you. Ask them all to lend you many pots. The pots (must be) empty. v4 Then go into (your house). Shut the door behind you and behind your sons. Pour (the oil that you have) into all those pots. When each (pot) is full, put it by your side.’ v5 So she left (Elisha) and she shut the door behind her and behind her sons. They brought (the pots) to her and she poured (the oil into them). v6 When all the pots were full, she said to her son, ‘Bring me another pot.’ But he said, ‘There are no more pots!’ Then there was no more oil to pour (into pots). v7 Then she went and she told (all this) to the *man of God. He said, ‘Go and sell the oil. Use (some of) the money to pay (that man who wants your sons). (Buy) food for you and for your sons with what you do not need to pay (the man).’
v8 There was a time when Elisha went to Shunem. A rich woman was there (in Shunem). She asked him to have a meal (with her family) every time that he passed (her house). So, each time that he passed (her house), he stopped there to eat (a meal). v9 Then she said to her husband, ‘Listen! I believe that this (Elisha) is a *holy *man of God. He often passes our (house). v10 We should make a small room on the roof for him. We can put into it a bed, a table, a chair and a light. Then, when he comes (to visit) us, he can stay there.’
v11 There was a certain day when Elisha came there. He went up to his room and he lay there. v12 Gehazi was (Elisha’s) servant. (Elisha) said to (Gehazi), ‘Ask the woman from Shunem (to come here).’ So Gehazi asked her (to come) and she stood in front of him. v13 Elisha said to (Gehazi), ‘Say to her, “You have done all this work for us. So, what can (we) do for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king? Or (can we speak) to the leader of the army (on your behalf)?” ’ But she replied, ‘I live (safely) among my own people.’ v14 But Elisha asked again, ‘What can we do (to help) her?’ Gehazi said, ‘(I know that) she has no son. But her husband is old.’ v15 (Elisha) said, ‘Ask her to come here.’ And when (Gehazi) had asked her to come, she stood by the door. v16 And (Elisha) said, ‘About this time next year, you will have a son in your arms.’ ‘No, my master’, she said, ‘do not say what is not true to your servant. (You are) a *man of God.’ v17 But the woman did become *pregnant. At that time next year she had a son. Elisha had said that this would happen.
v18 When the child had grown, he went to his father. (His father was in a field) with the workers. v19 ‘My head (hurts me)! My head (hurts me)!’ he said to his father. (His father) said to (his) servant, ‘Carry him to his mother.’ v20 So (the servant) lifted him up and carried him to his mother. (The boy) sat on his mother’s knees until midday. Then he died. v21 Then she went up(stairs) and she put (the boy) on the bed of the *man of God. Then she shut the door (of his room) and she went out. v22 She sent a message to her husband. She said, ‘Send to me one of the servants and one of the *donkeys. Then I will go quickly to the *man of God and return (quickly).’ v23 (Her husband) asked, ‘Why are you going to him today? It is not a New Moon or a *Sabbath.’ And she said, ‘Do not argue.’ v24 So she put a seat on the *donkey. And she said to her servant, ‘Go! Lead (the way)! Do not go slowly for me, unless I say, “You must (go slowly)”.’ v25 So she went out (on the road) and she came to the *man of God. (He was on) a hill (called) Carmel. (Elisha) saw her when she was a long way away. So the *man of God said to his servant Gehazi, ‘Look! There is the woman from Shunem! v26 Run now to meet her. Ask her, “Are you well? Is your husband well? Is your child well?” ’ And she said, ‘Well.’ v27 But when she reached the *man of God at the hill (called Carmel), she held his feet. Gehazi came to push her away. But the *man of God said, ‘Do not stop her. She is very, very sad. But the *LORD has hidden it from me. (The *LORD) has not told me about it.’ v28 ‘My master, I did not ask you for a son’, she said. ‘I said to you, “Do not cause me to hope (for a son).” ’ v29 (Elisha) said to Gehazi, ‘Tie your clothes up round your body. Take my stick in your hand and run (to the boy). If you meet anyone, do not speak to him. If anybody speaks to you, do not answer (them). Put my stick on the boy’s face.’ v30 But the mother of the child said, ‘The *LORD is alive. You are alive. I will not leave you as surely as both of these things are true.’ So (Elisha) got up and he went with her. v31 Gehazi went in front of them. He put the stick on the boy’s face. But nothing happened and there was no sound (from the boy). So (Gehazi) went back to meet (Elisha). He said to him, ‘The boy has not woken.’
v32 When Elisha arrived at the house, the boy really was dead. He was lying on (Elisha’s) bed. v33 (Elisha) went in (to the room). He shut the door. He and the boy were together. (Elisha) prayed to the *LORD. v34 Then (Elisha) went on to the bed. He lay on the boy. He put his mouth to (the boy’s) mouth. He put his eyes to (the boy’s) eyes and he put his hands to (the boy’s) hands. When Elisha lay on the boy’s dead body, it became warm. v35 (Elisha) went away (from the bed). He walked round the room. Then he went on to the bed and he lay down again on the boy. The boy made a noise in his nose 7 times and then he opened his eyes. v36 Then (Elisha) spoke to Gehazi. He said, ‘Ask the woman from Shunem (to come here).’ (Gehazi) did (that). When she came, Elisha said, ‘Take your son.’ v37 She came in (to the room). She fell down by his feet. She put her face near the ground. Then she took her son and she went out (from the room).
v38 Elisha went back to Gilgal. And there was a *famine round about (Gilgal). While the group of *prophets sat with (Elisha), he spoke to his servant. ‘Put the large pot (over the fire). Cook some *stew for the group of prophets.’ v39 One of (the *prophets) went out into the fields to get some vegetables. He found a wild plant and he picked some of its fruits. He filled the pockets of his coat with them. When he returned he cut the fruits (into pieces). He put (the pieces) into the pot of *stew. But nobody knew (what they were). v40 They poured out the *stew for the men to eat. But when they started to eat it, they shouted, ‘*Man of God, there is poison that would kill us in the pot!’ And they could not eat (it). v41 Then (Elisha) said, ‘Get (some) flour.’ And he put it into the pot. He said, ‘Give it to the people to eat.’ And there was nothing that was dangerous in the pot.
v42 A man came from *Baal Shalishah. He brought 20 loaves to the *man of God. The baker had made the bread with flour. (It was) from the first *corn that was ready (for people) to pick. (He also brought) some of the plant with corn still in it. (Elisha) said, ‘Give it to the people to eat.’ v43 But his servant said, ‘How can I give this to 100 men?’ Then (Elisha) answered, ‘Give it to the people to eat. (Do it), because the *LORD says, “They will eat. But after (the meal) there will still be some (bread).” ’ v44 So the servant gave (the bread) to them. And they ate it, but they could not eat all of it. The *LORD had said that this would happen.
v1 Naaman was the leader of the king of *Aram’s army. (Naaman’s) master thought that (Naaman) was a really great man. (That was) because the *LORD had used Naaman. (He had used him) so that (the king of) Aram won wars. (Naaman) was a great soldier. But he had an illness called *leprosy. v2 But men from Aram had gone to Israel. They had caught a young girl. She became the servant of Naaman’s wife. v3 The girl said to her master’s wife, ‘I would like my master (Naaman) to see the *prophet who is in Samaria. (The prophet) would take away his illness.’ v4 (Naaman) went to his master (who was the king of Aram). He told him what the girl from Israel had said. v5 The king of Aram replied, ‘Go (to Israel)! Go (there)! I will send a letter to the king of Israel.’ So Naaman went (to Israel). He took with him 10 *talents of *silver, 6000 *shekels of gold, and 10 suits of clothes. v6 Also, he took the letter for the king of Israel. It said, ‘I am sending my servant Naaman to you, with this letter. I want you to take away (from him) his *leprosy.’ v7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes. He said, ‘I am not God. I cannot kill people and make them alive again. This man cannot send someone to me, so that I can take away his *leprosy. He is trying to have a quarrel with me.’
v8 Elisha, the *man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes. Then, he sent to him this message. ‘You did not have to tear your clothes. Cause the man (from Aram) to come to me. Then he will know that there is a *prophet in Israel.’ v9 So Naaman went (to Elisha) with his horses and with his *chariots. They stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. v10 Elisha sent a man with a message (to Naaman). ‘Go to the (river) Jordan. Wash yourself 7 times in (the river). Then your skin will be clean. You will not have (*leprosy, again).’ v11 But Naaman was angry. He went away and he said, ‘I thought that he would come out (of his house) to me. (And then he would) stand there. (And then) he would pray to the name of the *LORD his God. (And then) he would move his hand over the *leprosy. (I thought that) he would make me well again (like that). v12 Abana and Pharpar are rivers in Damascus. They are better than any of the rivers in Israel. Surely, I could wash in them and become clean!’ And he turned and he went away. He was very, very angry. v13 But Naaman’s servants went to him. (One of them) said, ‘My *father, the *prophet might have asked you to do some great thing. You surely would have done it! Now all that he says to you is, “Wash! Then you will be clean.” ’ v14 So (Naaman) went down to the river Jordan. He washed himself (in it) 7 times. That was what the *man of God had asked him to do. And (Naaman’s) skin became well again. It became as clean as a young child’s (skin).
v15 Then Naaman and all his servants went back to the *man of God. (Naaman) stood in front of (the *man of God) and said, ‘Now I know that there is no God in the whole world except the one in Israel. Now accept a gift from your servant (Naaman).’ v16 But (Elisha) answered (him), ‘As surely as the *LORD is alive, I will not accept (a gift). I am (the *LORD’s) servant.’ Naaman asked him many times (to accept a gift) but (Elisha) refused. v17 So Naaman said, ‘So, you will not (accept a gift). But give to me, your servant, as much earth as two *donkeys can carry. Then your servant will never again *worship any God but the *LORD. v18 But I want the *LORD to excuse your servant for one thing. My master, (the king of Aram, often) goes into the house of the god Rimmon. He bends down (in front of Rimmon). (My master) holds my arm, so I have to bend down also. I want the *LORD to excuse me when I do this in the house of Rimmon.’ v19 And (Elisha) said to (Naaman), ‘Go and do not let it be a trouble (to you).’ Then (Naaman) went a little way from (Elisha).
v20 Gehazi (was) the servant of Elisha, (who was) the *man of God. (Gehazi) said to himself, ‘My master (made it too) easy for Naaman, the man from Aram. He did not accept (the gifts) that he brought. As surely as the *LORD is alive, I will run after him. I will get something from (Naaman).’ v21 So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. Naaman saw that (Gehazi) was running after him. So he got down from (his) *chariot to meet him. (Naaman asked Gehazi), ‘Is everything well?’ v22 ‘Everything is well’, he answered. ‘My master sent me to say (this to you). Two young men have come to me. (They are) from a group of *prophets in the hills of Ephraim. (Please) give to them a *talent of *silver (each) and two sets of clothes.’ v23 And Naaman said, ‘Yes, (I will). But take two *talents (for each of them).’ He caused (Gehazi to accept them). He tied the two talents of *silver into two bags, with two sets of clothes. He gave them to two of his servants and they carried them in front of (Gehazi). v24 When (Gehazi) came to a hill (near Elisha’s house), he took the things from the servants. He put them in the house. He sent (the servants) away and they left him. v25 (Gehazi) went into (the house) and he stood in front of his master. And Elisha said to Gehazi, ‘Where have you been?’ (Gehazi) answered, ‘Your servant has not been anywhere.’ v26 But (Elisha) said to him, ‘My spirit was with you. (It was there) when the man came down from his *chariot to meet you. This is not the time to take money, clothes, *olive trees, *vineyards, groups of animals or male and female servants. v27 Naaman’s *leprosy will always be with you and your children.’ Then (Gehazi) went away from (Elisha). He had leprosy. (His skin was) as white as snow.
v1 A group of *prophets said to Elisha, ‘The place where we meet with you is too small for us. v2 We must go to the (river that is called) Jordan. Each (one) of us can get a piece of wood there. Then we can build a place there in which we can live.’ And (Elisha) said, ‘Go (there).’ v3 Then one of them said, ‘Please come with your servants.’ (Elisha) replied, ‘I will (come with you).’ v4 And he went with them. They came to the (river) Jordan and they began to cut down trees. v5 While one of them was cutting down a tree, his iron axe fell into the water. ‘My master’, he said, ‘It was not my (axe)!’ v6 The *man of God asked (him), ‘Where did it fall?’ He showed (Elisha) the place. Then (Elisha) cut a stick and he threw it there. It caused the iron (axe) to swim (on the water). v7 ‘Lift it out (of the water)’, (Elisha) said. Then the man took it (out of the water) with his hand.
v8 Then there was a war between the king of *Aram and Israel. (The king of Aram) talked with the officers (of his army). Then he said (to them), ‘I will put my army in a certain place.’ v9 The *man of God sent a message to the king of Israel. (He said), ‘Do not pass that certain place. The (army) from Aram is going down there.’ v10 So the king of Israel checked the place, about which the *man of God had told him. (Elisha) told (the king) more than once that there was danger (there). (The king) was very careful in that place.
v11 This made the king of Aram very angry. He asked the officers (of his army) to come to him. He said to them, ‘Tell me (this). Which of us is helping the king of Israel?’ v12 One of his officers said, ‘None of us (is helping him), my master the king. Elisha is a *prophet (who lives) in Israel. He tells the king of Israel every word that you speak in your bedroom.’ v13 ‘Go. And find (the place) where he is’, said the king (of Aram). ‘Then I will send men and I will catch him.’ A report came back (to him), ‘(Elisha) is in Dothan.’ v14 So (the king of Aram) sent horses and *chariots and a strong group (of soldiers to Dothan). They went by night and they stayed all round the city.
v15 The servant of the *man of God got up early the next morning. He went out (and he saw) an army with horses and *chariots all round the city. ‘Oh, my master, what can we do?’ the servant asked (Elisha). v16 ‘Do not be afraid’, the *prophet answered (him). ‘There are more people with us than there are with them.’ v17 Then Elisha prayed and he said, ‘*LORD. Open the eyes (of my servant) so that he can see (the *angels).’ And the *LORD opened the eyes of the servant. And he looked. And he saw that the hills (round Dothan) were full of horses and *chariots. (The chariots seemed to be) on fire. (They were God’s servants, and they were) all round Elisha. v18 When (the enemy) came down towards Elisha, he prayed to the *LORD. He said, ‘Make these people so that they cannot see clearly.’ And (the *LORD) did what Elisha had asked. The people could not see clearly (to recognise Elisha). v19 And Elisha said to them, ‘This is not the road. And this is not the city (that you are looking for). Follow me! And I will lead you to the man that you are looking for.’ And he led them to Samaria.
v20 After they had gone into the city (Samaria), Elisha prayed again. ‘*LORD, open the eyes of these men so that they can see clearly.’ And the *LORD opened their eyes and they saw clearly. And (they saw that) they were inside Samaria! v21 When the king of Israel saw (the enemy army), he asked Elisha, ‘My *father! Should I kill them? Should I kill them?’ v22 (Elisha) answered, ‘You must not kill them. You would not kill men that you had caught yourself with your *sword or bow. Give them food and water. Then they can eat and drink. After that, they can go back to their master.’ v23 So (the king of Israel) gave a big meal to them. When they had finished the food and the water, he sent them away. So they returned to their master, (who was the king of Aram). After this, small groups of soldiers from Aram did not go into Israel.
v24 But after that, King Ben-Hadad of Aram sent his whole army to Samaria. They marched there and they stayed all round (the city). v25 Then there was a bad *famine in the city. (The army) stayed all round the city for so long, that a *donkey’s head cost 80 *shekels of *silver. And a quarter of a litre of seeds cost 5 shekels. v26 While the king of Israel was walking past on the wall (of the city), a woman shouted to him. ‘Help me, my master the king’, she said. v27 The king replied, ‘Do not shout to me for help. The *LORD must help you, because I cannot (help you). There is no flour and no *wine.’ v28 Then he asked her, ‘What is the matter?’ She answered, ‘This woman (who is with me) spoke to me. (She said), “Give (to us) your son, so that we can eat him today. Tomorrow we will eat my son.” v29 So we cooked my son and we ate him. The next day I said to her, “Give your son (to us), so that we can eat him.” But she had hidden him.’ v30 When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his clothes. He was walking along the wall. And people saw that under his other clothes he was wearing *sackcloth (hairy clothes) next to his body. v31 He said, ‘I want God to do this to me, and more. (I want him to do this) if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat stays on his shoulders today!’
v32 Elisha was sitting in his house. The important men of the city were with him. The king sent a man with a message. But before he arrived, (Elisha) said to the important men, ‘(The king) is sending a killer to cut off my head. When the man with the message comes, shut the door. Keep him outside the door. The sound of his master’s feet is behind him.’ v33 While (Elisha) was still talking to them, the man with the message came down to him. The man said, ‘This bad thing is from the *LORD. I cannot wait for the *LORD any longer.’
In verse 25, the *donkey’s head was to use for food. It was very, very expensive. The *Hebrew word for seeds could mean dirt from a bird called a dove.
In verse 27, the *Hebrew words are not ‘flour and *wine’. They are the words for the places where they made flour and wine.
Some Bibles say that the king’s name was Joram or Jehoram.
In verse 33, many Bible students say that these are the words of King Joram (or Jehoram).
v1 Elisha said, ‘Listen to the word of the *LORD. This is what the *LORD is saying. “About this time tomorrow, 7 litres of flour will cost a *shekel (of *silver). 15 litres of *barley will cost a shekel at the gate of Samaria.” ’ v2 The king was holding on to the arm of an officer. (The officer) said to the *man of God, ‘This will not happen. Even if the *LORD opens windows in the skies, (it will not happen).’ (Elisha) answered, ‘You will see it with your own eyes. But you will not eat any of it (yourself)!’
v3 At this time, there were 4 men who had *leprosy. They were at the gate (where people) went in to the city (Samaria). They said among themselves, ‘We should not stay here. (If we stay here) we will die. v4 There is a *famine in the city. If we go there we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So we will go to the place where the army from *Aram is. We will let them catch us. If they are kind to us, we will not die. If they kill us, we will die.’ v5 When the evening came they got up. They went to the place where the (army from) Aram was. When they reached the edge of the place, there was nobody there. v6 The *Lord had caused the soldiers from Aram to hear the sounds of horses, *chariots and a very big army. So they said among themselves, ‘The king of Israel has brought the king of the *Hittites and the king of Egypt to attack us!’ v7 So, in the evening they got up and they ran away. They left their *tents, their horses and their *donkeys. They left the place where they were without any changes. And they ran away to save their lives. v8 The men who had *leprosy came to the edge of this place. They went in to one of the *tents. They ate and they drank. They carried away *silver and gold and clothes. They went away and they hid them. Then they came back. They went into another tent and they took some things from it. They also hid them.
v9 Then they said among themselves, ‘What we are doing is not the right thing to do. This is a day of good news and we are not saying anything about it. If we wait until the morning, something bad will happen to us. We must go immediately and we must tell this to the king’s servants.’ v10 So they went to the people who kept safely the gate of the city. They spoke to them, and they said, ‘We went into the place where the army from Aram was. There was not a man there. There was no sound from anybody. There were only horses and *donkeys that they had tied (to something). They had left their *tents as they were.’ v11 The people who kept safely the gate of the city shouted the news (to everyone else). Somebody reported it to the (people in the) king’s house. v12 The king got up in the night and he spoke to his officers. ‘I will tell you what the army from Aram has done to us. They know that we have no food. So they have left their *tents and they have hidden in the fields. They are thinking, “They will surely come out of (the city). Then we will catch them while they are still alive. We will get into (their) city.” ’ v13 One of the (king’s) officers answered him. ‘Send some men with 5 of the horses that are still in (our) city. What will happen to them will be the same as what will happen to all Israel’s people in the city. They will be like all those among Israel’s people who have died already. They may die. So, send them, to find out what has happened.’ v14 So they chose two *chariots with their horses. The king sent them to look for the army from Aram. He said to the drivers, ‘Go! Find out what has happened.’ v15 They followed the army from Aram as far as the (river) Jordan. The road was full of things that the army from Aram threw away. While they were running, (the army) had left clothes and *weapons (on the road). So (the men with the *chariots) returned to the king. They reported to him the news (about what they had found).
v16 Then the people left (the city). They took everything from the army of Aram’s *tents. So, 7 litres of flour did cost a *shekel (of *silver). Also, 15 litres of *barley did cost a shekel. This is what the *LORD had said. v17 The king had put his special officer by the gate (of Samaria). He had held the arm of this officer (earlier). The people caused this officer to fall by the gate (as they ran past him). He fell under their feet and he died. The *man of God had said that this would happen. He had said it when the king came down to his (Elisha’s) house. v18 The *man of God had said to the king that it would happen (like this). ‘About this time tomorrow, 7 litres of flour will cost a *shekel (of *silver)’, he had said. ‘15 litres of *barley will cost a shekel at the gate of Samaria.’ v19 The officer had said to the *man of God, ‘This will not happen. Even if the *LORD opens windows in the skies, (it will not happen).’ The *man of God had answered, ‘You will see it with your own eyes. But you will not eat any of it (yourself)!’ v20 And that had really happened to him! The people had walked all over (this officer) by the gate and he had died.
Verse 1 This was very cheap. Everything was very different in 6:25.
v1 Elisha had made a woman’s son alive again. (Elisha) had said to the woman, ‘Go away with your family. Stay for a time in whatever place you can (stay). (Do this) because the *LORD says that there will be a *famine in (this) country. It will continue for 7 years.’ v2 The woman had done what the *man of God had said. She and her family went away. They stayed in the country called Philistia for 7 years. v3 She came back from the country called Philistia after the 7 years. She went to the king to ask for her house and for her fields. v4 The king was talking to Gehazi, who was the servant of the *man of God. (The king) had said, ‘Tell me about all the great things that Elisha has done.’ v5 Gehazi was telling the king that (Elisha) had made dead people alive again. While (Gehazi) was doing this, the woman came in to ask for her house and her fields. It was her dead son that (Elisha) had made alive again. Gehazi said, ‘My master the king, this is the woman! And this is her son that Elisha made alive again!’ v6 The king asked the woman about it and she told him. Then the king asked for an officer to come to him. (The king) said to him, ‘Give everything back to her. This must include all the money from her fields, from the day that she left until now.’
v7 Elisha went to Damascus. Ben-Hadad, (who was) the king of Aram, was ill. Somebody told him, ‘The *man of God has come here.’ v8 The king said to Hazael, ‘Take a gift with you. Go and meet the *man of God. Ask him to ask the *LORD this question. “Will I get well after this illness?” ’ v9 Hazael went to meet (Elisha). He took with him, as a gift, all the best things from Damascus. (They needed) 40 *camels to carry them! He went in (to Elisha’s house) and he stood in front of him. He said, ‘Your son, Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, has sent me (to you). He asks, “Will I get well after this illness?” ’
Ben-Hadad was not really Elisha’s son. But Ben-Hadad thought about Elisha as a man thinks about his father.
v10 (Elisha) answered, ‘Go (back to him). Say to him, “Surely, you will get well (after your illness).” But the *LORD has shown to me that he will surely die.’ v11 (Elisha) looked at him with open eyes until Hazael was ashamed. Then the *man of God (Elisha) began to weep. v12 And Hazael asked, ‘Why is my master weeping?’ ‘Because I know that you will hurt Israel’s people’, answered (Elisha). (Then he said,) ‘You will burn their strong (cities). You will kill their young men with the *sword. You will knock their children(’s heads) on the ground. You will cut their *pregnant women open.’ v13 Hazael said, ‘How could your servant, who has no more power than a dog, do something like that?’ ‘The *LORD has shown me (this). You will become king of Aram’, Elisha answered. v14 Then (Hazael) left Elisha and Hazael returned to his master (the king). Ben-Hadad asked him, ‘What did Elisha say to you?’ Hazael replied, ‘He told me (that) you will surely get well.’ v15 But the next day, (Hazael) took a thick cloth. He filled it with water. Then he put it over the king’s face until he died. So Hazael became king after (Ben-Hadad).
v16 In the 5th year that Joram was king of Israel, Jehoshaphat was still king of Judah. (Joram was) the son of Ahab. Then Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, also started to rule as king of Judah. v17 He was 32 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 8 years. v18 He did all the (bad) things that the kings of Israel (had done). He did what the family of Ahab had done. That was because he married a daughter of Ahab. (Jehoram) did very bad things *in the sight of the *LORD. v19 But the *LORD did not want to destroy Judah, because of his promise to his servant David. (The *LORD) had promised always to leave (something like) a light (in Judah) because of David, and because of his *descendants.
v20 While Jehoram was (king), Edom’s people decided not to obey (the king of) Judah. (Edom’s people decided) to have their own king. v21 So Jehoram crossed to Zair with all his *chariots. (Zair is in Edom.) The men from Edom were all round him and (all round) the leaders of his chariots. But one night, (Jehoram’s) army started to fight. They beat (the men from Edom) that were all round him and (all round) the leaders of his chariots. But then his army hurried back home! v22 Even today, Edom’s people do not obey (the rulers of) Judah. (The people in a city called) Libnah (stopped obeying the king of Judah) at the same time. v23 Other things happened while Jehoram was king and he did other things. People wrote about them in a book. It is called ‘the reports about the kings of Judah’. v24 Jehoram died like his *ancestors and people buried him in the *City of David. (They buried) him with his *ancestors. His son Ahaziah became king after him.
v25 Ahaziah was the son of Jehoram, (who had been) the king of Judah. Joram (was the) son of Ahab (who had been king of Judah). Ahaziah began to rule when (Joram) had been king for (nearly) 12 years. v26 Ahaziah was 22 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah. (She was a) granddaughter of Omri, (who had been) the king of Israel. v27 (Ahaziah) did all the bad things that the family of Ahab had done. (Ahaziah) did very bad things *in the sight of the *LORD. He did what the family of Ahab had done. That was because he had married (a woman from) Ahab’s family.
v28 Ahaziah went with Joram to fight against Hazael (who was) the king of *Aram. (Joram was) the son of Ahab. (The fight was) at Ramoth Gilead. The army from Aram hurt Joram, v29 so King Joram returned to Jezreel. (He went there) to get well after the army from Aram had hurt him at Ramoth. This happened when he fought Hazael, the king of Aram. Then Ahaziah went down to Jezreel to see Joram (who was the) son of Ahab. (Ahaziah was) the son of Jehoram (who had been the) king of Judah. (Ahaziah went) because (Joram) was ill.
Verse 1 The story is in 2 Kings 4:8-37. Perhaps the *famine was the one in 2 Kings 4:38.
Verses 3 and 6 Someone else had used the woman’s fields while she was away.
Verse 7 Aram is another name for Syria. Damascus was the capital of Aram.
Verse 11 Some Bible students think that Hazael looked at Elisha. The *Hebrew words are not very clear.
Verse 16 These dates do not always agree with those in other parts of 2 Kings. When a king became old, his son sometimes ruled with him. Jehoram did that with Jehoshaphat.
Verse 19 ‘A light in Judah’ means that a *descendant of David would always rule in Judah.
v1 The *prophet Elisha asked a man from the group of prophets to come (to him). (Elisha) said to him, ‘Fasten your coat into your belt. Take this bottle of *oil with you and go to Ramoth Gilead. v2 When you get there, look for Jehu. (He is) the son of Jehoshaphat, (who is) the son of Nimshi. Go to him and take him away from his friends. Take him to an inside room. v3 Pour the oil from the bottle on to his head. Say to him, “This is what the *LORD says (to you). ‘I make you king of Israel now.’ ” Then open the door and run away quickly!’
v4 So the young man that (Elisha) the *prophet had sent, went to Ramoth Gilead. v5 When he arrived (at Ramoth Gilead), he found the army officers. They were sitting together. ‘Captain, I have a message for you’, he said. ‘For which of us?’ Jehu asked. ‘(Only) for you, captain’, the (young *prophet) replied. v6 Jehu stood up and he went into the house. The (young *prophet) poured the oil on to (Jehu’s) head. He said, ‘This is what the *LORD, the God of Israel, says (to you). “I am making you king over the *LORD’s people in Israel. v7 You must kill the family of your master Ahab. (In this way) you will *punish (Ahab) because he killed my servants the *prophets. Also, Jezebel (his wife) killed many of the *LORD’s servants. v8 The whole family of Ahab must die. I will kill every man from the family of Ahab that is in Israel. (I will kill) every male slave. And I will kill every man who is not a slave. v9 I will make the family of Ahab like the family of Jeroboam (who was) the son of Nebat. It will be like the family of Baasha (who was) the son of Ahijah. v10 And dogs will eat Jezebel at a place in Jezreel. Nobody will bury her.” ’ Then (the young *prophet) opened the door and he ran away.
v11 Jehu went out to the other officers. ‘Is everything well?’ one of them asked him. ‘Why did this crazy (*prophet) come to you?’ ‘You know this man. And you know what he says’, Jehu answered. v12 ‘That is not true!’ they said. ‘Tell us (what he said).’ So Jehu said, ‘This is what he told me. “This is what the *LORD says. I am making you king over Israel.” ’ v13 They hurried to get their coats. They put them under (his feet) on the (stone) steps. Then they made a sound with a *trumpet. They shouted, ‘Jehu is king!’
v14 So Jehu (who was the son of Jehoshaphat) became an enemy of Joram. (Jehoshaphat was the) son of Nimshi. Joram had been in Ramoth Gilead. All the army of Israel (was with him). They were waiting to see what Hazael (would do). (Hazael was) the king of Syria. v15 But King Joram then returned to Jezreel. This was to get well after his illness. The (army of) Aram had hurt him in the war with Hazael. (Hazael was) the king of Aram. Jehu said (to his officers), ‘If your purpose really is (to make me king), do not let anyone get out from the city (Jezreel). They will tell the news back in (the city called) Jezreel.’ v16 Then (Jehu) got into his *chariot and he rode to Jezreel. That was because Joram was resting there (in Jezreel). Ahaziah (was) the king of Judah. He had come down (from Jerusalem) to meet Joram.
v17 A man was standing on a tall building in Jezreel and he was there to watch. He saw Jehu’s soldiers coming (towards Jezreel). He shouted, ‘I can see some soldiers (that) are coming (to us).’ Joram said, ‘Fetch a man and a horse. Send them to meet (the soldiers). Ask them. “Are you friendly to us?” ’ v18 The man on the horse rode away to meet Jehu. He said (to Jehu), ‘The king asks you, “Are you friendly to us?” ’ ‘It does not matter to you if we are friends’, Jehu replied. ‘Ride behind me.’ The man on the tall building reported (to Joram), ‘The man with the message has reached them, but he is not coming back (to us).’ v19 So the king (Joram) sent a second man (who was riding) on a horse. He came to (Jehu). Then he said, ‘The king (Joram) says, “Are you coming to us as a friend?” ’ Jehu replied, ‘It does not matter to you if we are friends. Ride behind me.’ v20 The man on the tall building reported (to Joram), ‘He has reached them, but he is not coming back (to us) either. The man that is driving (the *chariot) drives like Jehu. (Jehu is) the son of Nimshi. He drives like someone that is crazy!’
v21 Then Joram said, ‘Fetch my *chariot (to me).’ So they brought (his chariot). Then King Joram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah rode to meet Jehu. Each (king) was in his own chariot. They met (Jehu) at the piece of ground that had belonged to Naboth. (Naboth had lived) in Jezreel. v22 When Joram saw Jehu he asked, ‘Have you come as a friend, Jehu?’ ‘We cannot be friends’, Jehu replied. ‘(That is because of) the things that your mother Jezebel did. People still *worship false gods. There are women who do *magic (in your country) still.’ v23 Joram turned his *chariot and he drove away quickly. He shouted to Ahaziah, ‘Ahaziah, they are not our friends!’ v24 Then Jehu used his bow. He shot Joram between his shoulders. The *arrow went through his heart. He fell down in his *chariot. v25 Bidkar was Jehu’s *chariot officer. (Jehu) said to him, ‘Pick him up! Throw him on to the field that belonged to Naboth. (Naboth was) the man from Jezreel. Remember, you and I rode together in chariots behind Ahab. (Ahab) was (Joram’s) father. Then, the *LORD said this about (Joram). v26 “Yesterday, I saw the blood of Naboth. (I saw) also the blood of his sons, says the *LORD. Surely, I will cause you to pay for this on this piece of ground, says the *LORD.” So now, pick him up and throw him on to that piece (of ground). Do what the *LORD has promised.’
v27 Ahaziah (was) the king of Judah. He saw what had happened (to Joram). So, he ran away past the house in his garden. Jehu followed him. (Jehu) shouted, ‘Kill him too!’ They hurt (Ahaziah) in his *chariot. He was on the road to Gur near Ibleam. But he ran away (from them) to Megiddo, where he died. v28 His servants took him in a *chariot to Jerusalem. They buried him with his *ancestors in his *grave. It was in the *City of David.
v29 Ahaziah had become king of Judah when Joram (had been king) nearly 11 years. (Joram) was the son of Ahab.
v30 Then Jehu went to Jezreel. Jezebel heard about it. So she painted her eyes and she combed her hair. Then she looked out of a window. v31 While Jehu was coming through the gate (of the city), she asked him, ‘Have you come as a friend, Zimri? You are your master’s killer.’ v32 (Jehu) looked up at the window (and he saw her). Then he shouted, ‘Who is with me? Who?’ Two or three *eunuchs looked down at him. v33 ‘Throw her down’, Jehu said. So they threw her down. Some of her blood went all over the wall. Some of it went over the horses when they were kicking her with their feet. v34 Jehu went into (the king’s house). He ate and drank (food and drink). ‘Do something with (the dead body of) that bad woman’, he said. ‘Bury her, because she was the daughter of a king.’ v35 But when they went out to bury her, they did not find much. (They found only) the bones of her head, her feet and her hands. v36 They went back and they told this to Jehu. He said, ‘The *LORD said that this would happen. He spoke by his servant, (who was) Elijah from Tishbe. (He said), “Dogs will eat Jezebel’s dead body. (They will do it) on a piece of ground at Jezreel. v37 Jezebel’s dead body will be like dirt on the ground, on that piece of ground at Jezreel. Nobody will be able to say, ‘This is Jezebel’.” ’
Verse 31 Jezebel called Jehu ‘Zimri’. Perhaps Jezebel called Jehu ‘Zimri’ because Zimri had killed his master. (See 1 Kings 16:8-10.)
Verse 32 The king’s house was usually near the gate of a city.
v1 Ahab had 70 sons. They were in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and he sent them to Samaria. (He sent them) to the officers in Jezreel. (He also sent them) to the important older men and to the people who made Ahab’s children safe. v2 (This was what the letter said.) ‘When this letter reaches you, your master (Ahab’s) sons will be with you. You have *chariots and horses, a strong city and *weapons. v3 Choose the best person to be king from among your master’s sons. Make him king instead of his father. Then fight on behalf of your master’s family.’ v4 But they were so very afraid. They said, ‘Two kings could not beat (Jehu). So we (cannot beat him)!’
v5 So these people sent a message to Jehu:
· the servant with most authority in the king’s house
· the man that ruled the city (Samaria)
· the important older men
· the people who made (Ahab’s children) safe.
(The message said), ‘We are your servants. We will do anything that you say. We will not make anyone (here) king. You do what is best.’
v6 So Jehu wrote to them a second letter. It said, ‘If you agree with me, maybe you will obey me. (If you do), bring the heads of your master’s sons to Jezreel. Be here by this time tomorrow.’ At that time, the 70 sons of Ahab were with the leaders of the city. (The leaders) were teaching them. v7 When the letter arrived, these men went to the sons of King (Ahab). They killed all 70 of them and they put their heads in baskets. Then they sent them to Jehu in Jezreel. v8 The man with the message arrived (in Jezreel). He told Jehu, ‘They have brought the heads of King (Ahab’s) sons.’ Then Jehu said, ‘Put them in two groups. Leave them at the gate of the city until the morning.’ v9 The next morning, Jehu went out. He stood in front of all the people. He said (to them), ‘You have not done anything that is wrong (to Ahab). It was I that decided (to kill) my master. It was I that killed him. But we do not know who killed all these people. v10 You can know this: Everything that the *LORD has spoken against the family of Ahab will happen. The *LORD has done what he promised to do. (He promised it) by his servant Elijah.’ v11 So Jehu killed everybody in Jezreel who was in the family of Ahab. (Jehu also killed Ahab’s) officers, his friends and his *priests. They were all dead.
v12 (Jehu) then left (Jezreel), and he went towards Samaria. He came to Beth Eked. Some men who kept sheep safe were there. v13 And Jehu also met some people from Ahaziah’s family. (Ahaziah) was the king of Judah. (Jehu) asked them, ‘Who are you?’ They said, ‘We belong to Ahaziah’s family. We have come down here to say “welcome!” to the families of the king and his mother.’ v14 ‘Catch them (while they are) alive!’ shouted (Jehu). So they caught them (while they were) alive. Then they killed them by the well of Beth Eked. (They killed) 42 men. (Jehu) left none of them alive.
v15 When (Jehu) left (Beth Eked), he met Jehonadab. (Jehonadab) was the son of Rechab and he was coming to meet (Jehu). ‘Welcome!’ said (Jehu). ‘Do you agree with me, as I agree with you?’ Jehonadab answered, ‘I do!’ ‘So give me your hand’, said (Jehu). So he did, and (Jehu) helped him up into his *chariot. v16 (Jehu) said, ‘Come with me. You will see that I really want to be the *LORD’s servant.’ So (Jehonadab) rode with (Jehu) in his *chariot. v17 So (Jehu) came to Samaria. There, he killed everyone in Ahab’s family that was still alive. He killed them all. The *LORD had told Elijah that this would happen.
v18 Then Jehu caused all the people to come together. He said to them, ‘Ahab was not a good servant of *Baal. But Jehu will be a much better servant (of *Baal)! v19 So, ask all the *prophets of *Baal to come (here). Also, fetch all (Baal’s) servants and his *priests. Be sure that they are all (here). (Do this), because I want to have a big *sacrifice for Baal. Any person who does not come will not continue to be alive.’ But Jehu was being very clever. His idea was to kill all Baal’s servant. v20 Then Jehu said, ‘Say that there will be a special meeting (to *worship) *Baal.’ So (Jehu’s servants) told everybody about it. v21 Then (Jehu) sent a notice to everyone in Israel, and all the servants of *Baal came (to the meeting). There was nobody that did not come. They all went into the house of Baal, so that it was full from one end to the other. v22 Then (Jehu) said to the keeper of the clothes, ‘Bring out all the special clothes, for the servants of *Baal (to wear).’ So he brought out the special clothes for them. v23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab, who was the son of Rechab, went into the house of *Baal. (Jehu) said to the servants of *Baal, ‘Look all round (you). Be sure that there are no servants of the *LORD here with you. (Be sure) that there are only servants of *Baal here.’ v24 So they went in (to the house of *Baal) to make *sacrifices. And they burned (animals) to offer (to Baal). But Jehu had put 80 (of his) men outside the house (of Baal). He had said to them, ‘Do not let any of these men run away. If one of you does, it will be your life for his life.’ v25 When (*Baal’s servants) had finished the *sacrifice, Jehu said to his soldiers and (to their) officers, ‘Go in (to the house of Baal) and kill (his servants). Do not let one of them run away.’ So they cut them (into pieces) with their *swords. The soldiers and their officers threw (their dead bodies) out (of the house of Baal). Then they went into the inside part of the house of Baal. v26 They brought out the special stones from the house of *Baal and they destroyed them. v27 They destroyed the special stone of *Baal and they tore down the house of *Baal. People have used it as a toilet to this day!
v28 So Jehu destroyed *Baal in Israel. v29 But Jehu continued (to let people do) the *sins of Jeroboam. (Jeroboam was) the son of Nebat. (Jeroboam) had caused Israel to *worship young cows. (They had made the young cows) with gold. They were at Bethel and Dan. v30 The *LORD said to Jehu, ‘You have done well. You have done what is right *in my sight. You have done everything to Ahab’s family that I wanted (someone to do). So, your *descendants will be kings of Israel for 4 *generations.’ v31 But Jehu did not try as much as he could to obey the rules of the God of Israel. He did not turn away from the *sins of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to do.
v32 In those days, the *LORD began to make Israel smaller. Hazael was stronger than Israel’s people in all their country v33 east of (the river) Jordan. (That was) the place called Gilead, where the *tribes of Gad, Reuben and Manasseh were. Gilead started in Aroer and it went through the Arnon Valley to Bashan. v34 Other things happened while Jehu was king. Everything that he did is in a book. It is called ‘the reports about the kings of Israel’. v35 Jehu died like his *ancestors and people buried him in Samaria. His son Jehoahaz became king after him. v36 Jehu ruled over Israel in Samaria for 28 years.
Verse 9 ‘These people’ were the 70 sons of Ahab.
Verse 13 Some Bible students think that ‘welcome’ is a bad translation. They had come to kill the people that had killed Ahaziah, 2 Kings 9:27!
Verses 15 & 23 Some translations have ‘that drove a *chariot’ instead of ‘was the son of Rechab’.
Verse 30 ‘for 4 generations’ means Jehu’s son, Jehu’s grandson, his son’s grandson and his grandson’s grandson.
v1 Athaliah was the mother of Ahaziah. She heard the news that her son was dead. Then, she started to kill all the king’s family. v2 Jehosheba was the daughter of King Jehoram. She was the sister of Ahaziah. She took Joash away from the sons of the king, because (Athaliah) was ready to kill them. Joash was the son of Ahaziah. (Jehosheba) put Joash and the woman who fed him from her breast in a bedroom. Athaliah did not kill (Joash) because (Jehosheba) had hidden him. v3 Athaliah ruled the country (Judah) for 6 years. All this time (Jehosheba) hid (Joash) in the house of the *LORD (in Jerusalem).
v4 In the 7th year (that Athaliah ruled Judah), Jehoiada asked (these people) to come to him:
· the leaders of groups of 100 *Carites
· the soldiers that made the *palace safe.
They came to him in the house of the *LORD. They agreed together with Jehoiada. He asked them to say a special promise, in the house of the *LORD. Then he showed to them the king’s son (Joash).
v5 (Jehoiada) said to them, ‘This is what you must do. A third (of your soldiers) that come to work on the *Sabbath (must do this). They must make (the door to) the *palace safe. v6 (Another) third (of your soldiers must stand) at the Sur Gate. (The other) third must be at the gate of the (*LORD’s) house. They must be behind the soldiers that usually make the (*LORD’s) house safe. v7 But two groups of your soldiers do not usually work on the *Sabbath. Those soldiers must all make the *LORD’s house safe for the king. v8 You must stand all round the king. Each (soldier) must have his *weapons in his hand (ready to use). Anybody that comes near to you, you must kill. You must stay near to the king everywhere that he goes.’
v9 The leaders of the groups of 100 (soldiers) did what Jehoiada the *priest asked them to do. Each (leader) brought his men to Jehoiada the priest. (They brought) those (men) that worked on the *Sabbath. They also brought those that did not (usually work on the Sabbath). v10 Then (Jehoiada) gave to the leaders the *spears and the *shields that had been King David’s. They were in the house of the *LORD. v11 Each soldier had his *weapons in his hand. They stood round the king. They were near to the *altar and to the house (of the *LORD). They stood from the south side to the north side of the house. v12 Jehoiada brought (Joash,) the king’s son (and Jehoiada put him in front of all the people). He put the *crown on to his (head) and he gave to him a copy of the *covenant. He said that (Joash) was king. They poured *oil on to him. They hit their hands together. Then they shouted, ‘We want the king to be alive for a long time!’
v13 But Athaliah heard the noise that the soldiers and the people made. So she went to the people that were at the house of the *LORD. v14 She looked and she saw the king. He was standing in the usual place (where they made someone into a king). The leaders (of the army) and the men with *trumpets were by the king. All the people in the country (Judah) were very happy. (Many of them) blew into *trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes. She shouted, ‘*Treason! Treason!’ v15 Jehoiada, the *priest, said to each leader of 100 soldiers what they must do. ‘Bring her out (of the house of the *LORD). Keep her between groups of soldiers. (Kill) anyone with a *sword that follows her.’ That was because the priest had said, ‘You must not kill her in the house of the *LORD.’ v16 So they took her to the place where horses went into the king’s *palace. There they killed her.
v17 Then Jehoiada made a *covenant. It was between the *LORD, the king and the people. (They agreed) to be the *LORD’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people. v18 All the people in the country (Judah) went to the house of *Baal. They tore it into pieces. They destroyed the *altars and the false gods. Mattan was the *priest of Baal. They killed him in front of the altars. Then (Jehoiada) the priest put soldiers to make the house of the *LORD safe.
v19 (Jehoiada) took with him (these people):
· the leaders of 100 soldiers
· the *Carites and the soldiers
· all the people of the country (Judah).
They all brought the king down from the house of the *LORD into the *palace. They went in (to the palace) through the gate where the soldiers (stayed). Then the king sat on the king’s special seat.
v20 All the people in the country (Judah) were very happy. And the city (Jerusalem) was quiet. That was because they had killed Athaliah with the *sword at the *palace.
v21 And Joash was 7 years old when he began to rule (Judah).
Verse 6 Bible students do not know where the Sur gate was.
Verse 9 Priests were special servants of God. Priests *sacrificed animals to God in God’s house in Jerusalem. Jehoiada was the leader of the priests.
v1 Joash became king (of Judah) in the 7th year that Jehu (was king of Israel). Joash ruled in Jerusalem for 40 years. His mother’s name was Zibiah. (She came from) Beersheba. v2 In all the years that Jehoiada the *priest taught him, Joash did right things *in the sight of the *LORD. v3 But he did not remove the *high places. The people continued to burn animals and to burn *incense (in the high places).
v4 Joash said to all the *priests, ‘(There is) money that people offer to God for the house of the *LORD. Bring all this money together:
· what each man pays (to the government);
· what each man offers (to the *LORD);
· what each man gives (to God’s house).
v5 Each *priest must give something from his own money. They must use the money to make repairs to the house (of the *LORD), where people have broken it.’ v6 Joash had been king for 23 years. (In that time), the *priests had not made any repairs to the house (of the *LORD)! v7 So King Joash asked Jehoiada and the other *priests to come (to him). He said to them, ‘There are no repairs to the parts of the house (of the *LORD) where somebody has broken it. (But there should be.) Do not take any more money from the people that give it to you. Give it to (the people that make) repairs to the house (of the *LORD).’ v8 The *priests agreed that they would not take any money from the people. Also, they agreed that they would not make repairs to the house (of the *LORD) themselves.
v9 Jehoiada the *priest got a large box. He made a hole in the top of it. He put it outside the door of the house of the *LORD. It was by the *altar, on the right side (of the door). (Some) priests made the door (of the house of the *LORD) safe. They put into the box all the money that people brought to the house of the *LORD. v10 Every time that there was a large amount of money in the box, they counted the money. The leader of the *priests and the king’s servant who wrote things down (did that). (Then), they took (the money from the box) in the house (of the *LORD). And they put it into bags. v11 Then they gave the money that they had counted to some men. They had made these (men) the leaders of the workers in the house of the *LORD. (The leaders) used the money to pay the men that cut the wood. And (they used it to pay) the builders in the house of the *LORD. v12 (They also paid) the men that used stones. And they paid the men that cut stones. They bought wood. And they bought stones that people had cut. They bought them for the repairs to the house of the *LORD. And they paid all the other bills for the repairs to the house (of the *LORD).
v13 But they did not spend any of this money to buy anything that they used in the *LORD’s house. (This was the money) that people had brought into the house (of the *LORD). They did not use it to buy any of these things:
· *silver *bowls
· tools that they used to cause their lights to burn well
· *bowls (that people used) to pour (water or oil on to things)
· *trumpets.
v14 (They used all the money) to pay the workers. The (workers) used it to mend the house of the *LORD. v15 (The *priests) gave the money to (the leaders of the workers). But they did not ask (these leaders) to show them the bills. Everybody was very honest. v16 They did not bring other money into the house of the *LORD. (People) offered (this money) because they had done wrong things. It was for the *priests.
v17 Hazael (was) the king of *Aram. He went to Gath and (his army) attacked it. (His army) beat (the people in Gath). Then (Hazael) went to attack Jerusalem.
v18 Then Joash was (still) the king of Judah. He sent all these special things to Hazael (who was) the king of Aram:
· the gifts that the kings of Judah who were before him had given (to God). (These kings were) Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah.
· the gifts that (Joash) himself had given (to God)
· all the gold that was in the house of the *LORD and in the king’s *palace
So Hazael left Jerusalem (and he did not attack it).
v19 Other things happened while Joash was king. Everything that he did is in a book. It is called ‘the reports about the kings of Judah’. v20 (Joash’s) officers decided (to kill him). They killed him in the house of Millo, which is on the road down to Silla. v21 The officers that killed him were Jozabad, the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad, the son of Shomer. (After) he died, people buried him with his *ancestors in the *City of David. Amaziah, (who was) his son, became king after (Joash).
Verse 2 Priests were special servants of God. Priests *sacrificed animals to God in God’s house in Jerusalem. Jehoiada was the leader of the priests.
Verse 3 In the high places the people *worshipped *Baal and other false gods. The high places were on the tops of hills.
Verses 5-6 We are not sure when Joash asked for repairs to the house of the *LORD. But when he was 30, the *priests had not done any repairs!
Verse 8 The *priests agreed that somebody else would make repairs to the house of the *LORD.
Verse 18 Hazael took the special things in the *LORD’s house. The *priests only used these things when they *worshipped the *LORD.
v1 Joash (was) the son of Ahaziah, (who was) the king of Judah. When (Joash) had been king for nearly 23 years, Jehoahaz became king of Israel in Samaria. (Jehoahaz was) the son of Jehu. (Jehoahaz) was king for 17 years. v2 But he did bad things *in the sight of the *LORD. He did the same *sins as Jeroboam did. (Jeroboam was) the son of Nebat. (Jeroboam) had also caused (the people in) Israel to do these sins. And (Jehoahaz) did not stop these things. v3 So the *LORD was very, very angry with Israel. For a long time (the *LORD) caused Hazael and Ben-Hadad to beat them. (Ben-Hadad was) the son of Hazael, who was the king of *Aram. v4 Then Jehoahaz prayed to the *LORD again. And the *LORD listened to him because of the king of Aram. (The *LORD) knew that (the king of Aram) was being very cruel to Israel. v5 The *LORD sent someone to help Israel. So they were free from the power of (the king of) Aram. So the people in Israel lived in their own homes, as they had done before (this time). v6 But the people in Israel still did the *sins of the family of Jeroboam. They continued to do what Jeroboam had caused Israel to do. So, the *Asherah pole still stood in Samaria.
v7 The king of Aram had destroyed most of the army of Jehoahaz. But God did not let him kill or destroy these:
· 50 men that rode horses
· 10 *chariots
· 10 000 soldiers who had to walk.
(The king of Aram) made everything else into very small bits of dirt.
v8 Other things happened while Jehoahaz was king. Everything that he did is in a book. It is called ‘the reports about the kings of Israel’. v9 Jehoahaz died like his *ancestors, and people buried him in Samaria. Then Jehoash, (who was) his son, became king after him.
v10 (Joash) was the king of Judah. When he was 37 years old, Jehoash became king of Israel in Samaria. (Jehoash was) the son of Jehoahaz. (Jehoash) was king for 16 years. v11 But he did bad things *in the sight of the *LORD. He did the same *sins as Jeroboam did. (Jeroboam was) the son of Nebat. (Jeroboam) had also caused (the people in) Israel to do these sins. And (Jehoash) continued to do them. v12 Other things happened while Jehoash was king. Everything that he did is in a book. It is called ‘the reports about the kings of Israel’. It includes (the report) of his war against Amaziah, (who was) the king of Judah. v13 Jehoash died like his *ancestors and people buried him in Samaria with the kings of Israel. Jeroboam became king (of Israel) after him.
v14 Elisha was very ill. It was the illness from which he died. Jehoash, (who was) the king of Israel, went down to see him. (Jehoash) wept by his side. (Jehoash) said, ‘My *father! My father! The *chariots and the men that ride on horses in Israel!’ v15 Elisha said to (Jehoash), ‘Fetch a bow and (some) *arrows.’ So he fetched him a bow and (some) arrows. v16 (Elisha) said to the king of Israel, ‘Hold the bow in your hands.’ When he had done this, Elisha put his hands on the hands of the king. v17 (Elisha) said, ‘Open the east window.’ And (the king) opened (it). ‘Shoot!’ said Elisha. And (the king) shot (the *arrow). ‘(It is) the *LORD’s arrow, that will beat (the enemy). It is the arrow that will destroy Aram!’ said Elisha. ‘You will completely destroy (the army of) Aram at Aphek.’ v18 Then (Elisha) said, ‘Take the *arrows.’ And he took (them). And (Elisha) said to the king of Israel, ‘Hit the ground (with them).’ (The king) hit the ground three times and then he stopped. v19 The *man of God was angry with (Jehoash). He said, ‘You should have hit the ground 5 or 6 times. Then you would have beaten (the army of) Aram and you would have destroyed it completely. Now you will beat it only three times.’
v20 So Elisha died and people buried him. But, every spring, men from Moab came into the country (Israel) to rob the people. v21 Once, while they were burying a man, some people saw a group of those men from Moab. So they threw the man’s dead body into Elisha’s *grave. When the dead body touched Elisha’s bones, the man became alive again! He stood on his feet.
v22 Hazael (was) the king of Aram. He was cruel to (the people in) Israel all the time that Jehoahaz was king. v23 But the *LORD was kind to the people (in Israel). He loved them and he helped them. (That was) because of his *covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He did not want to kill them and he did not want to send them away from himself until now.
v24 Then Hazael, (who was) the king of Aram, died. His son, (who was) Ben-Hadad, became king after him. v25 Then Jehoash, (who was) the son of Jehoahaz, got back from Ben-Hadad some towns. They (were towns) that Hazael had taken from Jehoahaz. (Jehoahaz was Jehoash’s) father. Jehoash beat (Ben-Hadad) three times and he ruled Israel’s towns again.
Verse 14 Bible students do not know what Jehoash’s words meant. It is 50 years since Elisha was in the report in 2 Kings.
v1 Jehoash, (who was) the son of Jehoahaz, had been the king of Israel for nearly two years. It was then that Amaziah began to rule Judah. (Amaziah) was the son of Joash. v2 (Amaziah) was 25 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 29 years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin. She (was born in) Jerusalem. v3 (Amaziah) did what was right *in the sight of the *LORD. But he did not (do everything) as his *ancestor David had done. (Amaziah) did everything as his father Joash had done it. v4 But they did not remove the *high places. The people continued to burn animals (for *Baal). And they continued to burn *incense (in those places). v5 (Amaziah) became safe as king (of Judah). Then he killed the officers who had killed his father the king. v6 But he did not kill the sons of these killers. That was because of what (the writer) of the Book of the *Law of Moses had written. The *LORD had said that they must not do that. ‘Do not kill fathers because their children (have done wrong things). And do not kill children because their fathers (have done wrong things). Each person must die because of his own *sins.’
v7 It was (Amaziah) that beat 10 000 men from Edom in the Valley of Salt. He beat Sela in a war. He called it Joktheel, which is its name today.
v8 Then Amaziah sent men with messages to Jehoash. (Jehoash was) the son of Jehoahaz, (who was) the son of Jehu. (Jehu) had been the king of Israel. The message was, ‘Come and meet me.’ v9 But Jehoash, (who was) the king of Israel, replied like this to Amaziah. (Amaziah was) the king of Judah. ‘The *thistle that was in Lebanon sent this message to the *cedar. (The cedar was) also in Lebanon. “Give your daughter to my son, to be his wife.” Then a wild animal in Lebanon came and it jumped on the thistle. v10 Yes! You have beaten Edom. And now you think that you are better (than other people). Be very happy because you have beaten (Edom). But stay at home! Do not ask for trouble. It will hurt you and (the people in) Judah.’
v11 But Amaziah did not *listen (to Jehoash’s message). So Jehoash, (who was) the king of Israel, prepared to attack (Amaziah). (Jehoash) and Amaziah, (who was) the king of Judah, met together at Beth Shemesh, in Judah. v12 (The army from) Israel completely destroyed (the army from) Judah. Every man (from Judah) ran away to his home. v13 Jehoash, (who was) the king of Israel, caught Amaziah at Beth Shemesh. (Amaziah was) the king of Judah. (He was) the son of Joash, (who was) the son of Ahaziah. Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem. He destroyed 180 metres (600 feet) of the wall of Jerusalem, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. v14 He took all the gold and *silver from the house of the *LORD. He also took everything that he found in (the house of the *LORD) and in the king’s *palace. He also took some of the people away with him and then he returned to Samaria.
v15 Other things happened while Jehoash was king. Everything that he did is in a book. It is called ‘the reports about the kings of Israel’. It includes the war against Amaziah, (who was) the king of Judah. v16 So Jehoash died like his *ancestors and people buried him in Samaria with the kings of Israel. And his son Jeroboam became king after him.
v17 Amaziah (was) the son of Joash, (who was) the king of Judah. (Amaziah) lived for 15 years after Jehoash died. (Jehoash was) the son of Jehoahaz, (who was) the king of Israel. v18 Other things happened while Amaziah ruled (Judah). (These things) are in a book. It is called ‘the reports about the kings of Judah’. v19 Some people in Jerusalem made a *plan against (Amaziah). He ran away to Lachish. But (the people in Jerusalem) sent men after him to Lachish and they killed (Amaziah) there. v20 They brought him back to Jerusalem on a horse. They buried him there with his *ancestors, in the *City of David. v21 Then, all the people in Judah made Azariah king instead of his father Amaziah. (Azariah) was 16 years old. v22 He was (the king) who built Elath again. He won it back (by war) for Judah. That was after Amaziah died like his *ancestors.
v23 Amaziah (was) the son of Joash, (who was) the king of Judah. When (Amaziah had been king) for nearly 15 years, Jeroboam became the king of Israel in Samaria. (Jeroboam was) the son of Jehoash. (Jeroboam) ruled (Israel) for 41 years. v24 He did bad things *in the sight of the *LORD. He did not stop any of the *sins of Jeroboam, (who was) the son of Nebat. (The son of Nebat) had caused all (the people in) Israel to do (these sins). v25 (Jeroboam the Second) had won back for Israel (by war places) from Lebo Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah. This is what the *LORD had spoken, by his servant Jonah. (The *LORD is) the God of Israel. Jonah (was) the son of Amittai. (Jonah) was a *prophet from Gath Hepher. v26 Everyone in Israel had trouble that hurt them a lot. And the *LORD had seen it. There was nobody to help them, whether they were slaves or free (people). v27 So the *LORD saved them. The *LORD had said that he would not remove the name of Israel from under the skies. So he used Jeroboam, (who was) the son of Jehoash, to do this.
v28 Other things happened while Jeroboam ruled (Israel). They are in a book. It is called ‘the reports about the kings of Israel’. They include (these) things that his army did. They got Damascus back for Israel. And they got Hamath back from Judah. v29 Jeroboam died like his *ancestors. (His ancestors were) the kings of Israel. Then Zechariah, (who was) his son, became king of Israel after him.
Verse 6 See Deuteronomy 24:16.
Verse 7 The Valley of Salt is a valley south of the Dead Sea. Sela may be Petra, a city in Edom. ‘Today’ means when they wrote 2 Kings.
Verse 29 Read God’s promise in 2 Kings 10:30. Zechariah was the 4th king in Jehu’s family after Jehu himself.
v1 Jeroboam had been king of Israel for nearly 27 years when Azariah began to rule (Judah). (Azariah) was the son of Amaziah, (who was) the king of Judah. v2 (Azariah) was 16 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 52 years. His mother’s name was Jecoliah. She (was born in) Jerusalem. v3 Azariah did the right things *in the sight of the *LORD, as his father Amaziah had done. v4 But he did not remove the *high places. The people (in Judah) continued to offer (animals to *Baal) and to burn *incense there. v5 And the *LORD *punished the king. The king had the illness called *leprosy. He had it until the day that he died. He lived in a separate house. The king’s son Jotham had to rule the *palace and the people in the country (Judah). v6 Azariah did many other things while he was king. They (wrote) all those things in a book. It is called ‘the reports about the kings of Judah’. v7 So Azariah died like his *ancestors. And people buried him with them in the *City of David. His son Jotham became king after him.
v8 When Azariah had been king for nearly 38 years, Zechariah became king of Israel in Samaria. (Zechariah was) the son of Jeroboam and he ruled (Israel) for 6 months. v9 He did bad things *in the sight of the *LORD, as his *ancestors had done. He continued to do the *sins of Jeroboam. (Jeroboam was) the son of Nebat and he had caused (the people in) Israel to do these (sins). v10 Shallum (was) the son of Jabesh. He (and his friends) decided to kill Zechariah. (Shallum) attacked (Zechariah) in front of the people. He killed him and he became king instead of him. v11 Other things happened while Zechariah ruled (Israel). They are in a book. It is called ‘the reports about the kings of Israel’. v12 So it happened as the *LORD had spoken to Jehu. (The *LORD had said,) ‘You and 4 of your *descendants will rule Israel.’
v13 When Uzziah had been the king of Judah for 39 years, Shallum became the king (of Israel). (Shallum was) the son of Jabesh. (Shallum) ruled in Samaria for one month. v14 Then Menahem went from Tirzah up to Samaria. (Menahem was) the son of Gadi. He attacked Shallum, (who was) the son of Jabesh, in Samaria. He killed him and he became king (of Israel) after him. v15 Other things that happened when Shallum was king are in a book. It is called ‘the reports about the kings of Israel’. It includes the way that he killed (Zechariah). v16 When Menahem came from Tirzah, he attacked Tiphsah. (He attacked) everybody that was in the city (Tiphsah) and near it. (He did this) because they would not open their gates. He destroyed Tiphsah and he cut open all the *pregnant women.
v17 When Azariah had been the king of Judah for nearly 39 years, Menahem became the king of Israel. (Menahem was) the son of Gadi, and he ruled in Samaria for 10 years. v18 (Menahem) did what was bad *in the sight of the *LORD. All the time that he was king, he continued to do the *sins of Jeroboam. (Jeroboam was) the son of Nebat. (Jeroboam) had caused (the people in) Israel to do these sins also. v19 Then *Pul, (who was) the king of Assyria, attacked the country (Israel). Menahem gave him 1000 *talents of *silver so that (Pul) would help (Menahem). That would make (Menahem) stronger in his own country. v20 Menahem caused (the people in) Israel to give him this money. He caused every rich man to give 50 *shekels of *silver to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria went (home). He did not stay (for a) longer (time) in the country (Israel). v21 The other things that happened to King Menahem are in a book. People wrote them in a book. It is called ‘the reports about the kings of Israel’. Everything that he did (is in that book). v22 So Menahem died like his *ancestors. And Pekahiah, (who was) his son, became king after him.
v23 When Azariah had been the king of Judah for nearly 50 years, Pekahiah became the king of Israel in Samaria. (Pekahiah was) the son of Menahem. He ruled (Israel) for two years. v24 Pekahiah did bad things *in the sight of the *LORD. He continued to do the *sins of Jeroboam, (who was) the son of Nebat. (Jeroboam) had caused (the people in) Israel to do these sins also. v25 One of his important officers was Pekah, (who was) the son of Remaliah. (Pekah) decided to kill (Pekahiah). He took 50 men from Gilead with him, and he killed Pekahiah. (He also killed) Argob and Arieh in a strong room in the king’s *palace. (The king’s palace was) in Samaria. So Pekah killed Pekahiah and he became king after him. v26 Somebody wrote the other things that King Pekahiah did in a book. It is called ‘the reports about the kings of Israel’. (The book contains) everything that Pekahiah did.
v27 When Azariah had been king of Judah for nearly 52 years, Pekah became the king of Israel in Samaria. (Pekah was) the son of Remaliah and he ruled (Israel) for 20 years. v28 Pekah did bad things *in the sight of the *LORD. He continued to do the *sins of Jeroboam, (who was) the son of Nebat. (Jeroboam) had caused (the people in) Israel to do these sins also.
v29 While Pekah was the king of Israel, Tiglath Pileser came from Assyria. (He was) the king (of Assyria). He beat (the people in many places in Israel): Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, Galilee and all of Naphtali. He took (all) the people (that lived in these places) to Assyria. v30 Then Hoshea decided to kill Pekah (who was) the son of Remaliah. (Hoshea was) the son of Elah. (Hoshea) attacked (Pekah) and killed him. So (Hoshea) became king after (Pekah). It was when Jotham had been king of Judah for nearly 20 years. (Jotham was) the son of Uzziah. v31 Somebody wrote the other things that King Pekah did in a book. It is called ‘the reports about the kings of Israel’. (The book contains) everything that Pekah did.
v32 When Pekah had been the king of Israel for nearly 2 years, Jotham began to rule Judah. (Pekah was) the son of Remaliah and (Jotham was) the son of Uzziah. v33 Jotham was 25 years old when he became king. And he ruled in Jerusalem for 16 years. His mother’s name was Jerusha. She was the daughter of Zadok. v34 (Jotham) did what was right *in the sight of the *LORD, as his father Uzziah had done. v35 But he did not remove the *high places. The people (in Judah) continued to offer (animals to *Baal) and to burn *incense on them. Jotham built again the High Gate of the house of the *LORD. v36 Somebody wrote the other things that King Jotham did in a book. It is called ‘the reports about the kings of Judah’. (The book contains) everything that Jotham did. v37 Then the *LORD began to send Rezin and Pekah against (the people in) Judah. (Rezin was) the king of Aram and (Pekah was) the son of Remaliah. v38 And Jotham died like his *ancestors and people buried him with his ancestors in the *City of his ancestor, David. His son Ahaz became king after him.
Verse 1 In Isaiah 6:1 and also in 2 Kings 15:13, 30-34, Azariah is called Uzziah.
Verse 12 The 4 *descendants were Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam the Second and Zechariah.
v1 When Pekah had been king (of Israel) for nearly 17 years, Ahaz began to rule Judah. (Pekah was) the son of Remaliah and Ahaz was the son of King Jotham (of Judah). v2 Ahaz was 20 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 16 years. He did not do what was right *in the sight of the *LORD his God. So he was not like his *ancestor David. v3 He did the bad things that the kings of Israel did. He even caused his son to walk through fire. He did all the very bad things that people had done earlier (in *Canaan). These were (the people that) the *LORD had caused to leave (Canaan). He did this before (his people) the *Jews (came into Canaan). v4 Ahaz burned animals and other things, and also *incense on the *high places. (He did it) on the tops of hills and under every wide tree.
v5 Rezin (was) the king of Aram. Pekah (was) the king of Israel. (He was) the son of Remaliah. (Rezin and Pekah) marched up to Jerusalem, to fight against it. (Their armies) stayed all round Ahaz (and his city), but they could not beat him. v6 At that time, Rezin (who was) the king of Aram got Elath back for Aram. He caused the men from Judah to leave (Elath). People from Edom then moved into Elath. They have lived there until now. v7 Then Ahaz sent people with messages to Tiglath Pileser, (who was) the king of Assyria. They said, ‘I am your servant. And I will do anything that you ask me to do. Come up (to Jerusalem) and save me from the power of the kings of Aram and Israel. They are attacking me.’ v8 Also, Ahaz took the *silver and gold out of the house of the *LORD. He took the valuable things out of his own *palace. He sent them (all) as a gift to the king of Assyria. v9 So the king of Assyria did what (Ahaz) had asked. He attacked Damascus and he beat its people. He sent the people that had lived there to Kir. And he killed Rezin.
v10 Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet King Tiglath Pileser of Assyria. (Ahaz) saw an *altar in Damascus. He sent a picture of the altar to Uriah the *priest. (He also sent) a plan, so that (people) could make one. v11 So Uriah the *priest built an *altar. It was the same as the (one in) the plans that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. (Uriah) finished it before King Ahaz returned. v12 Then the king returned from Damascus. And he saw the *altar. He went near it and he climbed up to it. He offered things (to false gods) on it.
v13 He offered (these things to his god) on the *altar:
· an animal (with its blood)
· something with flour (but no blood) in it
· a drink that he poured (on to the altar)
· the blood (of animals) to bring him *peace.
v14 A *bronze *altar stood in front of the *LORD (in his house). It was between the new altar and the house of the *LORD. (Ahaz) brought it from the front of the house (of the *LORD). And he put it on the north side of the new altar.
v15 Then King Ahaz said that Uriah the *priest must do (these things). ‘On the large new *altar, offer these (gifts):
· an animal (with its blood) in the morning
· something with flour in it in the evening
· an animal on behalf of the king
· something with flour in it on behalf of the king
· an animal as a gift on behalf of all the people in the country
· something with flour in it on behalf of the people (in the country)
· all the blood from the animals that you kill.
But I will use the *bronze *altar to ask (God) to guide me.’
v16 So Uriah the *priest did what King Ahaz asked him to do.
v17 King Ahaz also took away pieces from the sides (of the *bronze *altar). He took the *bowls away from the parts that people could move. He took the large *bowl for water away from the *bronze male cows that it was on. He put it on stone instead. v18 He took away the roof that they had made to cover (the king’s path) on the *Sabbath. (It was at) the house (of the *LORD). He removed the door outside the house (of the *LORD) that the king used to come in through. The king of Assyria wanted him to do this. v19 Somebody wrote the other things that King Ahaz did, in a book. It is called ‘the reports about the kings of Judah’. (The book contains) everything that Ahaz did. v20 So Ahaz died like his *ancestors. And people buried him with his ancestors in the *City of David. And Hezekiah, (who was) his son, became king after him.
Verse 3 ‘Walk through fire’ may mean that he killed his son by fire. 2 Chronicles 28:3 says that he burned his sons (plural) with fire. Bible students think that this was to make the false god Moloch happy.
Verse 4 Some of the ‘other things’ are in verse 13.
Verse 7 These are the words of Ahaz, which the men repeated to Tiglath Pileser.
Verse 9 Damascus was the capital of Syria.
Verse 13 Bible students are not sure whether Ahaz offered these things to the *LORD or to *Baal.
v1 When Ahaz had been the king of Judah for nearly 12 years, Hoshea became the king of Israel in Samaria. (Hoshea was) the son of Elah and he ruled (Israel) for 9 years. v2 He did things that were very wrong *in the sight of the *LORD. But he was not like the kings of Israel who were before him. v3 Shalmaneser (was) the king of Assyria. He came up (to Samaria) to attack Hoshea. He had done everything that Shalmaneser had asked him to do. (Every year) he had paid him all the money (that Shalmaneser had asked him for). v4 But Shalmaneser had discovered that now Hoshea was not a good friend (of Shalmaneser). (Hoshea) had sent people with a message to So, (who was) the king of Egypt. (Hoshea) did not pay any more money to the king of Assyria, as he had done every year. So Shalmaneser caught (Hoshea) and put him into a prison. v5 The king of Assyria attacked all the country (Israel). (His army) marched against Samaria and it stayed round it for 3 years.
v6 When Hoshea had been king (of Israel) for nearly 9 years, the king of Assyria beat the people in Samaria. He sent many of the people from Israel to Assyria. He caused them to live in these places:
· Halah,
· Gozan by the River Habor and
· towns in Media.
v7 All this happened because (the people in) Israel had not obeyed the *LORD. (The *LORD) was their God, who had brought them out of Egypt. (God had) made them free from the power of Pharaoh, (who was) the king of Egypt. (But now) they had *worshipped other gods. v8 They had done the things that the people (in *Canaan) before them had done. Those people (in Canaan) were the people that the *LORD had caused to go to other places. The people in Israel had also done things that the kings of Israel had caused them do. v9 The people in Israel did things against the *LORD (who was) their God. (Those things) were not right, and they did them secretly. They built *high places for themselves in every town. (They built them everywhere) from places where people watched (their sheep) to strong cities. v10 They put up special stones (for their gods) and *Asherah poles. (They put them) on every high hill and under every wide tree. v11 At every *high place they burned *incense. The people that the *LORD had sent out (from Canaan) before them had done that. Israel’s people did very bad things that made the *LORD very angry. v12 They *worshipped false gods. The *LORD had said, ‘You must not do that.’ v13 The *LORD had sent this message to Israel and to Judah. He sent it by all his *prophets and by everyone that he showed things to. ‘Do not do more bad things. Obey my words. (Obey) all my rules. Do everything that is in my *Law. I told your *ancestors that they must obey (my Law). I gave you (my Law) by my servants (who were) the prophets.’ v14 But the (people in Israel) would not listen. They were like their *ancestors had been. They would not change in their minds. (Their ancestors) did not believe that the *LORD (would help them). (The *LORD was) their God. v15 They did not obey his *Law. They did not agree with the *covenant that (God) had made with their *ancestors. God had said that bad things would happen to them. But they did not listen. They followed false gods that had no value. So they themselves became of no value. They did what the people that lived next to them did. But the *LORD had said, ‘Do not do what they do!’ But they still did these things. The *LORD had said that they should not do them! v16 They threw away all the *laws of the *L