To The Word – Day 119

₁As soon as King Ahaziah's mother Athaliah learnt of her son's murder, she gave orders for all the members of the royal family to be killed. ₂Only Ahaziah's son Joash escaped. He was about to be killed with the others, but was rescued by his aunt Jehosheba, who was King Jehoram's daughter and Ahaziah's half-sister. She took him and his nurse into a bedroom in the Temple and hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not killed. ₃For six years Jehosheba took care of the boy and kept him hidden in the Temple, while Athaliah ruled as queen.

₄But in the seventh year Jehoiada the priest sent for the officers in charge of the royal bodyguard and of the palace guards, and told them to come to the Temple, where he made them agree under oath to what he planned to do. He showed them King Ahaziah's son Joash ₅and gave them the following orders: “When you come on duty on the Sabbath, one third of you are to guard the palace; ₆another third are to stand guard at the Sur Gate, and the other third are to stand guard at the gate behind the other guards. ₇The two groups that go off duty on the Sabbath are to stand guard at the Temple to protect the king. ₈You are to guard King Joash with drawn swords and stay with him wherever he goes. Anyone who comes near you is to be killed.”

₉The officers obeyed Jehoiada's instructions and brought their men to him — those going off duty on the Sabbath and those going on duty. ₁₀He gave the officers the spears and shields that had belonged to King David and had been kept in the Temple, ₁₁and he stationed the men with drawn swords all round the front of the Temple, to protect the king. ₁₂Then Jehoiada led Joash out, placed the crown on his head, and gave him a copy of the laws governing kingship. Then Joash was anointed and proclaimed king. The people clapped their hands and shouted, “Long live the king!”

₁₃Queen Athaliah heard the noise being made by the guards and the people, so she hurried to the Temple, where the crowd had gathered. ₁₄There she saw the new king standing by the column at the entrance of the Temple, as was the custom. He was surrounded by the officers and the trumpeters, and the people were all shouting joyfully and blowing trumpets. Athaliah tore her clothes in distress and shouted, “Treason! Treason!”

₁₅Jehoiada did not want Athaliah killed in the temple area, so he ordered the army officers: “Take her out between the rows of guards, and kill anyone who tries to rescue her.” ₁₆They seized her, took her to the palace, and there at the Horse Gate they killed her.

₁₇The priest Jehoiada made King Joash and the people enter into a covenant with the LORD that they would be the LORD's people; he also made a covenant between the king and the people. ₁₈Then the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down; they smashed the altars and the idols, and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars.

Jehoiada put guards on duty at the Temple, ₁₉and then he, the officers, the royal bodyguard, and the palace guards escorted the king from the Temple to the palace, followed by all the people. Joash entered by the Guard Gate and took his place on the throne. ₂₀All the people were filled with happiness, and the city was quiet, now that Athaliah had been killed in the palace.

₂₁Joash became king of Judah at the age of seven.

₁In the seventh year of the reign of King Jehu of Israel, Joash became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother was Zibiah from the city of Beersheba. ₂Throughout his life he did what pleased the LORD, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him. ₃However, the pagan places of worship were not destroyed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

₄Joash called the priests and ordered them to save up the money paid in connection with the sacrifices in the Temple, both the dues paid for the regular sacrifices and the money given as freewill gifts. ₅Each priest was to be responsible for the money brought by those he served, and the money was to be used to repair the Temple, as needed.

₆But by the 23rd year of Joash's reign the priests still had not made any repairs to the Temple. ₇So he called in Jehoiada and the other priests and asked them, “Why aren't you repairing the Temple? From now on you are not to keep the money you receive; you must hand it over, so that the repairs can be made.” ₈The priests agreed to this and also agreed not to make the repairs in the Temple.

₉Then Jehoiada took a box, made a hole in the lid, and placed the box by the altar, on the right side as one enters the Temple. The priests on duty at the entrance put in the box all the money given by the worshippers. ₁₀Whenever there was a large amount of money in the box, the royal secretary and the High Priest would come, melt down the silver, and weigh it. ₁₁After recording the exact amount, they would hand the silver over to the men in charge of the work in the Temple, and these would pay the carpenters, the builders, ₁₂the masons, and the stonecutters, buy the timber and the stones used in the repairs, and pay all other necessary expenses. ₁₃None of the money, however, was used to pay for making silver cups, bowls, trumpets, or tools for tending the lamps, or any other article of silver or of gold. ₁₄It was all used to pay the workers and to buy the materials used in the repairs. ₁₅The men in charge of the work were thoroughly honest, so there was no need to require them to account for the funds. ₁₆The money given for the repayment offerings and for the offerings for sin was not deposited in the box; it belonged to the priests.

₁₇At that time King Hazael of Syria attacked the city of Gath and conquered it; then he decided to attack Jerusalem. ₁₈King Joash of Judah took all the offerings that his predecessors Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah had dedicated to the LORD, added to them his own offerings and all the gold in the treasuries of the Temple and the palace, and sent them all as a gift to King Hazael, who then led his army away from Jerusalem.

₁₉Everything else that King Joash did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah.

_20-21King Joash's officials plotted against him, and two of them, Jozacar son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer, killed him at the house built on the land that was filled in on the east side of Jerusalem, on the road that goes down to Silla. Joash was buried in the royal tombs in David's City, and his son Amaziah succeeded him as king.

₁In the 23rd year of the reign of Joash son of Ahaziah as king of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for seventeen years. ₂Like King Jeroboam before him he sinned against the LORD and led Israel into sin; he never gave up his evil ways. ₃So the LORD was angry with Israel, and he allowed King Hazael of Syria and his son Benhadad to defeat Israel time after time. ₄Then Jehoahaz prayed to the LORD, and the LORD, seeing how harshly the king of Syria was oppressing the Israelites, answered his prayer. ₅The LORD sent Israel a leader, who freed them from the Syrians, and so the Israelites lived in peace, as before. ₆But they still did not give up the sins into which King Jeroboam had led Israel, but kept on committing them; and the image of the goddess Asherah remained in Samaria.

₇Jehoahaz had no armed forces left except fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and 10,000 men on foot, because the king of Syria had destroyed the rest, trampling them down like dust.

₈Everything else that Jehoahaz did and all his brave deeds are recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel. ₉He died and was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoash succeeded him as king.

₁₀In the 37th year of the reign of King Joash of Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for sixteen years. ₁₁He too sinned against the LORD and followed the evil example of King Jeroboam, who had led Israel into sin. ₁₂Everything else that Jehoash did, including his bravery in the war against King Amaziah of Judah, is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel. ₁₃Jehoash died and was buried in the royal tombs in Samaria, and his son Jeroboam II succeeded him as king.

₁₄The prophet Elisha fell ill with a fatal disease, and as he lay dying King Jehoash of Israel went to visit him. “My father, my father!” he exclaimed as he wept. “You have been the mighty defender of Israel!”

₁₅“Get a bow and some arrows,” Elisha ordered him. Jehoash got them, ₁₆and Elisha told him to get ready to shoot. The king did so, and Elisha placed his hands on the king's hands. ₁₇Then, following the prophet's instructions, the king opened the window that faced towards Syria. “Shoot the arrow!” Elisha ordered. As soon as the king shot the arrow, the prophet exclaimed, “You are the LORD's arrow, with which he will win victory over Syria. You will fight the Syrians in Aphek until you defeat them.”

₁₈Then Elisha told the king to take the other arrows and strike the ground with them. The king struck the ground three times, and then stopped. ₁₉This made Elisha angry, and he said to the king, “You should have struck five or six times, and then you would have won complete victory over the Syrians; but now you will defeat them only three times.”

₂₀Elisha died and was buried.

Every year bands of Moabites used to invade the land of Israel. ₂₁Once, during a funeral, one of those bands was seen, and the people threw the corpse into Elisha's tomb and ran off. As soon as the body came into contact with Elisha's bones, the man came back to life and stood up.

₂₂King Hazael of Syria oppressed the Israelites during all of Jehoahaz' reign, ₂₃but the LORD was kind and merciful to them. He would not let them be destroyed, but helped them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He has never forgotten his people.

₂₄At the death of King Hazael of Syria his son Benhadad became king. ₂₅Then King Jehoash of Israel defeated Benhadad three times and recaptured the cities that had been taken by Benhadad during the reign of Jehoahaz, the father of Jehoash.

₁In the second year of the reign of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz as king of Israel, Amaziah son of Joash became king of Judah ₂at the age of 25, and he ruled in Jerusalem for 29 years. His mother was Jehoaddin, from Jerusalem. ₃He did what was pleasing to the LORD, but he was not like his ancestor King David; instead, he did what his father Joash had done. ₄He did not tear down the pagan places of worship, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

₅As soon as Amaziah was firmly in power, he executed the officials who had killed his father, the king. ₆However, he did not kill their children but followed what the LORD had commanded in the Law of Moses: “Parents are not to be put to death for crimes committed by their children, and children are not to be put to death for crimes committed by their parents; a person is to be put to death only for a crime he himself has committed.”

₇Amaziah killed 10,000 Edomite soldiers in Salt Valley; he captured the city of Sela in battle and called it Joktheel, the name it still has.

₈Then Amaziah sent messengers to King Jehoash of Israel, challenging him to fight. ₉But King Jehoash sent back the following reply: “Once a thorn bush on the Lebanon Mountains sent a message to a cedar: ‘Give your daughter in marriage to my son.’ A wild animal passed by and trampled the bush down. ₁₀Now Amaziah, you have defeated the Edomites, and you are filled with pride. Be satisfied with your fame and stay at home. Why stir up trouble that will only bring disaster on you and your people?”

₁₁But Amaziah refused to listen, so King Jehoash marched out with his men and fought against him at Beth Shemesh in Judah. ₁₂Amaziah's army was defeated, and all his soldiers fled to their homes. ₁₃Jehoash took Amaziah prisoner, advanced on Jerusalem, and tore down the city wall from Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate, a distance of nearly 200 metres. ₁₄He took all the silver and gold he could find, all the temple equipment and all the palace treasures, and carried them back to Samaria. He also took hostages with him.

₁₅Everything else that Jehoash did, including his bravery in the war against King Amaziah of Judah, is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel. ₁₆Jehoash died and was buried in the royal tombs in Samaria, and his son Jeroboam II succeeded him as king.

₁₇King Amaziah of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of King Jehoash of Israel. ₁₈Everything else that Amaziah did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah.

₁₉There was a plot in Jerusalem to assassinate Amaziah, so he fled to the city of Lachish, but his enemies followed him there and killed him. ₂₀His body was carried back to Jerusalem on a horse and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City. ₂₁The people of Judah then crowned his sixteen-year-old son Uzziah as king. ₂₂Uzziah reconquered and rebuilt Elath after his father's death.

₂₃In the fifteenth year of the reign of Amaziah son of Joash as king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for 41 years. ₂₄He sinned against the LORD, following the wicked example of his predecessor King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin. ₂₅He reconquered all the territory that had belonged to Israel, from Hamath Pass in the north to the Dead Sea in the south. This was what the LORD, the God of Israel, had promised through his servant the prophet Jonah son of Amittai, from Gath Hepher.

₂₆The LORD saw the terrible suffering of the Israelites; there was no one at all to help them. ₂₇But it was not the LORD's purpose to destroy Israel completely and for ever, so he rescued them through King Jeroboam II.

₂₈Everything else that Jeroboam II did, his brave battles, and how he restored Damascus and Hamath to Israel, are all recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel. ₂₉Jeroboam died and was buried in the royal tombs, and his son Zechariah succeeded him as king.

₁In the 27th year of the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel, Uzziah son of Amaziah became king of Judah ₂at the age of sixteen, and he ruled in Jerusalem for 52 years. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem. ₃Following the example of his father, he did what was pleasing to the LORD. ₄But the pagan places of worship were not destroyed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. ₅The LORD struck Uzziah with a dreaded skin disease that stayed with him the rest of his life. He lived in a house on his own, relieved of all duties, while his son Jotham governed the country.

₆Everything else that Uzziah did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah. ₇Uzziah died and was buried in the royal burial ground in David's City, and his son Jotham succeeded him as king.

₈In the 38th year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam II became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for six months. ₉He, like his predecessors, sinned against the LORD. He followed the wicked example of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin. ₁₀Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against King Zechariah, assassinated him at Ibleam, and succeeded him as king.

₁₁Everything else that Zechariah did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel.

₁₂So the promise was fulfilled which the LORD had made to King Jehu: “Your descendants, down to the fourth generation, will be kings of Israel.”

₁₃In the 39th year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Shallum son of Jabesh became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for one month.

₁₄Menahem son of Gadi went from Tirzah to Samaria, assassinated Shallum, and succeeded him as king. ₁₅Everything else that Shallum did, including an account of his conspiracy, is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel. ₁₆As Menahem was on his way from Tirzah, he completely destroyed the city of Tappuah, its inhabitants, and the surrounding territory, because the city did not surrender to him. He even ripped open the bellies of all the pregnant women.

₁₇In the 39th year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for ten years. ₁₈He sinned against the LORD, for until the day of his death he followed the wicked example of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin till the day of his death. ₁₉Tiglath Pileser, the emperor of Assyria, invaded Israel, and Menahem gave him 34 tonnes of silver to gain his support in strengthening Menahem's power over the country. ₂₀Menahem got the money from the rich men of Israel by forcing each one to contribute fifty pieces of silver. So Tiglath Pileser went back to his own country.

₂₁Everything else that Menahem did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel. ₂₂He died and was buried, and his son Pekahiah succeeded him as king.

₂₃In the fiftieth year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for two years. ₂₄He sinned against the LORD, following the wicked example of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin. ₂₅An officer of Pekahiah's forces, Pekah son of Remaliah, plotted with fifty men from Gilead, assassinated Pekahiah in the palace's inner fortress in Samaria, and succeeded him as king.

₂₆Everything else that Pekahiah did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel.

₂₇In the 52nd year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for twenty years. ₂₈He sinned against the LORD, following the wicked example of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin.

₂₉It was while Pekah was king that Tiglath Pileser, the emperor of Assyria, captured the cities of Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, and Hazor, and the territories of Gilead, Galilee, and Naphtali, and took the people to Assyria as prisoners.

₃₀In the twentieth year of the reign of Jotham son of Uzziah as king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah plotted against King Pekah, assassinated him, and succeeded him as king. ₃₁Everything else that Pekah did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel.

₃₂In the second year of the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah as king of Israel, Jotham son of Uzziah became king of Judah ₃₃at the age of 25, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years. His mother was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok. ₃₄Following the example of his father Uzziah, Jotham did what was pleasing to the LORD. ₃₅But the pagan places of worship were not destroyed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. It was Jotham who built the North Gate of the Temple.

₃₆Everything else that Jotham did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah. ₃₇It was while he was king that the LORD first sent King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel to attack Judah. ₃₈Jotham died and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City, and his son Ahaz succeeded him as king.

₁Remember what I say, my child, and never forget what I tell you to do. ₂Do what I say, and you will live. Be as careful to follow my teaching as you are to protect your eyes. ₃Keep my teaching with you all the time; write it on your heart. ₄Treat wisdom as your sister, and insight as your closest friend. ₅They will keep you away from other men's wives, from women with seductive words.

₆Once I was looking out of the window of my house, ₇and I saw many inexperienced young men, but noticed one foolish fellow in particular. ₈He was walking along the street near the corner where a certain woman lived. He was passing near her house ₉in the evening after it was dark. ₁₀And then she met him; she was dressed like a prostitute and was making plans. ₁₁She was a bold and shameless woman who always walked the streets ₁₂or stood waiting at a corner, sometimes in the streets, sometimes in the market place. ₁₃She threw her arms round the young man, kissed him, looked him straight in the eye, and said, ₁₄“I made my offerings today and have the meat from the sacrifices. ₁₅So I came out looking for you. I wanted to find you, and here you are! ₁₆I've covered my bed with sheets of coloured linen from Egypt. ₁₇I've perfumed it with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. ₁₈Come on! Let's make love all night long. We'll be happy in each other's arms. ₁₉My husband isn't at home. He's gone away on a long journey. ₂₀He took plenty of money with him and won't be back for two weeks.” ₂₁So she tempted him with her charms, and he gave in to her smooth talk. ₂₂Suddenly he was going with her like an ox on the way to be slaughtered, like a deer prancing into a trap ₂₃where an arrow would pierce its heart. He was like a bird going into a net — he did not know that his life was in danger.

₂₄Now then, my sons, listen to me. Pay attention to what I say. ₂₅Do not let such a woman win your heart; don't go wandering after her. ₂₆She has been the ruin of many men and caused the death of too many to count. ₂₇If you go to her house, you are on the way to the world of the dead. It is a short cut to death.