II. CHRONICLES, OR PARALIPOMENON.

When the authority of Solomon son of David was firmly established over his kingdom, and the Lord his God, being with

2 him, had magnified him exceedingly, Solomon spoke to all Is- rael, to the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds and to the judges and to all the chiefs before Israel, namely the

3 heads of the patriarchal families; and he and all the congregation went to the high place at Gabaon, at which place was the tabernacle of the testimony of God, which Moses the servant

4 of the Lord had made in the wilderness. (But David had brought the ark of God from the city Kariathiarim, for he had provided for it—for he had erected for it a tabernacle at Jeru-

5 salem.) The brasen altar also, which Beseleel son of Ourias son of Or had made, was there before the tabernacle of the Lord. To this therefore Solomon and the congregation repair-

6 ed. And he made an offering there on the brasen altar before the Lord, on that at the tabernacle. And when he had offered

7 upon it a thousand victims God appeared to Solomon that night

8 and said to him, Ask what I shall give thee. Thereupon Solomon said to God, Thou hast shewn great kindness to my father David, and hast made me king in his stead, now therefore,

9 O Lord my God, let thy name I beseech thee be established on my father David. Seeing thou hast made me king over a peo-

10 pie numerous as the dust of the earth, grant me now wisdom and understanding that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this thy people which is so great?

11 And God said to Solomon, Because this hath been in thy heart; and thou hast not asked wealth nor glory nor the life of thy enemies; nor even asked long life; but hast asked for thyself wisdom and understanding that thou mayst judge my people

12 over whom I have made thee king: Wisdom and understanding I now give thee: And I will give thee riches and wealth and glory, such as none of the kings who were before thee have had; nor shall any after thee have the like.

13 Then Solomon came to Jerusalem, from the high place at Gabaon, which is before the tabernacle of the testimony; and

14 reigned over Israel. And Solomon collected chariots, and horsemen, and he had fourteen hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. Those he left in the chariot cities ; but

15 the people were with the king in Jerusalem. And the king made silver and gold as plenteous at Jerusalem as stones; and cedars in Judea, like the sykamine trees in the plain for

16 abundance. Now Solomon's horses came up out of Egypt: and this was the price allowed to the king's merchants for

17 going. They purchased, and came up, and brought out of Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. And at that rate they were brought for all the kings of the Chettites, and by their means for the kings of Syria.

II. Solomon having determined to build a house for the name

2 of the Lord, and a house for his kingdom, collected seventy thousand men to carry burthens, and eighty thousand hewers of stone on the mountains ; and the overseers over them, were

3 three thousand six hundred. And Solomon sent to Chiram, king of Tyre, saying, As thou hast dealt with my father Da-

4 vid and sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in ; behold I his son am going to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, to be dedicated to him, that I may burn incense before him, and set bread continually in his presence, and that I may offer whole burnt offerings continually, morning and evening, and on the sabbaths, and at the new moons and festivals of the Lord our God ; this being an ordinance

5 forever to Israel. And as the house which I am going to build is great; for great is the Lord our God above all gods, and

6 who is able to build a house for him ? For the heaven and the heaven of heavens, cannot contain his glory; who then am I, that I should build a house for him, save only to burn incense

7 before him ? Now therefore send me a man wise and skilled in working up gold and silver, and brass and iron, and purple and scarlet and blue, and who can engrave skilfully with the skilful men who are with me in Jerusalem, those materials

8 which my father hath provided. Send me also cedar and cypress and pine timber, from Libanus. As I know how expert thy servants are in cutting timber from Libanus, let thy ser-

9 vants therefore go with my servants, to provide me timber in plenty : for the house which I am going to build, is to be great

10 and glorious. Now behold, I have assigned provisions fpr the workmen who cut the timber, food for thy servants, twenty thousand cores of wheat, and twenty thousand cores of barley, and twenty thousand measures of wine, and twenty thou-

11 sand measures of oil. To this Chiram king of Tyre replied in writing, and sent to Solomon, saying, Because the Lord

12 loved his people, he hath made thee king over them. Moreover Chiram said, Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, who made the heaven and the earth, who hath given king David, a wise son endued with knowledge and understanding, to

13 build a house for the Lord and a house for his kingdom. Now therefore I have sent thee a man of wisdom and understand-

14 'ing, named after my father Chiram. His mother was one of the daughters of Dan, but his father was a Tyrian. He is skilled in working up gold and silver, and brass and iron, and stones and wood; and in weaving purple and blue yarn, and cotton, and with scarlet; and engraving and executing every device to which thou shalt put him with thy artists, and the

15 artists of my lord David, thy father. And with regard to the

16 wheat and the barley and the oil and the wine, which my lord hath mentioned, let him send them to his servants, and we will cut Umber from Libanus, as much as thou shalt want, and send it in floats by water to Joppa, that thou mayst convey it to Jerusalem.

17 When Solomon assembled all the strangers who were in the land of Israel, after the numbering which his father David had made of them, they were found to amount to a hun-

18 dred and fifty three thousand six hundred. So of these he appointed seventy thousand to carry burdens, and eighty thousand to hew stones, and three thousand six hundred to be overseers, to keep the people to work.

III. At length Solomon began building the house of die Lord at Jerusalem, on mount Amoria, where the Lord appeared to his father David; in the place which David had prepared

2 at the threshing floor of Orna, the Jebusite. He began build-

3 ing in the second month, in the fourth year of his reign. And these were the mensurations, with which Solomon began to build the house of God. The first measurement was in length

4 sixty cubits, and in breadth twenty cubits, including an ailam in front of the house of the same breadth, as that of the house, twenty cubits, and the height of which was a hundred and twenty cubits. And he overlaid the house on the inside, with

5 pure gold. When he had wainscotted this great house with planks of cedar, he overlaid them with pure gold, and engraved upon it, palm trees and chains, and he adorned the

6 house with precious stones for glory, and gilded it with the

7 choicest gold from Pharuim; and having gilded the house, both the walls and the gates, and the vaulted ceilings, and the

8 doors, with gold, he engraved cherubims on the walls. And he made the house of the Holy of Holies. Its breadth was in front, the same as that of the house, twenty cubits and its length twenty cubits ; and he overlaid it for cherubims, with

9 pure gold, to the amount of six hundred talents; and with regard to the weight of the nails, each nail weighed fifty she-

10 kels of gold. The upper chamber he overlaid with gold. And in this house, namely in the Holy of Holies, he made two cherubims, a workmanship of wood, and overlaid them with gold.

11 The extent of the wings of the cherubims was twenty cubits, one wing of five cubits touching the wall of the house, and the other wing of five cubits, touching the wing of the other

13 cherubim reciprocally ; so that the wings of the cherubims, were expanded twenty cubits, and they stood upon their feet

14 and their faces were towards the house. And he made the veil of blue and purple and scarlet and cotton yarn, and wove che-

15 rubims therein. And he made before the house two pillars thir-

16 ty five cubits high, including the chapiters of five cubits. And he made net works and put them on the chapiters of the pillars, and he made a hundred pomegranates, and fixed them to the

17 net works. And he reared up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the right, and one on the left, and he called the name of that on the right Rectitude, and the name of that on the left, Strength.

IV. And he made an altar of brass, the length of it was twenty cubits and the breadth twenty cubits and the height ten cubits.

2 And he made the molten sea, ten cubits the diameter, with a border round about, and five cubits the height and thirty cu-

3 bits the circumference. And under the border was the similitude of oxen which encompass it round about. Ten to a cubit encompass the laver all around. It stood upon twelve beeves.

4 In casting the beeves they were made of two kinds. Three faced the north and three faced the west and three faced the

5 south and three faced the east. Upon these the sea stood. And their hinder parts were inwards. And the thickness of the sea

VOL. II. Dd

was a hand breadth, and its brim like the brim of a cup was engraved with flowers of a lilly. And it contained three thousand

6 measures. And when he had finished it he made ten lavers and set five on the right and five on the left for washing in them the things pertaining to the whole burnt offerings, and for rinsing

7 in them. But the sea was for the priests to wash in. He made also the ten candlesticks of gold according to the pattern thereof and put them in the temple, five on the right and five on the

8 left. And he made ten tables and set them in the temple, five

9 on the right and five on the left. And he made a hundred golden cups. He made also the court of the priests, and the great court, and the gates for the court. And their doors were over-

10 laid with brass. And he placed the sea at the corner of the

11 house on the right so as to be over against the east. Then Chiram made the flesh forks, and the censers, and the grate of

12 the altar, and all the utensils thereof. And when Chiram had finished all the work which he made for king Solomon for the house of God—the two pillars and the ornaments on the chapiters of the pillars, and the two pieces of net work to cover the ornaments which were on the chapiters of the pillars, and four hundred little bells for the two pieces of net work, and the two kinds of pomegranates for each piece of net work which was

14 to cover the ornaments upon the pillars, and had made the ten mechonoths, and the lavers for the mechonoths, and the sea with

15 the twelve beeves under it, and the cauldrons with their pot hooks, and the kettles, and the flesh forks, and all the utensils

16 belonging to them—when Chiram had made them he brought

17 them to king Solomon to the house of the Lord. They were all of pure brass. The king had them cast on the border of the Jordan, in die clay ground at the house of Sokchoth, and be-

18 tween that and Saredetha. And Solomon caused all the utensils to be made in great abundance, for there was no deficiency

19 in the quantity of brass. But all the utensils for the house of the Lord, namely the golden altar and the tables upon which

20 the presence loaves were to be laid, and the candlesticks and the lamps to give light according to the rule prescribed, namely those in front of the dabir, all these Solomon made of pure

21 gold, with the snuffers and lamp dishes. The cups also and the

22 censers and the fire pans were all of pure gold. And with re-

gard to the inner doors of the house into the Holy of Holies— these doors of the house of the temple he covered with gold, V. And when all the work was finished which Solomon made for the house of the Lord, he brought in the dedications of his father David, the silver and the gold and the vessels, and depo-

2 sited them in the treasury of the house of the Lord. Then Solomon assembled at Jerusalem all the elders of Israel and all the chiefs of the tribes, the leaders of the families of the sons of Israel to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out

3 of the city of David, which is Sion. And when all Israel were assembled before the king at the festival which is in the seventh

4 month, all the elders of Israel went, and all the Levites took

5 up the ark and the tabernacle of the testimony and all the holy utensils which were in the tabernacle, and the priests and the

6 Levites carried it up. And while king Solomon and all die congregation of Israel, bodi the devout, and they who were assembled with them before the ark, were sacrificing beeves and sheep which could not be numbered nor reckoned by reason of

7 their multitude, the priests carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord into its place—into the dabir of the house—into the

8 Holy of Holies under the wings of the cherubitns; for the che- rubims had their wings expanded over the place of the ark, and

9 made a covering above, over the ark and over its staves. Now the staves projected, and their heads were seen from the Holies towards the front of the dabir, but were not seen from without,

10 and there they have continued to this day. Now there was nothing in the ark, but the two tables which Moses put therein at Choreb, containing the covenant which the Lord made with the Israelites, when they came out of the land of Egypt.

11 And when the priests were come out of the Holies, (for all the priests then present were hallowed and were not distributed

12 into courses,) and the Levites, who were singers—all the sons of Asaph, A i i min and Idithun, with their sons and brethren, arrayed in robes of cotton, had taken their stations with cymbals, and with nablas, and with kinyras, over against the altar, and with them a hundred and twenty priests, sounding trump-

13 ets, so as to join in harmonious concert both with those who led the song and those who made responses to thank and praise the Lord ; soon as they raised their voice, with trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and said, O praise the Lord, for it is good, For to everlasting his mercy endureth ;

14 immediately the house was filled with the cloud of the glory of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God. Then Solomon said, The Lord said he would dwell in VI. thick darkness. Now I have built a house for thy name, dedicated to thee, and furnished for thy everlasting habitation.

3 Then the king turned his face and blessed all the congregation

4 .of Israel, and all the congregation of Israel stood. Then the king said, Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel! With his hand he hath compleated what with his mouth he spoke to my

5 father David, saying, From the day I brought my people out of'the land of Egypt, I did not make choice of any city among all the tribes of Israel for a house to be built, that my name might be there; nor did I chuse a man to be ruler over my

6 people Israel. But now I have chosen Jerusalem that my name

7 may be there, and I have made choice of David to be over my people Israel. Yet when it came into my father David's heart

8 to build a house to the name of the Lord God of Israel, the Lord said to my father David, Forasmuch as it came into thy heart to build a house for my name, thou hast done well that

9 it was in thy heart. But thou shall not build the house. For thy son who shall spring from thy loins, even he shall build the

10 house for my name. Now the Lord hath performed this word which he spoke. I have been raised up in the room of my father David, and am seated on the throne of Israel, as the Lord

11 hath spoken; and I have built the house for the name of the Lord God of Israel, and placed therein the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord which he made with Israel.

12 ' Then he took his station on one side over against the altar and facing all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands—For Solomon had made a brasen scaffold and placed it in the midst of the court of the sanctuary. The length of it was five cubits and its breadth five cubits, and its height three cubits. So he took his station on that, and kneeling down on his knees before all the congregation of Israel, he stretched forth his hands to heaven and said,

14 O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like thee in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant and shewing mercy to

15 thy servants, who walk before thee with a perfect heart. Thou hast kept with thy servant David, my father, that which thou didst speak to him. What with thy mouth thou didst speak, thou with thy hand hast performed as at this day. Now therefore, O Lord God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that which thou hast spoken to him, saying, There shall not fail thee from before me a man sitting on the throne of Israel, provided thy sons take heed to their way to walk in my

17 law as thou hast walked before me. Now, therefore, O Lord God of Israel, let thy word, I beseech thee, which thou hast spoken to thy servant David, be confirmed, that it shall be so.

18 Will God indeed dwell with man on the earth! If the heaven, and the heaven of heaven, will not contain dice, what then

19 is Uiis house which I have built ? Yet thou wilt look upon the prayer of thy servant, even this supplication of mine that thou, O Lord God, mayst hearken to the supplication and the prayer

20 which thy servant maketh before thee this day, that thine eyes may be open on this house day and night—on this place where thou hast ordered thy name to be invoked, that thou mayst hearken to the prayer which thy servant prayeth towards this place.

21 Thou indeed wilt hearken to the prayer of thy servant and of thy people Israel. Whatever they pray towards this place, thou indeed wilt listen in the place of thy habitation from heaven, and wilt hear and be merciful.

22 If any man sin against his neighbour, and take upon him a

23 curse to be cursed, and come and swear before this altar in this house, thou indeed wilt hearken from heaven, and act and judge thy servants by retributing to the wicked and requiting his ways upon his head, by justifying the righteous, and recompensing him according to his righteousness.

24 And if thy people Israel be discomfited before the enemy, though they have sinned against thee, ^et when they return and confess to thy name, and pray and make supplication before

25 thee in this house; thou indeed wilt hear from heaven and pardon the sins of thy people Israel, and bring them back to the land which thou hast given to them and their fathers.

26 And when the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain because they have sinned against thee; yet when they pray towards this place and praise thy name, and turn from their sins

27 because thou hast humbled them; thou indeed wilt hear from heaven and pardon the sins of thy servants and of thy people Israel; for thou wilt shew them the good way in which they are to walk, and wilt send rain on this thy land which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance.

28 If there be famine in the land, if there be pestilence, blasting or mildew; or if there be locusts of any kind; or if their enemy

29 before their gates afflict them ; whatever the stroke, whatever the affliction may be, and in consequence thereof, whatever may be the prayer and whatever the supplication which may be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel; when a man shall know his own sore, or his own affliction, and shall spread

30 forth his hands towards this house; thou indeed wilt hear from heaven, from thy settled abode, and be merciful, and wilt render to every one according to his ways, as thou knowest his

31 heart; (for thou alone knowest the hearts of the children of men) that they may revere all thy ways, all the days which they may live in the land which thou hast given our fathers.

32 And with regard to every stranger who is not of thy people Israel, but who may have come from a distant land, on account of thy great name, and thy mighty hand, and thy out stretched

33 arm, when they come and pray towards this place; thou indeed wilt hear from heaven—from thy settled abode, and wilt do according to all for which the stranger calleth on thee, that all the tribes of the earth may know thy name, and that they, like thy people Israel, may fear thee, and know that this house which I have built is called by thy name.

34 And when thy people shall go forth to war against their enemies in the way which thou shalt send them, and shall pray to thee towards this city which thou hast chosen, and towards

35 this house which I have built to thy name ; thou indeed wilt hear from heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.

36 When they shall sin against thee (for there is no man who may not sin) and thou shalt smite them, und deliver them up

v

before the face of their enemies, and they who captivate them shall carry them away captives to an enemy's country, far off

37 or near home; when they change their heart in the land to which they have been removed, and return and supplicate thee

38 in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have transgressed, we have clone wickedly ; and turn to thee with their whole heart, and their whole soul, in the land of those who have captivated them, whithersoever they may have carried them captives; when they shall pray towards their land which thou gavest to their fathers, and towards this city which thou hast chosen, and this house which I have built for

39 thy name: thou, from heaven, from thy settled abode, wilt hear their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause, and be reconciled to thy people who have sinned against thee.

40 And now, O Lord, let thine eyes, I beseech thee, be open and thine ears attentive to the prayer made in this place. And, now, arise, O Lord God, into thy rest, thou and the ark of thy strength. Let thy priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and thy children made glad with good things. Turn not away, O Lord God, the face of thine anointed. Remember the mercies of David thy servant.

VII. And soon as Solomon finished his prayer the fire from heaven descended and consumed the whole burnt offerings with their sacrifices. Now the glory of the Lord filled the house so that the priests could not enter the house of the Lord at that time, because the glory of the Lord filled the house. 3 And when all the Israelites saw the fire descending and the glory of the Lord on the house, they fell with their face to the ground on the pavement. And when they had worshipped, they sung to the Lord the hymn of praise, For it is good: for his mercy endureth forever', while the king and all the people

5 were offering incense before the Lord. Then king Solompn offered as a thank offering twenty two thousand beeves and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep.

6 Now when the king and all the people dedicated the house, while the priests were standing in their watches; and the Lc- vites, with the musical instruments of the Lord, made by king David to praise the Lord, for his mercy endureth forever, were performing with them in the hymns of David; and the priests were sounding the trumpets before them; and all the people were standing; Solomon consecrated the middle of the court which belonged to the house of the Lord, that he might offer there the whole burnt offerings with the suet of the thank offerings, because the brasen altar which Solomon had made was not capable of receiving the whole burnt offerings with the sacrifices of the suet.

8 So Solomon kept the festival at that time seven days, he and all Israel with him, an exceeding great congregation from

9 the bay of Aimath to the torrent of Egypt. And on the eighth day he made a finishing feast, for he had celebrated the dedica-

10 tion of the altar with a festival of seven days. And on the three and twentieth day of the seventh month he sent away the people to their abodes, glad, and with cheerful hearts for all the goodness which the Lord had shewn to David, and to Solomon, and to his people Israel.

11 Solomon having thus finished the house of the Lord, and the house of the king, and having been prospered in doing all that came into his heart for the house of the Lord, and his own house, the Lord appeared that night to Solomon and said to

12 him, I have heard thy prayer and made choice of this place

13 for myself to be a house of sacrifice. If I shut up heaven and there be no rain; or if I command the locust to devour the

14 trees ; or send a pestilence among my people ; when my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray- to me and seek my favour, and turn from their evil ways, I will hear from heaven and forgive their sins, and heal their

15 land. And now mine eyes shall be open and my ears attentive

16 to the prayer made in this place. For I have now chosen and hallowed this house, that my name may be there forever; and

17 mine eyes and my heart shall be there continually. And if thou wilt walk before me as thy father David did, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and keep my statutes and

18 my judgments, 1 will establish the throne of thy kingdom as I covenanted with thy father David, saying, The ruler over Is-

19 rael shall not be taken from thee. But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments which I have set before you ; and go and serve strange gods and worship them. I will assuredly remove you from this land which I have given

20 them. And I will remove out of my sight this house which I have hallowed to my name, and make it a proverb and a bye

21 word among all the nations. Yes, at this house which is so lofty, every one who passeth by it shall be astonished, and say, Why

22 hath the Lord dealt thus with this land and this house ? To which it will be answered, Because they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and took other gods in his stead, and worshipped them and served them, therefore he brought upon them all this calamity.

VIII. Now after the twenty years in which Solomon built the

2 house of the Lord, and his own house, he rebuilt those cities which Chiram returned to him, and caused the Israelites to

3 dwell there. Then he went to Baisoba and strengthened it.

4 And he built Thoedmor in the wilderness, and all those forti-

5 fied cities which he built in Emath. He rebuilt also the upper and the lower Baithoron, cities fortified with walls, gates and

6 bars; and Balath and all the strong cities which belonged to Solomon; and all the chariot cities, and the cities for the cavalry, and whatever he had an inclination to build at Jerusalem,

7 or on Libanus, or in all his kingdom. With regard to all the people who were left of the Chettites and the Amorites and the Pheresites and the Evites and the Jebusites who were not

8 Israelites, but descendants of the children of them who were left in the land, whom the children of Israel had not rooted out,

9 these Solomon laid under tribute as at this day. But of the children of Israel he made no servants for his kingdom. For behold they were warriors, and chiefs, and officers, and the

10 captains of chariots and horsemen. And there were two hundred and fifty of them who superintended king Solomon's

11 overseers who kept the people to work. Moreover king Solomon brought Pharao's daughter from the city of David, to the house which he had built for her; for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the city of David king of Israel; for the place to which the ark of the Lord hath come is holy.

12 Then Solomon offered whole burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar which he had built to the Lord over against the

13 temple according to the daily rate for every day, which were

vol. n. E e

to be offered according to the commands of Moses, on the sabbaths and at the new moons, and at the festivals which were three in the year—the festival of unleavened bread, the festival

14 of weeks, and the festival of tabernacles. And according to the regulation of his father David, he appointed the courses of the priests according to their services; and the Levites were set to their charges to sing praises and to minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required ; and the keepers of

15 the gates were distributed into their classes for every gate. For so David, the man of God had commanded. They transgressed not the commands of the king, respecting the priests or the Levites who were appointed to every charge, or over the trea-

16 sures. Now all this business had been prepared from the day Solomon laid the foundation, but it was deferred until he had finished the house of the Lord.

17 Then Solomon \vent to Gesion-gaber and to Ailath, which is on the sea shore in the land of Idumea; and Chiram sent him by the hand of his servants, ships and seamen, and they went with Solomon's servants to Sopphira, and brought thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and came to Solomon.

IX. When the queen of Saba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem with a great retinue, to try him with hard questions, and brought with her camels carrying spices in abundance, and gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon and propounded to him all the questions which were in her mind, Solomon solved all her questions.

2 Not a question escaped Solomon, which he did not solve for

3 her. And when the queen of Saba saw the wisdom of Solo-

4 mon, and the house which he had built, and the provisions of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the order of his attendants and their apparel, and his butlers and their dress, and the whole burnt offerings which he offered in the house of the

5 Lord, she was astonished, and said to the king, It was a true report which I heard in my own country concerning thine acts

6 and concerning thy wisdom; but I did not believe the reports until I came and saw with my own eyes. Now behold I was

7 not told one half of the greatness of thy wisdom. Thou hast surpassed the report which I heard. Happy are these men of thine ! happy these thy servants who wait upon thee continually and hear thy wisdom ! blessed be the Lord thy God who

delighted in thec to set thee on his throne, to be a king for the Lord thy God. Because the Lord thy God loved Israel, therefore, that he might establish them forever, he made thee king 9 over them to execute judgment and justice. Then she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and spices in great abundance, and precious stones. There were no such spices as those which the queen of Saba gave to king So-

10 lomon. The servants of Solomon also, and the servants of Chiram, brought gold to Solomon from Souphir, and algum

11 timber and precious stones. And of the algum timber the king made stairs for the house of the Lord, and for the king's house ; and kitharas and nubias for the singers ; for such had

12 never been seen before in the land of Juda. And when king Solomon had given the queen of Saba all her desire—what, ever she asked, exclusive of the return which he made for all

13 that she had brought to the king, she returned to her own country.

Now the quantity of gold which was brought to Solomon in one year, was six hundred and sixty six talents of gold, besides what was brought by subjects and merchants, by all the kings of Arabia and the lords of the country, who all brought

15 gold and silver to king Solomon. And king Solomon made two hundred bucklers of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of pure gold were on each buckler; and three hundred shields of beaten gold; each shield being plated widi three hundred shekels of gold. And the king deposited these in the house of the

17 forest of Libanus. The king made also a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. There were six steps up to the throne, which was overlaid with gold; and arms on each side of the seat of the throne; and two lions standingat the two arms, and twelve lions standing on the six steps, on the one side and the

20 other. There was not the like in any kingdom. Moreover all the utensils of king Solomon were of gold. And all the utensils of the house of the forest of Libanus were plated with gold. Silver was not of estimation in the days of Solomon for any pur-

21 pose. For a fleet went for the king to Tharsis with die servants of Chiram. And once every three years, ships came from Tharsis for the king, laden with gold and silver and elephants'

22 teeth and apes. So that Solomon was magnified above all the

23 kings both in riches and wisdom. And all the kings of the land sought an interview with Solomon, to hear his wisdom

24 which God had put in his heart. And they brought, every one his gifts, vessels of silver and vessels of gold, with raiment,

25 stacte, perfumes, horses and mules; and this every year. And Solomon had four thousand breeding mares for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; and these he placed in the

26 chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. And he was ruler over all the kings, from the river to the land of the Phi-

27 listines, and to the borders of Egypt. And the king made gold and silver in Jerusalem, plenteous as stones, and cedars

28 as the sycamine trees in the plain for multitude. And Solomon had horses brought for him out of Egypt and from every

29 land. Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, behold they are written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Achia the Selonite, and in the visions of Joel

30 the seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nabat. And when Solomon had reigned over all Israel forty years, he slept and was buried in the city of David his father, and Roboam his son reigned in his stead.

X. Now Jeroboam son of Nabat had fled from the presence 1 of king Solomon, and taken up his abode in Egypt. But receiving intelligence in Egypt, and being sent for he had return-

3 ed from Egypt. So when Roboam went to Sychem (for to Sychem all Israel went to make him king) Jeroboam and all

4 the congregation came to Roboam and said, Thy father made our yoke heavy, now therefore abate something of the grievous service of thy father, and of his heavy yoke, which he laid

5 on us, and we will serve thee. Thereupon he said to them,

6 Go away for three days and then come to me. And when the people were gone, king Roboam assembled the elders who had stood before his father Solomon in his life time, and said

7 to them, How do you advise me to answer this people ? And they spoke to him saying, If thou indulge the people this day, and soothe them, and speak kindly to them, they will be thy

8 servants forever. But he slighted the counsel which the elders gave him, and consulted the young men, who had been brought up with him, and who waited on him, and said to

9 them, What answer do you advise me to give to this people, who have spoken to me saying, Abate something of the yoke,

10 which thy father laid upon us. And the young men, who had been brought up with him, spoke to him saying, Thus shalt thou speak to this people, who hath spoken to thee saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, do thou therefore lighten it

11 for us—thus thou shalt say, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins. Now therefore my father chastened you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips ; but I will chastise you with

12 scorpions. So when Jeroboam and all the people came to Ro- boam on the third day, as the king had spoken saying, Come again to me on the third day, the king answered them roughly.

13 King Roboam slighted the counsel of the elders, and spoke

14 to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with

15 scorpions. So the king did not hearken to the people ; for the revolution was from God. And upon one's saying, The Lord hath established his word which he spoke by the ministry of Achia the Selonite concerning Jeroboam son of Nabat, and all

16 Israel; for the king hath not hearkened to them, the people answered the king, and said, What portion have we in David ? And what inheritance in the son of Jessai ? To your tents O

17 Israel! Now David, look thou to thine own house. So Israel went away to their habitations ; and when some men of Israel and they who dwelt in the cities of Juda, had made Roboam

18 king over them, and Roboam the king sent to them Adoni- ram, who was over the tribute, the sons of Israel stoned him with stones, till he died. Upon which the king Roboam hast-

19 ened to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem ; and Israel revolted from the house of David to this day.

XI. Now when Roboam came to Jerusalem and had assembled of Juda and Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand of the young men who were warriors, and was going to war with Israel, to restore the kingdom to Roboam; a word of

2 the Lord came to Samaias, a man of-God, saying, Speak to

3 Roboam son of Solomon, and to all Juda and Benjamin, and say, Thus saith the Lord, You shall not go up nor fight with

4 your brethren. Return every man to his house, for this thing is done by me. So they hearkened to the word of the Lord,

5 and did not go up against Jeroboam. And Roboam dwelt at

6 Jerusalem and built walled cities in Judea. He built Bethlehem and Aitan and Thekoe and Bathsura and Sokchoth and Odollam and Geth and Marisa and Ziph and Adorai and Lachis and Azeka and Saraa and Ailom and Chebron, walled

11 cities of Juda and Benjamin. And when he had strengthened them with walls, he appointed governors in them, with stores

12 of provisions, oil and wine. And in every city he put shields

13 and spears, and made them very strong. Now there were with him Juda and Benjamin. And the priests and the Le- vites who were in all Israel, resorted to him, from all their

14 borders. For the Levites left the habitations of their possession and went to Juda to Jerusalem; for Jeroboam and his

15 sons cast them out from ministering to the Lord, and made for himself priests of the high places for the idols, and the vani-

16 ties and the calves which Jeroboam made. He expelled also from among the tribes of Israel them who set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord God of their fathers, and strengthened the

17 kingdom of Juda. So he strengthened Roboam son of Solomon three years, because for three years he walked in the ways of

18 David and Solomon. Now Roboam took for himself to wife Moolath a daughter of Jerimouth a son of David, and Abigaia a daughter of Eliab the son of Jessai, who bore him sons, name-

19 ly Jeus and Samoria and Zaam; and after that he took to wife Maacha a daughter of Abessalom, and she bore him Abia and

21 Jetthi and Zoza and Salemoth. And Roboam loved Maacha, daughter of Abessalom, more than all his wives and concubines, (for he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and by them he

22 had twenty eight sons and sixty daughters;) so he appointed Abia the son of Maacha to be chief and ruler amonghis brothers.

23 Because he determined to make him king, therefore he was exalted above all his sons in all the borders of Juda and Benjamin, and in fortified cities. And he supplied these cities with provisions in abundance, and procured for him a multitude of wives.

XII. But when the kingdom of Roboam was established, and when he was become strong, he forsook the commandments of

2 the Lord, and all Israel with him. And in the fifth year of the reign of Roboam, Sousakim king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had sinned in the sight of the Lord, with

3 twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen, but of the multitude who came with him out of Egypt, Lybians, Trogodytes and Ethiopeans there was no numbering them.

4 And when they had taken the fortified cities which were in Ju-

5 da and were coming to Jerusalem, Samaias the prophet went to Roboam and to the chiefs of Juda who were assembled at Jerusalem for fear of Sousakim, and said to them, Thus saith the Lord, You have left me, therefore I will leave you in the

6 hands of Sousakim. Whereupon the chiefs of Israel and the

7 king were ashamed and said, The Lord is righteous. And when the Lord saw that they were ashamed, a word of the Lord came to Samaias saying, They are ashamed. I will not destroy them utterly, but will in a little while grant them deliverance;

8 and my wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem. Nevertheless they shall be servants, that they may know my service

9 and the service of the kings of the earth. So Sousakim the king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem and took the treasures in the house of the Lord and the treasures in the king's house.

10 All these he took. He took also the golden shields which Solomon made; and king Roboam made shields of brass in their stead. Now Sousakim had set over him the chiefs of the guards,

11 those who guarded the king's gate. So when the king went to the house of the Lord, some of his keepers went in with the guards, and some who were to bring him back went to meet

12 the guards. But when he became humble the wrath of the Lord was turned from him; for it was not for utter destruction;

13 for still there were good things in Juda.

Now when king Roboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and began to reign, he was forty one years old at this commencement of his reign and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, in the city which the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of

14 Israel, to put his name there: And his mother's name was Noomma the Ammonitess, and he did evil, for he did not di-

15 rect his heart to seek the Lord. Now the acts of Roboam, first and last, behold are they not written in the book of Samaias the prophet and of Addo the seer? Also his exploits, for there

16 was a war between him and Jeroboam continually. And when Roboam died he was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Abia his son reigned in his stead.

XIII. In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam, Abia

2 began to reign over Juda. He reigned three years in Jerusalem, and his mother's name was Maacha, a daugter of Uriel of Ga-

3 baon. Now there was a war between Abia and Jeroboam. And when Abia had drawn up in array his army consisting of forty thousand fighting men, and Jeroboam had drawn up in array

4 for battle against him with eighty thousand fighting men; Abia rose up from mount Somoron which is on mount Ephraim and

5 said, Hearken Jeroboam and all Israel! Ought you not to know that the Lord God, the God of Israel, gave the office of king over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?

6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nabat, the servant of Solomon son of

7 David, rose up and fled from his lord, and there were gathered to him wicked factious men, so that he rose up against Roboam the son of Solomon, when he was young and faint hearted and

8 unable to withstand him; and now you think of rising up against the kingdom of the Lord administered by the sons of David. You indeed are a great multitude, and you have with you the calves of gold which Jeroboam hath made for you to

9 be your gods. Have you not expelled the priests of the Lord, the children of Aaron, and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests of the people of every land? Whoever came to consecrate himself with a young bull from the herd, and seven rams,

10 was made a priest to a thing which is no God. But as for us, we have not forsaken the Lord our God. His priests the sons of Aaron, and the Levites minister to the Lord in their courses.

11 They bum to the Lord, every morning and evening, the whole burnt offering with the sacrifice of compound incense. We have the presence loaves set in order on the pure table, and the golden candlestick with the lamps for light, to be lighted every evening; for we keep the watches of the Lord, the God of our

12 fathers, though you have forsaken him. Now behold with us, at our head, is the Lord and his priests, and the trumpets of alarm to sound a charge against you. O sons of Israel, fight not against the Lord God of your fathers, for it will not prosper with you.

13 Now Jeroboam had detached an ambuscade to come upon his rear. He was before Juda and the ambuscade was behind

14 them. And when Juda looked back behold the battle was both in front and in the rear. Thereupon they cried to the Lord, and the priests sounded the trumpets, and the men of Juda

15 shouted. And when the men of Juda shouted, the Lord smote

16 Jeroboam and Israel before Abia and Juda. And the Israelites

17 fled before Juda, and the Lord delivered them into their hands, so that Abia and his people smote them with a great slaughter,

18 and there fell of Israel, slain, fifty thousand warriors. And the Israelites were humbled that day, and the sons of Juda prevailed because they trusted in the Lord God of their fathers.

19 And Abia continued the pursuit after Jeroboam and took from him the following cities, Baithel with the villages thereof, and Jesuna with the villages thereof, and Ephron with the vil-

20 lages thereof. And Jeroboam did not again recover strength all the days of Abia. And the Lord smote him and he died ;

21 but Abia became mighty. Having taken fourteen wives he

22 had twenty two sons and sixteen daughters. Now the rest of the acts of Abia, his transactions and affairs, are written in the

XIV. book of the prophet Addo. And when Abia died they buried him with his fathers, in the city of David, and Asa his son reigned in his stead.

2 In the days of Asa the land of Juda was quiet ten years. And he

3 did that which was good and right in the sight of the Lord his God. He removed the altars of the strange gods, and the high places,

4 and broke in pieces the pillars, and cut down the bowers, and ordered Juda to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to per-

5 form the law and the commandments. And having removed out of all the cities of Juda the altars and the idols, he gave

6 peace to the fortified cities in the land of Juda: because the country enjoyed peace, and he had no war during those years,

7 for the Lord gave him rest; therefore he said to Juda, let ns rebuild the cities, and make walls and towers, and gates and bars, and secure dominion over the country before them. For as we have sought the Lord our God, he hath sought us, and

8 given us rest all around, and prospered us. Now Asa had in the land of Juda an army of three hundred thousand men bearing shields and spears, and in the land of Benjamin shield

Vol. ii. i f

bearers and bowmen, two hundred and eighty six thousand. 9 All these were fighting men. And Zare the Ethiopean came out against them with an army of a million, with three hundred 10 chariots. And when he had advanced as far as Maresa, Asa went out to meet him, and drew up for battle, in the vale north of Mall resa, and Asa cried to the Lord his God, and said, O Lord, it is nothing with thee to save with many or with few. Strengthen us, O Lord our God; for on thee is our reliance; and in thy name we are come against this great multitude. O Lord our God, let not man prevail against thee. So the Lord smote the Ethiopeans

12 before Juda. And the Ethiopeans fled, and Asa and his peo-

13 pie pursued them as far as Gedor. And the Ethiopeans fell so that they could not recover themselves; for they were

14 trampled down before the Lord, and before his army. And when they had taken immense spoils, and smitten the towns about Gedor (for the terror of the Lord was upon them) and had rifled all their cities (for there was much plunder in them) and plundered their tents, and smitten the Alimazonians and taken many sheep and camels, and were returning to Jerusa-

XV. lem; the Spirit of the Lord came upon Azarias son of Oded, and he went out to meet Asa and all Juda and Benja-

2 min, and said, Hear me Asa, and all Juda ami Benjamin. The Lord is with you, while you are with him. And if you seek him, he will be found by you. But if you forsake him, he will

3 forsake you. And though for a long time Israel may be without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without

4 law, yet when they shall turn to the Lord God of Israel, he

5 will be found by them. And though at that time there be no peace to him who goeth out, or to him who cometh in, because the terror of the Lord is on all the inhabitants of these

6 countries—though nation may fight against nation, and city against city, because God hath confounded them with all

7 kinds of affliction; yet strengthen ye yourselves, and let not your .hands be weak ; for your work shall be rewarded.

8 Upon hearing these words and this prophecy of the prophet Adad, Asa took courage, and removed the abominations out of all the land of Juda and Benjamin, and from all the cities he held from Jeroboam, on mount Ephraim. And having dedicated anew the altar of the Lord, which is before the temple

9 of the Lord, he assembled Juda and the strangers who wor-

shipped with him from Ephraim, and from Manasses, and from Symeon, for many of the Israelites had joined him

10 when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. And when they assembled at Jerusalem in the third month, in the

11 fifteenth year of the reign of Asa, he offered as a sacrifice to the Lord on that day, of the prey which they had brought, seven 'hundred beeves and seven thousand sheep, and entered into a

12 covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers, with all their

13 heart and with all their soul; and that whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, whether young

14 or old, whether man or woman. And when they had sworn to the Lord with a loud voice, the trumpets and the comets

15 sounded, and all Juda rejoiced at the oath; for they swore with their whole heart, and sought him with their whole desire, and

16 he Avas found by them. And the Lord gave them rest round about. Moreover he restrained Maacha his mother from per- forming religious service to Astarte. And he cut to pieces the

17 idol, and burned it by the brook Kedron. But the high places

18 were not removed. They still remained in Israel. But Asa's heart was perfect all his days. And he brought in the dedications of his father David, the holy things appertaining to the house of God, silver and gold and vessels.

19 Now Asa was engaged in no war, till the thirty fifth year XVI. of his reign. But in the thirty eighth year of the reign

of Asa, the king of Israel came up against Juda, and began building Rama, in order to stop all outlet and inlet to Asa

2 king of Juda; whereupon Asa took silver and gold, out of the treasuries of the house of the Lord, and the king's house,

3 and sent to the son of Ader king of Syria, who dwelt at Damascus, saying, Make a covenant between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father. Behold I have sent thee gold and silver, come and remove from me Baasa

4 king of Israel and let him depart from me. Accordingly Son Ader hearkened to king Asa and sent the generals of his army against the cities of Israel, and smote Aion and Dan and Abel-

5 main, and all the territories adjacent to Nephthaleim. At the news of this Baasa quitted building, and put a stop to the

6 work. Whereupon king Asa took all Juda, and carried away the stones of Rama and the timber thereof, with which iiaasa

7 was building, and with them built Gabae and Maspha. At that time Anani the prophet, came to Asa king of Juda and said to him, Seeing thou hast put thy trust in the king of Syria, and hast not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore the army of the king of Syria hath escaped out of thy hand.

8 Were not the Ethiopeans and the Lybians to be dreaded for their huge army ? For their prowess, for their horsemen, for their immense multitude ? Yet because thou didst rely on

9 the Lord, he delivered them into thy hand. For the eyes of the Lord look throughout the whole earth, to strengthen them whose heart is perfect towards him. In this matter thou hast

10 acted foolishly. Henceforward thou shalt have war. Upon this Asa was enraged at the prophet, and committed him to prison. Because this gave offence, Asa proceeded to outrage

11 against the people at the same time. Now behold the acts of Asa first and last, are written in the book of the kings of Juda and Israel.

12 In the thirty ninth year of his reign, Asa was diseased in his feet, till he became very sick ; but in his sickness he did

13 not apply to the Lord, but to physicians. And Asa slept with his fathers. He died in the fortieth year of his reign, and they

14 buried him in the tomb which he had hewn out for himself, in the city of David. And when they had composed him on the bed, they filled it with spices, and all kinds of perfumes prepared by apothecaries, and made a very great funeral procession for him, and Josaphat his son reigned in his stead.

XVII. And Josaphat strengthened himself against Israel, and put garrisons in all the fortified cities of Juda, and appointed governors in all die cities of Juda, and in the cities of Ephraim, which his father Asa had taken, and the Lord was with Josa-

3 phat. Because he walked in the first ways of his father and

4 consulted not the idols, but sought the Lord God of his father, and walked in the commands of his father, and not ac-

5 cording to the works of Israel, therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand, and all Juda gave gifts to Josaphat,

6 so that he had riches and honour in abundance : and his heart being exalted in the way of the Lord, he removed the high

7 places and the bovvers out of the land of Juda. And in the third year of his reign, he sent with the heads of families these rulers of his, namely, Abdias and Zacharias and Natha-

8 niel and Michaias, to teach in the cities of Juda; and with them were these Levites, namely Samaias and Nathanias and Zabdias and Asiel and Semiramoth and Jonathan and Ado- nias and Tobias and Tobadonias who were Levites; and with them Elisaraa and Joram who were priests, and they taught

9 in Juda. Having with them the book of the law of the Lord, they went through the cities of Juda, and taught the people.

10 And there was a dread of the Lord on all the kingdoms of the land around Juda, so that they did not make war on Josuphat.

11 Nay from the Philistines they brought Josaphat silver for their gifts. And the Arabs brought him for their gifts, seven thou-

12 sand seven hundred rams. And Josaphat advanced in greatness to a high degree, and built castles and strong cities in

13 Judca, and had many works done for him in Judea. And . with regard to the warriors, the mighty men, who strength-

14 ened him in Jerusalem, this was the number of them according to the houses of their patriarchal families. The chiliarchs for Juda were Edna the chief, and with him sonsr mighties

15 of the army, three hundred chiliads; and after him Joanan

16 die leader and with him two hundred and eighty chiliads; and after him Amasias the Zarite, who devoted himself to the

17 Lord, and with him two hundred chiliads, mighties of the army ; and from Benjamin a mighty of the army, namely Eliada, and with him bow men, and those armed with shields, two

18 hundred chiliads; and after him Jozabad, and with him eighty chiliads, mighties of battle. All these waited on the king, excepting them whom the king placed in the fortified cities throughout all Judea.

X VIIL Now while Josaphat was still advancing in riches and

2 great glory, he alh'ed himself by marriage with the house of Achab, and after some years, went down to Samaria to Achab. And Achab sacrificed sheep and bullocks in abundance for him, and the people with him, and made court to him that he

3 might go with him to Ramoth of Galaaditis. And when Achab king of Israel said to Josaphat king of Juda, Wilt thou go with me to Ramoth of Galaaditis, he replied, I am as thou art. As

4 is thy people, so is mine with thee for battle. Then Josaphat

5 said to the king of Israel, Inquire now I pray thee of the Lord.

Thereupon the king of Israel assembled the prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, Shall I go to Ramoth Galaad to battle, or shall I forbear ? And they said, Go up, for God

6 will deliver into the king's hands. Then Josaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire by

7 him ? And the king of Israel said to Josaphat, There is still a man, by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, for he never prophesieth good of me, but always evil—one Michaias, son of Jembla. And Josaphat said, Let not the king

8 speak so. Then the king called a chamberlain, and said, Bring

9 here quickly Michaias, son of Jembla. Now the king of Israel and Josaphat king of Juda, were seated each on his throne, arrayed in robes, and they sat in the open space at the entrance of the gateof Samaria, and all the prophets prophesied before them.

10 And Sedekias, son of Chanaan, made for himself horns of iron, and said, Thus saith the Lord, With these thoushalt push Syria

11 until it be destroyed. And all the prophets prophesied in like manner, saying, Go up to Ramoth Galaad, and thou shall pros-

12 per; for the Lord will deliver into the king's hands. So the messenger who went to call Michaias spoke to him, saying, Behold all the prophets have, with one mouth, spoken good things of the king, let thy words, I pray thee, be as one of them, and speak

13 good things. To whom Michaias replied, As the Lord liveth,

14 whatever God shall say to me, that I will speak. And when he came to the king, the king said to him, Michaias, shall I go to Ramoth Galaad to battle, or shall I forbear ? To which he replied, Go up that thou mayst prosper, and they be delivered

15 into your hands! Then the king said to him, How often must I adjure thee that thou speak nothing to me but truth, in the

16 name of the Lord ? Whereupon he said, I saw Israel scattered upon the mountains like sheep, which have no shepherd. And the Lord said, They have no leader, let them return every man

17 to his house in peace. Then the king of Israel said to Josaphat, Did I not tell thee, that he would not prophesy good of me,

18 but evil ? And Michaias said, Is not this the case ? Hear a word of the Lord: I saw the Lord seated on his throne, and all the host of heaven stood, some on his right and some on his

19 left. And the Lord said, Who will deceive Achab, king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth_ Galaad.. And

20 when one spoke in this manner and another in that, there came forth a spirit and stood before the Lord, and said, I will deceive

21 him. And the Lord said, By what means? To which he replied, I will go forth and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all

22 his prophets. And he said, Thou wilt deceive and prevail; go and do so. Now therefore behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets. But the Lord hath spoken evil against thee.

23 Then Sedekias, son of Chanaan, came near and smote Mi- chaias on the cheek, and said to him, Which way went the

24 spirit of the Lord from me to speak to thee? To which Mi- chaias replied, Behold thou shall see on that day, when thou shah go from one inner chamber to another to hide thyself.

25 Then the king of Israel said, Take Michaias and carry him back to Emer the governor of the city, and to Joas the chief,

26 the king's son, and say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in prison, and let him be fed with bread of affliction and water

27 of affliction, until I return in peace. And Michaias said, If thou return in peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me. And he said, Hear all people!

28 Then the king of Israel and Josaphat king of Juda, went

29 up to Ramoth Galaad, and the king of Israel said to Josaphat, Let me disguise myself and I will go into the battle, and put thou on my robes. So the king of Israel diguised himself and

30 went into the battle. Now the king of Syria had given a charge to the commanders of his chariots who were with him, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, but only with the king of

'31 Israel. So when the commanders of the chariots saw Josaphat, they said, This is the king of Israel, and wheeled about in order to attack him, whereupon Josaphat cried aloud, and the Lord saved him, and God caused them to turn back from him.

32 And when die commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel and turned from him, a man drew a bow at a venture and smote the king of Israel between the lungs and

33 the breast; whereupon he said to'his charioteer, turn thy hand

34 and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded. But as the battle was that day disastrous, he was kept in his chariot over against the Syrians till the evening, and at the setting of the sun he died. ..v .

XIX. Now when Josaphat, king of Juda, was returning to his

2 house to Jerusalem, Jehu the son of Anani the prophet, went out to meet him, and said to him, King Josaphat, dost thou aid

3 a sinner, or form friendship with one hated by the Lord ? On this account there would have been wrath against thee, but for the good works which have been found in thee, and for thy having removed the bowers out of the land of Juda, and direct-

4 ed thy heart to seek the Lord. So Josaphat dwelt at Jerusalem, and again went out to the people from Bersabee to Mount Ephraim, and brought them back to the Lord God of their

5 fathers. And when he appointed the judges in all the fortified

6 cities of Juda, city by city, he said to the judges, Take heed what you do. For you judge not for man, but for the Lord,

7 and with you are the words of the judgment. Now therefore let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Keep watch and do your duty ; for with the Lord our God there is no injustice, nor re.

8 spect of persons, nor taking of bribes. In Jerusalem also Josaphat appointed some of the priests and Levites and patriarchs of Israel, for the judgment of the Lord, and to judge the in-

9 habitants of Jerusalem. And he gave them a charge, saying, Thus shall you act, in the fear of the Lord, with truth and with an

10 upright heart—You must all conjointly determine every cause of your brethren who dwell in their cities, which shall come before you for decision, between blood and blood, and between ordinance and command. And you shall explain to them the rules of rectitude and judgments, that they may not sin against the Lord, and that no wrath may come upon you, nor upon

11 your brethren. Thus you shall do and not sin. And behold Amarias the priest, is ruler over you for every word of the Lord, and Zabdius son of Ismael, the ruler over the house of Juda, for every matter touching the king; and the scribes and the Levites are to attend you. Be firm and do your duty, and the Lord will be with the good. ** i

XX. After these things the Moabites and the Ammonites, end with them some of the Minaians came against Josaphat for

2 battle; and there came some who told Josaphat saying, There is a great multitude coming against thee from beyond the sea, bordering on Syria, and behold they are at Asasan-thamar,

3 which is Engaddi. Thereupon Josaphat was terrified, and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast through all Ju-

4 da. And when Juda was assembled to seek the Lord—when ~ they were come out of all the cities of Juda to seek the Lord,

5 Josaphat stood up in the congregation of Juda, in Jerusalem^ in the house of the Lord, in front of the new court, and said,

6 O Lord the God of my fathers, art not thou God in heaven above ? Thou indeed rulest over all the kingdoms of the nations : and in thy hand is the majesty of power; and there is

. 7 none who can withstand thee. Art not thou the Lord who destroyed the inhabitants of this land from before thy people Israel ? Thou indeed didst give it to the seed of Abraham

8 thy beloved, forever: and they have settled therein, and built

9 therein a sanctuary to thy name, saying, If evils come upon us, die sword, judgment, pestilence or famine, we will stand before this house and before thee; for thy name is on this house; and cry to thee, because of the affliction, and thou

10 wilt hear and save. And now behold the Ammonites and the Moabites and mount Seir, through whose territories thou didst not permit Israel to pass, when they were coming out

11 of the land of Egypt, for they turned from them and did not destroy them ; yet now behold they are attempting to come out against us, to drive us from this inheritance of ours which

12 thou hast given us. O Lord our God, wilt thou not judge them ? Because we have not pt>wer to withstand this great multitude which is coming against us, and do not know what to do with them, we can only have our eyes on thee.

13 And while all the chiefs of Juda were standing before the

14 Lord, with their wives and children ; upon Oziel the son of Zacharias of the Banaites—the sons of Eliel, the son of Mat- thanias the Levite, one of the sons of Asaph—upon him came the spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation, and he

15 said, Hear all ye chiefs of Juda, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Josaphat! Thus saith the Lord to you, Be not terrified nor dismayed because of this vast multitude,

16 for the battle is not yours, but God's only. Go down against them to-morrow. Behold they are coming up by the ascent of Asseis, and you will find them at the head of the river of the

17 wilderness of Jeriel. You have not to fight. Consider these tilings, and see the salvation of the Lord with you. O Juda

VOL. II. C g

and Jerusalem, be not terrified nor afraid to go out to-morrow to meet them; for the Lord is with you.

18 Thereupon Josaphat bowed down on his face, and while all the chiefs of Juda and the inhabitants of Jerusalem prostrated themselves before the Lord to worship him, the Levites

19 of the sons of Kaath, and of the sons of Kore, stood up to

20 praise the Lord God of Israel, in the loudest strains. And they arose early in the morning, and went out to the wilderness of Thekoe. And as they were marching out, Josaphat stood and cried with a loud voice, and said, Hear me, O Juda, and ye in- habitants of Jerusalem. Trust in the Lord our God, and you shall be confirmed in your confidence. Confide in his pro-

21 phet, and you shall prosper. Then he consulted with the people, and appointed the musicians, and them who sing praises, to give thanks and to sing the holy songs of praise. So march-

22 ing at the head of the army, they sung the hymn, O praise the Lord, for his mercy endureth forever. And when they began the song of thanksgiving and praise, the Lord set a fighting the Ammonites against Moab and Mount Seir, who were going

23 out against Juda; And when they were repelled, the Ammonites and Moab rose upon the inhabitants of Seir to exterminate and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they rose up one against the other till

24 they were utterly destroyed. So when Juda came to the watch tower of the wilderness, and looked and took a view of the multitude, behold they all lay dead on the ground. Not one had escaped.

25 And when Josaphat and his people went to gather the spoil, they found cattle in abundance, and furniture and spoils and precious utensils. And when they had gathered the spoils (now they were three days collecting them, for they were

26 many) on the fourth day they assembled in the valley of Praise; for there they praised the Lord, and for that reason called the name of that place, Vattey of Praise, which it retain-

27 eth to this day. Then all Juda with Josaphat their leader, set

28 oat on their return to Jerusalem, with great joy. Because the Lord had caused them to rejoice over their enemies, therefore they made their entry into Jerusalem, with nablas and kinyras

29 and trumpets, till they came to the house of the Lord. And there was a dread of the Lord on all the kingdoms of the land, when they heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of

30 Israel. So the kingdom of Josaphat enjoyed peace, and God Igave him rest on every side.

31 Now Josaphat began to reign over Juda when he was thirty five years of age, and he reigned twenty five years in Jerusa-

32 lem; and his mother's name was Azuba. She was a daughter of Sali. And he walked in the ways of his father Asa, and turned not aside from doing what was right in the sight of the

33 Lord, But the high places still remained, and still the people did not direct their heart to the Lord the God of their fathers.

34 Now the rest of the acts of Josaphat, first and last, behold they are written among the words of Jehu, son of Anani, who wrote the book of the kings of Israel.

35 After the things above mentioned, Josaphat king of Juda

36 entered into a partnership with Ochozias, king of Israel, and he offended in so doing, and in going to him to build vessels to sail to Tharsis. Therefore when he had built vessels at Gesion- gaber, Eliezer the son of Dodia, from Marisa, prophesied against Josaphat, saying, Because thou hast contracted a friendship with Ochozias, the Lord hath destroyed thy work, and

" thy vessels are wrecked so that they could not go to Tharsis. XXI. When Josaphat slept with his fathers, he was buried in

2 the city of David, and his son Joram reigned in his stead. Now he had six brothers sons of Josaphat, namely, Azarias and Jeiel, and Zacharias and Azarias, and Michael and Zaphatias.

3 All these were sons of Josaphat king of Juda. And their father gave them many gifts, silver and gold, and arms and walled cities in Judea, and he gave the kingdom to Joram, because he

4 was his first born. And when Joram attained the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he slew all his brothers with the

5 sword, and some of the chiefs of Israel. Joram was thirty two years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned eight years

6 in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and as the house of Achab did; 'for his wife was a daughter of

7 Achab. But though he did evil in the sight of the Lord, the Lord would not utterly destroy the house of David, because of the covenant which he had made with David, and because he liad promised him, to give him and his sons a lamp continually. 8 In those days Edom revolted from Juda, and set up a kbg over

9 themselves. And though Joram went with the chiefs and all the cavalry with him ; and "though it happened that he arose by night and smote Edom who had surrounded him, and the commanders of the chariots, and the people fled to their tents, yet Edom revolted from Juda, and have continued the revolt

10 to this day. At that time also, Lomna revolted from his authority, because he had forsaken the Lord the God of his fathers.

11 For he erected high places in the cities of Juda, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, and led Juda

12 astray. And there came to him in writing, a message from Elias the prophet, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the way of thy fa-

13 ther Josaphat, nor in the ways of Asa, king of Juda; but hast walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and caused Juda and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, as the house of A chub hath done, and hast slain thy brothers the sons of thy

14 father, better men than thyself, behold the Lord will smite thee with a great stroke in thy people, and in thy sons and in thy

15 wives, and in all thy family; and thou thyself shalt be afflicted with a grievous sickness and disorder in thy bowels, until thy bowels shall come out with the disorder, from year to year.

16 So the Lord stirred up against Joram, the Philistines and the

17 Arabians, and those who bordered on the Ethiopeans; and they came up against Juda and subdued them, and carried away all the family which they found in the king's house, with his sons and his daughters, so that he had not a son left except

18 Ochozias the youngest of his sons. And after all this, the Lord smote him with an incurable disorder in his bowels, which

19 continued from year to year. And at the end of two years, his bowels came out with the disorder, and he died of a grievous sickness. And the people made no funeral procession for him,

20 like the procession for his fathers. He was thirty two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem, and departed unlamented, and was buried in the city of

XXII. David, but not in the tombs of the kings; and the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ochozias, his youngest son, king in his stead. Because the plundering band of Arabians and Ali- mazonians, who had come against them, had slain all the eldest, therefore Ochozias, son of Joram king of Juda, was made king.

2 Ochozias was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem, and his mother's name was

3 Gotholia. She was a daughter of Ambri. And he walked in the way of the house of Achab. Because his mother was his

4 counsellor to incite him to sin, therefore he did evil in the sight of the Lord, like the house of Achab. For after the death

5 of his father, they were his counsellors to his destruction, and he walked by their advice, and went with Joram the son of Achab, king of Israel, to war against Azael, king of Syria, at

G Ramoth Galaad. And when the archers had smitten Joram, and he returned to Jezrael to be cured of the wounds which were given him by the Syrians, at Ramoth, when he fought Azael, king of Syria; Ochozias, son of Joram, king of Judn, went down to see Joram, son of Achab, at Jezrael, because he

7 was sick. Now by the determination of God, this coming to Joram was the destruction of Ochozias; for when he came, Joram went out with him to Jehu, son of Namessi, who was

8 the anointed of the Lord, to destroy the house of Achab. And it happened, that while Jehu was executing vengeance on the house of Achab, he met with the chiefs of Juda and the bre-

9 thren of Ochozias who attended Ochozias; and having slain, them, he ordered search to be made for Ochozias. And they found him under cure at Samaria and brought him to Jehu and slew him.. And they buried him; for they said he is a descendant of Josaphat, who sought the Lord with his whole heart.

10 Now there was none of the house of Ochozias, capable of asserting his claim to the kingdom; so when Gotholia, the mother of Ochozias, saw that her son was dead, she arose and

11 slew all the royal seed in the house of Juda. But Josabeth the king's daughter, took Joas son of Ochozias—having stolen him from among the children of the king who were slain, she put him and his nurse in a chamber of beds and hid them. Now Josabeth, who was a daughter of king Joram and sister of Ochozias, was the wife of Jodae the priest. So he hid him from the sight of Gotholia that she did not kill him; and he remained with him hid in the house of the Lord six years, and Gotholia reigned over the land.

XXIII. But in the eighth year Jodae strengthened himself, and took the captains of hundreds, namely, Azarias son of Joram, and Ismael son of Joanan, and Azarias son of Obed, and Maasias son of Adia, and Elisaphan son of Zacharias, with

2 him into the house of the Lord. And when they had made a circuit round Juda, and had assembled the Levites out of all the cities of Juda and the chiefs of the patriarchal families of

3 Israel; and they were come to Jerusalem, the whole congregation of Juda, made a covenant with the king in the house of God. Now when he shewed them the king's son he said to them, Behold the king's son! Let him be king as the Lord

4 hath spoken to the house of David. Now this is what you must do, Let the third of you, the priests and Levites, come in on the sabbath, to guard the outer gates ; and a third of

5 you be at the king's house, and the other third at the middle

6 gate; and all the people in the courts of the house of the Lord ; and let none enter the house of the Lord, but the priests and the Levites. Such of the Levites as are on duty may come in for they are holy. But let all the people keep the

7 watches of the Lord. And let the Levites encompass the king round about, every man with his weapon in his hand ; and whoever cometh into the house, let him be put to death. And they shall be with the king, when he cometh in and goeth out.

8 So the Levites and all the chiefs of Juda did according to all that Jodae the priest commanded them, and they took every man his men, who were to be on duty from the beginning to

9 the end of the week ; for Jodae the priest did not break the courses; and Jodae gave them the swords, and shields, and arms which belonged to king David, and were in the house

10 of God. And when he had stationed all the people every one with his arms from the right corner of the house, to the left

11 corner of the altar, and the house all around about the king, he brought out the king's son, and put upon him the ensign of royalty, and the testimonies. And Jodae the priest and his sons, proclaimed him king, and anointed him with oil and

12 said, Live the king! And when Gotholia heard the noise of the people running, and proclaiming, and praising the king, she went to the king, to the house of the Lord, and looked, and

13 lo! the king was on his platform, and at the entrance were the chiefs, with the trumpets. And the chiefs around the king, and all the people of the land, were full of joy ; and the trumpets were sounding, accompanied by musicians with their instruments of musick, and the singers singing songs of praise. Upon which she rent her robe and cried with a loud voice,

14 Treason! Treason! Thereupon Jodae the priest went out, and gave orders to the captains of hundreds, and the chief officers of the army, and said to them, Drive her out of the house, and go after her and put her to death with the sword. Because the priest said, Let her not be put to death in the

15 house of the Lord, therefore they opened a passage for her, and when she had gone out through the horse gate, of the king's

16 house, they put her to death there. Then Jodae made a covenant between the Lord, and the people and the king, that they

17 would be the Lord's people. And all the people of the land, went to the house of Baal and demolished it, and his altars, and broke to pieces his idols, and slew Matthan the priest of

18 Baal before his altars. And Jodae the priest committed the . works of the house of the Lord to the priests and the Levites,

and re-established the courses of the priests, and the Levites, into which David had distributed them. And they offered whole burnt offerings to the Lord, as it was written in the law of Moses, with gladness and with hymns, composed by Da-

19 vid. And the keepers of the gates attended at the gates of the house of the Lord, that none might enter who was in any re-

20 spect unclean. Then he took the patriarchs and the mighties, and the chiefs of the people, and all the people of the land, and they brought up the king to the house of the Lord, thence he

21 passed through the inner gate to the house of the king, and they seated him on the throne of the kingdom; and all the people of the land rejoiced; for the city was quiet, after they had slain Gotholia.

XXIV. Joas was seven years old when he began to reign and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem, and his mother's name was

2 Sabiu of Bersabee. And Joas did what was right in the

3 sight of the Lord, all the days of Jodae the priest. And Jodae took for him two wives who bore him sons and daughters.

4 And after this it came into Joas's heart, ta repair the house of

5 the Lord. Therefore he assembled the priests and the Levites and said to them, Go out into the cities of Juda and collect money from all Israel to repair the house of the Lord from

6 year to year, and use diligence in speaking. And when the Levites made no speed, king Joas called Jodae the chief, and said to him, Why hast thou not watched over the Levites, to oblige them to bring in from Juda and Jerusalem, what is ordained by Moses the man of God. And as he had assembled all Is-

7 rael to the tabernacle of the testimony, because Gotholia that wicked woman and her sons had plundered the house of God, and had applied the holy things of the house of the Lord to

8 the Baalims, therefore the king said, Let a chest be made, and

9 set at the gate of the house of the Lord on the outside, and let proclamation be made in Juda and Jerusalem, to bring in for the Lord, as Moses the servant of God enjoined on Israel,

10 in the wilderness. Then all the chiefs and the people gave—

11 they brought, and cast into the chest, until it was full, and then the chest was carried by the Levites to the king's overseers. When they saw that there was much money in it, the king's secretary, and the high priest's overseer, emptied the

12 chest, and set it again in its place. Thus they did from day to day. And when they had collected much money, the king and Jodae the priest, gave it to the workmen, for the service of the house of the Lord: and they hired masons and carpenters, to repair the house of the Lord, and manufacturers of iron and brass,

13 to furnish the house qf the Lord with utensils. So the work-' men wrought, and the work advanced under their hands, and they re-established the house of the Lord in its former state,

14 and strengthened it. And when they had finished, they brought the remainder of the money, to the king and Jodae. And when they had made utensils for the house of the Lord, implements used in the service of burnt offerings, and censers of gold and silver, they offered whole burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually, all the days of Jodae.

15 When Jodae was old, being full of days, he died at the age of a hundred and thirty years, and they buried him in the city

16 of David with the kings, because he had exercised goodness with respect to Israel, and with respect to God and his house.

17 And after the death of Jodae the chiefs of Juda came and paid

18 homage to the king; and the king hearkened to them. And they forsook the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served the Astartes and the idols, and there was wrath against Juda

19 and against Jerusalem at that time. When he had sent prophets to them to turn them to the Lord, and they would not hearken— when he had testified against them and they would not obey;

20 then the Spirit of God came upon Azarias the priest, the son of Jodae, and he stood above the people and said, Thus saith the Lord, Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord? You cannot prosper. Because you have forsaken the

21 Lord, therefore he will forsake you. Upon this they fell upon him and stoned him by the command of the king, in the court

22 of the house of the Lord. Thus Joas remembered not the kindness which Jodae his father had done him, but put to death his son, and when he was dying he said, May the Lord see and

23 judge. And it came to pass that at the end of the year, the army of Syria came up against him. They came up against Juda and Jerusalem, and having destroyed all the chiefs of the people, among the people, they sent the spoils of them to the king of

24 Damascus. Though the army of Syria consisted of but few men, yet God delivered a very great army into their hands, because

25 they had forsaken the Lord the God of their fathers. On Joas also he executed judgment: for after they were gone from him, as he was left in great distress, his servants conspired against him, for the blood of the son of Jodae the priest, and put him to death on his bed. And when he was dead, they buried him in the

26 city of David, but not in the tomb of the kings. Now they who conspired against him were Zabeb the son of Samaath the Ammonite, and Jozabed the son of Samareth the Moabite, and

27 all his sons, for the five were with him. Now as for the rest of his acts, behold they are written in the book of the kings. And Amasias his son reigned in his stead.

XXV. Amasias was twenty five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty nine years in Jerusalem, and his

2 mother's name was Joadaen of Jerusalem; and he did what was

3 right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart. Now when the kingdom was established in his hand, he put to death

4 his servants who had slain the king his father. But, according to the covenant of the law of the Lord, he did not put to death

Vol. zi. H h

their children, as it is written—as the Lord commanded saying, Fathers shall not be put to death for children; nor shall children be put to death for fathers; but they shall die every one

5 for his own crime. Then Amasias assembled the house of Juda and appointed them according to the houses of their patriarchal families, to be captains of thousands and captains of hundreds throughout all Juda and Jerusalem. And having numbered them from twenty years old and upwards, he found them to be three hundred thousand, able to go forth to war armed with

6 spears and shields. Then he hired from Israel a hundred chiliads, men mighty in power, for a hundred talents of silver.

7 But there came to him a man of God and said, O king, the army of Israel must not go with thee, for the Lord is not with Israel.

8 For if thou thinkest to strengthen thyself with any of these Ephraimites, the Lord will rout thee before the enemy; for it

9 is in the power of the Lord to strengthen or to rout. And Amasias said to the man of God, But what must I do in respect to the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel ? To which the man of God replied, It is in the power of

10 the Lord to give thee more than that. Then Amasias separated from the army which had come to him from Ephraim, that they might go to their place. Thereupon they were greatly incensed against Juda, and returned to their place in a rage.

11 And Amasias strengthened himself, and took his own people and went to the valley of salt, and there smote of the sons of

12 Seir ten thousand. And the children of Juda took ten thousand alive and carried them to the top of a precipice, and threw them down from the top of the precipice, so that they were all

13 dashed to pieces. Now the soldiers of the army which Amasias had sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, had fallen on the cities of Juda from Samaria to Baithoron and had smitten of them three thousand, and carried off much spoil.

14 And it happened that after Amasias came from smiting Idu- mea, a person brought him the gods of the children of Seir, and he set them up to be his gods, and bowed down before them

15 and sacrificed to them: therefore the wrath of the Lord was against Amasias, and he sent a prophet to him and said to him, Why hast thou sought the gods of this people, which could

16 not deliver their own people out of thy hand? But while the prophet was speaking to him he said to him, Have I made thee a counsellor of the king? Forbear, lest thou be scourged. Thereupon the prophet held his peace, for I know, said he, that he hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done

17 this, and hast not hearkened to my counsel. Then Amasias king of Juda took counsel and sent to Joas, son of Joachaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come and let us look each

18 other in the face. Upon which Joas king of Israel sent to Amasias king of Juda saying, The thistle on Libanus sent to the cedar on Libanus saying, Give thy daughter to my son for a wife. But lo! the wild beasts on Libanus will come—nay the wild beasts on Libanus did come and trample down the

19 thistle. Thou hast said, Behold I have smitten Idumea, therefore thy stupid heart lifteth thee up. Abide now at home: why dost thou take counsel to thy hurt, that thou mayst fall

20 and Juda with thee ? But Amasias would not hearken, for the Lord had determined to deliver him up, because he sought

21 the gods of the Idumeans. So Joas king of Israel went up; and he and Amasias king of Juda looked each other in the

22 face at Baithsamys, which belongeth to Juda. And Juda was

23 routed before Israel, and fled every man to his habitation. And Joas king of Israel took Amasias king of Juda, son of Joas, son of Joachaz, at Baithsamys and brought him to Jerusalem, and broke down of the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim

24 to the gate of the comer, four hundred cubits; and he took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels found in the house of the Lord, and in the custody of Abdedom; and the treasures of the king's house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.

25 And Amasias the son of Joas, king of Juda, lived after the death of Joas, the son of Joachaz, king of Israel, fifteen years.

26 Now the rest of die acts of Amasias, first and last, behold, are they not written in the book of the kings of Juda and Israel?

27 And when Amasias departed wholly from the Lord, they formed a conspiracy against him ; whereupon he fled from Je-

28 rusalem to Lachis; but they sent after him to Lachis, and there put him to death, and they brought him up on horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city of David.

XXVI. And all the people of the country took Ozias when he was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his 2 father Amasias. He had rebuilt Ailath and restored it to Ju-

3 da, after the king slept with his fathers. Ozias was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty two years in Jerusalem, and his mother's name was Jechelia, of

4 Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amasias had done;

5 and he continued to seek the Lord all the days of Zacharias, who instructed him in the fear of the Lord. In his days in-

6 deed he sought the Lord, and the Lord prospered him. And he went out and warred against the Philistines, and demolished the walls of Geth, and the walls of Jabner, and the walls of Azotus, and rebuilt the cities of Azotus, and among the Phi-

7 listines. And the Lord strengthened him against the Philistines, and against the Arabs, who dwelt in Petra, and against

8 the Minaians. So that the Minaians gave gifts to Ozias; for his fame reached even to the entrance of Egypt; for he was

9 very powerful. And Ozias built towers in Jerusalem—that over the gate of the corner, and that over the gate of the val-

10 ley, and those on the corners. And when he had fortified it, he built towers in the wilderness, and dug many wells, for he had much cattle at Sephale, and in the plains, and vine dressers in the hilly country, and on Karmel, for he was fond of husband-

11 ry. Moreover Ozias had an army of fighting men, which went out in array for battle, and came in, in array, to be numbered. And they were numbered by Jeiel the scribe and Maasias the judge, under the direction of Ananias the king's lieutenant.

12 The whole number of the chiefs, the officers of the army, was two thousand six hundred; and the army of fighting men with them was three hundred and seven thousand five hundred. These were trained for battle to assist the king against

14 enemies. And Ozias provided for them—for all this army, shields and spears, and helmets, and breast plates, and bows,

15 and slings to cast stones. And he made in Jerusalem machines, contrived with great art, to be placed in the towers and at the corners, for shooting darts and throwing huge stones. And the fame of his preparations was spread far and wide, for he was wonderfully assisted until he became exceed-

16 ing strong. But when he became strong his heart was elated to his destruction; fpr he trespassed against the Lord his God and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the

17 altar of incense. And. Azarias the priest went in after him arid

18 with him eighty priests of the Lord, valiant men. And they withstood king Ozias and said to him, it doth not belong to thee, Ozias, to burn incense to the Lord; but only to the priests the sons of Aaron who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for thou hast revolted from the Lord, and

19 this will not be for honour to thee from the Lord God. At this Ozias was inflamed with wrath, and had in his hand the censer to bum incense in the temple. But when his anger kindled against the priests, the leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests, in the house of the Lord, at the altar of incense.

20 And when Azarias the chief priest, with the other priests, turned towards him, behold he was leprous on the forehead, so they hurried him out thence. He indeed himself hasted to

21 go out, because the Lord had convicted him. So Ozias the king was a leper to the day of his death, and as a leper, dwelt in the house Apphusoth; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord, and Joatham, his son, was over the king-

22 dom, administering justice to the people of the land. Now the rest of the acts of Ozias, the first and the last, are written by

23 Jessias the prophet. And when Ozias slept with his fathers, they buried him in the field of the burying place of the kings; for they said he is a leper. And Joatham his son, reigned in his stead.

XXVII. Joatham was twenty five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Jerusa. She was a daughter of Sadok.

2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Ozias had done; but he did not go

3 into the temple of the Lord. Though the people were still corrupt, he built the high gate of the house of the Lord; and

4 on the wall Opel he built much. On Mount Juda and in the

5 forest, he also built castles and towers. He fought the king of the Ammonites and prevailed against him; so that the Ant- monites gave him yearly, a hundred talents of silver and ten thousand cores of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. These the king of the Ammonites brought him yearly, during the

6 first, second and third year. Joatham prevailed because he

7 prepared his ways before the Lord his God. Now the rest of the acts of Joatham, and his wars and his doings, behold they

9 are written in the book of the kings of Juda and Israel. And Joatham slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David, and Achaz his son reigned in his stead. XXVIII. Achaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord, like his father Da-

2 vid, but walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made

3 'graven images; and for their idols in the land of Benennom he actually caused his children to pass through fire, according to the abominable acts of those nations which the Lord had rooted

4 .out from before the Israelites. He burned incense also on the high places, and on the tops of houses and under every shady

5 tree. So the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria, who smote him, and took many of them captives, and carried them to Damascus. He delivered him also into the hands of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great

6 slaughter. Indeed Phakee, the son of Romelias, king of Israel, slew of Juda in one day, a hundred and twenty chiliads of the

- men mighty in power, because they had forsaken the Lord,

7 the God of their fathers. Zechri also, the chieftain of Ephraim, slew Maasias the king's son, and Ezrikan, the leader of his

8 house, and Elkana, the lieutenant of the king. And the Israelites carried away captive, of their brethren, three hundred chiliads, including married women, sons and daughters. And

9 they took from them much spoil. But as they were carrying the spoils to Samaria, there was there a prophet of the Lord, whose name was Oded, who went out to meet the army coming to Samaria, and said to them, Behold the anger of the Lord God of your fathers is against Juda, and he hath delivered them into your hands, and you have slain them with a rage

10 which hath reached up to heaven. And now you purpose to keep the children of Juda and Jerusalem, for men slaves and women slaves! Behold am not I with you to testify to the Lord

11 your God ? Now therefore hearken to me, and send back these captives whom you have taken of your brethren; for the anger

12 of the Lord is on you. Upon this there arose certain chiefs of the Ephraimites, namely, Oudeias the son of Joanas, and Ba-

-

rachias the son of Mosolamoth, and Ezekias the son of Sellem, and Amasias the son of Eldai, against them who came from

13 the war, and said to them, You shall not bring these captives here to us, for that would be to bring your guilt on us. Because you have sinned against the Lord, do you mean to lay it on us, to add to our sins and to heighten our folly, because our sins are many, and the fervent anger of the Lord is hanging over

14 Israel? Thereupon the warriors left the captives and the spoils

15 before the chiefs and the whole congregation. And the chiefs above mentioned arose and took the captives, and out of the spoils cloathed all who were naked. And when they had cloath- ed them and shod them, and had given them something to eat and to anoint themselves, they took up on asses all who were weak, and carried them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brethren, and then returned to Samaria.

16 At that time king Achaz sent to the king of Assur for as-

17 sistance, because the Idumeans had invaded and smitten Juda

18 and carried off captives. The Philistines also had fallen upon the cities of the plain and in the southern border of Juda, and had taken Baithsamus. But after he had given the king the treasures in the house of the Lord, and the treasures in the house of the king, and the chiefs, they took Ailon and Galero, and Socho, and the villages thereof, and Thamna and the villages thereof, and Gamzo and the villages thereof, and settled

19 there: Because the Lord humbled Juda on the account of Achaz, king of Juda, because he had greatly apostatised from

20 the Lord, therefore Thalgathphallasar came upon him and af-

21 flicted him. Though Achaz took the treasures in the house of the Lord, and the treasures in the house of the king, and the

22 chiefs, and gave them to the king of Assur, yet he was of no service to him, but only added to his distress, and contributed

23 to his apostacy from the Lord. For king Achaz said, I will seek the gods of Damascus who smite me. Because, said he, the gods of the king of Syria strengthen them, therefore 1 will sacrifice to them and they will help me. But they were the ruin

24 of him and of all Israel. Now when Achaz had taken away the vessels of the house of the Lord, and chopped them to pieces, he shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and

25 made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem, and erected high places in every city of Juda, to burn incense to strange gods. So they provoked to wrath the Lord the God of their fa-

26 thers. Now the rest of his acts and his doings, first and last, be- hold they are written in the book of the kings of Juda and Israel.

37 And when Achaz slept with his fathers, he was buried in the city of David, but they did not carry him to the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Ezekias his son, reigned in his stead.

XXIX. Ezekias was twenty five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Abia. She was a daughter of Zacharias.

2 He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according

3 to all that his father David had done. Accordingly when he was settled in his kingdom, in the first month he opened the

4 doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. Then he brought in the priests and the Levites, and having placed them

5 on the east side, he said to them, Hearken, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and hallow the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and remove the uncleanness out of the Holies.

6 Because our fathers apostatised, and did evil in the sight of the Lord our God, and forsook him, and turned away their face

7 from the tabernacle of the Lord, and hardened their neck, and shutthe doors of the temple and extinguished the lamps, and did not burn incense, nor offer whole burnt offerings in this holy

8 place, to the God of Israel; therefore the Lord hath been provoked to wrath against Juda and Jerusalem, and hath made them an astonishment and a desolation, and an object of pity, as you see

9 with your eyes. For behold your fathers have been smitten with the sword, and your sons and your daughters and your wives,

10 are in captivity, in a strange land, as is now the case. In this situation of affairs, I have it now at heart to enter into a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that he may turn away his fierce

11 anger from us. Now therefore be not backward, seeing the Lord hath made choice of you to stand before him, to minister, and to be continually employed in his service, and in offering

12 incense. Thereupon these Levites arose, namely, Maath, the son of Amasi, and Joel, the son of Azarias of the Kaathites; and of the Merarites, Kis, the son of Abdi, and Azarias, the son of Ilaelel; and of the Gersonites, Jodad, the son of Zem-

13 math, and Joadam, who were descendants of Joacha; and of

the Elisaphanhes, Zambri and Jeiel; and of the Asaphites, Za-

14 charias and Matthanias ; and of the Aimonites, Jeiel and Se-

15 mei; and of the Idithunites, Samaias and Oziel; and having assembled their brethren, they purified themselves according to the king's command, in the manner prescribed by the Lord,

16 that they might purify the house of the Lord. And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord to purify it, and threw out all the filth, found in the house of the Lord, into the court of the Lord's house ; and the Levites took it

17 up and threw it out into the brook Kedron. On the first day of the first month, at the new moon, they began to purify. And on the eighth day of the month, they came to the temple of the Lord. And having purified the house of the Lord in eight days, and completely finished on the thirteenth of the first

18 month, they went to king Ezekias, and said, We have purified all that are in the house of the Lord, the altar of whole burnt offerings, with the utensils thereof, and the table for the

19 presence loaves, with its utensils, and have prepared and hallowed all the utensils which king Achaz polluted in his reign, during his apostasy. Behold they are before the altar of the

20 Lord. Thereupon king Ezekias arose early in the morning, and having assembled the chiefs of the city, he went up to the house of the Lord, and offered up seven young bulls, seven

21 rams, seven lambs, seven kids of the goats, for a sin offering for the kingdom and for the holies, and for Israel. And he ordered the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them upon the altar

22 of the Lord. So when they slew the young bulls, the priests received the blood and poured it against the altar; and when they slew the rams, they poured the blood against the altar; and when they slew the lambs they poured the blood around the

23 altar. Then they brought forward the goats, for a sin offering, before the king and the congregation; and they laid their hands

24 on them; and the priests slew them. And when they made atonement with their blood against the altar, they made it for all Israel, because the king said, The whole burnt offerings, and the sin offerings are for all Israel.

25 Now he had stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals and with nablas and kinyras, according to the command of David the king, and of Gad the king's seer, and

VOL. II. I i

of Nathan the prophet. For the institution was ordained at the

26 command of the Lord, by the ministry of prophets. So the Levites stood with the musical instruments of David, and the

27 priests with the trumpets. And when Ezekias gave orders to cam7 up the whole burnt offering on the altar, and they began to carry it up, the musicians began the song of praise to the Lord, and the trumpets sounded in concert with the musical instruments of David king of Israel, and all the congregation

28 worshipped. And the musicians continued singing, and the trumpets sounding until the whole burnt offering was finished.

29 And when they who carried it up, had completely finished,

30 the king, and all present, bowed down. And when they had worshipped, Ezekias the king, and the chiefs, ordered the Levites to praise the Lord, in the words of David, and of Asaph the prophet. And when they had sung praises with

31 gladness, they fell on their faces and worshipped. Then Ezekias addressing the people, said, As you have now filled your hands for the Lord, present and bring the sacrifices of thanksgiving for the household of the Lord. Thereupon the congregation brought up sacrifices and thank offerings for the household of the Lord, and every one liberally disposed brought

32 whole burnt offerings. And the number for the whole burnt offerings, which the congregation offered, was seventy young

33 bulls, a hundred rams, two hundred lambs. All these were for a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And there were hallowed

34 six hundred young bulls and three thousand sheep. And as the priests were but few, and could not flay the whole burnt offerings, the Levites their brethren helped them, until the work was finished, and until the priests had purified themselves. For the Levites had purified themselves with more

35 promptitude than the priests. So the whole burnt offering was abundant with the suet of the thank offerings and the libations of the burnt offerings. Thus was the service re-established in

36 the house of the Lord; and Ezekias and all the people rejoiced, because God had made provision for the people. For the thing was done suddenly.

XXX. Then Ezekias sent to all Israel and Juda, and wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasses, to come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to celebrate the passover to the Lord God

2 of Israel. Now the king, and the chiefs, and all the congregation at Jerusalem, had come to a determination to keep the

3 passover in the second month; for they could not keep it at that time, because a sufficient number of priests was not puri-

4 fied, nor were the people assembled at Jerusalem. And as this £ was agreed on by the king and the whole congregation, therefore they determined to make proclamation, throughout all Israel, from Bersabee to Dan, that they might come and keep the passover, to the Lord God of Israel, at Jerusalem, because

6 a multitude had not done it according to the scripture. So the expresses went with letters from the king, and the chiefs, to all Israel and Juda, according to the decree of the king, saying, Children of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraham and Isaak and Israel, and bring back the remnant who have escap-

7 ed from the hand of the king of Assur. And be not like your fathers and your brethren, who apostatised from the Lord God of their fathers, and whom he delivered up to desolation, as

8 you yourselves see. Now therefore be not stubborn as your fathers were. Give glory to the Lord God, and come to his sanctuary, which he hath hallowed forever, and serve the Lord your God, and he will turn away his fierce indignation from

9 you. For by your turning to the Lord, your brethren and your children will find compassion in the sight of all those who have captivated them; and he will bring them back to this land. For the Lord our God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from us, if we return to him.

10 But while the expresses were passing from city to city, through mount Ephraim, and Manasses, till they came to Zabulon,

11 they were treated as deriders and mockers. But the men of Aser, and some of Manasses and Zabulon were humbled, and

12 came to Jerusalem, and to Juda. Now to these the hand of the Lord had given one heart to come and do what the king and

13 the chiefs had commanded by a word of the Lord. So there assembled at Jerusalem much people to keep the festival of unleavened bread in the second month—a very great congre-

14 gation. And after they had arisen, and demolished the altars which were in Jerusalem, and torn to pieces all on which they had burned incense to vanities, and thrown them into the brook

15 Kedron, they killed the paschal lamb on the fourteenth ot the second month. And as the priests and the Levites were humbled, and had purified themselves, they offered whole burnt

16 offerings in the house of the Lord, and stood in their station according to the disposition made of them by the command of Moses, the man of God; and the priests received the blood

17 from the hands of the Levites. Because there were many of the congregation who were not purified, therefore the Levites had it in charge to kill the paschal lamb, for every one who

18 had not been able to purify himself to the Lord. And because most of the people from Ephraim, and Manasses, and Issachar, and Zabulon, had not purified themselves, but ate the passover contrary to the scripture, therefore Ezekias prayed for them

19 on this account and said, The good Lord make atonement for every heart which hath directed its course to seek the Lord the God of their fathers, although not according to the purification

20 of the sanctuary. And the Lord hearkened to Ezekias, and

21 healed the people. So the Israelites who were at Jerusalem, kept the festival of unleavened bread seven days, with great joy, joining in the hymns of praise to the Lord, which the priests and the Levites performed day by day to the Lord, on musical instruments.

22 And when Ezekias had spoken comfortably to the Levites, and them whose understanding was well disposed to the Lord,

""and they had finished the festival of unleavened bread, which lasted seven days, offering sacrifices of thanksgiving, and sing-

23 ing praises to the Lord God of their fathers; the congregation took counsel together to keep other seven days, and kept other

24 seven days with gladness. For Ezekias, in behalf of Juda, set apart for the congregation, a thousand beeves, and seven thousand sheep; and the chiefs, in behalf of the people, set apart a thousand beeves, and ten thousand sheep; and the dedications

25 of the priests'were abundant. So the whole congregation, the priests and the Levites, and all the congregation of Juda, and all who were in Jerusalem, and the proselytes who came from Israel, and the inhabitants of Judea were filled with joy. And the joy in

26 Jerusalem was great. From the days of Solomon son of David, king of Israel, there had not been such a festival in Jerusalem.

27 Then the priests, the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer reached his holy

XXXI. habitation, even heaven. And when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out through the cities of Juda, and broke in pieces the pillars, and cut down the arbours, and demolished the high places, and the mounts, throughout all Judea and Benjamin, and out of all Ephraim and Manasses, till diey were utterly destroyed. Then all Israel returned, every one to his possession and to their cities.

2 And Ezekias re-established the courses of the priests, and of the Levitesj and the courses of each individual among the priests and the Levites, "according to his particular service for the burnt offerings, and for the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and to praise and give thanks, and to attend at the gates in the

3 courts of the house of the Lord. And the king assigned a part of his substance for the morning and evening whole burnt offerings, and for the whole burnt offerings on the sabbaths, and at the new moons, and at the festivals prescribed in the law of

4 the Lord. And the people who dwelt in Jerusalem were ordered to give the portion which belonged to the priests and the Levites, that they might be enabled to attend to the ser-

5 vice of the house of the Lord. And soon as he published the order, Israel brought, in abundance, dedications of corn and wine, and oil and honey. Both the children of Israel and of Juda, brought abundantly the productions of the field, and all

6 the tythes. And they who dwelt in the cities of Juda brought the tythe of cattle and sheep, and the tythe of goats, and dedi-

7 cated them to the Lord their God. And what they brought was stored up in heaps. The heaping was begun in the third month

8 and finished in the seventh. And when Ezekias came with the chiefs, and saw the heaps, they blessed the Lord and his

9 people Israel. Then Ezekias questioned the priests and the Levites, touching the heaps; and Azarias the priest, the head

10 of the house of Sadok, answered him and said, From the time the dedications began to be brought to the house of the Lord, we have eaten and drunk, and left in great abundance. Because the Lord hath blessed his people, dierefore we have this great superabundance left. Thereupon Ezekias ordered them

12 to prepare store houses for the house of the Lord. And when they had prepared them, they stored up therein the dedications and the tythes for a common stock. And over them Chone- nias the Levite, was overseer, and his brother Semei was his

13 deputy. And Jeiel and Ozias, and Naeth and Asuel, and Jerimoth and Jozabad, and Eliel and Samachia, and Maath and Banaias, with his sons, were appointed store keepers, by Chonenias and his brother Semei, as Ezekias the king and

14 Azarias the ruler of the house of the Lord commanded. And Kore, the son of Jemna the Levite, the keeper of the eastern gate, was over the free will offerings, to distribute by the agency of Edom, the oblations to the Lord, and the most holy things.

15 And Benjamin and Jesus, and Semei and Amarias, and Secho- nias, were, by the agency of trusty "priests, to distribute to their brethren, according to their courses, both to great and small, excepting infants, to every male from three years old

16 and upwards—to every one who went into the house of the Lord, a stated portion every day for the service in the courses

17 of their appointment; this being the enrollment of the priests

18 according to their genealogy: but to the Levites, who in their courses were enrolled from twenty years old and upwards, distribution was to be made to the whole multitude, including infants, both male and female, because they had faithfully pu-

19 rified the sanctuary. And of the Aaronites, who officiated as priests, there were some men of their cities, expressly nominated in every city, to distribute a portion to every male among the priests, and to every one numbered among the Levites.

20 Thus did Ezekias through all Juda, and he did what was right in the sight of the Lord his God. And in every work which he undertook in the service of the house of the Lord, and in the law and in the statutes, he sought his God with his whole heart, and did it and prospered.

XXXII. Now after these acts and this faithfulness Sennache- rim king of the Assyrians came—He came against Juda and encamped against the walled cities and ordered them to be

2 taken first. And when Ezekias saw that Sennacherim was

3 come and that it was his purpose to attack Jerusalem he consulted with his elders, and the mighty men, about stopping up

4 the waters of the wells, which were without the city. And as they encouraged him he assembled much people, and stopped up the waters of the wells, and the brook which ran through the city with an intent that the king of Assyria, might not

5 come and find much water, and be strengthened. Ezekias also took courage and rebuilt all the wall which had been demolished, and the towers, and another outwork, and strengthened the fortifications, of the city of David, and provided many

6 arms, and appointed military officers over the people ; and having assembled them before him in the street of the valley

7 gate, he spoke affectionately to them, and said, Take courage and behave like men, and be not terrified nor dismayed, because of the king of Assur,and because of all the multitude with him;

8 for there are more with us than with him.' With him are arms of flesh ; but with us is the Lord our God to save, and to fight our battle. So the people were encouraged by the words of Eze-

9 kias king of Juda. After this Sennacherim, king of the Assyrians, sent his servants against Jerusalem. While he himself with his main army lay before Lachis, he sent to Ezekias king of Ju-

10 da and to all the Jews in Jerusalem saying, Thus saith Sennacherim king of the Assyrians, On what do you rely, that you

11 stand a siege in Jerusalem? Doth not Ezekias deceive you,that he may deliver you up to death, and to famine, and to thirst by saying, The Lord our God will save us out of the hand of

12 the king of Assur ? Hath not this same Ezekias demolished his altars, and his high places, and given orders to Juda, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, You shall worship before

13 this altar, and upon it you shall burn incense ? Will you not consider what I and my fathers have done to all the tribes of these regions ? Have the gods of the nations of all this land,

14 been able to save their people out of my hand ? Who is this of yours among all the gods of these nations which my father destroyed, who were not able to save their people out of my hand, that he should be able to save you out of my

15 hand? Now therefore let not Ezekias deceive you, nor cause you to trust in this manner. Do not believe him. For as there is no god of any nation or kingdom who is able to save his people out of my hand, or hath been able to save out of the hand of my fathers, therefore your God cannot save you out of

16 my hand. And besides what his servants spoke against the Lord God, and against his servant Ezekias, he wrote a letter

17 to reproach the Lord God of Israel, and spoke of him saying, As the gods of the nations of the earth have not delivered their peoples out of my hand, so neither can the God of Eze-

18 kias deliver his people out of my hand. Moreover he cried with a loud voice, in the Jewish language to the people of Jerusalem, who were on the walls that he would assist them, in

19 order to induce them to seize the city. And he spoke against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the peoples of

20 the earth, which are the works of men's hands. But when Ezekias the king, and Esaias son of Amos the prophet ad-

21 dressed a prayer concerning these things, and cried to heaven, the Lord sent an angel who destroyed every mighty man, and warrior, including chief and general, in the camp of the king of T\ssur. So he returned with shame to his own land, and went to the house of his god, and some of them who sprang

22 from his loins slew him with the sword. And when the Lord had saved Ezekias, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of the hands of Sennacherim, king of Assur, and out of the hand

23 of all men, and had given them rest all around, many brought gifts for the Lord to Jerusalem, and presents to Ezekias king of Juda. And he was thenceforth magnified in the eyes of all the nations.

24 In those days Ezekias was sick unto death, and he prayed to the Lord, who hearkened to him and gave him a sign. But Ezekias did not make a suitable return for the favour conferred on him, but his heart was lifted up, so there was wrath against him, and against Juda and Jerusalem. Thereupon Ezekias humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them, during the days of Ezekias.

27 Now Ezekias had riches and exceeding great glory, and he amassed for himself treasures of silver and gold and precious stones; and he had store houses for spiceries, and places

28 for depositing arms and costly utensils; and cities for storing

29 corn, wine, and oil; and towns and stalls for all sorts of cattle; and cots for his flocks; and cities which he built for himself; and a vast multitude of flocks and herds; for the Lord gavev

30 him substance in great abundance. It was Ezekias who stopped up the upper course of the waters of Geion, and directed them under ground to the south west of the city of David.

31 And he was prospered in all his works. But in his transactions with the ambassadors from the chiefs of Babylon, who were sent to him to make inquiry touching the miracle which had been done in the land, the Lord left him to himself in order to

32 try him, to know all that were in his heart. Now the rest of the acts of Ezekias and his goodness, behold they are written in the prophesy of the prophet Esaias son of Amos, and in the

33 book of the kings of Juda and Israel. When Ezekias slept with his fathers they buried him in the uppermost of the tombs

of the sons of David, and all Juda and the inhabitants of Jerusalem paid him distinguished honours at his death: and Ma- nasses his son reigned in his stead.

XXXIII. Manasses was twelve years old when he began to

2 reign, and he reigned fifty five years in Jerusalem, and did evil

in the sight of the Lord, according to all the abominable acts

of the nations which the Lord had rooted out from before the

- 3 children of Israel. He restored and rebuilt the high places which his father Ezekias had demolished, and erected pillars to the Baalims, and made arbours, and worshipped the whole host of

4 heaven and served them. Nay, he built altars in the house of the Lord, respecting which the Lord had said, In Jerusalem

5 my name shall be forever—he built altars for the whole host

6 of heaven, in the two courts of the house of the Lord. And he made his children pass through fire in the land of Benennom. And he consulted omens and auguries, and used enchantments and encouraged belly speakers and sorcerers, and multiplied the ways of doing evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him

7 to wrath. He actually set up the graven and molten image which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel,

8 I will put my name forever, and I will no more remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have given to their fathers, provided they be watchful to perform all that I have commanded them, according to all the law and the statutes and the judg-

9 ments, by the hand of Moses. Now when Manasses had caused Juda and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go astray, and to do evil beyond all the nations which the Lord had destroyed from

10, before the children of Israel; and the Lord had spoken against

Manasses and against his people, but they hearkened not, the

. Lord brought against them the chiefs of the army of the king

VOL. II. Kk

of Asur, and they took Manasses, and having bound him with

12 chains and fetters they carried him to Babylon. And when he' was afflicted he sought the favour of the Lord his God, and humbled himself exceedingly before the God of his fathers,

13 and prayed to him, and he hearkened to him and heard his ay, and brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. So Manasses knew that the Lord himself is God.

14 Now after these things he built a wall without the city of David, from the south west, fronting the south in the valley and along the street leading from the fish gate round to Opel, and raised it very high, and appointed military officers in all

15 the walled cities of Juda. And he removed the strange gods and the graven image out of the house of the Lord, and all the altars which he had built on the mount of the house of the

16 Lord, and in Jerusalem, and without the city. And having repaired the altar of the Lord he offered thereon a sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise, and ordered Juda to serve the Lord

17 God of Israel. But still the people sacrificed on the high places,

18 but it was to the Lord their God. Now the rest of the acts of Manasses, and his prayer to God, and the words of the seers

19 who spoke to him in the name of the God of Israel; and hou God hearkened to him at the words of his prayer; and all his sins and his apostasies; and the places on which he built mounts and erected bowers, and graven images before his conversion—

20 behold they are written among the words of the seers. And when Manasses slept with his fathers they buried him in the garden of his house, and Amon his son reigned in his stead.

21 Amon was twenty two years old when he began to reign,

22 and he reigned two years in Jerusalem, and did evil in the sight of the Lord as his father Manasses had done. For to all the idols which his father Manasses had made Amon burned in-

23 cense, and served them, and did not humble himself before the Lord as Manasses his father had humbled himself. Because his

24 son Amon multiplied transgression, therefore his servants rose upon him, and smote him in his house. And when the people of the country had slain those who conspired against king Amon, the people of the country made Josias his son king in his stead.

XXXIV. Josias was eight years old when he began to reign,

2 and he reigned thirty one years in Jerusalem, and did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father, without turning to the right or to the left.

3 In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still a youth, he began to seek the Lord the God of his father David. And in the twelfth year of his reign, he began to cleanse Juda and Jerusalem, from the high places and the bowers, and from their

4 processions around altars, and from the molten images. And having caused to be torn down in his presence, the altars of the Baalims, and the high things which were on them, he cut down the bowers, and broke in pieces the graven and the molten images. And having beaten them to dust, he strewed

5 it over the graves of them who had sacrificed to them, and

6 burned the bones of the priests on the altars. And when he had cleansed Juda and Jerusalem, he proceeded on through the cities of Manasses, and Ephraim, and. Symeon, and Nephtha- leim, and the places around them, and tore down the altars,

7 and the bowers, and chopped to pieces the idols. And having demolished all the high places in all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.

8 And in the eighteenth year of his reign, on purpose to cleanse the land and the house, he sent Saphan son of Eselia, and Maasa, the ruler of the city, and Juach son of Joachaz

9 his recorder to repair the house of the Lord his God. So they went to Chelkias the high priest, and gave the money which had been brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the keepers of the gates had collected from Manasses and Ephraim, and the chiefs, and from all the remnant of Israel, and from the children of Juda and Benjamin and the inhabi-

10 tants of Jerusalem—they gave this to the board of works, who superintended the house of the Lord; and these gave it to the

11 workmen who did the work in the house of the Lord, to furnish, and to strengthen the house, and they gave to the carpenters and the masons, to purchase square stones, and timber for planks to cover the houses, which the king of Juda had

12 destroyed. Though these men were intrusted with the works, yet over them were overseers, namely Jehu and Abdias the Levites of the house of Merari, and Zacharias, and Mosol-

13 lam, of the house of Kaath. And with regard to all the chiefs of Levi, every one skilled in instrumental musick was over the bearers of burdens, and over all the men who executed the works, one to every piece of work, and some of the Levites were

14 scribes and judges and keepers of the gates. Now when they were carrying out the money, which had been brought into the house of the Lord, Chelkias the priest found a book of

15 the law of the Lord, by the hand of Moses. Whereupon Chelkias addressing Saphan the scribe said, I have found a book of the lavV in the house of the Lord. So" Chelkias gave the

16 book to Saphan, and Saphan carried it to the king. Now he had given him also for the king, an account intitled, All the

17 money delivered to thy servants the workmen. For when they had melted the silver found in the house of the Lord, they gave it into the hand of the overseers and into the hand of

18 them who executed the work. So when Saphan the scribe had explained the account to the king, he said, Chelkias the

19 priest hath given me a book. And Saphan read it before the king. And when the king heard the words of the law, he rent

20 his clothes. Then the king gave orders to Chelkias, and to Achikam, son of Saphan, and to Abdom son of Michaias, and to Saphan the scribe, and Asaias the king's servant, saying,

21 Go and inquire of the Lord for me, and for all the remnant of Israel and Juda, touching the words of this book which is found; for great must be the wrath of the Lord, which is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened to these words of the Lord, to do according to all that are written in

22 this book. Thereupon Chelkias, with those whom the king ordered, went to Olda the prophetess, the wife of Sellem son of Thekoe son of Aras. She kept the commandments and

23 dwelt at Jerusalem in the Masanai. And when they spoke to her to that effect she said to them, Thus saith the Lord the

24 God of Israel, Say to the man who sent you to me, Thus saith the Lord, Behold I am going to bring upon this place evils—all the things which are written in the book read before the king

25 of Juda. Because they have forsaken me, and burned incense to strange gods, to provoke me to wrath with all the works of their hands, therefore my anger is kindled against this place

26 and cannot be quenched. But to the king of Juda, who hath sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say, Thus saith

27 the Lord the God of Israel, With regard to the words which thou hast heard, as thy heart was affected, and thou didst humble thyself before me when thou heardst these words of mine against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof— As thou hast humbled thyself before me, and hast rent thy garments and wept before me—I have heard saith the Lord.

28 Behold I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be carried to thy grave in peace, and thine eyes shall not see all the evils which I am going to bring upon this place, and upon

29 them who dwell therein. And when they brought back word to the king, the king sent and assembled the elders of Juda

30 and Jerusalem ; and went up to the house of the Lord, with all the chiefs of Juda and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and with the priests and the Levites, and all the people small and great, and read in their hearing all the words of the book of

31 the covenant found in the house of the Lord. Then the king stood on the pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord to walk before the Lord and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with his whole 'heart, and his whole soul, so as to perform all the terms of the covenant, writ-

32 ten in that book ; and he caused all who were in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And when the inhabitants of Jerusalem, had made a covenant in the house of the Lord God

33 of their fathers, Josias removed all the abominations out of all the land, which belonged to the children of Israel, and caused all who were in Jerusalem, and in Israel, to serve the Lord their God. During all his days he turned not aside from following the Lord God of his fathers.

XXXV. When Josias celebrated the passover to the Lord his God, he caused the paschal lamb to be slain, on the four-

2 teenth day of the first month. For having set the priests in their watches and encouraged them to the works of the house of the Lord, he ordered all the Levites who were heads of families throughout all Israel to hallow themselves to the Lord.

3 And as they had placed the holy ark in the house which Solomon son of David king of Israel had built, the king said, You have nothing to carry on your shoulders ; now therefore at-

4 tend to the service of the Lord your God, and of his people Israel; and be ready according to the houses of your families, and according to your courses, as prescribed by David,

5 king of Israel, and by his son Solomon; and attend in the house, according to the divisions of the houses of your laini-

6 lies, on your brethren the people ; and a portion of a patriarchal house, on the Levites; and kill ye the paschal lambs and prepare them for your brethren, that they may do according

7 to the word of the Lord by the ministry of Moses. Moreover Josias dedicated for the people sheep and lambs and -kids, all for the passover, even for all who were in Jerusalem, to the amount of thirty thousand. He dedicated also three thousand

8 beeves, these were of the king's own substance. His chiefs also made dedications for the people, and for the priests, and for the Levites. And Chelkias and Zacharias, and Jeiel, the chiefs, gave for the priests of the house of God—they gave for the passover two thousand six hundred sheep, lambs and kids,

9 and three hundred beeves, and Chonenias and Banaias, and Sa- maias and Nathaniel, his brother, and Asabias, and Jeiel and Jozabad, chiefs of the Levites, dedicated for the Levites five

10 thousand sheep and five hundred beeves for the passover. So the service commenced, and the priests stood in their station, and the Levites in their divisions, according to the command of

11 the king. And when these killed the paschal lambs, the priests received the blood at their hands and poured it out,

12 and the Levites flayed them, and prepared the whole burnt offering, to be delivered according to the division by houses of families to the heads of the people, that they might offer rt to the Lord as it is written in the book of Moses, and so till the

13 morning. Then they roasted the paschal lambs with fire, according to the ordinance, and boiled the holy meats in the bra- sen cauldrons and kettles. And when all was ready, they ran with them to all the heads of the people. And after this prepa-

14 ration for them, they prepared also for the priests. Because the priests were employed in offering up the whole burnt offer- ings and the suet, continually till night, therefore the Levites prepared for themselves and for their brethren, the sons of

15 Aaron. And with regard to the musicians, the sons of Asaph, who were in their station, according to the commands of David, both Asaph and Aiman and Idithun the king's prophets; and the chiefs and the keepers of the gates, they were not at liberty to move from their holy services, for their brethren the

16 Levites prepared for them. So all the service of the Lord being arranged and set in order on that day, to keep the passover, and to offer up the whole burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord

17 according to the command of king Josias; all the Israelites who were present kept the passover, at that time, and the festival

18 of unleavened bread, seven days. There had not been such a passover as this in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet. They had not, under any king of Israel, kept such a passover as that kept by Josias and the priests, and the Levites, and all Juda and Israel who were present, and by all the inhabitants of

19 Jerusalem, to the Lord. This passover was kept in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josias.

After all these things which Josias did in the house, king Josias burned with fire the belly speakers and the diviners, and the theraphins and the idols, and the karesims, which were in the land of Juda and in Jerusalem, in order that he might establish the words of the law, which were written in the book which Chelkias the priest had found in the house of the Lord. Before him there was none like him, who turned to the Lord with his whole heart, and with his whole soul, and with all his strength, according to all the law of Moses; nor after him did there arise his like. Nevertheless the Lord turned not away from his great wrath, with which he was incensed against Juda, for all the provocations with which Manasses had provoked him, and the Lord said, I will remove Juda from my presence, as I have removed Israel—I have cast off" Jerusalem, the city which I chose, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.

20 Now when Pharao Nechao was going up against the king of the Assyrians to the river Euphrates, king Josias went out to meet him. Whereupon he sent messengers to him, saying, What hast thou, O king of Juda, to do with me? I am not now coming to war against thee; and God hath commanded me to make haste. Forbear meddling with God, who is with

22 me, lest he destroy thee. But Josias would not turn his face from him, but strengthened himself to fight him. He hearkened not to the words of Nechao from the mouth of God, but

23 came to an engagement in the plain of Mageddo. And the archers having discharged a volley at king Josias, the king said

24 to his servants, Carry me away, for I am badly wounded. So his servants took him out of his chariot and put him into his second chariot, which attended him, and brought him to Jeru-

25 salem, and he died and was buried with his fathers. And all Juda and Jerusalem mourned for Josias. And Jeremias composed a song of lamentation for Josias, which all the heads of families, both men and women, sung over him, and which they continue to sing to this day; for they established it for an ordinance to Israel. And behold it is written among the

26 funereal odes. Now the rest of the acts of Josias, and his faith in respect to what were written in the law of the Lord,

27 and his acts, first and last, behold they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Juda.

XXXVI. Then the people of the land took Joachaz son of Josias and anointed him, and made him king over Jerusalem in

2 the room of his father. Joachaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem, and his mother's name was Amital. She was a daughter of Jeremias of Lobna. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. And Pharao Nechao bound him at Deblatha in the land of Aimath, that he should

3 not reign in Jerusalem. And the king carried him with him to Egypt, and imposed on the country a tribute of a hundred^ta-

4 lents of silver and a talent of gold. And Pharao Nechao, made Eliakim son of Josias, king over Juda, in the room of his father, and changed his name to Joakim. And as Pharao Nechao took his brother Joachaz, who was carried to Egypt and died there, he paid the silver and the gold to Pharao. Then the land began to be taxed to give the money at the command of Pharao. And every one according to his rank, demanded silver and gold from the people of the land, to pay Pharao Nechao.

5 Joakim was twenty five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem, and his mother's name was Zechora. She was a daughter of Nerias of Rama. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. In his days Nabuchodonosar, the king of Babylon, came into the land, and he was his servant three years, and then revolted. Now after that, when they revolted, the Lord sent against them the Chaldeans, and predatory bands of Syrians, and predatory bands of Moabites and Ammonites, and of Samaria according to the word of the Lord by the ministry of his servants, the prophets. Moreover the anger of the Lord was against Juda, to remove them from his presence, because of the sins of Manasses—for all that he had committed and for the innocent blood which Joakim had shed. He had indeed filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, yet the

6 Lord was not willing to destroy them utterly. So Nabuchodo- nosar, king of Babylon, came up against him, and bound him with fetters of brass, and sent him away to Babylon; and catf

7 ried away to Babylon a part of the utensils belonging to the house of the Lord, and put them in his own temple at Babylon.

8 Now the rest of the acts of Joakim, and all that he did, behold they are written in the book of the journals of the kings of

9 Juda. When Joakim slept with his fathers, he was buried at Ganozae, with his fathers, and Jechonias his son reigned in his stead. Jechonias was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem,

10 and did evil in the sight of the Lord, and at the return of the year, Nabuchodonosar sent and brought him to Babylon, together with the most precious utensils of the house of the Lord, and made Sedekias, his father's brother, king over Juda and Jerusalem.

11 Sedekias was ,twe.nty one years pld when he began to reign,

12 and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem, and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and was nqt brought to a sense of shame by Jeremias, the prophet, speaking from the

13 mouth of the Lord, when he violated his engagements with Nabuchodonosar, to the performance of which he had caused him to swear by God; but hardened his neck, and strengthened his heart, not to return to the Lord God of Israel.

14. Now all the nobles of Juda, and th.e priests, and the people of the land abounded in the commission of the wicked abominations of the Gentiles, and had polluted the house of the

15 Lord in Jerusalem. And the Lord the God of their fathers, .had sent to them by the ministry of his prophets, rising early, and sending his messengers, because he compassionated his

16 people and his sanctuary. But they continued to deride his messengers, and to despise his words, and insult his prophets,

VOL, II. T.I

uhtil the wrath of the Lord ascended against his people—until

17 there was no remedy. Therefore he brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of his sanctuary, and had no compassion on Sedckias, nor pity for their virgins. And they carried away

18 their elders. He delivered all into their hands—all the utensils of the house of God, great and small, and all the treasures of the house of the Lord and all the treasures of the king and of the nobles. All these he carried to Babylon.

19 And he burned the house of the Lord, and demolished the wall of Jerusalem, and burned with fire the palaces thereof,

20 and utterly destroyed every thing that was beautiful, and removed to Babylon the few who were left; and they continued to be servants to him and his sons, until the reign of the

21 Medes ; that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremias might be fulfilled, That until the land received its sabbaths which it ought to have rested, it should keep a sabbath all the days of its desolation, to the completion of seventy years.

22 In the first year of Cyrus king of the Persians, after the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremias was fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of the Persians; and he caused proclamation to be made throughout all his kingdom, in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus, king of the Persians, to all the kingdoms of the earth, The Lord God of heaven hath given me; and he hath commanded me to build a house for him in Jerusalem, in Judea. Is there any among you of all his people? His God be with him, and let him go up.