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2 Chronicles 33
Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, after the abominations of the nations whom Yahweh cast out before the children of Israel. 3 For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; and he reared up altars for the Baalim, and made Asheroth, and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served them. 4 And he built altars in the house of Yahweh, of which Yahweh said, In Jerusalem shall my name be forever. 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of Yahweh. 6 He also made his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom; and he practiced augury, and used enchantments, and practiced sorcery, and dealt with them that had familiar spirits, and with wizards: he worked much evil in the sight of Yahweh, to provoke him to anger. 7 And he set the carved image of the idol, which he had made, in the house of Elohim, of which Elohim 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, I will put my name forever: 8 neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from off the land which I have appointed for your fathers, if only they will observe to do all that I have commanded them, even all the law and the statutes and the ordinances given by Moses. 9 And Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that they did evil more than did the nations whom Yahweh destroyed before the children of Israel.
10 And Yahweh spoke to Manasseh, and to his people; but they gave no heed. 11 Therefore Yahweh brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh in chains, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. 12 And when he was in distress, he supplicated Yahweh his Elohim, and humbled himself greatly before the Elohim of his fathers. 13 And he prayed to him; and he was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that Yahweh was Elohim.
14 Now after this he built an outer wall to the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance at the fish gate; and he encircled Ophel with it, and raised it up to a very great height: and he put valiant captains in all the fortified cities of Judah. 15 And he took away the foreign elohim, and the idol out of the house of Yahweh, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of Yahweh, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city. 16 And he built up the altar of Yahweh, and offered on it sacrifices of peace-offerings and of thanksgiving, and commanded Judah to serve Yahweh, the Elohim of Israel. 17 Nevertheless the people sacrificed still in the high places, but only to Yahweh their Elohim.
18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer to his Elohim, and the words of the seers that spoke to him in the name of Yahweh, the Elohim of Israel, behold, they are written among the acts of the kings of Israel. 19 His prayer also, and how Elohim was entreated of him, and all his sin and his trespass, and the places in which he built high places, and set up the Asherim and the carved images, before he humbled himself: behold, they are written in the history of Hozai. 20 So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house: and Amon his son reigned in his place.
21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. 22 And he did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, as did Manasseh his father; and Amon sacrificed to all the carved images which Manasseh his father had made, and served them. 23 And he did not humble himself before Yahweh, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but this same Amon trespassed more and more. 24 And his servants conspired against him, and put him to death in his own house. 25 But the people of the land killed all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place.
2 Chronicles 34
Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 And he did that which was right in the eyes of Yahweh, and walked in the ways of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left. 3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the Elohim of David his father; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the Asherim, and the carved images, and the molten images. 4 And they broke down the altars of the Baalim in his presence; and the sun images that were on high above them he hewed down; and the Asherim, the carved images, and the molten images, he broke in pieces, and made dust of them, and strewed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed to them. 5 And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem. 6 And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim and Simeon, even to Naphtali, in their ruins all around. 7 And he broke down the altars, and beat the Asherim and the carved images into powder, and hewed down all the sun images throughout all the land of Israel, and returned to Jerusalem.
8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of Yahweh his Elohim. 9 And they came to Hilkiah the high priest, and delivered the money that was brought into the house of Elohim, which the Levites, the keepers of the threshold, had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin, and of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 And they delivered it into the hand of the workmen that had the supervision of the house of Yahweh; and the workmen that worked in the house of Yahweh gave it to mend and repair the house; 11 even to the carpenters and to the builders they gave it, to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and to make beams for the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed. 12 And the men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of them were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set it forward; and others of the Levites, all that were skilful with instruments of music. 13 Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and set forward all that did the work in every manner of service: and of the Levites there were scribes, and officers, and porters.
14 And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of Yahweh, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of Yahweh given by Moses. 15 And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of Yahweh. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan. 16 And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and moreover brought back word to the king, saying, All that was committed to your servants, they are doing. 17 And they have emptied out the money that was found in the house of Yahweh, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and into the hand of the workmen. 18 And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest has delivered me a book. And Shaphan read in it before the king. 19 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes. 20 And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, 21 Go, inquire of Yahweh for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found; for great is the wrath of Yahweh that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of Yahweh, to do according to all that is written in his book.
22 So Hilkiah, and they whom the king had commanded, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the second quarter;) and they spoke to her to that effect. 23 And she said to them, In this manner says Yahweh, the Elohim of Israel: Tell the man that sent you to me, 24 In this manner says Yahweh, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of it, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah. 25 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense to other elohim, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore is my wrath poured out upon this place, and it shall not be quenched. 26 But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of Yahweh, thus shall you say to him, In this manner says Yahweh, the Elohim of Israel: As touching the words which you have heard, 27 because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before Elohim, when you heard his words against this place, and against the inhabitants of it, and have humbled yourself before me, and have rent your clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard you, says Yahweh. 28 Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, neither shall your eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of it. And they brought back word to the king.
29 Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 And the king went up to the house of Yahweh, and all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, both great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of Yahweh. 31 And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before Yahweh, to walk after Yahweh, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. 32 And he caused all that were found in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of Elohim, the Elohim of their fathers. 33 And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were found in Israel to serve, even to serve Yahweh their Elohim. All his days they did not depart from following Yahweh, the Elohim of their fathers.
2 Chronicles 35
And Josiah kept a passover to Yahweh in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2 And he set the priests in their offices, and encouraged them to the service of the house of Yahweh. 3 And he said to the Levites that taught all Israel, that were holy to Yahweh, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built; there shall no more be a burden upon your shoulders: now serve Yahweh your Elohim, and his people Israel. 4 And prepare yourselves after your fathers’ houses by your courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son. 5 And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the fathers’ houses of your brethren the children of the people, and let there be for each a portion of a fathers’ house of the Levites. 6 And kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare for your brethren, to do according to the word of Yahweh by Moses.
7 And Josiah gave to the children of the people, of the flock, lambs and kids, all of them for the passover-offerings, to all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks: these were of the king’s substance. 8 And his princes gave for a freewill-offering to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, the rulers of the house of Elohim, gave to the priests for the passover-offerings two thousand six hundred small cattle, and three hundred oxen. 9 Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brethren, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the chiefs of the Levites, gave to the Levites for the passover-offerings five thousand small cattle, and five hundred oxen.
10 So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their place, and the Levites by their courses, according to the king’s commandment. 11 And they killed the passover, and the priests sprinkled the blood which they received of their hand, and the Levites skinned them. 12 And they removed the burnt-offerings, that they might give them according to the divisions of the fathers’ houses of the children of the people, to offer to Yahweh, as it is written in the book of Moses. And so they did with the oxen. 13 And they roasted the passover with fire according to the ordinance: and the holy offerings they boiled in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and carried them quickly to all the children of the people. 14 And afterward they prepared for themselves, and for the priests, because the priests the sons of Aaron were busied in offering the burnt-offerings and the fat until night: therefore the Levites prepared for themselves, and for the priests the sons of Aaron. 15 And the singers the sons of Asaph were in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer; and the porters were at every gate: they needed not to depart from their service; for their brethren the Levites prepared for them.
16 So all the service of Yahweh was prepared the same day, to keep the passover, and to offer burnt-offerings upon the altar of Yahweh, according to the commandment of king Josiah. 17 And the children of Israel that were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days. 18 And there was no passover like that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did any of the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover kept.
20 After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of Egypt went up to fight against Carchemish by the Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him. 21 But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with you, you king of Judah? I am not coming against you this day, but against the house with which I have war; and Elohim has commanded me to hurry: forbear you from meddling with Elohim, who is with me, that he does not destroy you. 22 Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of Elohim, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo. 23 And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Take me away; for I am severely wounded. 24 So his servants took him out of the chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had, and brought him to Jerusalem; and he died, and was buried in the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. 25 And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and singing women spoke of Josiah in their lamentations to this day; and they made an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations. 26 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his good deeds, according to that which is written in the law of Yahweh, 27 and his acts, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
2 Chronicles 36
Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s place in Jerusalem. 2 Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. 3 And the king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem, and fined the land a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 4 And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Neco took Joahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.
5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh his Elohim. 6 Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon. 7 Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of Yahweh to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon. 8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.
9 Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh. 10 And at the return of the year king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the good vessels of the house of Yahweh, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.
11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: 12 and he did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh his Elohim; he did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of Yahweh. 13 And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by Elohim: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart against turning to Yahweh, the Elohim of Israel. 14 Moreover all the chiefs of the priests, and the people, trespassed very greatly after all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted the house of Yahweh which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. 15 And Yahweh, the Elohim of their fathers, sent to them by his messengers, rising up early and sending, because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling-place: 16 but they mocked the messengers of Elohim, and despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until the wrath of Yahweh arose against his people, till there was no remedy.
17 Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or virgin, old man or gray-headed: he gave them all into his hand. 18 And all the vessels of the house of Elohim, great and small, and the treasures of the house of Yahweh, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. 19 And they burnt the house of Elohim, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces of it with fire, and destroyed all the good vessels of it. 20 And them that had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: 21 to fulfil the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths: for as long as it lay desolate it kept sabbath, to fulfil seventy years.
22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, 23 In this manner says Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth has Yahweh, the Elohim of heaven, given me; and he has charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all his people, may Yahweh his Elohim be with him, and let him go up.
