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Chapter 1
It was after Achab's death that the Moabites threw off their allegiance to Israel.
It went ill with Ochozias; he had a fall from the window of his upper room at Samaria. And he sent messengers to consult Beelzebub, the god they worship at Accaron, whether he might hope to recover from his sickness. But an angel of the Lord bade Elias go to meet these messengers from Samaria on their way, and ask them, Has Israel no God of its own, that you should go and consult Beelzebub, the god of Accaron? Here, then, is the Lord's message to Ochozias, Never shall you leave the bed you lie on; you are doomed to die. So Elias went on his errand; and Ochozias' messengers returned to their master. When he asked why they had returned, they told him how one had met them and bidden them go back to the king who sent them; of the Lord's message, too, that rebuked him for sending to consult Beelzebub, god of Accaron, as if Israel had no God of its own, and doomed him to die where he lay. Then he would know what was the look of the man who had met them and so spoken. A shaggy fellow, they told him, with a skin girt about his loins. And he said, It was Elias the Thesbite.
Thereupon the king sent a captain at the head of fifty men to find him. And this captain, climbing the mountain on which the prophet then dwelt, bade him come to down in the king's name. If prophet I am, Elias answered, let fire come down from heaven to consume you and your men with you; and with that, came fire from heaven, and he and his fifty were consumed. So the king sent another captain with fifty men more, and he too would have the prophet come down in the king's name. If prophet I am, said he, let fire come down from heaven to consume you and your men with you; and once more, captain and men were consumed by fire. But when a third captain was sent out with his men, he came and knelt before Elias in entreaty; My lord prophet, he said, have some regard to my life, and the lives of these that follow me. Two other captains the fire from heaven has consumed, and fifty men with either of them; on my life, I pray you, have pity.
Then the angel of the Lord said to Elias, Go down with them; you have nothing to fear. So he set out to accompany the man into the royal presence. And he told the king, You, who have sent to consult Beelzebub, Accaron's god, as though God in Israel there were none, shall never leave the bed you lie on; you are doomed to die. And die he did, as Elias had foretold in the Lord's name, with never a son to follow him; the throne passed to his brother Joram. This was in the second year of Josaphat's son, Joram, king of Juda. What else Ochozias did, all his history, is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Israel.
Chapter 2
And now the time had come when the Lord would have Elias carried up by a whirlwind into heaven. Elias was but then leaving Galgal, with Eliseus in his company; and he said to Eliseus, Pray stay on here awhile; the Lord has an errand for me at Bethel. As the Lord is a living God, said he, and you a living soul, I will not part from you. So together they journeyed to Bethel, where there was a school of prophets. And here the disciples greeted Eliseus by asking, Has it been made known to you that the Lord means, this day, to carry off your master? I, too, know it, he answered; say no more. Stay on here, Elias told him; the Lord has an errand for me at Jericho. As the Lord is a living God, said he, and your soul a living soul, I will not part from you. So together they reached Jericho, and here, too, the disciples of the prophets asked Eliseus whether he knew his master was to be carried away from him. I, too, know it, he answered; say no more. Here, too, Elias would have him stay on; for himself, the Lord had an errand for him at the Jordan; but still he said, As the Lord is a living God, and your soul a living soul, I will not part from you. So they went still in company; fifty of the prophets disciples followed them, and stood watching, far away.
They came to a halt, those two, at Jordan bank. And there Elias, taking off his mantle and folding it together, struck the waters of Jordan with it. Whereupon they parted, this way and that, allowing those two to pass over dry-shod. When they had crossed, Elias said to Eliseus, Make what request of me you will, before I am carried away from you. And he answered, I would have a double portion of the spirit you leave behind you. It is no light request you have made, said he. If I am carried away in full view of you, it means your request is granted; if not, it is refused. And they were still going on, and talking as they went, when all at once, between them, a flaming chariot appeared, drawn by flaming horses, and Elias went up on a whirlwind into heaven. Eliseus watched it, crying out, My father, my father, Israel's chariot and charioteer! But now he had sight of him no longer. He caught at his own clothes, and tore them across; then he took up the mantle of Elias, that had fallen from him; and when he reached Jordan bank again, with this mantle that had fallen from Elias he struck the waters; but they did not part. Alas, cried he, where is he now, the God of Elias? With that, he struck the waters again, and they parted this way and that, for Eliseus to cross over.
When they saw that, the disciples from Jericho that stood watching cried out, The spirit Elias had has come down to rest on Eliseus! And so, meeting him, they fell down face to earth; Lord prophet, they said, we can muster fifty strong men of our company to go out and look for this master of yours; it may be the Spirit of the Lord has carried him off and left him on some hill-top or in some cleft of the valleys. He would not have them send, but they were urgent with him, till at last he relented and gave them leave. So the fifty men were sent, and for three days they searched in vain. When they came back (for he was still waiting at Jericho), all he said was, Did I not warn you not to send?
The citizens there had a complaint to bring before Eliseus; This city, my lord, has a fair site, as you can see for yourself, but the water is foul, and the soil barren. Bring me a new jar, said he, filled with salt. And when this was brought, he went out to the spring from which the water came and cast the salt in. Here, he said, is a promise the Lord makes to you: I have healed this water, it shall bring death and dearth no longer. And from that day to this the water has been pure, in fulfilment of Eliseus' promise.
Then he went back to Bethel, and as he climbed up along the road, he was mocked by some young boys from the city; Up with you, bald-pate, they cried, up with you, bald-pate! And he, turning to look, called down the Lord's curse on them. Thereupon, out came two bears from the forest, and forty-two of the boys were torn in pieces. From Bethel he went on to mount Carmel, and afterwards made his way back to Samaria.
Chapter 3
It was in the eighteenth year of king Josaphat that Joram, son of Achab, began his reign over Israel at Samaria; it lasted twelve years. He too defied the Lord's will, but not so openly as his father and mother before him; the images his father had raised to Baal he abolished, but he clung to the sins of Jeroboam, that taught Israel to sin, and could not bring himself to leave them.
The king of Moab, Mesa, had great flocks in his possession, and used to pay a tribute of a hundred thousand lambs, and as many rams unshorn; but when Achab died, he renounced his agreement with the kings of Israel. Whereupon king Joram lost no time in marching out from Samaria, mustering his whole forces, and sending a message to Josaphat, king of Juda, bidding him come out and bear arms against the rebel king of Moab. I will march with you, he answered; mine is yours, men and horses of mine are at your disposal; what shall be our line of march? Through the desert of Edom, answered he; and march they did, the three kings of Israel, Juda and Edom, by so indirect a journey as took them seven days to accomplish, till the supply of water failed for man and beast. Alas, alas, the king of Israel cried, that the Lord should have gathered us here, kings three, to fall into the hands of Moab!
But Josaphat said, Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we might win the divine favour? At that, one of Joram's men said, Eliseus the son of Saphat is close by, that was body-servant once to Elias. He is a man that has the power of the Lord with him, said Josaphat. So to Eliseus the three kings of Israel, Juda and Edom betook themselves. And thus he greeted the king of Israel, What make you with me? To those other prophets betake yourself, whom your father and your mother knew. Tell me this, said Joram; why has the Lord gathered us here, kings three, to fall into the hands of Moab? And Eliseus told him, As the Lord of hosts, the God I serve, is a living God, neither heed nor hearing you should have had from me, but for that reverence I bear for Josaphat, king of Juda. Bring a minstrel here. So a minstrel came, and while he played on his harp, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Eliseus, and he cried, A message from the Lord; Dig channels here, channels there, in this dry river-bed. Thus says the Lord, Never a sign shall there be of wind or rain, but this river-bed shall fill with water, for you and yours and for your beasts to drink. And the Lord will not be content with that; he means to give you victory over Moab. Every fortress and every cherished city of theirs you must overthrow, cut down every fruit-tree, stop up every well, strew all their best plough-land with boulders.
And so, next morning, at the time when sacrifice is offered, in came the water, flowing from Edom; water filled all the plain. And now the Moabites, who had heard that the kings were marching against them, called to arms every man that could wear a sword-belt, and stood ready to defend their frontier. They awoke that morning to find sunrise reflected in the water, so that it seemed, from their side of the valley, red as blood. Bloodshed! they cried; the kings have fallen out with one another and come to blows; men of Moab, there lies the spoil! So they made straight for the Israelite camp; where the Israelites stood to their arms and overpowered them, so that they turned to flee. And now the victors, with Moab at their mercy, overthrew the cities, smothered their best plough-land, every man throwing his stone, stopped up the wells, and cut down the fruit-trees. Only the City of Brick Walls was left, and even this, beleaguered by slingers, was in great part destroyed.
The king of Moab, seeing that his cause was lost, tried to break through, at the head of seven hundred warriors, and attack the king of Edom. When this would not serve, he took his own first-born son, the heir to the throne, and offered him up as a sacrifice on the walls. At this, great ruth came upon the men of Israel, so that they let him be, and went back to their own country.
Chapter 4
There was a woman once that appealed to Eliseus for aid; her husband had been among the disciples of the prophets. Master, she said, you knew my husband for a faithful servant of yours, and one that feared the Lord. Now he is dead, and here is a creditor of mine that will come and take away my two sons, to be his bondsmen. What would you have me do for you? asked Eliseus. How much have you by you? My lord, she answered, I have nothing left in my house at all but a drop of oil to anoint myself with. Go then, said he, and borrow empty jars from all your neighbours, and do not stint yourself. Then go home, and lock the door on yourself and your two sons within; fill all these jars with the oil, and set them aside when they are full. So the woman went, and locked the door on herself and her two sons, and they began holding out the jars for her, while she filled them. When she had filled them, and, asking one of her sons for a fresh jar, was told that he had no more, the oil gave out. So she came and told her story to the servant of God, and he said, Go and sell the oil, and pay your creditor; what is left shall provide you and your sons with a living.
At another time, Eliseus chanced to be passing through Sunam, and here there was a woman of rank that bade him to a meal, and would take no denial. He must needs go that way often, and ever this woman entertained him, till at last she said to her husband, I find him to be a servant of God, and a holy one, this man that passes our way so often. It would be well if we kept a little room for his use, with bed and table and chair and lamp-stand in it, so that he may pass his time there whenever he visits us. And so, one day, when he had turned in to this room of his, to rest there, he bade his servant Giezi fetch the woman of Sunam; and she, thus summoned, stood awaiting his audience. And Eliseus sent her, through his servant, this message, In all things you have bestowed your constant care on us; what would you have me do for you in return? Is there any business of yours, over which you would have me say a word for you to the king, or to the commander of his army? And her answer was, Nay, my place is with my own folk. And now, as he wondered what he could do for her, Giezi told him, No need to ask; she has no son, and her husband is an old man. So Eliseus would have her brought to him, and as she stood there in the doorway, When this time of year comes round again, he told her, at this very hour, live you till then, you shall conceive a son. Nay, my lord, she said, would you, a prophet, trifle thus with your handmaid? But at that very season of the year, and at the very time Eliseus had foretold, she conceived, and bore a son.
The child grew to boyhood, and one day, when he had gone out to be with his father where they were reaping the corn, he told his father, My head aches, my head aches sorely. His father bade one of the servants carry him back to his mother; carry him back he did, and brought him to his mother, and she nursed him on her lap: till noon came, but at noon he died. Thereupon she carried him up and laid him on the prophet's own bed, and shut the door on him; then went out and called her husband, and asked to have one of the servants with her, and an ass; she must go and see the prophet with all speed, and with all speed return. Why, said he, what means this journey of yours? This is no feast of the new moon, no sabbath day. But she answered, Go I must. Then she saddled the ass, and bade the servant lead on, and that in haste; let him lose no time over the journey, and wait ever on her bidding.
So out she went, and found the servant of God on mount Carmel. And he, when he saw her approaching, said to his servant Giezi, That is the woman from Sunam; go to meet her, and ask her if all is well with her, all well, too, with her husband and her son. All is well, she said; but when she reached the servant of God, there on the mountain, she clasped him by the knees. Giezi would have pulled her away, but the servant of God said, Let her alone; here is great anguish of spirit, and I none the wiser; the Lord told me nothing of it. Then she said, My lord, did I not ask to have a son, imploring you not to cheat me of my hopes? Whereupon he said to Giezi, Gird yourself, and take this staff of mine with you; go at once, greeting none and returning no greeting by the way, till you reach the boy; and lay down my staff on his face. As you live, the woman said, and serve a living Lord, I will not part from you. So he rose up and went with her.
Giezi had gone on before him, and put down the staff on the boy's face; but no sound came, no sign of life, so he went back to meet his master with the news, The boy did not stir. Then Eliseus went into the house, where the boy lay dead in his bed; and there he shut himself in with the boy, and prayed to the Lord. So, rising from his prayer, he laid himself down on the dead body, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands, bending down close, till the boy's flesh grew warm. Then he went away, and walked to the end of the house and back, and now when he mounted the bed and lay down, the boy yawned seven times, and opened his eyes. Then Eliseus sent Giezi to fetch the woman of Sunam, and when she answered the summons, bade her take her son into her arms. So she came up, and fell at his feet, bowing down to the earth; then she took up her son and went out, and Eliseus made his way to Galgal.
There was once a famine in the country, at a time when Eliseus had some of the young prophets staying with him. And he bade one of his servants put on the great pot they had, and cook broth for these disciples of his. The man who had gone out afield to gather wild herbs for them found a creeping plant in the woods, from which he filled his lap with wild gourds; and these, when he came home, he shredded into the pot of broth, never enquiring what they were. When the time came for his guests to have their meal, the broth was poured out; but no sooner had they tasted it than they cried out, Death it were, lord prophet, to taste this broth of yours; drink it they might not. Thereupon he would have some flour brought him; brought it was, and when he threw it into the pot and had broth poured out for the company, all bitterness had left it.
Once, too, a man came from Baal-Salisa, bringing with him twenty barley loaves, his first-fruit offering, and nothing besides except some fresh grain in his wallet. Eliseus would have a meal set before the company, and when his servant asked how this would suffice for a hundred mouths, he said again, Set it before the company for their meal; they shall eat, the Lord says, and leave some over. And when he set it before them, eat they did and leave they did; so the Lord's promise was fulfilled.
Chapter 5
At this time the armies of the king of Syria were commanded by a certain Naaman; a great captain, high in his master's favour; brave, too, and a man of wealth, but a leper. Naaman's wife had a servant, a young Israelite maid that had been captured by Syrian freebooters; and this maid said to her mistress, If only my lord would betake himself to the prophet in Samaria! He would have cured him soon enough of his leprosy. Upon this, Naaman went to his master, and told him what the Israelite maid had said; and the king of Syria promised to send him with a letter to the king of Israel. So he set out with thirty talents of silver, and six thousand gold pieces, and ten suits of clothing. And the letter he carried to the king of Israel ran thus, Know by these presents that I am sending my servant Naaman to you, to be cured of his leprosy. Upon reading this letter, the king of Israel tore his garments about him, and asked, Am I God, with power to kill men and bring them to life again, that he should send a leper to me to be cured? Mark well how eager he is to pick a quarrel with me!
But God's servant Eliseus, when he was told what ado the king of Israel had made over it, sent a message to him, Why rend those garments of yours? Send the man to me, and he shall learn that there is a prophet still left in Israel. So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots, and stood at the door of Eliseus' house; where Eliseus sent word out to him, Go and bathe seven times in the Jordan, if you would have health restored to your flesh, and be clean. At this, Naaman was for going back home; Why, he said angrily, I thought he would come out to meet me, and stand here invoking the name of his God; that he would touch the sore with his hand, and cure me. Has not Damascus its rivers, Abana and Pharphar, such water as is not to be found in Israel? Why may I not bathe and find healing there? But, as he turned indignantly to go away, his servants came and pleaded with him; Good father, they said, if the prophet had enjoined some great task on you, you would surely have performed it; all the more readily you should obey him when he says, Wash and you shall be clean. So down he went, and washed in the Jordan seven times, as the servant of God had bidden him. And with that, his flesh healed up, and became like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. So, coming back with all his retinue, he stood there in the presence of God's servant; I have learned, he said, past doubt, that there is no God to be found in all the world, save here in Israel.
And now, he said, pray accept a gift from your servant, to prove his gratitude! As the Lord I serve is a living God, Eliseus answered, I will accept nothing from you; nor would any pleading bring him to consent. At last Naaman said, Have your way, then, lord prophet, but grant me a gift instead. Let me take away with me part of the soil of Israel, as much as two mules can carry; my burnt-sacrifice, my offerings henceforward are for the Lord only, and for no alien god. Yet one fault pray the Lord to pardon in me your servant. My master will still be going up to offer worship in the temple of Remmon, leaning on my arm for support. At such times, if I do reverence, as my master does reverence, in Remmon's temple, the Lord grant me his pardon! Go on your way, said Eliseus, and peace go with you. So there, on a spring day, they parted.
But to Giezi, the prophet's servant, the thought came, Here is this Syrian, this Naaman, with all his gifts, and my master has sent him away no poorer than he came. As the Lord is a living God, I mean to run after him and bring back some trifle with me. So after Naaman Giezi went; and Naaman, when he saw him running up, dismounted from his chariot and went to meet him; Is all well? he asked. All is well, said the other, but my master has sent me with a message to you: Here are two young prophets but now come to visit me, from the hill-country of Ephraim; to these you may well give a talent of silver, and two suits of clothing. Better two talents, Naaman said, and would take no denial. So two of his servants must shoulder a sack that held a talent of silver and a suit of clothes each of them, and carry these in front of Giezi. Evening had fallen when he reached home, took their load from them to lay it up in the house, and sent them away on their journey; then he went in to wait on his master. And when Eliseus asked from where he came, he said, Nay, my lord, I took no journey. What, said Eliseus, was not this heart of mine there to witness it, when yonder fellow turned back from his chariot to meet you? And would you, at such a time, enrich yourself with a talent of silver here, a suit of clothes there, to buy you oliveyard and vineyard, sheep and ox, manservant and maid-servant? To you, and to your race for ever, Naaman's leprosy shall cling. And Giezi went out from his presence, a leper as white as snow.
Chapter 6
There was a time when his disciples complained to Eliseus that they had no room to live there in his company; and they asked leave to take the road for Jordan, cut down, each of them, his load of timber from the forest, and build themselves a house there. Then, when he had given them leave, one of them said to him, Master, do you come with us. Come with you I will said he, and bore them company. So they reached the Jordan, and began felling wood. It chanced that one of them, in felling a beam, let his axe-head fall into the river; and at that he cried aloud, Alas, alas, master! It was a borrowed axe, too! Where fell it? the prophet asked; and when the place was shewn to him, he cut a stick and threw it in there; whereupon the iron floated to the surface. It is there to your hand, said he, and the disciple put out his hand and took it.
When the king of Syria went to battle with Israel, he would hold a council of war, and name some place where he would lay an ambush; and ever word came from Eliseus to the king of Israel, Beware how you march by such and such a place; the Syrians are lying in wait there. Then the king of Israel would send and make sure of the place the prophet had told him of; and so he avoided danger, not once but many times. At this, the king of Syria's mind much misgave him; and at last he summoned his council and asked, was there no learning the name of this traitor that revealed his plans to the king of Israel? Whereupon one of his courtiers told him, Nay, my lord king, it is the Israelite prophet, Eliseus, that discloses to him the secrets of your council-chamber. Why then, the king said, go and find out where he is, so that I can send and take him prisoner. And when news came that Eliseus was in Dothain, he sent horses and chariots and the pick of his army there, to surround the city at dead of night.
The prophet had a servant that was early abroad next day, and found the whole city beleaguered by armed men and horses and chariots; and as he brought the news, he cried out, Alas, alas, master, what shift will serve us now? Do not be afraid, said he; we have more on our side than they on theirs. Open his eyes, Lord, Eliseus prayed; give him clear sight. Thereupon the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and clear sight came to him; all at once he saw the whole mountain-side beset with flaming horses and chariots, there about Eliseus. Then, as the enemy closed in upon him, Eliseus prayed to the Lord anew, asking that this whole multitude might be smitten with blindness; and sightless the Lord smote them, at Eliseus' prayer. Eliseus would have it that they had taken the wrong road and reached the wrong city; Come with me, he said, and I will shew you the man you are looking for. So he led them to Samaria; and once they were there, he prayed anew, that their eyes might be opened, and clear sight given them. In Samaria, then, they found themselves, once their eyes were opened; and the king of Israel, upon sight of them, asked Eliseus, My father, shall I strike them down? Strike them down (said he) you shall not; they were not captured by sword or bow of yours, and would you slay them? Set food and drink before them, and let them go home to their master. So a great banquet was made for them, and when they had eaten and drunk their fill, back to their master he sent them. And Israel was rid, for a while, of freebooters from Syria.
Some time after this, Benadad, king of Syria, mustered all his forces, and went to the siege of Samaria. And Samaria was famine-stricken; so long beleaguered, that men would pay eighty pieces of silver for an ass's head, or five for a pint of dove's droppings. And one day, as the king was making the round of the battlements, a woman cried out to him, Help me, my lord king! Help from the Lord is none, said he, and what means of help have I, in threshing-floor or wine-press? What would you have of me? And she told him, This woman who is with me bade me kill my son, to be food for us that day; hers should be our food the next. And then, my son's flesh already cooked and eaten, when I bade her kill hers next day, she kept him in hiding. Upon hearing this tale, the king tore his garments across; and as he made his way along the battlements the people, one and all, could see how his shirt underneath was of sackcloth. May the Lord punish me as I deserve, said he, and more than I deserve, if I leave Eliseus the son of Saphat a head on his body by nightfall!
So he sent a man on before him, to find Eliseus where he sat at home, in conclave with the elders of the people. To these, before ever the messenger reached him, Eliseus said, You must know that my head is in danger. The murderer is on his way, sent by the murderer's son. When he comes in, look to it that you keep the doorway barred; I hear his master's tread not far behind him. Even as he spoke to them thus, in came the messenger that had set out to find him. And this was the king's word, See what ruin the Lord has brought on me! Folly it were to expect relief from the Lord any longer.
Chapter 7
Thereupon Eliseus announced a message from the Lord; Thus says the Lord, by this time to-morrow a silver piece will be buying a peck of wheat, or two pecks of barley, in the market-place at the gate of Samaria. The king had one of his lords with him, to support him with his arm as he went; and this man mocked at the prophet's words. Perhaps the Lord means to open the flood-gates of heaven, said he; then it might be as you say. And Eliseus answered, The sight of it you shall have, but not the eating of it.
Now turn we to four lepers, who were standing there in the open space round the city gate. They were saying to one another, This is no place to wait for death. Enter we the city, we starve; abide we here, we shall die none the less. Come, let us give ourselves up to the Syrian army; it may be they will spare our lives; if they kill us, it is but another form of death. So, when night fell, they ventured out, to make for the Syrian camp; and as they reached the edge of it, never a man was to be seen. That night, the Lord had made a noise heard in the camp of Syria like the stir of chariots and horses, and a great host of men; and the word went round, The Hethite chiefs, the Egyptians are upon us! The king of Israel has hired them to attack us! And with that the Syrians took to their heels, and fled away in the darkness, leaving tents and horses and asses behind them, there in the camp; fled for their lives. So these lepers, still at the very edge of the camp, went into one of the tents, ate and drank there, carried off silver and gold and clothing and went off to hide it; came back to another tent, plundered that too, and hid away their plunder. Then one said to another, This is ill done; we are bearers of good news to-day. If we keep it secret, and wait till morning to spread it, that were shame to us. Back go we, and tell our tale in the king's court.
When they reached the city gate, and made it known how they had been to the Syrian camp, and found never a man there, only horses and asses that stood tethered, beside pitched tents, the porters went off to the king's palace, and there spread the story about. The king himself rose, and held a midnight council. This is the trick, said he, the Syrians are playing us; they know we are hard put to it by famine, and they think to lure us out by leaving their camp and hiding in the open country; so they hope to capture us alive, and make their way into the city. But one of his counsellors said, There are still half a dozen horses left in the city; so few among so many of us; all the rest have been slaughtered for food. Yet with these we may send out riders to report. So two horses were fetched, and on these men were sent to search the camp of Syria. All the way to Jordan they followed in the enemy's track, and still all the road was strewn with garments and weapons which the Syrians had thrown away in the flight; and they brought back the report of it to the king.
So the whole city went out and plundered the Syrian camp; and it was a silver piece for a peck of wheat, a silver piece for two pecks of barley, as the Lord had foretold. As for that courtier who had walked beside the king to support him, he was put in charge of the market-place; and such was the crowd at the gate entrance that he was trampled to death, as the servant of God had foretold when the king came to visit him. It was nothing but truth Eliseus had told the king, By this time to-morrow a silver piece will be buying a peck of wheat, or two pecks of barley, in the market-place at the gate of Samaria. Perhaps the Lord means to open the flood-gates of heaven, this courtier said; then it might be as you say. And Eliseus told him he should have the sight of it but not the eating of it; which prophecy was fulfilled in its turn, when he sat in the gateway there and the folk trampled him to death.
Chapter 8
Now turn we to the mother of that boy whom Eliseus raised to life. Eliseus had said to her, Up, go on your travels, you and all your household with you, and there dwell where dwell you can; the Lord has a drought in store for us, which will fall upon this land for seven years together. She lost no time in carrying out the prophet's command, went abroad with all her household, and for a long time dwelt in the Philistine country; then, when the seven years were over, she came back from the Philistine country, and sought an audience with the king, to reclaim her house and lands. The king, at that very time, was in talk with Giezi, the prophet's servant, and had bidden him tell the story of all Eliseus' marvellous deeds; and Giezi was even then describing how the dead boy had been raised to life, when in came the boy's own mother, appealing to the king to restore her house and lands. My lord king, said Giezi, this is the very woman, and this is that son of hers, whom Eliseus restored to life. So the king, when he had questioned the woman and had the story from her, charged one of his own chamberlains to see that she came into her own, and recovered the revenues the lands had brought in ever since she left the country.
Eliseus was on a visit to Damascus when Benadad, king of Syria, fell sick. And when he heard that the servant of God was there, the king bade Hazael take gifts with him and go to meet the prophet; Bid him enquire of the Lord, he said, whether I shall recover from this sickness of mine or not. So Hazael went to meet him, and gifts went too, all the best Damascus had to offer, forty camels burden of them. And when he had made his way to Eliseus' presence, and told how Benadad king of Syria had sent to know whether he would recover from his sickness, Eliseus said, Go and assure him of health restored; but for all that, the Lord has revealed to me that he is doomed to die. Hazael, as he stood there talking to him, was in great confusion, so that his face blushed red; but the servant of God fell a-weeping. Why weeps my lord? asked Hazael; and his answer was, I weep for all the calamity I know you are to bring on the sons of Israel. Their cities you will burn down, their young men you will slay in battle; dash little children to the ground, and rip open the pregnant womb. Nay, said Hazael, not for a low-born wretch like your servant here such great exploits as these! You are to be king of Syria, Eliseus answered; the Lord has revealed it to me. So he parted from Eliseus and went back to his master. What said Eliseus? asked he, and Hazael gave him the message that he should recover his health; but next day he took a piece of cloth, soaked it in water, and held it over Benadad's face till he was stifled; and thus he succeeded to the throne.
It was in the fifth year of Joram, Achab's son, king of Israel (and Josaphat, king of Juda), that Josaphat's son Joram became king of Juda; he was thirty-two years old when he came to the throne, and his reign at Jerusalem lasted eight years. And he followed the example of the Israelite kings, just as Achab's line did; he himself had married a daughter of Achab's. So he defied the Lord's will; but the Lord would not bring ruin upon Juda; had he not promised his servant David to keep the lamp of his line unquenched for ever? It was in Joram's days that the Edomites renounced their allegiance to Juda and set up a king of their own choice. Joram indeed attacked Seira with his whole force of chariots, and when the Edomites surrounded him, he broke through them with a night assault, broke through the commanders of the chariots and drove the foot-soldiers back to their tents; but Edom has never been subject to Juda from that day to this. Lobna, too, revolted at the same time. What else Joram did, all his history, is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Juda. So he was laid to rest with his fathers, ands hared their burying-place in the Keep of David; and the throne passed to his son Ochozias.
This Ochozias, son of king Joram of Juda, came to the throne in the twelfth year of Achab's son Joram, king of Israel; he was twenty-two years old when he came to the throne, and he reigned at Jerusalem but one year; his mother was Athalia, descended from Amri, king of Israel. He, too, followed the example of Achab's line, and defied the Lord's will; to Achab's house he was close allied. And with Joram, Achab's son, he went to fight against Hazael, king of Syria, at Ramoth-Galaad. Joram was wounded in this engagement with the Syrians, and went back to Jezrahel to recover his health. And when Joram, Achab's son, lay sick at Jezrahel, recovering from the wound he had received in fighting against Hazael at Ramoth-Galaad, Ochozias son of Joram king of Juda came there to visit him.
Chapter 9
Thereupon the prophet Eliseus sent one of his disciples on an errand. Gird up your tunic, said he, and make your way to Ramoth-Galaad, with this phial of oil in your hand. Once there, you will find Jehu the son of Josaphat, son of Namsi, sitting among his brother-captains; bid him rise up, and take him with you into an inner room. Then, holding up the phial of oil and pouring it out over his head, tell him, Thus says the Lord; herewith I anoint you king of Israel. Then fling the door open and begone; I would not have you linger there. So the young prophet made his way to Ramoth-Galaad, and, reaching it, found the captains of the army met in conclave. He asked to have speech with the commander; and when Jehu asked which of them all he meant, he said, With you, my lord. Thereupon Jehu rose up, and went into the inner room; where the prophet forthwith poured the oil over his head. This is my message, said he, from the Lord God of Israel; Herewith I anoint you king over Israel, the Lord's people. You are to overthrow the dynasty of King Achab that was your master; so it is that I mean to take vengeance for all those prophets of mine, all those true servants of the Lord, that were slain by Jezabel. All Achab's race I mean to destroy, sparing no male issue of his, free man or bondman in the realm of Israel; it shall have no better fortune than the race of Jeroboam, son of Nabat, or the race of Baasa, son of Ahia. As for Jezabel, she shall lie unburied in the purlieus of Jezrahel, for the dogs to eat. And with that he threw the door open, and was gone.
Is all well? Jehu's fellow officers asked, as he went back to them. What was this madman's errand? Know the man, said he, and you know his ranting talk. That will not serve, they answered; tell us what he said. Then he told them all that had passed, and how the Lord had assured him that he was the anointed king of Israel. And they, without more ado, flung down their cloaks at his feet, to pay him all the honours of a throne; and loud the trumpets sounded to proclaim that Jehu was king.
Thus Jehu, son of Josaphat, son of Namsi, entered into a conspiracy against Joram. (Joram himself had been in command of the Israelite army that held Ramoth-Galaad against king Hazael of Syria, but had now gone to Jezrahel to recover from the wounds Hazael's men had given him.) As you love me, Jehu said, let no one make his escape from the city, or news of this will reach Jezrahel. Then he mounted his chariot and set out for Jezrahel, where Joram lay sick, with Ochozias, king of Juda, come to visit him. And now the watchman that stood on the tower of Jezrahel espied Jehu's company, and he cried out, I see a troop of men coming. So Joram would have a chariot sent out to meet them, with the message, Is all well? But when the driver of the chariot met him, and asked, Is all peaceful? Jehu said, Talk not of peace; pass on behind me and follow. And the watchman cried, The messenger reached them, but never returns. Then a second chariot was sent out; once more the king asked whether all was peaceful, and once more the answer was, Talk not of peace; pass on behind me and follow. So the watchman cried out, The messenger reached them, but never returns. And he who comes yonder drives as Jehu the son of Namsi drives; it is headlong speed with him.
Harness my chariot, said Joram. Harnessed it was, and side by side in their chariots these two kings went out, Joram king of Israel and Ochozias, king of Juda, to meet Jehu. And when they met him, it was on the land that once belonged to Naboth, the man of Jezrahel.
Joram greeted him by asking, Is all well, Jehu? And he answered, Can aught be well, so long as your faithless mother Jezabel will be at her sorceries still? At that, Joram wheeled about and fled, crying aloud, Treason, Ochozias, treason! But Jehu grasped his bow and bent it; right between the shoulder-blades the arrow struck Joram, and pierced through his heart, and he fell down in his chariot where he stood. Then Jehu said to his squire Badacer, Take up his body, and throw it down on the land that was once Naboth the Jezrahelite's. I remember well, when you and I were sitting in our chariot together, in attendance on his father Achab, how the Lord pronounced doom upon him: I swear that I will avenge the murder of Naboth and his children, that was done in my sight yesterday, avenge it on the very ground where you stand. Take it up and cast it down there; let the Lord's word be fulfilled.
As for Ochozias, king of Juda, he fled at the sight, past the lodge of the royal garden; but Jehu followed, crying, Shoot him down too where he drives! And shoot him they did, on the hill where Gaver stands, by Jeblaam. He escaped at last to Mageddo, but there he died. On his own chariot his servants laid him down, and so bore him back to Jerusalem, to bury him where his fathers were buried, in David's Keep. It was during the eleventh year of Joram, Achab's son, king of Israel, that Ochozias held the throne of Juda.
Meanwhile, Jehu drove on to Jezrahel. As for Jezabel, when she heard of his coming, darken she must her eye-brows, and braid her hair; then she looked down from her window as Jehu passed the gate, crying out: Is all well? There was one Zambri, that murdered his master. Jehu looked up at the window, and asked who this was. Thereupon two or three of the eunuchs leaned out to greet him. Throw her down, said he, and throw her down they did; blood spattered the wall, and the horses trampled her under foot. And he, going into the palace to eat and drink there, gave the word, Go find the accursed woman's body, and give it burial; she was a king's daughter. But when they went to bury her, nothing could they find but skull and feet and the tips of her fingers. When they went back to him with the news, he said, This is what the Lord foretold through his servant Elias the Thesbite. Jezabel, he said, shall be food for dogs in the purlieus of this city; in the purlieus of the city her corpse shall lie like dung on the ground, for the passers-by to wonder whether this is indeed Jezabel.
Chapter 10
Over in Samaria, Achab had still seventy male descendants to his name. So Jehu dispatched a letter to the chiefs and elders there, and to those who had the young princes in their charge; these were the terms of it: Here is work to be done when this letter reaches you. You have the royal family among you; chariots and horses, strongholds and weapons of war, are at your disposal. Why then, you must pick out the likeliest among the princes, whichever enjoys your favour most, and put him on his father's throne; then take up arms in the royal cause, and do battle.
At this, they were thrown into consternation; here were two kings swept away by Jehu's onset, and what resistance could they hope to offer him? So all of them, guardians of the princes, chieftains and elders, sent word to Jehu, We are your servants, awaiting your commands; it is not for us to set up a king; do what is your pleasure. And this was the second letter he sent them, If you are loyal lieges of mine, cut off the heads of the princes, and bring them to me at Jezrahel this time to-morrow. These leading men of the city had the seventy princes in their keeping, and when the letter reached them, they killed all seventy, and sent back their heads in baskets to Jehu at Jezrahel. He, when news came to him that the princes heads had been brought there, would have them left in two heaps at the city gate till morning, then, at dawn, he went out and confronted the people. You are without bias, he said to them; tell me, if I conspired against my master, who is to blame for the death of all these? You see for yourselves that no word of the Lord's curse upon the house of Achab has missed the mark; what the Lord prophesied through his servant Elias, he has here fulfilled. Then Jehu put to death all that was left of Achab's race in Jezrahel, with all that had been nobles, courtiers and priests in his reign, till no trace of him was left.
Then he made his way to Samaria; and when he reached the shepherds' lodging by the road side, he fell in with some of Ochozias' kindred, that had been king of Juda. And when he asked who they were, and they told him kinsmen of Ochozias, that were on their way to greet the sons and brothers of the king, he gave orders for their arrest. So they were seized as prisoners, forty-two of them in all, and their throats were cut over the pool by the shepherds lodging; not one of them was left alive.
Passing on thence, he met Jonadab, son of Rechab, coming to greet him, and gave him welcome. Is your heart true to me, he asked, as mine to you? And when he learned that it was so, Give me your hand, and lifted him up, by his outstretched hand, into the chariot. Come with me, he said, and witness my zeal in the Lord's cause. So, in his own chariot, he brought Jonadab to Samaria. And all of Achab's household that were left in Samaria he destroyed to a man, so fulfilling that curse which the Lord pronounced through Elias. Next, Jehu called a general assembly of the people, and told them, It was but scant worship Achab paid to Baal; Jehu means to pay him greater worship yet. Summon me all Baal's prophets, all his worshippers, all his priests; at this great sacrifice I mean to offer Baal, none must be absent; it is death to the man whose place is found empty. All this was but a design Jehu had in hand, for destroying Baal's worshippers. So he would have a solemn feast proclaimed in Baal's honour, and this summons of his went out all through the confines of Israel; all Baal's worshippers came in answer to it, not a man was left behind. And all made their way into Baal's temple, till it was full from end to end. Then Jehu bade the wardrobe-keepers bring out garments for all Baal's votaries, and when these had been brought, he and Jonadab the son of Rechab went into Baal's temple, and bade the worshippers look well to it that none of the Lord's servants were among them, only the followers of Baal. And where they had entered, there was offering and burnt-sacrifice to be made. Without, Jehu had posted eighty men, telling them, If you let any of my quarry slip through your hands, it shall be life for life. And now, when the burnt-sacrifice was done, he gave orders to his bodyguard and his officers to go in and make an end of them; not one must escape. So these, his bodyguard and his captains, put them to the sword. Then they went to the Keep of Beth-baal, and took out Baal's statue from the temple, to burn it, and crush it to pieces. As for Baal's temple, they pulled it down, and made it a house of easement, as it is to this day.
Thus Jehu abolished the worship of Baal in Israel. Yet he would not forgo the sins of Jeroboam son of Nabat, that taught Israel to sin; at Bethel and at Dan the golden calves had their worship still. For your zeal in doing my will, the Lord told him, for carrying out my just decrees against the line of Achab, I will let your heirs keep the throne of Israel up to the fourth generation; and still this Jehu was too careless to follow the law of Israel's God with his whole heart, by abandoning the sins of Jeroboam, that taught Israel to sin! It was in his days that the Lord began to grow aweary of Israel; and Hazael struck at all their frontiers, where these lay east of the Jordan, Galaad, and Gad, and Ruben, and Manasses, and Aroer on the river Arnon, the whole territory of Galaad and Basan. What else Jehu did, all his history and the record of his great deeds, is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Israel. And at last he was laid to rest with his fathers at Samaria, and the throne passed to his son Joachaz; he had reigned over Israel, there in Samaria, for twenty-eight years.
Chapter 11
Upon the death of Ochozias, his mother Athalia put all the princes of the royal house to death, except Ochozias son Joas, who was saved by his aunt Josaba, daughter to king Joram. When the princes were slain, she stole him away, with his nurse, out of the bed-room, and kept him in hiding so that Athalia could not make away with him. For six whole years she kept him by her secretly in the Lord's house, while Athalia governed the country as queen. In the seventh year, Joiada sent for the commanders of the army and the royal bodyguard, took them into the temple and there made a compact with them, with the Lord's own house to be witness of their oath; then he shewed them the young prince. And with that, he gave them their directions. A third of your number, this sabbath day, will be keeping guard over the palace; some will be at the Sur gate, some at the gate by the armourers lodging, and you have to guard, too, the house of Messa. The other two thirds, that are relieved of duty that day, must come and keep guard over the king's person, in the Lord's house. Hedge him about well, with your swords drawn; do not let anyone enter the temple precincts with his life; wherever the king goes, attend him closely.
All the directions which the high priest Joiada gave them these commanders faithfully carried out; mustered their men, alike those who mounted guard and those who were relieved of duty on the sabbath, and presented themselves before Joiada, who supplied them with the spears and other weapons king David had bequeathed to the Lord's house; to right and to left of altar and temple stood armed men ready to protect the king. Then he brought the young prince out, and gave the royal crown and a copy of the law into his keeping. So was he crowned and anointed, while all clapped their hands and cried aloud, Long live the king! Meanwhile, the stir which the soldiers made in going about their errand reached the ears of Athalia; and she made her way into the temple, there where all the crowds were gathered, to find the king standing on a dais, as the king should, with singers and trumpeters at his side, while all the folk rejoiced, and the trumpets sounded. Well might she rend her clothes, and cry out, Treason, treason! Thereupon Joiada gave word to the commanders of the army that she must be taken out beyond the temple precincts, and if anyone tried to follow, he should be put to the sword; she must not be slain in the Lord's house, he told them. So they made her prisoner, and as she passed along the horse-way that leads to the palace, she was slain.
After this, Joiada would have a covenant made, that bound king and people to the Lord, as the Lord's own people; bound king and people to one another. And the whole populace went into Baal's temple, where they pulled down his altars and broke his images for good and all; they killed Mathan, too, Baal's priest, there at the altar. Then the high priest set guards over the Lord's temple, and presently he summoned the officers of the guard, with the Cerethite and Phelethite auxiliaries, and the whole populace with them; and together they brought the king back from the Lord's house, by way of the armourers' gate, into the palace, and he took his seat on the royal throne. All through the land were great rejoicings, and the city had rest, now that Athalia lay dead, there in the palace. Thus Joas came to his throne, a boy of seven years.
Chapter 12
Joas began his reign in the seventh year of Jehu, and for forty years he reigned as king at Jerusalem. His mother's name was Sebia, a woman of Bersabee. As long as the high priest Joiada was his adviser, he obeyed the Lord's will; only he did not abolish the hill-shrines, men still sacrificed and burned incense on the mountain-tops. This Joas made a proclamation to the priests; Here are gifts being brought to the temple all the while by pious folk that worship there, one paying a ransom for his life, another contributing as his devotion moves him. Such money the priests may take for their own, according to their rank; but they must be answerable for repairing the Lord's house, if they find anything that needs to be made good. The twenty-third year of King Joas came, and still the priests had done nothing to repair the temple. Whereupon king Joas summoned Joiada and the other priests; What means it, he asked, that you have not made good the temple's needs? Henceforth there must be no more taking money according to your rank; it must all be given up to the repairing of the temple. It was ordered, then, that the priests should no longer receive the gifts, and no longer be answerable for the repairs; instead, the high priest Joiada had a chest made, with a hole in the top of it, and put it close to the altar at the right hand side of the temple entrance; into this the priests who keep the door put all the money that was brought there.
Whenever the chest seemed to be over full, one of the king's secretaries betook himself to the temple, with the high priest, and together they emptied out and counted the money that was to be found there. This, when its value had been duly reckoned, they paid over to the master-builders, who distributed it to the carpenters and masons that worked in the Lord's house and carried out the repairs. The stone-cutters, too, must be paid, and wood and stone must be bought ready for fashioning. Thus the repairing of the Lord's house would not go short for the money which the work needed. The money was not to be used for making pitcher or fork, censer or trumpet, or any other piece of gold or silver ware for the Lord's house; all the offerings given to the temple were paid out to the workmen that were repairing the temple; nor was any account asked of those who handled this money and distributed it to the workmen, they were trusted with the handling of it. Meanwhile the fines paid for fault or wrong done were not put into the treasury, since these belonged to the priests as of right.
It was at this time that Hazael, king of Syria, marched on the town of Geth and took it by storm; then wheeled about and threatened to march on Jerusalem itself. Nor might Joas preserve the city from attack, till he had collected all the offerings dedicated in the temple by himself, or by Josaphat, Joram and Ochozias, that were kings of Juda before him, all the silver, too, that was to be found there or in the royal palace, and sent them to Hazael, king of Syria. What else Joas did, all his history, is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Juda. It was his own servants that set a conspiracy on foot against him, and slew him in the house at Mello, where the road goes down to Sella; Josachar son of Semaath and Jozabad son of Somer, his own attendants, gave him his death-blow. He was laid to rest with his fathers in the Keep of David, and the throne passed to his son Amasias.
Chapter 13
It was in the twenty-third year of Joas, son of Ochozias, king of Juda, that Joachaz, Jehu's son, came to the throne of Israel, and reigned as king in Samaria for seventeen years. He defied the Lord's will, following the sinful example of Jeroboam, son of Nabat, that taught Israel to sin, and never departing from it. His anger thus provoked, the Lord left Israel at the mercy of Hazael, king of Syria, and his son Benadad, without respite; till at last Joachaz besought the Lord's favour. (This prayer the Lord answered, seeing Israel hard pressed by the Syrian king's inroads upon them; and he gave them a champion to set them free from the Syrian yoke. Then once more the men of Israel could dwell in their old homes; but even so they did not forgo the sins of Jeroboam, son of Nabat, that taught Israel to sin; they clung to them still, and still the forest-shrine had its place in Samaria.) In the time of Joachaz, nothing was left of the army but fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot-soldiers; such havoc the king of Syria had made among them, sweeping them away like chaff on the threshing-floor. What else Joachaz did, all his history, and the record of his great deeds, is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Israel. He was laid to rest with his fathers, with Samaria for his burying-place, and the throne passed to his son Joas.
This Joas, the son of Joachaz, came to the throne of Israel in the thirty-seventh year of Joas king of Juda; and his reign in Samaria lasted sixteen years. He defied the Lord's will, and would not abandon the sins of Jeroboam, son of Nabat, that taught Israel to sin; he clung to them yet. What else Joas did, all his history, and the record of his great deeds, and his war with Amasias king of Juda, is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Israel. He was laid to rest with his fathers, and the throne passed to his son Jeroboam. (Joas was buried in Samaria, with the other Israelite kings.)
And now Eliseus lay sick in his mortal illness, and Joas, who was then king of Israel, went to visit him; My father, my father, he said weeping, Israel's chariot and charioteer! Eliseus bade him fetch bow and arrows, and when bow and arrows were brought, he would have the king of Israel hold the bow in readiness. The bow was stretched, and Eliseus put his own hands over the king's hands; Now, said he, open the window that looks east, and he opened it; Shoot, and he shot. Yonder shaft, Eliseus told him, betokens the divine deliverance, deliverance from the power of Syria. It is for you to defeat the Syrians utterly, there at Aphec. Then he to would have Joas take up his arrows, and when he had done so, bade him shoot, there on the ground. Shoot he did three times, and then held his hand. Whereupon the prophet said to him angrily, Five times you should have let fly, or six, or seven, to defeat the Syrians utterly; this signifies three defeats and no more.
In the year of Eliseus' death and burial, the country was being ravaged by freebooters from Moab. Some of these appearing suddenly when a dead man was being carried out to his funeral, the bearers took fright, and threw the corpse into the first grave they could find; it was that of Eliseus. And no sooner had it touched the prophet's bones, than the dead man came to life again, and rose to his feet.
All through the life-time of Joachaz, king Hazael of Syria had pressed Israel hard; but now the Lord relented and came to their aid once more. Faithful to his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, he would not make an end of them and cast them off utterly as yet. So, when Hazael died, and his son Benadad succeeded him as king of Syria, Joas was able to retake those cities which his father Joachaz had lost to Benadad's father Hazael, and by right of conquest; three times Joas was victorious, and restored the lost cities to Israel.
Chapter 14
It was in the second year of Joas, son of Joachaz, king of Israel, that the throne of Joas, king of Juda, passed to his son Amasias. This Amasias was twenty-five years old when he came to the throne, and his reign at Jerusalem lasted twenty-nine years; his mother's name was Joadan, a woman of Jerusalem. He obeyed the Lord's will, not perfectly like his ancestor David, but in the manner of his father, king Joas; he too left the hill-shrines standing, so that men still sacrificed and burned incense on the mountain-tops. Once he was king, he put his father's murderers to death, but spared their children, in obedience to the law of Moses; whose terms are, A father must not die for his son's guilt, or a son for his father's; no guilt but his own shall bring a man to death. He also fought a battle against the Edomites in the Valley of the Salt-mines, killing ten thousand of them, and gaining possession of a rock-fortress, which he called by its present name of Jectehel.
Then he sent a challenge to Joas, son of Joachaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel; Come, let us have a trial of strength! And this answer Joas, king of Israel, sent to Amasias, king of Juda: Said Lebanon thistle to Lebanon cedar, Let my son have your daughter to wife. But down came wild beasts from Lebanon forest, and all the thistle got was, he was trodden underfoot. You have struck a shrewd blow at Edom, and now your heart is puffed up with pride; keep yourself at home, content with the renown you have, do not invite disaster, to your own and Juda's ruin. But Amasias would have his way, so these two kings, Joas of Israel and Amasias of Juda, met at a town in Juda called Bethsames; and there the men of Juda were routed by the Israelites, and scattered to their homes in flight. Thus Amasias, son of Joas, son of Ochozias, King of Juda, was captured by Joas king of Israel at Bethsames, and taken back to his own city of Jerusalem; where Joas made a gap in the walls four hundred cubits long, from the gate of Ephraim to the Corner gate, carried off all the gold and silver and other ware that was to be found in the temple or palace, took hostages besides, and made his way back to Samaria. (What else Joas did, and the record of his great victory over Amasias king of Juda, is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Israel. He was laid to rest with his fathers, with Samaria for his burying-place, and the throne passed to his son Jeroboam.) Amasias, son of the Joas that was king of Juda, survived Joachaz's son, Joas of Israel, by fifteen years; what else he did is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Juda. A conspiracy was made against him at Jerusalem, and when he escaped to Lachis they sent in pursuit of him and put him to death there; afterwards his body was brought back to Jerusalem in a horse-litter, and there buried with his fathers in David's Keep. Thereupon the whole people of Juda chose Azarias, a boy sixteen years old, to succeed his father Amasias; he it was carried out the designs of his dead father by fortifying the harbour of Aelath and restoring it to the possession of Juda.
It was in the fifteenth year of Amasias, son of king Joas of Juda, that Jeroboam, son of king Joas of Israel, began his reign in Samaria; it lasted forty-one years. He defied the Lord's will, and would not forgo the sins of Nabat's son Jeroboam, that taught Israel to sin. He it was restored to Israel its old territory, all the way from the pass of Emath in the North to the Dead Sea. So the Lord had foretold through a servant of his, the prophet Jonas, son of Amathi, from Geth-Opher: the Lord has not been blind to the affliction, past all endurance, that has fallen on Israel, bondman and free man alike perishing with none to succour them. So the Lord resolved not to let Israel's name vanish from the world; he would grant them redress through Jeroboam the son of Joas. What else Jeroboam did, all his history, and the record of his great deeds, how he fought and how he restored to Israel all of Damascus and Emath that once belonged to the Jewish kingdom, is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Israel. So Jeroboam was laid to rest with his fathers, the royal race of Israel, and his throne passed to his son Zacharias.
Chapter 15
It was in the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam that Azarias succeeded his father Amasias on the throne of Juda. He was then sixteen years old, and for fifty years he reigned at Jerusalem; his mother's name was Jechelia, a woman of Jerusalem. He obeyed the Lord's will, following in all things the example of his father Amasias, but did not destroy the hill-shrines; men still sacrificed and burned incense on the mountain tops. On him the Lord's hand fell, and he ended his days as a leper, dwelling apart in a house of his own, while his son Joatham had charge of the palace, and heard the complaints of his subjects. What else Azarias did, all his history, is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Juda. So he was laid to rest with his fathers; among his ancestors, in the Keep of David, they buried him; and Joatham came to the throne.
It was in Azarias thirty-eighth year that Jeroboam's son Zacharias began his reign in Samaria[ it lasted six months. He defied the Lord's will, like his fathers before him, and would not forgo the sins of Jeroboam, son of Nabat, that taught Israel to sin. But soon a conspiracy was made against him by Sellum son of Jabes, who attacked and killed him in the open street, and took the throne for himself. What else Zacharias did is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Israel. Long before, in Jehu's time, the Lord had promised, your heirs shall keep the throne of Israel till the fourth generation; and so it proved. For one month this Sellum reigned as king at Samaria, in the thirty-ninth year of Azarias; then he was killed and superseded by Menahem, son of Gadi, who marched on Samaria from Thersa; what else Sellum did, all the history of his secret conspiracy, is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Israel. (From Thersa), Menahem brought destruction on Thapsa, and all its inhabitants, and all their country-side, because they would not open the gates to him; ripped up the wombs, too, of the women that were pregnant.
It was in Azarias' thirty-ninth year that Menahem, son of Gadi, began his reign of ten years at Samaria; he defied the Lord's will, and would not forgo the sins of Jeroboam, son of Nabat, that taught Israel to sin. All through his reign the country suffered invasion by Phul, king of Assyria, and Menahem paid him a thousand talents of silver, to win support for his claim to the throne. To find this tribute for the Assyrian king, Menahem imposed a tax of fifty silver pieces on all the rich and powerful men in his kingdom. Thus the Assyrian king was induced to go home and rid the country of his presence. What else Menahem did, all his history, is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Israel; he was laid to rest with his fathers, and succeeded by his son Phaceia. It was in the fiftieth year of Azarias that this Phaceia, son of Menahem, began his reign of two years at Samaria; he defied the Lord's will, and would not forgo the sins of Jeroboam, son of Nabat, that taught Israel to sin. A conspiracy was made against him by one of his own commanders, Phacee son of Romelia, who attacked and slew him in his castle keep (close by Argob and Arie), with fifty Galaadites, and so became king in his place. What else Phaceia did, all his history, is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Israel.
It was in the fifty-second year of Azarias that Phacee, son of Romelia, came to the throne at Samaria; he reigned over Israel twenty years, and defied the Lord's will, never forgoing the sins of Jeroboam, son of Nabat, that taught Israel to sin. During the reign of Phacee, the Assyrian king Theglath-Phalasar invaded Israel, taking Aion, Abel-Beth-Maacha, Janoe, Cedes and Asor, with Galaad and Galilee and the whole territory of Nephthali, and carrying off their inhabitants into Assyria. As for Phacee, he was caught unawares and slain by a conspirator, Osee son of Ela, who succeeded him on the throne in the twentieth year of Joatham, son of Ozias. What else Phacee did, all his history, is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Israel.
It was in the second year of Phacee, son of Romelia, that Joatham, son of Ozias, came to the throne of Juda. He was twenty-five years old when he came to the throne, and his reign at Jerusalem lasted sixteen years; his mother's name was Jerusa, daughter of Sadoc. He obeyed the Lord's will, following in all things the example of his father Ozias; but did not abolish the hill-shrines; men still sacrificed and offered incense on the mountain-tops. He it was built the high gate that leads into the Lord's house. What else Joatham did, all his history, is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Juda. This was the time at which the Lord began subjecting Juda to attack from Rasin, king of Syria, and Phacee, son of Romelia. So Joatham was laid to rest with his fathers, with the Keep of David for his burying-place, and the throne passed to his son Achaz.
Chapter 16
It was in the seventeenth year of Phacee, son of Romelia, that Achaz, son of Joatham, came to the throne of Juda. He was twenty years old when he began his reign, which lasted at Jerusalem for sixteen years. This Achaz did not obey the Lord's will like his ancestor David before him; he followed the example of the Israelite kings, even consecrating his son by passage through the fire, after the idolatrous wont of those nations which the Lord drove out to make room for Israel. Never a high hill or a mountain-slope or a leafy wood but Achaz must do sacrifice and offer incense there.
And now Rasin king of Syria and Phacee son of Romelia marched on Jerusalem and besieged Achaz there, but could not get the mastery of him. (It was then that Rasin recovered Ailam for Syria, by driving the men of Juda out from it; but the Edomites came and took possession of it, and it remains theirs to this day.) Thereupon Achaz sent a message to the Assyrian king, Theglath-Phalasar; Bring aid, master, to your servant, father, to your son; rescue me from the assault of Syria and Israel; gifts, too, he sent him, collecting all the silver and gold that was to be found in temple or palace. Nor was the king of Assyria unwilling; he marched on Damascus and laid it waste, carrying off the inhabitants to Cyrene and putting Rasin to death.
When king Achaz went to meet Theglath-Phalasar at Damascus, he saw there an altar, of which he sent a likeness with a full account of all its workmanship, to the high priest Urias; and Urias built an altar in accordance with all the directions Achaz had sent him from Damascus, to greet his return. Returned from Damascus, Achaz went to see it and did reverence to it; then went up to make burnt-sacrifice and meal-offering; poured libations, and shed the blood of his welcome-offerings there. Then he removed the brazen altar, that stood ever in the Lord's presence opposite the tabernacle, away from its place between the new altar and the temple, to the north side of the new altar. And king Achaz bade the high priest Urias bring to this greater altar the morning burnt-sacrifice and the meal-offering at nightfall; here king and people would present burnt-sacrifice and meal-offering and libations, here the blood of the burnt-sacrifice and all other offerings was to be spilt; as for the altar of bronze, it should await the king's good pleasure. And the high priest Urias carried out all his bidding.
King Achaz also took away the moulded stands and the smaller basins that rested on them; took away the oxen that supported the great basin and let it rest on a stone pavement instead; altered, too, the sabbath porch he had built in the temple, and the outer part of the royal entry. Of all these changes in the temple building the king of Assyria was the cause. What else Achaz did, all his history, is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Juda. So he was laid to rest with his fathers, with the Keep of David for his burying-place, and the throne passed to his son Ezechias.
Chapter 17
It was in the twelfth year of Achaz that Osee, son of Ela, began his reign at Samaria; it lasted nine years. He too defied the Lord's will, yet not so wantonly as the other kings of Israel before him. This king was attacked by Salmanasar, king of the Assyrians, and made his vassal, and forced to pay tribute. Afterwards, the Assyrian king found out that he had sent an embassy to Sua, king of Egypt, hoping thus to rebel, and to be rid of his yearly tribute; whereupon he seized him, put him in chains, and imprisoned him. Then he overran the whole country with his troops, and marched against Samaria, which for three whole years he kept beleagured. At last, in the ninth year of Osee, Samaria was taken, and all the Israelites carried off to the Assyrian country; where they were settled in Hala, in Habor, by the river of Gozan, and among the cities of Media. Such was their doom, who had no sooner escaped from Egypt and from the power of Pharao, than they wronged the God who had rescued them by worshipping alien gods instead. Afterwards, they took their forms of worship from the very nations the Lord had driven out to make room for them, or from kings who imitated their ways. With false inventions these Israelites offended the Lord that was their own God, making themselves mountain shrines in all their townships from lonely hamlet to walled city. No high hill, no leafy wood, but had its images and its sacred trees; and there they burnt incense on their altars, imitating the nations God had dispossessed before their onslaught. Foul deeds were done, to challenge the Lord's anger, shameless rites practised, such as the Lord had forbidden expressly.
The Lord did not leave himself without witness; by prophet and seer he warned them, Come back from these graceless ways, follow precept and observance of mine; as the law bids you, that I enjoined on your fathers; as the prophets bade you, my servants that spoke in my name. But they gave him never a hearing; strained at his yoke; they would be like their fathers, obstinately defying the Lord their God. The usages he had taught them, the covenant he had made with their fathers, the warnings he had given them by his prophets, all lightly cast aside, to false rites they betook themselves, and learned false ways; imitated the forbidden example of the heathen round about them. Forgotten, all the commandments of the Lord their God; they must have two golden calves, they must have sacred trees, they must worship all the host of heaven, and become Baal's servants; consecrate their sons and daughters by passage through the fire, take their orders from wizard and soothsayer; enslave themselves to defiance of the Lord's will, and provoke his vengeance. So it was that the Lord, in anger, banished Israel from his presence, and the tribe of Juda stood alone (not that even these kept the commandments of the Lord their God; these too strayed into false paths, of Israel's making). All Israel's race, then, the Lord cast off; humbled them, and left them at the spoiler's mercy; was ready, at last, to banish them from his presence altogether. So it was decreed, from the time when the Israelites first cut themselves off from David's line, and made Jeroboam, son of Nabat, their king; Jeroboam it was that drove men away from the Lord's worship, and taught them to commit heinous sin. To his evil example the men of Israel clung, and would never forgo it, until at last the Lord banished them from his presence, as all his prophets had foretold in his name, and they were carried off from their own country into Assyria, where they remain to this day.
And now the Assyrian king brought men from Babylon, and Cutha, and Avah, and Emath, and Sepharvaim, and settled these, instead of the Israelites, in the cities that belonged to Samaria. So they took possession of it, and made their homes in its cities, but at their first coming they paid the Lord no reverence, and thereupon he sent a plague of lions, that preyed upon them. News of this came to the Assyrian king, and a warning with it: The nations you have removed, and settled down in the cities of Samaria, have never learned how the God of that land would be worshipped; and he, the Lord, has sent a plague of lions among them. Must they die for want of knowledge how their new God is to be worshipped? So the Assyrian king gave orders that one of the priests carried away thence should be restored to his home; should go to live among them, and teach them how to worship the Lord. So one of the exiled priests from Samaria came to live at Bethel, and teach them he did; but still each nation would fashion the image of its own god, and they set up these images in the hill-shrines they had made, one in this city and another in that. The men of Babylon must have Socoth-Benoth, and the Chutaeans Nergel, and the Emathites Asima, and the Hevites Nabahaz and Tharehac; while the men of Sepharvaim offered their own children to the gods of Sepharvaim, Adramelech and Anamelech.
And in spite of it, they worshipped the Lord. They found priests among the dregs of the people, fit to serve hill-shrines, and in the hill-shrines they installed them; but though they worshipped the Lord, they still paid court to their own gods with the usages of their own folk, learned before ever they came to Samaria. And so it is to this day; the old habits still cling. This is not to fear the Lord, this is not to keep observance and decree, law and command, as the sons of Jacob should; Jacob, to whom the Lord gave his name of Israel. With them he made a covenant; and by that covenant they were to give alien gods neither fear nor reverence, neither worship nor sacrifice. To the Lord your God, he told them, the God who rescued you from Egypt with such signal proofs of his constraining power, all fear, all worship, all sacrifice belongs; his the observances, his the decrees, his the law of tabled precepts, that you must keep ever in mind, obey ever in act; no alien god must you fear. Never let his covenant go unremembered; the worship you deny to alien gods give to him only; then he will deliver you from the power of your enemies. To all this they paid no heed; old custom was still the rule they lived by. Here then, were nations that worshipped the Lord, yet obeyed their own false gods still; their sons, their grandsons did no better; and such is the rule they follow down to this day.
Chapter 18
In the third year of Osee, son of Ela, king Achaz of Juda was succeeded by his son Ezechias. This king was twenty-five years old when he came to the throne, and his reign at Jerusalem lasted twenty-nine years. Here was one that obeyed the Lord's will no less than his father David before him; scattered the hill-shrines, overthrew the images, cut down the sacred trees; broke in pieces, too, the brazen serpent Moses had made, because the Israelites, till his day, used to offer incense to it; the name given to it was Nohestan. In the Lord God of Israel he put all his trust; never was a king of Juda to rival him before or after; in the paths the Lord had traced he followed still, holding ever close to him, keeping ever the commands he had given through Moses. What wonder if the Lord was with him, if he was well advised in all he did? Against the king of Assyria he rose in rebellion, and denied him tribute; and harried the Philistine townships as far as Gaza, from lonely hamlet to walled city.
It was in the fourth year of Ezechias, and the seventh year after Osee son of Ela came to the throne of Israel, that Salmanasar, king of Assyria, marched on Samaria and laid siege to it. And at the end of three years he took it; it was in the sixth year of Ezechias and the ninth of Osee that Samaria was captured, and all the Israelites carried off to Assyria, where they were settled in Hala and Habor by the streams of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. And this, because they paid no heed to the Lord's bidding; false to his covenant, they left the commands he had given through his servant Moses unheard and unheeded.
Then, in the fourteenth year of Ezechias, the Assyrian king Sennacherib marched on the fortified cities of Juda and took them; whereupon king Ezechias sent word to the king of Assyria, then at Lachis: I have been to blame; withdraw your troops, and I will pay whatever ransom you do demand. So the king of Assyria imposed on Ezechias king of Juda a tribute of three hundred talents of silver, and three hundred of gold. All the silver that was to be found in temple or treasury Ezechias gave him; broke up, too, the temple doors, with the golden plates he himself had nailed to them, and gave these to the king of Assyria. After this the Assyrian king, who was still at Lachis, sent Tharehan, Rabsaris and Rabsaces at the head of a strong force to Jerusalem, where king Ezechias was. They marched up to the city, and halted by the aqueduct that fed the upper pool, on the way that brings you to the Fuller's Field. Their demand was to see the king, but they were met by Eliacim, son of Helcias, the controller of the royal household, and Sobna, the secretary, and Joahe, son of Asaph, the recorder. So Rabsaces bade them tell Ezechias, Here is a message to you from the great king, the king of Assyria. What confidence is this that makes so you so bold? Doubtless you have some design, in so committing yourself to the fortune of war. On whose help do you rely, that you would throw off my allegiance? What, will you rely on Egypt? That is to support yourself on a broken staff of cane, that will splinter and run into a man's hand, if he presses on it, and pierce him through; such does Pharao, king of Egypt, prove himself to all those who rely on him. Or will you answer, We trust, I and my people, in the Lord our God? Tell me, who is he? Is he not the God whose hill-shrines and altars Ezechias has cleared away, bidding Juda and Jerusalem worship at one altar here? Come now, if you were to make terms with my master, the king of Assyria, by which I must hand over to you two thousand horses, would you be able to do your part by putting riders on them? Why, you are no match even for a city prefect, the least of my master's servants. Trust, if you will, in Egypt, its chariots and its horsemen; but do you doubt that I have the Lord's warrant to subdue this land? It was the Lord himself who sent word to me, Make war on this land, and subdue it.
At this, Eliacim and Sobna and Joahe said to Rabsaces, My lord, pray talk to us in Syriac; we know it well. Do not talk to us in the Hebrew language, while all these folk are standing on the walls within hearing. What, said Rabsaces, do you think my master has sent me with this message for you only, and for that master of yours? It is for the folk who man the walls, these companions of yours that have nothing left to eat or drink but the ventings of their own bodies. Then Rabsaces stood up and cried aloud, in Hebrew, Here is a message to you from the great king, the king of Assyria! This is the king's warning, Do not be deluded by Ezechias, he is powerless to save you; do not let Ezechias put you off by telling you to trust in the Lord; that the Lord is certain to bring you aid, he cannot allow the king of Assyria to become master of your city. No, do not listen to Ezechias; here are the terms the king of Assyria offers you. Earn my good will by surrendering to me, and you shall live unmolested, to each the fruit of his own vine and fig-tree, to each the water from his own cistern. Then, when I come back, I will transplant you into a land like your own, which will grudge you neither wheat nor wine, so rich is it in corn-fields and vineyards, neither olives, nor oil, nor honey, and you will be spared from the destruction that threatens you. No, do not listen to Ezechias when he tells you that the Lord will deliver you. What of other nations? Were their countries delivered, by this god or that, when the king of Assyria threatened them? What gods had Emath and Arphad, what gods had Sepharvaim, Ana and Ava? Did any power rescue Samaria from my attack? Which of all the gods in the world has delivered his country when I threatened it, that you should trust in the Lord's deliverance, when I threaten Jerusalem? But all kept silence, and gave him no word in answer; the king had given strict orders that they were not to answer him. So Eliacim, son of Helcias, the controller of the royal household, and Sobna, the secretary, and Joahe, son of Asaph, the recorder, went back to Ezechias, with their garments torn about them, to let him know what Rabsaces had said.
Chapter 19
No sooner had king Ezechias heard it, than he tore his garments open, and put on sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. Meanwhile, he sent word to the prophet Isaias, son of Amos. Eliacim, the controller of the household, and Sobna, the secretary, and some of the older priests, went on this errand. Here is a message for you, they said, from Ezechias. Troublous times have come upon us, times to make us mend our ways, or else blaspheme God. What remedy, when children come to the birth, and the mother has no strength to bear them? Unless indeed the Lord should take cognizance of what Rabsaces has been saying, Rabsaces, who was sent here by his master, the king of Assyria, to blaspheme the living God. Surely the Lord your God has listened to the reproaches he uttered. Raise your voice, then, in prayer for the poor remnant that is left.
Thus visited by the servants of Ezechias, Isaias answered, Give your master this message. Do not be dismayed, the Lord says, at hearing the blasphemies which the courtiers of the Assyrian king have uttered against me. See if I do not put him in such a mind, see if I do not make him hear such news, as will send him back to his own country. And when he reaches his own country, I will give the word, and the sword shall make an end of him.
And now Rabsaces went back to find the king of the Assyrians before Lobna, hearing that he had raised the siege of Lachis. News had come that Taracha, king of the Ethopians, was on the way to do battle with him. And the king, as he went out to meet Taracha, despatched messengers to Ezechias; Give this warning, he said, to Ezechias, king of Juda, Do not let the God in whom you put such confidence deceive you with false hopes; do not think Jerusalem will never be allowed to fall into the hands of the Assyrian king. What, have you not heard what the kings of Assyria have done to the nations everywhere, destroying them utterly? And what hope have you of deliverance? What saving power had the gods of those old peoples my fathers overthrew, Gozam, and Haram, and Repheth, and the race of Eden who lived in Thalassar? Where are they, the kings of Emath, and Arphad, the kings who governed the city of Sepharvaim, and Ana, and Ava?
These despatches were handed by the messengers to Ezechias, and when he had read them, he went up into the house of the Lord, and held them out open in the Lord's presence. And this was the prayer which Ezechias made to him, Lord God of Israel, who have your throne above the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the world, heaven and earth are of your fashioning. Give ear, and listen; open your eyes, Lord, and see; do not let Sennacherib's words go unheard, these blasphemies he has uttered against the living God. It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have brought ruin on whole nations, and the lands they lived in, and thrown their gods into the fire; but these were in truth no gods; men had made them, of wood or stone, and men could break them. Now it is for you, Lord our God, to rescue us from the invader, and shew all the kingdoms of the world that there is no other Lord, no other God, save you.
Then Isaias, son of Amos, sent word to Ezechias, A message to you from the Lord, the God of Israel, granting the prayer you have made to him about Sennacherib, king of the Assyrians. This is what the Lord has to say of him: See how she mocks you, flouts you, Sion, the virgin city! Jerusalem, proud maiden, follows you with her eyes and tosses her head in scorn. So you would hurl insults, and blaspheme, and talk boastfully, and brave it out with disdainful looks, against whom? Against the Holy One of Israel. In your name, these servants of yours have hurled insults at the Lord. It was your dream that you had scaled, with those many chariots of yours, the slopes of Lebanon; you had cut down its tall cedars, its noble fir-trees, till you could reach the very summit of its ascent, the garden its woods enclosed. You would dig wells and drink wherever it pleased you, you would dry up, in your march, the banked channels of the Nile.
What, have you not heard how I dealt with this people in time past? This present design, too, is one I have formed long since, and am now carrying out; such a design as brings with it ruin for the mountain fastnesses, the walled cities that fight against you. Sure enough, they were overawed and discomfited, the puny garrisons that held them, frail as meadow grass, or the stalks that grow on the housetop, withering before they can ripen. But I am watching you where you dwell, your comings and goings and journeyings, your raving talk against me. Yes, I have listened to the ravings of your pride against me, and now a ring for your nose, a twitch of the bridle in your mouth, and back you go by the way you did come.
Here is a test for you, Ezechias, of the truth of my prophecy; this year you must be content with what crops are left you, and next year the aftergrowth shall be your food; in the third year you may sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. A remnant of Juda's race will be saved, and this remnant will strike root deep in earth, bear fruit high in air; yes, it is from Jerusalem the remnant will come, from mount Sion that we shall win salvation; so tenderly he loves us, the Lord of hosts. This, then, is what the Lord has to tell you about the king of the Assyrians; he shall never enter this city, or shoot an arrow into it; no shield-protected host shall storm it, no earthworks shall be cast up around it. He will go back by the way he came, and never enter into this city, the Lord says; I will keep guard over this city and deliver it, for my own honour and for the honour of my servant David.
It was after this that an angel of the Lord went out on his errand, and smote down a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp; when morning came, and he saw the corpses of the dead, the king broke up camp and was gone. So Sennacherib, king of the Assyrians, made his way home, nor did he leave Nineve again. And one day, when he was at worship in the temple of his god Nosroch, two sons of his, Adramelech and Sarasar, drew their swords on him, and so escaped into the land of Ararat; and the throne passed to his son Asarhaddon.
Chapter 20
And now Ezechias fell sick, and was at death's door; indeed, the prophet Isaias, son of Amos, visited him with this message from the Lord, Put your affairs in order; it is death that awaits you, not recovery. At this Ezechias turned his face towards the wall, and prayed to the Lord thus: Remember, Lord, I entreat you, a life that has kept true to you, an innocent heart; how I did ever what was your will. And Ezechias wept bitterly. Whereupon, before ever Isaias reached the middle of the court-yard, the word of the Lord came to him, Go back, and tell Ezechias, the ruler of my people, Here is a message to you from the Lord, the God of your father David. I have listened to your prayer, and marked your tears; be it so, I have granted you recovery. Within three days you shall be on your way to the Lord's temple, and I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will save you and your city from the power of the Assyrian king; I will be its protector, for my own honour and the honour of my servant David. Then Isaias bade them bring a lump of figs, and when this was brought and laid on the king's ulcer, he recovered. When Ezechias asked what sign should be given him that his health would be restored, and that he would set foot in the Lord's temple within three days, Isaias told him, Here is your proof that the Lord will keep his promise. Would you have the shadow on the sun-dial climb forward by ten hours, or travel backwards as much? Why, said he, it were no great matter that it should advance ten hours; rather, by my way of it, let it travel ten hours backwards. So the prophet Isaias made appeal to the Lord, and the shadow retraced the last ten hours it had advanced on the sun-dial of Achaz. And now, hearing of his sickness, the king of Babylon, Berodach Baladan, son of Baladan, sent a letter and gifts to Ezechias. Ezechias was delighted at the coming of these envoys, and shewed them his scented treasure-house, with its gold and silver and spices and rich ointments; the rooms where his ornaments were kept; all the wealth of his store-house. There was nothing in palace or domain but he shewed it to them. Then the prophet Isaias gained audience of king Ezechias, and asked him, What message did these men bring, and from where had they come? They came to see me, said Ezechias, from a country that is is far away, from Babylon. And when Isaias asked what they had seen in his palace, he told them, They saw everything in my palace; I have no treasures I did not shew them. And at that Isaias said to Ezechias, I have a message for your hearing from the Lord. Behold, a time is coming when all that is in your house, all the treasures which your fathers have amassed there in times past, will be taken away to Babylon; nothing shall be left of it, the Lord says. And sons of yours, men of your own line, of your own stock, shall be carried off to be eunuchs in the palace of the kings of Babylon. Why then, Ezechias said to Isaias, welcome be the word the Lord has spoken through you! In my time at least may there be peace; may the promise hold good.
What else Ezechias did, the record of his great deeds, and of the pool and conduit by which he stored water in Jerusalem, is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Juda. So Ezechias was laid to rest with his fathers, and the throne passed to his son Manasses.
Chapter 21
Manasses was twelve years old when he came to the throne, and his reign at Jerusalem lasted fifty-five years; his mother's name was Haphsiba. This Manasses defied the Lord's will, by courting the false gods of those nations which the Lord destroyed to make room for the sons of Israel. He restored once again the hill-shrines which his father Ezechias had overthrown; he raised altars to Baal, and set up sacred trees, like Achab king of Israel, and gave to all the host of heaven worship and observance. Nay, he must set up these altars of his in the Lord's own house, the chosen shrine of his name; altars there must be for all the host of heaven in the two temple courts. He consecrated his own son by passing him through the fire; there was watching for auguries and taking of omens, there was divination, and sorcerers abounded, until this defiance of his provoked the Lord's anger. He made an idol, too, after the fashion of the sacred trees, and set it up there in the Lord's temple. And this was at Jerusalem, the Lord's choice among all the cities of Israel; this was in the temple that was to be the everlasting shrine of his name; so he had promised David and Solomon, Nevermore will I let the sons of Israel be dislodged from the land I gave their fathers, if only they will be true to all the observances I have enjoined, all the commands which my servant Moses taught them. That warning went unheeded; the very nations which the Lord destroyed to make room for the sons of Israel were guilty of less wrong than they themselves did, when they were led astray by the example of Manasses.
Thereupon word came from the Lord through his servants the prophets: King Manasses of Juda shall not go unpunished for these deeds of his, more detestable yet than any the Amorrhites did before him; by which foul example Juda has become no less guilty than Israel. This warning, then, the Lord God of Israel sends him: I mean to bring such calamity upon Jerusalem and Juda as shall ring in the ears of all who hear it. Level with Samaria shall Jerusalem lie, lean in ruin as the house of Achab leans; I mean to efface Jerusalem as a wax tablet is effaced, scraping it over and over with pen downwards turned. I mean to abandon this poor remnant of the people that once was mine, and let them fall into the hands of their enemies, so that every rival of theirs can lay their land waste and plunder it; since the day when their race left Egypt, they have never ceased defying me and provoking my anger.
And Manasses, not content with leading Juda into all these sins of disobedience, took innocent lives without number, till all Jerusalem was brimming with blood. What else Manasses did, his history, and the record of his crimes, is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Juda. So Manasses was laid to rest with his fathers, within the domains of his own palace, in Oza's garden, and the kingdom passed to his son Amon.
Amon was twenty-two years old when he came to the throne, and his reign at Jerusalem lasted two years; his mother's name was Messalemeth, daughter of Harus of Jeteba. He disobeyed the Lord's will, like his father Manasses before him; never a path his father had marked out but he must follow it, never a shameful cult his father had honoured but he must be its slave; but the Lord, the God his ancestors had worshipped, he forsook utterly, and followed his bidding never. Then there was a conspiracy among the courtiers, and the king was slain in his own palace; but these conspirators were overthrown by a rising of the common people, who crowned Amon's son Josias to succeed him. What else Amon did, is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Juda. So they buried him in the tomb he had made for himself, in Oza's garden, and his son Josias came to the throne.
Chapter 22
Josias was eight years old when he came to the throne, and his reign at Jerusalem lasted thirty-one years; his mother's name was Idida, the daughter of Hadaia of Besecath. He was obedient to the Lord's will, and followed in all things the example of his ancestor, king David, never swerving to right or left.
In the eighteenth year of his reign, Josias had an errand for the controller of the temple, Saphan, son of Aslia, son of Messula. He was to bid the high priest Helcias reckon up the sum collected by the temple door-keepers for the needs of the Lord's house, and pay it out to the workmen through the temple overseers. Pay must be given to these workmen, engaged on making good the temple fabric, carpenters, masons, and builders alike; there was timber to be bought, too, and stone from the quarries, before the Lord's temple could be repaired. No account need be kept of these expenses; the overseers could be trusted with full disposal of the money. It was then that the high priest Helcias told Saphan he had found, there in the temple, a copy of the law, which he gave him to read. And Saphan, going back to the king with news of his errand, to report that the temple offerings had been reckoned up and paid over to the temple overseers, for distribution to the workmen, added that he had a book which the high priest Helcias had given him.
This book, then, Saphan read out in the royal presence; and the king, upon hearing the terms of the Lord's law, rent his garments about him. Then he gave his orders to Helcias, and Ahicam son of Saphan, and Achobor son of Micha, and Saphan the controller of the temple, and Asaia, one of his courtiers; Go and consult the Lord, he told them, in my name, and in the name of this whole people of Juda, about this new-found copy of the law. Fiercely the Lord's anger burns against us, that the words of this book should have fallen on deaf ears, and our race should have disobeyed the commands enjoined upon us. So Helcias, Ahicam, Achobor, Saphan and Asaia betook themselves to the prophetess Holda. She was wife to Sellum, son of Thecua, son of Araas, that once kept the royal wardrobe; her dwelling was at Jerusalem, in the new part of the city. So they told her their business, and she, in return, gave them this message from the Lord God of Israel for the man that sent them: Thus says the Lord, For this city and its citizens I have punishments in store, all the punishments threatened in yonder book the king of Juda has read. The men of Juda have forsaken me, and offered sacrifice to alien gods; all they do is done in defiance of me; the fire of my vengeance must needs break out against this city, and there is no quenching it. But to the king of Juda, who sent you here to consult the Lord, give this message from the Lord God of Israel: Well for you you did listen to the warnings this book gave you! Well for you that fear caught at your heart, and you did humble yourself before the Lord, at hearing him threaten city and citizens with despair and doom; that you did rend your garments, and had recourse to me in tears! And you have won my audience, the Lord says; I will lay you to rest with your fathers, in quiet times you shall go to your grave; not for your eyes to witness the great calamities I mean to bring on this city of yours.
Chapter 23
When they brought the king his answer, he summoned all the elders of Juda and of Jerusalem; then he went up into the Lord's temple, and all the warriors of Juda bore him company, and all the citizens of Jerusalem, priest and prophet, high and low. There, in their hearing, he read out the terms of the law from the book they had found in the Lord's house. And the king, standing on the dais, made a promise, there in the Lord's presence. They would make the Lord their leader, holding fast by command and decree and observance of his, heart and soul, with fresh loyalty to all the terms of the covenant which this book set on record. To that promise, the whole people gave its assent.
Then the king bade the high priest Helcias, and the priests of lesser rank, and the door-keepers, cast out from the Lord's temple all the appurtenances of worship that belonged to Baal and to the sacred tree and to all the host of heaven; these he burned in the valley of Cedron, and carried the ashes of them away to Bethel. All round Jerusalem, and all over Juda, he disbanded the priests whom the kings of Juda had appointed for the hill-shrines; priests, too, that burned incense to Baal, and sun, and moon, and the twelve stars, and all the host of heaven. The sacred tree must be carried away from the temple, away from Jerusalem, to Cedron valley, where they burned it to ashes, that were scattered over the common burying-ground. He destroyed the rooms in the Lord's house which had belonged to the prostitutes, and were now used by the women that wove curtains for the sacred tree. He brought the priests together from all the cities of Juda, and defiled the hill-shrines where they used to sacrifice, all the way from Gabaa to Bersabee; pulled down, too, the wayside altars at the approach to the gate of Josue, the city governor, to the left of the main gate. As for these priests of the hill-shrines, they were not allowed to minister at the Lord's altar at Jerusalem, but they shared the eating of the unleavened bread with their brother-priests. Tophet, in the valley of Ben-Ennom, he desecrated utterly, so that there might be no more devoting sons and daughters by fire to Moloch; and he rid the temple of those horses, sacred to the sun, which earlier kings had stabled at the entrance, by the hall of the chamberlain Nathan-Melech; the chariots of the sun he burned to ashes. There were altars, too, that had been set up by royal command on the roof of Achaz's dining-parlour; altars Manasses had built in the two outer courts of the temple; these Josias beat into dust, and made short work of it in the valley of Cedron. He also desecrated the hill-shrines Solomon had made at Jerusalem itself, on the right hand side of the Hill of Shame, for Astaroth, the foul divinity of Sidon, and Chamos, that was Moab's, and Melchom, that was Ammon's; he broke their images, and cut down the sacred trees, and filled up the ruins with the bones of dead men.
In Bethel, too, there was an altar and a hill-shrine, the work of Jeroboam, son of Nabat, that taught Israel to sin; altar and shrine both Josias overthrew and burned and pounded to dust, setting fire at the same time to the sacred trees. And when he looked about him; and saw the hill-side covered with graves, he had bones fetched from these and burned them on the altar, just as the prophet had threatened in the Lord's name when he foretold all this. And now, seeing an inscription, he asked what this was; Why, the men of Bethel answered, it is the tomb of the prophet who came from Juda, and foretold how you would profane the altar here. Let him alone, then, said Josias; no one must touch these bones; so they rested on undisturbed, and with them the bones of that other prophet, that was Israelite born. All the hill-shrines in the cities that once belonged to Samaria, raised by kings of Israel in the Lord's despite, Josias abolished, treating them as he had treated the shrine at Bethel; and the priests that served these altars he put to death, one and all. Then, having profaned the altars by burning men's bones on them, he returned to Jerusalem.
And now he bade all his subjects keep paschal holiday in honour of the Lord their God, with all the rites prescribed by the covenant which the book recorded. Many a judge had ruled, many a king had reigned in Israel and Juda, but never was pasch kept like that pasch Jerusalem kept in the Lord's honour, in the eighteenth year of Josias. Gone were the familiar spirits, the diviners, the images, gone were all the foul abominations of Juda and Jerusalem; Josias swept them all away; since Helcias had found the book in the Lord's temple he had no thought but to carry out the law's prescriptions in full. Never was there such a king as this; none before or after him came back to the Lord's allegiance, heart and soul and strength, as he did, with the law of Moses to guide him. Yet the Lord would not relent, so deep his indignation, so pitiless his anger against the men of Juda, after all Manasses defiance of him; he was determined to banish Juda, no less than Israel, from his presence; to forsake his chosen city, Jerusalem, and the house in which he had promised to make a shrine for his name.
What else Josias did, all his history, is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Juda. It was in his time that Pharao-Nechao, king of Egypt, marched against the king of Assyria, all the way to the river Euphrates; and Josias, going out to offer resistance, encountered him at Mageddo and met his death there. From Mageddo, his servants carried his body back to Jerusalem, and buried it in the tomb he had made for himself; and now the people's choice fell on his son Joachaz, who was anointed to succeed his father as king.
Joachaz was twenty-three years old when he came to the throne, and his reign at Jerusalem lasted but three months; his mother's name was Amital, daughter of Jeremias of Lobna. This Joachaz disobeyed the Lord's will, after the fashion of his ancestors; but he did not reign at Jerusalem long. Pharao-Nechao kept him imprisoned at Rebla, in the Emath country; meanwhile he levied a fine from Juda, a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold, and put Josias son Eliacim on his father's throne, changing his name to Joakim. Joachaz was carried off to Egypt, where he died. The fine Pharao-Nechao had imposed was paid by Joakim, who levied a tax on the whole country; thus it was the citizens, each according to his means, that must satisfy Pharao-Nechao with gold and silver alike. Joakim was twenty-five years old when he came to the throne, and his reign at Jerusalem lasted eleven years; his mother's name was Zebida, daughter of Phadaia of Ruma. He, too, disobeyed the Lord's will, after the fashion of his ancestors.
Chapter 24
In his time, Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon invaded the country, and for three years Joakim was his vassal; then he rebelled against him. But the Lord sent enemies to attack him, freebooters from Chaldaea, Syria, Moab and Ammon; sent them to attack Juda and lay it waste, in fulfilment of the threat which his servants the prophets had uttered in his name. It was by the Lord's own decree that this befell; he would banish Juda from his presence, in return for all Manasses' sins; and for all those innocent lives taken, in the days when Jerusalem ran with guiltless blood till the Lord refused to pardon it. What else Joakim did, all his history, is to be found in the Annals of the kings of Juda. So Joakim was laid to rest with his fathers, and the throne passed to his son Joachin. Meanwhile, the king of Egypt advanced no more beyond his own frontiers; all the possessions he held, from the brook of Egypt right up to the river Euphrates, the king of Babylon had taken away from him.
Joachin was eighteen years old when he came to the throne, and his reign in Jerusalem lasted but three months; his mother's name was Nohesta, daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. He disobeyed the Lord's will no less than his father before him. It was in his time that the forces of Nabuchodonosor, king of Babylon, marched against Jerusalem, and siege was laid to the city; and Nabuchodonosor came there in person to be with them, and to press on the siege. Whereupon Joachin, king of Juda, gave himself up, with his mother, his servants, his nobles, and his chamberlains; and the king of Babylon, in this, the eighth year of his reign, accepted the surrender. All the treasures of temple and palace he took away, and cut in pieces all the golden ornaments Solomon, king of Israel, had set up in the temple, so fulfilling what the Lord had prophesied. All the citizens of Jerusalem he carried off as prisoners, the noblemen, and the best warriors in the army, ten thousand of them, the craftsmen and the smiths; none were left except the poor folk in the country-side. To Babylon Joachin must go, with his mother and his wives and his chamberlains; for Babylon all the judges in the land must leave Jerusalem as exiles; to Babylon Nabuchodonosor removed seven thousand warriors, and a thousand craftsmen and smiths, all that had strength to bear arms. In place of Joachin, he made his uncle Matthanias king, giving him the name of Sedecias.
Sedecias was twenty-one years old when he came to the throne, and his reign at Jerusalem lasted eleven years; his mother's name was Amital, daughter of Jeremias of Lobna. He disobeyed the Lord's will, as Joakim had; for now the Lord's anger hung over Juda and Jerusalem, ready to banish them from his presence. And Sedecias in his turn revolted against the king of Babylon.
Chapter 25
And now, in the ninth year of Sedecias reign, on the tenth day of the twelfth month, Nabuchodonosor reached Jerusalem at the head of his army. They surrounded it and threw up siege-works about it; and so the city continued, cut off and hedged in, until king Sedecias' eleventh year. Then, on the ninth day of the fourth month, when famine had broken out in the city, and the poorer folk had nothing left to eat, a breach was made in the walls; and that night all the fighting men made their escape by way of the gate between the two walls, by the royal garden, leaving the Chaldaeans to continue the siege of the city. The road Sedecias chose for his flight was that which leads to the desert plain; and in the plain by Jericho he was overtaken by the Chaldaeans, who had set out in pursuit. All his army melted away from him, leaving him alone; and so, a prisoner, the king was borne away to Reblatha, where Nabuchodonosor passed sentence on him. He made him witness the death of his sons; then put out his eyes and carried him off in chains to Babylon.
On the fifth day of the seventh month in the nineteenth year of Nabuchodonosor's reign, the commander of his forces, Nabuzardan, came on his master's errand to Jerusalem, where he burned down temple and palace and private dwellings too; no house of note but he set it on fire. The troops he brought with him were employed in dismantling the walls on every side of it. Then Nabuzardan carried off the remnants of the people that were left in the city, the deserters who had gone over to Nabuchodonosor, and the common folk generally, leaving only such of the poorer sort as were vinedressers and farm labourers. Brazen pillars and brazen stands and the great basin of bronze that stood in the Lord's temple the Chaldaeans broke up, and took away all the bronze to Babylon; for bronze, too, they carried away pot and ladle, cup and fork and saucer, all the appurtenances of worship that were of bronze; for gold, too, and for silver, bowl and censer of gold and silver; nothing did Nabuzardan leave behind him. There was no reckoning the weight of bronze, when the two pillars, the great basin, and the stands which Solomon had set up in the temple are included; each pillar was eighteen cubits high, and had a capital of three cubits height resting on it, with the network and pomegranate mouldings on the capital all of bronze.
Prisoners, too, Nabuzardan carried away with him, the two chief priests, Saraias and Sophonias, the three doorkeepers from the temple, and among the citizens, the chamberlain who commanded the army, five other courtiers who were still left in the city, Sopher, the army leader who had the levying of recruits, and sixty citizens of the common sort. All these were carried away by Nabuzardan to Reblatha, into Nabuchodonosor's presence; and there at Reblatha, in the Emath country, Nabuchodonosor put them to death. So the men of Juda were exiled from their country, and over the few he left remaining there the king of Babylon put Godolias, son of Ahicam, son of Saphan, in charge. When they heard of his appointment, the chieftains came to meet him at Maspha, Ismael son of Nathanias, Johann son of Caree, Saraias son of Thanehumeth from Netopha, and Jezonias son of Maachati, and all their men with them; and Godolias took an oath to chiefs and men alike. They need have no fear of living under Chaldaean rule; let them remain in the country as the king of Babylon's vassals, and all should go well with them. None the less in the seventh month this Ismael, son of Nathanias, son of Elisama, who was of the royal blood, came to Maspha with twelve of his followers and gave Godolias his deathblow; killed, too, all his retinue, Jew and Chaldee alike. Whereupon all the inhabitants of the country, high and low, and the chieftains with them, removed to Egypt, fearing the vengeance of the Chaldaeans.
On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month, in the thirty-seventh year after king Joachin of Juda had been carried into exile, he was released from prison by Evil-Merodach, king of Babylon, then in the first year of his reign. Graciously did Evil-Merodach receive him, gave him a seat of honour above the other captive kings, and relieved him of his prisoner's garb. All the rest of his life he was entertained at the royal table; all the rest of his life he received, day by day, a perpetual allowance made to him by the king's bounty.