And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood up above the people and said unto them, Thus saith God: Wherefore do ye transgress the commandments of Jehovah? And ye cannot prosper; for ye have forsaken Jehovah, and he hath forsaken you.

And king Joash remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, Jehovah see and require it!

And when they had departed from him (for they left him in great diseases), his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died; and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the sepulchres of the kings.

And these are they that conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath an Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith a Moabitess.

And as to his sons, and the greatness of the burdens laid upon him, and the building of the house of God, behold, they are written in the treatise of the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.

The son of twenty and five years reigned Amaziah, and twenty and nine years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name Jehoaddan from Jerusalem.

but, their sons, he put not to death, - but as it is written in the law - in the book of Moses - how that Yahweh commanded, saying-Fathers, shall not die for, sons, and Sons, shall not die, for, fathers, but Each man, for his own sin, shall die.

And Amaziah will gather Judah together, and set them up for the house of the fathers for chiefs of thousands, and for chiefs of hundreds, to all Judah and Benjamin: and he will review them from the son of twenty years and above, and he will find them three hundred thousand chosen going forth to war, holding spear and shield.

But, a man of God, came unto him, saying, O king! let not the host of Israel come with thee, - for Yahweh is not with Israel, with any of the sons of Ephraim.

And, Amaziah, took courage, and led forth his people, and went to the valley of salt, - and smote of the sons of Seir, ten thousand;

and the sons of Judah took captive, ten thousand alive, and brought to the top of the crag, - and cast them down from the top of the crag, and, all of them, were torn asunder.

But, as for the sons of the company which Amaziah sent back from going with him to the war, they spread themselves out against the cities of Judah, from Samaria, even unto Beth-horon, - and smote of them three thousand, and took great plunder.

And so it was, after Amaziah came in from smiting the Edomites, that he brought in the gods of the sons of Seir, and set them up for himself, as gods, - and, before them, used he to bow himself down, and, unto them, used he to burn a perfume.

And Amaziah king of Judah took counsel, and sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look one another in the face.

And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thorn-bush that is in Lebanon sent to the cedar that is in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son as wife; and there passed by the wild beast that is in Lebanon, and trode down the thorn-bush.

And Joash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and he broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.

And all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels being found in the house of God with Obed-Edom, and the treasures of the king's house, and the sons of suretyship, and he will turn back to Shomeron.

And Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, fifteen years.

And all the people will take Uzziah, and he the son of sixteen years, and they will make him king instead of his father Amaziah.

The son of sixteen years was Uzziah in his reigning, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name Jecoliah from Jerusalem.

Then entered after him, Azariah the priest, - and with him eighty priests of Yahweh, sons of valour;

and they withstood Uzziah the king, and said to him, It is not for thee, Uzziah, to burn incense to Jehovah, but for the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast transgressed; neither shall it be for thine honour from Jehovah Elohim.

And Uzziah the king was a leper to the day of his death, and dwelt in a separate house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of Jehovah. And Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land.

And the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz write.

And Uzziah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the burial-ground of the kings, for they said, He is a leper. And Jotham his son reigned in his stead.

The son of twenty and five years was Jotham in his reigning, and sixteen years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name Jerushah, daughter of Zadok.

He, also made war against the king of the sons of Ammon, and prevailed against them, and the sons of Ammon gave him, during that year, a hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and, of barley, ten thousand, - this, did the sons of Ammon render him, both in the second year, and the third.

The son of twenty and five years was he in his reigning, and sixteen years reigned he in Jerusalem.

And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.

The son of twenty years was Ahaz in his reigning, and sixteen years reigned he in Jerusalem: and he did not the straight in the eyes of Jehovah according to David his father.

and he burned incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burned his sons in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations that Jehovah had dispossessed from before the children of Israel.

And Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah a hundred and twenty thousand in one day, all valiant men, because they had forsaken Jehovah the God of their fathers.

And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king's son, and Azrikam the governor of the house, and Elkanah the second to the king.

And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took away also much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.

And now ye are saying to subdue the sons of Judah and Jerusalem for servants and for maids to you: are not only with you trespasses with you against Jehovah your God?

And certain of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Hezekiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against them that came from the war,

And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem; but they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.

And Hezekiah reigned the son of twenty and five years, and twenty and nine years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name Abiah, daughter of Zechariah.

And behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this.

My sons, be not now negligent; for Jehovah has chosen you to stand before him, to do service unto him, and to be his ministers and incense-burners.

Then the Levites rose up, Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites; and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehalleleel; and of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah;

and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeiel; and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah;

and of the sons of Heman, Jehiel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.

And they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he-goats for a sin-offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And he commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer them upon the altar of Jehovah.

And Hezekiah commanded to offer up the burnt-offering on the altar. And at the moment the burnt-offering began, the song of Jehovah began, and the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel.

And, all the convocation, were bowing themselves in prostration, and, the song, was resounding and the trumpets were blowing,-the whole, until the completing of the ascending-sacrifice.

The runners, therefore, went with letters from the hand of the king and his rulers, throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, - Ye sons of Israel, return ye unto Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and he will return unto the remnant, that which is left to you, out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.

For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and sons will be shown mercy by their captors and return to this land. The Lord your God is merciful and compassionate; he will not reject you if you return to him."

And so the sons of Israel who were found in Jerusalem kept the festival of unleavened cakes seven days, with great rejoicing, - and the Levites and the priests, were offering praise unto Yahweh day by day, with loud instruments, unto Yahweh.

So there was great joy in Jerusalem, because there was nothing like this in Jerusalem since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel.

Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah, broke the pillars in pieces, cut down the Asherim and pulled down the high places and the altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the sons of Israel returned to their cities, each to his possession.

As soon as the order spread, the sons of Israel provided in abundance the first fruits of grain, new wine, oil, honey and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of all.

The sons of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of sacred gifts which were consecrated to the Lord their God, and placed them in heaps.

Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the keeper of the eastern gate, was over the freewill offerings of God, to apportion the contributions for the Lord and the most holy things.

Besides their enrolling to males from the son of three years and above, to all coming to the house of Jehovah, for the word of a day in its day for their service in their watches according to their divisions.

And the enrolling of the priests for the house of their fathers, and the Levites from the son of twenty years and above, in their watches, by their divisions:

The genealogical enrollment included all their little children, their wives, their sons and their daughters, for the whole assembly, for they consecrated themselves faithfully in holiness.

Also for the sons of Aaron the priests who were in the pasture lands of their cities, or in each and every city, there were men who were designated by name to distribute portions to every male among the priests and to everyone genealogically enrolled among the Levites.

But King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed about this and cried out to heaven.

The Lord sent a messenger and he wiped out all the soldiers, princes, and officers in the army of the king of Assyria. So Sennacherib returned home humiliated. When he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons struck him down with the sword.

Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his deeds of devotion, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

So Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the upper section of the tombs of the sons of David; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at his death. And his son Manasseh became king in his place.

The son of twelve years was Manasseh in his reigning, and fifty and five years he reigned in Jerusalem.

He did evil in the sight of the Lord according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel.

He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger.

Then he put the carved image of the idol which he had made in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever;

Thus Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel.

So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. And Amon his son became king in his place.

The son of twenty and two years was Amon in his reigning, and two years he reigned in Jerusalem.

But the people of the land killed all the conspirators against King Amon, and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place.

The son of eight years was Josiah in his reigning, and thirty and one years he reigned in Jerusalem.

Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah an official of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God.

The men did the work faithfully with foremen over them to supervise: Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites of the sons of Merari, Zechariah and Meshullam of the sons of the Kohathites, and the Levites, all who were skillful with musical instruments.

Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying,

So Hilkiah and those whom the king had told went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, the keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her regarding this.

Josiah removed all the abominations from all the lands belonging to the sons of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel to serve the Lord their God. Throughout his lifetime they did not turn from following the Lord God of their fathers.

He also said to the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the Lord, “Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built; it will be a burden on your shoulders no longer. Now serve the Lord your God and His people Israel.

Prepare yourselves by your fathers’ households in your divisions, according to the writing of David king of Israel and according to the writing of his son Solomon.

and stand ye in the holy place, by the divisions of the ancestral house, for your brethren, the sons of the people, and the partitioning of an ancestral house, for the Levites.

And Josiah presented to the sons of the people - of flocks, young sheep and the young of the goats, the whole for the passover offerings, for all present, to the number of thirty thousand, and, of bullocks, three thousand, - these, out of the substance of the king.

Then they removed the ascending-sacrifice, that they might give them - by the divisions of each ancestral house - unto the sons of the people, to offer unto Yahweh, as it is written in the Book of Moses, - and, in like manner, with the bullocks.

And they cooked the passover with fire, according to the regulation, - but, the hallowed things, cooked they in cauldrons and in pots and in bowls, and then took quickly, unto all the sons of the people.

Afterwards they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering the burnt offerings and the fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron.

The singers, the sons of Asaph, were also at their stations according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer; and the gatekeepers at each gate did not have to depart from their service, because the Levites their brethren prepared for them.

Thus the sons of Israel who were present celebrated the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days.

And Jeremiah made a song of grief for Josiah; and to this day Josiah is named by all the makers of melody, men and women, in their songs of grief; they made it a rule in Israel; and the songs are recorded among the songs of grief.

Then the people of the land took Joahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in place of his father in Jerusalem.

The son of three and twenty years was Jehoahaz in his reigning, and three months reigned he in Jerusalem.

The son of twenty and five years was Jehoiakim in his reigning, and eleven years reigned he in Jerusalem: and he will do evil in the eyes of Jehovah his God.

Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and the abominations which he did, and what was found against him, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son became king in his place.

The son of eight years was Jehoiachin in his reigning, and three months and ten days reigned he in Jerusalem: and he will do the evil in the eyes of Jehovah.

The son of twenty and one years was Zedekiah in his reigning, and eleven years reigned he in Jerusalem.

Those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia,