and carried in the heave offerings and the tithes and the dedicated gifts; even of fidelity. Over which Conaniah the Levite had the rule with Shimei his brother next to him.

And Jehiel, Azariah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath and Benaiah were overseers ordained by Conaniah and Shimei his brother, at the appointment of Hezekiah the king, and Azariah the ruler of the house of God.

And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, porter of the East door, had the oversight of the freewill offerings of God, to give heave offerings unto the LORD, and was over things most holy.

And under him were Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests of their fidelity, to give to their brethren their portions, as well to the small as to the great.

And to the males also that were reckoned from three years and above, among all that went into the house of the LORD day by day, to do service and to wait by course.

And to the priests that were reckoned in the households of their fathers from twenty years and above, to wait when their courses came.

And to them that were reckoned throughout all their babes, wives, sons and daughters throughout all the congregation.

For to the fidelity of them did men commit their sanctified gifts. And thereto among the children of Aaron the priests were men named by name in the fields of the suburbs of all their cities, city by city, for to give portions to all the males of the priests and to all that were reckoned among the Levites.

And of this manner did Hezekiah, throughout all Judah; and did that was good, right and truth, before the LORD his God.

And in all the works that he began in the service of the house of God, to seek his God after the law and commandment, that did he with all his heart, and prospered.

After these deeds and truth, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered into Judah, and pitched against the strong cities, and thought to draw them to him.

And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem,

he took counsel with his captains and men of might, to stop the water of the fountains that were without the city - and they were content to help him.

And so there gathered much people together and stopped all the wells, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land; intending that the kings of Assyria should not find much water when they came.

And he went to lustily and built up the wall where it was broken, and made towers above upon, and yet another wall without, and repaired Millo the city of David, and made many darts and shields.

And he set Captains of war over the people and gathered them together unto the large street of the gate of the city and spake gently to them, saying,

"Pluck up your hearts and be strong: Be not afraid or in any wise discouraged for dread of the king of Assyria, and of the great multitude that is with him: for there is one greater with us than with him.

With him is an arm of flesh: But with us is the LORD our God for to help us and to fight our battles!" And the people were well couraged with the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

After that Sennacherib king of Assyria sent of his servants to Jerusalem - he himself lying before Lachish, and all his kingdom with him - unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem, saying,

Hezekiah deceiveth you, to deliver you to death, hunger and thirst, saying, 'The LORD our God shall rid us out of the hand of the king of Assyria!'

Is it not that Hezekiah that put down his hill altars and his other altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, 'Before one altar ye shall bow yourselves and upon that offer also?'

Moreover, have ye not heard what I and my fathers have done unto the people of all lands? Were the gods of the people of other lands able to save their lands out of my hand?

Wherefore now let not Hezekiah deceive you, either persuade you of this fashion, nor yet believe him. For as no god among so many nations and kingdoms, was able to rid his people out of mine hand and the hands of my fathers: even so much less shall your God keep you out of mine hand!"

And yet more did his servants speak against the LORD God and against his servant Hezekiah.

And thereto he wrote a letter to rail on the LORD God of Israel and spake therein, saying, "As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people out of mine hand, no more shall the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of mine hand."

And they cried with a loud voice in the Jewish language, unto the people of Jerusalem that were on the walls, to fear them and to dismay them, that they might have taken the city.

And they spake against the God of Jerusalem; as against the gods of the nations of the earth, which are the work of the hands of men.

But Hezekiah the king and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz prayed concerning the thing and cried up to heaven.

And the LORD sent an angel and destroyed all the men of war and the lords and captains of the host of the king of Assyria, that he turned his face, with shame, towards his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, he was there overthrown with the sword - even by them that issued out of his bowels.

And so the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabiters at Jerusalem out of the hands of Sennacherib king of Assyria and of all others, and maintained them on all sides -

Insomuch that many brought presents unto the LORD to Jerusalem and precious gifts to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth.

In those days Hezekiah was sick unto the death and besought the LORD; which answered him and showed him a wonderful miracle.

But Hezekiah did not according to the courtesy showed him, for his heart arose: and therefore came there wrath upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem.

Notwithstanding, Hezekiah meekened himself for the arising of his heart, both he and the inhabiters of Jerusalem. Wherefore the wrath of the LORD fell not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honour. And he gathered him treasure of silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields and of all manner pleasant Jewels;

and made store houses for the fruits of corn, wine and oil; and stables for all manner of beasts, and folds for sheep.

And he made him towns because he had cattle of sheep and oxen great abundance. For God had given him substance exceeding much.

And the said Hezekiah stopped the upper water springs of Gihon and brought them down to the West side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works.

The rest of the deeds of Hezekiah and his goodness are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

And then Hezekiah laid him to rest with his fathers, and they buried him in the highest sepulchre of the sons of David: and Judah and the inhabiters of Jerusalem did him worship at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.

Manasseh was twelve years old when he was made king, and reigned fifty five years in Jerusalem.

And he did wickedly in the sight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

For he went to and built again the hill altars which Hezekiah his father had broken down. And he reared up altars unto Baals and made groves and bowed himself unto all the host of heaven and served them.

And he built altars in the house of the LORD: of which the LORD hath said, "In Jerusalem shall my name be forever."

And he made altars unto all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.

And he burnt his children in fire in the valley of the sons of Hinnom. And he observed dismal days and occupied witchcraft and sorcery, and maintained workers with spirits and seers of fortunes: and wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to anger him withal.

And he put the carved Image of an Idol which he had made, in the house of God - Of which house, God said to David and to Solomon his son, "In this house here in Jerusalem which I have chosen out of all the tribes, I will put my name forever,

and no more bring the seat of Israel from the land which I have ordained for your fathers; if so be, they shall be diligent to do all I have commanded by Moses in all the law ordinances and manners."

But Manasseh made Judah and the inhabiters of Jerusalem to err and to do worse than the heathen which the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel.

And when the LORD spake to Manasseh and to his people, they attended not to him.

Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the Captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh in a hold and bound him with chains and carried him to Babylon.

And when he was in tribulation he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself exceedingly before the God of his fathers,

and made intercession to him: and he was entreated of him and heard his prayer and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. And then Manasseh knew how that the LORD was very God.

After that, he built a wall without the city of David on the west side of Gihon in the brook and so forth to the fish gate and round about Ophel, and brought it up of a very great height, and put captains of war in all the strong cities of Judah.

And he took away the strange gods and the Idol out of the house of God, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of God and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city.

And he made an altar unto the LORD and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and charged Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel.

Nevertheless, the people did offer still in the hill altars; howbeit unto the LORD their God only.

The rest of the acts of Manasseh and his prayer unto his God, and the words of the seers of visions that spake to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, are written among the deeds of the Kings of Israel.

And his prayer and how he was heard, and all his sin and trespass, and the places where he made hill altars and set up groves and carved Images before he was meekened, are written among the deeds of the seers of visions.

And when Manasseh was laid to rest with his fathers, they buried him in his own house: and Amon his son reigned in his room.

Amon was twenty two years old, when he began to reign, and reigned two years in Jerusalem.

And he did that displeased the LORD like unto Manasseh his father, for Amon sacrificed to all the carved Images which Manasseh his father made, and served them,

and meekened not himself before the LORD as Manasseh his father had meekened himself: But Amon trespassed greatly.

Wherefore his own servants conspired against him and slew him in his own house.

And the people of the land slew all that had conspired against king Amon. And thereto the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his room.

Josiah was made king when he was eight years old, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty one years.

And he did that pleased the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, bowing neither to the righthand nor to the left.

Insomuch that the eighth year of his reign, when he was yet a lad, he began to seek after the God of David his father. And in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of hill altars, groves, carved Images, and Images of metal:

so that they brake down the altars of Baals even in his presence, and the Idols that were upon them he caused to be destroyed. And the groves, carved Images, and Images of metal he brake and made dust of them, and strawed it upon the graves of them that had offered to them.

And he burnt the bones of the priests upon the altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.

And even so did he in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon and of Naphtali thereto.

And in the wildernesses of them round about he plucked asunder the altars and the groves and did beat them and stamp them to powder, and beat down the idols throughout all the land of Israel: and then returned to Jerusalem again.

And in the eighteenth year of his reign when he had purged the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.

And when they came to Hilkiah the high priest, men delivered them the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the entries had gathered of the hands of Manasseh and Ephraim and of all that yet remained in Israel and of all Judah and Benjamin and of the inhabiters of Jerusalem.

And they put it in the hands of the workmen that had the oversight of the house of the LORD. which gave it to the laborers that wrought on the house of the LORD, to repair and mend it,

and to masons and carpenters to buy hewed stone and timber for to make couples and beams for the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed:

And the men wrought in the work of fidelity. And the overseers of them, to courage them forward, were Jahath and Obadiah, Levites of the children of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam of the children of the Kohathites; and as many other of the Levites as could skill of instruments of Music.

And over the bearers of burdens and over all that wrought, in whatsoever workmanship it were, went there scribes, officers and porters of the Levites.

And as they brought out the money that was brought into the house, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of the LORD given by Moses.

And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, "I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD," and gave the book to Shaphan.

And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and brought the king word again, saying, "All that was committed to thy servants, that do they:

And they have poured out the money that was found in the house of the LORD and have delivered into the hands of the overseers of the workmen."

And then Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, "Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book." And he read it before the king.

And when the king had heard the words of the law, he tare his clothes,

and commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and the said Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah, a servant of the king's, saying,

"Go and enquire of the LORD for me and for them that are left in Israel and Judah concerning the words of the book that is found. For great is the wrath of the LORD that is fallen upon us, because our fathers kept not the word of the LORD, to do after all that is written in this book."

And Hilkiah, with them that pertained to the king, went to Huldah, a prophetess, wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe - which prophetess dwelt in Jerusalem in the second ward - and they communed so with her.

And she said unto them, "Thus sayeth the LORD God of Israel: 'Tell ye the man that sent you to me,

even thus sayeth the LORD: See, I will bring evil upon this place and upon the inhabiters thereof, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah,

because they have forsaken me and have offered unto other gods to anger me with all manner works of their hands, therefore is my wrath set on fire against this place and shall not be quenched.

And as for the king of Judah, which sent you to enquire of the LORD, so shall ye say unto him: Thus sayeth the LORD God of Israel concerning the words which thou hast heard:

Because thine heart did melt and thou didst meek thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place and against the inhabiters thereof, and humblest thyself before me, and tarest thy clothes and weepest before me, that have I heard also, sayeth the LORD.

Behold, I will take thee to thy fathers and thou shalt be put in thy grave in peace, and thine eyes shall not see all the mischief that I will bring upon this place and upon the inhabiters of the same.'" And they brought the king word again.

Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.

And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah and the inhabiters of Jerusalem and the Priests and Levites and all the people great and small: and read all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the LORD.

And the king stood at his standing and made a covenant before the LORD, to follow the LORD and to keep his commandments, his witnesses and his statutes with all his heart and with all his soul and to fulfill the words of the covenant written in the said book.

And he made to come forth all that were found in Jerusalem and Benjamin, and the inhabiters of Jerusalem promised to keep the covenant of the God which was the God of their fathers.

And Josiah put away all manner of abominations out of all lands that pertained to the children of Israel, and brought all that were found in Israel, to serve the LORD their God. And they turned not aside from after the LORD God of their fathers as long as he lived.

And Josiah held the feast of Passover unto the LORD in Jerusalem, and they slew Passover in the fourteenth day of the first month.

And he set the priests in their offices and aided them in the service of the house of the LORD.