He was loyal to the Lord and did not abandon him. He obeyed the commandments which the Lord had given to Moses.

The Lord was with him; he succeeded in all his endeavors. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to submit to him.

In the fourth year of King Hezekiah's reign (it was the seventh year of the reign of Israel's King Hoshea, son of Elah), King Shalmaneser of Assyria marched up against Samaria and besieged it.

After three years he captured it (in the sixth year of Hezekiah's reign); in the ninth year of King Hoshea's reign over Israel Samaria was captured.

King Hezekiah of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria, who was at Lachish, "I have violated our treaty. If you leave, I will do whatever you demand." So the king of Assyria demanded that King Hezekiah of Judah pay three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

The king of Assyria sent his commanding general, the chief eunuch, and the chief adviser from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, along with a large army. They went up and arrived at Jerusalem. They went and stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth.

Furthermore it was by the command of the Lord that I marched up against this place to destroy it. The Lord told me, 'March up against this land and destroy it.'"'"

When the chief adviser heard the king of Assyria had departed from Lachish, he left and went to Libnah, where the king was campaigning.

The king heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was marching out to fight him. He again sent messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them:

One day, as he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. They escaped to the land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king.

In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and told him, "This is what the Lord says, 'Give your household instructions, for you are about to die; you will not get well.'"

Isaiah was still in the middle courtyard when the Lord told him,

At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah was ill.

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother was Hephzibah.

Manasseh passed away and was buried in his palace garden, the garden of Uzzah, and his son Amon replaced him as king.

Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem. His mother was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz, from Jotbah.

He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzzah, and his son Josiah replaced him as king.

Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jedidah, daughter of Adaiah, from Bozkath.

He removed from the entrance to the Lord's temple the statues of horses that the kings of Judah had placed there in honor of the sun god. (They were kept near the room of Nathan Melech the eunuch, which was situated among the courtyards.) He burned up the chariots devoted to the sun god.

He issued this edict because a Passover like this had not been observed since the days of the judges; it was neglected for the entire period of the kings of Israel and Judah.

But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah's reign, such a Passover of the Lord was observed in Jerusalem.

Yet the Lord's great anger against Judah did not subside; he was still infuriated by all the things Manasseh had done.

Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah.

Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah, from Rumah.

During Jehoiakim's reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked. Jehoiakim was his subject for three years, but then he rebelled against him.

Because he killed innocent people and stained Jerusalem with their blood, the Lord was unwilling to forgive them.

Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan, from Jerusalem.

He deported all the residents of Jerusalem, including all the officials and all the soldiers (10,000 people in all). This included all the craftsmen and those who worked with metal. No one was left except for the poorest among the people of the land.

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled for eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah.

By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city was so severe the residents had no food.

Zedekiah's sons were executed while Zedekiah was forced to watch. The king of Babylon then had Zedekiah's eyes put out, bound him in bronze chains, and carried him off to Babylon.

The bronze of the items that King Solomon made for the Lord's temple -- including the two pillars, the big bronze basin called "The Sea," the twelve bronze bulls under "The Sea," and the movable stands -- was too heavy to be weighed.

Each of the pillars was about twenty-seven feet high. The bronze top of one pillar was about four and a half feet high and had bronze latticework and pomegranate shaped ornaments all around it. The second pillar with its latticework was like it.

The captain of the royal guard took Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah, the priest who was second in rank, and the three doorkeepers.

From the city he took a eunuch who was in charge of the soldiers, five of the king's advisers who were discovered in the city, an official army secretary who drafted citizens for military service, and sixty citizens from the people of the land who were discovered in the city.

The king of Babylon ordered them to be executed at Riblah in the territory of Hamath. So Judah was deported from its land.

But in the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, came with ten of his men and murdered Gedaliah, as well as the Judeans and Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah.

He was given daily provisions by the king for the rest of his life until the day he died.

Cush was the father of Nimrod, who established himself as a mighty warrior on earth.

Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites,

Canaan was the father of Sidon -- his firstborn -- and Heth,

Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah was the father of Eber.

Two sons were born to Eber: the first was named Peleg, for during his lifetime the earth was divided; his brother's name was Joktan.

Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,

Ishmael's firstborn son was Nebaioth; the others were Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

Abraham was the father of Isaac. The sons of Isaac: Esau and Israel.

The sons of Lotan: Hori and Homam. (Timna was Lotan's sister.)

These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites: Bela son of Beor; the name of his city was Dinhabah.

When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad succeeded him. He struck down the Midianites in the plains of Moab; the name of his city was Avith.

When Baal-Hanan died, Hadad succeeded him; the name of his city was Pai. His wife was Mehetabel, daughter of Matred, daughter of Me-Zahab.

The son of Carmi: Achan, who brought the disaster on Israel when he stole what was devoted to God.

Ram was the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab was the father of Nahshon, the tribal chief of Judah.

Nahshon was the father of Salma, and Salma was the father of Boaz.

Boaz was the father of Obed, and Obed was the father of Jesse.

Jesse was the father of Eliab, his firstborn; Abinadab was born second, Shimea third,

Abigail bore Amasa, whose father was Jether the Ishmaelite.

Hur was the father of Uri, and Uri was the father of Bezalel.

Later Hezron had sexual relations with the daughter of Makir, the father of Gilead. (He had married her when he was sixty years old.) She bore him Segub.

Segub was the father of Jair, who owned twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead.

Jerahmeel had another wife named Atarah; she was Onam's mother.

Abishur's wife was Abihail, who bore him Ahban and Molid.

Attai was the father of Nathan, and Nathan was the father of Zabad.

Zabad was the father of Ephlal, and Ephlal was the father of Obed.

Obed was the father of Jehu, and Jehu was the father of Azariah.

Azariah was the father of Helez, and Helez was the father of Eleasah.

Eleasah was the father of Sismai, and Sismai was the father of Shallum.

Shallum was the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah was the father of Elishama.

Shema was the father of Raham, the father of Jorkeam. Rekem was the father of Shammai.

Shammai's son was Maon, who was the father of Beth-Zur.

Caleb's concubine Ephah bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez. Haran was the father of Gazez.

She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah and Sheva the father of Machbenah and Gibea. Caleb's daughter was Achsah.

These were the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron: The firstborn was Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam from Jezreel; the second was Daniel, whose mother was Abigail from Carmel;

the third was Absalom whose mother was Maacah, daughter of King Talmai of Geshur; the fourth was Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith;

the fifth was Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital; the sixth was Ithream, whose mother was Eglah.

These were the sons born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon -- the mother of these four was Bathsheba the daughter of Ammiel.

These were all the sons of David, not counting the sons of his concubines. Tamar was their sister.

Solomon's son was Rehoboam, followed by Abijah his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son,

The sons of Josiah: Johanan was the firstborn; Jehoiakim was born second; Zedekiah third; and Shallum fourth.

The sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel and Shimei. The sons of Zerubbabel: Meshullam and Hananiah. Shelomith was their sister.

Reaiah the son of Shobal was the father of Jahath, and Jahath was the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These were the clans of the Zorathites.

These were the sons of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash. Their sister was Hazzelelponi.

Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah. These were the descendants of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah and the father of Bethlehem.

and Koz, who was the father of Anub, Hazzobebah, and the clans of Aharhel the son of Harum.

Jabez was more respected than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, for she said, "I experienced pain when I gave birth to him."

Kelub, the brother of Shuhah, was the father of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton.

Eshton was the father of Beth-Rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah, the father of Ir Nahash. These were the men of Recah.

Meonothai was the father of Ophrah. Seraiah was the father of Joab, the father of those who live in Ge Harashim, who were craftsmen.

Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters. But his brothers did not have many sons, so their whole clan was not as numerous as the sons of Judah.

They found fertile and rich pasture; the land was very broad, undisturbed and peaceful. Indeed some Hamites had been living there prior to that.

The sons of Reuben, Israel's firstborn -- (Now he was the firstborn, but when he defiled his father's bed, his rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph, Israel's son. So Reuben is not listed as firstborn in the genealogical records.

Though Judah was the strongest among his brothers and a leader descended from him, the right of the firstborn belonged to Joseph.)

and his son Beerah, whom King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria carried into exile. Beerah was the tribal leader of Reuben.

Ahi son of Abdiel, son of Guni, was the leader of the family.

Eleazar was the father of Phinehas, and Phinehas was the father of Abishua.

Abishua was the father of Bukki, and Bukki was the father of Uzzi.

Uzzi was the father of Zerahiah, and Zerahiah was the father of Meraioth.

Meraioth was the father of Amariah, and Amariah was the father of Ahitub.

Ahitub was the father of Zadok, and Zadok was the father of Ahimaaz.

Ahimaaz was the father of Azariah, and Azariah was the father of Johanan.

Johanan was the father of Azariah, who served as a priest in the temple Solomon built in Jerusalem.