The Divided Kingdom

For Pekah the sonne of Remaliah slewe in Iudah sixe score thousand in one day, all valiant men, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers.

And Zichri a mighty man of Ephraim slew Maaseiah the Kings sonne, and Azrikam the gouernour of the house, and Elkanah the second after the King.

And the children of Israel tooke prisoners of their brethren, two hudreth thousand of women, sonnes and daughters, and caried away much spoyle of them, and brought the spoyle to Samaria.

But there was a Prophet of the Lordes, (whose name was Oded) and he went out before the hoste that came to Samaria, and said vnto them, Behold, because the Lord God of your fathers is wroth with Iudah, he hath deliuered them into your hand, and ye haue slaine them in a rage, that reacheth vp to heauen.

And nowe ye purpose to keepe vnder the children of Iudah and Ierusalem, as seruants and handmaides vnto you: but are not you such, that sinnes are with you before the Lord your God?

Nowe therefore heare me, and deliuer the captiues againe, which ye haue taken prisoners of your brethren: for the fierce wrath of the Lord is toward you.

Wherefore certaine of the chiefe of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the sonne of Iehohanan, Berechiah the sonne of Meshillemoth, and Iehizkiah the sonne of Shallum, and Amasa the sonne of Hadlai, stood vp against them that came from the warre,

And said vnto them, Bring not in the captiues hither: for this shalbe a sinne vpon vs against the Lord: ye entende to adde more to our sinnes and to our trespasse, though our trespasse be great, and the fierce wrath of God is against Israel.

So the armie left the captiues and the spoyle before the princes and all the Congregation.

And the men that were named by name, rose vp and tooke the prisoners, and with the spoyle clothed all that were naked among them, and arayed them, and shod them, and gaue them meate, and gaue them drinke, and anoynted them, and caryed all that were feeble of them vpon asses, and brought them to Iericho the citie of Palme trees to their brethren: so they returned to Samaria.

At that time did King Ahaz sende vnto the Kings of Asshur, to helpe him.

(For the Edomites came moreouer, and slew of Iudah, and caryed away captiues.

The Philistims also inuaded the cities in the low countrey, and toward the South of Iudah, and tooke Bethshemesh, and Aialon, and Gederoth and Shocho, with the villages thereof, and Timnah, with her villages, and Gimzo, with her villages, and they dwelt there.

For the Lord had humbled Iudah, because of Ahaz King of Israel: for he had brought vengeance vpon Iudah, and had grieuously transgressed against the Lord)

And Tilgath Pilneeser king of Asshur came vnto him, who troubled him and did not strengthen him.

For Ahaz tooke a portion out of the house of the Lord and out of the Kings house and of the Princes, and gaue vnto the king of Asshur: yet it helped him not.

And in ye time of his tribulation did he yet trespasse more against ye Lord, (this is King Ahaz)

For he sacrificed vnto the gods of Damascus, which plagued him, and he sayd, Because the gods of the Kings of Aram helped them, I wil sacrifice vnto them, and they will helpe me: yet they were his ruine, and of all Israel.

And Ahaz gathered the vessels of ye house of God, and brake the vessels of the house of God, and shut vp the doores of the house of the Lord, and made him altars in euery corner of Ierusalem.

And in euery citie of Iudah hee made hie places, to burne incense vnto other gods, and prouoked to anger the Lord God of his fathers.

Concerning the rest of his actes, and all his wayes first and last, beholde, they are written in the booke of the Kings of Iudah, and Israel.

And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the citie of Ierusalem, but brought him not vnto the sepulchres of the Kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his sonne reigned in his stead.

Hezekiah began to reigne, when he was fiue and twentie yeere olde, and reigned nine and twentie yeres in Ierusalem: and his mothers name was Abiiah the daughter of Zechariah.

And hee did vprightly in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Dauid his father had done.

He opened the doores of the house of the Lord in the first yeere, and in the first moneth of his reigne, and repared them.