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quickly felt the stroke of the Lord. And Ozias the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and he dwelt in a house apart, being full of the leprosy, for which he had been cast out of the house of the Lord. And Joatham his son governed the king's house, and judged the people of the land. But the rest of the acts of Ozias first and last were written by Isaias the son of Amos, the prophet.* And Ozias slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the field of the royal sepulchres, because he was a leper: and Joatham his son reigned in his stead.

B.C. 758.

XXVII. 1-9.

Joatham.-Joatham was five and twenty years old when he 2 Par. began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Jerusa the daughter of Sadoc. And he did that which was right before the Lord, according to all that Ozias his father had done, only that he entered not into the temple of the Lord; and the people still transgressed.

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He built the high gate of the house of the Lord, and on the wall of Ophel he built much. Moreover he built cities in the mountains of Juda, and castles and towers in the forests. He fought against the king of the children of Ammon, and overcame them and the children of Ammon gave him at that time a hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and as many measures of barley: so much did the children of Ammon give him in the second and third year. And Joatham was strengthened, because he had his way directed before the Lord his God.

Now the rest of the acts of Joatham, and all his wars, and his works, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Juda. He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And Joatham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Achaz his son reigned in his stead.†

SECT. XCII. THE REIGN OF ACHAZ. HIS ALLIANCE WITH ASSYRIA
AGAINST ISRAEL AND SYRIA.

XXVIII.

Achaz.-Achaz was twenty years old when he began to 2 Par. reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: B.C. 742. 1-16. he did not that which was right in the sight of the

Lord, as David his father had done, but walked in the ways of the kings of Israel: moreover also he cast statues for Baalim. It was he that burnt incense in the valley of Benennom, and consecrated his sons in the fire according to the manner of the * Besides Isaias, Amos, Joel, and Osee also lived in his reign.

It was in the reign of Joatham that the city of Rome was founded. The prophet Isaias lived through his reign, as also did Micheas.

nations, which the Lord slew at the coming of the children of Israel. He sacrificed also, and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

And the Lord his God delivered him into the hands of the king of Syria,* who defeated him, and took a great booty out of his kingdom, and carried it to Damascus: he was also delivered into the hands of the king of Israel, who overthrew him with a great slaughter. For Phaceef the son of Romelia slew of Juda a hundred and twenty thousand in one day, all valiant men: because they had forsaken the Lord the God of their fathers. At the same time Zechri, a powerful man of Ephraim, slew Maasias the king's son, and Ezricam the governor of his house, and Elcana who was next to the king. And the children of Israel carried away of their brethren two hundred thousand women, boys, and girls, and an immense booty, and they brought it to Samaria.

At that time there was a prophet of the Lord there, whose name was Oded: and he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria, and said to them: Behold the Lord the God of your fathers, being angry with Juda, hath delivered them into your hands, and you have butchered them cruelly, so that your cruelty hath reached up to heaven. Moreover you have a mind to keep under the children of Juda and Jerusalem for your bond-men and bond-women, which ought not to be done for you have sinned in this against the Lord your God. But hear ye my counsel, and release the captives that you have brought of your brethren, because a great indignation of the Lord hangeth over you.

Then some of the chief men of the sons of Ephraim, Azarias the son of Johanan, Barachias the son of Mosollamoth, Ezechias the son of Sellum, and Amasa the son of Adali, stood up against them that came from the war. And they said to them: You shall not bring in the captives hither, lest we sin against the Lord. Why will you add to our sins, and heap up upon our former offences? for the sin is great, and the fierce anger of the Lord hangeth over Israel. So the soldiers left the spoils, and all that they had taken, before the princes and all the multitude. And the men, who were mentioned by name, rose up and took the captives, and with the spoils clothed all them that were naked and when they had clothed and shod them, and refreshed them with meat and drink, and anointed them because of their labour, and had taken care of them, they set such of

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*Rasin, who reigned at Damascus.

† Sometimes called Pekah. He was king of Israel.

them as could not walk, and were feeble, upon beasts, and brought them to Jericho the city of palm-trees to their brethren, and they returned to Samaria.

Alliance with Assyria.-At that time king Achaz sent to 4 Kings the king of the Assyrians asking help. And Achaz sent mes- XVI. 7-18. sengers to Theglathphalasar king of the Assyrians, saying: I am thy servant, and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, who are risen up together against me. And when he had gathered together the silver and gold that could be found in the house of the Lord, and in the king's treasures, he sent it for a present to the king of the Assyrians. And he agreed to his desire for the king of the Assyrians went up against Damascus, and laid it waste: and he carried away the inhabitants thereof to Cyrene, but Rasin he slew.*

And king Achaz went to Damascus to meet Theglathphalasar king of the Assyrians, and when he had seen the altar of Damascus, king Achaz sent to Urias the priest a pattern of it, and its likeness according to all the work thereof. And Urias the priest built an altar according to all that king Achaz had commanded from Damascus, so did Urias the priest, until king Achaz came from Damascus. And when the king was come from Damascus, he saw the altar and worshipped it and went up and offered holocausts, and his own sacrifice; and offered libations and poured the blood of the peace-offerings which he had offered upon the altar. But the altar of brass that was before the Lord he removed from the face of the temple, and from the place of the altar, and from the place of the temple of the Lord: and he set it at the side of the altar toward the north. And king Achaz commanded Urias the priest, saying: Upon the great altar offer the morning holocaust, and the evening sacrifice, and the king's holocaust, and his sacrifice, and the holocaust of the whole people of the land, and their sacrifices, and their libations: and all the blood of the holocaust and all the blood of the victim thou shalt pour out upon it: but the altar of brass shall be ready at my pleasure. So Urias the priest did according to all that king Achaz had commanded him.

And king Achaz took away the graven bases, and the laver that was upon them: and he took down the sea from the brazen oxen that held it up, and put it upon a pavement of stone. The Musacht also for the sabbath, which he had built

*This had been foretold by the prophet Amos.

†This is understood to mean a covert or porch in which people walked on the sabbath, KENRICK,

4 Kings XVII. 1-5.

2 Par.

in the temple and the king's entry from without he turned into
the temple of the Lord, because of the king of the Assyrians.
In the twelfth year of Achaz king of Juda, Osee the son of
Ela reigned in Samaria over Israel nine
B.C. 730.
And
years.
he did evil before the Lord: but not as the kings
of Israel that had been before him. Against him came up Sal-
manasar king of the Assyrians:* and Osee became his servant, and
paid him tribute. And when the king of the Assyrians found
that Osee endeavouring to rebel had sent messengers to Sua the
king of Egypt, that he might not pay tribute to the king of the
Assyrians, as he had done every year, he besieged him, bound
him, and cast him into prison. And he went through all the
land and going up to Samaria, he besieged it three years.

Now the rest of the acts of Achaz which he did, are they XXVIII. not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings 19-20. of Juda? And Achaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with them in the city of David, and Ezechias his son reigned in his stead.

4 Kings XVIII. 1-7.

4 Kings XVII, 6-33.

SECT. XCIII. EZECHIAS REIGN. THE CAPTIVITY OF ISRAEL.

Ezechias.-Ezechias was five and twenty years old when he

B.C. 726.

began to reign and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Abi the daughter of Zacharias. And he did that which was good before the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. He destroyed the high places, and broke the statues in pieces, and cut down the groves, and broke the brazen serpent which Moses had made: for till that time the children of Israel burnt incense to it: and he called its name Nohestan.† He trusted in the Lord the God of Israel: so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Juda, nor any of them that were before him. And he stuck to the Lord, and departed not from His steps, but kept His commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses. Wherefore the Lord also was with him; and in all things to which he went forth he behaved himself wisely. And he rebelled against the king of the Assyrians, and served him not.

Captivity of Israel.—And in the ninth year of Osee,‡ the king of the Assyrians took Samaria, and carried

B.C. 721. Israel away to Assyria: and he placed them in

*Salmanasar had succeeded Theglathphalasar.

That is, their brass, or a little brass. So he called it in contempt, because they had made an idol of it.

Osee had, however, been already taken captive.

Hala and Habor by the river of Gozan, in the cities of the Medes. For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharao king of Egypt, and they worshipped strange gods. And they walked according to the way of the nations which the Lord had destroyed in the sight of the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel: because they had done in like manner. And the children of Israel offended the Lord their God with things that were not right: and built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to their fenced city. And they made them statues and groves on every high hill and under every shady tree and they burnt incense there upon altars after the manner of the nations which the Lord had removed from their face and they did wicked things, provoking the Lord. And they worshipped abominations, concerning which the Lord had commanded them that they should not do this thing. And the Lord testified to them in Israel and in Juda by the hand of all the prophets and seers, saying: Return from your wicked ways, and keep My precepts and ceremonies according to all the law which I commanded your fathers: and as I have sent to you in the hand of My servants the prophets. And they hearkened not, but hardened their necks like to the neck of their fathers, who would not obey the Lord their God. And they rejected His ordinances and the covenant that He made with their fathers, and the testimonies which He testified against them: and they followed vanities, and acted vainly, and they followed the nations that were round about them, concerning which the Lord had commanded them that they should not do as they did. And they forsook all the precepts of the Lord their God: and made to themselves two molten calves, and groves, and adored all the host of heaven: and they served Baal, and consecrated their sons and their daughters through fire: and they gave themselves to divinations and soothsayings: and they delivered themselves up to do evil before the Lord, to provoke Him. And the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight, and there remained only the tribe of Juda. But neither did Juda itself keep the commandments of the Lord their God: but they walked in the errors of Israel, which they had wrought. And the Lord cast off all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, till He cast them away from His face: even from that time, when Israel was rent from the house of David, and made Jeroboam son of Nabat their king: for Jeroboam

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