2 Kings
The book of 2 Kings begins with the death of King Ahab and the reign of his son Ahaziah, who sought help from a foreign god instead of the God of Israel, leading to his death as prophesied by Elijah. Elijah was then taken up to heaven, and Elisha became the new prophet, performing many miracles and helping the Israelites. The book then describes the reigns of various kings of Israel and Judah, including Joram, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, who all did evil in the sight of the Lord. Elisha continued to prophesy and perform miracles, including healing a Syrian military leader named Naaman and warning the king of Israel about Syrian ambushes. The book also describes the reign of Jehu, who was anointed as king over Israel and struck down the house of Ahab, and the reign of Jehoash, who did what was right in the sight of the Lord but did not remove the high places. The book then describes the reigns of various other kings, including Amaziah, Azariah, and Ahaz, who all did evil in the sight of the Lord. The book also describes the reign of Hezekiah, who did what was good before the Lord and trusted in him, and the reign of Manasseh, who did evil in the sight of the Lord. The book ends with the reign of Josiah, who did what was pleasing to the Lord and walked in the ways of his father David, but was eventually killed by Pharaoh Neco, and the conquest of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon.
Chapter 1
After Ahab's death, Moab rebelled against Israel, and Ahaziah, the king of Israel, fell and injured himself. He sent messengers to consult the god Beelzebub, but Elijah intercepted them and delivered a message from the Lord, stating that Ahaziah would die for seeking help from a foreign god instead of the God of Israel. Ahaziah sent three groups of 50 men to capture Elijah, but the first two groups were consumed by fire from heaven. The third group's leader begged for mercy, and Elijah was instructed by the Lord to go with him to Ahaziah, where he repeated the message, and Ahaziah died as prophesied.
Chapter 2
Elijah and Elisha traveled together, with Elijah being taken up to heaven by a whirlwind, and Elisha requesting a double portion of Elijah's spirit before he was taken. Elijah was then taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot, and Elisha picked up Elijah's cloak and used it to divide the waters of the Jordan, demonstrating that he had received Elijah's spirit. The sons of the prophets recognized that the spirit of Elijah had rested upon Elisha, and Elisha went on to heal the waters of Jericho and later cursed a group of boys who mocked him, resulting in two bears attacking them.
Chapter 3
King Joram of Israel, who reigned for 12 years, did evil in the sight of the Lord but not as severely as his parents. The king of Moab, Mesha, stopped paying tribute to Israel after Ahab's death, prompting Joram to form an alliance with Jehoshaphat of Judah and the king of Idumea to attack Moab. The armies traveled through the desert of Idumea but found no water, leading Joram to lament that the Lord had gathered them to be delivered into Moab's hands. Elisha prophesied that the Lord would provide water and deliver Moab into their hands, which came to pass, and the Israelites ultimately defeated Moab, destroying their cities and fields.
Chapter 4
A widow of a prophet cried out to Elisha for help as a creditor was coming to take her two sons as slaves, and Elisha instructed her to gather empty vessels and fill them with oil from a small amount she had, which miraculously filled all the vessels, allowing her to sell the oil and pay off her debt. Elisha also stayed with a Shunammite woman who built a room for him, and in return, he prophesied that she would have a son, despite her old age and her husband's advanced age. The son was born, but later died, and the woman sought out Elisha, who sent his servant Gehazi to lay his staff on the boy, but when that didn't work, Elisha himself went and lay on the boy, praying to God, and the boy was revived. Elisha also healed a pot of soup that had been poisoned with wild herbs by adding flour, and he fed a hundred men with twenty loaves of barley, with food still remaining.
Chapter 5
Naaman, a Syrian military leader, was afflicted with leprosy, and a young Israelite girl in his service suggested he visit the prophet Elisha in Samaria for healing. Naaman traveled to Israel with gifts and a letter from the king of Syria, but the king of Israel was hesitant to help. Elisha intervened and instructed Naaman to wash in the Jordan River seven times to be cured, which Naaman eventually did, resulting in his healing. Naaman then offered gifts to Elisha, who refused them, but Elisha's servant Gehazi secretly accepted gifts from Naaman and was subsequently afflicted with leprosy as punishment.
Chapter 6
The sons of the prophets asked Elisha to let them build a new place to live near the Jordan, and while they were cutting down trees, one of them lost an iron ax head in the water, which Elisha miraculously recovered by throwing a piece of wood into the water. Elisha also warned the king of Israel about Syrian ambushes, which the king avoided. The king of Syria discovered Elisha was the one revealing his plans and sent soldiers to capture him, but Elisha prayed for the Lord to open the eyes of his servant, who then saw a mountain full of horses and chariots of fire. Elisha led the Syrian soldiers into Samaria, where they were fed and released, and the Syrian army no longer raided Israel. Later, the Syrian king Benhadad besieged Samaria, causing a great famine, and a woman cried out to the king for help after she and another woman had eaten her son due to the famine. The king vowed to have Elisha's head, but Elisha was aware of the plan and prepared the elders to defend him.
Chapter 7
Elisha prophesied that the next day, fine wheat flour and barley would be sold at a significantly lower price at the gate of Samaria. A leader who doubted Elisha's prophecy was told he would see it happen but not benefit from it. Four lepers, who were outside the city gate, decided to take a chance and enter the Syrian camp, where they found it abandoned due to the Syrians' mistaken belief that the Israelites were planning to attack them. The lepers reported their discovery to the king, who sent scouts to confirm it, and the people then pillaged the Syrian camp, causing the prices of wheat flour and barley to drop as Elisha had predicted, and the doubting leader was trampled to death at the gate.
Chapter 8
The woman whose son Elisha had raised from the dead, sojourned in the land of the Philistines for seven years due to a famine, and upon her return, she petitioned the king for her house and fields. The king, who was speaking with Gehazi about Elisha's great deeds, restored all that was hers. Elisha then went to Damascus, where he met with Hazael, who was sent by King Benhadad to inquire about his illness. Elisha prophesied that Hazael would become king of Syria and would do great evil to the sons of Israel. Hazael eventually killed Benhadad and became king. Meanwhile, Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, reigned as king of Judah, but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and did evil in the sight of the Lord. Idumea and Libnah drew apart from Judah during his reign. Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram, later reigned as king of Judah, but he also did evil and was allied with the house of Ahab.
Chapter 9
Elisha sent a young prophet to anoint Jehu as king over Israel, instructing him to strike down the house of Ahab and avenge the blood of the Lord's servants and prophets from the hand of Jezebel. Jehu was anointed and then conspired against Joram, who was recovering from wounds in Jezreel. Jehu met Joram and Ahaziah, the king of Judah, in the field of Naboth, where he killed Joram with an arrow and had his body thrown into the field as punishment for Ahab's sin. Jehu then pursued Ahaziah, who was wounded and later died in Megiddo. Jehu entered Jezreel, where Jezebel was thrown from a window and trampled by horses, fulfilling Elijah's prophecy that dogs would consume her flesh.
Chapter 10
Jehu wrote letters to the nobles in Samaria, instructing them to choose one of Ahab's 70 sons to be king and fight for the house of Ahab, but they were afraid and instead pledged their loyalty to Jehu. Jehu then ordered them to kill Ahab's sons, which they did, beheading all 70 and sending their heads to Jehu. Jehu then killed the rest of Ahab's family and supporters in Jezreel and Samaria, fulfilling the Lord's prophecy spoken through Elijah. Jehu also killed the brothers of Ahaziah, the king of Judah, and then tricked the worshippers of Baal into gathering, where he had them killed. Although Jehu destroyed the temple of Baal and wiped out its worshippers, he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam and the golden calves. The Lord rewarded Jehu's actions by promising that his sons would sit on the throne of Israel for four generations.
Chapter 11
Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, killed all the royal offspring after her son's death, but Jehosheba saved Ahaziah's son Jehoash and hid him in the house of the Lord for six years. Jehoiada, the priest, formed a pact with centurions and soldiers to protect Jehoash and eventually led a successful coup against Athaliah, who was killed. Jehoiada then formed a covenant between the Lord, the king, and the people, and the people destroyed the temple of Baal and killed its priest.
Chapter 12
Jehoash reigned in Jerusalem for 40 years, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord as long as Jehoiada the priest taught him, but he did not remove the high places where the people continued to offer sacrifices. King Jehoash ordered the priests to use the money brought into the temple to repair it, but they failed to do so, leading him to take the money collection out of their hands and place it in a chest near the altar. The money was then used to pay the workers who repaired the temple. When Hazael, the king of Syria, threatened Jerusalem, Jehoash sent him all the sanctified things and silver from the temple and palace to appease him. Jehoash was eventually assassinated by his servants Jozacar and Jehozabad, and his son Amaziah succeeded him.
Chapter 13
Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, reigned over Israel for 17 years and did evil before the Lord, following the sins of Jeroboam. The Lord delivered Israel into the hands of Hazael, the king of Syria, but Jehoahaz petitioned the Lord and Israel was freed. Jehoahaz's son, Joash, reigned over Israel for 16 years and also did evil before the Lord. Elisha, who was sick, prophesied to Joash that he would strike down Syria three times, but Joash only struck three times and did not fully defeat Syria. Elisha died and was buried, but a dead man was revived after touching Elisha's bones. Hazael, the king of Syria, afflicted Israel, but the Lord took pity on them and Jehoash eventually took back the cities from Benhadad, the son of Hazael.
Chapter 14
Amaziah, the king of Judah, reigned for 29 years and did what was right before the Lord, but did not remove the high places. He killed those who had murdered his father, but spared their sons, and then defeated 10,000 men of Idumea. Amaziah challenged Jehoash, the king of Israel, to battle, but was defeated and captured, and Jehoash breached the wall of Jerusalem and took gold, silver, and vessels from the house of the Lord. Amaziah lived for 15 years after Jehoash's death, but was eventually killed in a conspiracy and succeeded by his son Azariah. Meanwhile, Jeroboam, the king of Israel, reigned for 41 years, did evil before the Lord, but restored the borders of Israel as prophesied by Jonah.
Chapter 15
Azariah, the son of Amaziah, reigned as king of Judah for 52 years, doing what was pleasing before the Lord, but not demolishing the high places. He became a leper and lived in a separate house, with Jotham governing the palace. Azariah's reign was followed by the reigns of several kings of Israel, including Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, and Pekah, all of whom did evil before the Lord and did not withdraw from the sins of Jeroboam. Pekah was eventually killed by Hoshea, who reigned in his place. Meanwhile, Jotham, the son of Uzziah, reigned as king of Judah, doing what was pleasing before the Lord, but not taking away the high places.
Chapter 16
Ahaz, the 20-year-old king of Judah, reigned for 16 years and did not please God, instead following the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificing his son to idols. The kings of Syria and Israel attacked Jerusalem but were unsuccessful, and Ahaz sought help from the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser, sending him gifts of silver and gold from the temple. Tiglath-pileser defeated the Syrian king Rezin and Ahaz traveled to Damascus, where he saw an altar and had a replica built in Jerusalem, which he used for his own sacrifices. Ahaz also made changes to the temple, removing the bronze altar and the sea from the bronze oxen, and eventually died, succeeded by his son Hezekiah.
Chapter 17
Hoshea, the king of Israel, reigned for nine years and did evil before the Lord, but not as badly as previous kings. He was eventually captured by the king of Assyria and Israel was carried away to Assyria. The Israelites had sinned against the Lord by worshipping strange gods and following the rituals of other nations. Despite the Lord's warnings through prophets, they did not listen and continued to sin, leading to their eventual capture and deportation. The king of Assyria brought people from other nations to live in Samaria, but they did not fear the Lord and were initially killed by lions. A priest was sent to teach them the ordinances of the God of the land, but each nation continued to make their own gods and worship them in addition to the Lord.
Chapter 18
Hezekiah, the king of Judah, reigned for 29 years and did what was good before the Lord, destroying high places and statues, and trusting in the Lord. In the fourth year of Hezekiah's reign, the king of Assyria, Shalmaneser, seized Samaria and took Israel into Assyria. Later, Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, went up to Judah and captured its fortified cities, and Hezekiah paid a tax to him. Sennacherib then sent his officials to Jerusalem to persuade the people to surrender, but they were met by Hezekiah's officials, who asked them to speak in Syriac rather than Hebrew. The Assyrian officials refused and instead exhorted the people to surrender, promising them a good life if they did so, and warning them not to trust in the Lord or Hezekiah.
Chapter 19
King Hezekiah, upon hearing the Assyrian king's threats, sent his officials to the prophet Isaiah, who reassured them that God would protect Jerusalem. The Assyrian king, Sennacherib, sent a letter to Hezekiah, boasting of his conquests and mocking the God of Israel. Hezekiah prayed to God, asking for salvation, and Isaiah delivered a message from God, condemning Sennacherib's blasphemy and promising to protect Jerusalem. That night, an angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, and Sennacherib returned to Nineveh, where he was eventually killed by his own sons.
Chapter 20
Hezekiah, the king of Judah, was mortally ill, but after praying to God, the prophet Isaiah informed him that God had heard his prayer and would heal him, adding 15 years to his life and protecting Jerusalem from the Assyrians. As a sign of this promise, Isaiah caused the shadow on the sundial of Ahaz to move back 10 degrees. Later, Hezekiah received a visit from the king of Babylon's envoys, and he showed them all his treasures, which led Isaiah to prophesy that all of Hezekiah's riches would be taken to Babylon and that his sons would be taken captive. Hezekiah accepted this prophecy, saying that at least he would have peace in his lifetime.
Chapter 21
Manasseh, who reigned for 55 years, did evil in the sight of the Lord, building altars to Baal and the entire army of heaven, and led his son through fire. The Lord spoke through his prophets, condemning Manasseh's actions and warning of impending evils over Jerusalem and Judah. Manasseh's son Amon succeeded him, but also did evil in the sight of the Lord, and was eventually killed by his servants in a treacherous plot. The people of the land then appointed Josiah, Amon's son, as the new king.
Chapter 22
King Josiah, who reigned at the age of eight, did what was pleasing to the Lord and walked in the ways of his father David. In his eighteenth year, Josiah sent Shaphan to Hilkiah, the high priest, to collect money from the temple to repair it. Hilkiah found the book of the law in the temple and gave it to Shaphan, who read it to the king. Upon hearing the words of the law, Josiah tore his garments and sent his officials to consult the Lord through the prophetess Huldah about the words of the book. Huldah prophesied that the Lord would bring evil upon the place and its inhabitants because they had abandoned Him, but Josiah would be spared and die in peace because he had humbled himself before the Lord.
Chapter 23
King Josiah gathered the elders of Judah and Jerusalem and read the book of the covenant to them, then he made a covenant with the Lord to follow his precepts and testimonies. Josiah then destroyed the vessels made for Baal and the sacred grove, and burned them outside of Jerusalem. He also destroyed the high places and altars throughout Judah and Jerusalem, and killed the priests of the high places. Josiah then instructed the people to keep the Passover to the Lord, and he took away those who divined by spirits and the images of idols. Despite Josiah's efforts, the Lord did not turn away from his wrath against Judah, and Josiah was eventually killed by Pharaoh Neco. After Josiah's death, his son Jehoahaz was made king, but he was taken away by Pharaoh Neco and replaced with Eliakim, who was renamed Jehoiakim.
Chapter 24
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, conquered Judah and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years before rebelling against him. The Lord sent the Chaldeans, Syrians, Moabites, and Ammonites to destroy Judah as punishment for the sins of Manasseh. Jehoiakim's son Jehoiachin succeeded him but reigned for only three months before Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem, taking its treasures and leading many of its people, including Jehoiachin, into captivity in Babylon. Zedekiah, Jehoiachin's uncle, was then appointed king by Nebuchadnezzar but also rebelled against him.
Chapter 25
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, besieged Jerusalem in the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign, and the city was eventually breached, leading to the capture of Zedekiah, who was then taken to the king of Babylon and punished. The Babylonians destroyed the temple, the king's house, and the walls of Jerusalem, and took many of the people into exile, leaving behind only some poor farmers. The Babylonians also took many of the temple's valuable items, including brass pillars and gold and silver vessels. The king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah as the ruler over the remaining people in Judah, but he was eventually assassinated by Ishmael, leading to the flight of the people to Egypt. Years later, Evilmerodach, the new king of Babylon, released Jehoiachin, the former king of Judah, from prison and treated him kindly, providing for him for the rest of his life.
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