2 Kings

King Ahaziah of Israel fell ill and sent messengers to inquire of the god Baalzebub in Ekron, but the angel of the Lord instructed Elijah to intercept them and tell the king that he would die for seeking a foreign god instead of the God of Israel. Elijah's message was delivered, and when the king sent captains with fifty men to arrest Elijah, fire from heaven consumed the first two groups, but the third captain humbled himself and Elijah was instructed by the angel of the Lord to go with him to the king. Elijah then delivered the Lord's message to the king, who subsequently died as prophesied.

Elijah and Elisha traveled from Gilgal to Bethel, then to Jericho, and finally to the Jordan River, where Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind after being parted from Elisha by a chariot of fire. Before he left, Elijah granted Elisha's request for a double portion of his spirit, on the condition that Elisha saw him being taken away. After Elijah's departure, Elisha picked up his mantle and used it to part the Jordan River, demonstrating that he had inherited Elijah's spirit. The sons of the prophets recognized Elisha as Elijah's successor and bowed to him. Elisha then healed the waters of a city and cursed a group of mocking children, who were subsequently attacked by two bears.

Jehoram, the son of Ahab, became king of Israel and reigned for 12 years, doing evil in the sight of the Lord but not as severely as his parents. The king of Moab rebelled against Israel, prompting Jehoram to form an alliance with Jehoshaphat of Judah and the king of Edom to fight against Moab. The prophet Elisha prophesied that the Lord would provide water for the armies and deliver the Moabites into their hands, which came to pass, leading to a decisive victory for Israel.

A widow of one of the sons of the prophets asked Elisha for help as her creditor was coming to take her two sons as slaves, and Elisha told her to gather empty vessels and fill them with oil from a pot she had, which miraculously filled all the vessels, allowing her to sell the oil and pay her debt. Elisha also stayed with a wealthy woman in Shunem 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 old age. The son was born, but later died, and the woman sought Elisha's help, who sent his servant Gehazi to lay his staff on the child, but it did not work, so Elisha went to the child and through prayer and physical contact, brought the child back to life. Elisha also helped the sons of the prophets by neutralizing a poisonous stew with meal and fed a hundred men with twenty loaves of barley.

Naaman, a Syrian captain, was afflicted with leprosy, and a young Israelite maid in his household suggested he visit the prophet Elisha in Samaria for healing. Naaman traveled to Israel with a large gift, but Elisha refused to meet with him and instead sent a messenger instructing Naaman to wash in the Jordan River seven times to be cured. Naaman initially refused, but after his servants' persuasion, he followed Elisha's instructions and was healed. He then returned to Elisha and offered a gift, which Elisha refused. However, Elisha's servant Gehazi secretly followed Naaman and accepted a large gift, which led to Gehazi being afflicted with Naaman's leprosy as punishment.

The sons of the prophets asked Elisha to help them build a new place to live, and while they were working, an axe head fell into the water, but Elisha miraculously made it float to the surface. The king of Syria tried to attack Israel, but Elisha warned the king of Israel of the plans, and the Syrians were thwarted. The king of Syria sent an army to capture Elisha, but Elisha prayed for the eyes of his servant to be opened, and he saw that they were surrounded by horses and chariots of fire. Elisha then led the Syrian army to Samaria, where they were fed and released, and the Syrian army did not return to Israel. Later, the king of Syria besieged Samaria, causing a great famine, and the king of Israel sought to kill Elisha, but Elisha was not harmed.

Elisha prophesied that the next day, fine flour and barley would be sold at a low price in the gate of Samaria. A skeptical lord doubted the prophecy, and Elisha said the lord would see it happen but not benefit from it. Four leprous men, desperate for food, decided to surrender to the Syrian army, but found the camp abandoned due to a divine noise that made the Syrians flee. The lepers plundered the camp and eventually told the king's household, leading to the people spoiling the Syrian tents and the prophecy being fulfilled. The skeptical lord was trampled to death in the gate as the people rushed to buy food.

Elisha warned a woman whose son he had previously restored to life to leave the land due to a coming seven-year famine, and she obeyed, sojourning in the land of the Philistines. After the famine, she returned and appealed to the king for her house and land, and the king restored her property. Elisha then went to Damascus, where he met with Hazael, who was sent by King Benhadad to inquire about his recovery from illness. Elisha prophesied that Benhadad would die, and that Hazael would become king of Syria and commit atrocities against Israel. Hazael later killed Benhadad and took the throne. The chapter also describes the reigns of Jehoram and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, who both walked in the ways of the wicked kings of Israel and did evil in the sight of the Lord.

Elisha sent a young prophet to anoint Jehu as king over Israel, instructing him to smite the house of Ahab and avenge the blood of the prophets and servants of the Lord. Jehu conspired against Joram, who was recovering from wounds in Jezreel, and rode to the city, where he met Joram and Ahaziah, king of Judah. Jehu killed Joram with an arrow and had his body thrown into the field of Naboth, fulfilling a prophecy. He then pursued Ahaziah, who was mortally wounded and died in Megiddo. Jehu also killed Jezebel, who was thrown from a window and trampled by horses, with only her skull, feet, and hands remaining, fulfilling another prophecy.

Jehu wrote to the rulers of Samaria, instructing them to choose one of Ahab's sons to be king, but they refused, instead offering to do whatever Jehu commanded. Jehu then ordered them to kill Ahab's 70 sons and send their heads to him, which they did. Jehu then killed the rest of Ahab's family and supporters in Jezreel and Samaria, fulfilling the prophecy of Elijah. Jehu also killed the brethren of Ahaziah, king of Judah, and then destroyed the worship of Baal in Israel by killing all the priests and worshippers of Baal. Despite this, Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, and the Lord began to cut off the ends of Israel.

Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, killed all the royal seed after her son's death, but Jehosheba saved Joash, Ahaziah's son, and hid him in the house of the Lord for six years. Jehoiada, the priest, made a covenant with the rulers and captains, and they brought Joash out of hiding and made him king. Athaliah was killed when she tried to stop the coronation, and the people then destroyed the house of Baal and its priest.

Jehoash, also known as Joash, became king of Judah at the age of seven and reigned for 40 years, initially following the guidance of Jehoiada the priest. However, the high places where people sacrificed and burned incense were not removed. King Jehoash ordered the priests to collect money from the people to repair the temple, but the priests failed to do so. A chest was then placed at the temple entrance to collect donations, which were used to repair the temple. Later, King Jehoash gave Hazael, the king of Syria, the treasures of the temple and the king's house to prevent an attack on Jerusalem. Jehoash was eventually assassinated by his servants, Jozachar and Jehozabad, and was succeeded by his son Amaziah.

Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, reigned over Israel for 17 years and did evil in the sight of the Lord, following the sins of Jeroboam. The Lord delivered Israel into the hands of Hazael, king of Syria, but later gave Israel a savior, allowing them to escape from the Syrians. Jehoahaz's son, Joash, succeeded him and also did evil in the sight of the Lord, but he defeated Amaziah, king of Judah. Elisha, who was dying, prophesied to Joash that he would defeat the Syrians, but Joash's limited faith resulted in only partial victory.

Amaziah, king of Judah, reigned for 29 years and did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but did not remove the high places. He killed the servants who had murdered his father, but spared their children, and then defeated Edom. Amaziah challenged Jehoash, king of Israel, to battle, but was defeated and Jerusalem was plundered. Amaziah was later assassinated and succeeded by his son Azariah. Meanwhile, Jeroboam II, king of Israel, reigned for 41 years, did evil in the sight of the Lord, but was able to restore Israel's borders through the prophet Jonah's guidance.

Azariah, also known as Uzziah, became king of Judah at 16 years old and reigned for 52 years, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord, but failing to remove the high places. He was struck with leprosy and his son Jotham took over the kingdom. Meanwhile, in Israel, several kings rose and fell, including Zachariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, and Pekah, all of whom did evil in the sight of the Lord. Pekah was eventually killed by Hoshea, who then became king. Jotham, king of Judah, did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but also failed to remove the high places, and was eventually succeeded by his son Ahaz.

Ahaz, the 20-year-old king of Judah, reigned for 16 years and did not follow God's ways, instead adopting the practices of the kings of Israel and the heathen. He was attacked by the kings of Syria and Israel, but was rescued by the king of Assyria, to whom he had appealed for help. Ahaz then adopted Assyrian altar designs and rituals, replacing the traditional Jewish practices. He also made changes to the temple, removing the laver and the sea from the brasen oxen, and eventually died, succeeded by his son Hezekiah.

Hoshea, the king of Israel, did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as badly as previous kings. He was eventually captured by the king of Assyria and imprisoned for conspiring against him. The king of Assyria then conquered Samaria and exiled the Israelites to other lands. The Israelites had sinned against the Lord by worshiping other gods and following the customs of the heathen. Despite the Lord's warnings through prophets, the Israelites refused to turn from their evil ways. The king of Assyria then brought people from other lands to inhabit Samaria, but they did not worship the Lord and were attacked by lions. A priest was sent to teach them how to worship the Lord, but they continued to worship their own gods.

Hezekiah, the king of Judah, began to reign at the age of 25 and reigned for 29 years, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. He removed the high places and images, and trusted in the Lord, prospering wherever he went. The king of Assyria, Shalmaneser, took Samaria and carried away Israel to Assyria because they disobeyed the Lord. Later, Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, came against Judah and took its fenced cities, and Hezekiah gave him silver and gold to appease him. However, Sennacherib sent his officials to Jerusalem to persuade the people to surrender, claiming that the Lord would not deliver them, and that they should make a deal with the king of Assyria to avoid destruction.

King Hezekiah received a threatening letter from Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, and sought the counsel of the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah reassured Hezekiah that God would defend Jerusalem and that Sennacherib would not conquer the city. Hezekiah prayed to God, asking for deliverance, and Isaiah delivered a message from God, condemning Sennacherib's blasphemy and promising to defeat him. That night, an angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, and Sennacherib retreated to Nineveh, where he was eventually assassinated by his own sons.

Hezekiah was told by Isaiah that he would die, but after praying and weeping, God healed him and added 15 years to his life. As a sign of the healing, the shadow on the sundial of Ahaz went back 10 degrees. Hezekiah then received a visit from the king of Babylon's envoys and showed them all his treasures, which Isaiah later condemned, prophesying that all of Hezekiah's wealth would be taken to Babylon and his sons would be made eunuchs. Hezekiah accepted the prophecy, finding comfort in the fact that it would not occur during his lifetime.

Manasseh, who became king at 12 years old, reigned for 55 years in Jerusalem and did evil in the sight of the Lord, rebuilding high places and altars for Baal and other idols, and even sacrificing his son to these gods. The Lord spoke through prophets, condemning Manasseh's actions and warning of impending judgment on Jerusalem and Judah. Manasseh's son Amon succeeded him and continued in his father's evil ways, but was assassinated by his servants after a two-year reign.

Josiah, who became king at eight years old, reigned for 31 years in Jerusalem and did what was right in the sight of the Lord. In his 18th year, Josiah sent Shaphan to the high priest Hilkiah to collect money for repairs to the temple, where Hilkiah found the book of the law. When the book was read to Josiah, he tore his clothes and sent his officials to enquire of the Lord about the book's words, and the prophetess Huldah replied that the Lord would bring evil upon Jerusalem because of their idolatry, but Josiah would die in peace before the destruction occurred.

King Josiah gathered the elders of Judah and Jerusalem and read the book of the covenant to them, then made a covenant to follow the Lord and keep His commandments. He destroyed all the vessels and idols made for Baal and other false gods, and burned the grove and high places, defiling them with the ashes of the dead. Josiah also destroyed the houses of the sodomites, the high places of the gates, and the altars on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz. He then celebrated the Passover as written in the book of the covenant, and put away all the familiar spirits, wizards, and idols in Judah and Jerusalem. Despite Josiah's efforts, the Lord still planned to remove Judah from His sight due to the provocations of Manasseh. Josiah was eventually killed by Pharaohnechoh, and his son Jehoahaz succeeded him but was taken captive by Pharaohnechoh and replaced with Eliakim, who was renamed Jehoiakim.

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon conquered Judah during the reign of Jehoiakim, who initially served him but later rebelled. Jehoiakim's son Jehoiachin succeeded him but reigned for only three months before Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and took him captive, along with many of the city's inhabitants and treasures. Nebuchadnezzar then installed Mattaniah, renamed Zedekiah, as the new king of Judah, who also did evil in the sight of the Lord and eventually rebelled against the king of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar's army besieged Jerusalem, and after a long siege, the city was breached, and King Zedekiah was captured and taken to Riblah, where his sons were killed, and his eyes were put out. The Babylonians then destroyed the city, including the temple, and took many of the people into exile. A small group of people was left in the land under the leadership of Gedaliah, but he was eventually assassinated by Ishmael. The remaining people fled to Egypt, fearing the Babylonians. Years later, Evilmerodach, the new king of Babylon, showed kindness to Jehoiachin, the former king of Judah, and released him from prison, giving him a place of honor and a daily allowance.