Bible study 2 Kings 14-17 and 2 Chronicles 21-28 from Elisha until Hezekiah

 

Here is a bible study covering the intervening period roughly from Elisha, though 2 Chronicles has a letter written by Elijah but basically chronicles the various kings in Israel and Judah from the prophets to Hezekiah, identifying good and evil, also who some of the other prophets are who aren’t as well known as Elisha and Elijah. Here is a link to the study on Elisha for a frame of reference and more info as to what was going on at that time.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/jay-dougherty/elisha-the-prophet-bible-study/10200724334404311

I am starting this study with 4 chapters of 2 Kings,14 through17 and 2 Kings chapter 14 is describing the kings like Joahaz, Amaziah and Jeroboam, and mentioning their deeds good and bad

(2 Kings 14:1)  In the second year of Joash the son of Joahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, began to reign.

 

(2 Kings 14:2)  He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem.

 

(2 Kings 14:3)  And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not like David his father. He did in all things as Joash his father had done.

 

(2 Kings 14:4)  But the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.

 

(2 Kings 14:5)  And as soon as the royal power was firmly in his hand, he struck down his servants who had struck down the king his father.

 

(2 Kings 14:6)  But he did not put to death the children of the murderers, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, where the LORD commanded, "Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. But each one shall die for his own sin."

 

(2 Kings 14:7)  He struck down ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt and took Sela by storm, and called it Joktheel, which is its name to this day.

 

(2 Kings 14:8)  Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come, let us look one another in the face."

 

(2 Kings 14:9)  And Jehoash king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah, "A thistle on Lebanon sent to a cedar on Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son for a wife,' and a wild beast of Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thistle.

 

(2 Kings 14:10)  You have indeed struck down Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Be content with your glory, and stay at home, for why should you provoke trouble so that you fall, you and Judah with you?"

 

(2 Kings 14:11)  But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another in battle at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah.

 

(2 Kings 14:12)  And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his home.

 

(2 Kings 14:13)  And Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem for four hundred cubits, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate.

 

(2 Kings 14:14)  And he seized all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king's house, also hostages, and he returned to Samaria.

 

(2 Kings 14:15)  Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash that he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

 

(2 Kings 14:16)  And Jehoash slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel, and Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.

 

(2 Kings 14:17)  Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel.

 

(2 Kings 14:18)  Now the rest of the deeds of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

 

(2 Kings 14:19)  And they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent after him to Lachish and put him to death there.

 

(2 Kings 14:20)  And they brought him on horses; and he was buried in Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David.

 

(2 Kings 14:21)  And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.

 

(2 Kings 14:22)  He built Elath and restored it to Judah, after the king slept with his fathers.

 

(2 Kings 14:23)  In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years.

 

(2 Kings 14:24)  And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.

 

(2 Kings 14:25)  He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher.

 

(2 Kings 14:26)  For the LORD saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, for there was none left, bond or free, and there was none to help Israel.

 

(2 Kings 14:27)  But the LORD had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

 

(2 Kings 14:28)  Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did, and his might, how he fought, and how he restored Damascus and Hamath to Judah in Israel, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

 

(2 Kings 14:29)  And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, the kings of Israel, and Zechariah his son reigned in his place.

 

In 2 Kings chapter 15 are more of the lists of deeds and consequences of the deeds done of various kings listed in the chapter

(2 Kings 15:1)  In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah, king of Judah, began to reign.

 

(2 Kings 15:2)  He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.

 

(2 Kings 15:3)  And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.

 

(2 Kings 15:4)  Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.

 

(2 Kings 15:5)  And the LORD touched the king, so that he was a leper to the day of his death, and he lived in a separate house. And Jotham the king's son was over the household, governing the people of the land.

 

(2 Kings 15:6)  Now the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

 

(2 Kings 15:7)  And Azariah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and Jotham his son reigned in his place.

 

(2 Kings 15:8)  In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria six months.

 

(2 Kings 15:9)  And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.

 

(2 Kings 15:10)  Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him and struck him down at Ibleam and put him to death and reigned in his place.

 

(2Ki 15:11)  Now the rest of the deeds of Zechariah, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

 

(2 Kings 15:12)  (This was the promise of the LORD that he gave to Jehu, "Your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation." And so it came to pass.)

 

(2 Kings 15:13)  Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned one month in Samaria.

 

(2 Kings 15:14)  Then Menahem the son of Gadi came up from Tirzah and came to Samaria, and he struck down Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria and put him to death and reigned in his place.

 

(2 Kings 15:15)  Now the rest of the deeds of Shallum, and the conspiracy that he made, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

 

(2 Kings 15:16)  At that time Menahem sacked Tiphsah and all who were in it and its territory from Tirzah on, because they did not open it to him. Therefore he sacked it, and he ripped open all the women in it who were pregnant.

 

(2 Kings 15:17)  In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi began to reign over Israel, and he reigned ten years in Samaria.

 

(2 Kings 15:18)  And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart all his days from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.

 

(2 Kings 15:19)  Pul the king of Assyria came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that he might help him to confirm his hold on the royal power.

 

(2 Kings 15:20)  Menahem exacted the money from Israel, that is, from all the wealthy men, fifty shekels of silver from every man, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back and did not stay there in the land.

 

(2 Kings 15:21)  Now the rest of the deeds of Menahem and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

 

(2 Kings 15:22)  And Menahem slept with his fathers, and Pekahiah his son reigned in his place.

 

(2 Kings 15:23)  In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years.

 

(2 Kings 15:24)  And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.

 

(2 Kings 15:25)  And Pekah the son of Remaliah, his captain, conspired against him with fifty men of the people of Gilead, and struck him down in Samaria, in the citadel of the king's house with Argob and Arieh; he put him to death and reigned in his place.

 

(2 Kings 15:26)  Now the rest of the deeds of Pekahiah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

 

(2 Kings 15:27)  In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years.

 

(2 Kings 15:28)  And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.

 

(2 Kings 15:29)  In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and he carried the people captive to Assyria.

 

(2 Kings 15:30)  Then Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah and struck him down and put him to death and reigned in his place, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah.

 

(2 Kings 15:31)  Now the rest of the acts of Pekah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

 

(2 Kings 15:32)  In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, began to reign.

 

(2 Kings 15:33)  He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok.

 

(2 Kings 15:34)  And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah had done.

 

(2 Kings 15:35)  Nevertheless, the high places were not removed. The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. He built the upper gate of the house of the LORD.

 

(2 Kings 15:36)  Now the rest of the acts of Jotham and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

 

(2 Kings 15:37)  In those days the LORD began to send Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah.

 

(who was very evil,15:38)  Jotham slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

 

In 2 Kings chapter 16 the deeds of King Ahaz of Judah, who was very evil, are examined, and their interactions with Syria and Assyria, who were used for punishment of the wickedness of Ahaz

(2 Kings, 16:1)  In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign.

 

(2 Kings 16:2)  Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD his God, as his father David had done,

 

(2 Kings 16:3)  but he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He even burned his son as an offering, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel.

 

(2 Kings 16:4)  And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.

 

(2 Kings 16:5)  Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to wage war on Jerusalem, and they besieged Ahaz but could not conquer him.

 

(2 Kings 16:6)  At that time Rezin the king of Syria recovered Elath for Syria and drove the men of Judah from Elath, and the Edomites came to Elath, where they dwell to this day.

 

(2 Kings 16:7)  So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, "I am your servant and your son. Come up and rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are attacking me."

 

(2 Kings 16:8)  Ahaz also took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasures of the king's house and sent a present to the king of Assyria.

 

(2 Kings 16:9)  And the king of Assyria listened to him. The king of Assyria marched up against Damascus and took it, carrying its people captive to Kir, and he killed Rezin.

 

(2 Kings 16:10)  When King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, he saw the altar that was at Damascus. And King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a model of the altar, and its pattern, exact in all its details.

 

(2 Kings 16:11)  And Uriah the priest built the altar; in accordance with all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so Uriah the priest made it, before King Ahaz arrived from Damascus.

 

(2 Kings 16:12)  And when the king came from Damascus, the king viewed the altar. Then the king drew near to the altar and went up on it

 

(2 Kings 16:13)  and burned his burnt offering and his grain offering and poured his drink offering and threw the blood of his peace offerings on the altar.

 

(2 Kings 16:14)  And the bronze altar that was before the LORD he removed from the front of the house, from the place between his altar and the house of the LORD, and put it on the north side of his altar.

 

(2 Kings 16:15)  And King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, saying, "On the great altar burn the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering and the king's burnt offering and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. And throw on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice, but the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by."

 

(2 Kings 16:16)  Uriah the priest did all this, as King Ahaz commanded.

 

(2 Kings 16:17)  And King Ahaz cut off the frames of the stands and removed the basin from them, and he took down the sea from off the bronze oxen that were under it and put it on a stone pedestal.

 

(2 Kings 16:18)  And the covered way for the Sabbath that had been built inside the house and the outer entrance for the king he caused to go around the house of the LORD, because of the king of Assyria.

 

(2 Kings 16:19)  Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

 

(2 Kings 16:20)  And Ahaz slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

 

In 2 Kings chapter 17 is described the reign of the last king of Israel and then their captivity to Assyria, and is very thorough in explaining that this captivity of Israel and exile of the people of Israel by Assyria was because of rejecting God and serving other gods for such a long period of time

(2 Kings 17:1)  In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah began to reign in Samaria over Israel, and he reigned nine years.

 

(2 Kings 17:2)  And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, yet not as the kings of Israel who were before him.

 

(2 Kings 17:3)  Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria. And Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute.

 

(2 Kings 17:4)  But the king of Assyria found treachery in Hoshea, for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison.

 

(2 Kings 17:5)  Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and came to Samaria, and for three years he besieged it.

 

(2 Kings 17:6)  In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

 

(2 Kings 17:7)  And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods

 

(2 Kings 17:8)  and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced.

 

(2 Kings 17:9)  And the people of Israel did secretly against the LORD their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city.

 

(2 Kings 17:10)  They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree,

 

(2 Kings 17:11)  and there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the LORD carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger,

 

(2 Kings 17:12)  and they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, "You shall not do this."

 

(2 Kings 17:13)  Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets."

 

(2 Kings 17:14)  But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the LORD their God.

 

(2 Kings 17:15)  They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the LORD had commanded them that they should not do like them.

 

(2 Kings 17:16)  And they abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal.

 

(2 Kings 17:17)  And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger.

 

(2 Kings 17:18)  Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only.

 

(2 Kings 17:19)  Judah also did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the customs that Israel had introduced.

 

(2 Kings 17:20)  And the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until he had cast them out of his sight.

 

(2 Kings 17:21)  When he had torn Israel from the house of David, they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. And Jeroboam drove Israel from following the LORD and made them commit great sin.

 

(2 Kings 17:22)  The people of Israel walked in all the sins that Jeroboam did. They did not depart from them,

 

(2 Kings 17:23)  until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had spoken by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was exiled from their own land to Assyria until this day.

 

(2 Kings 17:24)  And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the people of Israel. And they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities.

 

(2 Kings 17:25)  And at the beginning of their dwelling there, they did not fear the LORD. Therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which killed some of them.

 

(2 Kings 17:26)  So the king of Assyria was told, "The nations that you have carried away and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the law of the god of the land. Therefore he has sent lions among them, and behold, they are killing them, because they do not know the law of the god of the land."

 

(2 Kings 17:27)  Then the king of Assyria commanded, "Send there one of the priests whom you carried away from there, and let him go and dwell there and teach them the law of the god of the land."

 

(2 Kings 17:28)  So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel and taught them how they should fear the LORD.

 

(2 Kings 17:29)  But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the shrines of the high places that the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities in which they lived.

 

(2 Kings 17:30)  The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima,

 

(2 Kings 17:31)  and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

 

(2 Kings 17:32)  They also feared the LORD and appointed from among themselves all sorts of people as priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places.

 

(2 Kings 17:33)  So they feared the LORD but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.

 

(2 Kings 17:34)  To this day they do according to the former manner. They do not fear the LORD, and they do not follow the statutes or the rules or the law or the commandment that the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel.

 

(2 Kings 17:35)  The LORD made a covenant with them and commanded them, "You shall not fear other gods or bow yourselves to them or serve them or sacrifice to them,

 

(2 Kings 17:36)  but you shall fear the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm. You shall bow yourselves to him, and to him you shall sacrifice.

 

(2 Kings 17:37)  And the statutes and the rules and the law and the commandment that he wrote for you, you shall always be careful to do. You shall not fear other gods,

 

(2 Kings 17:38)  and you shall not forget the covenant that I have made with you. You shall not fear other gods,

 

(2 Kings 17:39)  but you shall fear the LORD your God, and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies."

 

(2 Kings 17:40)  However, they would not listen, but they did according to their former manner.

 

(2 Kings 17:41)  So these nations feared the LORD and also served their carved images. Their children did likewise, and their children's children--as their fathers did, so they do to this day.

 

In this section are the chapters of 2 Chronicles which cover roughly the same time period of history for comparison and contrast, for the books of kings and Chronicles , while covering the same time period have different viewpoints and cover different stories in the books.

Here in 2 Chronicles chapter 21 Jehoram takes over as king of Judah from Jehosephat and is evil, so God has Elijah write a letter  promising judgment on him and his house, yet not Judah due to God’s mercy

(2 Chronicles 21:1)  Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place.

 

(2 Chronicles 21:2)  He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.

 

(2 Chronicles 21:3)  Their father gave them great gifts of silver, gold, and valuable possessions, together with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn.

 

(2 Chronicles 21:4)  When Jehoram had ascended the throne of his father and was established, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the princes of Israel.

 

(2 Chronicles 21:5)  Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

 

(2 Chronicles 21:6)  And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.

 

(2 Chronicles 21:7)  Yet the LORD was not willing to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and since he had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever.

 

(2 Chronicles 21:8)  In his days Edom revolted from the rule of Judah and set up a king of their own.

 

(2 Chronicles 21:9)  Then Jehoram passed over with his commanders and all his chariots, and he rose by night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and his chariot commanders.

 

(2 Chronicles 21:10)  So Edom revolted from the rule of Judah to this day. At that time Libnah also revolted from his rule, because he had forsaken the LORD, the God of his fathers.

 

(2 Chronicles 21:11)  Moreover, he made high places in the hill country of Judah and led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom and made Judah go astray.

 

(2 Chronicles 21:12)  And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, "Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father, 'Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah,

 

(2 Chronicles 21:13)  but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel and have enticed Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into whoredom, as the house of Ahab led Israel into whoredom, and also you have killed your brothers, of your father's house, who were better than yourself,

 

(2 Chronicles 21:14)  behold, the LORD will bring a great plague on your people, your children, your wives, and all your possessions,

 

(2 Chronicles 21:15)  and you yourself will have a severe sickness with a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the disease, day by day.'"

 

(2 Chronicles 21:16)  And the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the anger of the Philistines and of the Arabians who are near the Ethiopians.

 

(2 Chronicles 21:17)  And they came up against Judah and invaded it and carried away all the possessions they found that belonged to the king's house, and also his sons and his wives, so that no son was left to him except Jehoahaz, his youngest son.

 

(2 Chronicles 21:18)  And after all this the LORD struck him in his bowels with an incurable disease.

 

(2 Chronicles 21:19)  In the course of time, at the end of two years, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great agony. His people made no fire in his honor, like the fires made for his fathers.

 

(2 Chronicles 21:20)  He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed with no one's regret. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

 

2 Chronicles chapter 22 describes two more evil rulers over Judah, the first gets his judgment here, at Jehu’s hand

(2 Chronicles 22:1)  And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned.

 

(2 Chronicles 22:2)  Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri.

 

(2 Chronicles 22:3)  He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly.

 

(2 Chronicles 22:4)  He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as the house of Ahab had done. For after the death of his father they were his counselors, to his undoing.

 

(2 Chronicles 22:5)  He even followed their counsel and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to make war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead. And the Syrians wounded Joram,

 

(2 Chronicles 22:6)  and he returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that he had received at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was wounded.

 

(2 Chronicles 22:7)  But it was ordained by God that the downfall of Ahaziah should come about through his going to visit Joram. For when he came there, he went out with Jehoram to meet Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.

 

(2 Chronicles 22:8)  And when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he met the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's brothers, who attended Ahaziah, and he killed them.

 

(2 Chronicles 22:9)  He searched for Ahaziah, and he was captured while hiding in Samaria, and he was brought to Jehu and put to death. They buried him, for they said, "He is the grandson of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart." And the house of Ahaziah had no one able to rule the kingdom.

 

(2 Chronicles 22:10)  Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family of the house of Judah.

 

(2 Chronicles 22:11)  But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king's sons who were about to be put to death, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of Jehoiada the priest, because she was a sister of Ahaziah, hid him from Athaliah, so that she did not put him to death.

 

(2 Chronicles 22:12)  And he remained with them six years, hidden in the house of God, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

 

The other one, Athaliah, a female usurper to the throne is then put to death in 2 Chronicles chapter 23 which also describes revival with the chapter with the people tearing down an altar of Baal

(2 Chronicles 23:1)  But in the seventh year Jehoiada took courage and entered into a covenant with the commanders of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri.

 

(2 Chronicles 23:2)  And they went about through Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the heads of fathers' houses of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.

 

(2 Chronicles 23:3)  And all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And Jehoiada said to them, "Behold, the king's son! Let him reign, as the LORD spoke concerning the sons of David.

 

(2 Chronicles 23:4)  This is the thing that you shall do: of you priests and Levites who come off duty on the Sabbath, one third shall be gatekeepers,

 

(2 Chronicles 23:5)  and one third shall be at the king's house and one third at the Gate of the Foundation. And all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the LORD.

 

(2 Chronicles 23:6)  Let no one enter the house of the LORD except the priests and ministering Levites. They may enter, for they are holy, but all the people shall keep the charge of the LORD.

 

(2 Chronicles 23:7)  The Levites shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand. And whoever enters the house shall be put to death. Be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out."

 

(2 Chronicles 23:8)  The Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded, and they each brought his men, who were to go off duty on the Sabbath, with those who were to come on duty on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss the divisions.

 

(2 Chronicles 23:9)  And Jehoiada the priest gave to the captains the spears and the large and small shields that had been King David's, which were in the house of God.

 

(2 Chronicles 23:10)  And he set all the people as a guard for the king, every man with his weapon in his hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, around the altar and the house.

 

(2 Chronicles 23:11)  Then they brought out the king's son and put the crown on him and gave him the testimony. And they proclaimed him king, and Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and they said, "Long live the king."

 

(2 Chronicles 23:12)  When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she went into the house of the LORD to the people.

 

(2 Chronicles 23:13)  And when she looked, there was the king standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the trumpeters beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and the singers with their musical instruments leading in the celebration. And Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, "Treason! Treason!"

 

(2 Chronicles 23:14)  Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains who were set over the army, saying to them, "Bring her out between the ranks, and anyone who follows her is to be put to death with the sword." For the priest said, "Do not put her to death in the house of the LORD."

 

(2 Chronicles 23:15)  So they laid hands on her, and she went into the entrance of the horse gate of the king's house, and they put her to death there.

 

(2 Chronicles 23:16)  And Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king that they should be the LORD's people.

 

(2 Chronicles 23:17)  Then all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down; his altars and his images they broke in pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.

 

(2 Chronicles 23:18)  And Jehoiada posted watchmen for the house of the LORD under the direction of the Levitical priests and the Levites whom David had organized to be in charge of the house of the LORD, to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, as it is written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, according to the order of David.

 

(2 Chronicles 23:19)  He stationed the gatekeepers at the gates of the house of the LORD so that no one should enter who was in any way unclean.

 

(2 Chronicles 23:20)  And he took the captains, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the LORD, marching through the upper gate to the king's house. And they set the king on the royal throne.

 

(2 Chronicles 23:21)  So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athaliah had been put to death with the sword.

 

In 2 Chronicles chapter 24 Joash also has a good reign as king of Judah and then falls away from God at the end and then the Syrians come in judgment of Judah and at the end of the chapter Amaziah takes over

(2 Chronicles 24:1)  Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:2)  And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:3)  Jehoiada got for him two wives, and he had sons and daughters.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:4)  After this Joash decided to restore the house of the LORD.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:5)  And he gathered the priests and the Levites and said to them, "Go out to the cities of Judah and gather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that you act quickly." But the Levites did not act quickly.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:6)  So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief and said to him, "Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax levied by Moses, the servant of the LORD, and the congregation of Israel for the tent of testimony?"

 

(2 Chronicles 24:7)  For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and had also used all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD for the Baals.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:8)  So the king commanded, and they made a chest and set it outside the gate of the house of the LORD.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:9)  And proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring in for the LORD the tax that Moses the servant of God laid on Israel in the wilderness.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:10)  And all the princes and all the people rejoiced and brought their tax and dropped it into the chest until they had finished.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:11)  And whenever the chest was brought to the king's officers by the Levites, when they saw that there was much money in it, the king's secretary and the officer of the chief priest would come and empty the chest and take it and return it to its place. Thus they did day after day, and collected money in abundance.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:12)  And the king and Jehoiada gave it to those who had charge of the work of the house of the LORD, and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of the LORD, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the house of the LORD.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:13)  So those who were engaged in the work labored, and the repairing went forward in their hands, and they restored the house of God to its proper condition and strengthened it.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:14)  And when they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, and with it were made utensils for the house of the LORD, both for the service and for the burnt offerings, and dishes for incense and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD regularly all the days of Jehoiada.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:15)  But Jehoiada grew old and full of days, and died. He was 130 years old at his death.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:16)  And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:17)  Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:18)  And they abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:19)  Yet he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the LORD. These testified against them, but they would not pay attention.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:20)  Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people, and said to them, "Thus says God, 'Why do you break the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you.'"

 

(2 Chronicles 24:21)  But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the LORD.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:22)  Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, "May the LORD see and avenge!"

 

(2 Chronicles 24:23)  At the end of the year the army of the Syrians came up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:24)  Though the army of the Syrians had come with few men, the LORD delivered into their hand a very great army, because Judah had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joash.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:25)  When they had departed from him, leaving him severely wounded, his servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:26)  Those who conspired against him were Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonite, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabite.

 

(2 Chronicles 24:27)  Accounts of his sons and of the many oracles against him and of the rebuilding of the house of God are written in the Story of the Book of the Kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

 

In 2 Chronicles chapter 25 is the story of Amaziah who was another king who started right with a good relationship with the Lord and fell away from God and went into idolatry and who was then defeated by Israel’s army in battle in judgment of the idolatry and he would be killed later on

(2 Chronicles 25:1)  Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.

 

(2 Chronicles 25:2)  And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not with a whole heart.

 

(2 Chronicles 25:3)  And as soon as the royal power was firmly his, he killed his servants who had struck down the king his father.

 

(2 Chronicles 25:4)  But he did not put their children to death, according to what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the LORD commanded, "Fathers shall not die because of their children, nor children die because of their fathers, but each one shall die for his own sin."

 

(2 Chronicles 25:5)  Then Amaziah assembled the men of Judah and set them by fathers' houses under commanders of thousands and of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He mustered those twenty years old and upward, and found that they were 300,000 choice men, fit for war, able to handle spear and shield.

 

(2 Chronicles 25:6)  He hired also 100,000 mighty men of valor from Israel for 100 talents of silver.

 

(2 Chronicles 25:7)  But a man of God came to him and said, "O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the LORD is not with Israel, with all these Ephraimites.

 

(2 Chronicles 25:8)  But go, act, be strong for the battle. Why should you suppose that God will cast you down before the enemy? For God has power to help or to cast down."

 

(2 Chronicles 25:9)  And Amaziah said to the man of God, "But what shall we do about the hundred talents that I have given to the army of Israel?" The man of God answered, "The LORD is able to give you much more than this."

 

(2 Chronicles 25:10)  Then Amaziah discharged the army that had come to him from Ephraim to go home again. And they became very angry with Judah and returned home in fierce anger.

 

(2 Chronicles 25:11)  But Amaziah took courage and led out his people and went to the Valley of Salt and struck down 10,000 men of Seir.

 

(2 Chronicles 25:12)  The men of Judah captured another 10,000 alive and took them to the top of a rock and threw them down from the top of the rock, and they were all dashed to pieces.

 

(2 Chronicles 25:13)  But the men of the army whom Amaziah sent back, not letting them go with him to battle, raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck down 3,000 people in them and took much spoil.

 

(2 Chronicles 25:14)  After Amaziah came from striking down the Edomites, he brought the gods of the men of Seir and set them up as his gods and worshiped them, making offerings to them.

 

(2 Chronicles 25:15)  Therefore the LORD was angry with Amaziah and sent to him a prophet, who said to him, "Why have you sought the gods of a people who did not deliver their own people from your hand?"

 

(2 Chronicles 25:16)  But as he was speaking, the king said to him, "Have we made you a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?" So the prophet stopped, but said, "I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel."

 

(2 Chronicles 25:17)  Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come, let us look one another in the face."

 

(2 Chronicles 25:18)  And Joash the king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah, "A thistle on Lebanon sent to a cedar on Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son for a wife,' and a wild beast of Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thistle.

 

(2 Chronicles 25:19)  You say, 'See, I have struck down Edom,' and your heart has lifted you up in boastfulness. But now stay at home. Why should you provoke trouble so that you fall, you and Judah with you?"

 

(2 Chronicles 25:20)  But Amaziah would not listen, for it was of God, in order that he might give them into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought the gods of Edom.

 

(2 Chronicles 25:21)  So Joash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another in battle at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah.

 

(2 Chronicles 25:22)  And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his home.

 

(2 Chronicles 25:23)  And Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem for 400 cubits, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate.

 

(2 Chronicles 25:24)  And he seized all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God, in the care of Obed-edom. He seized also the treasuries of the king's house, also hostages, and he returned to Samaria.

 

(2 Chronicles 25:25)  Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel.

 

(2 Chronicles 25:26)  Now the rest of the deeds of Amaziah, from first to last, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel?

 

(2 Chronicles 25:27)  From the time when he turned away from the LORD they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent after him to Lachish and put him to death there.

 

(2 Chronicles 25:28)  And they brought him upon horses, and he was buried with his fathers in the city of David.

 

In 2 Chronicles chapter 26 then the reign of Uzziah is discussed, with its good start but ended when he, being proud, then usurped the priest’s office and offered incense before the Lord, when he was struck with leprosy and as a result of that judgment then he fled the temple and lived as a leper presumably until he died

(2 Chronicles 26:1)  And all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.

 

(2 Chronicles 26:2)  He built Eloth and restored it to Judah, after the king slept with his fathers.

 

(2 Chronicles 26:3)  Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.

 

(2 Chronicles 26:4)  And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.

 

(2 Chronicles 26:5)  He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper.

 

(2 Chronicles 26:6)  He went out and made war against the Philistines and broke through the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod, and he built cities in the territory of Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines.

 

(2 Chronicles 26:7)  God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabians who lived in Gurbaal and against the Meunites.

 

(2 Chronicles 26:8)  The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread even to the border of Egypt, for he became very strong.

 

(2 Chronicles 26:9)  Moreover, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate and at the Valley Gate and at the Angle, and fortified them.

 

(2Ch 26:10)  And he built towers in the wilderness and cut out many cisterns, for he had large herds, both in the Shephelah and in the plain, and he had farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil.

 

(2 Chronicles 26:11)  Moreover, Uzziah had an army of soldiers, fit for war, in divisions according to the numbers in the muster made by Jeiel the secretary and Maaseiah the officer, under the direction of Hananiah, one of the king's commanders.

 

(2 Chronicles 26:12)  The whole number of the heads of fathers' houses of mighty men of valor was 2,600.

 

(2 Chronicles 26:13)  Under their command was an army of 307,500, who could make war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy.

 

(2 Chronicles 26:14)  And Uzziah prepared for all the army shields, spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and stones for slinging.

 

(2 Chronicles 26:15)  In Jerusalem he made engines, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and great stones. And his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong.

 

(2 Chronicles 26:16)  But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the LORD his God and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.

 

(2 Chronicles 26:17)  But Azariah the priest went in after him, with eighty priests of the LORD who were men of valor,

 

(2 Chronicles 26:18)  and they withstood King Uzziah and said to him, "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from the LORD God."

 

(2 Chronicles 26:19)  Then Uzziah was angry. Now he had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and when he became angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of the LORD, by the altar of incense.

 

(2 Chronicles 26:20)  And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead! And they rushed him out quickly, and he himself hurried to go out, because the LORD had struck him.

 

(2 Chronicles 26:21)  And King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death, and being a leper lived in a separate house, for he was excluded from the house of the LORD. And Jotham his son was over the king's household, governing the people of the land.

 

(2 Chronicles 26:22)  Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, from first to last, Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz wrote.

 

(2 Chronicles 26:23)  And Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the burial field that belonged to the kings, for they said, "He is a leper." And Jotham his son reigned in his place.

 

In 2 Chronicles 27 then the next king of Judah who was Jotham did right in the sight of the Lord and reigned sixteen years and became mighty because the Lord blessed his obedience

(2 Chronicles 27:1)  Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok.

 

(2 Chronicles 27:2)  And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD according to all that his father Uzziah had done, except he did not enter the temple of the LORD. But the people still followed corrupt practices.

 

(2 Chronicles 27:3)  He built the upper gate of the house of the LORD and did much building on the wall of Ophel.

 

(2 Chronicles 27:4)  Moreover, he built cities in the hill country of Judah, and forts and towers on the wooded hills.

 

(2 Chronicles 27:5)  He fought with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed against them. And the Ammonites gave him that year 100 talents of silver, and 10,000 cors of wheat and 10,000 of barley. The Ammonites paid him the same amount in the second and the third years.

 

(2 Chronicles 27:6)  So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before the LORD his God.

 

(2 Chronicles 27:7)  Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars and his ways, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

 

(2 Chronicles 27:8)  He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.

 

(2 Chronicles 27:9)  And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David, and Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

 

In chapter 28 the evil rule of king Ahaz of Judah is described and how that Judah was punished for all of the evil committed against God (such as idolatry) during the time of Ahaz’s reign . Eventually Ahaz would die and then Hezekiah takes over as the king of Judah

(2 Chronicles 28:1)  Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done,

 

(2 Chronicles 28:2)  but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made metal images for the Baals,

 

(2 Chronicles 28:3)  and he made offerings in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and burned his sons as an offering, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel.

 

(2 Chronicles 28:4)  And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.

 

(2 Chronicles 28:5)  Therefore the LORD his God gave him into the hand of the king of Syria, who defeated him and took captive a great number of his people and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with great force.

 

(2 Chronicles 28:6)  For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed 120,000 from Judah in one day, all of them men of valor, because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers.

 

(2 Chronicles 28:7)  And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son and Azrikam the commander of the palace and Elkanah the next in authority to the king.

 

(2 Chronicles 28:8)  The men of Israel took captive 200,000 of their relatives, women, sons, and daughters. They also took much spoil from them and brought the spoil to Samaria.

 

(2 Chronicles 28:9)  But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded, and he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, "Behold, because the LORD, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand, but you have killed them in a rage that has reached up to heaven.

 

(2 Chronicles 28:10)  And now you intend to subjugate the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, as your slaves. Have you not sins of your own against the LORD your God?

 

(2 Chronicles 28:11)  Now hear me, and send back the captives from your relatives whom you have taken, for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you."

 

(2 Chronicles 28:12)  Certain chiefs also of the men of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who were coming from the war

 

(2 Chronicles 28:13)  and said to them, "You shall not bring the captives in here, for you propose to bring upon us guilt against the LORD in addition to our present sins and guilt. For our guilt is already great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel."

 

(2 Chronicles 28:14)  So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the assembly.

 

(2 Chronicles 28:15)  And the men who have been mentioned by name rose and took the captives, and with the spoil they clothed all who were naked among them. They clothed them, gave them sandals, provided them with food and drink, and anointed them, and carrying all the feeble among them on donkeys, they brought them to their kinsfolk at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria.

 

(2 Chronicles 28:16)  At that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria for help.

 

(2 Chronicles 28:17)  For the Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and carried away captives.

 

(2 Chronicles 28:18)  And the Philistines had made raids on the cities in the Shephelah and the Negeb of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages. And they settled there.

 

(2 Chronicles 28:19)  For the LORD humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had made Judah act sinfully and had been very unfaithful to the LORD.

 

(2 Chronicles 28:20)  So Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came against him and afflicted him instead of strengthening him.

 

(2 Chronicles 28:21)  For Ahaz took a portion from the house of the LORD and the house of the king and of the princes, and gave tribute to the king of Assyria, but it did not help him.

 

(2 Chronicles 28:22)  In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the LORD--this same King Ahaz.

 

(2 Chronicles 28:23)  For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, "Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me." But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.

 

(2 Chronicles 28:24)  And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and he shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and he made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem.

 

(2 Chronicles 28:25)  In every city of Judah he made high places to make offerings to other gods, provoking to anger the LORD, the God of his fathers.

 

(2 Chronicles 28:26)  Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, from first to last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

 

(2 Chronicles 28:27)  And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, for they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

 

Here is a link to the study which details the godly reign of godly King Hezekiah of Judah, a comparative study with three books of the bible which explain and show what happened in his reign including the deliverance of Judah from the Assyrian invasion and God adding 15 years to Hezekiah’s life, also his reforms and more

https://www.facebook.com/notes/jay-dougherty/king-hezekiah-comparative-bible-study/10200738257712385

These chapters show the mercy of God through Israel and Judah, yet also His disapproval of idolatry and evil, bringing Israel into captivity. God would also be merciful to us, too sending Jesus to the earth, God’s only begotten Son to die for us that we may have eternal life, Jesus went to the cross willingly too, for He loves mankind and wants relationship as well as God. The death on the cross then was the atonement for sin that was needed to restore the lost relationship needed between man and God. There is nothing like a relationship with God, either, nothing at all can compare whatsoever. I am now including a prayer with which you can invite Jesus into your heart and seek this wonderful love relationship with God to which nothing can compare to. Please pray this prayer with me

Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness. I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin. You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess Jesus as our Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we will be saved. Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved. Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself. Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life.

Amen.

God bless you and yours