1 Raja-raja 14:1--18:46
Konteks14:1 1 At that time Jeroboam’s son Abijah became sick. 14:2 Jeroboam told his wife, “Disguise 2 yourself so that people cannot recognize you are Jeroboam’s wife. Then go to Shiloh; Ahijah the prophet, who told me I would rule over this nation, lives there. 3 14:3 Take 4 ten loaves of bread, some small cakes, and a container of honey and visit him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.”
14:4 Jeroboam’s wife did as she was told. She went to Shiloh and visited Ahijah. 5 Now Ahijah could not see; he had lost his eyesight in his old age. 6 14:5 But the Lord had told Ahijah, “Look, Jeroboam’s wife is coming to find out from you what will happen to her son, for he is sick. Tell her so-and-so. 7 When she comes, she will be in a disguise.” 14:6 When Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, “Come on in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you pretending to be someone else? I have been commissioned to give you bad news. 8 14:7 Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says: “I raised you up 9 from among the people and made you ruler over my people Israel. 14:8 I tore the kingdom away from the Davidic dynasty and gave it to you. But you are not like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me wholeheartedly by doing only what I approve. 10 14:9 You have sinned more than all who came before you. You went and angered me by making other gods, formed out of metal; you have completely disregarded me. 11 14:10 So I am ready to bring disaster 12 on the dynasty 13 of Jeroboam. I will cut off every last male belonging to Jeroboam in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated. 14 I will burn up the dynasty of Jeroboam, just as one burns manure until it is completely consumed. 15 14:11 Dogs will eat the members of your family 16 who die in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country.”’ Indeed, the Lord has announced it!
14:12 “As for you, get up and go home. When you set foot in the city, the boy will die. 14:13 All Israel will mourn him and bury him. He is the only one in Jeroboam’s family 17 who will receive a decent burial, for he is the only one in whom the Lord God of Israel found anything good. 14:14 The Lord will raise up a king over Israel who will cut off Jeroboam’s dynasty. 18 It is ready to happen! 19 14:15 The Lord will attack Israel, making it like a reed that sways in the water. 20 He will remove Israel from this good land he gave to their ancestors 21 and scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, 22 because they angered the Lord by making Asherah poles. 23 14:16 He will hand Israel over to their enemies 24 because of the sins which Jeroboam committed and which he made Israel commit.”
14:17 So Jeroboam’s wife got up and went back to 25 Tirzah. As she crossed the threshold of the house, the boy died. 14:18 All Israel buried him and mourned for him, just as the Lord had predicted 26 through his servant the prophet Ahijah.
14:19 The rest of the events of Jeroboam’s reign, including the details of his battles and rule, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 27 14:20 Jeroboam ruled for twenty-two years; then he passed away. 28 His son Nadab replaced him as king.
14:21 Now Rehoboam son of Solomon ruled in Judah. He 29 was forty-one years old when he became king and he ruled for seventeen years in Jerusalem, 30 the city the Lord chose from all the tribes of Israel to be his home. 31 His mother was an Ammonite woman 32 named Naamah.
14:22 Judah did evil in the sight of 33 the Lord. They made him more jealous by their sins than their ancestors had done. 34 14:23 They even built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 14:24 There were also male cultic prostitutes 35 in the land. They committed the same horrible sins as the nations 36 that the Lord had driven out from before the Israelites.
14:25 In King Rehoboam’s fifth year, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. 14:26 He took away the treasures of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace; he took everything, including all the golden shields that Solomon had made. 14:27 King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned them to the officers of the royal guard 37 who protected the entrance to the royal palace. 14:28 Whenever the king visited the Lord’s temple, the royal guard carried them and then brought them back to the guardroom.
14:29 The rest of the events of Rehoboam’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the
Kings of Judah. 38 14:30 Rehoboam and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other. 14:31 Rehoboam passed away 39 and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His mother was an Ammonite named Naamah. His son Abijah 40 replaced him as king.
15:1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah 41 became king over Judah. 15:2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. 42 His mother was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom. 43 15:3 He followed all the sinful practices of his father before him. He was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had been. 44 15:4 Nevertheless for David’s sake the Lord his God maintained his dynasty 45 in Jerusalem by giving him a son 46 to succeed him 47 and by protecting Jerusalem. 48 15:5 He did this 49 because David had done what he approved 50 and had not disregarded any of his commandments 51 his entire lifetime, except for the incident involving Uriah the Hittite. 15:6 Rehoboam 52 and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other throughout Abijah’s 53 lifetime. 15:7 The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 54 Abijah and Jeroboam had been at war with each other. 15:8 Abijah passed away 55 and was buried 56 in the city of David. His son Asa replaced him as king.
15:9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam’s reign over Israel, Asa became the king of Judah. 15:10 He ruled for forty-one years in Jerusalem. 57 His grandmother 58 was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. 15:11 Asa did what the Lord approved 59 like his ancestor 60 David had done. 15:12 He removed the male cultic prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the disgusting idols 61 his ancestors 62 had made. 15:13 He also removed Maacah his grandmother 63 from her position as queen because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her Asherah pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 15:14 The high places were not eliminated, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord throughout his lifetime. 64 15:15 He brought the holy items that he and his father had made into the Lord’s temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles. 65
15:16 Now Asa and King Baasha of Israel were continually at war with each other. 66 15:17 King Baasha of Israel attacked Judah and established Ramah as a military outpost to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the land of King Asa of Judah. 67 15:18 Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace and handed it to his servants. He then told them to deliver it 68 to Ben Hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, ruler in Damascus, along with this message: 15:19 “I want to make a treaty with you, like the one our fathers made. 69 See, I have sent you silver and gold as a present. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he will retreat from my land.” 70 15:20 Ben Hadad accepted King Asa’s offer and ordered his army commanders to attack the cities of Israel. 71 They conquered 72 Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, and all the territory of Naphtali, including the region of Kinnereth. 73 15:21 When Baasha heard the news, he stopped fortifying 74 Ramah and settled down in Tirzah. 15:22 King Asa ordered all the men of Judah (no exemptions were granted) to carry away the stones and wood that Baasha had used to build Ramah. 75 King Asa used the materials to build up 76 Geba (in Benjamin) and Mizpah.
15:23 The rest of the events of Asa’s reign, including all his successes and accomplishments, as well as a record of the cities he built, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 77 Yet when he was very old he developed a foot disease. 78 15:24 Asa passed away 79 and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor David. His son Jehoshaphat replaced him as king.
15:25 In the second year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Jeroboam’s son Nadab became the king of Israel; he ruled Israel for two years. 15:26 He did evil in the sight of 80 the Lord. He followed in his father’s footsteps and encouraged Israel to sin. 81
15:27 Baasha son of Ahijah, from the tribe of Issachar, conspired against Nadab 82 and assassinated him in Gibbethon, which was in Philistine territory. This happened while Nadab and all the Israelite army were besieging Gibbethon. 15:28 Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah and replaced him as king. 15:29 When he became king, he executed Jeroboam’s entire family. He wiped out everyone who breathed, 83 just as the Lord had predicted 84 through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. 15:30 This happened because of the sins which Jeroboam committed and which he made Israel commit. These sins angered the Lord God of Israel. 85
15:31 The rest of the events of Nadab’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 86 15:32 Asa and King Nadab of Israel were continually at war with each other.
15:33 In the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king over all Israel in Tirzah; he ruled for twenty-four years. 15:34 He did evil in the sight of 87 the Lord; he followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps and encouraged Israel to sin. 88
16:1 Jehu son of Hanani received from the Lord this message predicting Baasha’s downfall: 89 16:2 “I raised you up 90 from the dust and made you ruler over my people Israel. Yet you followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps 91 and encouraged my people Israel to sin; their sins have made me angry. 92 16:3 So I am ready to burn up 93 Baasha and his family, and make your family 94 like the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat. 16:4 Dogs will eat the members of Baasha’s family 95 who die in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country.”
16:5 The rest of the events of Baasha’s reign, including his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 96 16:6 Baasha passed away 97 and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah replaced him as king. 16:7 The prophet Jehu son of Hanani received from the Lord the message predicting the downfall of Baasha and his family because of all the evil Baasha had done in the sight of the Lord. 98 His actions angered the Lord (including the way he had destroyed Jeroboam’s dynasty), so that his family ended up like Jeroboam’s. 99
16:8 In the twenty-sixth year of King Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha’s son Elah became king over Israel; he ruled in Tirzah for two years. 16:9 His servant Zimri, a commander of half of his chariot force, conspired against him. While Elah was drinking heavily 100 at the house of Arza, who supervised the palace in Tirzah, 16:10 Zimri came in and struck him dead. (This happened in the twenty-seventh year of Asa’s reign over Judah.) Zimri replaced Elah as king. 101 16:11 When he became king and occupied the throne, he killed Baasha’s entire family. He did not spare any male belonging to him; he killed his relatives and his friends. 102 16:12 Zimri destroyed Baasha’s entire family, just as the Lord had predicted to Baasha 103 through Jehu the prophet. 16:13 This happened because of all the sins which Baasha and his son Elah committed and which they made Israel commit. They angered the Lord God of Israel with their worthless idols. 104
16:14 The rest of the events of Elah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 105
16:15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Zimri became king over Israel; he ruled for seven days in Tirzah. Zimri’s revolt took place while the army was deployed 106 in Gibbethon, which was in Philistine territory. 16:16 While deployed there, the army received this report: 107 “Zimri has conspired against the king and assassinated him.” 108 So all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that very day in the camp. 16:17 Omri and all Israel went up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah. 16:18 When Zimri saw that the city was captured, he went into the fortified area of the royal palace. He set the palace on fire and died in the flames. 109 16:19 This happened because of the sins he committed. He did evil in the sight of 110 the Lord and followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps and encouraged Israel to continue sinning. 111
16:20 The rest of the events of Zimri’s reign, including the details of his revolt, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 112
16:21 At that time the people of Israel were divided in their loyalties. Half the people supported Tibni son of Ginath and wanted to make him king; the other half supported Omri. 16:22 Omri’s supporters were stronger than those who supported Tibni son of Ginath. Tibni died; Omri became king.
16:23 In the thirty-first year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Omri became king over Israel. He ruled for twelve years, six of them in Tirzah. 16:24 He purchased the hill of Samaria 113 from Shemer for two talents 114 of silver. He launched a construction project there 115 and named the city he built after Shemer, the former owner of the hill of Samaria. 16:25 Omri did more evil in the sight of 116 the Lord than all who were before him. 16:26 He followed in the footsteps of Jeroboam son of Nebat and encouraged Israel to sin; 117 they angered the Lord God of Israel with their worthless idols. 118
16:27 The rest of the events of Omri’s reign, including his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 119 16:28 Omri passed away 120 and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab replaced him as king. 121
16:29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Omri’s son Ahab became king over Israel. Ahab son of Omri ruled over Israel for twenty-two years in Samaria. 122 16:30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the sight of 123 the Lord than all who were before him. 16:31 As if following in the sinful footsteps of Jeroboam son of Nebat were not bad enough, he married Jezebel the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians. Then he worshiped and bowed to Baal. 124 16:32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal he had built in Samaria. 16:33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole; he 125 did more to anger the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
16:34 During Ahab’s reign, 126 Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho. 127 Abiram, his firstborn son, died when he laid the foundation; 128 Segub, his youngest son, died when he erected its gates, 129 just as the Lord had warned 130 through Joshua son of Nun. 131
17:1 Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As certainly as the Lord God of Israel lives (whom I serve), 132 there will be no dew or rain in the years ahead unless I give the command.” 133 17:2 The Lord told him: 134 17:3 “Leave here and travel eastward. Hide out in the Kerith Valley near the Jordan. 17:4 Drink from the stream; I have already told 135 the ravens to bring you food 136 there.” 17:5 So he did 137 as the Lord told him; he went and lived in the Kerith Valley near the Jordan. 17:6 The ravens would bring him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he would drink from the stream.
17:7 After a while, 138 the stream dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 17:8 The Lord told him, 139 17:9 “Get up, go to Zarephath in Sidonian territory, and live there. I have already told 140 a widow who lives there to provide for you.” 17:10 So he got up and went to Zarephath. When he went through the city gate, there was a widow gathering wood. He called out to her, “Please give me a cup 141 of water, so I can take a drink.” 17:11 As she went to get it, he called out to her, “Please bring me a piece of bread.” 142 17:12 She said, “As certainly as the Lord your God lives, I have no food, except for a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. Right now I am gathering a couple of sticks for a fire. Then I’m going home to make one final meal for my son and myself. After we have eaten that, we will die of starvation.” 143 17:13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go and do as you planned. 144 But first make a small cake for me and bring it to me; then make something for yourself and your son. 17:14 For this is what the Lord God of Israel says, ‘The jar of flour will not be empty and the jug of oil will not run out until the day the Lord makes it rain on the surface of the ground.’” 17:15 She went and did as Elijah told her; there was always enough food for Elijah and for her and her family. 145 17:16 The jar of flour was never empty and the jug of oil never ran out, just as the Lord had promised 146 through Elijah.
17:17 After this 147 the son of the woman who owned the house got sick. His illness was so severe he could no longer breathe. 17:18 She asked Elijah, “Why, prophet, have you come 148 to me to confront me with 149 my sin and kill my son?” 17:19 He said to her, “Hand me your son.” He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him down on his bed. 17:20 Then he called out to the Lord, “O Lord, my God, are you also bringing disaster on this widow I am staying with by killing her son?” 17:21 He stretched out over the boy three times and called out to the Lord, “O Lord, my God, please let this boy’s breath return to him.” 17:22 The Lord answered Elijah’s prayer; the boy’s breath returned to him and he lived. 17:23 Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upper room to the house, and handed him to his mother. Elijah then said, “See, your son is alive!” 17:24 The woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a prophet and that the Lord really does speak through you.” 150
18:1 Some time later, in the third year of the famine, the Lord told Elijah, 151 “Go, make an appearance before Ahab, so I may send rain on the surface of the ground.” 18:2 So Elijah went to make an appearance before Ahab.
Now the famine was severe in Samaria. 152 18:3 So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who supervised the palace. (Now Obadiah was a very loyal follower of the Lord. 153 18:4 When Jezebel was killing 154 the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them in two caves in two groups of fifty. He also brought them food and water.) 18:5 Ahab told Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grazing areas 155 so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to kill 156 some of the animals.” 18:6 They divided up the land between them; Ahab went 157 one way and Obadiah went the other.
18:7 As Obadiah was traveling along, Elijah met him. 158 When he recognized him, he fell facedown to the ground and said, “Is it really you, my master, Elijah?” 18:8 He replied, “Yes, 159 go and say to your master, ‘Elijah is back.’” 160 18:9 Obadiah 161 said, “What sin have I committed that you are ready to hand your servant over to Ahab for execution? 162 18:10 As certainly as the Lord your God lives, my master has sent to every nation and kingdom in an effort to find you. When they say, ‘He’s not here,’ he makes them 163 swear an oath that they could not find you. 18:11 Now you say, ‘Go and say to your master, “Elijah is back.”’ 164 18:12 But when I leave you, the Lord’s spirit will carry you away so I can’t find you. 165 If I go tell Ahab I’ve seen you, he won’t be able to find you and he will kill me. 166 That would not be fair, 167 because your servant has been a loyal follower of 168 the Lord from my youth. 18:13 Certainly my master is aware of what I did 169 when Jezebel was killing the Lord’s prophets. I hid one hundred of the Lord’s prophets in two caves in two groups of fifty and I brought them food and water. 18:14 Now you say, ‘Go and say to your master, “Elijah is back,”’ 170 but he will kill me.” 18:15 But Elijah said, “As certainly as the Lord who rules over all 171 lives (whom I serve), 172 I will make an appearance before him today.”
18:16 When Obadiah went and informed Ahab, the king went to meet Elijah. 173 18:17 When Ahab saw Elijah, he 174 said to him, “Is it really you, the one who brings disaster 175 on Israel?” 18:18 Elijah 176 replied, “I have not brought disaster 177 on Israel. But you and your father’s dynasty have, by abandoning the Lord’s commandments and following the Baals. 18:19 Now send out messengers 178 and assemble all Israel before me at Mount Carmel, as well as the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah whom Jezebel supports. 179
18:20 Ahab sent messengers to all the Israelites and had the prophets assemble at Mount Carmel. 18:21 Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision? 180 If the Lord is the true God, 181 then follow him, but if Baal is, follow him!” But the people did not say a word. 18:22 Elijah said to them: 182 “I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left, but there are 450 prophets of Baal. 18:23 Let them bring us two bulls. Let them choose one of the bulls for themselves, cut it up into pieces, and place it on the wood. But they must not set it on fire. I will do the same to the other bull and place it on the wood. But I will not set it on fire. 18:24 Then you 183 will invoke the name of your god, and I will invoke the name of the Lord. The god who responds with fire will demonstrate that he is the true God.” 184 All the people responded, “This will be a fair test.” 185
18:25 Elijah told the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls for yourselves and go first, for you are the majority. Invoke the name of your god, but do not light a fire.” 186 18:26 So they took a bull, as he had suggested, 187 and prepared it. They invoked the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us.” But there was no sound and no answer. They jumped 188 around on the altar they had made. 189 18:27 At noon Elijah mocked them, “Yell louder! After all, he is a god; he may be deep in thought, or perhaps he stepped out for a moment or has taken a trip. Perhaps he is sleeping and needs to be awakened.” 190 18:28 So they yelled louder and, in accordance with their prescribed ritual, 191 mutilated themselves with swords and spears until their bodies were covered with blood. 192 18:29 Throughout the afternoon they were in an ecstatic frenzy, 193 but there was no sound, no answer, and no response. 194
18:30 Elijah then told all the people, “Approach me.” So all the people approached him. He repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down. 195 18:31 Then Elijah took twelve stones, corresponding to the number of tribes that descended from Jacob, to whom the Lord had said, “Israel will be your new 196 name.” 197 18:32 With the stones he constructed an altar for the Lord. 198 Around the altar he made a trench large enough to contain two seahs 199 of seed. 18:33 He arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. 18:34 Then he said, “Fill four water jars and pour the water on the offering and the wood.” When they had done so, 200 he said, “Do it again.” So they did it again. Then he said, “Do it a third time.” So they did it a third time. 18:35 The water flowed down all sides of the altar and filled the trench. 18:36 When it was time for the evening offering, 201 Elijah the prophet approached the altar 202 and prayed: “O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, prove 203 today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 18:37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are the true God 204 and that you are winning back their allegiance.” 205 18:38 Then fire from the Lord fell from the sky. 206 It consumed the offering, the wood, the stones, and the dirt, and licked up the water in the trench. 18:39 When all the people saw this, they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and said, “The Lord is the true God! 207 The Lord is the true God!” 18:40 Elijah told them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Don’t let even one of them escape!” So they seized them, and Elijah led them down to the Kishon Valley and executed 208 them there.
18:41 Then Elijah told Ahab, “Go on up and eat and drink, for the sound of a heavy rainstorm can be heard.” 209 18:42 So Ahab went on up to eat and drink, while Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel. He bent down toward the ground and put his face between his knees. 18:43 He told his servant, “Go on up and look in the direction of the sea.” So he went on up, looked, and reported, “There is nothing.” 210 Seven times Elijah sent him to look. 211 18:44 The seventh time the servant 212 said, “Look, a small cloud, the size of the palm of a man’s hand, is rising up from the sea.” Elijah 213 then said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up the chariots and go down, so that the rain won’t overtake you.’” 214 18:45 Meanwhile the sky was covered with dark clouds, the wind blew, and there was a heavy rainstorm. Ahab rode toward 215 Jezreel. 18:46 Now the Lord energized Elijah with power; 216 he tucked his robe into his belt 217 and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
[14:1] 1 tc Some
[14:2] 2 tn Heb “Get up, change yourself.”
[14:2] 3 tn Heb “look, Ahijah the prophet is there, he told me [I would be] king over this nation.”
[14:3] 4 tn Heb “take in your hand.”
[14:4] 5 tn Heb “and the wife of Jeroboam did so; she arose and went to Shiloh and entered the house of Ahijah.”
[14:4] 6 tn Heb “his eyes were set because of his old age.”
[14:5] 7 sn Tell her so-and-so. Certainly the
[14:6] 8 tn Heb “I am sent to you [with] a hard [message].”
[14:7] 9 tn The Hebrew text has “because” at the beginning of the sentence. In the Hebrew text vv. 7-11 are one long sentence comprised of a causal clause giving the reason for divine punishment (vv. 7-9) and the main clause announcing the punishment (vv. 10-11). The translation divides this lengthy sentence for stylistic reasons.
[14:8] 10 tn Heb “what was right in my eyes.”
[14:9] 11 tn Heb “you went and you made for yourself other gods, metal [ones], angering me, and you threw me behind your back.”
[14:10] 12 sn Disaster. There is a wordplay in the Hebrew text. The word translated “disaster” (רָעָה, ra’ah) is from the same root as the expression “you have sinned” in v. 9 (וַתָּרַע [vattara’], from רָעַע, [ra’a’]). Jeroboam’s sins would receive an appropriate punishment.
[14:10] 14 tn Heb “and I will cut off from Jeroboam those who urinate against a wall (including both those who are) restrained and let free (or “abandoned”) in Israel.” The precise meaning of the idiomatic phrase עָצוּר וְעָזוּב (’atsur vÿ’azuv) is uncertain. For various options see HALOT 871 s.v. עצר 6 and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 107. The two terms are usually taken as polar opposites (“slaves and freemen” or “minors and adults”), but Cogan and Tadmor, on the basis of contextual considerations (note the usage with אֶפֶס [’efes], “nothing but”) in Deut 32:36 and 2 Kgs 14:26, argue convincingly that the terms are synonyms, meaning “restrained and abandoned,” and refer to incapable or incapacitated individuals.
[14:10] 15 tn The traditional view understands the verb בָּעַר (ba’ar) to mean “burn.” Manure was sometimes used as fuel (see Ezek 4:12, 15). However, an alternate view takes בָּעַר as a homonym meaning “sweep away” (HALOT 146 s.v. II בער). In this case one might translate, “I will sweep away the dynasty of Jeroboam, just as one sweeps away manure it is gone” (cf. ASV, NASB, TEV). Either metaphor emphasizes the thorough and destructive nature of the coming judgment.
[14:11] 16 tn The Hebrew text has “belonging to Jeroboam” here.
[14:14] 19 tn Heb “This is the day. What also now?” The precise meaning of the second half of the statement is uncertain.
[14:15] 20 tn The elliptical Hebrew text reads literally “and the
[14:15] 21 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 22, 31).
[14:15] 22 tn Heb “the River.” In biblical Hebrew this is a typical reference to the Euphrates River. The name “Euphrates” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[14:15] 23 tn Heb “because they made their Asherah poles that anger the
[14:15] sn Asherah was a leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles. These were to be burned or cut down (Deut 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4).
[14:16] 24 tn Heb “and he will give [up] Israel.”
[14:17] 25 tn Heb “went and entered.”
[14:18] 26 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[14:19] 27 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jeroboam, how he fought and how he ruled, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[14:20] 28 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[14:21] 29 tn Heb “Rehoboam.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[14:21] 30 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[14:21] 31 tn Heb “the city where the
[14:21] 32 tn Heb “an Ammonite”; the word “woman” is implied.
[14:22] 33 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[14:22] 34 tn Heb “and they made him jealous more than all which their fathers had done by their sins which they sinned.”
[14:24] 35 tc The Old Greek translation has “a conspiracy” rather than “male cultic prostitutes.”
[14:24] 36 tn Heb “they did according to all the abominable acts of the nations.”
[14:29] 38 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Rehoboam, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[14:31] 39 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[14:31] 40 tn In the Hebrew text the name is spelled “Abijam” here and in 1 Kgs 15:1-8.
[15:1] 41 tc The Old Greek also has the phrase “the son of Rehoboam.”
[15:2] 42 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[15:2] 43 sn Abishalom (also in v. 10) is a variant of the name Absalom (cf. 2 Chr 11:20). The more common form is used by TEV, NLT.
[15:3] 44 tn Heb “his heart was not complete with the
[15:4] 45 tn Heb “gave him a lamp.”
[15:4] 46 tc The Old Greek has the plural “his sons.”
[15:4] 47 tn Heb “by raising up his son after him.”
[15:4] 48 tn Heb “and by causing Jerusalem to stand firm.”
[15:5] 49 tn The words “he did this” are added for stylistic reasons.
[15:5] 50 tn Heb “what was right in the eyes of the
[15:5] 51 tn Heb “and had not turned aside from all which he commanded him.”
[15:6] 52 tc Most Hebrew
[15:6] 53 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Abijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:7] 54 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Abijah, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[15:8] 55 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.” The Old Greek also has these words: “in the twenty-eighth year of Jeroboam.”
[15:8] 56 tn Heb “and they buried him.”
[15:10] 57 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[15:10] 58 tn Heb “mother,” but Hebrew often uses the terms “father” and “mother” for grandparents and more remote ancestors.
[15:11] 59 tn Heb “what was right in the eyes of the
[15:11] 60 tn Heb “father,” but Hebrew often uses the terms “father” and “mother” for grandparents and more remote ancestors.
[15:12] 61 tn The word used here, גִלּוּלִים [gillulim], is always used as a disdainful reference to idols. It is generally thought to have originally referred to “dung pellets” (cf. KBL 183 s.v. גִלּוּלִים). It is only one of several terms used in this way, such as “worthless things” (אֱלִילִים, ’elilim), “vanities” or “empty winds” (הֲבָלִים, havalim).
[15:12] 62 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 24).
[15:13] 63 tn Heb “mother,” but Hebrew often uses the terms “father” and “mother” for grandparents and more remote ancestors.
[15:14] 64 tn Heb “yet the heart of Asa was complete with the
[15:15] 65 tn Heb “and he brought the holy things of his father and his holy things (into) the house of the
[15:16] 66 tn Heb “There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.”
[15:17] 67 tn Heb “and he built up Ramah so as to not permit going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.”
[15:18] 68 tn Heb “King Asa sent it.”
[15:19] 69 tn Heb “[May there be] a covenant between me and you [as there was] between my father and your father.”
[15:19] 70 tn Heb “so he will go up from upon me.”
[15:20] 71 tn Heb “and Ben Hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of the armies which belonged to him against the cities of Israel.”
[15:20] 72 tn Heb “he struck down.”
[15:20] 73 tn Heb “and all Kinnereth together with all the land of Naphtali.”
[15:22] 75 tn Heb “and King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, there was no one exempt, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its wood which Baasha had built.”
[15:22] 76 tn Heb “and King Asa built with them.”
[15:23] 77 tn Heb “As for the rest of all the events of Asa, and all his strength and all which he did and the cities which he built, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[15:23] 78 tn Heb “Yet in the time of his old age he became sick in his feet.”
[15:24] 79 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[15:26] 80 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[15:26] 81 tn Heb “and he walked in the way of his father and in his sin which he made Israel sin.”
[15:27] 82 tn Heb “against him”; the referent (Nadab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:29] 83 tn Heb “and when he became king, he struck down all the house of Jeroboam; he did not leave any breath to Jeroboam until he destroyed him.”
[15:29] 84 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[15:30] 85 tn Heb “because of Jeroboam which he committed and which he made Israel commit, by his provocation by which he made the
[15:31] 86 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Nadab, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[15:34] 87 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[15:34] 88 tn Heb “and he walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel sin.”
[16:1] 89 tn Heb “and the word of the
[16:2] 90 tn The Hebrew text has “because” at the beginning of the sentence. In the Hebrew text vv. 2-3 are one sentence comprised of a causal clause giving the reason for divine punishment (v. 2) and the main clause announcing the punishment (v. 3). The translation divides this sentence for stylistic reasons.
[16:2] 91 tn Heb “walked in the way of Jeroboam.”
[16:2] 92 tn Heb “angering me by their sins.”
[16:3] 93 tn The traditional view understands the verb בָּעַר (ba’ar) to mean “burn.” However, an alternate view takes בָּעַר (ba’ar) as a homonym meaning “sweep away” (HALOT 146 s.v. II בער). In this case one might translate, “I am ready to sweep away Baasha and his family.” Either metaphor emphasizes the thorough and destructive nature of the coming judgment.
[16:3] 94 tc The Old Greek, Syriac Peshitta, and some
[16:4] 95 tn Heb “the ones belonging to Baasha.”
[16:5] 96 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Baasha, and that which he did and his strength, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[16:6] 97 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[16:7] 98 tn Heb “and also through Jehu son of Hanani the word of the
[16:7] 99 tn Heb “angering him by the work of his hands, so that he was like the house of Jeroboam, and because of how he struck it down.”
[16:9] 100 tn Heb “while he was drinking and drunken.”
[16:10] 101 tn Heb “and he became king in his place.”
[16:11] 102 tn Heb “and he did not spare any belonging to him who urinate against a wall, [including] his kinsmen redeemers and his friends.”
[16:12] 103 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[16:13] 104 tn Heb “angering the
[16:14] 105 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Elah, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[16:15] 106 tn Heb “Now the people were encamped.
[16:16] 107 tn Heb “and the people who were encamped heard.”
[16:16] 108 tn Heb “has conspired against and also has struck down the king.”
[16:18] 109 tn Heb “and he burned the house of the king over him with fire and he died.”
[16:19] 110 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[16:19] 111 tn Heb “walking in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he did to make Israel sin.”
[16:20] 112 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Zimri, and his conspiracy which he conspired, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[16:24] 113 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[16:24] 114 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 150 pounds of silver.
[16:24] 115 tn Heb “he built up the hill.”
[16:25] 116 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[16:26] 117 tn Heb “walked in all the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sin which he made Israel sin.”
[16:26] 118 tn Heb “angering the
[16:27] 119 tn Heb “As for the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his strength which he demonstrated, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[16:28] 120 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[16:28] 121 tc The Old Greek has eight additional verses here. Cf. 1 Kgs 22:41-44.
[16:29] 122 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[16:30] 123 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[16:31] 124 tn Heb “and he went and served Baal and bowed down to him.”
[16:31] sn The Canaanites worshiped Baal as a storm and fertility god.
[16:33] 125 tn Heb “Ahab”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[16:34] 126 tn Heb “in his days.”
[16:34] 127 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[16:34] 128 tn Heb “with Abiram, his firstborn, he founded it.”
[16:34] 129 tn Heb “with Segub, his youngest, he set up its gates.”
[16:34] 130 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[16:34] 131 sn Warned through Joshua son of Nun. For the background to this statement, see Josh 6:26, where Joshua pronounces a curse on the one who dares to rebuild Jericho. Here that curse is viewed as a prophecy spoken by God through Joshua.
[17:1] 132 tn Heb “before whom I stand.”
[17:1] 133 tn Heb “except at the command of my word.”
[17:2] 134 tn Heb “and the word of the
[17:4] 135 tn Heb “commanded.”
[17:4] 136 tn Heb “to provide for you.”
[17:5] 137 tn Heb “So he went and did.”
[17:7] 138 tn Heb “And it came about at the end of days.”
[17:8] 139 tn Heb “And the word of the
[17:9] 140 tn Heb “Look, I have commanded.”
[17:10] 141 tn Heb “a little.”
[17:11] 142 tn The Hebrew text also includes the phrase “in your hand.”
[17:12] 143 tn Heb “Look, I am gathering two sticks and then I will go and make it for me and my son and we will eat it and we will die.”
[17:13] 144 tn Heb “according to your word.”
[17:15] 145 tn Heb “and she ate, she and he and her house [for] days.”
[17:16] 146 tn Heb “out, according to the word of the
[17:17] 147 tn Heb “after these things.”
[17:18] 148 tn Heb “What to me and to you, man of God, that you have come.”
[17:18] 149 tn Heb “to make me remember.”
[17:24] 150 tn Heb “you are a man of God and the word of the
[17:24] sn This episode is especially significant in light of Ahab’s decision to promote Baal worship in Israel. In Canaanite mythology the drought that swept over the region (v. 1) would signal that Baal, a fertility god responsible for providing food for his subjects, had been defeated by the god of death and was imprisoned in the underworld. While Baal was overcome by death and unable to function like a king, Israel’s God demonstrated his sovereignty and superiority to death by providing food for a widow and restoring life to her son. And he did it all in Sidonian territory, Baal’s back yard, as it were. The episode demonstrates that Israel’s God, not Baal, is the true king who provides food and controls life and death. This polemic against Baalism reaches its climax in the next chapter, when the
[18:1] 151 tn Heb “the word of the
[18:2] 152 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[18:3] 153 tn Heb “now Obadiah greatly feared the
[18:4] 154 tn Heb “cutting off.”
[18:5] 156 tn Heb “to cut off.”
[18:6] 157 tn The Hebrew text has “alone” here and again in reference to Obadiah toward the end of the verse.
[18:7] 158 tn Heb “look, Elijah [came] to meet him.”
[18:8] 159 tn Heb “[It is] I.”
[18:8] 160 tn Heb “Look, Elijah”; or “Elijah is here.”
[18:9] 161 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Obadiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:9] 162 tn Heb “to kill me.”
[18:10] 163 tn Heb “he makes the kingdom or the nation swear an oath.”
[18:11] 164 tn Heb “Look, Elijah”; or “Elijah is here.”
[18:12] 165 tn Heb “to [a place] which I do not know.”
[18:12] 166 tn Heb “and I will go to inform Ahab and he will not find you and he will kill me.”
[18:12] 167 tn The words “that would not be fair” are added to clarify the logic of Obadiah’s argument.
[18:12] 168 tn Heb “has feared the
[18:13] 169 tn Heb “Has it not been told to my master what I did…?” The rhetorical question expects an answer, “Of course it has!”
[18:14] 170 tn Heb “Look, Elijah”; or “Elijah is here.”
[18:15] 171 tn Traditionally, “the
[18:15] 172 tn Heb “(before whom I stand).”
[18:16] 173 tn Heb “Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah.”
[18:18] 176 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:19] 178 tn The word “messengers” is supplied in the translation both here and in v. 20 for clarification.
[18:19] 179 tn Heb “who eat at the table of Jezebel.”
[18:21] 180 tn Heb “How long are you going to limp around on two crutches?” (see HALOT 762 s.v. סְעִפִּים). In context this idiomatic expression refers to indecision rather than physical disability.
[18:22] 182 tn Heb “to the people.”
[18:24] 183 tn Elijah now directly addresses the prophets.
[18:24] 185 tn Heb “The matter [i.e., proposal] is good [i.e., acceptable].”
[18:25] 186 tc The last sentence of v. 25 is absent in the Syriac Peshitta.
[18:26] 187 tn Heb “and they took the bull which he allowed them.”
[18:26] 188 tn Heb “limped” (the same verb is used in v. 21).
[18:26] 189 tc The MT has “which he made,” but some medieval Hebrew
[18:27] 190 sn Elijah’s sarcastic proposals would have been especially offensive and irritating to Baal’s prophets, for they believed Baal was imprisoned in the underworld as death’s captive during this time of drought. Elijah’s apparent ignorance of their theology is probably designed for dramatic effect; indeed the suggestion that Baal is away on a trip or deep in sleep comes precariously close to the truth as viewed by the prophets.
[18:28] 191 tn Or “as was their custom.”
[18:28] 192 tn Heb “until blood poured out on them.”
[18:28] sn mutilated…covered with blood. This self-mutilation was a mourning rite designed to facilitate Baal’s return from the underworld.
[18:29] 193 tn Heb “when noon passed they prophesied until the offering up of the offering.”
[18:29] 194 tc The Old Greek translation and Syriac Peshitta include the following words here: “When it was time to offer the sacrifice, Elijah the Tishbite spoke to the prophets of the abominations: ‘Stand aside for the time being, and I will offer my burnt offering.’ So they stood aside and departed.”
[18:29] sn In 2 Kgs 4:31 the words “there was no sound and there was no response” are used to describe a dead boy. Similar words are used here to describe the god Baal as dead and therefore unresponsive.
[18:30] 195 sn Torn down. The condition of the altar symbolizes the spiritual state of the people.
[18:31] 196 tn The word “new” is implied but not actually present in the Hebrew text.
[18:31] 197 sn Israel will be your new name. See Gen 32:28; 35:10.
[18:32] 198 tn Heb “and he built the stones into an altar in the name of the
[18:32] 199 tn A seah was a dry measure equivalent to about seven quarts.
[18:34] 200 tn The words “when they had done so” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[18:36] 201 tn Heb “at the offering up of the offering.”
[18:36] 202 tn The words “the altar” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[18:36] 203 tn Heb “let it be known.”
[18:37] 205 tn Heb “that you are turning their heart[s] back.”
[18:38] 206 tn The words “from the sky” are added for stylistic reasons.
[18:39] 207 tn Heb “the God” (the phrase occurs twice in this verse).
[18:40] 208 tn Or “slaughtered.”
[18:41] 209 tn Heb “for [there is] the sound of the roar of the rain.”
[18:43] 210 sn So he went on up, looked, and reported, “There is nothing.” Several times in this chapter those addressed by Elijah obey his orders. In vv. 20 and 42 Ahab does as instructed, in vv. 26 and 28 the prophets follow Elijah’s advice, and in vv. 30, 34, 40 and 43 the people and servants do as they are told. By juxtaposing Elijah’s commands with accounts of those commands being obeyed, the narrator emphasizes the authority of the
[18:43] 211 tn Heb “He said, ‘Return,’ seven times.”
[18:44] 212 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:44] 213 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:44] 214 tn Heb “so that the rain won’t restrain you.”
[18:45] 215 tn Heb “rode and went to.”
[18:46] 216 tn Heb “and the hand of the
[18:46] 217 tn Heb “and girded up his loins.” The idea is that of gathering up the robes and tucking them into the sash or belt so that they do not get in the way of the legs when running (or working or fighting).
