2 Raja-raja 8:16--17:4
Konteks8:16 In the fifth year of the reign of Israel’s King Joram, son of Ahab, Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram became king over Judah. 1 8:17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 2 8:18 He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel, just as Ahab’s dynasty had done, for he married Ahab’s daughter. 3 He did evil in the sight of 4 the Lord. 8:19 But the Lord was unwilling to destroy Judah. He preserved Judah for the sake of 5 his servant David to whom he had promised a perpetual dynasty. 6
8:20 During his reign Edom freed themselves from Judah’s control and set up their own king. 7 8:21 Joram 8 crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. The Edomites, who had surrounded him, attacked at night and defeated him and his chariot officers. 9 The Israelite army retreated to their homeland. 10 8:22 So Edom has remained free from Judah’s control to this very day. 11 At that same time Libnah also rebelled.
8:23 The rest of the events of Joram’s reign, including a record of his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 12 8:24 Joram passed away 13 and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Ahaziah replaced him as king.
8:25 In the twelfth year of the reign of Israel’s King Joram, son of Ahab, Jehoram’s son Ahaziah became king over Judah. 8:26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. 14 His mother was Athaliah, the granddaughter 15 of King Omri of Israel. 8:27 He followed in the footsteps of Ahab’s dynasty and did evil in the sight of 16 the Lord, like Ahab’s dynasty, for he was related to Ahab’s family. 17
8:28 He joined Ahab’s son Joram in a battle against King Hazael of Syria at Ramoth Gilead in which the Syrians defeated Joram. 8:29 King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received from the Syrians 18 in Ramah when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. King Ahaziah son of Jehoram of Judah went down to visit 19 Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel, for he was ill.
9:1 Now Elisha the prophet summoned a member of the prophetic guild 20 and told him, “Tuck your robes into your belt, take this container 21 of olive oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead. 9:2 When you arrive there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi and take him aside into an inner room. 22 9:3 Take the container of olive oil, pour it over his head, and say, ‘This is what the Lord says, “I have designated 23 you as king over Israel.”’ Then open the door and run away quickly!” 24
9:4 So the young prophet 25 went to Ramoth Gilead. 9:5 When he arrived, the officers of the army were sitting there. 26 So he said, “I have a message for you, O officer.” 27 Jehu asked, “For which one of us?” 28 He replied, “For you, O officer.” 9:6 So Jehu 29 got up and went inside. Then the prophet 30 poured the olive oil on his head and said to him, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says, ‘I have designated you as king over the Lord’s people Israel. 9:7 You will destroy the family of your master Ahab. 31 I will get revenge against Jezebel for the shed blood of my servants the prophets and for the shed blood of all the Lord’s servants. 32 9:8 Ahab’s entire family will die. I 33 will cut off every last male belonging to Ahab in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated. 34 9:9 I will make Ahab’s dynasty 35 like those of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah. 9:10 Dogs will devour Jezebel on the plot of ground in Jezreel; she will not be buried.’” 36 Then he opened the door and ran away.
9:11 When Jehu rejoined 37 his master’s servants, they 38 asked him, “Is everything all right? 39 Why did this madman visit you?” He replied, “Ah, it’s not important. You know what kind of man he is and the kinds of things he says.” 40 9:12 But they said, “You’re lying! Tell us what he said.” So he told them what he had said. He also related how he had said, 41 “This is what the Lord says, ‘I have designated you as king over Israel.’” 9:13 Each of them quickly took off his cloak and they spread them out at Jehu’s 42 feet on the steps. 43 The trumpet was blown 44 and they shouted, “Jehu is 45 king!” 9:14 Then Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi conspired against Joram.
Now Joram had been in Ramoth Gilead with the whole Israelite army, 46 guarding against an invasion by King Hazael of Syria. 9:15 But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received from the Syrians 47 when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. 48 Jehu told his supporters, 49 “If you really want me to be king, 50 then don’t let anyone escape from the city to go and warn Jezreel.” 9:16 Jehu drove his chariot 51 to Jezreel, for Joram was recuperating 52 there. (Now King Ahaziah of Judah had come down to visit 53 Joram.)
9:17 Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and saw Jehu’s troops approaching. 54 He said, “I see troops!” 55 Jehoram ordered, 56 “Send a rider out to meet them and have him ask, ‘Is everything all right?’” 57 9:18 So the horseman 58 went to meet him and said, “This is what the king says, ‘Is everything all right?’” 59 Jehu replied, “None of your business! 60 Follow me.” The watchman reported, “The messenger reached them, but hasn’t started back.” 9:19 So he sent a second horseman out to them 61 and he said, “This is what the king says, ‘Is everything all right?’” 62 Jehu replied, “None of your business! Follow me.” 9:20 The watchman reported, “He reached them, but hasn’t started back. The one who drives the lead chariot drives like Jehu son of Nimshi; 63 he drives recklessly.” 9:21 Jehoram ordered, “Hitch up my chariot.” 64 When his chariot had been hitched up, 65 King Jehoram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah went out in their respective chariots 66 to meet Jehu. They met up with him 67 in the plot of land that had once belonged to Naboth of Jezreel.
9:22 When Jehoram saw Jehu, he asked, “Is everything all right, Jehu?” He replied, “How can everything be all right as long as your mother Jezebel promotes idolatry and pagan practices?” 68 9:23 Jehoram turned his chariot around and took off. 69 He said to Ahaziah, “It’s a trap, 70 Ahaziah!” 9:24 Jehu aimed his bow and shot an arrow right between Jehoram’s shoulders. 71 The arrow went through 72 his heart and he fell to his knees in his chariot. 9:25 Jehu ordered 73 his officer Bidkar, “Pick him up and throw him into the part of the field that once belonged to Naboth of Jezreel. Remember, you and I were riding together behind his father Ahab, when the Lord pronounced this judgment on him, 9:26 ‘“Know for sure that I saw the shed blood of Naboth and his sons yesterday,” says the Lord, “and that I will give you what you deserve right here in this plot of land,” 74 says the Lord.’ So now pick him up and throw him into this plot of land, just as the Lord said.” 75
9:27 When King Ahaziah of Judah saw what happened, he took off 76 up the road to Beth Haggan. Jehu chased him and ordered, “Shoot him too.” They shot him while he was driving his chariot up the ascent of Gur near Ibleam. 77 He fled to Megiddo 78 and died there. 9:28 His servants took his body 79 back to Jerusalem 80 and buried him in his tomb with his ancestors in the city of David. 9:29 Ahaziah had become king over Judah in the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab.
9:30 Jehu approached Jezreel. When Jezebel heard the news, she put on some eye liner, 81 fixed up her hair, and leaned out the window. 9:31 When Jehu came through the gate, she said, “Is everything all right, Zimri, murderer of his master?” 82 9:32 He looked up at the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three 83 eunuchs looked down at him. 9:33 He said, “Throw her down!” So they threw her down, and when she hit the ground, 84 her blood splattered against the wall and the horses, and Jehu drove his chariot over her. 85 9:34 He went inside and had a meal. 86 Then he said, “Dispose of this accursed woman’s corpse. Bury her, for after all, she was a king’s daughter.” 87 9:35 But when they went to bury her, they found nothing left but 88 the skull, feet, and palms of the hands. 9:36 When they went back and told him, he said, “The Lord’s word through his servant, Elijah the Tishbite, has come to pass. He warned, 89 ‘In the plot of land at Jezreel, dogs will devour Jezebel’s flesh. 9:37 Jezebel’s corpse will be like manure on the surface of the ground in the plot of land at Jezreel. People will not be able to even recognize her.’” 90
10:1 Ahab had seventy sons living in Samaria. 91 So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the leading officials of Jezreel and to the guardians of Ahab’s dynasty. This is what the letters said, 92 10:2 “You have with you the sons of your master, chariots and horses, a fortified city, and weapons. So when this letter arrives, 93 10:3 pick the best and most capable 94 of your master’s sons, place him on his father’s throne, and defend 95 your master’s dynasty.”
10:4 They were absolutely terrified 96 and said, “Look, two kings could not stop him! 97 How can we?” 98 10:5 So the palace supervisor, 99 the city commissioner, 100 the leaders, 101 and the guardians sent this message to Jehu, “We are your subjects! 102 Whatever you say, we will do. We will not make anyone king. Do what you consider proper.” 103
10:6 He wrote them a second letter, saying, “If you are really on my side and are willing to obey me, 104 then take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me in Jezreel at this time tomorrow.” 105 Now the king had seventy sons, and the prominent 106 men of the city were raising them. 10:7 When they received the letter, they seized the king’s sons and executed all seventy of them. 107 They put their heads in baskets and sent them to him in Jezreel. 10:8 The messenger came and told Jehu, 108 “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” Jehu 109 said, “Stack them in two piles at the entrance of the city gate until morning.” 10:9 In the morning he went out and stood there. Then he said to all the people, “You are innocent. I conspired against my master and killed him. But who struck down all of these men? 10:10 Therefore take note that not one of the judgments the Lord announced against Ahab’s dynasty has failed to materialize. The Lord had done what he announced through his servant Elijah.” 110 10:11 Then Jehu killed all who were left of Ahab’s family in Jezreel, and all his nobles, close friends, and priests. He left no survivors.
10:12 Jehu then left there and set out for Samaria. 111 While he was traveling through Beth Eked of the Shepherds, 10:13 Jehu encountered 112 the relatives 113 of King Ahaziah of Judah. He asked, “Who are you?” They replied, “We are Ahaziah’s relatives. We have come down to see how 114 the king’s sons and the queen mother’s sons are doing.” 10:14 He said, “Capture them alive!” So they captured them alive and then executed all forty-two of them in the cistern at Beth Eked. He left no survivors.
10:15 When he left there, he met 115 Jehonadab, son of Rekab, who had been looking for him. 116 Jehu greeted him and asked, 117 “Are you as committed to me as I am to you?” 118 Jehonadab answered, “I am!” Jehu replied, “If so, give me your hand.” 119 So he offered his hand and Jehu 120 pulled him up into the chariot. 10:16 Jehu 121 said, “Come with me and see how zealous I am for the Lord’s cause.” 122 So he 123 took him along in his chariot. 10:17 He went to Samaria and exterminated all the members of Ahab’s family who were still alive in Samaria, 124 just as the Lord had announced to Elijah. 125
10:18 Jehu assembled all the people and said to them, “Ahab worshiped 126 Baal a little; Jehu will worship 127 him with great devotion. 128 10:19 So now, bring to me all the prophets of Baal, as well as all his servants and priests. 129 None of them must be absent, for I am offering a great sacrifice to Baal. Any of them who fail to appear will lose their lives.” But Jehu was tricking them 130 so he could destroy the servants of Baal. 10:20 Then Jehu ordered, “Make arrangements for 131 a celebration for Baal.” So they announced it. 10:21 Jehu sent invitations throughout Israel, and all the servants of Baal came; not one was absent. They arrived at the temple of Baal and filled it up from end to end. 132 10:22 Jehu ordered the one who was in charge of the wardrobe, 133 “Bring out robes for all the servants of Baal.” So he brought out robes for them. 10:23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rekab went to the temple of Baal. Jehu 134 said to the servants of Baal, “Make sure there are no servants of the Lord here with you; there must be only servants of Baal.” 135 10:24 They went inside to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside. He had told them, “If any of the men inside get away, you will pay with your lives!” 136
10:25 When he finished offering the burnt sacrifice, Jehu ordered the royal guard 137 and officers, “Come in and strike them down! Don’t let any escape!” So the royal guard and officers struck them down with the sword and left their bodies lying there. 138 Then they entered the inner sanctuary of the temple of Baal. 139 10:26 They hauled out the sacred pillar of the temple of Baal and burned it. 10:27 They demolished 140 the sacred pillar of Baal and 141 the temple of Baal; it is used as 142 a latrine 143 to this very day. 10:28 So Jehu eradicated Baal worship 144 from Israel.
10:29 However, Jehu did not repudiate the sins which Jeroboam son of Nebat had encouraged Israel to commit; the golden calves remained in Bethel 145 and Dan. 146 10:30 The Lord said to Jehu, “You have done well. You have accomplished my will and carried out my wishes with regard to Ahab’s dynasty. Therefore four generations of your descendants will rule over Israel.” 147 10:31 But Jehu did not carefully and wholeheartedly obey the law of the Lord God of Israel. 148 He did not repudiate the sins which Jeroboam had encouraged Israel to commit. 149
10:32 In those days the Lord began to reduce the size of Israel’s territory. 150 Hazael attacked their eastern border. 151 10:33 He conquered all the land of Gilead, including the territory of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh, extending all the way from the Aroer in the Arnon Valley through Gilead to Bashan. 152
10:34 The rest of the events of Jehu’s reign, including all his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 153 10:35 Jehu passed away 154 and was buried in Samaria. 155 His son Jehoahaz replaced him as king. 10:36 Jehu reigned over Israel for twenty-eight years in Samaria.
11:1 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she was determined to destroy the entire royal line. 156 11:2 So Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram and sister of Ahaziah, took Ahaziah’s son Joash and sneaked 157 him away from the rest of the royal descendants who were to be executed. She hid him and his nurse in the room where the bed covers were stored. 158 So he was hidden from Athaliah and escaped execution. 159 11:3 He hid out with his nurse in the Lord’s temple 160 for six years, while Athaliah was ruling over the land.
11:4 In the seventh year Jehoiada summoned 161 the officers of the units of hundreds of the Carians 162 and the royal bodyguard. 163 He met with them 164 in the Lord’s temple. He made an agreement 165 with them and made them swear an oath of allegiance in the Lord’s temple. Then he showed them the king’s son. 11:5 He ordered them, “This is what you must do. One third of the unit that is on duty during the Sabbath will guard the royal palace. 11:6 Another third of you will be stationed at the Foundation 166 Gate. Still another third of you will be stationed at the gate behind the royal guard. 167 You will take turns guarding the palace. 168 11:7 The two units who are off duty on the Sabbath will guard the Lord’s temple and protect the king. 169 11:8 You must surround the king. Each of you must hold his weapon in his hand. Whoever approaches your ranks must be killed. You must accompany the king wherever he goes.” 170
11:9 The officers of the units of hundreds did just as 171 Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each of them took his men, those who were on duty during the Sabbath as well as those who were off duty on the Sabbath, and reported 172 to Jehoiada the priest. 11:10 The priest gave to the officers of the units of hundreds King David’s spears and the shields that were kept in the Lord’s temple. 11:11 The royal bodyguard 173 took their stations, each holding his weapon in his hand. They lined up from the south side of the temple to the north side and stood near the altar and the temple, surrounding the king. 174 11:12 Jehoiada 175 led out the king’s son and placed on him the crown and the royal insignia. 176 They proclaimed him king and poured olive oil on his head. 177 They clapped their hands and cried out, “Long live the king!”
11:13 When Athaliah heard the royal guard 178 shout, she joined the crowd 179 at the Lord’s temple. 11:14 Then she saw 180 the king standing by the pillar, according to custom. The officers stood beside the king with their trumpets and all the people of the land were celebrating and blowing trumpets. Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, “Treason, treason!” 181 11:15 Jehoiada the priest ordered the officers of the units of hundreds, who were in charge of the army, 182 “Bring her outside the temple to the guards. 183 Put the sword to anyone who follows her.” The priest gave this order because he had decided she should not be executed in the Lord’s temple. 184 11:16 They seized her and took her into the precincts of the royal palace through the horses’ entrance. 185 There she was executed.
11:17 Jehoiada then drew up a covenant between the Lord and the king and people, stipulating that they should be loyal to the Lord. 186 11:18 All the people of the land went and demolished 187 the temple of Baal. They smashed its altars and idols 188 to bits. 189 They killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altar. Jehoiada the priest 190 then placed guards at the Lord’s temple. 11:19 He took the officers of the units of hundreds, the Carians, the royal bodyguard, and all the people of land, and together they led the king down from the Lord’s temple. They entered the royal palace through the Gate of the Royal Bodyguard, 191 and the king 192 sat down on the royal throne. 11:20 All the people of the land celebrated, for the city had rest now that they had killed Athaliah with the sword in the royal palace.
11:21 (12:1) 193 Jehoash 194 was seven years old when he began to reign. 12:1 (12:2) In Jehu’s seventh year Jehoash became king; he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. 195 His mother was Zibiah, who was from Beer Sheba. 12:2 Throughout his lifetime Jehoash did what the Lord approved, 196 just as 197 Jehoiada the priest taught him. 12:3 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places.
12:4 Jehoash said to the priests, “I place at your disposal 198 all the consecrated silver that has been brought to the Lord’s temple, including the silver collected from the census tax, 199 the silver received from those who have made vows, 200 and all the silver that people have voluntarily contributed to the Lord’s temple. 201 12:5 The priests should receive the silver they need from the treasurers and repair any damage to the temple they discover.” 202
12:6 By the twenty-third year of King Jehoash’s reign the priests had still not repaired the damage to the temple. 12:7 So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest along with the other priests, and said to them, “Why have you not repaired the damage to the temple? Now, take no more silver from your treasurers unless you intend to use it to repair the damage.” 203 12:8 The priests agreed 204 not to collect silver from the people and relieved themselves of personal responsibility for the temple repairs. 205
12:9 Jehoiada the priest took a chest and drilled a hole in its lid. He placed it on the right side of the altar near the entrance of 206 the Lord’s temple. The priests who guarded the entrance would put into it all the silver brought to the Lord’s temple. 12:10 When they saw the chest was full of silver, the royal secretary 207 and the high priest counted the silver that had been brought to the Lord’s temple and bagged it up. 208 12:11 They would then hand over 209 the silver that had been weighed to the construction foremen 210 assigned to the Lord’s temple. They hired carpenters and builders to work on the Lord’s temple, 12:12 as well as masons and stonecutters. They bought wood and chiseled stone to repair the damage to the Lord’s temple and also paid for all the other expenses. 211 12:13 The silver brought to the Lord’s temple was not used for silver bowls, trimming shears, basins, trumpets, or any kind of gold or silver implements. 12:14 It was handed over 212 to the foremen who used it to repair the Lord’s temple. 12:15 They did not audit the treasurers who disbursed 213 the funds to the foremen, for they were honest. 214 12:16 (The silver collected in conjunction with reparation offerings and sin offerings was not brought to the Lord’s temple; it belonged to the priests.)
12:17 At that time King Hazael of Syria attacked 215 Gath and captured it. Hazael then decided to attack Jerusalem. 216 12:18 King Jehoash of Judah collected all the sacred items that his ancestors Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had consecrated, as well as his own sacred items and all the gold that could be found in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and the royal palace. He sent it all 217 to King Hazael of Syria, who then withdrew 218 from Jerusalem.
12:19 The rest of the events of Joash’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 219 12:20 His servants conspired against him 220 and murdered Joash at Beth-Millo, on the road that goes down to Silla. 221 12:21 His servants Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer murdered him. 222 He was buried 223 with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Amaziah replaced him as king.
13:1 In the twenty-third year of the reign of Judah’s King Joash son of Ahaziah, Jehu’s son Jehoahaz became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria 224 for seventeen years. 13:2 He did evil in the sight of 225 the Lord. He continued in 226 the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who had encouraged Israel to sin; he did not repudiate those sins. 227 13:3 The Lord was furious with 228 Israel and handed them over to 229 King Hazael of Syria and to Hazael’s son Ben Hadad for many years. 230
13:4 Jehoahaz asked for the Lord’s mercy 231 and the Lord responded favorably, 232 for he saw that Israel was oppressed by the king of Syria. 233 13:5 The Lord provided a deliverer 234 for Israel and they were freed from Syria’s power. 235 The Israelites once more lived in security. 236 13:6 But they did not repudiate 237 the sinful ways of the family 238 of Jeroboam, who encouraged Israel to sin; they continued in those sins. 239 There was even an Asherah pole 240 standing in Samaria. 13:7 Jehoahaz had no army left 241 except for fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers. The king of Syria had destroyed his troops 242 and trampled on them like dust. 243
13:8 The rest of the events of Jehoahaz’s reign, including all his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 244 13:9 Jehoahaz passed away 245 and was buried 246 in Samaria. His son Joash replaced him as king.
13:10 In the thirty-seventh year of King Joash’s reign over Judah, Jehoahaz’s son Jehoash became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria 247 for sixteen years. 13:11 He did evil in the sight of 248 the Lord. He did not repudiate 249 the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin; he continued in those sins. 250 13:12 The rest of the events of Joash’s 251 reign, including all his accomplishments and his successful war with King Amaziah of Judah, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 252 13:13 Joash passed away 253 and Jeroboam succeeded him on the throne. 254 Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
13:14 Now Elisha had a terminal illness. 255 King Joash of Israel went down to visit him. 256 He wept before him and said, “My father, my father! The chariot 257 and horsemen of Israel!” 258 13:15 Elisha told him, “Take a bow and some arrows,” and he did so. 259 13:16 Then Elisha 260 told the king of Israel, “Aim the bow.” 261 He did so, 262 and Elisha placed his hands on the king’s hands. 13:17 Elisha 263 said, “Open the east window,” and he did so. 264 Elisha said, “Shoot!” and
he did so. 265 Elisha 266 said, “This arrow symbolizes the victory the Lord will give you over Syria. 267 You will annihilate Syria in Aphek!” 268 13:18 Then Elisha 269 said, “Take the arrows,” and he did so. 270 He told the king of Israel, “Strike the ground!” He struck the ground three times and stopped. 13:19 The prophet 271 got angry at him and said, “If you had struck the ground five or six times, you would have annihilated Syria! 272 But now, you will defeat Syria only three times.”
13:20 Elisha died and was buried. 273 Moabite raiding parties invaded 274 the land at the beginning of the year. 275 13:21 One day some men 276 were burying a man when they spotted 277 a raiding party. So they threw the dead man 278 into Elisha’s tomb. When the body 279 touched Elisha’s bones, the dead man 280 came to life and stood on his feet.
13:22 Now King Hazael of Syria oppressed Israel throughout Jehoahaz’s reign. 281 13:23 But the Lord had mercy on them and felt pity for them. 282 He extended his favor to them 283 because of the promise he had made 284 to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He has been unwilling to destroy them or remove them from his presence to this very day. 285 13:24 When King Hazael of Syria died, his son Ben Hadad replaced him as king. 13:25 Jehoahaz’s son Jehoash took back from 286 Ben Hadad son of Hazael the cities that he had taken from his father Jehoahaz in war. Joash defeated him three times and recovered the Israelite cities.
14:1 In the second year of the reign of Israel’s King Joash son of Joahaz, 287 Joash’s 288 son Amaziah became king over Judah. 14:2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. 289 His mother 290 was Jehoaddan, who was from Jerusalem. 14:3 He did what the Lord approved, 291 but not like David his father. He followed the example of his father Joash. 292 14:4 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places.
14:5 When he had secured control of the kingdom, 293 he executed the servants who had assassinated his father. 294 14:6 But he did not execute the sons of the assassins. He obeyed the Lord’s commandment as recorded in the law scroll of Moses, 295 “Fathers must not be put to death for what their sons do, 296 and sons must not be put to death for what their fathers do. 297 A man must be put to death only for his own sin.” 298
14:7 He defeated 299 10,000 Edomites in the Salt Valley; he captured Sela in battle and renamed it Joktheel, a name it has retained to this very day. 14:8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel. He said, “Come, let’s meet face to face.” 300 14:9 King Jehoash of Israel sent this message back to King Amaziah of Judah, “A thornbush in Lebanon sent this message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal 301 of Lebanon came by and trampled down the thorn. 302 14:10 You thoroughly defeated Edom 303 and it has gone to your head! 304 Gloat over your success, 305 but stay in your palace. Why bring calamity on yourself? Why bring down yourself and Judah along with you?” 306 14:11 But Amaziah would not heed the warning, 307 so King Jehoash of Israel attacked. 308 He and King Amaziah of Judah met face to face 309 in Beth Shemesh of Judah. 14:12 Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man ran back home. 310 14:13 King Jehoash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah, son of Jehoash son of Ahaziah, in Beth Shemesh. He 311 attacked 312 Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate – a distance of about six hundred feet. 313 14:14 He took away all the gold and silver, all the items found in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace, and some hostages. 314 Then he went back to Samaria. 315
( 14:15 The rest of the events of Jehoash’s 316 reign, including all his accomplishments and his successful war with King Amaziah of Judah, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 317 14:16 Jehoash passed away 318 and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Jeroboam replaced him as king.)
14:17 King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz of Israel. 14:18 The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 319 14:19 Conspirators plotted against him in Jerusalem, 320 so he fled to Lachish. But they sent assassins after him 321 and they killed him there. 14:20 His body was carried back by horses 322 and he was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors in the city of David. 14:21 All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in his father Amaziah’s place. 14:22 Azariah 323 built up Elat and restored it to Judah after the king 324 had passed away. 325
14:23 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Judah’s King Amaziah, son of Joash, Jeroboam son of Joash became king over Israel. He reigned for forty-one years in Samaria. 326 14:24 He did evil in the sight of 327 the Lord; he did not repudiate 328 the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 14:25 He restored the border of Israel from Lebo Hamath in the north to the sea of the Arabah in the south, 329 in accordance with the word of the Lord God of Israel announced through 330 his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher. 14:26 The Lord saw Israel’s intense suffering; 331 everyone was weak and incapacitated and Israel had no deliverer. 332 14:27 The Lord had not decreed that he would blot out Israel’s memory 333 from under heaven, 334 so he delivered them through Jeroboam son of Joash.
14:28 The rest of the events of Jeroboam’s reign, including all his accomplishments, his military success in restoring Israelite control over Damascus and Hamath, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 335 14:29 Jeroboam passed away 336 and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. 337 His son Zechariah replaced him as king.
15:1 In the twenty-seventh year of King Jeroboam’s reign over Israel, Amaziah’s son Azariah became king over Judah. 15:2 He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. 338 His mother’s name was Jecholiah, who was from Jerusalem. 15:3 He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Amaziah had done. 339 15:4 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. 15:5 The Lord afflicted the king with an illness; he suffered from a skin disease 340 until the day he died. He lived in separate quarters, 341 while his son Jotham was in charge of the palace and ruled over the people of the land.
15:6 The rest of the events of Azariah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 342 15:7 Azariah passed away 343 and was buried 344 with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Jotham replaced him as king.
15:8 In the thirty-eighth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Jeroboam’s son Zechariah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria 345 for six months. 15:9 He did evil in the sight of 346 the Lord, as his ancestors had done. He did not repudiate 347 the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 15:10 Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against him; he assassinated him in Ibleam 348 and took his place as king. 15:11 The rest of the events of Zechariah’s reign are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 349 15:12 His assassination brought to fulfillment the Lord’s word to Jehu, 350 “Four generations of your descendants will rule over Israel.” 351 That is exactly what happened. 352
15:13 Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of King Uzziah’s 353 reign over Judah. He reigned for one month 354 in Samaria. 15:14 Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah to 355 Samaria and attacked Shallum son of Jabesh. 356 He killed him and took his place as king. 15:15 The rest of the events of Shallum’s reign, including the conspiracy he organized, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 357 15:16 At that time Menahem came from Tirzah and attacked Tiphsah. He struck down all who lived in the city and the surrounding territory, because they would not surrender. 358 He even ripped open the pregnant women.
15:17 In the thirty-ninth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel. He reigned for twelve years in Samaria. 359 15:18 He did evil in the sight of 360 the Lord; he did not repudiate 361 the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 362
During his reign, 15:19 Pul 363 king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem paid 364 him 365 a thousand talents 366 of silver to gain his support 367 and to solidify his control of the kingdom. 368 15:20 Menahem got this silver by taxing all the wealthy men in Israel; he took fifty shekels of silver from each one of them and paid it to the king of Assyria. 369 Then the king of Assyria left; he did not stay there in the land.
15:21 The rest of the events of Menahem’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 370 15:22 Menahem passed away 371 and his son Pekahiah replaced him as king.
15:23 In the fiftieth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Menahem’s son Pekahiah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria 372 for two years. 15:24 He did evil in the sight of 373 the Lord; he did not repudiate 374 the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 15:25 His officer Pekah son of Remaliah conspired against him. He and fifty Gileadites assassinated Pekahiah, as well as Argob and Arieh, in Samaria in the fortress of the royal palace. 375 Pekah then took his place as king.
15:26 The rest of the events of Pekahiah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 376
15:27 In the fifty-second year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria 377 for twenty years. 15:28 He did evil in the sight of 378 the Lord; he did not repudiate 379 the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 15:29 During Pekah’s reign over Israel, King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, 380 Gilead, and Galilee, including all the territory of Naphtali. He deported the people 381 to Assyria. 15:30 Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He assassinated him 382 and took his place as king, in the twentieth year of the reign of Jotham son of Uzziah.
15:31 The rest of the events of Pekah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 383
15:32 In the second year of the reign of Israel’s King Pekah son of Remaliah, Uzziah’s son Jotham became king over Judah. 15:33 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 384 His mother was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 15:34 He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Uzziah had done. 385 15:35 But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. He built the Upper Gate to the Lord’s temple.
15:36 The rest of the events of Jotham’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 386 15:37 In those days the Lord prompted King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah to attack Judah. 387 15:38 Jotham passed away 388 and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor David. His son Ahaz replaced him as king.
16:1 In the seventeenth year of the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah, Jotham’s son Ahaz became king over Judah. 16:2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 389 He did not do what pleased the Lord his God, in contrast to his ancestor David. 390 16:3 He followed in the footsteps of 391 the kings of Israel. He passed his son through the fire, 392 a horrible sin practiced by the nations 393 whom the Lord drove out from before the Israelites. 16:4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
16:5 At that time King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel attacked Jerusalem. 394 They besieged Ahaz, 395 but were unable to conquer him. 396 16:6 (At that time King Rezin of Syria 397 recovered Elat for Syria; he drove the Judahites from there. 398 Syrians 399 arrived in Elat and live there to this very day.) 16:7 Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your dependent. 400 March up and rescue me from the power 401 of the king of Syria and the king of Israel, who have attacked 402 me.” 16:8 Then Ahaz took the silver and gold that were 403 in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as tribute 404 to the king of Assyria. 16:9 The king of Assyria responded favorably to his request; 405 he 406 attacked Damascus and captured it. He deported the people 407 to Kir and executed Rezin.
16:10 When King Ahaz went to meet with King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria in Damascus, he saw the altar there. 408 King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a drawing of the altar and a blueprint for its design. 409 16:11 Uriah the priest built an altar in conformity to the plans King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. 410 Uriah the priest finished it before King Ahaz arrived back from Damascus. 411 16:12 When the king arrived back from Damascus and 412 saw the altar, he approached it 413 and offered a sacrifice on it. 414 16:13 He offered his burnt sacrifice and his grain offering. He poured out his libation and sprinkled the blood from his peace offerings on the altar. 16:14 He moved the bronze altar that stood in the Lord’s presence from the front of the temple (between the altar and the Lord’s temple) and put it on the north side of the new 415 altar. 16:15 King Ahaz ordered Uriah the priest, “On the large altar 416 offer the morning burnt sacrifice, the evening grain offering, the royal burnt sacrifices and grain offering, the burnt sacrifice for all the people of Israel, their grain offering, and their libations. Sprinkle all the blood of the burnt sacrifice and other sacrifices on it. The bronze altar will be for my personal use.” 417 16:16 So Uriah the priest did exactly as 418 King Ahaz ordered.
16:17 King Ahaz took off the frames of the movable stands, and removed the basins from them. He took “The Sea” 419 down from the bronze bulls that supported it 420 and put it on the pavement. 16:18 He also removed the Sabbath awning 421 that had been built 422 in the temple and the king’s outer entranceway, on account of the king of Assyria. 423
16:19 The rest of the events of Ahaz’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 424 16:20 Ahaz passed away 425 and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Hezekiah replaced him as king.
17:1 In the twelfth year of King Ahaz’s reign over Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria 426 for nine years. 17:2 He did evil in the sight of 427 the Lord, but not to the same degree as the Israelite kings who preceded him. 17:3 King Shalmaneser of Assyria threatened 428 him; Hoshea became his subject and paid him tribute. 17:4 The king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was planning a revolt. 429 Hoshea had sent messengers to King So 430 of Egypt and had not sent his annual tribute to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria arrested him and imprisoned him. 431
[8:16] 1 tc The Hebrew text reads, “and in the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, and [or, ‘while’?] Jehoshaphat [was?] king of Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah became king.” The first reference to “Jehoshaphat king of Judah” is probably due to a scribe accidentally copying the phrase from the later in the verse. If the Hebrew text is retained, the verse probably refers to the beginning of a coregency between Jehoshaphat and Jehoram.
[8:17] 2 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[8:18] 3 tn Heb “he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife.”
[8:18] 4 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[8:19] 5 tn The Hebrew has only one sentence, “and the
[8:19] 6 tn Heb “just as he had promised to give him and his sons a lamp all the days.” The metaphorical “lamp” symbolizes the Davidic dynasty; this is reflected in the translation.
[8:20] 7 tn Heb “in his days Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah and enthroned a king over them.”
[8:21] 8 sn Joram is a short form of the name Jehoram.
[8:21] 9 tn Heb “and he arose at night and defeated Edom, who had surrounded him, and the chariot officers.” The Hebrew text as it stands gives the impression that Joram was surrounded and launched a victorious night counterattack. It would then be quite natural to understand the last statement in the verse to refer to an Edomite retreat. Yet v. 22 goes on to state that the Edomite revolt was successful. Therefore, if the MT is retained, it may be better to understand the final statement in v. 21 as a reference to an Israelite retreat (made in spite of the success described in the preceding sentence). The translation above assumes an emendation of the Hebrew text. Adding a third masculine singular pronominal suffix to the accusative sign before Edom (reading אֶתוֹ [’eto], “him,” instead of just אֶת [’et]) and taking Edom as the subject of verbs allows one to translate the verse in a way that is more consistent with the context, which depicts an Israelite defeat, not victory. There is, however, no evidence for this emendation.
[8:21] 10 tn Heb “and the people fled to their tents.”
[8:22] 11 tn Heb “and Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah until this day.”
[8:23] 12 tn Heb “As for the rest of the acts of Joram and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[8:24] 13 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[8:26] 14 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[8:26] 15 tn Hebrew בַּת (bat), “daughter,” can refer, as here to a granddaughter. See HALOT 166 s.v. בַּת.
[8:27] 16 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[8:27] 17 tn Heb “and he walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the
[8:29] 18 tn Heb “which the Syrians inflicted [on] him.”
[9:1] 20 tn Heb “one of the sons of the prophets.”
[9:2] 22 tn Heb “and go and set him apart from his brothers and bring him into an inner room in an inner room.”
[9:3] 24 tn Heb “and open the door and run away and do not delay.”
[9:4] 25 tc Heb “the young man, the young man, the prophet.” The MT is probably dittographic, the phrase “the young man” being accidentally repeated. The phrases “the young man” and “the prophet” are appositional, with the latter qualifying more specifically the former.
[9:5] 26 tn Heb “and he arrived and look, the officers of the army were sitting.”
[9:5] 27 tn Heb “[there is] a word for me to you, O officer.”
[9:5] 28 tn Heb “To whom from all of us?”
[9:6] 29 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:6] 30 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:7] 31 tn Or “strike down the house of Ahab your master.”
[9:7] 32 tn Heb “I will avenge the shed blood of my servants the prophets and the shed blood of all the servants of the
[9:8] 33 tc The LXX has the second person, “you.”
[9:8] 34 tn Heb “and I will cut off from Ahab those who urinate against a wall, [including both those who are] restrained and let free [or, ‘abandoned’] in Israel.” On the phrase וְעָצוּר וְעָזוּב (vÿ’atsur vÿ’azur, translated here “weak and incapacitated”) see the note at 1 Kgs 14:10.
[9:10] 36 sn Note how the young prophet greatly expands the message Elisha had given to him. In addition to lengthening the introductory formula (by adding “the God of Israel”) and the official declaration that accompanies the act of anointing (by adding “the
[9:11] 37 tn Heb “went out to.”
[9:11] 38 tc The MT has the singular, “he said,” but many witnesses correctly read the plural.
[9:11] 39 tn Heb “Is there peace?”
[9:11] 40 tn Heb “He said, ‘You, you know the man and his thoughts.’” Jehu tries to deflect their question by reminding them that the man is an eccentric individual who says strange things. His reply suggests that the man said nothing of importance. The translation seeks to bring out the tone and intent of Jehu’s reply.
[9:12] 41 tn Heb “So he said, ‘Like this and like this he said to me, saying.’” The words “like this and like this” are probably not a direct quote of Jehu’s words to his colleagues. Rather this is the narrator’s way of avoiding repetition and indicating that Jehu repeated, or at least summarized, what the prophet had said to him.
[9:13] 42 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:13] 43 tn Heb “and they hurried and took, each one his garment, and they placed [them] beneath him on the bone [?] of the steps.” The precise nuance of גֶרֶם (gerem), “bone,” is unclear. Some suggest the nuance “bare” here; it may be a technical architectural term in this context.
[9:13] 44 tn Heb “they blew the trumpet.” This has been translated as a passive to avoid the implication that the same ones who shouted had all blown trumpets.
[9:14] 46 tn Heb “he and all Israel.”
[9:15] 47 tn Heb “which the Syrians inflicted [on] him.”
[9:15] 48 sn See 2 Kgs 8:28-29a.
[9:15] 49 tn The words “his supporters” are added for clarification.
[9:15] 50 tn Heb “If this is your desire.” נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) refers here to the seat of the emotions and will. For other examples of this use of the word, see BDB 660-61 s.v.
[9:16] 51 tn Heb “rode [or, ‘mounted’] and went.”
[9:16] 52 tn Heb “lying down.”
[9:17] 54 tn Heb “the quantity [of the men] of Jehu, when he approached.” Elsewhere שִׁפְעַה (shif’ah), “quantity,” is used of a quantity of camels (Isa 60:6) or horses (Ezek 26:10) and of an abundance of water (Job 22:11; 38:34).
[9:17] 55 tn The term שִׁפְעַת (shifat) appears to be a construct form of the noun, but no genitive follows.
[9:17] 57 tn Heb “Get a rider and send [him] to meet him and let him ask, ‘Is there peace?’”
[9:18] 58 tn Heb “the rider of the horse.”
[9:18] 59 tn Heb “Is there peace?”
[9:18] 60 tn Heb “What concerning you and concerning peace?” That is, “What concern is that to you?”
[9:19] 61 tn Heb “and he came to them.”
[9:19] 62 tc The MT has simply “peace,” omitting the prefixed interrogative particle. It is likely that the particle has been accidentally omitted; several ancient witnesses include it or assume its presence.
[9:20] 63 tn Heb “and the driving is like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi.”
[9:21] 64 tn The words “my chariot” are added for clarification.
[9:21] 65 tn Heb “and he hitched up his chariot.”
[9:21] 66 tn Heb “each in his chariot and they went out.”
[9:21] 67 tn Heb “they found him.”
[9:22] 68 tn Heb “How [can there be] peace as long as the adulterous acts of Jezebel your mother and her many acts of sorcery [continue]?” In this instance “adulterous acts” is employed metaphorically for idolatry. As elsewhere in the OT, worshiping other gods is viewed as spiritual adultery and unfaithfulness to the one true God. The phrase “many acts of sorcery” could be taken literally, for Jezebel undoubtedly utilized pagan divination practices, but the phrase may be metaphorical, pointing to her devotion to pagan customs in general.
[9:23] 69 tn Heb “and Jehoram turned his hands and fled.” The phrase “turned his hands” refers to how he would have pulled on the reins in order to make his horses turn around.
[9:23] 70 tn Heb “Deceit, Ahaziah.”
[9:24] 71 tn Heb “and Jehu filled his hand with the bow and he struck Jehoram between his shoulders.”
[9:24] 72 tn Heb “went out from.”
[9:26] 74 tn Heb “and I will repay you in this plot of land.”
[9:26] 75 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[9:27] 76 tn Heb “and Ahaziah king of Judah saw and fled.”
[9:27] 77 tn After Jehu’s order (“kill him too”), the MT has simply, “to the chariot in the ascent of Gur which is near Ibleam.” The main verb in the clause, “they shot him” (וַיִּכְהוּ, vayyikhhu), has been accidentally omitted by virtual haplography/homoioteleuton. Note that the immediately preceding form הַכֻּהוּ (hakkuhu), “shoot him,” ends with the same suffix.
[9:27] 78 map For location see Map1 D4; Map2 C1; Map4 C2; Map5 F2; Map7 B1.
[9:28] 80 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[9:30] 81 tn Heb “she fixed her eyes with antimony.” Antimony (פּוּךְ, pukh) was used as a cosmetic. The narrator portrays her as a prostitute (see Jer 4:30), a role she has played in the spiritual realm (see the note at v. 22).
[9:31] 82 sn Jezebel associates Jehu with another assassin, Zimri, who approximately 44 years before had murdered King Elah, only to meet a violent death just a few days later (1 Kgs 16:9-20). On the surface Jezebel’s actions seem contradictory. On the one hand, she beautifies herself as if to seduce Jehu, but on the other hand, she insults and indirectly threatens him with this comparison to Zimri. Upon further reflection, however, her actions reveal a clear underlying motive. She wants to retain her power, not to mention her life. By beautifying herself, she appeals to Jehu’s sexual impulses; by threatening him, she reminds him that he is in the same precarious position as Zimri. But, if he makes Jezebel his queen, he can consolidate his power. In other words through her actions and words Jezebel is saying to Jehu, “You desire me, don’t you? And you need me!”
[9:32] 83 tn Heb “two, three.” The narrator may be intentionally vague or uncertain here, or the two numbers may represent alternate traditions.
[9:33] 84 tn The words “when she hit the ground” are added for stylistic reasons.
[9:33] 85 tn Heb “and he trampled her.”
[9:34] 86 tn Heb “and he went and ate and drank.”
[9:34] 87 tn Heb “Attend to this accursed woman and bury her for she was the daughter of a king.”
[9:35] 88 tn Heb “they did not find her, except for.”
[9:36] 89 tn Heb “It is the word of the
[9:37] 90 tn Heb “so that they will not say, ‘This is Jezebel.’”
[10:1] 91 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[10:1] 92 tn Heb “to the officers of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of Ahab, saying.” It is not certain why the officials of Jezreel would be in Samaria. They may have fled there after they heard what happened to Joram and before Jehu entered the city. They would have had time to flee while Jehu was pursuing Ahaziah.
[10:2] 93 tn Heb “And now when this letter comes to you – with you are the sons of your master and with you are chariots and horses and a fortified city and weapons.”
[10:3] 94 tn Hebrew יָשָׁר (yashar) does not have its normal moral/ethical nuance here (“upright”), but a more neutral sense of “proper, right, suitable.” For the gloss “capable,” see HALOT 450 s.v. יָשָׁר.
[10:4] 96 tn Heb “they were very, very afraid.” The term מְאֹד (me’od) “very,” is repeated for emphasis.
[10:4] 97 tn Heb “did not stand before him.”
[10:4] 98 tn Heb “How can we stand?”
[10:5] 99 tn Heb “the one who was over the house.”
[10:5] 100 tn Heb “the one who was over the city.”
[10:5] 103 tn Heb “Do what is good in your eyes.”
[10:6] 104 tn Heb “If you are mine and you are listening to my voice.”
[10:6] 105 sn Jehu’s command is intentionally vague. Does he mean that they should bring the guardians (those who are “heads” over Ahab’s sons) for a meeting, or does he mean that they should bring the literal heads of Ahab’s sons with them? (So LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and some
[10:6] 106 tn Heb “great,” probably in wealth, position, and prestige.
[10:7] 107 tn Heb “and when the letter came to them, they took the sons of the king and slaughtered seventy men.”
[10:8] 108 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:8] 109 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:10] 110 tn Heb “Know then that there has not fallen from the word of the
[10:12] 111 tn Heb “and he arose and went and came to Samaria.”
[10:13] 114 tn Heb “for the peace of.”
[10:15] 116 tn Heb “and he went from there and found Jehonadab son of Rekab [who was coming] to meet him.”
[10:15] 117 tn Heb “and he blessed him and said to him.”
[10:15] 118 tn Heb “Is there with your heart [what is] right, as my heart [is] with your heart?”
[10:15] 119 tc Heb “Jehonadab said, ‘There is and there is. Give your hand.’” If the text is allowed to stand, there are two possible ways to understand the syntax of וָיֵשׁ (vayesh), “and there is”: (1) The repetition of יֵשׁ (yesh, “there is and there is”) could be taken as emphatic, “indeed I am.” In this case, the entire statement could be taken as Jehonadab’s words or one could understand the words “give your hand” as Jehu’s. In the latter case the change in speakers is unmarked. (2) וָיֵשׁ begins Jehu’s response and has a conditional force, “if you are.” In this case, the transition in speakers is unmarked. However, it is possible that וַיֹּאמֶר (vayyo’mer), “and he said,” or וַיֹּאמֶר יֵהוּא (vayyo’mer yehu), “and Jehu said,” originally appeared between יֵשׁ and וָיֵשׁ and has accidentally dropped from the text by homoioarcton (note that both the proposed וַיֹּאמֶר and וָיֵשׁ begin with vav, ו). The present translation assumes such a textual reconstruction; it is supported by the LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate.
[10:15] 120 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:16] 121 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:16] 122 tn Heb “and see my zeal for the
[10:16] 123 tc The MT has a plural form, but this is most likely an error. The LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate all have the singular.
[10:17] 124 tn Heb “and he struck down all the remaining ones to Ahab in Samaria until he destroyed him.”
[10:17] 125 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[10:18] 128 tn Heb “much” or “greatly.”
[10:19] 129 tn Heb “and now, all the prophets of Baal, all his servants and all his priests summon to me.”
[10:19] 130 tn Heb “acted with deception [or, ‘trickery’].”
[10:20] 131 tn Heb “set apart”; or “observe as holy.”
[10:21] 132 tn Heb “and the house of Baal was filled mouth to mouth.”
[10:22] 133 tn Heb “and he said to the one who was over the wardrobe.”
[10:23] 134 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:23] 135 tn Heb “Search carefully and observe so that there are not here with you any servants of the
[10:24] 136 tn Heb “The man who escapes from the men whom I am bringing into your hands, [it will be] his life in place of his life.”
[10:25] 138 tn Heb “and they threw.” No object appears. According to M. Cogan and H. Tadmor (II Kings [AB], 116), this is an idiom for leaving a corpse unburied.
[10:25] 139 tn Heb “and they came to the city of the house of Baal.” It seems unlikely that a literal city is meant. Some emend עִיר (’ir), “city,” to דְּבִיר (dÿvir) “holy place,” or suggest that עִיר is due to dittography of the immediately preceding עַד (’ad) “to.” Perhaps עִיר is here a technical term meaning “fortress” or, more likely, “inner room.”
[10:27] 140 tn Or “pulled down.”
[10:27] 141 tn The verb “they demolished” is repeated in the Hebrew text.
[10:27] 142 tn Heb “and they made it into.”
[10:27] 143 tn The consonantal text (Kethib) has the hapax legomenon מַחֲרָאוֹת (makhara’ot), “places to defecate” or “dung houses” (note the related noun חרא (khr’)/חרי (khri), “dung,” HALOT 348-49 s.v. *חֲרָאִים). The marginal reading (Qere) glosses this, perhaps euphemistically, מוֹצָאוֹת (motsa’ot), “outhouses.”
[10:28] 144 tn Heb “destroyed Baal.”
[10:29] 145 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[10:29] 146 tn Heb “Except the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat which he caused Israel to commit, Jehu did not turn aside from after them – the golden calves which [were in] Bethel and which [were] in Dan.”
[10:30] 147 tn Heb “Because you have done well by doing what is proper in my eyes – according to all which was in my heart you have done to the house of Ahab – sons of four generations will sit for you on the throne of Israel.” In the Hebrew text the Lord’s statement is one long sentence (with a parenthesis). The translation above divides it into shorter sentences for stylistic reasons.
[10:30] sn Jehu ruled over Israel from approximately 841-814
[10:31] 148 tn Heb “But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the
[10:31] 149 tn Heb “He did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam which he caused Israel to commit.”
[10:32] 150 tn Heb “began to cut off Israel.”
[10:32] 151 tn Heb “Hazael struck them down in all the territory of Israel, from the Jordan on the east.” In the Hebrew text the phrase “from the Jordan on the east” begins v. 33.
[10:33] 152 tn Heb “all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassehites, from Aroer which is near the Arnon Valley, and Gilead, and Bashan.”
[10:34] 153 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jehu, and all which he did and all his strength, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[10:35] 154 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[10:35] 155 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[11:1] 156 tn Heb “she arose and she destroyed all the royal offspring.” The verb קוּם (qum) “arise,” is here used in an auxiliary sense to indicate that she embarked on a campaign to destroy the royal offspring. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 125.
[11:2] 158 tn Heb “him and his nurse in an inner room of beds.” The verb is missing in the Hebrew text. The parallel passage in 2 Chr 22:11 has “and she put” at the beginning of the clause. M. Cogan and H. Tadmor (II Kings [AB], 126) regard the Chronicles passage as an editorial attempt to clarify the difficulty of the original text. They prefer to take “him and his nurse” as objects of the verb “stole” and understand “in the bedroom” as the place where the royal descendants were executed. The phrase בַּחֲדַר הַמִּטּוֹת (bakhadar hammittot), “an inner room of beds,” is sometimes understood as referring to a bedroom (HALOT 293 s.v. חֶדֶר), though some prefer to see here a “room where the covers and cloths were kept for the beds (HALOT 573 s.v. מִטָּת). In either case, it may have been a temporary hideout, for v. 3 indicates that the child hid in the temple for six years.
[11:2] 159 tn Heb “and they hid him from Athaliah and he was not put to death.” The subject of the plural verb (“they hid”) is probably indefinite.
[11:3] 160 tn Heb “and he was with her [in] the house of the
[11:4] 161 tn Heb “Jehoiada sent and took.”
[11:4] 162 sn The Carians were apparently a bodyguard, probably comprised of foreigners. See HALOT 497 s.v. כָּרִי and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 126.
[11:4] 163 tn Heb “the runners.”
[11:4] 164 tn Heb “he brought them to himself.”
[11:6] 166 tn Heb “the gate of Sur” (followed by many English versions) but no such gate is mentioned elsewhere in the OT. The parallel account in 2 Chr 23:5 has “Foundation Gate.” סוּר (sur), “Sur,” may be a corruption of יְסוֹד (yÿsod) “foundation,” involving in part dalet-resh confusion.
[11:6] 167 tn Heb “the runners.”
[11:6] 168 tn The meaning of מַסָּח (massakh) is not certain. The translation above, rather than understanding it as a genitive modifying “house,” takes it as an adverb describing how the groups will guard the palace. See HALOT 605 s.v. מַסָּח for the proposed meaning “alternating” (i.e., “in turns”).
[11:7] 169 tn Verses 5b-7 read literally, “the third of you, the ones entering [on] the Sabbath and the ones guarding the guard of the house of the king, and the third in the gate of Sur, and the third in the gate behind the runners, and you will guard the guard of the house, alternating. And the two units of you, all the ones going out [on] the Sabbath, and they will guard the guard of the house of the
[11:8] 170 tn Heb “and be with the king in his going out and in his coming in.”
[11:9] 171 tn Heb “according to all that.”
[11:11] 173 tn Heb “the runners” (also in v. 19).
[11:11] 174 tn Heb “and the runners stood, each with his weapons in his hand, from the south shoulder of the house to the north shoulder of the house, at the altar and at the house, near the king all around.”
[11:12] 175 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoiada) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:12] 176 tn The Hebrew term עֵדוּת (’edut) normally means “witness” or “testimony.” Here it probably refers to some tangible symbol of kingship, perhaps a piece of jewelry such as an amulet or neck chain. See the discussion in M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 128. Some suggest that a document is in view, perhaps a copy of the royal protocol or of the stipulations of the Davidic covenant. See HALOT 790-91 s.v. עֵדוּת.
[11:12] 177 tn Or “they made him king and anointed him.”
[11:13] 178 tc The MT reads, “and Athaliah heard the sound of the runners, the people.” The term הָעָם (ha’am), “the people,” is probably a scribal addition anticipating the reference to the people later in the verse and in v. 14.
[11:13] 179 tn Heb “she came to the people.”
[11:14] 180 tn Heb “and she saw, and look.”
[11:14] 181 tn Or “conspiracy, conspiracy.”
[11:15] 182 tn The Hebrew text also has, “and said to them.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated.
[11:15] 184 tn Heb “for the priest had said, ‘Let her not be put to death in the house of the
[11:16] 185 tn Heb “and they placed hands on her, and she went the way of the entrance of the horses [into] the house of the king.”
[11:17] 186 tn Heb “and Jehoiada made a covenant between the
[11:18] 187 tn Or “tore down.”
[11:18] 189 tn The Hebrew construction translated “smashed…to bits” is emphatic. The adverbial infinitive absolute (הֵיטֵב [hetev], “well”) accompanying the Piel form of the verb שָׁבַר (shavar), “break,” suggests thorough demolition.
[11:18] 190 tn Heb “the priest.” Jehoiada’s name is added for clarification.
[11:19] 191 tn Heb “the Gate of the Runners of the House of the King.”
[11:19] 192 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:21] 193 sn Beginning with 11:21, the verse numbers through 12:21 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 11:21 ET = 12:1 HT, 12:1 ET = 12:2 HT, 12:2 ET = 12:3 HT, etc., through 12:21 ET = 12:22 HT. With 13:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
[11:21] 194 tn Jehoash is an alternate name for Joash (see 11:2).
[12:1] 195 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[12:2] 196 tn Heb “and Jehoash did what was proper in the eyes of the
[12:2] 197 tn Heb “that which.” Jehoiada taught the king the Lord’s will.
[12:4] 198 tn The words “I place at your disposal” are added in the translation for clarification.
[12:4] 199 tn Heb “the silver of passing over a man.” The precise meaning of the phrase is debated, but עָבַר (’avar), “pass over,” probably refers here to counting, suggesting the reference is to a census conducted for taxation purposes. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 137.
[12:4] 200 tn Heb “the silver of persons, his valuation.” The precise meaning of the phrase is uncertain, but parallels in Lev 27 suggest that personal vows are referred to here. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 137.
[12:4] 201 tn Heb “all the silver which goes up on the heart of a man to bring to the house of the
[12:5] 202 tn Heb “Let the priests take for themselves, each from his treasurer, and let them repair the damage of the temple, with respect to all the damage that is found there.” The word מַכָּר (makar), translated here “treasurer,” occurs only in this passage. Some suggest it means “merchant” or “benefactor.” Its usage in Ugaritic texts, where it appears in a list of temple officials, suggests that it refers in this context to individuals who were in charge of disbursing temple funds.
[12:7] 203 tn Heb “Now, do not take silver from your treasurers, because for the damages to the temple you must give it.”
[12:8] 204 tn Outside of this passage the verb אוּת (’ut) appears only in Gen 34:15-22.
[12:8] 205 tn Heb “and not to repair the damages to the temple.” This does not mean that the priests were no longer interested in repairing the temple. As the following context makes clear, the priests decided to hire skilled workers to repair the damage to the temple, rather than trying to make the repairs themselves.
[12:9] 206 tn Heb “on the right side of the altar as a man enters.”
[12:10] 207 tn Heb “the king’s scribe.”
[12:10] 208 tn Heb “went up and tied [it] and counted the silver that was found in the house of the
[12:11] 209 tn Heb “would give.”
[12:11] 210 tn Heb “doers of the work.”
[12:12] 211 tn Heb “and for all that which was going out concerning the house for repair.”
[12:14] 212 tn Heb “was given.”
[12:15] 214 tn Heb “and they did not conduct a reckoning of the men who gave the silver into their hand to give to the doers of the work, for in honesty they were working.”
[12:17] 215 tn Heb “went up and fought against.”
[12:17] 216 tn Heb “Hazael set his face to go up against Jerusalem.”
[12:18] 217 tn The object (“it all”) is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[12:19] 219 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Joash, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[12:20] 220 tn Heb “rose up and conspired [with] a conspiracy.”
[12:20] 221 tn Heb “Beth Millo which goes down [toward] Silla.”
[12:21] 222 tn Heb “struck him down and he died.”
[12:21] 223 tn Heb “they buried him.”
[13:1] 224 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[13:2] 225 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[13:2] 226 tn Heb “walked after.”
[13:2] 227 tn Heb “he did not turn aside from it.”
[13:3] 228 tn Heb “and the anger of the
[13:3] 229 tn Heb “he gave them into the hand of.”
[13:3] 230 tn Heb “all the days.”
[13:4] 231 tn Heb “appeased the face of the
[13:4] 232 tn Heb “and the
[13:4] 233 tn Heb “for he saw the oppression of Israel, for the king of Syria oppressed them.”
[13:5] 234 sn The identity of this unnamed “deliverer” is debated. For options see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 143.
[13:5] 235 tn Heb “and they went from under the hand of Syria.”
[13:5] 236 tn Heb “and the sons of Israel lived in their tents as before.”
[13:6] 237 tn Heb “they did not turn away from.”
[13:6] 239 tc Heb “in it he walked.” The singular verb (הָלַךְ, halakh) is probably due to an error of haplography and should be emended to the plural (הָלְכּוּ, halÿku). Note that a vav immediately follows (on the form וְגַם, vÿgam).
[13:6] 240 tn Or “an image of Asherah”; ASV, NASB “the Asherah”; NCV “the Asherah idol.”
[13:6] 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).
[13:7] 241 tn Heb “Indeed he did not leave to Jehoahaz people.” The identity of the subject is uncertain, but the king of Syria, mentioned later in the verse, is a likely candidate.
[13:7] 242 tn Heb “them,” i.e., the remainder of this troops.
[13:7] 243 tn Heb “and made them like dust for trampling.”
[13:8] 244 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jehoahaz, and all which he did and his strength, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[13:9] 245 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[13:9] 246 tn Heb “and they buried him.”
[13:10] 247 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[13:11] 248 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[13:11] 249 tn Heb “turn away from all.”
[13:11] 250 tn Heb “in it he walked.”
[13:12] 251 sn Jehoash and Joash are alternate forms of the same name.
[13:12] 252 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Joash, and all which he did and his strength, [and] how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[13:13] 253 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[13:13] 254 tn Heb “sat on his throne.”
[13:14] 255 tn Heb “Now Elisha was ill with the illness by which he would die.”
[13:14] 256 tn Heb “went down to him.”
[13:14] 257 tn Though the noun is singular here, it may be collective, in which case it could be translated “chariots.”
[13:14] 258 sn By comparing Elisha to a one-man army, the king emphasizes the power of the prophetic word. See the note at 2:12.
[13:15] 259 tn Heb “and he took a bow and some arrows.”
[13:16] 260 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:16] 261 tn Heb “Cause your hand to ride on the bow.”
[13:16] 262 tn Heb “and he caused his hand to ride.”
[13:17] 263 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:17] 264 tn Heb “He opened [it].”
[13:17] 265 tn Heb “and he shot.”
[13:17] 266 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:17] 267 tn Heb “The arrow of victory of the
[13:17] 268 tn Heb “you will strike down Syria in Aphek until destruction.”
[13:18] 269 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:18] 270 tn Heb “and he took [them].”
[13:19] 271 tn Heb “man of God.”
[13:19] 272 tn Heb “[It was necessary] to strike five or six times, then you would strike down Syria until destruction.” On the syntax of the infinitive construct, see GKC 349 §114.k.
[13:20] 273 tn Heb “and they buried him.”
[13:20] 275 tc The MT reading בָּא שָׁנָה (ba’ shanah), “it came, year,” should probably be emended to בְּבָּא הַשָּׁנָה (bÿba’ hashanah), “at the coming [i.e., ‘beginning’] of the year.” See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 148.
[13:21] 276 tn Heb “and it so happened [that] they.”
[13:21] 277 tn Heb “and look, they saw.”
[13:21] 278 tn Heb “the man”; the adjective “dead” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[13:21] 280 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the dead man) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Otherwise the reader might think it was Elisha rather than the unnamed dead man who came back to life.
[13:22] 281 tn Heb “all the days of Jehoahaz.”
[13:23] 282 tn Or “showed them compassion.”
[13:23] 283 tn Heb “he turned to them.”
[13:23] 284 tn Heb “because of his covenant with.”
[13:23] 285 tn Heb “until now.”
[13:25] 286 tn Heb “from the hand of.”
[14:1] 287 sn The name Joahaz is an alternate form of Jehoahaz.
[14:1] 288 sn The referent here is Joash of Judah (see 12:21), not Joash of Israel, mentioned earlier in the verse.
[14:2] 289 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[14:2] 290 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
[14:3] 291 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the
[14:3] 292 tn Heb “according to all which Joash his father had done, he did.”
[14:5] 293 tn Heb “when the kingdom was secure in his hand.”
[14:5] 294 tn Heb “he struck down his servants, the ones who had struck down the king, his father.”
[14:6] 295 tn Heb “as it is written in the scroll of the law of Moses which the
[14:6] 296 tn Heb “on account of sons.”
[14:6] 297 tn Heb “on account of fathers.”
[14:6] 298 sn This law is recorded in Deut 24:16.
[14:7] 299 tn Or “struck down.”
[14:8] 300 tn Heb “let us look at each other [in the] face.” The expression refers here to meeting in battle. See v. 11.
[14:9] 301 tn Heb “the animal of the field.”
[14:9] 302 sn Judah is the thorn in the allegory. Amaziah’s success has deceived him into thinking he is on the same level as the major powers in the area (symbolized by the cedar). In reality he is not capable of withstanding an attack by a real military power such as Israel (symbolized by the wild animal).
[14:10] 303 tn Or “you have indeed defeated Edom.”
[14:10] 304 tn Heb “and your heart has lifted you up.”
[14:10] 305 tn Heb “be glorified.”
[14:10] 306 tn Heb “Why get involved in calamity and fall, you and Judah with you?”
[14:11] 307 tn Heb “did not listen.”
[14:11] 309 tn Heb “looked at each other [in the] face.”
[14:12] 310 tn Heb “and Judah was struck down before Israel and they fled, each to his tent.”
[14:13] 311 tc The MT has the plural form of the verb, but the final vav (ו) is virtually dittographic. The word that immediately follows in the Hebrew text begins with a yod (י). The form should be emended to the singular, which is consistent in number with the verb (“he broke down”) that follows.
[14:13] 313 tn Heb “four hundred cubits.” The standard cubit in the OT is assumed by most authorities to be about eighteen inches (45 cm) long.
[14:14] 314 tn Heb “the sons of the pledges.”
[14:14] 315 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[14:15] 316 sn Jehoash and Joash are alternate forms of the same name.
[14:15] 317 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jehoash, and all which he did and his strength, [and] how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[14:16] 318 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[14:18] 319 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Amaziah, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[14:19] 320 tn Heb “and they conspired against him [with] a conspiracy in Jerusalem.”
[14:19] 321 tn Heb “and they sent after him to Lachish.”
[14:20] 322 tn Heb “and they carried him on horses.”
[14:22] 323 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Azariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:22] 324 sn This must refer to Amaziah.
[14:22] 325 tn Heb “lay with his fathers.”
[14:23] 326 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[14:24] 327 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[14:24] 328 tn Heb “turn away from all.”
[14:25] 329 tn The phrases “in the north” and “in the south” are added in the translation for clarification.
[14:25] 330 tn Heb “which he spoke by the hand of.”
[14:26] 331 tc Heb “for the
[14:26] 332 tn Heb “[there was] none but the restrained, and [there was] none but the abandoned, and there was no deliverer for Israel.” On the meaning of the terms עָצוּר (’atsur) and עָזוּב (’azur), see the note at 1 Kgs 14:10.
[14:27] 334 tn The phrase “from under heaven” adds emphasis to the verb “blot out” and suggest total annihilation. For other examples of the verb מָחָה (makhah), “blot out,” combined with “from under heaven,” see Exod 17:14; Deut 9:14; 25:19; 29:20.
[14:28] 335 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jeroboam, and all which he did and his strength, [and] how he fought and how he restored Damascus and Hamath to Judah in Israel, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?” The phrase “to Judah” is probably not original; it may be a scribal addition by a Judahite scribe who was trying to link Jeroboam’s conquests with the earlier achievements of David and Solomon, who ruled in Judah. The Syriac Peshitta has simply “to Israel.” M. Cogan and H. Tadmor (II Kings [AB], 162) offer this proposal, but acknowledge that it is “highly speculative.”
[14:29] 336 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[14:29] 337 tn The MT has simply “with the kings of Israel,” which appears to stand in apposition to the immediately preceding “with his fathers.” But it is likely that the words “and he was buried in Samaria” have been accidentally omitted from the text. See 13:13 and 14:16.
[15:2] 338 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[15:3] 339 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the
[15:5] 340 tn Traditionally, “he was a leper.” But see the note at 5:1.
[15:5] 341 tn The precise meaning of בֵית הַחָפְשִׁית (bet hakhofÿshit), “house of […?],” is uncertain. For a discussion of various proposals, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 166-67.
[15:6] 342 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Azariah, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[15:7] 343 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[15:7] 344 tn Heb “and they buried him.”
[15:8] 345 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[15:9] 346 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[15:9] 347 tn Heb “turn away from.”
[15:10] 348 tc The MT reads, “and he struck him down before the people and killed him” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). However, the reading קָבָל עָם (qaval ’am), “before the people,” is problematic to some because קָבָל is a relatively late Aramaic term. Nevertheless, the Aramaic term qobel certainly antedates the writing of Kings. The bigger problem seems to be the unnecessary intrusion of an Aramaic word at all here. Most interpreters prefer to follow Lucian’s Greek version and read “in Ibleam” (בְיִבְלְעָם, bÿivle’am). Cf. NAB, TEV.
[15:11] 349 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jeroboam, look, they are written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel.”
[15:12] 350 tn Heb “It was the word of the
[15:12] 351 tn “sons of four generations will sit for you on the throne of Israel.”
[15:12] sn See the note at 2 Kgs 10:30.
[15:12] 352 tn Heb “and it was so.”
[15:13] 353 sn Azariah was also known by the name Uzziah.
[15:13] 354 tn Heb “a month of days.”
[15:14] 355 tn Heb “and came to.”
[15:14] 356 tn Heb “went up from Tirzah and arrived in Samaria and attacked Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria.”
[15:15] 357 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Shallum, and his conspiracy which he conspired, look, they are written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel.”
[15:16] 358 tn Heb “then Menahem attacked Tiphsah and all who were in it and its borders from Tirzah, for it would not open, and he attacked.”
[15:16] tn Instead of “Tiphsah,” the LXX has “Tirzah,” while Lucian’s Greek version reads “Tappuah.” For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 171.
[15:17] 359 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[15:18] 360 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[15:18] 361 tn Heb “turn away from.”
[15:18] 362 tc The MT of v. 18 ends with the words, “all his days.” If this phrase is taken with what precedes, then one should translate, “[who encouraged Israel to sin] throughout his reign.” However, it may be preferable to emend the text to בְיֹמָיו (bÿyomav), “in his days,” and join the phrase to what follows. The translation assumes this change.
[15:19] 363 sn Pul was a nickname of Tiglath-pileser III (cf. 15:29). See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 171-72.
[15:19] 365 tn Heb “Pul.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[15:19] 366 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 75,000 pounds of silver (cf. NCV “about seventy-four thousand pounds”); NLT “thirty-seven tons”; CEV “over thirty tons”; TEV “34,000 kilogrammes.”
[15:19] 367 tn Heb “so his hands would be with him.”
[15:19] 368 tn Heb “to keep hold of the kingdom in his hand.”
[15:20] 369 tn Heb “and Menahem brought out the silver over Israel, over the prominent men of means, to give to the king of Assyria, fifty shekels of silver for each man.”
[15:21] 370 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Menahem, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[15:22] 371 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[15:23] 372 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[15:24] 373 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[15:24] 374 tn Heb “turn away from.”
[15:25] 375 tn Heb “and he struck him down in Samaria in the fortress of the house of the king, Argob and Arieh, and with him fifty men from the sons of the Gileadites, and they killed him.”
[15:25] sn The precise identity of Argob and Arieh, as well as their relationship to the king, are uncertain. The usual assumption is that they were officials assassinated along with Pekahiah, or that they were two of the more prominent Gileadites involved in the revolt. For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 173.
[15:26] 376 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Pekahiah, and all which he did, look, they are written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel.”
[15:27] 377 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[15:28] 378 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[15:28] 379 tn Heb “turn away from.”
[15:29] 380 map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 D3; Map3 A2; Map4 C1.
[15:30] 382 tn Heb “and struck him down and killed him.”
[15:31] 383 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Pekah, and all which he did, look, they are written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel.”
[15:33] 384 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[15:34] 385 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the
[15:36] 386 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jotham, and that which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[15:37] 387 tn Heb “the
[15:38] 388 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[16:2] 389 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[16:2] 390 tn Heb “and he did not do what was proper in the eyes of the
[16:3] 391 tn Heb “he walked in the way of.”
[16:3] 392 sn This may refer to child sacrifice, though some interpret it as a less drastic cultic practice. For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 266-67.
[16:3] 393 tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”
[16:5] 394 tn Heb “went up to Jerusalem for battle.”
[16:5] 395 tn That is, Jerusalem, Ahaz’s capital city.
[16:5] 396 tn Heb “they were unable to fight.” The object must be supplied from the preceding sentence. Elsewhere when the Niphal infinitive of לָחָם (lakham) follows the verb יָכֹל (yakhol), the infinitive appears to have the force of “prevail against.” See Num 22:11; 1 Sam 17:9; and the parallel passage in Isa 7:1.
[16:6] 397 tc Some prefer to read “the king of Edom” and “for Edom” here. The names Syria (Heb “Aram,” אֲרָם, ’aram) and Edom (אֱדֹם, ’edom) are easily confused in the Hebrew consonantal script.
[16:6] 398 tn Heb “from Elat.”
[16:6] 399 tc The consonantal text (Kethib), supported by many medieval Hebrew
[16:7] 400 tn Heb “son.” Both terms (“servant” and “son”) reflect Ahaz’s subordinate position as Tiglath-pileser’s subject.
[16:7] 401 tn Heb “hand, palm.”
[16:7] 402 tn Heb “who have arisen against.”
[16:8] 403 tn Heb “that was found.”
[16:8] 404 tn Or “bribe money.”
[16:9] 405 tn Heb “listened to him.”
[16:9] 406 tn Heb “the king of Assyria.”
[16:10] 408 tn Heb “in Damascus.”
[16:10] 409 tn Heb “the likeness of the altar and its pattern for all its work.”
[16:11] 410 tn Heb “according to all that King Ahaz sent from Damascus.”
[16:11] 411 tn Heb “so Uriah the priest did, until the arrival of King Ahaz from Damascus.”
[16:12] 412 tn Heb “and the king.”
[16:12] 413 tn Heb “the altar.”
[16:12] 414 tn Or “ascended it.”
[16:14] 415 tn The word “new” is added in the translation for clarification.
[16:15] 416 tn That is, the newly constructed altar.
[16:15] 417 tn Heb “for me to seek.” The precise meaning of בָּקַר (baqar), “seek,” is uncertain in this context. For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 189.
[16:16] 418 tn Heb “according to all which.”
[16:17] 419 sn See the note at 1 Kgs 7:23.
[16:17] 420 tn Heb “that [were] under it.”
[16:18] 421 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term מוּסַךְ (musakh; Qere) / מִיסַךְ (misakh; Kethib) is uncertain. For discussion see HALOT 557 s.v. מוּסַךְ and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 189-90.
[16:18] 422 tn Heb “that they built.”
[16:18] 423 sn It is doubtful that Tiglath-pileser ordered these architectural changes. Ahaz probably made these changes so he could send some of the items and materials to the Assyrian king as tribute. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 190, 193.
[16:19] 424 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Ahaz, and that which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[16:20] 425 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[17:1] 426 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[17:2] 427 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[17:3] 428 tn Heb “went up against.”
[17:4] 429 tn Heb “and the king of Assyria found in Hoshea conspiracy.”
[17:4] 430 sn For discussion of this name, see HALOT 744 s.v. סוֹא and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 196.
[17:4] 431 tn Heb “and bound him in the house of confinement.”
