Antiquities of the Jews - Book 9

BOOK IX

Containing the Interval of One Hundred and Fifty-Seven Years

From the Death of Ahab to the Captivity of the Ten Tribes

CHAPTER 1

Concerning Jehoshaphat Again; How He Appointed Judges and, with God's Help, Defeated His Enemies

When Jehoshaphat returned to Jerusalem after helping Ahab, king of Israel, fight Benhadad, king of Syria, the prophet Jehu met him. Jehu rebuked him for aiding Ahab, a wicked and ungodly man, and told him that God was displeased with him. Yet God had delivered Jehoshaphat from the enemy, despite his sin, because of his own good character.

The king then gave thanks to God and offered sacrifices. Soon afterward, he traveled throughout the country under his rule, teaching the people both the laws God had given them through Moses and the worship due to Him. He appointed judges in every city of his kingdom and charged them to do justice above all else. They were not to accept bribes or favor men because of their wealth or high birth, but were to judge everyone fairly, knowing that God sees every hidden act.

After teaching the judges and visiting every city in the two tribes, Jehoshaphat returned to Jerusalem. There, he appointed judges from among the priests, the Levites, and the leading men of the people. He urged them to give every judgment with care and fairness. If anyone in the land had a serious dispute, the matter was to be brought from the other cities to these judges, who were bound to decide it justly. They had to take special care because judgments given in the city where God's temple stood, and where the king lived, required the greatest fairness. Jehoshaphat placed Amariah the priest and Zebadiah of the tribe of Judah over them. This is how the king arranged the matter.

Around that time, the Moabites and Ammonites marched against Jehoshaphat with a large force of Arabians. They camped at Engedi, a city beside Lake Asphaltiris, about three hundred furlongs from Jerusalem. The finest palm trees and opobalsamum grew there.

When Jehoshaphat heard that the enemy had crossed the lake and invaded his kingdom, he was frightened. He called the people of Jerusalem together at the temple. Standing before the temple, he called on God to give him strength and punish those who had marched against them. Those who built the temple had prayed that God would protect the city and take vengeance on anyone who dared attack it. "They have come to take from us the land You gave us as our possession," he said.

After praying, Jehoshaphat wept, and the whole crowd, along with their wives and children, joined in prayer. Then a prophet named Jahaziel came forward and called out to the people and the king. He said that God had heard their prayers and promised to fight their enemies. He ordered the king to lead his army out the next day, for the enemy would be between Jerusalem and the ascent of Engedi, at a place called The Eminence. The king was not to fight, but only to stand and see how God would defeat them.

When the prophet had spoken, the king and the people fell facedown, gave thanks to God, and worshiped Him. The Levites sang hymns to God with their musical instruments.

At daybreak, the king came to the wilderness below the city of Tekoa. He told the people to trust what the prophet had said and not to prepare for battle. Instead, they were to place the priests with their trumpets and the Levites with the singers, so they could give thanks to God, who had already delivered their land from its enemies.

The people approved of the king's words and did as he advised. Then God caused terror and confusion among the Ammonites. They mistook one another for enemies and began killing each other. Not one man from that great army escaped. When Jehoshaphat looked down into the valley where the enemy had camped and saw it covered with dead bodies, he rejoiced at the astonishing help God had given them. God had won the victory without their having to fight.

The king gave his army permission to take the enemy's goods and strip the dead. They did so for three days, until they were exhausted, because the number of dead was so great. On the fourth day, all the people gathered in a hollow place, or valley, and praised God for His power and help. The place was therefore named the Valley of Berachah, or Blessing.

The king brought his army back to Jerusalem, where he held festivals and offered sacrifices for many days. When the foreign nations heard that their enemies had been destroyed, they were terrified, believing that God would openly fight for Jehoshaphat from then on. Because of his righteousness and devotion to God, Jehoshaphat lived in great honor and splendor.

He was also on friendly terms with Ahab's son, who ruled Israel. Jehoshaphat joined him in building ships to sail to Pontus and the trading cities of Thrace, but he gained nothing from the venture. The ships were destroyed because they were too large and unwieldy, so he abandoned his interest in shipping. This is the history of Jehoshaphat, king of Jerusalem.

CHAPTER 2

Concerning Ahaziah, King of Israel, and the Prophet Elijah

Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, became king of Israel and lived in Samaria. He was wicked, just like both his parents and Jeroboam, who was the first to sin and lead the people astray. In the second year of Ahaziah's reign, the king of Moab rebelled and stopped paying the tribute he had paid to Ahab.

One day, Ahaziah fell from the roof of his house and was badly injured. While ill, he sent messengers to Beelzebub, the god of Ekron, whose name means "the Fly," to ask whether he would recover. But the God of the Hebrews appeared to the prophet Elijah and told him to meet the messengers. Elijah was to ask them whether Israel had no God of its own, since its king had sent to a foreign god to learn whether he would recover. He was also to tell them to return to the king and say that he would not survive his illness.

Elijah did as God commanded. When the messengers heard his words, they returned to the king at once. Ahaziah wondered why they had come back so soon and asked what had happened. They told him that a man had met them and ordered them to turn back and report that, by the command of the God of Israel, the king's illness would end in death.

The king asked them to describe the man. They replied that he was hairy and wore a leather belt. Ahaziah knew from their description that the man was Elijah. He sent a captain with fifty soldiers to bring the prophet to him. The captain found Elijah sitting on a hill and ordered him to come down and go to the king. He added that if Elijah refused, they would take him by force.

Elijah answered, "You will learn whether I am a true prophet. I will pray for fire to fall from heaven and destroy you and your soldiers." He prayed, and a whirlwind of fire fell from heaven and killed the captain and his men.

When the king heard that they had been destroyed, he grew angry and sent another captain with fifty armed soldiers. This captain also threatened Elijah, saying that if he did not come down willingly, he would be taken by force. Elijah prayed against them, and fire from heaven killed the second captain and his men as well.

After learning what had happened, the king sent a third captain. This man was wise and gentle. When he came to Elijah, he spoke respectfully and explained that he had come only because the king had ordered him to do so. The men sent before him had also come unwillingly, he said. He asked Elijah to spare him and his soldiers and to come down with them to the king. Elijah accepted the captain's respectful words and came down to go with him.

When Elijah reached the king, he delivered God's message: "You have treated God as though he were no god and could not tell you the truth about your illness. Instead, you sent to the god of Ekron to ask what would happen to you. Know that you will die."

The king died soon afterward, just as Elijah had foretold. Since Ahaziah had no children, his brother Jehoram took the throne. Jehoram was as wicked as his father Ahab and ruled for twelve years. He gave himself over to every kind of wickedness and showed no reverence for God. He abandoned the worship of God and served foreign gods, though he was an active man in other ways.

It was during Jehoram's time that Elijah disappeared from among men. To this day, no one knows how he died. As we have said before, he left his disciple Elisha behind. The sacred books say that Elijah and Enoch, who lived before the Flood, disappeared, but they do not say that anyone knew of their deaths.

CHAPTER 3

How Joram and Jehoshaphat Went to War Against the Moabites, the Wonders of Elisha, and the Death of Jehoshaphat

After Joram took the throne, he decided to make war on Mesha, king of Moab. As we said before, Mesha had rebelled against Joram's brother Ahaziah. Before that, he had paid Joram's father, Ahab, a tribute of two hundred thousand sheep, along with their wool.

Joram gathered his army and sent word to Jehoshaphat, asking him to join the campaign. Jehoshaphat had been an ally of Joram's father, and he agreed to help. He also promised to make the king of Edom, who was subject to him, join the expedition.

With Jehoshaphat's support assured, Joram brought his army to Jerusalem. After Jehoshaphat had received him with honor, they agreed to march against Moab through the wilderness of Edom. They traveled for seven days, but their guides led them off course. Soon there was no water for the army or its animals, and everyone was in distress. Joram was especially troubled. He cried out to God, asking what wrong they had done to deserve being handed over to the king of Moab without a battle.

Jehoshaphat, who was a righteous man, encouraged him. He suggested that they find out whether a prophet of God had come with the army, so they could learn what to do. One of Joram's servants said that Elisha, son of Shaphat and a disciple of Elijah, was there. At Jehoshaphat's urging, the three kings went to Elisha, whose tent stood outside the camp. They asked him what would happen to the army, and Joram pressed him for an answer.

Elisha told Joram not to ask him, but to go to his father's and mother's prophets, whom he trusted. Still, Joram begged him to prophesy and save them. Elisha swore by God that he would not answer Joram except out of respect for Jehoshaphat, a holy and righteous man. At Elisha's request, they brought in a musician to play the harp. As the music sounded, the spirit of God came upon Elisha, and he told them to dig many trenches in the valley.

"Though you see no clouds, wind, or rain," he said, "this river will fill with water, and you, your army, and your animals will have enough to drink. God will also give you victory over your enemies. You will capture the strongest cities in Moab, cut down its best trees, ruin its land, and block its springs and rivers."

The next day, before sunrise, a great torrent rushed through the valley. God had sent heavy rain three days' journey away in Edom, and the army and animals found plenty of water to drink.

When the Moabites heard that the three kings were marching against them through the wilderness, Mesha quickly gathered his army and ordered them to camp in the mountains. That way, they could watch for the enemy as they approached their land. At sunrise, the Moabites saw the water in the torrent. Since it was close to Moab, and the sun made it look red, they mistook it for blood. They thought the three kings had fought among themselves and that the river was running with their blood.

Believing the enemy had been destroyed, the Moabites asked their king to let them plunder the camp. They hurried forward, expecting an easy victory. But when they reached the camp, the enemy was ready for them. Some Moabites were killed, and the rest scattered and fled back to their own country.

The kings entered Moab and attacked its cities. They ruined the fields by covering them with stones from the streams, cut down the best trees, blocked the springs, and tore down the city walls to their foundations. As the kings pursued Mesha, he took refuge in a besieged city. When he saw that it was about to fall, he made a desperate attempt to escape. With seven hundred horsemen, he charged toward the part of the enemy camp that seemed least guarded. But it was closely watched, and he could not break through, so he returned to the city.

In despair, Mesha took his eldest son, who was to succeed him, and offered him as a burnt offering on the city wall, where the enemy could see. When the kings saw this, they pitied the suffering that had driven him to such an act. Their compassion moved them to lift the siege, and each returned to his own land.

Jehoshaphat went back to Jerusalem and lived there in peace. He died not long after the expedition. He was sixty years old and had reigned for twenty-five years. He was buried with great honor in Jerusalem, for he had followed the example of David.

CHAPTER 4

Jehoram Succeeds Jehoshaphat; How Joram, His Namesake and King of Israel, Fought the Syrians; and the Wonders Performed by the Prophet Elisha

Jehoshaphat had several sons, but he appointed his eldest, Jehoram, to succeed him. Jehoram bore the same name as his uncle, the king of Israel and son of Ahab. When the king of Israel returned from Moab to Samaria, the prophet Elisha was with him. I will now relate Elisha's deeds in detail, for they were remarkable and worthy of record, as the sacred books tell us.

They say that the widow of Obadiah, Ahab's steward, came to Elisha and reminded him that he knew how her husband had saved the prophets whom Jezebel, Ahab's wife, had ordered killed. She said Obadiah had hidden a hundred of them and borrowed money to provide for their needs. After her husband's death, his creditors had taken her and her children away to make them slaves. She asked Elisha to show mercy because of her husband's good deeds and to give her some help.

When he asked what she had in the house, she replied, "Nothing but a little oil in a jar." The prophet told her to go and borrow as many empty vessels as she could from her neighbors. Then she was to shut the door of her room and pour the oil into all of them, for God would fill them. The woman did as she was told. She asked her children to bring the vessels one by one, and every vessel was filled. When not one remained empty, she went back to the prophet and told him what had happened. He advised her to sell the oil and pay her debts. There would be enough left over from the sale to support her children. In this way, Elisha paid the woman's debts and freed her from her creditors.

Elisha also sent Joram an urgent message, warning him to guard a certain place, where Syrians were lying in wait to kill him. The king followed the prophet's advice and avoided going there to hunt.

When Benhadad's ambush failed, he grew angry with his servants, accusing them of revealing his plans to Joram. He summoned them and said they had betrayed his secret counsel. Since he had told no one but them about the plot, he threatened to put them to death for letting the enemy learn of it. One of those present told him not to suspect his servants. They had not revealed the plan to kill Joram, he said. Rather, the prophet Elisha had uncovered it and made all the king's plans known.

Benhadad ordered his men to find out which city Elisha lived in. They reported that he was in Dothan, so Benhadad sent a large force with horses and chariots to capture him. During the night, the Syrians surrounded the city and trapped Elisha inside.

In the morning, the prophet's servant saw that the enemy had come to seize Elisha. He ran to him in alarm and told him what had happened. Elisha urged him not to be afraid or to dread the enemy, but to trust in God's help. The prophet himself remained calm. He prayed that God would let his servant see enough of His power and presence to give him hope and courage.

God heard Elisha's prayer. The servant saw a multitude of horses and chariots surrounding the prophet, and his fear left him. At the sight of what he believed had come to their aid, his courage returned.

Elisha then prayed that God would cloud the enemy's sight and confuse them, so they could not recognize him. When this happened, he went among the Syrians and asked whom they had come to find. They answered, "The prophet Elisha." He told them he would lead them to him if they followed him to the city where he was. God had so confused their sight and minds that they followed Elisha without question.

When he brought them to Samaria, Elisha told King Joram to shut the gates and station his army around them. Then he prayed that God would clear the Syrians' sight and remove the cloud before their eyes. When the men could see again, they found themselves surrounded by their enemies.

The Syrians were astonished and distressed by this divine and unexpected turn of events. King Joram asked Elisha whether he should shoot them, but the prophet forbade him. "It is right to kill those captured in battle," he said, "but these men have done no harm to our country. They came here without knowing where they were being led by God's power." Elisha advised the king to serve them a generous meal and then send them home unharmed.

Joram followed the prophet's advice. He gave the Syrians a splendid feast, then sent them back to their king, Benhadad.

When the Syrians returned and told Benhadad what had happened, he was amazed by the strange events and by the power of the God of Israel, which they had witnessed. He was also astonished that God was so clearly with Elisha. Afraid of the prophet, he decided to stop making secret attempts on the king of Israel. Instead, he planned to wage open war, believing that his large army would make him stronger than his enemies.

Benhadad marched against Joram, who knew he could not match him in battle. The king shut himself inside Samaria and trusted in the city's strong walls. Benhadad believed he could take the city with siege engines or, failing that, starve its people into surrender. He brought his army against Samaria and laid siege to it.

The people of Samaria soon ran short of food. Hunger grew so severe that an ass's head sold for eighty pieces of silver, while the Hebrews paid five pieces of silver for a measure of dove's dung to use in place of salt.

Joram feared that someone might betray the city to the enemy because of the famine. Every day he went around the walls and inspected the guards, watching for anyone who might be planning to do so. His close attention left them no chance to carry out such a plot.

One day, a woman cried out to him, "Have pity on me, my lord!" Thinking she was asking for food, Joram called down a curse on himself, saying he had neither a threshing floor nor a winepress from which he could give her anything. But she said she was not asking for food or any other help. She wanted him to settle a dispute between her and another woman.

Joram told her to explain what she wanted. She said that she and her neighbor, who was also her friend, had agreed that, because the famine was unbearable, they would kill their sons and eat them. Each had a son, and they would eat one boy on the first day and the other on the next. "I killed my son," she said, "and yesterday we ate him. But this woman has refused to do the same. She has hidden her son."

When Joram heard this, he was overcome with grief. He tore his clothes and cried aloud. Then he grew furious with the prophet Elisha, because he had not prayed to God to find them a way out of their suffering. Joram ordered a messenger to go at once and kill him.

But Elisha knew the king was angry. He was sitting in his house with his disciples when he told them that Joram, the son of a murderer, had sent someone to take his life. "When the man arrives," he said, "do not let him in. Hold the door shut against him, for the king himself will follow and come to me after he has changed his mind."

The disciples did as Elisha instructed when the king's messenger arrived. Joram regretted his anger and hurried after him, hoping to stop the killing before the messenger could carry it out. When he reached Elisha, he accused the prophet of failing to pray for their deliverance while they suffered so terribly.

Elisha promised that by the same hour the next day, there would be plenty of food. Two seahs of barley would sell for one shekel, and a seah of fine flour would sell for one shekel. Joram and those with him were glad to hear this. They believed the prophet because his earlier predictions had come true. The promise of food made the suffering of that day seem easier to bear.

But the captain of the third band, a friend of the king and the man on whose arm the king leaned, said, "You speak of impossible things, prophet! God could no more pour down torrents of barley and fine flour from heaven than what you say could come to pass."

The prophet replied, "You will see it happen, but you will not share in it."

What Elisha had foretold came to pass in this way. A law in Samaria required people with leprosy, whose bodies had not been cleansed of it, to live outside the city. Four men with leprosy were staying by the gates, and no one gave them food because the famine was so severe.

The law kept them from entering the city. They knew they would starve if they remained where they were, but they would face the same fate if they stayed outside. So they decided to give themselves up to the enemy. If the Syrians spared them, they would live. If the Syrians killed them, they would at least die quickly.

After agreeing on this plan, they went to the Syrian camp by night. By then, God had begun to frighten and confuse the Syrians. They heard the sound of chariots and armor, as though an army were advancing against them. The noise seemed to draw nearer and nearer. Terrified, the Syrians fled to Benhadad and told him that Joram had hired the kings of Egypt and the Islands to fight alongside Israel and had sent them against the Syrian army. They said they could hear the forces approaching.

Benhadad believed them, for he too heard the same noise. The camp fell into confusion. The Syrians abandoned their horses, animals, and great riches, then fled.

The four men with leprosy arrived at the enemy camp and found it silent and deserted. They entered a tent. Seeing no one there, they ate and drank, then carried off clothes and a large amount of gold, which they hid outside the camp. They did the same in another tent, taking everything they found. They repeated this several times without anyone stopping them.

At last, they realized the enemy had left. They reproached themselves for not telling Joram and the people of Samaria. So they went to the city walls, called to the watchmen, and told them what they had found. The watchmen told the king's guards, who then informed Joram.

The king summoned his friends and army captains. He said he suspected the Syrian king had retreated as part of a trap. The Syrians might have hoped that, after the people of Samaria believed them gone, they would leave the city to plunder the camp. Then the Syrians could attack by surprise, kill them, and take the city without a fight. Joram urged his men to guard the city carefully and not leave or treat the enemy's departure as certain.

One man agreed that the king was wise to be cautious, but advised him to send two horsemen to search the road as far as the Jordan. If the enemy had set an ambush, the horsemen could be lost without putting the rest of the army at risk. Their deaths would make little difference, he said, since they might otherwise have died of hunger.

The king approved the plan and sent men to find out the truth. They followed a road free of enemies, but found it strewn with food and weapons that the Syrians had thrown away to flee more quickly.

When the king heard their report, he sent the people out to take the spoils from the camp. The gains were great. They gathered large amounts of gold and silver, along with herds of every kind of animal. They also took ten thousand measures of wheat and barley, far more than anyone had imagined. The people were freed from their suffering and found such abundance that two seahs of barley sold for one shekel, and a seah of fine flour sold for one shekel, just as Elisha had predicted. A seah is equal to one and a half Italian modii.

The captain of the third band was the only one who gained nothing from the abundance. The king had put him in charge of the gate to keep the crowd from crushing one another as they rushed out. But the crowd trampled him to death, just as Elisha had foretold. He alone had refused to believe the prophet's promise that food would soon be plentiful.

Benhadad, king of Syria, escaped to Damascus. When he learned that God Himself had thrown his army into fear and confusion, and that no enemy force had attacked them, he was deeply troubled that God had become his enemy. He fell ill.

At that time, Elisha had gone from his own country to Damascus. When Benhadad heard he was there, he sent Hazael, his most trusted servant, to meet him. The king ordered Hazael to take gifts and ask the prophet about his illness, and whether he would recover.

Hazael came to Elisha with forty camels carrying the finest and most valuable fruits of Damascus, along with goods from the royal palace. He greeted the prophet warmly and told him that King Benhadad had sent him with gifts to ask whether the king would recover from his illness.

Elisha told him to give the king no cause for sorrow, yet he said that Benhadad would die. Hazael was troubled by the answer. Elisha also wept, and his tears fell freely as he foresaw the suffering his people would endure after Benhadad's death.

When Hazael asked why he was weeping, Elisha said, "I weep because I pity the Israelites and the terrible suffering you will bring on them. You will kill their strongest men, burn their strongest cities, destroy their children and dash them against the stones, and rip open their pregnant women."

Hazael asked, "How could I have the power to do such things?"

Elisha replied that God had revealed to him that Hazael would become king of Syria.

When Hazael returned to Benhadad, he told him the good news that he would recover. But the next day, Hazael took a wet cloth, spread it over the king's face, and smothered him. Then he took the kingdom.

Hazael was an able man, and the Syrians and people of Damascus held him in high regard. To this day, they honor both Benhadad and Hazael as gods because of the good they did for them and the temples they built to adorn Damascus. The people still worship these kings each day with great ceremony and take pride in their ancient history. Yet they do not know that the kings lived far later than they suppose, and that they are not yet eleven hundred years old.

When Joram, king of Israel, heard that Benhadad was dead, he no longer feared him and was glad to live in peace.

CHAPTER 5

The Wickedness, Defeat, and Death of Jehoram, King of Jerusalem

Jehoram, king of Jerusalem, had the same name as the king of Israel, as we have already said. As soon as he took the throne, he put his brothers to death, along with his father's friends, who had served as officials under him. This was the first clear sign of his wickedness. He was no better than the kings of Israel who had first broken the laws of their people and of the Hebrews, and turned away from the worship of God.

His wife Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab, taught him to do evil in other ways and to worship foreign gods. God did not destroy his family completely, because of the promise he had made to David. Still, Jehoram introduced new customs that spread irreligion and undermined the laws of his own country.

Around this time, the Edomites rebelled against him. They killed the king who had been subject to Jehoram's father and chose a king of their own. Jehoram attacked Edom at night with his horsemen and chariots. He killed those who were near his own kingdom but did not advance any farther. The campaign brought him no success. The Edomites broke away from him, as did the people of Libnah. Jehoram was so reckless that he forced his people to worship foreign gods at the mountain shrines.

While Jehoram was doing these things and had cast the laws of his own country out of his mind, he received a letter from the prophet Elijah. The letter declared that God would bring great judgments upon him because he had not followed the example of his fathers. Instead, he had followed the evil ways of the kings of Israel. He had forced the tribe of Judah and the people of Jerusalem to abandon the worship of their God and serve idols, just as Ahab had forced the Israelites to do. He had also killed his brothers and other good and righteous men.

The prophet told him what punishment would follow these crimes. His people would be destroyed, and his wives and children would be carried off. He himself would suffer a long and painful disease in his bowels. The sickness would grow so severe that his bowels would fall out. Though he would witness his own suffering, he would be powerless to help himself and would die in agony. This was the punishment Elijah declared in his letter.

Not long afterward, an army of Arabians who lived near Ethiopia, together with the Philistines, attacked Jehoram's kingdom and plundered the land and the king's house. They killed his sons and wives. Only one son, Ahaziah, escaped. After this disaster, Jehoram was struck by the disease the prophet had foretold. It lasted a long time, for God afflicted his bowels in anger against him. At last he died in misery, and his bowels fell out.

The people dishonored his dead body. I suppose they believed that his death had come upon him through God's anger and that he did not deserve a royal burial. They did not bury him in the tombs of his fathers or give him any honors. Instead, they buried him like an ordinary man. He was forty years old and had reigned for eight years. The people of Jerusalem then gave the throne to his son Ahaziah.

CHAPTER 6

How Jehu Was Anointed King and Slew Joram and Ahaziah, and How He Punished the Wicked

After Benhadad's death, Joram, king of Israel, hoped to take Ramoth in Gilead from the Syrians. He marched against it with a large army. As he besieged the city, a Syrian archer shot him with an arrow, but the wound was not fatal. Joram returned to Jezreel to have it treated, leaving his army at Ramoth under the command of Jehu, son of Nimshi. Jehu had already taken the city by force. Once his wound healed, Joram intended to make war on the Syrians.

But the prophet Elisha sent one of his disciples to Ramoth with holy oil. He told the young man to anoint Jehu and declare that God had chosen him to be king. Elisha also gave him other instructions and told him to leave quickly, as though fleeing, so no one would learn what he had done.

When the young man reached the city, he found Jehu sitting among the army's captains, just as Elisha had foretold. He went to Jehu and said he had a message for him. Jehu rose and followed him into an inner room. There the young man poured oil over his head and said that God had appointed him king so he could destroy Ahab's house and avenge the blood of the prophets whom Jezebel had unjustly put to death. Ahab's family, he said, would perish completely, as the families of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha had perished for their wickedness. No descendant of Ahab would remain.

When he had finished speaking, the young man hurried out of the room and took care not to be seen by anyone in the army.

Jehu returned to the captains, who asked where the young man had come from and what he had wanted. They remarked that he seemed mad. Jehu answered, "You have guessed correctly. He spoke like a madman."

But the captains pressed him to explain what had happened. Jehu told them that God had chosen him to rule over Israel. At once, each man took off his cloak and spread it beneath Jehu. They blew their trumpets and proclaimed him king.

Jehu gathered the army and prepared to march at once against Joram, who was in Jezreel recovering from his wound. Ahaziah, king of Jerusalem, had also come to visit Joram. He was Joram's nephew, as we have already said, and had come because of their family ties to see how he was faring.

Jehu meant to take Joram and his companions by surprise. He asked the soldiers not to run ahead and report what had happened to Joram. Their silence, he said, would prove their loyalty to him and show that they truly wanted him as king.

The soldiers agreed. They guarded the roads so no one could secretly carry word to those in Jezreel. Jehu chose his finest horsemen, climbed into his chariot, and set out for the city.

As he drew near, the watchman Joram had stationed there saw a company of horsemen approaching and told the king. Joram ordered one of his riders to go meet them and find out who was coming. When the rider reached Jehu, he asked whether all was well with the army, since the king wanted to know. Jehu told him not to concern himself with such matters, but to follow him. The watchman saw the rider join Jehu's company and reported it to Joram.

The king sent a second messenger, and Jehu gave him the same command. When the watchman reported that this rider, too, had joined the group, Joram climbed into his chariot. Ahaziah, king of Jerusalem, rode with him. He had come to visit his wounded relative, as we said earlier.

Joram went out to meet Jehu, who was advancing slowly and in good order. They met in Naboth's field. Joram asked whether all was well in the camp, but Jehu answered with harsh reproaches. He even called Joram's mother a witch and a prostitute.

Joram feared what Jehu intended and suspected treachery. He quickly turned his chariot around and said to Ahaziah, "We have been betrayed."

Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram through the heart. Joram fell at once and died. Jehu ordered Bidkar, captain of one division of his army, to throw Joram's body into Naboth's field. He reminded Bidkar of the prophecy Elijah had spoken to Ahab, Joram's father, after Ahab had killed Naboth. Elijah had foretold that Ahab and his family would perish in that very place. Jehu and Bidkar had been riding behind Ahab's chariot when they heard the prophet speak, and now the prophecy had come to pass.

When Joram fell, Ahaziah feared for his own life. He turned his chariot onto another road, hoping Jehu would not see him. But Jehu pursued him and caught up with him on a slope. Jehu shot and wounded him. Ahaziah left his chariot, mounted a horse, and fled to Megiddo. Though he received treatment, he died of his wound soon afterward. His body was carried to Jerusalem and buried there. He had reigned for one year and had been wicked, even worse than his father.

When Jehu reached Jezreel, Jezebel dressed herself and stood at a tower window. She called down to him, asking whether he had come in peace, though he had killed his master.

Jehu looked up and asked who was on his side. Then he ordered her to be thrown down. At his command, the eunuchs cast her from the tower. Her blood spattered the wall, and horses trampled her. So she died.

Afterward, Jehu entered the palace with his companions and ate after his journey. He then told his servants to take Jezebel's body and bury it, since she came from royal blood. But when they went to bury her, they found only the remains of her body. Dogs had eaten the rest.

When Jehu heard what had happened, he was struck by the fulfillment of Elijah's prophecy. The prophet had foretold that Jezebel would meet this end at Jezreel.

Ahab had seventy sons living in Samaria. Jehu sent two letters, one to the men raising Ahab's sons and the other to the rulers of Samaria. He challenged them to choose the bravest of Ahab's sons and make him king. They had chariots, horses, weapons, a large army, and fortified cities, he wrote. They could avenge Ahab's death if they chose to do so.

Jehu sent the letters to test the people of Samaria. When the rulers and the men who raised the sons read them, they were afraid. They knew they could not oppose Jehu, who had already defeated two powerful kings. They replied that they accepted him as their lord and would do whatever he commanded.

Jehu sent them another letter, ordering them to obey him and cut off the heads of Ahab's sons. They were to send the heads to him. The rulers summoned the men who had raised the princes and ordered them to kill the young men, cut off their heads, and send them to Jehu. They carried out every part of the command, placed the heads in baskets, and sent them to Jezreel.

Jehu was eating with his companions when he heard that the heads had arrived. He ordered that they be piled in two heaps before the city gates, one heap at each gate. In the morning, he went out to look at them. Then he told the people gathered there that he himself had risen against his master, Joram, and killed him, but he had not killed all these men. They should understand, he said, that everything concerning Ahab's family had happened as God had foretold. Ahab's house had perished, just as Elijah had predicted.

Jehu then killed every remaining relative of Ahab whom he found in Jezreel. On his way to Samaria, he met the relatives of Ahaziah, king of Jerusalem. He asked where they were going. They answered that they had come to visit Joram and their own king, Ahaziah, not knowing that Jehu had killed them both. Jehu ordered his men to seize and kill them. There were forty-two of them.

After this, Jehu met a good and righteous man named Jehonadab, an old friend of his. Jehonadab greeted him and praised him for carrying out God's will by destroying Ahab's house.

Jehu invited him into his chariot and asked him to enter Samaria with him. He said he would spare no wicked person. He planned to punish the false prophets and priests who misled the people and turned them away from worshiping Almighty God to worship foreign gods. Jehu told him that a good and righteous man would be pleased to see the wicked punished.

Jehonadab accepted his invitation and rode with Jehu to Samaria. There Jehu searched for every member of Ahab's family and put them to death.

Jehu also wanted to make sure none of the false prophets or priests who served Ahab's god escaped punishment. He devised a plan to gather them together. He assembled the people and announced that he would worship Baal even more than Ahab had. He ordered Baal's priests, prophets, and servants to attend, since he planned to offer great and costly sacrifices to the god. Any priest who failed to appear, he warned, would be put to death.

Ahab's god was called Baal. When Jehu had chosen a day for the sacrifices, he sent messengers throughout Israel to summon Baal's priests. Jehu ordered that each priest be given a special garment. Once they had received their garments, Jehu entered Baal's temple with Jehonadab. He ordered a search to make sure no one of another faith was among them, since he did not want anyone outside their religion taking part in the sacred rites.

They reported that no outsider was present, and the sacrifices began. Meanwhile, Jehu stationed eighty of his most trusted soldiers outside. He ordered them to kill the prophets and avenge the laws of their country, which had long been neglected. He warned them that if even one man escaped, they would pay for it with their own lives.

The soldiers killed them all with the sword. They burned Baal's temple and cleared Samaria of this idolatrous worship.

Baal was the god of the Tyrians. Ahab had built a temple to him in Samaria to please his father-in-law, Ethbaal, king of Tyre and Sidon. Ahab appointed priests and prophets for Baal and worshiped him in every way. Yet after Jehu destroyed Baal's worship, he allowed the Israelites to continue worshiping the golden calves.

Because Jehu had acted in this way and punished the wicked, God foretold through his prophet that Jehu's sons would rule Israel for four generations. Such was Jehu's position at that time.

CHAPTER 7

How Athaliah Ruled Jerusalem for Five [Six] Years, Until Jehoiada the High Priest Killed Her and Made Jehoash, Ahaziah's Son, King

When Athaliah, Ahab's daughter, heard that her brother Joram, her son Ahaziah, and the royal family had died, she tried to destroy every member of the house of David. She wanted no one left who could later become king. She believed she had succeeded, but one of Ahaziah's sons survived.

Ahaziah had a sister by the same father, named Jehosheba, who was married to Jehoiada the high priest. She went into the king's palace and found Jehoash, the child's name, among those who had been killed. He was not yet a year old and had been hidden with his nurse. Jehosheba took him to a private room and kept him there. She and her husband raised him in secret in the temple for six years. During that time, Athaliah ruled Jerusalem and the two tribes.

In the seventh year, Jehoiada spoke with five captains of hundreds. He persuaded them to help him act against Athaliah and restore the kingdom to the child. He secured their oaths, so they would not fear that their plans would be discovered, and he became hopeful that they could depose Athaliah.

The men Jehoiada had chosen as his partners went throughout the country and gathered the priests, the Levites, and the tribal leaders. They brought them to Jerusalem to meet with the high priest. Jehoiada required them to swear that they would keep secret whatever he revealed and would give him their help. Once they had taken the oath, he brought out the child he had raised, who belonged to the house of David, and said:

"This is your king, from the house that God promised would rule over you for all time. I ask that one-third of you guard him in the temple, one-fourth watch at each of the temple gates, and another group guard the gate that leads to the king's palace. Let the rest of the people remain unarmed in the temple. No armed person may enter, except the priests."

He also ordered some of the priests and Levites to stay close to the king and protect him with drawn swords. They were to kill anyone who dared enter the temple armed. "Fear no one," he told them. "Keep guarding the king."

The men followed the high priest's instructions and showed through their actions that they were resolved to carry them out. Jehoiada opened the armory David had made in the temple and gave the captains, priests, and Levites all the spears, quivers, and other weapons it contained. He stationed them in a circle around the temple, close enough to touch hands, so no one who was not permitted could enter. They brought the child into their midst, placed the royal crown on his head, and Jehoiada anointed him with oil and made him king. The people rejoiced, shouting, "Long live the king!"

When Athaliah suddenly heard the shouting and celebration, she was greatly alarmed. She hurried out of the royal palace with her guards and went to the temple. The priests received her, but the men stationed around the temple, as the high priest had ordered, stopped her armed followers from entering.

When Athaliah saw the child standing on a pillar with the royal crown on his head, she tore her clothes and cried out. She ordered her guards to kill the one who had plotted against her and tried to take her rule away. Jehoiada called for the captains of hundreds and ordered them to take Athaliah to the Kidron Valley and kill her there. He did not want the temple defiled by the punishment of this wicked woman. He also ordered that anyone who came to her aid be killed. Those assigned to seize her took her to the gate used by the king's mules and killed her there.

Once Athaliah had been dealt with, Jehoiada gathered the people and the armed men in the temple. He made them swear to obey the king and protect both him and his rule. He also required the king to swear that he would worship God and obey the laws of Moses.

Then the people went to the temple of Baal, which Athaliah and her husband Jehoram had built to dishonor the God of their ancestors and honor Ahab. They tore it down and killed Mattan, its priest. Jehoiada placed the priests and Levites in charge of the temple, following the arrangements made by King David. He ordered them to offer the regular burnt offerings twice each day and to burn incense according to the law. He also assigned some of the Levites and gatekeepers to guard the temple, so no one who was unclean could enter.

After Jehoiada had put everything in order, he and the captains of hundreds, the leaders, and all the people led Jehoash from the temple to the king's palace. They seated him on the royal throne, and the people shouted for joy, feasted, and held a festival for many days. After Athaliah's death, the city was at peace.

Jehoash was seven years old when he became king. His mother's name was Zibiah, and she was from Beersheba. As long as Jehoiada lived, Jehoash was careful to keep the laws and was devoted to the worship of God. When he came of age, he married two wives chosen for him by the high priest, and they bore him sons and daughters.

This is enough to tell how Jehoash escaped Athaliah's plot and came to the throne.

CHAPTER 8

Hazael Makes War on Israel and Jerusalem. Jehu Dies, and Jehoahaz Succeeds Him. Jehoash of Jerusalem First Cares for the Worship of God, but Later Turns Wicked and Orders Zechariah Stoned. After Jehoash Dies, Amaziah Becomes King.

Hazael, king of Syria, made war on the Israelites and their king, Jehu. He plundered the lands east of the Jordan that belonged to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh. He also attacked Gilead and Bashan, burning and looting the towns and abusing everyone who fell into his hands.

Jehu did nothing to defend the country in its distress. He had come to despise religion, holiness, and the laws, and made no effort to protect the people. After ruling Israel for twenty-seven years, he died and was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoahaz succeeded him.

Jehoash, king of Jerusalem, wanted to repair the temple of God. He summoned Jehoiada and told him to send the priests and Levites throughout the country to collect half a shekel of silver from every person, to pay for the temple's reconstruction and repair. Jehoram, Athaliah, and her sons had allowed the temple to fall into ruin.

The high priest did not carry out the king's order, because he thought no one would willingly give the money. In the twenty-third year of Jehoash's reign, the king summoned Jehoiada and the Levites and rebuked them for failing to obey. He again ordered them to arrange for the temple's repair.

Jehoiada then devised a plan to collect the money, and the people approved of it. He made a wooden chest, sealed it on every side, and cut a hole in the top. He placed it in the temple beside the altar and invited everyone to put in whatever amount they wished for the repair of the temple.

The people welcomed the plan and competed with one another to give generously. They brought in large amounts of silver and gold. Whenever the chest was full, the royal scribe and the priest responsible for the treasury emptied it and counted the money in the king's presence. They then returned the chest to its place, and the people continued to give each day.

When it seemed that enough money had been collected, Jehoiada and King Jehoash hired masons and carpenters and bought large, high-quality pieces of timber. After the temple had been repaired, they used the considerable amount of gold and silver left over to make bowls, basins, cups, and other vessels. They also made sure that valuable sacrifices were offered on the altar every day. These things were carefully maintained for as long as Jehoiada lived.

Jehoiada died at the age of 130. He had lived righteously and done great good, and they buried him in the tombs of the kings at Jerusalem because he had restored the kingdom to David's family.

After Jehoiada's death, King Jehoash showed how little he cared for God. The leading men of the people also turned corrupt and abandoned their duty and the laws that had been established for their good. God was displeased with the king and the people, so he sent prophets to confront them about their actions and urge them to leave their wicked ways.

But they had become so attached to their sins that neither the punishment suffered by those who had broken the laws, along with their families, nor the warnings spoken by the prophets could make them repent. They would not turn from their wrongdoing and return to their former obedience.

The king ordered Zechariah, son of the high priest Jehoiada, to be stoned to death in the temple. He had forgotten the kindness he had received from Zechariah's father. When God called Zechariah to prophesy, he stood among the people and urged them and the king to act righteously. He warned that they would suffer severe punishment if they refused to listen.

As Zechariah was dying, he called on God to witness what he had suffered for giving good counsel. He had been killed cruelly, despite the good Jehoiada had done for Jehoash.

The king soon suffered for his wrongdoing. Hazael, king of Syria, invaded his country, captured Gath, and plundered it. Then he marched against Jerusalem.

Jehoash was afraid. He emptied the treasuries of God and the kings who had ruled before him, and took the gifts dedicated in the temple. He sent them to the king of Syria and gave him enough wealth to keep Jerusalem from being besieged and his kingdom from facing complete ruin. The size of the payment persuaded Hazael not to bring his army against the city.

Jehoash later fell seriously ill. Some of his own men conspired against him to avenge the death of Zechariah, son of Jehoiada. They set a trap for the king and killed him. He was buried in Jerusalem, but not in the royal tombs of his ancestors, because of his wickedness. He lived forty-seven years, and his son Amaziah succeeded him as king.

In the twenty-first year of Jehoash's reign, Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, became king of Israel in Samaria. He ruled for seventeen years. He did not follow his father's example, but acted as wickedly as those who had first shown contempt for God.

The king of Syria defeated him and greatly weakened his forces. Of his large army, only ten thousand armed men and fifty horsemen remained. The Syrian king also took many of his cities and destroyed his army.

This was the suffering that Elisha had foretold would come upon Israel, when he prophesied that Hazael would kill his master and become king of Syria and Damascus. Faced with these hardships, Jehoahaz prayed and pleaded with God to deliver him from Hazael and not abandon him to his enemy.

God accepted his repentance, though it did not amount to virtue. He wished to warn those who might repent, rather than condemn them to destruction, and so he delivered Jehoahaz from war and danger. The country found peace and returned to its former condition, flourishing as it had before.

After Jehoahaz died, his son Joash became king of Israel in Samaria, in the thirty-seventh year of Jehoash, king of Judah. Joash had the same name as the king of Jerusalem and ruled Israel for sixteen years. He was a good man and unlike his father in character.

At that time, the prophet Elisha was very old and had fallen ill. The king of Israel came to visit him. When he saw that Elisha was near death, he wept and mourned over him. He called Elisha his father and his defense, because Elisha's prophecies had allowed him to defeat his enemies without drawing his weapons. Now the prophet was about to die, leaving him exposed to the Syrians and the other enemies under their power. The king said he could not bear to live and wished to die with Elisha.

Elisha comforted him and told him to take up a bow. When the king had prepared it to shoot, Elisha placed his hands over the king's hands and told him to fire. The king shot three arrows, then stopped. Elisha said, "If you had shot more arrows, you would have destroyed the kingdom of Syria. But because you were content to shoot only three times, you will defeat the Syrians only three times. Then you will recover the land they took from your kingdom during your father's reign."

After hearing this, the king left. A short time later, Elisha died. He was renowned for righteousness and greatly favored by God. He performed extraordinary deeds through prophecy, which the Hebrews remembered and honored. He received a magnificent burial, as befitted a man so beloved by God.

It happened then that some robbers threw the body of a man they had killed into Elisha's tomb. When the dead man's body touched Elisha's, the man came back to life. This account completes what we have related about Elisha the prophet, including the deeds he performed while alive and the divine power that remained with him after death.

After Hazael, king of Syria, died, his son Adad succeeded him. Joash, king of Israel, went to war against Adad and defeated him in three battles. He took back all the territory, cities, and villages that Hazael had captured from Israel. This happened just as Elisha had prophesied.

When Joash died, he was buried in Samaria, and his son Jeroboam succeeded him as king.

CHAPTER 9

How Amaziah Made War Against the Edomites and Amalekites and Defeated Them; How He Was Later Defeated by Joash and Soon Slain, and Uzziah Succeeded Him

In the second year of Joash's reign over Israel, Amaziah became king over Judah and ruled in Jerusalem. His mother, Jehoaddan, was born in Jerusalem. While he was young, he was careful to do what was right. But once he took charge of the kingdom, he decided first to avenge his father, Jehoash, and punish the men who had murdered him. He seized them all and put them to death. He spared their children, however, and followed the law of Moses, which says that children should not be punished for their fathers' sins.

After this, Amaziah gathered an army from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. He chose men in the prime of life, about twenty years old, and assembled three hundred thousand soldiers, placing captains over groups of a hundred. He also hired one hundred thousand Israelite soldiers from the king of Israel for one hundred talents of silver. Amaziah intended to attack the Amalekites, Edomites, and Gebalites.

As he prepared to set out, a prophet advised him to dismiss the Israelite troops. They were wicked men, the prophet said, and God had foretold that Amaziah would be defeated if he took them as allies. Even with only a small army, he would defeat his enemies if God wished it. Amaziah was reluctant to lose the money he had paid, but the prophet urged him to obey God, who would give him great wealth in return. So Amaziah dismissed the Israelite soldiers and told them they could keep their pay. Then he marched out with his own army and made war against the nations he had planned to attack.

Amaziah defeated them in battle, killing ten thousand and capturing another ten thousand alive. He brought the prisoners to a great rock in Arabia and threw them down from its summit. He also carried away a great deal of plunder and wealth. Meanwhile, the Israelite soldiers he had dismissed were angered, believing they had been sent away as an insult. They invaded Amaziah's kingdom and raided the land as far as Beth-horon. They took much livestock and killed three thousand people.

After his victory and great deeds, Amaziah grew proud. He turned away from God, who had given him the victory, and began worshiping the gods he had taken from the Amalekites. A prophet came to him and asked how he could honor gods who had done nothing to help their own people. They had not saved them from Amaziah, but had allowed many of them to be killed and others to be taken captive. Amaziah had carried them to Jerusalem just as he had carried off any of the enemy who had been captured.

The king was angered by the prophet's rebuke. He ordered him to be silent and threatened to punish him if he continued to interfere. The prophet replied that he would be silent, but warned that God would not overlook Amaziah's attempt to introduce foreign worship.

Amaziah could not contain his pride after the success God had granted him, though he had offended God. In his arrogance, he sent a letter to Joash, king of Israel, demanding that Joash and his people submit to him as their ancestors had once submitted to David and Solomon. He warned that if Joash refused, he would have to fight to keep his kingdom.

Joash sent this reply:

"King Joash to King Amaziah: A tall cedar once grew on Mount Lebanon, along with a thistle. The thistle sent word to the cedar, asking him to give his daughter in marriage to the thistle's son. While the thistle was making this request, a wild animal came and trampled it. Take this as a warning. Don't let your victory over the Amalekites make you so proud that you bring danger upon yourself and your kingdom."

When Amaziah read the letter, he became even more determined to go to war. I suppose this happened by God's will, so that Amaziah would be punished for offending him. But when Amaziah led his army against Joash and they were about to fight, terror and confusion fell upon his troops, as God sends when he is displeased. They were scattered before the armies even came to close combat.

As the soldiers fled in panic, Amaziah was left alone and captured by the enemy. Joash threatened to kill him unless he persuaded the people of Jerusalem to open the gates and admit the king and his army. Afraid for his life, Amaziah arranged for the city to receive Joash. Joash then tore down part of the wall, a stretch four hundred cubits long, and drove his chariot through the opening into Jerusalem. He took Amaziah captive, seized the treasures of God's house, and carried off all the gold and silver from the royal palace. He then released Amaziah and returned to Samaria.

These events took place in the fourteenth year of Amaziah's reign. Later, his own associates conspired against him, and he fled to Lachish. The conspirators sent men there to kill him. His body was taken back to Jerusalem, where he was given a royal burial.

This was the end of Amaziah's life. He died because he had introduced foreign worship and shown contempt for God. He lived fifty-four years and reigned for twenty-nine. His son Uzziah succeeded him.

CHAPTER 10

Jeroboam, King of Israel, and Jonah the Prophet; Zachariah's Reign after Jeroboam's Death; Uzziah, King of Jerusalem, Defeats the Nations around Him and Is Punished for Offering Incense to God

In the fifteenth year of Amaziah's reign, Jeroboam, son of Joash, began to rule Israel from Samaria. He reigned for forty years. Jeroboam showed contempt for God, worshipped idols, and committed many foolish and foreign acts. He also brought countless troubles upon the people of Israel.

A prophet named Jonah foretold that Jeroboam would make war against the Syrians, defeat their army, and expand his kingdom's borders. To the north, his territory would reach the city of Hamath; to the south, it would extend to the Lake Asphaltitis. These were the original boundaries of Canaan, as Joshua, their commander, had set them. Jeroboam went to war against the Syrians and conquered their land, just as Jonah had predicted.

Since I have promised to give a careful account of our history, I think I should describe what I have found written about this prophet in the Hebrew books. God commanded Jonah to go to the kingdom of Nineveh and announce to its people that they would lose their rule over the nations. But Jonah was afraid and refused to go. Instead, he fled from God to Joppa. There he found a ship and sailed for Tarsus in Cilicia.

A terrible storm arose, and the ship was in danger of sinking. The sailors, the captain, and even the pilot prayed and made vows, hoping to survive. Jonah, however, lay covered in the ship and did nothing to follow their example. As the waves grew higher and the wind drove the sea into greater fury, the sailors suspected, as people often do in such a situation, that one of them had caused the storm. They agreed to cast lots to find out who was responsible.

The lot fell on Jonah. When they asked where he had come from and what he had done, he told them that he was a Hebrew and a prophet of Almighty God. He urged them to throw him into the sea, saying that the storm had come because of him. At first, they refused. They thought it wicked to cast a stranger, a man who had trusted them with his life, into certain death. But the storm grew worse, and the ship was close to sinking. At last, urged on by Jonah and fearing for their own lives, they threw him into the sea. The sea immediately grew calm.

It is also said that a whale swallowed Jonah. After he had spent three days and nights inside it, the whale cast him out alive onto the Euxine Sea, and his body was unharmed. There he prayed to God and received forgiveness for his sins. He then went to Nineveh, where he proclaimed loudly that in a short time the people would lose their rule over Asia. After delivering his message, he returned. I have given this account of Jonah as it is written in our books.

Jeroboam lived in great prosperity and ruled for forty years. When he died, he was buried in Samaria, and his son Zachariah succeeded him as king.

Uzziah, son of Amaziah, began his reign over the two tribes in Jerusalem in the fourteenth year of Jeroboam's reign. His mother, Jecoliah, was from Jerusalem. Uzziah was a good man, just and generous by nature, and worked hard to manage his kingdom.

He led an expedition against the Philistines, defeated them in battle, captured the cities of Gath and Jabneh, and tore down their walls. After this, he attacked the Arabs who lived near Egypt. He also built a city on the Red Sea and stationed a garrison there. Then he defeated the Ammonites and made them pay tribute. He conquered all the lands as far as the borders of Egypt.

For the rest of his life, Uzziah focused on Jerusalem. He rebuilt and repaired every section of the city wall that had fallen because of age or neglect by earlier kings. He also restored the part the king of Israel had torn down after taking Uzziah's father, Amaziah, prisoner and entering the city with him. Uzziah built many towers, each 150 cubits high. He also fortified towns in the wilderness, placed garrisons in them, and dug many channels to carry water.

He owned many work animals and great herds of cattle, since his land was suitable for grazing. He also took an interest in farming, cultivated the soil, planted many kinds of plants, and sowed a variety of seeds.

Uzziah had an army of 370,000 chosen men, commanded by generals and captains of thousands. These officers were men of courage and great strength, numbering 2,000 in all. He divided the army into units and armed each soldier with a sword, a bronze shield, armor, a bow, and a sling. He also had many weapons of war made for sieges, including machines that hurled stones and darts, grappling devices, and other equipment of the same kind.

While Uzziah was in this position and preparing for the future, pride corrupted his judgment. His great wealth and success made him arrogant. He came to despise the lasting power that comes from honoring God and keeping the laws. His prosperity led him into the sins of his father. The glory of his achievements made him unable to control himself.

On an important day, when a public festival was being held, Uzziah put on the sacred robes and entered the temple to offer incense on the golden altar. Azariah the high priest stood in his way, accompanied by eighty priests. They told the king that he had no right to offer incense, since only descendants of Aaron were allowed to do so. They ordered him to leave the temple and warned him not to sin against God.

Uzziah grew angry and threatened to kill them if they did not stop speaking. At that moment, a great earthquake shook the ground. A crack opened in the temple, and bright sunlight streamed through it onto the king's face. Leprosy broke out on him at once.

Outside the city, at a place called Eroge, half of a mountain broke away on its western side. It rolled four furlongs and came to rest against the mountain to the east, blocking the roads and damaging the king's gardens.

When the priests saw that Uzziah's face had become leprous, they told him what had happened and ordered him to leave the city as an unclean man. The king was overwhelmed by his terrible illness. Knowing he had no right to resist, he did as they commanded. He suffered this dreadful punishment for daring to do what was beyond his authority and for the impiety that lay behind his actions.

Uzziah lived outside the city for a time, apart from public life, while his son Jotham took charge of the kingdom. He died in sorrow and distress over what had happened to him. He was sixty-eight years old and had reigned for fifty-two years. They buried him apart from the others, in his own gardens.

CHAPTER 11

How Zachariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, and Pekah Took Power Over Israel; How Pul and Tiglath-Pileser Invaded the Israelites; How Jotham, the Son of Uzziah, Ruled Judah; and What Nahum Prophesied Against the Assyrians

Zachariah, the son of Jeroboam, had ruled Israel for six months when a man named Shallum, the son of Jabesh and one of his trusted companions, plotted against him and killed him. Shallum took the throne, but he held it for only thirty days. Menahem, the commander of the army, was in Tirzah when he heard what had happened to Zachariah. He set out for Samaria with his forces, fought Shallum, and killed him.

After making himself king, Menahem went to Tiphsah. Its people shut and barred the gates against him, refusing to let him enter. To punish them, he burned the surrounding land, besieged the city, and took it by force. Enraged by their resistance, he killed everyone there, even the infants, and showed no mercy. He treated his own people with a cruelty that would have been harsh even toward foreign enemies he had conquered.

Menahem ruled in this cruel way for ten years. When Pul, king of Assyria, invaded, Menahem chose not to fight him. Instead, he offered Pul a thousand talents of silver in exchange for ending the war and withdrawing. The people raised the money for Menahem by collecting a poll tax of fifty drachmas from each person.

Menahem died and was buried in Samaria. His son Pekahiah succeeded him and followed his father's cruel ways. He ruled for only two years before Pekah, the son of Remaliah and commander of his cavalry, plotted against him. Pekah killed Pekahiah and his companions during a feast.

Pekah ruled for twenty years. He was wicked and broke the law. During his reign, the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser invaded Israel and overran Gilead, the land beyond the Jordan, and the neighboring regions of Galilee, Kadesh, and Hazor. He took the people captive and carried them away to his own kingdom. This is enough to say here about the Assyrian king.

Jotham, the son of Uzziah, ruled the tribe of Judah from Jerusalem. His mother, Jerusha, was a citizen of the city. Jotham lacked no virtue. He honored God, treated people justly, and cared for the city. Wherever repairs or improvements were needed, he saw that they were done well.

He strengthened the foundations of the temple cloisters, repaired the fallen walls, and built large, nearly impregnable towers. He also took care of anything else in his kingdom that had been neglected. Jotham went to war against the Ammonites and defeated them. He required them to pay tribute each year: one hundred talents, ten thousand cori of wheat, and the same amount of barley. His kingdom grew stronger, his enemies could no longer look down on it, and his people lived in peace.

At that time, a prophet named Nahum spoke about the destruction of the Assyrians and Nineveh:

"Nineveh will become a pool of troubled water. Its people will be thrown into confusion and flee, calling to one another, 'Stop! Stop! Take the gold and silver!' But no one will wish them well. They will care more about saving their lives than their money. Terror will seize them, and they will turn against one another. They will cry out, their limbs will tremble, and fear will darken their faces. The den of lions, the place where the young lions are raised, will be laid waste. God says to you, Nineveh, 'They will destroy you, and the lion will no longer go out from your city to rule the world.'"

Nahum prophesied many other things about Nineveh, but I don't think I need to repeat them all here, lest I tire my readers. These events came to pass in Nineveh 115 years later. This is enough to say about them.

CHAPTER 12

How Ahaz Succeeded Jotham; How Rezin, King of Syria, and Pekah, King of Israel, Made War Against Him; and How Tiglath-Pileser, King of Assyria, Came to His Aid, Laid Syria Waste, and Replaced the People of Damascus with Others

Jotham died at the age of forty-one, after reigning for sixteen years. He was buried in the tombs of the kings, and his son Ahaz took the throne. Ahaz was deeply impious toward God and broke the laws of his people. He followed the example of the kings of Israel, building altars in Jerusalem and offering sacrifices to idols. He even offered his own son as a burnt offering, as the Canaanites did. His other deeds were just as wicked.

While Ahaz continued in this foolish course, Rezin, king of Syria and Damascus, and Pekah, king of Israel, who had made peace with each other, went to war against him. They drove him into Jerusalem and laid siege to the city for a long time, but made little headway because its walls were strong. The king of Syria captured Elath, a city on the Red Sea, killed its inhabitants, and settled Syrians there. He also killed the people in the other garrisons and the Jews who lived nearby, took a great deal of spoil, and then returned with his army to Damascus.

When the king of Jerusalem learned that the Syrians had gone home, he thought himself strong enough to face the king of Israel. He marched out with his army, joined battle, and was defeated. This happened because God was angry with him for his many great offenses. That day, the Israelites killed 120,000 of his men. Their commander, Amaziah, killed Zechariah, the king's son, while fighting against Ahaz. They also killed Azricam, the chief officer of the kingdom, and took Elkanah, commander of the troops from the tribe of Judah, captive. They carried off the women and children of the tribe of Benjamin as well. After taking much spoil, they returned to Samaria.

At that time, a prophet named Obed lived in Samaria. He met the army outside the city walls and called out to them, saying that they had won the battle not through their own strength, but because God was angry with King Ahaz. He rebuked them for not being satisfied with their victory, but daring to take their kinsmen from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin captive. He urged them to release the prisoners and send them home unharmed, warning that they would be punished if they disobeyed God.

The people of Israel gathered to discuss the matter. Then Berechiah, a man highly respected among the leaders, stood up with several others and said, "We must not allow the people to bring these prisoners into the city, or God may destroy us all. The prophets have told us that we already have enough sins of our own. We must not add new crimes to them."

When the soldiers heard this, they let the leaders do as they thought best. The men named above took charge of the captives, released them, cared for them, gave them food, and sent them back to their own country without harming them. The four men went with them as far as Jericho, which is near Jerusalem, then returned to Samaria.

After his crushing defeat by the Israelites, King Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria, asking him to help in the war against the Israelites, the Syrians, and the people of Damascus. Ahaz promised to send him a large sum of money and also gave him valuable gifts.

When Tiglath-Pileser received the messengers, he came to Ahaz's aid. He attacked the Syrians, laid waste to their land, captured Damascus by force, and killed their king, Rezin. He deported the people of Damascus to Upper Media, then brought in Assyrians to settle in their place. He also attacked the land of Israel and took many people captive.

While Tiglath-Pileser was dealing with the Syrians, King Ahaz took the gold and silver from the royal treasury, along with the treasures in the temple of God and its precious offerings. He carried them to Damascus and gave them to the king of Assyria, as he had promised. In doing so, he acknowledged that he owed Tiglath-Pileser for the help he had given him, then returned to Jerusalem.

Ahaz was so foolish and careless of his own welfare that even after the Syrians defeated him, he continued to worship their gods, as though they might bring him victory. When he was defeated again, he began to honor the gods of the Assyrians. He seemed more eager to worship any other gods than the true God of his ancestors, whose anger had brought about his defeat. He went so far in his contempt for God's worship that he shut the temple completely, forbade the people to bring the appointed sacrifices, and took away the gifts that had been given to it.

After treating God with such contempt, Ahaz died at the age of thirty-six, having reigned for sixteen years. His son Hezekiah succeeded him.

CHAPTER 13

How Hoshea Betrayed Pekah and Took the Kingdom, How Shalmaneser Later Subdued Him, and How Hezekiah Succeeded Ahaz and Acted with Piety and Justice

Around this time, Pekah, king of Israel, was killed through the betrayal of Hoshea, one of his own associates. Hoshea held the kingdom for nine years, but he was wicked and showed no respect for the worship of God. Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, marched against him and defeated him. Since God did not support Hoshea, he was forced to submit and pay a set tribute.

In Hoshea's fourth year as king, Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, began to rule in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah, and she was from Jerusalem. Hezekiah was a good, just, and religious man. As soon as he became king, he saw nothing more important or beneficial to himself and his people than the worship of God. So he gathered the people, the priests, and the Levites, and spoke to them:

"You know that my father sinned against the honor due to God, and that you suffered many great troubles because of his actions. He led your minds astray and persuaded you to worship what he believed to be gods. You have learned through bitter experience how dangerous it is to turn away from God. Put those ways out of your minds, cleanse yourselves of your former sins, and open the temple to the priests and Levites gathered here. Purify it with the customary sacrifices, and restore it to the honor our ancestors gave it. Then God may look on us with favor and turn away his anger."

After the king spoke, the priests opened the temple. They set the sacred vessels in their proper places, removed what was unclean, and offered the customary sacrifices on the altar.

Hezekiah also sent word throughout his kingdom, calling the people to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The festival had not been held for a long time because of the wickedness of the kings before him. He sent messengers to the Israelites as well, urging them to abandon their present way of life, return to the customs of their ancestors, and worship God. He invited them to come to Jerusalem and celebrate the feast together. He made clear that this was an invitation, not a command, and that they should come willingly for their own good. Their return to the worship of God, he said, would make them happy.

When the messengers delivered the king's words, the Israelites refused to listen. Instead, they laughed at the messengers and mocked them as fools. They also insulted the prophets who gave the same warning and told them what would happen if they did not return to the worship of God. In the end, the Israelites seized and killed some of the prophets. Their wrongdoing did not stop there. God punished them for their impiety by placing them under the power of their enemies, as I will explain later.

Many people from the tribes of Manasseh, Zebulun, and Issachar, however, obeyed the prophets and returned to the worship of God. They hurried to Jerusalem to worship there with Hezekiah.

When they arrived, King Hezekiah went up to the temple with the officials and all the people. He offered seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven young goats for himself and the people. The king and the officials placed their hands on the heads of the sacrifices, then allowed the priests to carry out the sacred rites.

The priests killed the animals and offered them as burnt offerings. The Levites stood around them with their instruments, singing hymns to God and playing their harps, as David had instructed them. The other priests answered the music and blew the trumpets they held. When the offerings were finished, the king and the people bowed down and worshiped God.

Hezekiah then sacrificed seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs. He also provided the people with six hundred oxen and three thousand other animals for their feast. The priests performed every rite according to the law. The king was so pleased that he feasted with the people and gave thanks to God.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread had now begun. After offering the Passover sacrifice, the people continued to offer other sacrifices for seven days. Hezekiah gave them two thousand bulls and seven thousand other animals, in addition to what they had set aside themselves. The officials gave another thousand bulls and one thousand forty other animals. Since the days of King Solomon, no one had celebrated this feast with such care and splendor.

When the festival ended, the people went into the countryside and cleared it of idols. They also cleansed the city of every trace of idol worship. The king ordered that the daily sacrifices be offered at his expense and according to the law. He also directed the people to give their tithes and first fruits to the priests and Levites, so they could devote themselves to the service of God without interruption.

The people brought all kinds of produce to the priests and Levites. Hezekiah had storehouses built for it, then arranged for the supplies to be distributed among the priests and Levites, their children, and their wives. In this way, the people returned to the worship of God as it had been practiced in earlier times.

After Hezekiah had put these matters in order, he went to war against the Philistines. He defeated them and took all their cities, from Gaza to Gath. The king of Assyria then sent him a warning: unless Hezekiah paid the tribute his father had paid, the Assyrian king would destroy his kingdom. Hezekiah was not troubled by the threat. He trusted in his devotion to God and in the prophet Isaiah, through whom he learned what was to come. This is enough for now concerning King Hezekiah.

CHAPTER 14

How Shalmaneser Captured Samaria by Force, Carried the Ten Tribes into Media, and Settled the Cutheans in Their Land

When word reached Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, that Hoshea, king of Israel, had secretly sent to So, king of Egypt, asking for help against him, Shalmaneser was furious. In the seventh year of Hoshea's reign, he marched against Samaria. Hoshea refused to admit him into the city, so Shalmaneser laid siege to Samaria for three years. He captured it by force in the ninth year of Hoshea's reign and the seventh year of Hezekiah's reign as king of Jerusalem. He put an end to the rule of the Israelites and carried their people away to Media and Persia. Among those taken captive was King Hoshea himself.

After removing the Israelites from their land, Shalmaneser brought other peoples from Cuthah, a place in Persia with a river of the same name, and settled them in Samaria and throughout the land of Israel. The ten tribes were driven from Judea 947 years after their ancestors had left Egypt and taken possession of the country, 800 years after Joshua had led them, and, as I have already said, 240 years, seven months, and seven days after they rebelled against Rehoboam, David's grandson, and gave the kingdom to Jeroboam.

This was the end that came upon the Israelites after they broke the laws and refused to listen to the prophets, who had warned them that disaster would follow if they did not abandon their evil ways. Their wrongdoing began with the revolt against Rehoboam, David's grandson, when they made Jeroboam, his servant, their king. Jeroboam sinned against God and led the people to follow his bad example. In this way, he made God their enemy and brought upon himself the punishment he deserved.

The king of Assyria then attacked all of Syria and Phoenicia. His name also appears in the records of Tyre, for he marched against that city during the reign of Eluleus. Menander confirms this account. While writing his chronology, he translated the records of Tyre into Greek and gave the following history:

"Eluleus reigned for thirty-six years. When the Citteans revolted, he sailed against them and brought them back under his rule. The king of Assyria then sent an army against them and attacked all of Phoenicia. He soon made peace with the people and returned home. But Sidon, Ace, and Old Tyre revolted, along with many other cities, which surrendered to the king of Assyria.

"When the Tyrians refused to submit, the king returned and attacked them again. The Phoenicians supplied him with sixty ships and eight hundred rowers. The Tyrians came against them with twelve ships and scattered the enemy fleet. They captured five hundred men, and this victory increased the reputation of all the citizens of Tyre. The king of Assyria returned and placed guards at the rivers and aqueducts to prevent the Tyrians from drawing water. The siege lasted five years, but the Tyrians held out and drank from the wells they had dug."

This is what the records of Tyre say about Shalmaneser, king of Assyria.

The people who settled in Samaria were called Cutheans, after Cuthah, the Persian country from which they had come. Each of the five nations brought its own gods to Samaria and worshiped them according to the customs of its homeland. This angered Almighty God, and a plague broke out among them, killing many people. When they could find no cure, they learned through an oracle that they must worship Almighty God if they wanted to be delivered. They sent messengers to the king of Assyria and asked him to send some of the Israelite priests he had taken captive.

The king sent them priests, who taught the people the laws and the proper worship of God. The people then worshiped him with reverence, and the plague stopped at once. They still follow these same customs today. In Hebrew they are called Cutheans, and in Greek they are called Samaritans.

When the Samaritans see the Jews prosper, they claim to have changed their ways and to be related to them. They call the Jews their kinsmen, saying they descend from Joseph and therefore share an ancestral bond. But when they see the Jews in trouble, they deny any connection. They say the Jews should expect no kindness or kinship from them, and claim instead that they are settlers from other lands. I will have a more fitting opportunity to speak about them later.