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It was while he was king that the Lord first sent King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel to attack Judah.


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Jotham died and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City, and his son Ahaz succeeded him as king.


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King Ahaz of Judah
In the seventeenth year of the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah as king of Israel, Ahaz son of Jotham became king of Judah


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at the age of twenty, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years. He did not follow the good example of his ancestor King David; instead, he did what was not pleasing to the Lord his God


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and followed the example of the kings of Israel. He even sacrificed his own son as a burnt offering to idols, imitating the disgusting practice of the people whom the Lord had driven out of the land as the Israelites advanced.


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At the pagan places of worship, on the hills, and under every shady tree, Ahaz offered sacrifices and burned incense.


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King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel attacked Jerusalem and besieged it, but could not defeat Ahaz.


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(At the same time the king of Edom regained control of the city of Elath and drove out the Judeans who lived there. The Edomites settled in Elath and still live there.)


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Ahaz sent men to Tiglath Pileser, the emperor of Assyria, with this message: “I am your devoted servant. Come and rescue me from the kings of Syria and of Israel, who are attacking me.”


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Ahaz took the silver and gold from the Temple and the palace treasury, and sent it as a present to the emperor.


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Tiglath Pileser, in answer to Ahaz' plea, marched out with his army against Damascus, captured it, killed King Rezin, and took the people to Kir as prisoners.


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When King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Emperor Tiglath Pileser, he saw the altar there and sent back to Uriah the priest an exact model of it, down to the smallest details.


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so he burned animal sacrifices and grain offerings on it and poured a wine offering and the blood of a fellowship offering on it.


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The bronze altar dedicated to the Lord was between the new altar and the Temple, so Ahaz moved it to the north side of his new altar.


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Then he ordered Uriah: “Use this large altar of mine for the morning burnt offerings and the evening grain offerings, for the burnt offerings and grain offerings of the king and the people, and for the people's wine offerings. Pour on it the blood of all the animals that are sacrificed. But keep the bronze altar for me to use for divination.”


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King Ahaz took apart the bronze carts used in the Temple and removed the basins that were on them. He also took the bronze tank from the backs of the twelve bronze bulls and placed it on a stone foundation.


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And in order to please the Assyrian emperor, Ahaz also removed from the Temple the platform for the royal throne and closed up the king's private entrance to the Temple.


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Ahaz died and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City, and his son Hezekiah succeeded him as king.


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King Hoshea of Israel
In the twelfth year of the reign of King Ahaz of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for nine years.


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Emperor Shalmaneser of Assyria made war against him; Hoshea surrendered to Shalmaneser and paid him tribute every year.


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But one year Hoshea sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, asking for his help, and stopped paying the annual tribute to Assyria. When Shalmaneser learned of this, he had Hoshea arrested and put in prison.


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The Fall of Samaria
Then Shalmaneser invaded Israel and besieged Samaria. In the third year of the siege,


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which was the ninth year of the reign of Hoshea, the Assyrian emperor captured Samaria, took the Israelites to Assyria as prisoners, and settled some of them in the city of Halah, some near the Habor River in the district of Gozan and some in the cities of Media.


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Samaria fell because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the king of Egypt and had led them out of Egypt. They worshiped other gods,


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followed the customs of the people whom the Lord had driven out as his people advanced, and adopted customs introduced by the kings of Israel.


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The Israelites did things that the Lord their God disapproved of. They built pagan places of worship in all their towns, from the smallest village to the largest city.


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On all the hills and under every shady tree they put up stone pillars and images of the goddess Asherah,


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and they burned incense on all the pagan altars, following the practice of the people whom the Lord had driven out of the land. They aroused the Lord's anger with all their wicked deeds


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The Lord had sent his messengers and prophets to warn Israel and Judah: “Abandon your evil ways and obey my commands, which are contained in the Law I gave to your ancestors and which I handed on to you through my servants the prophets.”


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But they would not obey; they were stubborn like their ancestors, who had not trusted in the Lord their God.


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They refused to obey his instructions, they did not keep the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they disregarded his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves, and they followed the customs of the surrounding nations, disobeying the Lord's command not to imitate them.


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They broke all the laws of the Lord their God and made two metal bull-calves to worship; they also made an image of the goddess Asherah, worshiped the stars, and served the god Baal.


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They sacrificed their sons and daughters as burnt offerings to pagan gods; they consulted mediums and fortunetellers, and they devoted themselves completely to doing what is wrong in the Lord's sight, and so aroused his anger.


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The Lord was angry with the Israelites and banished them from his sight, leaving only the kingdom of Judah.


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But even the people of Judah did not obey the laws of the Lord their God; they imitated the customs adopted by the people of Israel.


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The Lord rejected all the Israelites, punishing them and handing them over to cruel enemies until at last he had banished them from his sight.


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After the Lord had separated Israel from Judah, the Israelites made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam caused them to abandon the Lord and led them into terrible sins.


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until at last the Lord banished them from his sight, as he had warned through his servants the prophets that he would do. So the people of Israel were taken into exile to Assyria, where they still live.


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The Assyrians Settle in Israel
The emperor of Assyria took people from the cities of Babylon, Cuth, Ivvah, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the exiled Israelites. They took possession of these cities and lived there.


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When they first settled there, they did not worship the Lord, and so he sent lions, which killed some of them.


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The emperor of Assyria was told that the people he had settled in the cities of Samaria did not know the law of the god of that land, and so the god had sent lions, which were killing them.


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So the emperor commanded: “Send back one of the priests we brought as prisoners; have him go back and live there, in order to teach the people the law of the god of that land.”


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So an Israelite priest who had been deported from Samaria went and lived in Bethel, where he taught the people how to worship the Lord.


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But the people who settled in Samaria continued to make their own idols, and they placed them in the shrines that the Israelites had built. Each different group made idols in the cities they were living in:


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the people of Babylon made idols of the god Succoth Benoth; the people of Cuth, idols of Nergal; the people of Hamath, idols of Ashima;


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the people of Ivvah, idols of Nibhaz and Tartak; and the people of Sepharvaim sacrificed their children as burnt offerings to their gods Adrammelech and Anammelech.


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These people also worshiped the Lord and chose from among their own number all sorts of people to serve as priests at the pagan places of worship and to offer sacrifices for them there.


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So they worshiped the Lord, but they also worshiped their own gods according to the customs of the countries from which they had come.


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They still carry on their old customs to this day. They do not worship the Lord nor do they obey the laws and commands which he gave to the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel.


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The Lord had made a covenant with them and had ordered them: “Do not worship other gods; do not bow down to them or serve them or offer sacrifices to them.


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You shall obey me, the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt with great power and strength; you are to bow down to me and offer sacrifices to me.


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So those people worshiped the Lord, but they also worshiped their idols; and to this day their descendants continue to do the same.


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King Hezekiah of Judah
In the third year of the reign of Hoshea son of Elah as king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz became king of Judah


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at the age of twenty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.


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He destroyed the pagan places of worship, broke the stone pillars, and cut down the images of the goddess Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze snake that Moses had made, which was called Nehushtan. Up to that time the people of Israel had burned incense in its honor.


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Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; Judah never had another king like him, either before or after his time.


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He was faithful to the Lord and never disobeyed him, but carefully kept all the commands that the Lord had given Moses.


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So the Lord was with him, and he was successful in everything he did. He rebelled against the emperor of Assyria and refused to submit to him.


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He defeated the Philistines and raided their settlements, from the smallest village to the largest city, including Gaza and its surrounding territory.


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In the fourth year of Hezekiah's reign—which was the seventh year of King Hoshea's reign over Israel—Emperor Shalmaneser of Assyria invaded Israel and besieged Samaria.


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In the third year of the siege Samaria fell; this was the sixth year of Hezekiah's reign and the ninth year of Hoshea's reign.


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The Assyrian emperor took the Israelites to Assyria as prisoners and settled some of them in the city of Halah, some near the Habor River in the district of Gozan, and some in the cities of Media.


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Samaria fell because the Israelites did not obey the Lord their God, but broke the covenant he had made with them and disobeyed all the laws given by Moses, the servant of the Lord. They would not listen and they would not obey.


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The Assyrians Threaten Jerusalem
In the fourteenth year of the reign of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib, the emperor of Assyria, attacked the fortified cities of Judah and conquered them.


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Hezekiah sent a message to Sennacherib, who was in Lachish: “I have done wrong; please stop your attack, and I will pay whatever you demand.” The emperor's answer was that Hezekiah should send him ten tons of silver and one ton of gold.


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he also stripped the gold from the temple doors and the gold with which he himself had covered the doorposts, and he sent it all to Sennacherib.


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The Assyrian emperor sent a large army from Lachish to attack Hezekiah at Jerusalem; it was commanded by his three highest officials. When they arrived at Jerusalem, they occupied the road where the cloth makers work by the ditch that brings water from the upper pool.


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Then they sent for King Hezekiah, and three of his officials went out to meet them: Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace; Shebna, the court secretary; and Joah son of Asaph, who was in charge of the records.


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One of the Assyrian officials told them that the emperor wanted to know what made King Hezekiah so confident.


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He demanded, “Do you think that words can take the place of military skill and might? Who do you think will help you rebel against Assyria?


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You are expecting Egypt to help you, but that would be like using a reed as a walking stick—it would break and jab your hand. That is what the king of Egypt is like when anyone relies on him.”


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The Assyrian official went on, “Or will you tell me that you are relying on the Lord your God? It was the Lord's shrines and altars that Hezekiah destroyed, when he told the people of Judah and Jerusalem to worship only at the altar in Jerusalem.


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I will make a bargain with you in the name of the emperor. I will give you two thousand horses if you can find that many men to ride them!


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You are no match for even the lowest ranking Assyrian official, and yet you expect the Egyptians to send you chariots and cavalry!


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Do you think I have attacked your country and destroyed it without the Lord's help? The Lord himself told me to attack it and destroy it.”


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Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah told the official, “Speak Aramaic to us, sir. We understand it. Don't speak Hebrew; all the people on the wall are listening.”


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He replied, “Do you think you and the king are the only ones the emperor sent me to say all these things to? No, I am also talking to the people who are sitting on the wall, who will have to eat their excrement and drink their urine, just as you will.”


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Then the official stood up and shouted in Hebrew, “Listen to what the emperor of Assyria is telling you!


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And don't let him persuade you to rely on the Lord. Don't think that the Lord will save you and that he will stop our Assyrian army from capturing your city.


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Don't listen to Hezekiah. The emperor of Assyria commands you to come out of the city and surrender. You will all be allowed to eat grapes from your own vines and figs from your own trees, and to drink water from your own wells—


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until the emperor resettles you in a country much like your own, where there are vineyards to give wine and there is grain for making bread; it is a land of olives, olive oil, and honey. If you do what he commands, you will not die, but live. Don't let Hezekiah fool you into thinking that the Lord will rescue you.


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Where are they now, the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Did anyone save Samaria?


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When did any of the gods of all these countries ever save their country from our emperor? Then what makes you think the Lord can save Jerusalem?”


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Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah tore their clothes in grief, and went and reported to the king what the Assyrian official had said.


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The King Asks Isaiah's Advice
As soon as King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes in grief, put on sackcloth, and went to the Temple of the Lord.


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He sent Eliakim, the official in charge of the palace, Shebna, the court secretary, and the senior priests to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. They also were wearing sackcloth.


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This is the message which he told them to give Isaiah: “Today is a day of suffering; we are being punished and are in disgrace. We are like a woman who is ready to give birth, but is too weak to do it.


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The Assyrian emperor has sent his chief official to insult the living God. May the Lord your God hear these insults and punish those who spoke them. So pray to God for those of our people who survive.”


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he sent back this answer: “The Lord tells you not to let the Assyrians frighten you with their claims that he cannot save you.


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The Lord will cause the emperor to hear a rumor that will make him go back to his own country, and the Lord will have him killed there.”


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The Assyrians Send Another Threat
The Assyrian official learned that the emperor had left Lachish and was fighting against the nearby city of Libnah; so he went there to consult him.


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Word reached the Assyrians that the Egyptian army, led by King Tirhakah of Ethiopia, was coming to attack them. When the emperor heard this, he sent a letter to King Hezekiah of Judah


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to tell him, “The god you are trusting in has told you that you will not fall into my hands, but don't let that deceive you.


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You have heard what an Assyrian emperor does to any country he decides to destroy. Do you think that you can escape?


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My ancestors destroyed the cities of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, and killed the people of Betheden who lived in Telassar, and none of their gods could save them.


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King Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went to the Temple, placed the letter there in the presence of the Lord,


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and prayed, “O Lord, the God of Israel, seated on your throne above the winged creatures, you alone are God, ruling all the kingdoms of the world. You created the earth and the sky.


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Now, Lord, look at what is happening to us. Listen to all the things that Sennacherib is saying to insult you, the living God.


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We all know, Lord, that the emperors of Assyria have destroyed many nations, made their lands desolate,


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and burned up their gods—which were no gods at all, only images of wood and stone made by human hands.


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Now, Lord our God, rescue us from the Assyrians, so that all the nations of the world will know that only you, O Lord, are God.”


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Isaiah's Message to the King
Then Isaiah sent a message telling King Hezekiah that in answer to the king's prayer


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Whom do you think you have been insulting and ridiculing? You have been disrespectful to me, the holy God of Israel.


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You sent your messengers to boast to me that with all your chariots you had conquered the highest mountains of Lebanon. You boasted that there you cut down the tallest cedars and the finest cypress trees and that you reached the deepest parts of the forests.


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You boasted that you dug wells and drank water in foreign lands and that the feet of your soldiers tramped the Nile River dry.


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“Have you never heard that I planned all this long ago? And now I have carried it out. I gave you the power to turn fortified cities into piles of rubble.


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The people who lived there were powerless; they were frightened and stunned. They were like grass in a field or weeds growing on a roof when the hot east wind blasts them.


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I have received the report of that rage and that pride of yours, and now I will put a hook through your nose and a bit in your mouth, and take you back by the same road you came.”


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Then Isaiah said to King Hezekiah, “Here is a sign of what will happen. This year and next you will have only wild grain to eat, but the following year you will be able to plant your grain and harvest it, and plant vines and eat grapes.


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Those in Judah who survive will flourish like plants that send roots deep into the ground and produce fruit.


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There will be people in Jerusalem and on Mount Zion who will survive, because the Lord is determined to make this happen.


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“And this is what the Lord has said about the Assyrian emperor: ‘He will not enter this city or shoot a single arrow against it. No soldiers with shields will come near the city, and no siege mounds will be built around it.


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I will defend this city and protect it, for the sake of my own honor and because of the promise I made to my servant David.’”


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That night an angel of the Lord went to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 soldiers. At dawn the next day there they lay, all dead!


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One day, when he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, two of his sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, killed him with their swords and then escaped to the land of Ararat. Another of his sons, Esarhaddon, succeeded him as emperor.


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King Hezekiah's Illness and Recovery
About this time King Hezekiah became sick and almost died. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to see him and said to him, “The Lord tells you that you are to put everything in order, because you will not recover. Get ready to die.”


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“Remember, Lord, that I have served you faithfully and loyally and that I have always tried to do what you wanted me to.” And he began to cry bitterly.


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Isaiah left the king, but before he had passed through the central courtyard of the palace the Lord told him


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to go back to Hezekiah, ruler of the Lord's people, and say to him, “I, the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you, and in three days you will go to the Temple.


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I will let you live fifteen years longer. I will rescue you and this city Jerusalem from the emperor of Assyria. I will defend this city, for the sake of my own honor and because of the promise I made to my servant David.”


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Then Isaiah told the king's attendants to put on his boil a paste made of figs, and he would get well.


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King Hezekiah asked, “What is the sign to prove that the Lord will heal me and that three days later I will be able to go to the Temple?”


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Isaiah replied, “The Lord will give you a sign to prove that he will keep his promise. Now, would you prefer to have the shadow on the stairway go forward ten steps or go back ten steps?”


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Isaiah prayed to the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow go back ten steps on the stairway set up by King Ahaz.


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Messengers from Babylonia
About that same time the king of Babylonia, Merodach Baladan, the son of Baladan, heard that King Hezekiah had been sick, so he sent him a letter and a present.


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Hezekiah welcomed the messengers and showed them his wealth—his silver and gold, his spices and perfumes, and all his military equipment. There was nothing in his storerooms or anywhere in his kingdom that he did not show them.


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Then the prophet Isaiah went to King Hezekiah and asked, “Where did these men come from and what did they say to you?”
Hezekiah answered, “They came from a very distant country, from Babylonia.”


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“What did they see in the palace?”
“They saw everything. There is nothing in the storerooms that I didn't show them.”


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a time is coming when everything in your palace, everything that your ancestors have stored up to this day, will be carried off to Babylonia. Nothing will be left.


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Some of your own direct descendants will be taken away and made eunuchs to serve in the palace of the king of Babylonia.”


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King Hezekiah understood this to mean that there would be peace and security during his lifetime, so he replied, “The message you have given me from the Lord is good.”


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The End of Hezekiah's Reign
Everything else that King Hezekiah did, his brave deeds, and an account of how he built a reservoir and dug a tunnel to bring water into the city, are all recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah.


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King Manasseh of Judah
Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for fifty-five years. His mother was Hephzibah.


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Following the disgusting practices of the nations whom the Lord had driven out of the land as his people advanced, Manasseh sinned against the Lord.


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He rebuilt the pagan places of worship that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he built altars for the worship of Baal and made an image of the goddess Asherah, as King Ahab of Israel had done. Manasseh also worshiped the stars.


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He built pagan altars in the Temple, the place that the Lord had said was where he should be worshiped.


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He sacrificed his son as a burnt offering. He practiced divination and magic and consulted fortunetellers and mediums. He sinned greatly against the Lord and stirred up his anger.


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He placed the symbol of the goddess Asherah in the Temple, the place about which the Lord had said to David and his son Solomon: “Here in Jerusalem, in this Temple, is the place that I have chosen out of all the territory of the twelve tribes of Israel as the place where I am to be worshiped.


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And if the people of Israel will obey all my commands and keep the whole Law that my servant Moses gave them, then I will not allow them to be driven out of the land that I gave to their ancestors.”


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But the people of Judah did not obey the Lord, and Manasseh led them to commit even greater sins than those committed by the nations whom the Lord had driven out of the land as his people advanced.


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“King Manasseh has done these disgusting things, things far worse than what the Canaanites did; and with his idols he has led the people of Judah into sin.


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So I, the Lord God of Israel, will bring such a disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that everyone who hears about it will be stunned.


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I will punish Jerusalem as I did Samaria, as I did King Ahab of Israel and his descendants. I will wipe Jerusalem clean of its people, as clean as a plate that has been wiped and turned upside down.


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I will abandon the people who survive, and will hand them over to their enemies, who will conquer them and plunder their land.


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I will do this to my people because they have sinned against me and have stirred up my anger from the time their ancestors came out of Egypt to this day.”


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Manasseh killed so many innocent people that the streets of Jerusalem were flowing with blood; he did this in addition to leading the people of Judah into idolatry, causing them to sin against the Lord.


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Everything else that Manasseh did, including the sins he committed, is recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah.


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Manasseh died and was buried in the palace garden, the garden of Uzza, and his son Amon succeeded him as king.


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King Amon of Judah
Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for two years. His mother was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz from the town of Jotbah.


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King Josiah of Judah
Josiah was eight years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for thirty-one years. His mother was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah from the town of Bozkath.


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Josiah did what was pleasing to the Lord; he followed the example of his ancestor King David, strictly obeying all the laws of God.


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The Book of the Law Is Discovered
In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the court secretary Shaphan, the son of Azaliah and grandson of Meshullam, to the Temple with the order:


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“Go to the High Priest Hilkiah and get a report on the amount of money that the priests on duty at the entrance to the Temple have collected from the people.


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Tell him to give the money to the men who are in charge of the repairs in the Temple. They are to pay


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the carpenters, the builders, and the masons, and buy the timber and the stones used in the repairs.


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The men in charge of the work are thoroughly honest, so there is no need to require them to account for the funds.”


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Shaphan delivered the king's order to Hilkiah, and Hilkiah told him that he had found the book of the Law in the Temple. Hilkiah gave him the book, and Shaphan read it.


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Then he went back to the king and reported: “Your servants have taken the money that was in the Temple and have handed it over to the men in charge of the repairs.”


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and gave the following order to Hilkiah the priest, to Ahikam son of Shaphan, to Achbor son of Micaiah, to Shaphan, the court secretary, and to Asaiah, the king's attendant:


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“Go and consult the Lord for me and for all the people of Judah about the teachings of this book. The Lord is angry with us because our ancestors have not done what this book says must be done.”


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Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to consult a woman named Huldah, a prophet who lived in the newer part of Jerusalem. (Her husband Shallum, the son of Tikvah and grandson of Harhas, was in charge of the Temple robes.) They described to her what had happened,


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the following message from the Lord: “I am going to punish Jerusalem and all its people, as written in the book that the king has read.


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They have rejected me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and so have stirred up my anger by all they have done. My anger is aroused against Jerusalem, and it will not die down.


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As for the king himself, this is what I, the Lord God of Israel, say: You listened to what is written in the book,


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and you repented and humbled yourself before me, tearing your clothes and weeping, when you heard how I threatened to punish Jerusalem and its people. I will make it a terrifying sight, a place whose name people will use as a curse. But I have heard your prayer,


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and the punishment which I am going to bring on Jerusalem will not come until after your death. I will let you die in peace.”
The men returned to King Josiah with this message.


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and together they went to the Temple, accompanied by the priests and the prophets and all the rest of the people, rich and poor alike. Before them all the king read aloud the whole book of the covenant which had been found in the Temple.


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He stood by the royal column and made a covenant with the Lord to obey him, to keep his laws and commands with all his heart and soul, and to put into practice the demands attached to the covenant, as written in the book. And all the people promised to keep the covenant.


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Then Josiah ordered the High Priest Hilkiah, his assistant priests, and the guards on duty at the entrance to the Temple to bring out of the Temple all the objects used in the worship of Baal, of the goddess Asherah, and of the stars. The king burned all these objects outside the city near Kidron Valley and then had the ashes taken to Bethel.


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He removed from office the priests that the kings of Judah had ordained to offer sacrifices on the pagan altars in the cities of Judah and in places near Jerusalem—all the priests who offered sacrifices to Baal, to the sun, the moon, the planets, and the stars.


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He removed from the Temple the symbol of the goddess Asherah, took it out of the city to Kidron Valley, burned it, pounded its ashes to dust, and scattered it over the public burying ground.


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He destroyed the living quarters in the Temple occupied by the temple prostitutes. (It was there that women wove robes used in the worship of Asherah.)


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He brought to Jerusalem the priests who were in the cities of Judah, and throughout the whole country he desecrated the altars where they had offered sacrifices. He also tore down the altars dedicated to the goat demons near the gate built by Joshua, the city governor, which was to the left of the main gate as one enters the city.


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Those priests were not allowed to serve in the Temple, but they could eat the unleavened bread provided for their fellow priests.


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King Josiah also desecrated Topheth, the pagan place of worship in Hinnom Valley, so that no one could sacrifice his son or daughter as a burnt offering to the god Molech.


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He also removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the worship of the sun, and he burned the chariots used in this worship. (These were kept in the temple courtyard, near the gate and not far from the living quarters of Nathan Melech, a high official.)


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The altars which the kings of Judah had built on the palace roof above King Ahaz' quarters, King Josiah tore down, along with the altars put up by King Manasseh in the two courtyards of the Temple; he smashed the altars to bits and threw them into Kidron Valley.


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Josiah desecrated the altars that King Solomon had built east of Jerusalem, south of the Mount of Olives, for the worship of disgusting idols—Astarte the goddess of Sidon, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Molech the god of Ammon.


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King Josiah broke the stone pillars to pieces, cut down the symbols of the goddess Asherah, and the ground where they had stood he covered with human bones.


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Josiah also tore down the place of worship in Bethel, which had been built by King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin. Josiah pulled down the altar, broke its stones into pieces, and pounded them to dust; he also burned the image of Asherah.


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Then Josiah looked around and saw some tombs there on the hill; he had the bones taken out of them and burned on the altar. In this way he desecrated the altar, doing what the prophet had predicted long before during the festival as King Jeroboam was standing by the altar. King Josiah looked around and saw the tomb of the prophet who had made this prediction.


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“Whose tomb is that?” he asked.
The people of Bethel answered, “It is the tomb of the prophet who came from Judah and predicted these things that you have done to this altar.”


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“Leave it as it is,” Josiah ordered. “His bones are not to be moved.”
So his bones were not moved, neither were those of the prophet who had come from Samaria.


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In every city of Israel King Josiah tore down all the pagan places of worship which had been built by the kings of Israel, who thereby aroused the Lord's anger. He did to all those altars what he had done in Bethel.


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He killed all the pagan priests on the altars where they served, and he burned human bones on every altar. Then he returned to Jerusalem.


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Josiah Celebrates the Passover
King Josiah ordered the people to celebrate the Passover in honor of the Lord their God, as written in the book of the covenant.


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No Passover like this one had ever been celebrated by any of the kings of Israel or of Judah, since the time when judges ruled the nation.


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Now at last, in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah, the Passover was celebrated in Jerusalem.


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Other Changes Made by Josiah
In order to enforce the laws written in the book that the High Priest Hilkiah had found in the Temple, King Josiah removed from Jerusalem and the rest of Judah all the mediums and fortunetellers, and all the household gods, idols, and all other pagan objects of worship.


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There had never been a king like him before, who served the Lord with all his heart, mind, and strength, obeying all the Law of Moses; nor has there been a king like him since.


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But the Lord's fierce anger had been aroused against Judah by what King Manasseh had done, and even now it did not die down.


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The Lord said, “I will do to Judah what I have done to Israel: I will banish the people of Judah from my sight, and I will reject Jerusalem, the city I chose, and the Temple, the place I said was where I should be worshiped.”


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The End of Josiah's Reign
Everything else that King Josiah did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah.


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While Josiah was king, King Neco of Egypt led an army to the Euphrates River to help the emperor of Assyria. King Josiah tried to stop the Egyptian army at Megiddo and was killed in battle.


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His officials placed his body in a chariot and took it back to Jerusalem, where he was buried in the royal tombs.
The people of Judah chose Josiah's son Joahaz and anointed him king.


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King Joahaz of Judah
Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for three months. His mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah from the city of Libnah.


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His reign ended when King Neco of Egypt took him prisoner in Riblah, in the land of Hamath, and made Judah pay 7,500 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold as tribute.


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King Neco made Josiah's son Eliakim king of Judah as successor to Josiah, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Joahaz was taken to Egypt by King Neco, and there he died.


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King Jehoiakim of Judah
King Jehoiakim collected a tax from the people in proportion to their wealth, in order to raise the amount needed to pay the tribute demanded by the king of Egypt.


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Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother was Zebidah, the daughter of Pedaiah from the town of Rumah.


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While Jehoiakim was king, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia invaded Judah, and for three years Jehoiakim was forced to submit to his rule; then he rebelled.


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The Lord sent armed bands of Babylonians, Syrians, Moabites, and Ammonites against Jehoiakim to destroy Judah, as the Lord had said through his servants the prophets that he would do.


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This happened at the Lord's command, in order to banish the people of Judah from his sight because of all the sins that King Manasseh had committed,


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and especially because of all the innocent people he had killed. The Lord could not forgive Manasseh for that.


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The king of Egypt and his army never marched out of Egypt again, because the king of Babylonia now controlled all the territory that had belonged to Egypt, from the Euphrates River to the northern border of Egypt.


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King Jehoiachin of Judah
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for three months. His mother was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan from Jerusalem.


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It was during his reign that the Babylonian army, commanded by King Nebuchadnezzar's officers, marched against Jerusalem and besieged it.


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and King Jehoiachin, along with his mother, his sons, his officers, and the palace officials, surrendered to the Babylonians. In the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign he took Jehoiachin prisoner


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and carried off to Babylon all the treasures in the Temple and the palace. As the Lord had foretold, Nebuchadnezzar broke up all the gold utensils which King Solomon had made for use in the Temple.


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Nebuchadnezzar carried away as prisoners the people of Jerusalem, all the royal princes, and all the leading men, ten thousand in all. He also deported all the skilled workers, including the blacksmiths, leaving only the poorest of the people behind in Judah.


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Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin to Babylon as a prisoner, together with Jehoiachin's mother, his wives, his officials, and the leading men of Judah.


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Nebuchadnezzar deported all the important men to Babylonia, seven thousand in all, and one thousand skilled workers, including the blacksmiths, all of them able-bodied men fit for military duty.


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King Zedekiah of Judah
Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah from the city of Libnah.


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The Lord became so angry with the people of Jerusalem and Judah that he banished them from his sight.


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The Fall of Jerusalem
Zedekiah rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, and so Nebuchadnezzar came with all his army and attacked Jerusalem on the tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign. They set up camp outside the city, built siege walls around it,


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On the ninth day of the fourth month of that same year, when the famine was so bad that the people had nothing left to eat,


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the city walls were broken through. Although the Babylonians were surrounding the city, all the soldiers escaped during the night. They left by way of the royal garden, went through the gateway connecting the two walls, and fled in the direction of the Jordan Valley.


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But the Babylonian army pursued King Zedekiah, captured him in the plains near Jericho, and all his soldiers deserted him.


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Zedekiah was taken to King Nebuchadnezzar, who was in the city of Riblah, and there Nebuchadnezzar passed sentence on him.


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While Zedekiah was looking on, his sons were put to death; then Nebuchadnezzar had Zedekiah's eyes put out, placed him in chains, and took him to Babylon.


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The Destruction of the Temple
On the seventh day of the fifth month of the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, Nebuzaradan, adviser to the king and commander of his army, entered Jerusalem.


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Then Nebuzaradan took away to Babylonia the people who were left in the city, the remaining skilled workers, and those who had deserted to the Babylonians.


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But he left in Judah some of the poorest people, who owned no property, and put them to work in the vineyards and fields.


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The Babylonians broke in pieces the bronze columns and the carts that were in the Temple, together with the large bronze tank, and they took all the bronze to Babylon.


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They also took away the shovels and the ash containers used in cleaning the altar, the tools used in tending the lamps, the bowls used for catching the blood from the sacrifices, the bowls used for burning incense, and all the other bronze articles used in the Temple service.


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They took away everything that was made of gold or silver, including the small bowls and the pans used for carrying live coals.


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The bronze objects that King Solomon had made for the Temple—the two columns, the carts, and the large tank—were too heavy to weigh.


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The two columns were identical: each one was 27 feet high, with a bronze capital on top, 4½ feet high. All around each capital was a bronze grillwork decorated with pomegranates made of bronze.


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The People of Judah Are Taken to Babylonia
In addition, Nebuzaradan, the commanding officer, took away as prisoners Seraiah the High Priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank, and the three other important Temple officials.


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From the city he took the officer who had been in command of the troops, five of the king's personal advisers who were still in the city, the commander's assistant, who was in charge of military records, and sixty other important men.


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in the territory of Hamath. There the king had them beaten and put to death.
So the people of Judah were carried away from their land into exile.


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Gedaliah, Governor of Judah
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia made Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, governor of Judah, and placed him in charge of all those who had not been taken away to Babylonia.


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When the Judean officers and soldiers who had not surrendered heard about this, they joined Gedaliah at Mizpah. These officers were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth from the town of Netophah, and Jezaniah from Maacah.


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Gedaliah said to them, “I give you my word that there is no need for you to be afraid of the Babylonian officials. Settle in this land, serve the king of Babylonia, and all will go well with you.”


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But in the seventh month of that year, Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah and grandson of Elishama, a member of the royal family, went to Mizpah with ten men, attacked Gedaliah, and killed him. He also killed the Israelites and Babylonians who were there with him.


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Then all the Israelites, rich and poor alike, together with the army officers, left and went to Egypt, because they were afraid of the Babylonians.


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Jehoiachin Is Released from Prison
In the year that Evilmerodach became king of Babylonia, he showed kindness to King Jehoiachin of Judah by releasing him from prison. This happened on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year after Jehoiachin had been taken away as prisoner.


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Evilmerodach treated him kindly and gave him a position of greater honor than he gave the other kings who were exiles with him in Babylonia.


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So Jehoiachin was permitted to change from his prison clothes and to dine at the king's table for the rest of his life.


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contenido:
From Adam to Abraham
Adam was the father of Seth, Seth was the father of Enosh, Enosh the father of Kenan,


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Jared was the father of Enoch, who was the father of Methuselah; Methuselah was the father of Lamech,


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contenido:
Shem's sons—Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshek—were the ancestors of the peoples who bear their names.


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Eber had two sons; one was named Peleg, because during his time the people of the world were divided, and the other was named Joktan.


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The sons of Ishmael became the heads of twelve tribes: Nebaioth (from the name of Ishmael's oldest son), Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,


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Abraham had a concubine named Keturah, who bore him six sons: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan had two sons: Sheba and Dedan.


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Eliphaz became the ancestor of the following tribes: Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, Kenaz, Timna, and Amalek.


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contenido:
The Original Inhabitants of Edom
The original inhabitants of Edom were descended from the following sons of Seir:
Lotan, who was the ancestor of the clans of Hori and Homam. (Lotan had a sister named Timna.)
Shobal, who was the ancestor of the clans of Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi, and Onam.
Zibeon, who had two sons, Aiah and Anah. Anah was the father of Dishon, and Dishon was the ancestor of the clans of Hamran, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.
Ezer, who was the ancestor of the clans of Bilhan, Zaavan, and Jaakan.
Dishan, who was the ancestor of the clans of Uz and Aran.


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The Kings of Edom
The following kings ruled the land of Edom one after the other, in the time before there were any kings in Israel:
Bela son of Beor from Dinhabah
Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah
Husham from the region of Teman
Hadad son of Bedad from Avith (he defeated the Midianites in a battle in the country of Moab)
Samlah from Masrekah
Shaul from Rehoboth-on-the-River
Baal Hanan son of Achbor
Hadad from Pau (his wife was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred and granddaughter of Mezahab)


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Judah had five sons in all. By his wife Bathshua, a Canaanite, he had three sons: Er, Onan, and Shelah. His oldest son, Er, was so evil that the Lord killed him.


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Achan son of Carmi, one of Zerah's descendants, brought disaster on the people of Israel by keeping loot that had been devoted to God.


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The family line from Ram to Jesse is as follows: Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon (a prominent man of the tribe of Judah),


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contenido:
He also had two daughters, Zeruiah and Abigail.
Jesse's daughter Zeruiah had three sons: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.


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contenido:
The Descendants of Hezron
Hezron's son Caleb married Azubah and had a daughter named Jerioth. She had three sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.


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When Hezron was sixty years old, he married Machir's daughter, the sister of Gilead. They had a son named Segub,


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But the kingdoms of Geshur and Aram conquered sixty towns there, including the villages of Jair and Kenath, and the towns nearby. All the people who lived there were descendants of Machir, the father of Gilead.


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After Hezron died, his son Caleb married Ephrath, his father's widow. They had a son named Ashhur, who founded the town of Tekoa.


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The Descendants of Jerahmeel
Jerahmeel, the oldest son of Hezron, had five sons: Ram, the oldest, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah.


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Ram had three sons: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. Jerahmeel had another wife, a woman named Atarah, and they had a son, Onam.


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Jada, the brother of Shammai, had two sons, Jether and Jonathan, but Jether died without having any sons.


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contenido:
Other Descendants of Caleb
The oldest son of Caleb, Jerahmeel's brother, was named Mesha. Mesha was the father of Ziph, who was the father of Mareshah, who was the father of Hebron.


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Shema was the father of Raham and the grandfather of Jorkeam. Rekem, Shema's brother, was the father of Shammai,


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Caleb had a concubine named Ephah, and by her he had three more sons: Haran, Moza, and Gazez. Haran also had a son named Gazez.


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Later she had two more sons: Shaaph, who founded the town of Madmannah; and Shevah, who founded the towns of Machbenah and Gibea.
In addition, Caleb had a daughter named Achsah.


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The following are also descendants of Caleb.
Hur was the oldest son of Caleb and his wife Ephrath. Hur's son Shobal founded Kiriath Jearim,


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Shobal, the founder of Kiriath Jearim, was the ancestor of the people of Haroeh, of half the inhabitants of Menuhoth,


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and of the following clans that lived in Kiriath Jearim: the Ithrites, Puthites, Shumathites, and Mishraites. (The people of the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol were members of these clans.)


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Salma, the founder of Bethlehem, was the ancestor of the people of Netophath, of Atroth Beth Joab, and of the Zorites, who were one of the two clans in Manahath.


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(The following clans of experts in writing and copying documents lived in the town of Jabez: the Tirathites, Shimeathites, and Sucathites. They were Kenites who had intermarried with the Rechabites.)


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contenido:
King David's Children
The following, in order of age, are David's sons who were born while he was in Hebron:
Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam from Jezreel
Daniel, whose mother was Abigail from Carmel
Absalom, whose mother was Maacah, daughter of King Talmai of Geshur
Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith
Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital
Ithream, whose mother was Eglah


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contenido:
All six were born in Hebron during the seven and a half years that David ruled there.
In Jerusalem he ruled as king for thirty-three years,


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and many sons were born to him there.
His wife Bathsheba, daughter of Ammiel, bore him four sons: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon.


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contenido:
The Descendants of King Solomon
This is the line of King Solomon's descendants from father to son: Solomon, Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat,


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contenido:
The Descendants of King Jehoiachin
These are the descendants of King Jehoiachin, who was taken prisoner by the Babylonians. Jehoiachin had seven sons: Shealtiel,


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contenido:
Pedaiah had two sons, Zerubbabel and Shimei. Zerubbabel was the father of two sons, Meshullam and Hananiah, and one daughter, Shelomith.


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contenido:
Hananiah had two sons, Pelatiah and Jeshaiah. Jeshaiah was the father of Rephaiah, who was the father of Arnan, the father of Obadiah, the father of Shecaniah.


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contenido:
The Descendants of Judah
These are some of the descendants of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal.


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contenido:
Shobal was the father of Reaiah, who was the father of Jahath, the father of Ahumai and Lahad, the ancestors of the people who lived in Zorah.


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contenido:
Hur was the oldest son of his father Caleb's wife Ephrath, and his descendants founded the city of Bethlehem. Hur had three sons: Etam, Penuel, and Ezer. Etam had three sons: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash, and one daughter, Hazzelelponi. Penuel founded the city of Gedor, and Ezer founded Hushah.


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contenido:
Koz was the father of Anub and Zobebah, and the ancestor of the clans descended from Aharhel son of Harum.


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contenido:
There was a man named Jabez, who was the most respected member of his family. His mother had given him the name Jabez, because his birth had been very painful.


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contenido:
But Jabez prayed to the God of Israel, “Bless me, God, and give me much land. Be with me and keep me from anything evil that might cause me pain.” And God gave him what he prayed for.


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contenido:
who had three sons: Bethrapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah. Tehinnah was the founder of the city of Nahash. The descendants of these men lived in Recah.


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contenido:
Meonothai was the father of Ophrah.
Seraiah was the father of Joab, the founder of Handcraft Valley, where all the people were skilled workers.


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contenido:
Ezrah had four sons: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. Mered married Bithiah, a daughter of the king of Egypt, and they had a daughter, Miriam, and two sons, Shammai and Ishbah. Ishbah founded the town of Eshtemoa. Mered also married a woman from the tribe of Judah, and they had three sons: Jered, who founded the town of Gedor; Heber, founder of the town of Soco; and Jekuthiel, founder of the town of Zanoah.


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Hodiah married the sister of Naham. Their descendants founded the clan of Garm, which lived in the town of Keilah, and the clan of Maacath, which lived in the town of Eshtemoa.


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The Descendants of Shelah
Shelah was one of Judah's sons. His descendants included Er, who founded the town of Lecah; Laadah, founder of the town of Mareshah; the clan of linen weavers, who lived in the town of Beth Ashbea;


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Jokim and the people who lived in the town of Cozeba; and Joash and Saraph, who married Moabite women and then settled in Bethlehem. (These traditions are very old.)


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Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his relatives had fewer children, and the tribe of Simeon did not grow as much as the tribe of Judah did.


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Down to the time of King David the descendants of Simeon lived in the following towns: Beersheba, Moladah, Hazarshual,


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and the surrounding villages, as far southwest as the town of Baalath. These are the records which they kept of their families and of the places where they lived.


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The following men were the heads of their clans:
Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah, Joel,
Jehu (the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel),
Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah,
Ziza (the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, a descendant of Jedaiah, Shimri, and Shemaiah).
Because their families continued to grow,


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they spread out westward almost to Gerar and pastured their sheep on the eastern side of the valley in which that city is located.


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They found plenty of fertile pasture lands there in a stretch of open country that was quiet and peaceful. The people who had lived there before were Hamites.


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In the time of King Hezekiah of Judah, the men named above went to Gerar and destroyed the tents and huts of the people who lived there. They drove the people out and settled there permanently because there was plenty of pasture for their sheep.


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Five hundred other members of the tribe of Simeon went east to Edom. They were led by the sons of Ishi: Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel.


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The Descendants of Reuben
These are the descendants of Reuben, the oldest of Jacob's sons. (Because he had sex with one of his father's concubines, he lost the rights belonging to the first-born son, and those rights were given to Joseph.


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It was the tribe of Judah, however, that became the strongest and provided a ruler for all the tribes.)


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These are the descendants of Joel from generation to generation: Shemaiah, Gog, Shimei, Micah, Reaiah, Baal, and Beerah. The Assyrian emperor, Tiglath Pileser, captured Beerah, a leader of the tribe, and deported him.


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and Bela, the son of Azaz and grandson of Shema, of the clan of Joel. This clan lived in Aroer and in the territory from there north to Nebo and Baal Meon.


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They had large herds in the land of Gilead, and so they occupied the land as far east as the desert that stretches all the way to the Euphrates River.


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In the time of King Saul the tribe of Reuben attacked the Hagrites, killed them in battle, and occupied their land in the eastern part of Gilead.


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The Descendants of Gad
The tribe of Gad lived to the north of Reuben in the land of Bashan as far east as Salecah.


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Joel was the founder of the leading clan, and Shapham of the second most important clan. Janai and Shaphat were founders of other clans in Bashan.


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The other members of the tribe belonged to the following seven clans: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber.


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They were descendants of Abihail son of Huri, whose ancestors were traced back as follows: Abihail, Huri, Jaroah, Gilead, Michael, Jeshishai, Jahdo, Buz.


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They lived in the territory of Bashan and Gilead, in the towns there and all over the pasture lands of Sharon.


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The Armies of the Eastern Tribes
In the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh there were 44,760 soldiers, well-trained in the use of shields, swords, and bows.


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They put their trust in God and prayed to him for help, and God answered their prayers and made them victorious over the Hagrites and their allies.


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They captured from the enemy 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, and 2,000 donkeys, and took 100,000 prisoners of war.


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They killed many of the enemy, because the war was God's will. And they went on living in that territory until the exile.


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The People of East Manasseh
The people of East Manasseh settled in the territory of Bashan as far north as Baal Hermon, Senir, and Mount Hermon, and their population increased greatly.


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The following were the heads of their clans: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were all outstanding soldiers, well-known leaders of their clans.


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The Eastern Tribes Are Deported
But the people were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors and deserted him to worship the gods of the nations whom God had driven out of the land.


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So God caused Emperor Pul of Assyria (also known as Tiglath Pileser) to invade their country. He deported the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh and settled them permanently in Halah, Habor, and Hara, and by the Gozan River.


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Amram had two sons, Aaron and Moses, and one daughter, Miriam.
Aaron had four sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.


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King Nebuchadnezzar deported Jehozadak along with the other people of Judah and Jerusalem whom the Lord sent into exile.


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The Temple Musicians
These are the men whom King David put in charge of the music at the place of worship in Jerusalem after the Covenant Box was moved there.


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They took regular turns of duty at the Tent of the Lord's presence during the time before King Solomon built the Temple.


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The family lines of those who held this office are as follows:
The clan of Kohath: Heman, the leader of the first choir, was the son of Joel. His family line went back to Jacob as follows: Heman, Joel, Samuel,


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Asaph was leader of the second choir. His family line went back to Levi as follows: Asaph, Berechiah, Shimea,


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Ethan of the clan of Merari was the leader of the third choir. His family line went back to Levi as follows: Ethan, Kishi, Abdi, Malluch,


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The Descendants of Aaron
Aaron and his descendants presented the offerings of incense and offered the sacrifices that were burnt on the altar. They were responsible for all the worship in the Most Holy Place and for the sacrifices by which God forgives Israel's sins. They did all this in accordance with the instructions given by Moses, God's servant.


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Where the Levites Lived
This is the territory assigned to the descendants of Aaron of the clan of Kohath. They received the first share of the land assigned to the Levites.


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The fields and villages, however, that belonged to the city were assigned to Caleb son of Jephunneh.


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The following towns were assigned to Aaron's descendants: Hebron, a city of refuge, Jattir, and the towns of Libnah, Eshtemoa, Hilen, Debir, Ashan, and Beth Shemesh, with their pasture lands.


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In the territory of Benjamin they were assigned the following towns with their pasture lands: Geba, Alemeth, and Anathoth. This made a total of thirteen towns for all their families to live in.


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Ten towns in the territory of West Manasseh were assigned by lot to the rest of the clan of Kohath, family by family.


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To the clan of Gershon, family by family, were assigned thirteen towns in the territories of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and East Manasseh in Bashan.


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In the same way, twelve towns in the territories of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun were assigned to the clan of Merari, family by family.


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In this way the people of Israel assigned towns for the Levites to live in, together with the pasture lands around the towns.


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(The towns in the territories of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, mentioned above, were also assigned by drawing lots.)


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Some of the families of the clan of Kohath were assigned towns and pasture lands in the territory of Ephraim:


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In the territory of West Manasseh they were assigned the towns of Aner and Bileam with the surrounding pasture lands.


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The families of the clan of Gershon were assigned the following towns, with the surrounding pasture lands:
In the territory of East Manasseh: Golan in Bashan, and Ashtaroth.


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The remaining families of the clan of Merari were assigned the following towns with the surrounding pasture lands:
In the territory of Zebulun: Rimmono and Tabor.


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Tola had six sons: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel. They were heads of families of the clan of Tola and were famous soldiers. At the time of King David their descendants numbered 22,600.


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Uzzi had one son, Izrahiah. Izrahiah and his four sons, Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah, were all heads of families.


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They had so many wives and children that their descendants were able to provide 36,000 men for military duty.


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The official records of all the families of the tribe of Issachar listed 87,000 men eligible for military duty.


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Bela had five sons: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri. They were heads of families in the clan and were all famous soldiers. Their descendants included 22,034 men eligible for military duty.


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Becher had nine sons: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth.


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Jediael had one son, Bilhan, and Bilhan had seven sons: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar.


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They were heads of families in the clan and were all famous soldiers. Their descendants included 17,200 men eligible for military duty.


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The Descendants of Naphtali
Naphtali had four sons: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum. (They were descendants of Bilhah.)


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The Descendants of Manasseh
By his Aramean concubine, Manasseh had two sons, Asriel and Machir. Machir was the father of Gilead.


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Machir found a wife for Huppim and one for Shuppim. His sister's name was Maacah. Machir's second son was Zelophehad, and he had only daughters.


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Maacah, Machir's wife, gave birth to two sons, whom they named Peresh and Sheresh. Peresh had two sons, Ulam and Rakem,


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and Ulam had a son named Bedan. These are all descendants of Gilead, the son of Machir and grandson of Manasseh.


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The Descendants of Ephraim
These are the descendants of Ephraim from generation to generation: Shuthelah, Bered, Tahath, Eleadah, Tahath,


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Zabad, Shuthelah. Ephraim had two other sons besides Shuthelah: Ezer and Elead, who were killed when they tried to steal the livestock belonging to the native inhabitants of Gath.


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Then he had intercourse with his wife again, and she became pregnant and had a son. They named him Beriah, because of the trouble that had come to their family.


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Ephraim had a daughter named Sheerah. She built the towns of Upper and Lower Beth Horon, and Uzzen Sheerah.


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The territory which they took and settled included Bethel and the towns around it, as far east as Naaran and as far west as Gezer and the towns around it. It also included the cities of Shechem and Ayyah, and the towns around them.


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The descendants of Manasseh controlled the cities of Beth Shan, Taanach, Megiddo, and Dor, and the towns around them.
All these are the places where the descendants of Joseph son of Jacob lived.


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The Descendants of Asher
These are the descendants of Asher. He had four sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah; and one daughter, Serah.


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All of these were descendants of Asher. They were heads of families, famous fighting men, outstanding leaders. Asher's descendants included 26,000 men eligible for military duty.


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The descendants of Ehud were Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera. They were heads of families that lived in Geba, but which were forced out and went to live in Manahath. Gera, the father of Uzza and Ahihud, led them in this move.


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Shaharaim divorced two wives, Hushim and Baara. Later, when he lived in the country of Moab, he married Hodesh and had seven sons: Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam,


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Elpaal had three sons: Eber, Misham, and Shemed. It was Shemed who built the cities of Ono and Lod and the surrounding villages.


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The Benjaminites in Gath and Aijalon
Beriah and Shema were heads of families that settled in the city of Aijalon and drove out the people who lived in the city of Gath.


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The Benjaminites in Gibeon and Jerusalem
Jeiel founded the city of Gibeon and settled there. His wife was named Maacah,


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and Mikloth, the father of Shimeah. Their descendants lived in Jerusalem near other families of their clan.


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The Family of King Saul
Ner was the father of Kish, and Kish was the father of King Saul. Saul had four sons: Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.


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Ahaz was the father of Jehoaddah, who was the father of three sons: Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza,


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Ulam's sons were outstanding soldiers and archers. He had a hundred and fifty sons and grandsons in all. All those named above were members of the tribe of Benjamin.


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The People Who Returned from Captivity
All the people of Israel were listed according to their families, and this information was recorded in The book of the Kings of Israel.
The people of Judah had been deported to Babylon as punishment for their sins.


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The first to return to their property in the cities included Israelite citizens, priests, Levites, and Temple workers.


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There were 690 families of the tribe of Judah who lived in Jerusalem.
The descendants of Judah's son Perez had as their leader Uthai, the son of Ammihud and grandson of Omri. His other ancestors included Imri and Bani.
The descendants of Judah's son Shelah had as their leader Asaiah, who was the head of his family.
The descendants of Judah's son Zerah had Jeuel as their leader.


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The following members of the tribe of Benjamin lived in Jerusalem:
Sallu son of Meshullam, who was the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah
Ibneiah son of Jeroham
Elah, the son of Uzzi and grandson of Michri
Meshullam son of Shephatiah, who was the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah


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The Priests Who Lived in Jerusalem
The following priests lived in Jerusalem:
Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, and Jachin
Azariah son of Hilkiah (the chief official in the Temple), whose ancestors included Meshullam, Zadok, Meraioth, and Ahitub
Adaiah son of Jeroham, whose ancestors included Pashhur and Malchijah
Maasai son of Adiel, whose ancestors included Jahzerah, Meshullam, Meshillemith, and Immer


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The priests who were heads of families totaled 1,760. They were experts in all the work carried on in the Temple.


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The Levites Who Lived in Jerusalem
The following Levites lived in Jerusalem:
Shemaiah son of Hasshub, whose ancestors included Azrikam and Hashabiah, of the clan of Merari
Bakbakkar, Heresh, and Galal
Mattaniah son of Mica, whose ancestors included Zichri and Asaph
Obadiah son of Shemaiah, whose ancestors included Galal and Jeduthun
Berechiah, the son of Asa and grandson of Elkanah, who lived in the territory that belonged to the town of Netophah


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The Temple Guards Who Lived in Jerusalem
The following Temple guards lived in Jerusalem: Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, and Ahiman. Shallum was their leader.


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Down to that time members of their clans had been stationed at the eastern entrance to the King's Gate. Formerly they had stood guard at the gates to the camps of the Levites.


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Shallum, the son of Kore and grandson of Ebiasaph, together with his fellow members of the clan of Korah, was responsible for guarding the entrance to the Tent of the Lord's presence, just as their ancestors had been when they were in charge of the Lord's camp.


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In all, 212 men were chosen as guards for the entrances and gates. They were registered according to the villages where they lived. It was King David and the prophet Samuel who had put their ancestors in these responsible positions.


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There was a gate facing in each direction, north, south, east, and west, and each had a chief guard.


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These guards were assisted by their relatives, who lived in the villages and who had to take turns at guard duty for seven days at a time.


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The four chief guards were Levites and had the final responsibility. They were also responsible for the rooms in the Temple and for the supplies kept there.


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They lived near the Temple, because it was their duty to guard it and to open the gates every morning.


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The Other Levites
Other Levites were responsible for the utensils used in worship. They checked them out and checked them back in every time they were used.


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Others were in charge of the other sacred equipment, and of the flour, wine, olive oil, incense, and spices.


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A Levite named Mattithiah, oldest son of Shallum, of the clan of Korah, was responsible for preparing the baked offerings.


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Members of the clan of Kohath were responsible for preparing the sacred bread for the Temple every Sabbath.


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Some Levite families were responsible for the Temple music. The heads of these families lived in some of the Temple buildings and were free from other duties, because they were on call day and night.


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The men named above were heads of Levite families, according to their ancestral lines. They were the leaders who lived in Jerusalem.


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The Ancestors and Descendants of King Saul
Jeiel founded the city of Gibeon and settled there. His wife was named Maacah.


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Ner was the father of Kish, and Kish was the father of Saul. Saul had four sons: Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.


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Ahaz was the father of Jarah, who was the father of three sons: Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza,


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The Death of King Saul
The Philistines fought a battle against the Israelites on Mount Gilboa. Many Israelites were killed there, and the rest of them, including King Saul and his sons, fled.


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He said to the young man carrying his weapons, “Draw your sword and kill me, to keep these godless Philistines from gloating over me.” But the young man was too terrified to do it. So Saul took his own sword and threw himself on it.


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When the Israelites who lived in Jezreel Valley heard that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and ran off. Then the Philistines came and occupied them.


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The day after the battle the Philistines went to plunder the corpses, and they found the bodies of Saul and his sons lying on Mount Gilboa.


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the bravest men went and got the bodies of Saul and his sons and took them to Jabesh. They buried them there under an oak and fasted for seven days.


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Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He disobeyed the Lord's commands; he tried to find guidance by consulting the spirits of the dead


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instead of consulting the Lord. So the Lord killed him and gave control of the kingdom to David son of Jesse.


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David Becomes King of Israel and Judah
All the people of Israel went to David at Hebron and said to him, “We are your own flesh and blood.


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In the past, even when Saul was still our king, you led the people of Israel in battle, and the Lord your God promised you that you would lead his people and be their ruler.”


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So all the leaders of Israel came to King David at Hebron. He made a sacred alliance with them, they anointed him, and he became king of Israel, just as the Lord had promised through Samuel.


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King David and all the Israelites went and attacked the city of Jerusalem. It was then known as Jebus, and the Jebusites, the original inhabitants of the land, were still living there.


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The Jebusites told David he would never get inside the city, but David captured their fortress of Zion, and it became known as “David's City.”


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David said, “The first man to kill a Jebusite will be commander of the army!” Joab, whose mother was Zeruiah, led the attack and became commander.


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He rebuilt the city, starting at the place where land was filled in on the east side of the hill, and Joab restored the rest of the city.


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David's Famous Soldiers
This is the list of David's famous soldiers. Together with the rest of the people of Israel, they helped him become king, as the Lord had promised, and they kept his kingdom strong.


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First was Jashobeam of the clan of Hachmon, the leader of “The Three.” He fought with his spear against three hundred men and killed them all in one battle.


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He fought on David's side against the Philistines at the battle of Pas Dammim. He was in a barley field when the Israelites started to run away,


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so he and his men took a stand in the middle of the field and fought the Philistines. The Lord gave him a great victory.


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One day three of the thirty leading soldiers went to a rock where David was staying near Adullam Cave, while a band of Philistines was camping in Rephaim Valley.


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David got homesick and said, “How I wish someone would bring me a drink of water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem!”


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and said, “I could never drink this! It would be like drinking the blood of these men who risked their lives!” So he refused to drink it. These were the brave deeds of the three famous soldiers.


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Joab's brother Abishai was the leader of “The Famous Thirty.” He fought with his spear against three hundred men and killed them, and became famous among “The Thirty.”


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Benaiah son of Jehoiada from Kabzeel was a famous soldier; he did many brave deeds, including killing two great Moabite warriors. He once went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.


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He also killed an Egyptian, a huge man seven and a half feet tall, who was armed with a gigantic spear. Benaiah attacked him with a club, snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with it.


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He was outstanding among “The Thirty,” but not as famous as “The Three.” David put him in charge of his bodyguard.


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These are the other outstanding soldiers:
Asahel, Joab's brother
Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem
Shammoth from Harod
Helez from Pelet
Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa
Abiezer from Anathoth
Sibbecai from Hushah
Ilai from Ahoh
Maharai from Netophah
Heled son of Baanah from Netophah
Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin
Benaiah from Pirathon
Hurai from the valleys near Gaash
Abiel from Arbah
Azmaveth from Bahurum
Eliahba from Shaalbon
Hashem from Gizon
Jonathan son of Shagee from Harar
Ahiam son of Sachar from Harar
Eliphal son of Ur
Hepher from Mecherah
Ahijah from Pelon
Hezro from Carmel
Naarai son of Ezbai
Joel brother of Nathan
Mibhar son of Hagri
Zelek from Ammon
Naharai, Joab's armorbearer, from Beeroth
Ira and Gareb from Jattir
Uriah the Hittite
Zabad son of Ahlai
Adina son of Shiza (a leading member of the tribe of Reuben, with his own group of thirty soldiers)
Hanan son of Maacah
Joshaphat from Mithan
Uzzia from Ashterah
Shamma and Jeiel, sons of Hotham, from Aroer
Jediael and Joha, sons of Shimri, from Tiz
Eliel from Mahavah
Jeribai and Joshaviah, sons of Elnaam
Ithmah from Moab
Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel from Zobah


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David's Early Followers from the Tribe of Benjamin
David was living in Ziklag, where he had gone to escape from King Saul. There he was joined by many experienced, reliable soldiers,


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members of the tribe of Benjamin, to which Saul belonged. They could shoot arrows and sling stones either right-handed or left-handed.


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They were under the command of Ahiezer and Joash, sons of Shemaah, from Gibeah.
These were the soldiers:
Jeziel and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth
Beracah and Jehu from Anathoth
Ishmaiah from Gibeon, a famous soldier and one of the leaders of “The Thirty”
Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johannan, and Jozabad, from Gederah
Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah, from Hariph
Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, of the clan of Korah
Joelah and Zebadiah, sons of Jeroham, from Gedor


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David's Followers from the Tribe of Gad
These are the names of the famous, experienced soldiers from the tribe of Gad who joined David's troops when he was at the desert fort. They were experts with shields and spears, as fierce looking as lions and as quick as mountain deer.


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They were ranked in the following order: Ezer, Obadiah, Eliab, Mishmannah, Jeremiah, Attai, Eliel, Johanan, Elzabad, Jeremiah, and Machbannai.


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Some of these men from the tribe of Gad were senior officers in command of a thousand men, and others were junior officers in command of a hundred.


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In the first month of one year, the time when the Jordan River overflowed its banks, they crossed the river, scattering the people who lived in the valleys both east and west of the river.


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Followers from Benjamin and Judah
Once a group of men from the tribes of Benjamin and Judah went out to the fort where David was.


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David went to meet them and said, “If you are coming as friends to help me, you are welcome here. Join us! But if you intend to betray me to my enemies, even though I have not tried to hurt you, the God of our ancestors will know it and punish you.”


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God's spirit took control of one of them, Amasai, who later became the commander of “The Thirty,” and he called out,
“David son of Jesse, we are yours!
Success to you and those who help you!
God is on your side.”
David welcomed them and made them officers in his army.


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Followers from Manasseh
Some soldiers from the tribe of Manasseh went over to David's side when he was marching out with the Philistines to fight King Saul. Actually he did not help the Philistines, for their kings were afraid that he would betray them to his former master Saul, so they sent him back to Ziklag.


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These are the soldiers from Manasseh who went over to David's side when he was returning: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai. In Manasseh they had all commanded units of a thousand men.


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They served David as officers over his troops, because they were all outstanding soldiers. Later they were officers in the Israelite army.


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List of David's Forces
When David was at Hebron, many trained soldiers joined his army to help make him king in place of Saul, as the Lord had promised. Their numbers were as follows:
Judah: 6,800 well-equipped men, armed with shields and spears;
Simeon: 7,100 well-trained men;
Levi: 4,600 men;
Followers of Jehoiada, descendant of Aaron: 3,700 men;
Relatives of Zadok, an able young fighter: 22 leading men;
Benjamin (Saul's own tribe): 3,000 men (most of the people of Benjamin had remained loyal to Saul);
Ephraim: 20,800 men famous in their own clans;
West Manasseh: 18,000 men chosen to go and make David king;
Issachar: 200 leaders, together with the men under their command (these leaders knew what Israel should do and the best time to do it);
Zebulun: 50,000 loyal and reliable men ready to fight, trained to use all kinds of weapons;
Naphtali: 1,000 leaders, together with 37,000 men armed with shields and spears;
Dan: 28,600 trained men;
Asher: 40,000 men ready for battle;
Tribes east of the Jordan—Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh: 120,000 men trained to use all kinds of weapons.


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All these soldiers, ready for battle, went to Hebron, determined to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of the people of Israel were united in the same purpose.


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They spent three days there with David, feasting on the food and drink which their relatives had prepared for them.


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From as far away as the northern tribes of Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, people came bringing donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen loaded with food—flour, figs, raisins, wine, and olive oil. They also brought cattle and sheep to kill and eat. All this was an expression of the joy that was felt throughout the whole country.


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The Covenant Box Is Moved from Kiriath Jearim
King David consulted with all the officers in command of units of a thousand men and units of a hundred men.


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Then he announced to all the people of Israel, “If you give your approval and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us send messengers to the rest of our people and to the priests and Levites in their towns, and tell them to assemble here with us.


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So David assembled the people of Israel from all over the country, from the Egyptian border in the south to Hamath Pass in the north, in order to bring the Covenant Box from Kiriath Jearim to Jerusalem.


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David and the people went to the city of Baalah, that is, to Kiriath Jearim, in the territory of Judah, to get the Covenant Box of God, which bears the name of the Lord enthroned above the winged creatures.


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At Abinadab's house they brought out the Covenant Box and put it on a new cart. Uzzah and Ahio guided the cart,


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while David and all the people danced with all their might to honor God. They sang and played musical instruments—harps, drums, cymbals, and trumpets.


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As they came to the threshing place of Chidon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out and took hold of the Covenant Box.


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At once the Lord became angry with Uzzah and killed him for touching the Box. He died there in God's presence,


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So David did not take it with him to Jerusalem. Instead, he left it at the house of a man named Obed Edom, a native of the city of Gath.


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It stayed there three months, and the Lord blessed Obed Edom's family and everything that belonged to him.


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David's Activities in Jerusalem
King Hiram of Tyre sent a trade mission to David; he provided him with cedar logs and with stonemasons and carpenters to build a palace.


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Victory over the Philistines
When the Philistines heard that David had now been made king over the whole country of Israel, their army went out to capture him. So David marched out to meet them.


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David asked God, “Shall I attack the Philistines? Will you give me the victory?”
The Lord answered, “Yes, attack! I will give you the victory!”


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So David attacked them at Baal Perazim and defeated them. He said, “God has used me to break through the enemy army like a flood.” So that place is called Baal Perazim.


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When the Philistines fled, they left their idols behind, and David gave orders for them to be burned.


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Once more David consulted God, who answered, “Don't attack them from here, but go around and get ready to attack them from the other side, near the balsam trees.


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When you hear the sound of marching in the treetops, then attack, because I will be marching ahead of you to defeat the Philistine army.”


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David did what God had commanded, and so he drove the Philistines back from Gibeon all the way to Gezer.


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Getting Ready to Move the Covenant Box
For his own use, David built houses in David's City. He also prepared a place for God's Covenant Box and put up a tent for it.


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Then he said, “Only Levites should carry the Covenant Box, because they are the ones the Lord chose to carry it and to serve him forever.”


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So David summoned all the people of Israel to Jerusalem in order to bring the Covenant Box to the place he had prepared for it.


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David called in the priests Zadok and Abiathar and the six Levites, Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.


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He said to the Levites, “You are the leaders of the Levite clans. Purify yourselves and your fellow Levites, so that you can bring the Covenant Box of the Lord God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it.


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Because you were not there to carry it the first time, the Lord our God punished us for not worshiping him as we should have done.”


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Then the priests and the Levites purified themselves in order to move the Covenant Box of the Lord God of Israel.


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David commanded the leaders of the Levites to assign various Levites to sing and to play joyful music on harps and cymbals.


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From the clans of singers they chose the following men to play the brass cymbals: Heman son of Joel, his relative Asaph son of Berechiah, and Ethan son of Kushaiah, of the clan of Merari. To assist them they chose the following Levites to play the high-pitched harps: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah.
To play the low-pitched harps they chose the following Levites: Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Azaziah, and the Temple guards, Obed Edom and Jeiel.


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Berechiah and Elkanah, along with Obed Edom and Jehiah, were chosen as guards for the Covenant Box. The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer were chosen to blow trumpets in front of the Covenant Box.


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Moving the Covenant Box to Jerusalem
So King David, the leaders of Israel, and the military commanders went to the house of Obed Edom to get the Covenant Box, and they had a great celebration.


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They sacrificed seven bulls and seven sheep, to make sure that God would help the Levites who were carrying the Covenant Box.


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David was wearing a robe made of the finest linen, and so were the musicians, Chenaniah their leader, and the Levites who carried the Box. David also wore a linen ephod.


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So all the Israelites accompanied the Covenant Box up to Jerusalem with shouts of joy, the sound of trumpets, horns, and cymbals, and the music of harps.


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As the Box was being brought into the city, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked out of the window and saw King David dancing and leaping for joy, and she was disgusted with him.


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They took the Covenant Box to the tent which David had prepared for it and put it inside. Then they offered sacrifices and fellowship offerings to God.


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and distributed food to them all. He gave each man and woman in Israel a loaf of bread, a piece of roasted meat, and some raisins.


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David appointed some of the Levites to lead the worship of the Lord, the God of Israel, in front of the Covenant Box, by singing and praising him.


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Asaph was appointed leader, with Zechariah as his assistant. Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed Edom, and Jeiel were to play harps. Asaph was to sound the cymbals,


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and two priests, Benaiah and Jahaziel, were to blow trumpets regularly in front of the Covenant Box.


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It was then that David first gave Asaph and the other Levites the responsibility for singing praises to the Lord.


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A Song of Praise
Give thanks to the Lord, proclaim his greatness;
tell the nations what he has done.


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You descendants of Jacob, God's servant,
descendants of Israel, whom God chose,
remember the miracles that God performed
and the judgments that he gave.


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Praise the Lord's glorious name;
bring an offering and come into his Temple.
Bow down before the Holy One when he appears;


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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;tremble before him, all the earth!
The earth is set firmly in place and cannot be moved.


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Say to him, “Save us, O God our Savior;
gather us together; rescue us from the nations,
so that we may be thankful
and praise your holy name.”


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Praise the Lord, the God of Israel!
Praise him now and forever!
Then all the people said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord.


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Worship at Jerusalem and Gibeon
King David put Asaph and the other Levites in permanent charge of the worship that was held at the place where the Covenant Box was kept. They were to perform their duties there day by day.


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Obed Edom son of Jeduthun and sixty-eight men of his clan were to assist them. Hosah and Obed Edom were in charge of guarding the gates.


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Zadok the priest and his fellow priests, however, were in charge of the worship of the Lord at the place of worship in Gibeon.


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Every morning and evening they were to burn sacrifices whole on the altar in accordance with what was written in the Law which the Lord gave to Israel.


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There with them were Heman and Jeduthun and the others who were specifically chosen to sing praises to the Lord for his eternal love.


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Heman and Jeduthun also had charge of the trumpets and cymbals and the other instruments which were played when the songs of praise were sung. The members of Jeduthun's clan were in charge of guarding the gates.


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Nathan's Message to David
King David was now living in his palace. One day he sent for the prophet Nathan and said to him, “Here I am living in a house built of cedar, but the Lord's Covenant Box is kept in a tent!”


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From the time I rescued the people of Israel from Egypt until now I have never lived in a temple; I have always lived in tents and moved from place to place.


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I have chosen a place for my people Israel and have settled them there, where they will live without being oppressed any more. Ever since they entered this land they have been attacked by violent people, but this will not happen again. I promise to defeat all your enemies and to give you descendants.


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I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will not withdraw my support from him as I did from Saul, whom I removed so that you could be king.


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David's Prayer of Thanksgiving
Then King David went into the Tent of the Lord's presence, sat down, and prayed, “I am not worthy of what you have already done for me, Lord God, nor is my family.


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Yet now you are doing even more; you have made promises about my descendants in the years to come, and you, Lord God, are already treating me like someone great.


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There is no other nation on earth like Israel, whom you rescued from slavery to make them your own people. The great and wonderful things you did for them spread your fame throughout the world. You rescued your people from Egypt and drove out other nations as your people advanced.


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“And now, O Lord, fulfill for all time the promise you made about me and my descendants, and do what you said you would.


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I have the courage to pray this prayer to you, my God, because you have revealed all this to me, your servant, and have told me that you will make my descendants kings.


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I ask you to bless my descendants so that they will continue to enjoy your favor. You, Lord, have blessed them, and your blessing will rest on them forever.”


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David's Military Victories
Some time later King David attacked the Philistines again and defeated them. He took out of their control the city of Gath and its surrounding villages.


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Next, David attacked King Hadadezer of the Syrian state of Zobah, near the territory of Hamath, because Hadadezer was trying to gain control of the territory by the upper Euphrates River.


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David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand cavalry troops, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He kept enough horses for a hundred chariots and crippled all the rest.


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He also took a great quantity of bronze from Tibhath and Kun, cities ruled by Hadadezer. (Solomon later used this bronze to make the tank, the columns, and the bronze utensils for the Temple.)


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So he sent his son Joram to greet King David and congratulate him for his victory over Hadadezer, against whom Toi had fought many times. Joram brought David presents made of gold, silver, and bronze.


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King David dedicated them for use in worship, along with the silver and gold he took from the nations he conquered—Edom, Moab, Ammon, Philistia, and Amalek.


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Abishai, whose mother was Zeruiah, defeated the Edomites in Salt Valley and killed eighteen thousand of them.


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He set up military camps throughout Edom, and the people there became King David's subjects. The Lord made David victorious everywhere.


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Abishai's brother Joab was commander of the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was in charge of the records;


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Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of David's bodyguards; and King David's sons held high positions in his service.


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King David said, “I must show loyal friendship to Hanun, as his father Nahash did to me.” So David sent messengers to express his sympathy.
When they arrived in Ammon and called on King Hanun,


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the Ammonite leaders said to the king, “Do you think that it is in your father's honor that David has sent these men to express sympathy to you? Of course not! He has sent them here as spies to explore the land, so that he can conquer it!”


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Hanun seized David's messengers, shaved off their beards, cut off their clothes at the hips, and sent them away.


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They were too ashamed to return home. When David heard what had happened, he sent word for them to stay in Jericho and not return until their beards had grown again.


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King Hanun and the Ammonites realized that they had made David their enemy, so they paid nearly forty tons of silver to hire chariots and charioteers from Upper Mesopotamia and from the Syrian states of Maacah and Zobah.


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The thirty-two thousand chariots they hired and the army of the king of Maacah came and camped near Medeba. The Ammonites too came out from all their cities and got ready to fight.


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The Ammonites marched out and took up their position at the entrance to Rabbah, their capital city, and the kings who had come to help took up their position in the open countryside.


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Be strong and courageous! Let's fight hard for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the Lord's will be done.”


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When the Ammonites saw the Syrians running away, they fled from Abishai and retreated into the city. Then Joab went back to Jerusalem.


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The Syrians realized that they had been defeated by the Israelites, so they brought troops from the Syrian states on the east side of the Euphrates River and placed them under the command of Shobach, commander of the army of King Hadadezer of Zobah.


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When David heard of it, he gathered the Israelite troops, crossed the Jordan River, and put them in position facing the Syrians. The fighting began,


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and the Israelites drove the Syrian army back. David and his men killed seven thousand Syrian chariot drivers and forty thousand foot soldiers. They also killed the Syrian commander, Shobach.


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When the kings who were subject to Hadadezer realized that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became his subjects. The Syrians were never again willing to help the Ammonites.


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David Captures Rabbah
The following spring, at the time of the year when kings usually go to war, Joab led out the army and invaded the land of Ammon; King David, however, stayed in Jerusalem. They besieged the city of Rabbah, attacked it, and destroyed it.


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The Ammonite idol Molech had a gold crown which weighed about seventy-five pounds. In it there was a jewel, which David took and put in his own crown. He also took a large amount of loot from the city.


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He took the people of the city and put them to work with saws, iron hoes, and axes. He did the same to the people of all the other towns of Ammon. Then he and his men returned to Jerusalem.


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Battles against Philistine Giants
Later on, war broke out again with the Philistines at Gezer. This was when Sibbecai from Hushah killed a giant named Sippai, and the Philistines were defeated.


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There was another battle with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath from Gath, whose spear had a shaft as thick as the bar on a weaver's loom.


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Another battle took place at Gath, where there was a giant with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. He was a descendant of the ancient giants.


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David Takes a Census
Satan wanted to bring trouble on the people of Israel, so he made David decide to take a census.


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David gave orders to Joab and the other officers, “Go through Israel, from one end of the country to the other, and count the people. I want to know how many there are.”


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Joab answered, “May the Lord make the people of Israel a hundred times more numerous than they are now! Your Majesty, they are all your servants. Why do you want to do this and make the whole nation guilty?”


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But the king made Joab obey the order. Joab went out, traveled through the whole country of Israel, and then returned to Jerusalem.


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He reported to King David the total number of men capable of military service: 1,100,000 in Israel and 470,000 in Judah.


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Because Joab disapproved of the king's command, he did not take any census of the tribes of Levi and Benjamin.


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David said to God, “I have committed a terrible sin in doing this! Please forgive me. I have acted foolishly.”


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Three years of famine? Or three months of running away from the armies of your enemies? Or three days during which the Lord attacks you with his sword and sends an epidemic on your land, using his angel to bring death throughout Israel? What answer shall I give the Lord?”


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David replied to Gad, “I am in a desperate situation! But I don't want to be punished by people. Let the Lord himself be the one to punish me, because he is merciful.”


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Then he sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem, but he changed his mind and said to the angel, “Stop! That's enough!” The angel was standing by the threshing place of Araunah, a Jebusite.


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David saw the angel standing in midair, holding his sword in his hand, ready to destroy Jerusalem. Then David and the leaders of the people—all of whom were wearing sackcloth—bowed low, with their faces touching the ground.


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David prayed, “O God, I am the one who did wrong. I am the one who ordered the census. What have these poor people done? Lord, my God, punish me and my family, and spare your people.”


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The angel of the Lord told Gad to command David to go and build an altar to the Lord at Araunah's threshing place.


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There at the threshing place Araunah and his four sons were threshing wheat, and when they saw the angel, the sons ran and hid.


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As soon as Araunah saw King David approaching, he left the threshing place and bowed low, with his face touching the ground.


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David said to him, “Sell me your threshing place, so that I can build an altar to the Lord, to stop the epidemic. I'll give you the full price.”


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“Take it, Your Majesty,” Araunah said, “and do whatever you wish. Here are these oxen to burn as an offering on the altar, and here are the threshing boards to use as fuel, and wheat to give as an offering. I give it all to you.”


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But the king answered, “No, I will pay you the full price. I will not give as an offering to the Lord something that belongs to you, something that costs me nothing.”


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He built an altar to the Lord there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He prayed, and the Lord answered him by sending fire from heaven to burn the sacrifices on the altar.


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David saw by this that the Lord had answered his prayer, so he offered sacrifices on the altar at Araunah's threshing place.


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The Tent of the Lord's presence which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar on which sacrifices were burned were still at the place of worship at Gibeon at this time;


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but David was not able to go there to worship God, because he was afraid of the sword of the Lord's angel.


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So David said, “This is where the Temple of the Lord God will be. Here is the altar where the people of Israel are to offer burnt offerings.”


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Preparations for Building the Temple
King David gave orders for all the foreigners living in the land of Israel to assemble, and he put them to work. Some of them prepared stone blocks for building the Temple.


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He supplied a large amount of iron for making nails and clamps for the wooden gates, and so much bronze that no one could weigh it.


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David thought, “The Temple that my son Solomon is to build must be splendid and world-famous. But he is young and inexperienced, so I must make preparations for it.” So David got large amounts of the materials ready before he died.


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But the Lord told me that I had killed too many people and fought too many wars. And so, because of all the bloodshed I have caused, he would not let me build a temple for him.


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He did, however, make me a promise. He said, ‘You will have a son who will rule in peace, because I will give him peace from all his enemies. His name will be Solomon, because during his reign I will give Israel peace and security.


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He will build a temple for me. He will be my son, and I will be his father. His dynasty will rule Israel forever.’”


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David continued, “Now, son, may the Lord your God be with you, and may he keep his promise to make you successful in building a temple for him.


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And may the Lord your God give you insight and wisdom so that you may govern Israel according to his Law.


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If you obey all the laws which the Lord gave to Moses for Israel, you will be successful. Be determined and confident, and don't let anything make you afraid.


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As for the Temple, by my efforts I have accumulated almost four thousand tons of gold and nearly forty thousand tons of silver to be used in building it. Besides that, there is an unlimited supply of bronze and iron. I also have wood and stone ready, but you must get more.


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You have many workers. There are stonecutters to work in the quarries, and there are masons and carpenters, as well as a large number of skilled workers of every sort who can work


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He said, “The Lord your God has been with you and given you peace on all sides. He let me conquer all the people who used to live in this land, and they are now subject to you and to the Lord.


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contenido:
Now serve the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. Start building the Temple, so that you can place in it the Covenant Box of the Lord and all the other sacred objects used in worshiping him.”


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contenido:
The Work of the Levites
King David brought together all the Israelite leaders and all the priests and Levites.


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contenido:
The king assigned twenty-four thousand to administer the work of the Temple, six thousand to keep records and decide disputes,


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contenido:
four thousand to do guard duty, and four thousand to praise the Lord, using the musical instruments provided by the king for this purpose.


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contenido:
who were the heads of the clans descended from Ladan. (Shimei had three sons: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran.)


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contenido:
Shimei had four sons: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah, in order of age. Jeush and Beriah did not have many descendants, so they were counted as one clan.


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contenido:
His oldest son, Amram, was the father of Aaron and Moses. (Aaron and his descendants were set apart to be in charge of the sacred objects forever, to burn incense in the worship of the Lord, to serve him, and to bless the people in his name.


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but Eleazar died without having any sons, only daughters. His daughters married their cousins, the sons of Kish.


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These were the descendants of Levi, by clans and families, every one of them registered by name. Each of his descendants, twenty years of age or older, had a share in the work of the Lord's Temple.


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contenido:
David said, “The Lord God of Israel has given peace to his people, and he himself will live in Jerusalem forever.


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contenido:
So there is no longer any need for the Levites to carry the Tent of the Lord's presence and all the equipment used in worship.”


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contenido:
On the basis of David's final instructions all Levites were registered for service when they reached the age of twenty,


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contenido:
and were assigned the following duties: to help the priests descended from Aaron with the Temple worship, to take care of its courtyards and its rooms, and to keep undefiled everything that is sacred;


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contenido:
to be responsible for the bread offered to God, the flour used in offerings, the wafers made without yeast, the baked offerings, and the flour mixed with olive oil; to weigh and measure the Temple offerings;


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contenido:
and whenever offerings to the Lord are burned on the Sabbath, the New Moon Festival, and other festivals. Rules were made specifying the number of Levites assigned to do this work each time. The Levites were assigned the duty of worshiping the Lord for all time.


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They were given the responsibility of taking care of the Tent of the Lord's presence and the Temple, and of assisting their relatives, the priests descended from Aaron, in the Temple worship.


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contenido:
The Work Assigned to the Priests
These are the groups to which the descendants of Aaron belong. Aaron had four sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.


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contenido:
Nadab and Abihu died before their father did, and left no descendants, so their brothers Eleazar and Ithamar became priests.


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contenido:
King David organized the descendants of Aaron into groups according to their duties. He was assisted in this by Zadok, a descendant of Eleazar, and by Ahimelech, a descendant of Ithamar.


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contenido:
The descendants of Eleazar were organized into sixteen groups, while the descendants of Ithamar were organized into eight; this was done because there were more male heads of families among the descendants of Eleazar.


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contenido:
Since there were Temple officials and spiritual leaders among the descendants of both Eleazar and Ithamar, assignments were made by drawing lots.


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The descendants of Eleazar and of Ithamar took turns drawing lots. Then they were registered by Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite secretary. The king, his officials, the priest Zadok, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the heads of the priestly families and of the Levite families, were all witnesses.


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This is the order in which the twenty-four family groups were given their assignments: 1) Jehoiarib; 2) Jedaiah; 3) Harim; 4) Seorim; 5) Malchijah; 6) Mijamin; 7) Hakkoz; 8) Abijah; 9) Jeshua; 10) Shecaniah; 11) Eliashib; 12) Jakim; 13) Huppah; 14) Jeshebeab; 15) Bilgah; 16) Immer; 17) Hezir; 18) Happizzez; 19) Pethahiah; 20) Jehezkel; 21) Jachin; 22) Gamul; 23) Delaiah; 24) Maaziah.


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These men were registered according to their assignments for going to the Temple and performing the duties established by their ancestor Aaron in obedience to the commands of the Lord God of Israel.


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The List of the Levites
These are other heads of families descended from Levi:
Jehdeiah, a descendant of Amram through Shebuel;


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contenido:
The head of each family and one of his younger brothers drew lots for their assignments, just as their relatives, the priests descended from Aaron, had done. King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of families of the priests and of the Levites were witnesses.


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contenido:
The Temple Musicians
King David and the leaders of the Levites chose the following Levite clans to lead the worship services: Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun. They were to proclaim God's messages, accompanied by the music of harps and cymbals. This is the list of persons chosen to lead the worship, with the type of service that each group performed:


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The four sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah. They were under the direction of Asaph, who proclaimed God's messages whenever the king commanded.


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The six sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah. Under the direction of their father they proclaimed God's message, accompanied by the music of harps, and sang praise and thanks to the Lord.


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The fourteen sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth.


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God gave to Heman, the king's prophet, these fourteen sons and also three daughters, as he had promised, in order to give power to Heman.


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All of his sons played cymbals and harps under their father's direction, to accompany the Temple worship. And Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under orders from the king.


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All these twenty-four men were experts; and their fellow Levites were trained musicians. There were 288 men in all.


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To determine the assignment of duties they all drew lots, whether they were young or old, experts or beginners.


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These 288 men were divided according to families into twenty-four groups of twelve, with a leader in charge of each group. This is the order in which they were on duty: 1) Joseph of the family of Asaph; 2) Gedaliah; 3) Zaccur; 4) Zeri; 5) Nethaniah; 6) Bukkiah; 7) Asharelah; 8) Jeshaiah; 9) Mattaniah; 10) Shimei; 11) Uzziel; 12) Hashabiah; 13) Shebuel; 14) Mattithiah; 15) Jerimoth; 16) Hananiah; 17) Joshbekashah; 18) Hanani; 19) Mallothi; 20) Eliathah; 21) Hothir; 22) Giddalti; 23) Mahazioth; 24) Romamti Ezer.


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The Temple Guards
These are the assignments of work for the Levites who served as Temple guards. From the clan of Korah there was Meshelemiah son of Kore, of the family of Asaph.


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There was also Obed Edom, whom God blessed by giving him eight sons, listed in order of age: Shemaiah, Jehozabad, Joah, Sachar, Nethanel,


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Obed Edom's oldest son, Shemaiah, had six sons: Othni, Rephael, Obed, Elzabad, Elihu, and Semachiah. They were important men in their clan because of their great ability; the last two were especially talented.


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From the clan of Merari there was Hosah, who had four sons: Shimri (his father made him the leader, even though he was not the oldest son),


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Hilkiah, Tebaliah, and Zechariah. In all there were thirteen members of Hosah's family who were Temple guards.


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The Temple guards were divided into groups, according to families, and they were assigned duties in the Temple, just as the other Levites were.


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Shelemiah drew the east gate, and his son Zechariah, a man who always gave good advice, drew the north gate.


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Shuppim and Hosah were allotted the west gate and the Shallecheth Gate on the upper road. Guard duty was divided into assigned periods, one after another.


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On the east, six guards were on duty each day, on the north, four, and on the south, four. Four guards were stationed at the storerooms daily, two at each storeroom.


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Other Temple Duties
Others of their fellow Levites were in charge of the Temple treasury and the storerooms for gifts dedicated to God.


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Ladan, one of the sons of Gershon, was the ancestor of several family groups, including the family of his son Jehiel.


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Shebuel, of the clan of Moses' son Gershom, was the chief official responsible for the Temple treasury.


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Through Gershom's brother Eliezer he was related to Shelomith. Eliezer was the father of Rehabiah, who was the father of Jeshaiah, the father of Joram, the father of Zichri, the father of Shelomith.


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Shelomith and the members of his family were in charge of all the gifts dedicated to God by King David, the heads of families, leaders of clan groups, and army officers.


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Shelomith and his family were in charge of everything that had been dedicated for use in the Temple, including the gifts brought by the prophet Samuel, by King Saul, by Abner son of Ner, and by Joab son of Zeruiah.


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Duties of Other Levites
Among the descendants of Izhar, Chenaniah and his sons were assigned administrative duties: keeping records and settling disputes for the people of Israel.


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Among the descendants of Hebron, Hashabiah and seventeen hundred of his relatives, all outstanding men, were put in charge of the administration of all religious and civil matters in Israel west of the Jordan River.


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Jeriah was the leader of the descendants of Hebron. In the fortieth year that David was king, an investigation was made of the family line of Hebron's descendants, and outstanding soldiers belonging to this family were found living at Jazer in the territory of Gilead.


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King David chose twenty-seven hundred outstanding heads of families from Jeriah's relatives and put them in charge of administering all religious and civil matters in Israel east of the Jordan River—the territories of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh.


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Military and Civil Organization
This is the list of the Israelite heads of families and clan leaders and their officials who administered the work of the kingdom. Each month of the year a different group of twenty-four thousand men was on duty under the commander for that month.


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The following were the commanders for each month:
First month: Jashobeam son of Zabdiel (he was a member of the clan of Perez, a part of the tribe of Judah)
Second month: Dodai, a descendant of Ahohi (Mikloth was his second in command)
Third month: Benaiah son of Jehoiada the priest; he was the leader of “The Thirty” (his son Ammizabad succeeded him as commander of this group)
Fourth month: Asahel, brother of Joab (his son Zebadiah succeeded him)
Fifth month: Shamhuth, a descendant of Izhar
Sixth month: Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa
Seventh month: Helez, an Ephraimite from Pelon
Eighth month: Sibbecai from Hushah (he was a member of the clan of Zerah, a part of the tribe of Judah)
Ninth month: Abiezer from Anathoth in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin
Tenth month: Maharai from Netophah (he was a member of the clan of Zerah)
Eleventh month: Benaiah from Pirathon in the territory of the tribe of Ephraim
Twelfth month: Heldai from Netophah (he was a descendant of Othniel)


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Administration of the Tribes of Israel
This is the list of the administrators of the tribes of Israel:
Tribe
Administrator
Reuben
Eliezer son of Zichri
Simeon
Shephatiah son of Maacah
Levi
Hashabiah son of Kemuel
Aaron
Zadok
Judah
Elihu, one of King David's brothers
Issachar
Omri son of Michael
Zebulun
Ishmaiah son of Obadiah
Naphtali
Jeremoth son of Azriel
Ephraim
Hoshea son of Azaziah
West Manasseh
Joel son of Pedaiah
East Manasseh
Iddo son of Zechariah
Benjamin
Jaasiel son of Abner
Dan
Azarel son of Jeroham


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King David did not take a census of the people who were under the age of twenty, because of the Lord's promise to make the people of Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky.


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Joab, whose mother was Zeruiah, began to take a census, but he did not complete it. God punished Israel because of this census, so the final figures were never recorded in King David's official records.


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Administrators of the Royal Property
This is the list of those who administered the royal property:
Royal storerooms: Azmaveth son of Adiel
Local storerooms: Jonathan son of Uzziah
Farm labor: Ezri son of Chelub
Vineyards: Shimei from Ramah
Wine cellars: Zabdi from Shepham
Olive and sycamore trees (in the western foothills): Baal Hanan from Geder
Olive oil storage: Joash
Cattle in the Plain of Sharon: Shitrai from Sharon
Cattle in the valleys: Shaphat son of Adlai
Camels: Obil, an Ishmaelite
Donkeys: Jehdeiah from Meronoth
Sheep and goats: Jaziz, a Hagrite


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David's Personal Advisers
Jonathan, King David's uncle, was a skillful adviser and a scholar. He and Jehiel son of Hachmoni were in charge of the education of the king's sons.


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After Ahithophel died, Abiathar and Jehoiada son of Benaiah became advisers. Joab was commander of the royal army.


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David's Instructions for the Temple
King David commanded all the officials of Israel to assemble in Jerusalem. So all the officials of the tribes, the officials who administered the work of the kingdom, the leaders of the clans, the supervisors of the property and livestock that belonged to the king and his sons—indeed all the palace officials, leading soldiers, and important men—gathered in Jerusalem.


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David stood before them and addressed them: “My friends, listen to me. I wanted to build a permanent home for the Covenant Box, the footstool of the Lord our God. I have made preparations for building a temple to honor him,


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The Lord, the God of Israel, chose me and my descendants to rule Israel forever. He chose the tribe of Judah to provide leadership, and out of Judah he chose my father's family. From all that family it was his pleasure to take me and make me king over all Israel.


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“The Lord said to me, ‘Your son Solomon is the one who will build my Temple. I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.


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I will make his kingdom last forever if he continues to obey carefully all my laws and commands as he does now.’


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“So now, my people, in the presence of our God and of this assembly of all Israel, the Lord's people, I charge you to obey carefully everything that the Lord our God has commanded us, so that you may continue to possess this good land and so that you may hand it on to succeeding generations forever.”


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And to Solomon he said, “My son, I charge you to acknowledge your father's God and to serve him with an undivided heart and a willing mind. He knows all our thoughts and desires. If you go to him, he will accept you; but if you turn away from him, he will abandon you forever.


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You must realize that the Lord has chosen you to build his holy Temple. Now do it—and do it with determination.”


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David gave Solomon the plans for all the Temple buildings, for the storerooms and all the other rooms, and for the Most Holy Place, where sins are forgiven.


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He also gave him the plans for all he had in mind for the courtyards and the rooms around them, and for the storerooms for the Temple equipment and the gifts dedicated to the Lord.


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David also gave him the plans for organizing the priests and Levites to perform their duties, to do the work of the Temple, and to take care of all the Temple utensils.


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for the silver tables, and for each gold table on which were placed the loaves of bread offered to God.


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He also gave instructions as to how much pure gold was to be used in making forks, bowls, and jars, how much silver and gold in making dishes,


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and how much pure gold in making the altar on which incense was burned and in making the chariot for the winged creatures that spread their wings over the Lord's Covenant Box.


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King David said, “All this is contained in the plan written according to the instructions which the Lord himself gave me to carry out.”


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King David said to his son Solomon, “Be confident and determined. Start the work and don't let anything stop you. The Lord God, whom I serve, will be with you. He will not abandon you, but he will stay with you until you finish the work to be done on his Temple.


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The priests and the Levites have been assigned duties to perform in the Temple. Workers with every kind of skill are eager to help you, and all the people and their leaders are at your command.”


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Gifts for Building the Temple
King David announced to the whole assembly: “My son Solomon is the one whom God has chosen, but he is still young and lacks experience. The work to be done is tremendous, because this is not a palace for people but a temple for the Lord God.


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I have made every effort to prepare materials for the Temple—gold, silver, bronze, iron, timber, precious stones and gems, stones for mosaics, and quantities of marble.


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Over and above all this that I have provided, I have given silver and gold from my personal property because of my love for God's Temple.


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I have given 115 tons of the finest gold and 265 tons of pure silver for decorating the walls of the Temple


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and for all the objects which the skilled workers are to make. Now who else is willing to give a generous offering to the Lord?”


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Then the heads of the clans, the officials of the tribes, the commanders of the army, and the administrators of the royal property volunteered to give


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the following for the work on the Temple: 190 tons of gold, 380 tons of silver, 675 tons of bronze, and 3,750 tons of iron.


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Those who had precious stones gave them to the Temple treasury, which was administered by Jehiel of the Levite clan of Gershon.


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The people had given willingly to the Lord, and they were happy that so much had been given. King David also was extremely happy.


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David Praises God
There in front of the whole assembly King David praised the Lord. He said, “Lord God of our ancestor Jacob, may you be praised forever and ever!


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You are great and powerful, glorious, splendid, and majestic. Everything in heaven and earth is yours, and you are king, supreme ruler over all.


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All riches and wealth come from you; you rule everything by your strength and power; and you are able to make anyone great and strong.


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“Yet my people and I cannot really give you anything, because everything is a gift from you, and we have only given back what is yours already.


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You know, O Lord, that we pass through life like exiles and strangers, as our ancestors did. Our days are like a passing shadow, and we cannot escape death.


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O Lord, our God, we have brought together all this wealth to build a temple to honor your holy name, but it all came from you and all belongs to you.


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I know that you test everyone's heart and are pleased with people of integrity. In honesty and sincerity I have willingly given all this to you, and I have seen how your people who are gathered here have been happy to bring offerings to you.


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Lord God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, keep such devotion forever strong in your people's hearts and keep them always faithful to you.


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Give my son Solomon a wholehearted desire to obey everything that you command and to build the Temple for which I have made these preparations.”


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Then David commanded the people, “Praise the Lord your God!” And the whole assembly praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they bowed low and gave honor to the Lord and also to the king.


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The following day they killed animals as sacrifices, dedicating them to the Lord, and then gave them to the people to eat. In addition, they sacrificed a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, which they burned whole on the altar. They also brought the offerings of wine.


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So that day they were very happy as they ate and drank in the presence of the Lord.
For a second time they proclaimed Solomon king. In the name of the Lord they anointed him as their ruler and Zadok as priest.


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So Solomon succeeded his father David on the throne which the Lord had established. He was a successful king, and the whole nation of Israel obeyed him.


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All the officials and soldiers, and even all of David's other sons, promised to be loyal to Solomon as king.


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The Lord made the whole nation stand in awe of Solomon, and he made him more glorious than any other king that had ruled Israel.


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The history of King David from beginning to end is recorded in the records of the three prophets, Samuel, Nathan, and Gad.


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The records tell how he ruled, how powerful he was, and all the things that happened to him, to Israel, and to the surrounding kingdoms.


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contenido:
King Solomon Prays for Wisdom
Solomon, the son of King David, took firm control of the kingdom of Israel, and the Lord his God blessed him and made him very powerful.


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King Solomon gave an order to all the officers in charge of units of a thousand men and of a hundred men, all the government officials, all the heads of families, and all the rest of the people,


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commanding them to go with him to the place of worship at Gibeon. They went there because that was where the Tent of the Lord's presence was located, which Moses, the Lord's servant, had made in the wilderness.


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(The Covenant Box, however, was in Jerusalem, kept in a tent which King David had set up when he brought the Box from Kiriath Jearim.)


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The bronze altar which had been made by Bezalel, the son of Uri and grandson of Hur, was also in Gibeon in front of the Tent of the Lord's presence. King Solomon and all the people worshiped the Lord there.


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In front of the Tent the king worshiped the Lord by offering sacrifices on the bronze altar; he had a thousand animals killed and burned whole on it.


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Solomon answered, “You always showed great love for my father David, and now you have let me succeed him as king.


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O Lord God, fulfill the promise you made to my father. You have made me king over a people who are so many that they cannot be counted,


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so give me the wisdom and knowledge I need to rule over them. Otherwise, how would I ever be able to rule this great people of yours?”


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God replied to Solomon, “You have made the right choice. Instead of asking for wealth or treasure or fame or the death of your enemies or even for long life for yourself, you have asked for wisdom and knowledge so that you can rule my people, over whom I have made you king.


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I will give you wisdom and knowledge. And in addition, I will give you more wealth, treasure, and fame than any king has ever had before or will ever have again.”


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King Solomon's Power and Wealth
So Solomon left the place of worship at Gibeon, where the Tent of the Lord's presence was, and returned to Jerusalem. There he ruled over Israel.


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contenido:
He built up a force of fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand cavalry horses. Some of them he kept in Jerusalem, and the rest he stationed in various other cities.


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During his reign silver and gold became as common in Jerusalem as stone, and cedar was as plentiful as ordinary sycamore in the foothills of Judah.


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Preparations for Building the Temple
King Solomon decided to build a temple where the Lord would be worshiped, and also to build a palace for himself.


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He put 70,000 men to work transporting materials, and 80,000 to work cutting stone in the hill country. There were 3,600 others responsible for supervising the work.


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contenido:
Solomon sent a message to King Hiram of Tyre: “Do business with me as you did with my father, King David, when you sold him cedar logs for building his palace.


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I am building a temple to honor the Lord my God. It will be a holy place where my people and I will worship him by burning incense of fragrant spices, where we will present offerings of sacred bread to him continuously, and where we will offer burnt offerings every morning and evening, as well as on Sabbaths, New Moon Festivals, and other holy days honoring the Lord our God. He has commanded Israel to do this forever.


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Yet no one can really build a temple for God, because even all the vastness of heaven cannot contain him. How then can I build a temple that would be anything more than a place to burn incense to God?


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Now send me a man with skill in engraving, in working gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in making blue, purple, and red cloth. He will work with the craftsmen of Judah and Jerusalem whom my father David selected.


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I know how skillful your lumbermen are, so send me cedar, cypress, and juniper logs from Lebanon. I am ready to send my men to assist yours


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in preparing large quantities of timber, because this temple I intend to build will be large and magnificent.


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As provisions for your lumbermen, I will send you 100,000 bushels of wheat, 100,000 bushels of barley, 110,000 gallons of wine, and 110,000 gallons of olive oil.”


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contenido:
King Hiram sent Solomon a letter in reply. He wrote, “Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you their king.


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Praise the Lord God of Israel, Creator of heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, full of understanding and skill, who now plans to build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself.


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His mother was a member of the tribe of Dan and his father was a native of Tyre. He knows how to make things out of gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood. He can work with blue, purple, and red cloth, and with linen. He can do all sorts of engraving and can follow any design suggested to him. Let him work with your skilled workers and with those who worked for your father, King David.


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contenido:
In the mountains of Lebanon we will cut down all the cedars you need, tie them together in rafts, and float them by sea as far as Joppa. From there you can take them to Jerusalem.”


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Construction of the Temple Begins
King Solomon took a census of all the foreigners living in the land of Israel, similar to the census his father David had taken. There were 153,600 resident foreigners.


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He assigned 70,000 of them to transport materials and 80,000 to cut stones in the mountains, and appointed 3,600 supervisors to make sure the work was done.


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King David, Solomon's father, had already prepared a place for the Temple. It was in Jerusalem, on Mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared to David, at the place which Araunah the Jebusite had used as a threshing place. King Solomon began the construction


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The entrance room was the full width of the Temple, 30 feet, and was 180 feet high. The inside of the room was overlaid with pure gold.


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The main room was paneled with cedar and overlaid with fine gold, in which were worked designs of palm trees and chain patterns.


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The king decorated the Temple with beautiful precious stones and with gold imported from the land of Parvaim.


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He used the gold to overlay the Temple walls, the rafters, the entryways, and the doors. On the walls the workers carved designs of winged creatures.


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The inner room, called the Most Holy Place, was 30 feet long and 30 feet wide, which was the full width of the Temple. Twenty-five tons of gold were used to cover the walls of the Most Holy Place;


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twenty ounces of gold were used for making nails, and the walls of the upper rooms were also covered with gold.


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The king also had his workers make two winged creatures out of metal, cover them with gold, and place them in the Most Holy Place,


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where they stood side by side facing the entrance. Each had two wings, each wing 7½ feet long, which were spread out so that they touched each other in the center of the room and reached to the wall on either side of the room, stretching across the full width of 30 feet.


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A curtain for the Most Holy Place was made of linen and of other material, which was dyed blue, purple, and red, with designs of the winged creatures worked into it.


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The Two Bronze Columns
The king had two columns made, each one 52 feet tall, and placed them in front of the Temple. Each one had a capital 7½ feet tall.


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The tops of the columns were decorated with a design of interwoven chains and one hundred bronze pomegranates.


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The columns were set at the sides of the Temple entrance: the one on the south side was named Jachin and the one on the north side was named Boaz.


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Equipment for the Temple
King Solomon had a bronze altar made, which was 30 feet square and 15 feet high.


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He also made a round tank of bronze, 7½ feet deep, 15 feet in diameter, and 45 feet in circumference.


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All around the outer edge of the rim of the tank were two rows of decorations, one above the other. The decorations were in the shape of bulls, which had been cast all in one piece with the rest of the tank.


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The sides of the tank were 3 inches thick. Its rim was like the rim of a cup, curving outward like the petals of a flower. The tank held about 15,000 gallons.


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They also made ten basins, five to be placed on the south side of the Temple and five on the north side. They were to be used to rinse the parts of the animals that were burned as sacrifices. The water in the large tank was for the priests to use for washing.


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They made ten gold lampstands according to the usual pattern, and ten tables, and placed them in the main room of the Temple, five lampstands and five tables on each side. They also made a hundred gold bowls.


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They made an inner courtyard for the priests, and also an outer courtyard. The doors in the gates between the courtyards were covered with bronze.


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Huram also made pots, shovels, and bowls. He completed all the objects that he had promised King Solomon he would make for the Temple:
The two columns
The two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the columns
The design of interwoven chains on each capital
The 400 bronze pomegranates arranged in two rows around the design of each capital
The ten carts
The ten basins
The tank
The twelve bulls supporting the tank
The pots, shovels, and forks
Huram the master metalworker made all these objects out of polished bronze, as King Solomon had commanded, for use in the Temple of the Lord.


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King Solomon also had gold furnishings made for the Temple: the altar and the tables for the bread offered to God;


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the lampstands and the lamps of fine gold that were to burn in front of the Most Holy Place, according to plan;


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the lamp snuffers, the bowls, the dishes for incense, and the pans used for carrying live coals. All these objects were made of pure gold. The outer doors of the Temple and the doors to the Most Holy Place were overlaid with gold.


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The Covenant Box Is Brought to the Temple
Then King Solomon summoned all the leaders of the tribes and clans of Israel to assemble in Jerusalem, in order to take the Lord's Covenant Box from Zion, David's City, to the Temple.


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and carried it to the Temple. The priests and the Levites also moved the Tent of the Lord's presence and all its equipment to the Temple.


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Then the priests carried the Covenant Box of the Lord into the Temple and put it in the Most Holy Place, beneath the winged creatures.


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The Glory of the Lord
All the priests present, regardless of the group to which they belonged, had consecrated themselves. And all the Levite musicians—Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, and the members of their clans—were wearing linen clothing. The Levites stood near the east side of the altar with cymbals and harps, and with them were 120 priests playing trumpets. The singers were accompanied in perfect harmony by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, as they praised the Lord singing:
“Praise the Lord, because he is good,
And his love is eternal.”
As the priests were leaving the Temple, it was suddenly filled with a cloud shining with the dazzling light of the Lord's presence, and they could not continue the service of worship.


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Solomon's Address to the People
Then King Solomon prayed,
“Lord, you have chosen to live in clouds and darkness.


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All the people of Israel were standing there. The king turned to face them and asked God's blessing on them.


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He said, “Praise the Lord God of Israel! He has kept the promise he made to my father David when he said to him,


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‘From the time I brought my people out of Egypt until now, I did not choose any city in the land of Israel as the place to build a temple where I would be worshiped, and I did not choose anyone to lead my people Israel.


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But now I have chosen Jerusalem as the place where I will be worshiped, and you, David, to rule my people.’”


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“Now the Lord has kept his promise: I have succeeded my father as king of Israel, and I have built a temple for the worship of the Lord God of Israel.


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I have placed in the Temple the Covenant Box, which contains the stone tablets of the covenant which the Lord made with the people of Israel.”


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Solomon's Prayer
Then in the presence of the people Solomon went and stood in front of the altar and raised his arms in prayer.


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(Solomon had made a bronze platform and put it in the middle of the courtyard. It was eight feet square and five feet high. He mounted this platform, knelt down where everyone could see him, and raised his hands toward heaven.)


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He prayed, “Lord God of Israel, in all heaven and earth there is no god like you. You keep your covenant with your people and show them your love when they live in wholehearted obedience to you.


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Now, Lord God of Israel, keep the other promise you made to my father when you told him that there would always be one of his descendants ruling as king of Israel, provided that they carefully obeyed your Law just as he did.


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“But can you, O God, really live on earth among men and women? Not even all of heaven is large enough to hold you, so how can this Temple that I have built be large enough?


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Watch over this Temple day and night. You have promised that this is where you will be worshiped, so hear me when I face this Temple and pray.


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Hear my prayers and the prayers of your people Israel when they face this place and pray. In your home in heaven hear us and forgive us.


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“When people are accused of wronging others and are brought to your altar in this Temple to take an oath that they are innocent,


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O Lord, listen in heaven and judge your servants. Punish the guilty ones as they deserve and acquit the innocent.


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“When your people Israel are defeated by their enemies because they have sinned against you and then when they turn to you and come to this Temple, humbly praying to you for forgiveness,


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listen to them in heaven. Forgive the sins of your people and bring them back to the land which you gave to them and to their ancestors.


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“When you hold back the rain because your people have sinned against you and then when they repent and face this Temple, humbly praying to you,


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O Lord, listen to them in heaven and forgive the sins of your servants, the people of Israel, and teach them to do what is right. Then, O Lord, send rain on this land of yours, which you gave to your people as a permanent possession.


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hear their prayer. Listen to them in your home in heaven and forgive them. You alone know the thoughts of the human heart. Deal with each of us as we deserve,


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so that your people may honor you and obey you all the time they live in the land which you gave to our ancestors.


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“When foreigners who live in a distant land hear how great and powerful you are and how you are always ready to act, and then they come to pray at this Temple,


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listen to their prayers. In heaven, where you live, hear them and do what they ask you to do, so that all the peoples of the world may know you and obey you, as your people Israel do. Then they will know that this Temple I have built is where you are to be worshiped.


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then listen to their prayers. In your home in heaven hear them and be merciful to them and forgive all the sins of your people.


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Rise up now, Lord God, and with the Covenant Box, the symbol of your power, enter the Temple and stay here forever. Bless your priests in all they do, and may all your people be happy because of your goodness to them.


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Lord God, do not reject the king you have chosen. Remember the love you had for your servant David.”


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The Dedication of the Temple
When King Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and burned up the sacrifices that had been offered, and the dazzling light of the Lord's presence filled the Temple.


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When the people of Israel saw the fire fall from heaven and the light fill the Temple, they fell face downward on the pavement, worshiping God and praising him for his goodness and his eternal love.


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He sacrificed 22,000 head of cattle and 120,000 sheep as fellowship offerings. And so he and all the people dedicated the Temple.


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The priests stood in the places that were assigned to them, and facing them stood the Levites, praising the Lord with the musical instruments that King David had provided and singing the hymn, “His Love Is Eternal!” as they had been commissioned by David. The priests blew trumpets while all the people stood.


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Solomon consecrated the central part of the courtyard, the area in front of the Temple, and then offered there the sacrifices burned whole, the grain offerings, and the fat from the fellowship offerings. He did this because the bronze altar which he had made was too small for all these offerings.


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Solomon and all the people of Israel celebrated the Festival of Shelters for seven days. There was a huge crowd of people from as far away as Hamath Pass in the north and the Egyptian border in the south.


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They had spent seven days for the dedication of the altar and then seven more days for the festival. On the last day they had a closing celebration,


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and on the following day, the twenty-third day of the seventh month, Solomon sent the people home. They were happy about all the blessings that the Lord had given to his people Israel, to David, and to Solomon.


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God Appears to Solomon Again
After King Solomon had finished the Temple and the palace, successfully completing all his plans for them,


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the Lord appeared to him at night. He said to him, “I have heard your prayer, and I accept this Temple as the place where sacrifices are to be offered to me.


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if they pray to me and repent and turn away from the evil they have been doing, then I will hear them in heaven, forgive their sins, and make their land prosperous again.


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because I have chosen it and consecrated it as the place where I will be worshiped forever. I will watch over it and protect it for all time.


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If you serve me faithfully as your father David did, obeying my laws and doing everything I have commanded you,


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But if you and your people ever disobey the laws and commands I have given you and worship other gods,


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then I will remove you from the land that I gave you, and I will abandon this Temple that I have consecrated as the place where I am to be worshiped. People everywhere will ridicule it and treat it with contempt.


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“The Temple is now greatly honored, but then everyone who passes by it will be amazed and will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this land and this Temple?’


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and fortified the city of Palmyra in the desert. He rebuilt all the cities in Hamath that were centers for storing supplies.


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Solomon also rebuilt the following cities: Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon (fortified cities with gates that could be barred),


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the city of Baalath, all the cities where he stored supplies, and the cities where his horses and chariots were stationed. He carried out all his plans for building in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and throughout the territory that he ruled over.


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Solomon employed at forced labor all the descendants of the people of Canaan whom the Israelites had not killed when they took possession of the land. These included Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, whose descendants continue to be slaves down to the present time.


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Israelites were not used at forced labor, but served as soldiers, officers, chariot commanders, and cavalry troops.


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Solomon moved his wife, the daughter of the king of Egypt, from David's City to a house he built for her. He said, “She must not live in the palace of King David of Israel, because any place where the Covenant Box has been is holy.”


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He offered burnt offerings according to the requirements of the Law of Moses for each holy day: Sabbaths, New Moon Festivals, and the three annual festivals—the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Harvest Festival, and the Festival of Shelters.


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Following the rules laid down by his father David, he organized the daily work of the priests and of the Levites who assisted the priests in singing hymns and in doing their work. He also organized the Temple guards in sections for performing their daily duties at each gate, in accordance with the commands of David, the man of God.


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The instructions which David had given the priests and the Levites concerning the storehouses and other matters were carried out in detail.


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By this time all of Solomon's projects had been completed. From the laying of the foundation of the Lord's Temple to its completion, all the work had been successful.


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Then Solomon went to Eziongeber and Elath, ports on the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba, in the land of Edom.


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King Hiram sent him ships under the command of his own officers and with experienced sailors. They sailed with Solomon's officers to the land of Ophir and brought back to Solomon about sixteen tons of gold.


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The Visit of the Queen of Sheba
The queen of Sheba heard of King Solomon's fame, and she traveled to Jerusalem to test him with difficult questions. She brought with her a large group of attendants, as well as camels loaded with spices, jewels, and a large amount of gold. When she and Solomon met, she asked him all the questions that she could think of.


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She saw the food that was served at his table, the living quarters for his officials, the organization of his palace staff and the uniforms they wore, the clothing of the servants who waited on him at feasts, and the sacrifices he offered in the Temple. It left her breathless and amazed.


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I did not believe what they told me until I came and saw for myself. I had not heard of even half your wisdom. You are even wiser than people say.


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How fortunate are those who serve you, who are always in your presence and are privileged to hear your wise sayings!


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Praise the Lord your God! He has shown how pleased he is with you by making you king, to rule in his name. Because he loves his people Israel and wants to preserve them forever, he has made you their king so that you can maintain law and justice.”


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She presented to King Solomon the gifts she had brought: almost five tons of gold and a very large amount of spices and jewels. There have never been any other spices as fine as those that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.


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(The sailors of King Hiram and of King Solomon who brought gold from Ophir also brought juniper wood and jewels.


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Solomon used the wood to make stairs for the Temple and for his palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. Nothing like that had ever been seen before in the land of Judah.)


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King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she asked for. This was in addition to what he gave her in exchange for the gifts she brought to him. Then she and her attendants returned to the land of Sheba.


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in addition to the taxes paid by the traders and merchants. The kings of Arabia and the governors of the Israelite districts also brought him silver and gold.


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Solomon made two hundred large shields, each of which was covered with about fifteen pounds of beaten gold,


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and three hundred smaller shields, each covered with about eight pounds of beaten gold. He had them all placed in the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon.


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The king also had a large throne made. Part of it was covered with ivory and the rest of it was covered with pure gold.


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Six steps led up to the throne, and there was a footstool attached to it, covered with gold. There were arms on each side of the throne, and the figure of a lion stood at each side.


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Twelve figures of lions were on the steps, one at either end of each step. No throne like this had ever existed in any other kingdom.


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All of King Solomon's drinking cups were made of gold, and all the utensils in the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. Silver was not considered valuable in Solomon's day.


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He had a fleet of ocean-going ships sailing with King Hiram's fleet. Every three years his fleet would return, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.


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Each of them brought Solomon gifts—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. This continued year after year.


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King Solomon also had four thousand stalls for his chariots and horses, and had twelve thousand cavalry horses. Some of them he kept in Jerusalem and the rest he stationed in various other cities.


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He was supreme ruler of all the kings in the territory from the Euphrates River to Philistia and the Egyptian border.


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Summary of Solomon's Reign
The rest of the history of Solomon from beginning to end is recorded in The History of Nathan the Prophet, in The Prophecy of Ahijah of Shiloh, and in The Visions of Iddo the Prophet, which also deal with the reign of King Jeroboam of Israel.


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When Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had gone to Egypt to escape from King Solomon, heard this news, he returned home.


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The people of the northern tribes sent for him, and they all went together to Rehoboam and said to him,


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“Your father placed heavy burdens on us. If you make these burdens lighter and make life easier for us, we will be your loyal subjects.”


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They replied, “If you are kind to these people and try to please them by giving a considerate answer, they will always serve you loyally.”


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They replied, “This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's waist.’


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It was the will of the Lord God to bring about what he had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh. This is why the king did not pay any attention to the people.


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Shemaiah's Prophecy
When King Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he called together 180,000 of the best soldiers from the tribes of Benjamin and Judah. He intended to go to war and restore his control over the northern tribes of Israel.


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“Do not attack your own relatives. Go home, all of you. What has happened is my will.” They obeyed the Lord's command and did not go to fight Jeroboam.


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Rehoboam Fortifies the Cities
Rehoboam remained in Jerusalem and had fortifications built for the following cities of Judah and Benjamin:


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He had them strongly fortified and appointed a commander for each of them, and in each one he placed supplies of food, olive oil, and wine,


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Priests and Levites Come to Judah
From all the territory of Israel priests and Levites came south to Judah.


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The Levites abandoned their pastures and other land and moved to Judah and Jerusalem, because King Jeroboam of Israel and his successors would not let them serve as priests of the Lord.


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Jeroboam appointed priests of his own to serve at the pagan places of worship and to worship demons and the idols he made in the form of bull-calves.


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From all the tribes of Israel people who sincerely wanted to worship the Lord, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem, so that they could offer sacrifices to the Lord, the God of their ancestors.


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This strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they supported Rehoboam son of Solomon and lived as they had under the rule of King David and King Solomon.


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Rehoboam's Family
Rehoboam married Mahalath, whose father was Jerimoth son of David and whose mother was Abihail, the daughter of Eliab and granddaughter of Jesse.


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Later he married Maacah, the daughter of Absalom, and they had four sons: Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.


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In all, Rehoboam had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters. Of all his wives and concubines he loved Maacah best,


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and he favored her son Abijah over all his other children, choosing him as the one to succeed him as king.


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Rehoboam wisely assigned responsibilities to his sons and stationed them throughout Judah and Benjamin in the fortified cities. He provided generously for them and also secured many wives for them.


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An Egyptian Invasion of Judah
As soon as Rehoboam had established his authority as king, he and all his people abandoned the Law of the Lord.


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In the fifth year of Rehoboam's reign their disloyalty to the Lord was punished. King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem


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with an army of twelve hundred chariots, sixty thousand cavalry, and more soldiers than could be counted, including Libyan, Sukkite, and Ethiopian troops.


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Shemaiah the prophet went to King Rehoboam and the Judean leaders who had gathered in Jerusalem to escape Shishak. He said to them, “This is the Lord's message to you: ‘You have abandoned me, so now I have abandoned you to Shishak.’”


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The king and the leaders admitted that they had sinned, and they said, “What the Lord is doing is just.”


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When the Lord saw this, he spoke again to Shemaiah and said to him, “Because they admit their sin, I will not destroy them. But when Shishak attacks, they will barely survive. Jerusalem will not feel the full force of my anger,


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but Shishak will conquer them, and they will learn the difference between serving me and serving earthly rulers.”


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King Shishak came to Jerusalem and took the treasures from the Temple and from the palace. He took everything, including the gold shields that King Solomon had made.


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To replace them, Rehoboam made bronze shields and entrusted them to the officers responsible for guarding the palace gates.


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Because he submitted to the Lord, the Lord's anger did not completely destroy him, and things went well for Judah.


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Summary of Rehoboam's Reign
Rehoboam ruled in Jerusalem and increased his power as king. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord had chosen from all the territory of Israel as the place where he was to be worshiped. Rehoboam's mother was Naamah, from the land of Ammon.


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Rehoboam's acts from beginning to end and his family records are found in The History of Shemaiah the Prophet and The History of Iddo the Prophet. Rehoboam and Jeroboam were constantly at war with each other.


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Abijah's War with Jeroboam
In the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jeroboam of Israel, Abijah became king of Judah,


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and he ruled three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Micaiah daughter of Uriel, from the city of Gibeah.
War broke out between Abijah and Jeroboam.


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The armies met in the hill country of Ephraim. King Abijah went up Mount Zemaraim and called out to Jeroboam and the Israelites: “Listen to me!” he said.


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“Don't you know that the Lord, the God of Israel, made an unbreakable covenant with David, giving him and his descendants kingship over Israel forever?


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Later he gathered together a group of worthless scoundrels, and they forced their will on Rehoboam son of Solomon, who was too young and inexperienced to resist them.


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Now you propose to fight against the royal authority that the Lord gave to David's descendants. You have a huge army and have with you the gold bull-calves that Jeroboam made to be your gods.


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You drove out the Lord's priests, the descendants of Aaron, and you drove out the Levites. In their place you appointed priests in the same way that other nations do. Anybody who comes along with a bull or seven sheep can get himself consecrated as a priest of those so-called gods of yours.


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“But we still serve the Lord our God and have not abandoned him. Priests descended from Aaron perform their duties, and Levites assist them.


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Every morning and every evening they offer him incense and animal sacrifices burned whole. They present the offerings of bread on a table that is ritually clean, and every evening they light the lamps on the gold lampstand. We do what the Lord has commanded, but you have abandoned him.


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God himself is our leader and his priests are here with trumpets, ready to blow them and call us to battle against you. People of Israel, don't fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors! You can't win!”


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Meanwhile Jeroboam had sent some of his troops to ambush the Judean army from the rear, while the rest faced them from the front.


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The Judeans looked around and saw that they were surrounded. They cried to the Lord for help, and the priests blew the trumpets.


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contenido:
The Judeans gave a loud shout, and led by Abijah, they attacked; God defeated Jeroboam and the Israelite army.


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contenido:
Abijah and his army dealt the Israelites a crushing defeat—half a million of Israel's best soldiers were killed.


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contenido:
And so the people of Judah were victorious over Israel, because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.


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contenido:
Abijah pursued Jeroboam's army and occupied some of his cities: Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, and the villages near each of these cities.


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contenido:
Jeroboam never regained his power during Abijah's reign. Finally the Lord struck him down, and he died.


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contenido:
Abijah, however, grew more powerful. He had fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.


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contenido:
The rest of the history of Abijah, what he said and what he did, is written in The History of Iddo the Prophet.


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contenido:
King Asa Defeats the Ethiopians
King Abijah died and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City. His son Asa succeeded him as king, and under Asa the land enjoyed peace for ten years.


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contenido:
He removed the foreign altars and the pagan places of worship, broke down the sacred stone columns, and cut down the symbols of the goddess Asherah.


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contenido:
He commanded the people of Judah to do the will of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his teachings and commands.


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contenido:
Because he abolished the pagan places of worship and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah, the kingdom was at peace under his rule.


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contenido:
He built fortifications for the cities of Judah during this time, and for several years there was no war, because the Lord gave him peace.


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contenido:
He told the people of Judah, “Let us fortify the cities by building walls and towers, and gates that can be shut and barred. We have control of the land because we have done the will of the Lord our God. He has protected us and given us security on every side.” And so they built and prospered.


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contenido:
King Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah, armed with shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin, armed with shields and bows. All of them were brave, well-trained men.


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contenido:
An Ethiopian named Zerah invaded Judah with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots and advanced as far as Mareshah.


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contenido:
Asa went out to fight him, and both sides took up their positions at Zephathah Valley near Mareshah.


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contenido:
Asa prayed to the Lord his God, “O Lord, you can help a weak army as easily as a powerful one. Help us now, O Lord our God, because we are relying on you, and in your name we have come out to fight against this huge army. Lord, you are our God; no one can hope to defeat you.”


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contenido:
and Asa and his troops pursued them as far as Gerar. So many of the Ethiopians were killed that the army was unable to rally and fight. They were overpowered by the Lord and his army, and the army took large amounts of loot.


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contenido:
Then they were able to destroy the cities in the area around Gerar, because the people there were terrified of the Lord. The army plundered all those cities and captured large amounts of loot.


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contenido:
They also attacked the camps of some shepherds, capturing large numbers of sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.


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contenido:
and he went to meet King Asa. He called out, “Listen to me, King Asa, and all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The Lord is with you as long as you are with him. If you look for him, he will let you find him, but if you turn away, he will abandon you.


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contenido:
For a long time Israel lived without the true God, without priests to teach them, and without a law.


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contenido:
But when trouble came, they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel. They searched for him and found him.


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contenido:
In those days no one could come and go in safety, because there was trouble and disorder in every land.


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contenido:
One nation oppressed another nation, and one city oppressed another city, because God was bringing trouble and distress on them.


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contenido:
When Asa heard the prophecy that Azariah son of Oded had spoken, he was encouraged. He did away with all the idols in the land of Judah and Benjamin and all the idols in the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He also repaired the altar of the Lord that stood in the Temple courtyard.


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contenido:
Many people had come over to Asa's side from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, and were living in his kingdom, because they had seen that the Lord was with him. Asa summoned all of them and the people of Judah and Benjamin.


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contenido:
On that day they offered sacrifices to the Lord from the loot they had brought back: seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep.


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contenido:
They made a covenant in which they agreed to worship the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul.


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contenido:
In a loud voice they took an oath in the Lord's name that they would keep the covenant, and then they shouted and blew trumpets.


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contenido:
All the people of Judah were happy because they had made this covenant with all their heart. They took delight in worshiping the Lord, and he accepted them and gave them peace on every side.


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contenido:
King Asa removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made an obscene idol of the fertility goddess Asherah. Asa cut down the idol, chopped it up, and burned the pieces in Kidron Valley.


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Even though Asa did not destroy all the pagan places of worship in the land, he remained faithful to the Lord all his life.


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contenido:
He placed in the Temple all the objects his father Abijah had dedicated to God, as well as the gold and silver objects that he himself dedicated.


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contenido:
Troubles with Israel
In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of King Asa of Judah, King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and started to fortify Ramah in order to cut off all traffic in and out of Judah.


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contenido:
So Asa took silver and gold from the treasuries of the Temple and the palace and sent it to Damascus, to King Benhadad of Syria, with this message:


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contenido:
“Let us be allies, as our fathers were. This silver and gold is a present for you. Now break your alliance with King Baasha of Israel so that he will have to pull his troops out of my territory.”


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contenido:
Benhadad agreed to Asa's proposal and sent his commanding officers and their armies to attack the cities of Israel. They captured Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, and all the cities of Naphtali where supplies were stored.


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Then King Asa gathered men from throughout Judah and had them carry off the stones and timbers that Baasha had been using at Ramah, and they used them to fortify the cities of Geba and Mizpah.


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contenido:
The Prophet Hanani
At that time the prophet Hanani went to King Asa and said, “Because you relied on the king of Syria instead of relying on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Israel has escaped from you.


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Didn't the Ethiopians and the Libyans have large armies with many chariots and cavalry troops? But because you relied on the Lord, he gave you victory over them.


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contenido:
The Lord keeps close watch over the whole world, to give strength to those whose hearts are loyal to him. You have acted foolishly, and so from now on you will always be at war.”


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contenido:
This made Asa so angry with the prophet that he had him put in chains. It was at this same time that Asa began treating some of the people cruelly.


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contenido:
The End of Asa's Reign
All the events of Asa's reign from beginning to end are recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah and Israel.


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contenido:
In the thirty-ninth year that Asa was king, he was crippled by a severe foot disease; but even then he did not turn to the Lord for help, but to doctors.


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contenido:
and was buried in the rock tomb which he had carved out for himself in David's City. They used spices and perfumed oils to prepare his body for burial, and they built a huge bonfire to mourn his death.


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contenido:
Jehoshaphat Becomes King
Jehoshaphat succeeded his father Asa as king and strengthened his position against Israel.


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contenido:
He stationed troops in the fortified cities of Judah, in the Judean countryside, and in the cities which Asa had captured in the territory of Ephraim.


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contenido:
The Lord blessed Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father's early life and did not worship Baal.


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contenido:
The Lord gave Jehoshaphat firm control over the kingdom of Judah, and all the people brought him gifts, so that he became wealthy and highly honored.


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contenido:
He took pride in serving the Lord and destroyed all the pagan places of worship and the symbols of the goddess Asherah in Judah.


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contenido:
In the third year of his reign he sent out the following officials to teach in the cities of Judah: Benhail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah.


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contenido:
They were accompanied by nine Levites and two priests. The Levites were Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; and the priests were Elishama and Jehoram.


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contenido:
They took the book of the Law of the Lord and went through all the towns of Judah, teaching it to the people.


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contenido:
Jehoshaphat's Greatness
The Lord made all the surrounding kingdoms afraid to go to war against King Jehoshaphat.


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contenido:
Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat a large amount of silver and other gifts, and some Arabs brought him 7,700 sheep and 7,700 goats.


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contenido:
So Jehoshaphat continued to grow more and more powerful. Throughout Judah he built fortifications and cities,


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contenido:
according to their clans. Adnah was the commander of the troops from the clans of Judah, and he had 300,000 soldiers under him.


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contenido:
The commander of the troops from the clans of Benjamin was Eliada, an outstanding soldier, in command of 200,000 men armed with shields and bows.


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contenido:
These soldiers served the king in Jerusalem, and in addition he stationed others in the other fortified cities of Judah.


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contenido:
The Prophet Micaiah Warns Ahab
When King Jehoshaphat of Judah became rich and famous, he arranged a marriage between a member of his family and the family of King Ahab of Israel.


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contenido:
A number of years later Jehoshaphat went to the city of Samaria to visit Ahab. To honor Jehoshaphat and those with him, Ahab had a large number of sheep and cattle slaughtered for a feast. He tried to persuade Jehoshaphat to join him in attacking the city of Ramoth in Gilead.


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contenido:
He asked, “Will you go with me to attack Ramoth?”
Jehoshaphat replied, “I am ready when you are, and so is my army. We will join you.”


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contenido:
So Ahab called in the prophets, about four hundred of them, and asked them, “Should I go and attack Ramoth, or not?”
“Attack it,” they answered. “God will give you victory.”


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contenido:
One of them, Zedekiah son of Chenaanah, made iron horns and said to Ahab, “This is what the Lord says, ‘With these you will fight the Syrians and totally defeat them.’”


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contenido:
Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “I told you that he never prophesies anything good for me; it's always something bad!”


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contenido:
The Lord asked, ‘Who will deceive Ahab so that he will go and get killed at Ramoth?’ Some of the angels said one thing, and others said something else,


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contenido:
until a spirit stepped forward, approached the Lord, and said, ‘I will deceive him.’ ‘How?’ the Lord asked.


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contenido:
The spirit replied, ‘I will go and make all of Ahab's prophets tell lies.’ The Lord said, ‘Go and deceive him. You will succeed.’”


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contenido:
The king of Syria had ordered his chariot commanders to attack no one else except the king of Israel.


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contenido:
So when they saw King Jehoshaphat, they all thought that he was the king of Israel, and they turned to attack him. But Jehoshaphat gave a shout, and the Lord God rescued him and turned the attack away from him.


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contenido:
While the battle raged on, King Ahab remained propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrians. At sunset he died.


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contenido:
A Prophet Reprimands Jehoshaphat
King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned safely to his palace in Jerusalem.


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contenido:
A prophet, Jehu son of Hanani, went to meet the king and said to him, “Do you think it is right to help those who are wicked and to take the side of those who hate the Lord? What you have done has brought the Lord's anger on you.


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contenido:
But even so, there is some good in you. You have removed all the symbols of the goddess Asherah which people worshiped, and you have tried to follow God's will.”


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contenido:
Jehoshaphat's Reforms
Even though King Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, he traveled regularly among the people, from Beersheba in the south to the edge of the hill country of Ephraim in the north, in order to call the people back to the Lord, the God of their ancestors.


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contenido:
and instructed them: “Be careful in pronouncing judgment; you are not acting on human authority, but on the authority of the Lord, and he is with you when you pass sentence.


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contenido:
Honor the Lord and act carefully, because the Lord our God does not tolerate fraud or partiality or the taking of bribes.”


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contenido:
In Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed Levites, priests, and some of the leading citizens as judges in cases involving a violation of the Law of the Lord or legal disputes between inhabitants of the city.


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contenido:
He gave them the following instructions: “You must perform your duties in reverence for the Lord, faithfully obeying him in everything you do.


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contenido:
Whenever your fellow citizens from any of the cities bring before you a case of homicide or any other violation of a law or commandment, you must instruct them carefully how to conduct themselves during the trial, so that they do not become guilty of sinning against the Lord. Unless you do, you and your fellow citizens will feel the force of the Lord's anger. But if you do your duty, you will not be guilty.


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Amariah the High Priest will have final authority in all religious cases, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, governor of Judah, will have final authority in all civil cases. The Levites have the responsibility of seeing that the decisions of the courts are carried out. Be courageous and carry out these instructions, and may the Lord be on the side of the right!”


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contenido:
War against Edom
Some time later the armies of Moab and Ammon, together with their allies, the Meunites, invaded Judah.


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contenido:
Some messengers came and announced to King Jehoshaphat: “A large army from Edom has come from the other side of the Dead Sea to attack you. They have already captured Hazazon Tamar.” (This is another name for Engedi.)


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contenido:
Jehoshaphat was frightened and prayed to the Lord for guidance. Then he gave orders for a fast to be observed throughout the country.


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contenido:
and they and the people of Jerusalem gathered in the new courtyard of the Temple. King Jehoshaphat went and stood before them


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contenido:
and prayed aloud, “O Lord God of our ancestors, you rule in heaven over all the nations of the world. You are powerful and mighty, and no one can oppose you.


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contenido:
You are our God. When your people Israel moved into this land, you drove out the people who were living here and gave the land to the descendants of Abraham, your friend, to be theirs forever.


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contenido:
that if any disaster struck them to punish them—a war, an epidemic, or a famine—then they could come and stand in front of this Temple where you are worshiped. They could pray to you in their trouble, and you would hear them and rescue them.


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“Now the people of Ammon, Moab, and Edom have attacked us. When our ancestors came out of Egypt, you did not allow them to enter those lands, so our ancestors went around them and did not destroy them.


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You are our God! Punish them, for we are helpless in the face of this large army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you for help.”


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contenido:
The spirit of the Lord came upon a Levite who was present in the crowd. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah; he was a member of the clan of Asaph and was descended from Asaph through Mattaniah, Jeiel, and Benaiah.


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Jahaziel said, “Your Majesty and all you people of Judah and Jerusalem, the Lord says that you must not be discouraged or be afraid to face this large army. The battle depends on God, not on you.


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contenido:
Attack them tomorrow as they come up the pass at Ziz. You will meet them at the end of the valley that leads to the wild country near Jeruel.


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contenido:
You will not have to fight this battle. Just take up your positions and wait; you will see the Lord give you victory. People of Judah and Jerusalem, do not hesitate or be afraid. Go out to battle, and the Lord will be with you!”


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contenido:
Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low, with his face touching the ground, and all the people bowed with him and worshiped the Lord.


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contenido:
The members of the Levite clans of Kohath and Korah stood up and with a loud shout praised the Lord, the God of Israel.


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contenido:
Early the next morning the people went out to the wild country near Tekoa. As they were starting out, Jehoshaphat addressed them with these words: “People of Judah and Jerusalem! Put your trust in the Lord your God, and you will stand your ground. Believe what his prophets tell you, and you will succeed.”


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After consulting with the people, the king ordered some musicians to put on the robes they wore on sacred occasions and to march ahead of the army, singing: “Praise the Lord! His love is eternal!”


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contenido:
The Ammonites and the Moabites attacked the Edomite army and completely destroyed it, and then they turned on each other in savage fighting.


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contenido:
When the Judean army reached a tower that was in the desert, they looked toward the enemy and saw that they were all lying on the ground dead. Not one had escaped.


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contenido:
Jehoshaphat and his troops moved in to take the loot, and they found many cattle, supplies, clothing, and other valuable objects. They spent three days gathering the loot, but there was so much that they could not take everything.


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On the fourth day they assembled in Beracah Valley and praised the Lord for all he had done. That is why the valley is called “Beracah.”


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contenido:
Jehoshaphat led his troops back to Jerusalem in triumph, because the Lord had defeated their enemies.


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contenido:
The End of Jehoshaphat's Reign
Jehoshaphat had become king of Judah at the age of thirty-five and had ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.


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contenido:
but the pagan places of worship were not destroyed. The people still did not turn wholeheartedly to the worship of the God of their ancestors.


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contenido:
Everything else that Jehoshaphat did, from the beginning of his reign to its end, is recorded in The History of Jehu Son of Hanani which is a part of The History of the Kings of Israel.


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contenido:
At one time King Jehoshaphat of Judah made an alliance with King Ahaziah of Israel, who did many wicked things.


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contenido:
But Eliezer son of Dodavahu, from the town of Mareshah, warned Jehoshaphat, “Because you have made an alliance with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have built.” And the ships were wrecked and never sailed.


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contenido:
Jehoshaphat died and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City and his son Jehoram succeeded him as king.


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contenido:
King Jehoram of Judah
Jehoram son of King Jehoshaphat of Judah had six brothers: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah.


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contenido:
Their father gave them large amounts of gold, silver, and other valuable possessions, and placed each one in charge of one of the fortified cities of Judah. But because Jehoram was the oldest, Jehoshaphat made him his successor.


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When Jehoram was in firm control of the kingdom, he had all his brothers killed, and also some Israelite officials.


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contenido:
He followed the wicked example of King Ahab and the other kings of Israel, because he had married one of Ahab's daughters. He sinned against the Lord,


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contenido:
but the Lord was not willing to destroy the dynasty of David, because he had made a covenant with David and promised that his descendants would always continue to rule.


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contenido:
So Jehoram and his officers set out with chariots and invaded Edom. There the Edomite army surrounded them, but during the night they managed to break out and escape.


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contenido:
Edom has been independent of Judah ever since. During this same period the city of Libnah also revolted, because Jehoram had abandoned the Lord, the God of his ancestors.


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contenido:
He even built pagan places of worship in the Judean highlands and led the people of Judah and Jerusalem to sin against the Lord.


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contenido:
The prophet Elijah sent Jehoram a letter, which read as follows: “The Lord, the God of your ancestor David, condemns you, because you did not follow the example of your father, King Jehoshaphat, or that of your grandfather, King Asa.


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Instead, you have followed the example of the kings of Israel and have led the people of Judah and Jerusalem into being unfaithful to God, just as Ahab and his successors led Israel into unfaithfulness. You even murdered your brothers, who were better men than you are.


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contenido:
As a result, the Lord will severely punish your people, your children, and your wives, and will destroy your possessions.


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contenido:
Some Philistines and Arabs lived near where some Ethiopians had settled along the coast. The Lord caused them to go to war against Jehoram.


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contenido:
They invaded Judah, looted the royal palace, and carried off as prisoners all the king's wives and sons except Ahaziah, his youngest son.


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contenido:
For almost two years it grew steadily worse until finally the king died in agony. His subjects did not light a bonfire in mourning for him as had been done for his ancestors.


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contenido:
Jehoram had become king at the age of thirty-two and had ruled in Jerusalem for eight years. Nobody was sorry when he died. They buried him in David's City, but not in the royal tombs.


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contenido:
King Ahaziah of Judah
Some Arabs had led a raid and killed all of King Jehoram's sons except Ahaziah, the youngest. So now the people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah king as his father's successor.


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contenido:
Ahaziah became king at the age of twenty-two, and he ruled in Jerusalem for one year. Ahaziah also followed the example of King Ahab's family, since his mother Athaliah—the daughter of King Ahab and granddaughter of King Omri of Israel—gave him advice that led him into evil.


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contenido:
He sinned against the Lord, because after his father's death other members of King Ahab's family became his advisers, and they led to his downfall.


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contenido:
Following their advice, he joined King Joram of Israel in a war against King Hazael of Syria. The armies clashed at Ramoth in Gilead, and Joram was wounded in battle.


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God used this visit to Joram to bring about Ahaziah's downfall. While Ahaziah was there, he and Joram were confronted by a man named Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had chosen to destroy the dynasty of Ahab.


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As Jehu was carrying out God's sentence on the dynasty, he came across a group made up of Judean leaders and of Ahaziah's nephews that had accompanied Ahaziah on his visit. Jehu killed them all.


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contenido:
A search was made for Ahaziah, and he was found hiding in Samaria. They took him to Jehu and put him to death. But they did bury his body out of respect for his grandfather King Jehoshaphat, who had done all he could to serve the Lord.
No member of Ahaziah's family was left who could rule the kingdom.


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Queen Athaliah of Judah
As soon as King Ahaziah's mother Athaliah learned of her son's murder, she gave orders for all the members of the royal family of Judah to be killed.


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Ahaziah had a half sister, Jehosheba, who was married to a priest named Jehoiada. She secretly rescued one of Ahaziah's sons, Joash, took him away from the other princes who were about to be murdered and hid him and a nurse in a bedroom at the Temple. By keeping him hidden, she saved him from death at the hands of Athaliah.


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The Revolt against Athaliah
After waiting six years Jehoiada the priest decided that it was time to take action. He made a pact with five army officers: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri.


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They traveled to all the cities of Judah and brought back with them to Jerusalem the Levites and all the heads of the clans.


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contenido:
They all gathered in the Temple, and there they made a covenant with Joash, the king's son. Jehoiada said to them, “Here is the son of the late king. He is now to be king, as the Lord promised that King David's descendants would be.


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This is what we will do. When the priests and Levites come on duty on the Sabbath, one third of them will guard the Temple gates,


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contenido:
another third will guard the royal palace, and the rest will be stationed at the Foundation Gate. All the people will assemble in the Temple courtyard.


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No one is to enter the Temple buildings except the priests and the Levites who are on duty. They may enter, because they are consecrated, but the rest of the people must obey the Lord's instructions and stay outside.


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contenido:
The Levites are to stand guard around the king, with their swords drawn, and are to stay with the king wherever he goes. Anyone who tries to enter the Temple is to be killed.”


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contenido:
The Levites and the people of Judah carried out Jehoiada's instructions. The men were not dismissed when they went off duty on the Sabbath, so the commanders had available both those coming on duty and those going off.


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contenido:
Jehoiada gave the officers the spears and shields that had belonged to King David and had been kept in the Temple.


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contenido:
Then Jehoiada led Joash out, placed the crown on his head, and gave him a copy of the laws governing kingship. And so he was made king. Jehoiada the priest and his sons anointed Joash, and everyone shouted, “Long live the king!”


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contenido:
Athaliah heard the people cheering for the king, so she hurried to the Temple, where the crowd had gathered.


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There she saw the new king at the Temple entrance, standing by the column reserved for kings and surrounded by the army officers and the trumpeters. All the people were shouting joyfully and blowing trumpets, and the Temple musicians with their instruments were leading the celebration. She tore her clothes in distress and shouted, “Treason! Treason!”


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Jehoiada did not want Athaliah killed in the Temple area, so he called out the army officers and said, “Take her out between the rows of guards, and kill anyone who tries to rescue her.”


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Jehoiada's Reforms
The priest Jehoiada had King Joash and the people join him in making a covenant that they would be the Lord's people.


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Then they all went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols there and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars.


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Jehoiada put the priests and Levites in charge of the work of the Temple. They were to carry out the duties assigned to them by King David and to burn the sacrifices offered to the Lord in accordance with the Law of Moses. They were also in charge of the music and the celebrations.


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The army officers, the leading citizens, the officials, and all the rest of the people joined Jehoiada in a procession that brought the king from the Temple to the palace. They entered by the main gate, and the king took his place on the throne.


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All the people were filled with happiness, and the city was quiet, now that Athaliah had been killed.


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King Joash of Judah
Joash became king of Judah at the age of seven, and he ruled in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother was Zibiah from the city of Beersheba.


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He ordered the priests and the Levites to go to the cities of Judah and collect from all the people enough money to make the annual repairs on the Temple. He told them to act promptly, but the Levites delayed,


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so he called in Jehoiada, their leader, and demanded, “Why haven't you seen to it that the Levites collect from Judah and Jerusalem the tax which Moses, the servant of the Lord, required the people to pay for support of the Tent of the Lord's presence?”


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(The followers of Athaliah, that corrupt woman, had damaged the Temple and had used many of the sacred objects in the worship of Baal.)


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They sent word throughout Jerusalem and Judah for everyone to bring to the Lord the tax which Moses, God's servant, had first collected in the wilderness.


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This pleased the people and their leaders, and they brought their tax money and filled the box with it.


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Every day the Levites would take the box to the royal official who was in charge of it. Whenever it was full, the royal secretary and the High Priest's representative would take the money out and return the box to its place. And so they collected a large sum of money.


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The king and Jehoiada would give the money to those who were in charge of repairing the Temple, and they hired stonemasons, carpenters, and metalworkers to make the repairs.


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When the repairs were finished, the remaining gold and silver was given to the king and Jehoiada, who used it to have bowls and other utensils made for the Temple.
Jehoiada's Policies Are Reversed
As long as Jehoiada was alive, sacrifices were offered regularly at the Temple.


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They buried him in the royal tombs in David's City in recognition of the service he had done for the people of Israel, for God, and for the Temple.


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And so the people stopped worshiping in the Temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and began to worship idols and the images of the goddess Asherah. Their guilt for these sins brought the Lord's anger on Judah and Jerusalem.


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Then the spirit of God took control of Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood where the people could see him and called out, “The Lord God asks why you have disobeyed his commands and are bringing disaster on yourselves! You abandoned him, so he has abandoned you!”


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King Joash joined in a conspiracy against Zechariah, and on the king's orders the people stoned Zechariah in the Temple courtyard.


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The king forgot about the loyal service that Zechariah's father Jehoiada had given him, and he had Zechariah killed. As Zechariah was dying, he called out, “May the Lord see what you are doing and punish you!”


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The End of Joash's Reign
When autumn came that year, the Syrian army attacked Judah and Jerusalem, killed all the leaders, and took large amounts of loot back to Damascus.


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The Syrian army was small, but the Lord let them defeat a much larger Judean army because the people had abandoned him, the Lord God of their ancestors. In this way King Joash was punished.


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He was severely wounded, and when the enemy withdrew, two of his officials plotted against him and killed him in his bed to avenge the murder of the son of Jehoiada the priest. He was buried in David's City, but not in the royal tombs.


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(Those who plotted against him were Zabad, the son of an Ammonite woman named Shimeath, and Jehozabad, the son of a Moabite woman named Shimrith.)


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The Commentary on the Book of Kings contains the stories of the sons of Joash, the prophecies spoken against him, and the record of how he rebuilt the Temple. His son Amaziah succeeded him as king.


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King Amaziah of Judah
Amaziah became king at the age of twenty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother was Jehoaddin from Jerusalem.


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He did not, however, execute their children, but followed what the Lord had commanded in the Law of Moses: “Parents are not to be put to death for crimes committed by their children, and children are not to be put to death for crimes committed by their parents; people are to be put to death only for crimes they themselves have committed.”


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War against Edom
King Amaziah organized all the men of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin into army units, according to the clans they belonged to, and placed officers in command of units of a thousand and units of a hundred. This included all men twenty years of age or older, 300,000 in all. They were picked troops, ready for battle, skilled in using spears and shields.


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But a prophet went to the king and said to him, “Don't take these Israelite soldiers with you. The Lord is not with these people from the Northern Kingdom.


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You may think that they will make you stronger in battle, but it is God who has the power to give victory or defeat, and he will let your enemies defeat you.”


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Amaziah asked the prophet, “But what about all that silver I have already paid for them?”
The prophet replied, “The Lord can give you back more than that!”


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So Amaziah sent the hired troops away and told them to go home. At this they went home, bitterly angry with the people of Judah.


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Amaziah summoned up his courage and led his army to Salt Valley. There they fought and killed ten thousand Edomite soldiers


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and captured another ten thousand. They took the prisoners to the top of the cliff at the city of Sela and threw them off, so that they were killed on the rocks below.


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Meanwhile the Israelite soldiers that Amaziah had not allowed to go into battle with him attacked the Judean cities between Samaria and Beth Horon, killed three thousand men, and captured quantities of loot.


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When Amaziah returned from defeating the Edomites, he brought their idols back with him, set them up, worshiped them, and burned incense to them.


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This made the Lord angry, so he sent a prophet to Amaziah. The prophet demanded, “Why have you worshiped foreign gods that could not even save their own people from your power?”


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“Since when,” Amaziah interrupted, “have we made you adviser to the king? Stop talking, or I'll have you killed!”
The prophet stopped, but not before saying, “Now I know that God has decided to destroy you because you have done all this and have ignored my advice.”


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War against Israel
King Amaziah of Judah and his advisers plotted against Israel. He then sent a message to King Jehoash of Israel, who was the son of Jehoahaz and grandson of Jehu, challenging him to fight.


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Jehoash sent this answer to Amaziah: “Once a thorn bush in the Lebanon Mountains sent a message to a cedar: ‘Give your daughter in marriage to my son.’ A wild animal passed by and trampled the bush down.


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Now Amaziah, you boast that you have defeated the Edomites, but I advise you to stay at home. Why stir up trouble that will only bring disaster on you and your people?”


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But Amaziah refused to listen. It was God's will for Amaziah to be defeated, because he had worshiped the Edomite idols.


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So King Jehoash of Israel went into battle against King Amaziah of Judah. They met at Beth Shemesh in Judah,


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Jehoash captured Amaziah and took him to Jerusalem. There he tore down the city wall from Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate, a distance of two hundred yards.


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He took back to Samaria as loot all the gold and silver in the Temple, the Temple equipment guarded by the descendants of Obed Edom, and the palace treasures. He also took hostages with him.


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All the other things that Amaziah did from the beginning to the end of his reign are recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah and Israel.


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Ever since the time when he rebelled against the Lord, there had been a plot against him in Jerusalem. Finally he fled to the city of Lachish, but his enemies followed him there and killed him.


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King Uzziah of Judah
All the people of Judah chose Amaziah's sixteen-year-old son Uzziah to succeed his father as king.


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Uzziah became king at the age of sixteen, and he ruled in Jerusalem for fifty-two years. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem.


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As long as Zechariah, his religious adviser, was living, he served the Lord faithfully, and God blessed him.


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Uzziah went to war against the Philistines. He tore down the walls of the cities of Gath, Jamnia, and Ashdod, and built fortified cities near Ashdod and in the rest of Philistia.


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Uzziah strengthened the fortifications of Jerusalem by building towers at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and where the wall turned.


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He also built fortified towers in the open country and dug many cisterns, because he had large herds of livestock in the western foothills and plains. Because he loved farming, he encouraged the people to plant vineyards in the hill country and to farm the fertile land.


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He had a large army ready for battle. Its records were kept by his secretaries Jeiel and Maaseiah under the supervision of Hananiah, a member of the king's staff.


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Uzziah supplied the army with shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and arrows, and stones for slinging.


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In Jerusalem his inventors made equipment for shooting arrows and for throwing large stones from the towers and corners of the city wall. His fame spread everywhere, and he became very powerful because of the help he received from God.


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Uzziah Is Punished for His Pride
But when King Uzziah became strong, he grew arrogant, and that led to his downfall. He defied the Lord his God by going into the Temple to burn incense on the altar of incense.


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to resist him. They said, “Uzziah! You have no right to burn incense to the Lord. Only the priests who are descended from Aaron have been consecrated to do this. Leave this holy place. You have offended the Lord God, and you no longer have his blessing.”


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Uzziah was standing there in the Temple beside the incense altar and was holding an incense burner. He became angry with the priests, and immediately a dreaded skin disease broke out on his forehead.


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Azariah and the other priests stared at the king's forehead in horror and then forced him to leave the Temple. He hurried to get out, because the Lord had punished him.


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For the rest of his life King Uzziah was ritually unclean because of his disease. Unable to enter the Temple again, he lived in his own house, relieved of all duties, while his son Jotham governed the country.


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Uzziah died and was buried in the royal burial ground, but because of his disease he was not buried in the royal tombs. His son Jotham succeeded him as king.


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King Jotham of Judah
Jotham became king at the age of twenty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years. His mother was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok.


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He did what was pleasing to the Lord, just as his father had done; but unlike his father he did not sin by burning incense in the Temple. The people, however, went on sinning.


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It was Jotham who built the North Gate of the Temple and did extensive work on the city wall in the area of Jerusalem called Ophel.


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He fought against the king of Ammon and his army and defeated them. Then he forced the Ammonites to pay him the following tribute each year for three years: four tons of silver, fifty thousand bushels of wheat, and fifty thousand bushels of barley.


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The other events of Jotham's reign, his wars, and his policies, are all recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel and Judah.


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King Ahaz of Judah
Ahaz became king at the age of twenty, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years. He did not follow the good example of his ancestor King David; instead, he did what was not pleasing to the Lord


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burned incense in Hinnom Valley, and even sacrificed his own sons as burnt offerings to idols, imitating the disgusting practice of the people whom the Lord had driven out of the land as the Israelites advanced.


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At the pagan places of worship, on the hills, and under every shady tree Ahaz offered sacrifices and burned incense.


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War with Syria and Israel
Because King Ahaz sinned, the Lord his God let the king of Syria defeat him and take a large number of Judeans back to Damascus as prisoners. The Lord also let the king of Israel, Pekah son of Remaliah, defeat Ahaz and kill 120,000 of the bravest Judean soldiers in one day. The Lord, the God of their ancestors, permitted this to happen, because the people of Judah had abandoned him.


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An Israelite soldier named Zichri killed King Ahaz' son Maaseiah, the palace administrator Azrikam, and Elkanah, who was second in command to the king.


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Even though the Judeans were their own relatives, the Israelite army captured 200,000 women and children as prisoners and took them back to Samaria, along with large amounts of loot.


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The Prophet Oded
A man named Oded, a prophet of the Lord, lived in the city of Samaria. He met the returning Israelite army with its Judean prisoners as it was about to enter the city, and he said, “The Lord God of your ancestors was angry with Judah and let you defeat them, but now he has heard of the vicious way you slaughtered them.


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And now you intend to make the men and women of Jerusalem and Judah your slaves. Don't you know that you also have committed sins against the Lord your God?


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Listen to me! These prisoners are your brothers and sisters. Let them go, or the Lord will punish you in his anger.”


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Four of the leading men of the Northern Kingdom, Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai also opposed the actions of the army.


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They said, “Don't bring those prisoners here! We have already sinned against the Lord and made him angry enough to punish us. Now you want to do something that will increase our guilt.”


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and the four men were appointed to provide the prisoners with clothing from the captured loot. They gave them clothes and sandals to wear, gave them enough to eat and drink, and put olive oil on their wounds. Those who were too weak to walk were put on donkeys, and all the prisoners were taken back to Judean territory at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then the Israelites returned home to Samaria.


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Ahaz Asks Assyria for Help
The Edomites began to raid Judah again and captured many prisoners, so King Ahaz asked Tiglath Pileser, the emperor of Assyria, to send help.


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At this same time the Philistines were raiding the towns in the western foothills and in southern Judah. They captured the cities of Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, and the cities of Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo with their villages, and settled there permanently.


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Because King Ahaz of Judah had violated the rights of his people and had defied the Lord, the Lord brought troubles on Judah.


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So Ahaz took the gold from the Temple, the palace, and the homes of the leaders of the people, and gave it to the emperor, but even this did not help.


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The Sins of Ahaz
When his troubles were at their worst, that man Ahaz sinned against the Lord more than ever.


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He offered sacrifices to the gods of the Syrians, who had defeated him. He said, “The Syrian gods helped the kings of Syria, so if I sacrifice to them, they may help me too.” This brought disaster on him and on his nation.


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In addition, he took all the Temple equipment and broke it in pieces. He closed the Temple and set up altars in every part of Jerusalem.


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In every city and town in Judah he built pagan places of worship, where incense was to be burned to foreign gods. In this way he brought on himself the anger of the Lord, the God of his ancestors.


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All the other events of his reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah and Israel.


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King Ahaz died and was buried in Jerusalem, but not in the royal tombs. His son Hezekiah succeeded him as king.


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King Hezekiah of Judah
Hezekiah became king of Judah at the age of twenty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.


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The Purification of the Temple
In the first month of the year after Hezekiah became king, he reopened the gates of the Temple and had them repaired.


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and spoke to them there. He said, “You Levites are to consecrate yourselves and purify the Temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove from the Temple everything that defiles it.


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Our ancestors were unfaithful to the Lord our God and did what was displeasing to him. They abandoned him and turned their backs on the place where he dwells.


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They closed the doors of the Temple, let the lamps go out, and failed to burn incense or offer burnt offerings in the Temple of the God of Israel.


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Because of this the Lord has been angry with Judah and Jerusalem, and what he has done to them has shocked and frightened everyone. You know this very well.


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“I have now decided to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that he will no longer be angry with us.


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My sons, do not lose any time. You are the ones that the Lord has chosen to burn incense to him and to lead the people in worshiping him.”


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The following Levites were there:
From the clan of Kohath, Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah
From the clan of Merari, Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel
From the clan of Gershon, Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah
From the clan of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel
From the clan of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah
From the clan of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei
From the clan of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel


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These men assembled their fellow Levites, and they all made themselves ritually clean. Then, as the king had commanded them to do, they began to make the Temple ritually clean, according to the Law of the Lord.


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The priests went inside the Temple to purify it, and they carried out into the Temple courtyard everything that was ritually unclean. From there the Levites took it all outside the city to Kidron Valley.


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The work was begun on the first day of the first month, and by the eighth day they had finished it all, including the entrance room to the Temple. Then they worked for the next eight days, until the sixteenth of the month, preparing the Temple for worship.


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The Temple Is Rededicated
The Levites made the following report to King Hezekiah: “We have completed the ritual purification of the whole Temple, including the altar for burnt offerings, the table for the sacred bread, and all their equipment.


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We have also brought back all the equipment which King Ahaz took away during those years he was unfaithful to God, and we have rededicated it. It is all in front of the Lord's altar.”


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Without delay King Hezekiah assembled the leading men of the city, and together they went to the Temple.


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As an offering to take away the sins of the royal family and of the people of Judah and to purify the Temple, they took seven bulls, seven sheep, seven lambs, and seven goats. The king told the priests, who were descendants of Aaron, to offer the animals as sacrifices on the altar.


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The priests killed the bulls first, then the sheep, and then the lambs, and sprinkled the blood of each sacrifice on the altar.


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Then the priests killed the goats and poured their blood on the altar as a sacrifice to take away the sin of all the people, for the king had commanded that burnt offerings and sin offerings be made for all Israel.


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The king followed the instructions that the Lord had given to King David through Gad, the king's prophet, and through the prophet Nathan; he stationed Levites in the Temple, with harps and cymbals,


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Hezekiah gave the order for the burnt offering to be presented; and as the offering began, the people sang praise to the Lord, and the musicians began to play the trumpets and all the other instruments.


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Everyone who was there joined in worship, and the singing and the rest of the music continued until all the sacrifices had been burned.


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The king and the leaders of the nation told the Levites to sing to the Lord the songs of praise that were written by David and by Asaph the prophet. So everyone sang with great joy as they knelt and worshiped God.


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Hezekiah said to the people, “Now that you are ritually clean, bring sacrifices as offerings of thanksgiving to the Lord.” They obeyed, and some of them also voluntarily brought animals to be sacrificed as burnt offerings.


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Since there were not enough priests to kill all these animals, the Levites helped them until the work was finished. By then more priests had made themselves ritually clean. (The Levites were more faithful in keeping ritually clean than the priests were.)


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In addition to offering the sacrifices that were burned whole, the priests were responsible for burning the fat that was offered from the sacrifices which the people ate, and for pouring out the wine that was presented with the burnt offerings.
And so worship in the Temple was begun again.


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Preparations for Passover
The people had not been able to celebrate the Passover Festival at the proper time in the first month, because not enough priests were ritually clean and not many people had assembled in Jerusalem. So King Hezekiah, his officials, and the people of Jerusalem agreed to celebrate it in the second month, and the king sent word to all the people of Israel and Judah. He took special care to send letters to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, inviting them to come to the Temple in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover in honor of the Lord, the God of Israel.


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so they invited all the Israelites, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, to come together in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover according to the Law, in larger numbers than ever before.


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Messengers went out at the command of the king and his officials through all Judah and Israel with the following invitation:
“People of Israel, you have survived the Assyrian conquest of the land. Now return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and he will return to you.


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Do not be like your ancestors and your Israelite relatives who were unfaithful to the Lord their God. As you can see, he punished them severely.


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Do not be stubborn as they were, but obey the Lord. Come to the Temple in Jerusalem, which the Lord your God has made holy forever, and worship him so that he will no longer be angry with you.


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If you return to the Lord, then those who have taken your relatives away as prisoners will take pity on them and let them come back home. The Lord your God is kind and merciful, and if you return to him, he will accept you.”


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The messengers went to every city in the territory of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far north as the tribe of Zebulun, but people laughed at them and made fun of them.


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Still, there were some from the tribes of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun who were willing to come to Jerusalem.


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God was also at work in Judah and united the people in their determination to obey his will by following the commands of the king and his officials.


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Passover Is Celebrated
A great number of people gathered in Jerusalem in the second month to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread.


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They took all the altars that had been used in Jerusalem for offering sacrifices and burning incense and threw them into Kidron Valley.


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And on the fourteenth day of the month they killed the lambs for the Passover sacrifice. The priests and Levites who were not ritually clean became so ashamed that they dedicated themselves to the Lord, and now they could sacrifice burnt offerings in the Temple.


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They took their places in the Temple according to the instructions in the Law of Moses, the man of God. The Levites gave the blood of the sacrifices to the priests, who sprinkled it on the altar.


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Because many of the people were not ritually clean, they could not kill the Passover lambs, so the Levites did it for them and dedicated the lambs to the Lord.


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In addition, many of those who had come from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not performed the ritual of purification, and so they were observing Passover improperly. King Hezekiah offered this prayer for them:


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“O Lord, the God of our ancestors, in your goodness forgive those who are worshiping you with all their heart, even though they are not ritually clean.”


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For seven days the people who had gathered in Jerusalem celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread with great joy, and day after day the Levites and the priests praised the Lord with all their strength.


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Hezekiah praised the Levites for their skill in conducting the worship of the Lord.
A Second Celebration
After the seven days during which they offered sacrifices in praise of the Lord, the God of their ancestors,


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King Hezekiah contributed 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for the people to kill and eat, and the officials gave them another 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. A large number of priests went through the ritual of purification.


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So everyone was happy—the people of Judah, the priests, the Levites, the people who had come from the north, and the foreigners who had settled permanently in Israel and Judah.


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The city of Jerusalem was filled with joy, because nothing like this had happened since the days of King Solomon, the son of David.


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The priests and the Levites asked the Lord's blessing on the people. In his home in heaven God heard their prayers and accepted them.


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Hezekiah Reforms Religious Life
After the festival ended, all the people of Israel went to every city in Judah and broke the stone pillars, cut down the symbols of the goddess Asherah, and destroyed the altars and the pagan places of worship. They did the same thing throughout the rest of Judah, and the territories of Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh; then they all returned home.


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King Hezekiah reestablished the organization of the priests and Levites, under which they each had specific duties. These included offering the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, taking part in the Temple worship, and giving praise and thanks in the various parts of the Temple.


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From his own flocks and herds he provided animals for the burnt offerings each morning and evening, and for those offered on the Sabbath, at the New Moon Festival, and at the other festivals which are required by the Law of the Lord.


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In addition, the king told the people of Jerusalem to bring the offerings to which the priests and the Levites were entitled, so that they could give all their time to the requirements of the Law of the Lord.


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As soon as the order was given, the people of Israel brought gifts of their finest grain, wine, olive oil, honey, and other farm produce, and they also brought the tithes of everything they had.


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All the people who lived in the cities of Judah brought tithes of their cattle and sheep, and they also brought large quantities of gifts which they dedicated to the Lord their God.


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When King Hezekiah and his officials saw how much had been given, they praised the Lord and praised his people Israel.


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and Azariah the High Priest, a descendant of Zadok, said to him, “Since the people started bringing their gifts to the Temple, there has been enough to eat and a large surplus besides. We have all this because the Lord has blessed his people.”


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and put all the gifts and tithes in them for safekeeping. They placed a Levite named Conaniah in charge and made his brother Shimei his assistant.


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Ten Levites were assigned to work under them: Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah. All this was done under the authority of King Hezekiah and Azariah the High Priest.


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Kore son of Imnah, a Levite who was chief guard at the East Gate of the Temple, was in charge of receiving the gifts offered to the Lord and of distributing them.


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In the other cities where priests lived, he was faithfully assisted in this by other Levites: Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah. They distributed the food equally to their fellow Levites according to what their duties were,


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and not by clans. They gave a share to all males thirty years of age or older who had daily responsibilities in the Temple in accordance with their positions.


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The priests were assigned their duties by clans, and the Levites twenty years of age or older were assigned theirs by work groups.


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They were all registered together with their wives, children, and other dependents, because they were required to be ready to perform their sacred duties at any time.


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Among the priests who lived in the cities assigned to Aaron's descendants or in the pasture lands belonging to these cities, there were responsible men who distributed the food to all the males in the priestly families and to everyone who was on the rolls of the Levite clans.


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He was successful, because everything he did for the Temple or in observance of the Law, he did in a spirit of complete loyalty and devotion to his God.


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The Assyrians Threaten Jerusalem
After these events, in which King Hezekiah served the Lord faithfully, Sennacherib, the emperor of Assyria, invaded Judah. He besieged the fortified cities and gave orders for his army to break their way through the walls.


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he and his officials decided to cut off the supply of water outside the city in order to keep the Assyrians from having any water when they got near Jerusalem. The officials led a large number of people out and stopped up all the springs, so that no more water flowed out of them.


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The king strengthened the city's defenses by repairing the wall, building towers on it, and building an outer wall. In addition, he repaired the defenses built on the land that was filled in on the east side of the old part of Jerusalem. He also had a large number of spears and shields made.


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He placed all the men in the city under the command of army officers and had them assemble in the open square at the city gate. He said to them,


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“Be determined and confident, and don't be afraid of the Assyrian emperor or of the army he is leading. We have more power on our side than he has on his.


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He has human power, but we have the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” The people were encouraged by these words of their king.


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Some time later, while Sennacherib and his army were still at Lachish, he sent the following message to Hezekiah and the people of Judah who were with him in Jerusalem:


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“I, Sennacherib, Emperor of Assyria, ask what gives you people the confidence to remain in Jerusalem under siege.


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Hezekiah tells you that the Lord your God will save you from our power, but Hezekiah is deceiving you and will let you die of hunger and thirst.


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He is the one who destroyed the Lord's shrines and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem to worship and burn incense at one altar only.


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Don't you know what my ancestors and I have done to the people of other nations? Did the gods of any other nation save their people from the emperor of Assyria?


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When did any of the gods of all those countries ever save their country from us? Then what makes you think that your god can save you?


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Now don't let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like that. Don't believe him! No god of any nation has ever been able to save his people from any Assyrian emperor. So certainly this god of yours can't save you!”


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The letter that the emperor wrote defied the Lord, the God of Israel. It said, “The gods of the nations have not saved their people from my power, and neither will Hezekiah's god save his people from me.”


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The officials shouted this in Hebrew in order to frighten and discourage the people of Jerusalem who were on the city wall, so that it would be easier to capture the city.


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They talked about the God of Jerusalem in the same way that they talked about the gods of the other peoples, idols made by human hands.


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The Lord sent an angel that killed the soldiers and officers of the Assyrian army. So the emperor went back to Assyria disgraced. One day when he was in the temple of his god, some of his sons killed him with their swords.


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In this way the Lord rescued King Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the power of Sennacherib, the emperor of Assyria, and also from their other enemies. He let the people live in peace with all the neighboring countries.


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Many people came to Jerusalem, bringing offerings to the Lord and gifts to Hezekiah, so that from then on all the nations held Hezekiah in honor.


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Hezekiah's Illness and Pride
About this time King Hezekiah became sick and almost died. He prayed, and the Lord gave him a sign that he would recover.


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But Hezekiah was too proud to show gratitude for what the Lord had done for him, and Judah and Jerusalem suffered for it.


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Finally, however, Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem humbled themselves, and so the Lord did not punish the people until after Hezekiah's death.


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Hezekiah's Wealth and Splendor
King Hezekiah became very wealthy, and everyone held him in honor. He had storerooms built for his gold, silver, precious stones, spices, shields, and other valuable objects.


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In addition, he had storehouses built for his grain, wine, and olive oil; barns for his cattle; and pens for his sheep.


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It was King Hezekiah who blocked the outlet for Gihon Spring and channeled the water to flow through a tunnel to a point inside the walls of Jerusalem. Hezekiah succeeded in everything he did,


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and even when the Babylonian ambassadors came to inquire about the unusual event that had happened in the land, God let Hezekiah go his own way only in order to test his character.


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The End of Hezekiah's Reign
Everything else that King Hezekiah did and his devotion to the Lord are recorded in The Vision of the Prophet Isaiah Son of Amoz and in The History of the Kings of Judah and Israel.


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Hezekiah died and was buried in the upper section of the royal tombs. All the people of Judah and Jerusalem paid him great honor at his death. His son Manasseh succeeded him as king.


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King Manasseh of Judah
Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for fifty-five years.


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He rebuilt the pagan places of worship that his father Hezekiah had destroyed. He built altars for the worship of Baal, made images of the goddess Asherah, and worshiped the stars.


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He built pagan altars in the Temple, the place that the Lord had said was where he should be worshiped forever.


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He sacrificed his sons in Hinnom Valley as burnt offerings. He practiced divination and magic and consulted fortunetellers and mediums. He sinned greatly against the Lord and stirred up his anger.


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He placed an image in the Temple, the place about which God had said to David and his son Solomon: “Here in Jerusalem, in this Temple, is the place that I have chosen out of all the territory of the twelve tribes of Israel as the place where I am to be worshiped.


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Manasseh led the people of Judah to commit even greater sins than those committed by the nations whom the Lord had driven out of the land as his people advanced.


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So the Lord let the commanders of the Assyrian army invade Judah. They captured Manasseh, stuck hooks in him, put him in chains, and took him to Babylon.


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God accepted Manasseh's prayer and answered it by letting him go back to Jerusalem and rule again. This convinced Manasseh that the Lord was God.


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After this, Manasseh increased the height of the outer wall on the east side of David's City, from a point in the valley near Gihon Spring north to the Fish Gate and the area of the city called Ophel. He also stationed an army officer in command of a unit of troops in each of the fortified cities of Judah.


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He removed from the Temple the foreign gods and the image that he had placed there, and the pagan altars that were on the hill where the Temple stood and in other places in Jerusalem; he took all these things outside the city and threw them away.


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He also repaired the altar where the Lord was worshiped, and he sacrificed fellowship offerings and thanksgiving offerings on it. He commanded all the people of Judah to worship the Lord, the God of Israel.


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Although the people continued to offer sacrifices at other places of worship, they offered them only to the Lord.


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The End of Manasseh's Reign
Everything else that Manasseh did, the prayer he made to his God, and the messages of the prophets who spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, are all recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel.


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The king's prayer and God's answer to it, and an account of the sins he committed before he repented—the evil he did, the pagan places of worship and the symbols of the goddess Asherah that he made and the idols that he worshiped—are all recorded in The History of the Prophets.


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King Amon of Judah
Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for two years.


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Like his father Manasseh, he sinned against the Lord, and he worshiped the idols that his father had worshiped.


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But unlike his father, he did not become humble and turn to the Lord; he was even more sinful than his father had been.


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King Josiah of Judah
Josiah was eight years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for thirty-one years.


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He did what was pleasing to the Lord; he followed the example of his ancestor King David, strictly obeying all the laws of God.


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Josiah Attacks Pagan Worship
In the eighth year that Josiah was king, while he was still very young, he began to worship the God of his ancestor King David. Four years later he began to destroy the pagan places of worship, the symbols of the goddess Asherah, and all the other idols.


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Under his direction the altars where Baal was worshiped were smashed, and the incense altars near them were torn down. They ground to dust the images of Asherah and all the other idols and then scattered the dust on the graves of the people who had sacrificed to them.


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He burned the bones of the pagan priests on the altars where they had worshiped. By doing all this, he made Judah and Jerusalem ritually clean again.


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He did the same thing in the cities and the devastated areas of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far north as Naphtali.


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Throughout the territory of the Northern Kingdom he smashed the altars and the symbols of Asherah, ground the idols to dust, and broke into bits all the incense altars. Then he returned to Jerusalem.


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The Book of the Law Is Discovered
In the eighteenth year of his reign, after he had purified the land and the Temple by ending pagan worship, King Josiah sent three men to repair the Temple of the Lord God: Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah, the governor of Jerusalem, and Joah son of Joahaz, a high official.


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The money that the Levite guards had collected in the Temple was turned over to Hilkiah the High Priest. (It had been collected from the people of Ephraim and Manasseh and the rest of the Northern Kingdom, and from the people of Judah, Benjamin, and Jerusalem.)


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This money was then handed over to the three men in charge of the Temple repairs, and they gave it to


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the carpenters and the builders to buy the stones and the timber used to repair the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to decay.


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The men who did the work were thoroughly honest. They were supervised by four Levites: Jahath and Obadiah of the clan of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam of the clan of Kohath. (The Levites were all skillful musicians.)


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Other Levites were in charge of transporting materials and supervising the workers on various jobs, and others kept records or served as guards.


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While the money was being taken out of the storeroom, Hilkiah found the book of the Law of the Lord, the Law that God had given to Moses.


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He said to Shaphan, “I have found the book of the Law here in the Temple.” He gave Shaphan the book,


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We have taken the money that was kept in the Temple and handed it over to the workers and their supervisors.”


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and gave the following order to Hilkiah, to Ahikam son of Shaphan, to Abdon son of Micaiah, to Shaphan, the court secretary, and to Asaiah, the king's attendant:


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“Go and consult the Lord for me and for the people who still remain in Israel and Judah. Find out about the teachings of this book. The Lord is angry with us because our ancestors have not obeyed the word of the Lord and have not done what this book says must be done.”


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At the king's command, Hilkiah and the others went to consult a woman named Huldah, a prophet who lived in the newer part of Jerusalem. (Her husband Shallum, the son of Tikvah and grandson of Harhas, was in charge of the Temple robes.) They described to her what had happened,


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the following message from the Lord: “I am going to punish Jerusalem and all its people with the curses written in the book that was read to the king.


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and you repented and humbled yourself before me, tearing your clothes and weeping, when you heard how I threatened to punish Jerusalem and its people. I have heard your prayer,


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Josiah Makes a Covenant to Obey the Lord
King Josiah summoned all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem,


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and together they went to the Temple, accompanied by the priests and the Levites and all the rest of the people, rich and poor alike. Before them all the king read aloud the whole book of the covenant, which had been found in the Temple.


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He stood by the royal column and made a covenant with the Lord to obey him, to keep his laws and commands with all his heart and soul, and to put into practice the demands attached to the covenant, as written in the book.


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He made the people of Benjamin and everyone else present in Jerusalem promise to keep the covenant. And so the people of Jerusalem obeyed the requirements of the covenant they had made with the God of their ancestors.


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King Josiah destroyed all the disgusting idols that were in the territory belonging to the people of Israel, and as long as he lived, he required the people to serve the Lord, the God of their ancestors.


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Josiah Celebrates the Passover
King Josiah celebrated the Passover at Jerusalem in honor of the Lord; on the fourteenth day of the first month they killed the animals for the festival.


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He assigned to the priests the duties they were to perform in the Temple and encouraged them to do them well.


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He also gave these instructions to the Levites, the teachers of Israel, who were dedicated to the Lord: “Put the sacred Covenant Box in the Temple that King Solomon, the son of David, built. You are no longer to carry it from place to place, but you are to serve the Lord your God and his people Israel.


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Take your places in the Temple by clans, according to the responsibilities assigned to you by King David and his son King Solomon,


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and arrange yourselves so that some of you will be available to help each family of the people of Israel.


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You are to kill the Passover lambs and goats. Now make yourselves ritually clean and prepare the sacrifices in order that your fellow Israelites may follow the instructions which the Lord gave through Moses.”


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For the use of the people at the Passover, King Josiah contributed from his own herds and flocks 30,000 sheep, lambs, and young goats, and 3,000 bulls.


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His officials also made contributions for the people, the priests, and the Levites to use. And the officials in charge of the Temple—Hilkiah, the High Priest, Zechariah, and Jehiel—gave the priests 2,600 lambs and young goats and 300 bulls for sacrifices during the festival.


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The leaders of the Levites—Conaniah, Shemaiah and his brother Nethanel, Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad—contributed 5,000 lambs and young goats and 500 bulls for the Levites to offer as sacrifices.


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When everything was arranged for the Passover, the priests and the Levites took their posts, as commanded by the king.


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After the lambs and goats had been killed, the Levites skinned them, and the priests sprinkled the blood on the altar.


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Then they divided among the people, by family groups, the animals for burnt offerings, so that they could offer them according to the instructions in the Law of Moses.


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The Levites roasted the Passover sacrifices over the fire, according to the regulations, and boiled the sacred offerings in pots, kettles, and pans, and quickly distributed the meat to the people.


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After this was done, the Levites provided meat for themselves and for the priests descended from Aaron, for the priests were kept busy until night, burning the animals that were burned whole and the fat of the sacrifices.


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The following musicians of the Levite clan of Asaph were in the places assigned to them by King David's instructions: Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, the king's prophet. The guards at the Temple gates did not need to leave their posts, because the other Levites prepared the Passover for them.


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So, as King Josiah had commanded, everything was done that day for the worship of the Lord, the keeping of the Passover Festival, and the offering of burnt offerings on the altar.


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For seven days all the people of Israel who were present celebrated the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread.


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Since the days of the prophet Samuel, the Passover had never been celebrated like this. None of the former kings had ever celebrated a Passover like this one celebrated by King Josiah, the priests, the Levites, and the people of Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem


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The End of Josiah's Reign
After King Josiah had done all this for the Temple, King Neco of Egypt led an army to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates River. Josiah tried to stop him,


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but Neco sent Josiah this message: “This war I am fighting does not concern you, King of Judah. I have not come to fight you, but to fight my enemies, and God has told me to hurry. God is on my side, so don't oppose me, or he will destroy you.”


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But Josiah was determined to fight. He refused to listen to what God was saying through King Neco, so he disguised himself and went into battle on the plain of Megiddo.


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During the battle King Josiah was struck by Egyptian arrows. He ordered his servants, “Take me away; I'm badly hurt!”


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They lifted him out of his chariot, placed him in a second chariot which he had there, and took him to Jerusalem. There he died and was buried in the royal tombs. All the people of Judah and Jerusalem mourned his death.


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The prophet Jeremiah composed a lament for King Josiah. It has become a custom in Israel for the singers, both men and women, to use this song when they mourn for him. The song is found in the collection of laments.


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and his history from beginning to end—is all recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel and Judah.


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King Joahaz of Judah
The people of Judah chose Josiah's son Joahaz and anointed him king in Jerusalem.


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Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for three months.


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King Neco of Egypt took him prisoner and made Judah pay 7,500 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold as tribute.


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Neco made Joahaz' brother Eliakim king of Judah and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Joahaz was taken to Egypt by Neco.


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King Jehoiakim of Judah
Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. He sinned against the Lord his God.


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King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia invaded Judah, captured Jehoiakim, and took him to Babylonia in chains.


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Nebuchadnezzar carried off some of the treasures of the Temple and put them in his palace in Babylon.


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Everything that Jehoiakim did, including his disgusting practices and the evil he committed, is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel and Judah. His son Jehoiachin succeeded him as king.


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King Jehoiachin of Judah
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for three months and ten days. He too sinned against the Lord.


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When spring came, King Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin to Babylonia as a prisoner and carried off the treasures of the Temple. Then Nebuchadnezzar made Jehoiachin's uncle Zedekiah king of Judah and Jerusalem.


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King Zedekiah of Judah
Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years.


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He sinned against the Lord and did not listen humbly to the prophet Jeremiah, who spoke the word of the Lord.


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The Fall of Jerusalem
Zedekiah rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had forced him to swear in God's name that he would be loyal. He stubbornly refused to repent and return to the Lord, the God of Israel.


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In addition, the leaders of Judah, the priests, and the people followed the sinful example of the nations around them in worshiping idols, and so they defiled the Temple, which the Lord himself had made holy.


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The Lord, the God of their ancestors, had continued to send prophets to warn his people, because he wanted to spare them and the Temple.


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But they made fun of God's messengers, ignoring his words and laughing at his prophets, until at last the Lord's anger against his people was so great that there was no escape.


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So the Lord brought the king of Babylonia to attack them. The king killed the young men of Judah even in the Temple. He had no mercy on anyone, young or old, man or woman, sick or healthy. God handed them all over to him.


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The king of Babylonia looted the Temple, the Temple treasury, and the wealth of the king and his officials, and took everything back to Babylon.


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He burned down the Temple and the city, with all its palaces and its wealth, and broke down the city wall.


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He took all the survivors to Babylonia, where they served him and his descendants as slaves until the rise of the Persian Empire.


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And so what the Lord had foretold through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: “The land will lie desolate for seventy years, to make up for the Sabbath rest that has not been observed.”


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Cyrus Commands the Jews to Return
In the first year that Cyrus of Persia was emperor, the Lord made what he had said through the prophet Jeremiah come true. He prompted Cyrus to issue the following command and send it out in writing to be read aloud everywhere in his empire:


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“This is the command of Cyrus, Emperor of Persia. The Lord, the God of Heaven, has made me ruler over the whole world and has given me the responsibility of building a temple for him in Jerusalem in Judah. Now, all of you who are God's people, go there, and may the Lord your God be with you.”


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contenido:
“This is the command of Cyrus, Emperor of Persia. The Lord, the God of Heaven, has made me ruler over the whole world and has given me the responsibility of building a temple for him in Jerusalem in Judah.


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contenido:
May God be with all of you who are his people. You are to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is worshiped in Jerusalem.


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If any of his people in exile need help to return, their neighbors are to give them this help. They are to provide them with silver and gold, supplies and pack animals, as well as offerings to present in the Temple of God in Jerusalem.”


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contenido:
Then the heads of the clans of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, the priests and Levites, and everyone else whose heart God had moved got ready to go and rebuild the Lord's Temple in Jerusalem.


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All their neighbors helped them by giving them many things: silver utensils, gold, supplies, pack animals, other valuables, and offerings for the Temple.


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Emperor Cyrus gave them back the bowls and cups that King Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem and had put in the temple of his gods.


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contenido:
He handed them over to Mithredath, chief of the royal treasury, who made an inventory of them for Sheshbazzar, the governor of Judah,


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contenido:
as follows:
gold bowls for offerings
30
silver bowls for offerings
1,000
other bowls
29
small gold bowls
30
small silver bowls
410
other utensils
1,000


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contenido:
In all there were 5,400 gold and silver bowls and other articles which Sheshbazzar took with him when he and the other exiles went from Babylon to Jerusalem.


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contenido:
The List of Those Who Returned from Exile
Many of the exiles left the province of Babylon and returned to Jerusalem and Judah, all to their own hometowns. Their families had been living in exile in Babylonia ever since King Nebuchadnezzar had taken them there as prisoners.


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contenido:
Their leaders were Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.
This is the list of the clans of Israel, with the number of those from each clan who returned from exile:


book: Ezra
contenido:
Parosh - 2,172
Shephatiah - 372
Arah - 775
Pahath Moab (descendants of Jeshua and Joab) - 2,812
Elam - 1,254
Zattu - 945
Zaccai - 760
Bani - 642
Bebai - 623
Azgad - 1,222
Adonikam - 666
Bigvai - 2,056
Adin - 454
Ater (also called Hezekiah) - 98
Bezai - 323
Jorah - 112
Hashum - 223
Gibbar - 95


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People whose ancestors had lived in the following towns also returned:
Bethlehem - 123
Netophah - 56
Anathoth - 128
Azmaveth - 42
Kiriath Jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth - 743
Ramah and Geba - 621
Michmash - 122
Bethel and Ai - 223
Nebo - 52
Magbish - 156
The other Elam - 1,254
Harim - 320
Lod, Hadid, and Ono - 725
Jericho - 345
Senaah - 3,630


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contenido:
This is the list of the priestly clans that returned from exile:
Jedaiah (descendants of Jeshua) - 973
Immer - 1,052
Pashhur - 1,247
Harim - 1,017


book: Ezra
contenido:
Clans of Levites who returned from exile:
Jeshua and Kadmiel (descendants of Hodaviah) - 74
Temple musicians (descendants of Asaph) - 128
Temple guards (descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai) - 139


book: Ezra
contenido:
Clans of Temple workers who returned from exile:
Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,
Keros, Siaha, Padon,
Lebanah, Hagabah, Akkub,
Hagab, Shamlai, Hanan,
Giddel, Gahar, Reaiah,
Rezin, Nekoda, Gazzam,
Uzza, Paseah, Besai,
Asnah, Meunim, Nephisim,
Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,
Bazluth, Mehida, Harsha,
Barkos, Sisera, Temah,
Neziah, and Hatipha


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contenido:
Clans of Solomon's servants who returned from exile:
Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,
Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel,
Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth Hazzebaim, and Ami


book: Ezra
contenido:
The total number of descendants of the Temple workers and of Solomon's servants who returned from exile was 392.


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contenido:
There were 652 belonging to the clans of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda who returned from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer; but they could not prove that they were descendants of Israelites.


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contenido:
The following priestly clans could find no record to prove their ancestry: Habaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai. (The ancestor of the priestly clan of Barzillai had married a woman from the clan of Barzillai of Gilead and had taken the name of his father-in-law's clan.) Since they were unable to prove who their ancestors were, they were not accepted as priests.


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contenido:
The Jewish governor told them that they could not eat the food offered to God until there was a priest who could use the Urim and Thummim.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Total number of exiles who returned - 42,360
Their male and female servants - 7,337
Male and female musicians - 200
Horses - 736
Mules - 245
Camels - 435
Donkeys - 6,720


book: Ezra
contenido:
When the exiles arrived at the Lord's Temple in Jerusalem, some of the leaders of the clans gave freewill offerings to help rebuild the Temple on its old site.


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contenido:
They gave as much as they could for this work, and the total came to 1,030 pounds of gold, 5,740 pounds of silver, and 100 robes for priests.


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contenido:
The priests, the Levites, and some of the people settled in or near Jerusalem; the musicians, the Temple guards, and the Temple workers settled in nearby towns; and the rest of the Israelites settled in the towns where their ancestors had lived.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Worship Begins Again
By the seventh month the people of Israel were all settled in their towns. Then they all assembled in Jerusalem,


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contenido:
and Joshua son of Jehozadak, his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, together with his relatives, rebuilt the altar of the God of Israel, so that they could burn sacrifices on it according to the instructions written in the Law of Moses, the man of God.


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contenido:
Even though the returning exiles were afraid of the people who were living in the land, they rebuilt the altar where it had stood before. Then they began once again to burn on it the regular morning and evening sacrifices.


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They celebrated the Festival of Shelters according to the regulations; each day they offered the sacrifices required for that day;


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and in addition they offered the regular sacrifices to be burned whole and those to be offered at the New Moon Festival and at all the other regular assemblies at which the Lord is worshiped, as well as all the offerings that were given to the Lord voluntarily.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Although the people had not yet started to rebuild the Temple, they began on the first day of the seventh month to burn sacrifices to the Lord.


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contenido:
The Rebuilding of the Temple Begins
The people gave money to pay the stonemasons and the carpenters and gave food, drink, and olive oil to be sent to the cities of Tyre and Sidon in exchange for cedar trees from Lebanon, which were to be brought by sea to Joppa. All this was done with the permission of Emperor Cyrus of Persia.


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So in the second month of the year after they came back to the site of the Temple in Jerusalem, they began work. Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the rest of their people, the priests, and the Levites, in fact all the exiles who had come back to Jerusalem, joined in the work. All the Levites twenty years of age or older were put in charge of the work of rebuilding the Temple.


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The Levite Jeshua and his sons and relatives, and Kadmiel and his sons (the clan of Hodaviah) joined together in taking charge of the rebuilding of the Temple. (They were helped by the Levites of the clan of Henadad.)


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When the builders started to lay the foundation of the Temple, the priests in their robes took their places with trumpets in their hands, and the Levites of the clan of Asaph stood there with cymbals. They praised the Lord according to the instructions handed down from the time of King David.


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contenido:
They sang the Lord's praises, repeating the refrain:
“The Lord is good, and his love for Israel is eternal.” Everyone shouted with all their might, praising the Lord, because the work on the foundation of the Temple had been started.


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Many of the older priests, Levites, and heads of clans had seen the first Temple, and as they watched the foundation of this Temple being laid, they cried and wailed. But the others who were there shouted for joy.


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contenido:
No one could distinguish between the joyful shouts and the crying, because the noise they made was so loud that it could be heard for miles.


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contenido:
Opposition to the Rebuilding of the Temple
The enemies of the people of Judah and Benjamin heard that those who had returned from exile were rebuilding the Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel.


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contenido:
So they went to see Zerubbabel and the heads of the clans and said, “Let us join you in building the Temple. We worship the same God you worship, and we have been offering sacrifices to him ever since Emperor Esarhaddon of Assyria sent us here to live.”


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contenido:
Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the heads of the clans told them, “We don't need your help to build a temple for the Lord our God. We will build it ourselves, just as Emperor Cyrus of Persia commanded us.”


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Then the people who had been living in the land tried to discourage and frighten the Jews and keep them from building.


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contenido:
They also bribed Persian government officials to work against them. They kept on doing this throughout the reign of Emperor Cyrus and into the reign of Emperor Darius.


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contenido:
Opposition to the Rebuilding of Jerusalem
At the beginning of the reign of Emperor Xerxes, the enemies of the people living in Judah and Jerusalem brought written charges against them.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Again in the reign of Emperor Artaxerxes of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their associates wrote a letter to the emperor. The letter was written in Aramaic and was to be translated when read.


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Also Rehum, the governor, and Shimshai, the secretary of the province, wrote the following letter to Emperor Artaxerxes about Jerusalem:


book: Ezra
contenido:
“From Rehum, the governor, from Shimshai, secretary of the province, from their associates, the judges, and from all the other officials, who are originally from Erech, Babylon, and Susa in the land of Elam,


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contenido:
together with the other peoples whom the great and powerful Ashurbanipal moved from their homes and settled in the city of Samaria and elsewhere in West-of-Euphrates Province.”


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contenido:
This is the text of the letter:
“To Emperor Artaxerxes from his servants who live in West-of-Euphrates.


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“We want Your Majesty to know that the Jews who came here from your other territories have settled in Jerusalem and are rebuilding that evil and rebellious city. They have begun to rebuild the walls and will soon finish them.


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contenido:
Your Majesty, if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, the people will stop paying taxes, and your royal revenues will decrease.


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contenido:
Now, because we are under obligation to Your Majesty, we do not want to see this happen, and so we suggest


book: Ezra
contenido:
that you order a search to be made in the records your ancestors kept. If you do, you will discover that this city has always been rebellious and that from ancient times it has given trouble to kings and to rulers of provinces. Its people have always been hard to govern. This is why the city was destroyed.


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We therefore are convinced that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, Your Majesty will no longer be able to control West-of-Euphrates Province.”


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The emperor sent this answer:
“To Rehum, the governor, to Shimshai, secretary of the province, and to their associates who live in Samaria and in the rest of West-of-Euphrates, greetings.


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I gave orders for an investigation to be made, and it has indeed been found that from ancient times Jerusalem has revolted against royal authority and that it has been full of rebels and troublemakers.


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contenido:
Powerful kings have reigned there and have ruled over the entire province of West-of-Euphrates, collecting taxes and revenue.


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Therefore you are to issue orders that those men are to stop rebuilding the city until I give further commands.


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As soon as this letter from Emperor Artaxerxes was read to Rehum, Shimshai, and their associates, they hurried to Jerusalem and forced the Jews to stop rebuilding the city.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Work on the Temple Begins Again
Work on the Temple had been stopped and had remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of Emperor Darius of Persia.


book: Ezra
contenido:
At that time two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo, began to speak in the name of the God of Israel to the Jews who lived in Judah and Jerusalem.


book: Ezra
contenido:
When Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jehozadak heard their messages, they began to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, and the two prophets helped them.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Almost at once Governor Tattenai of West-of-Euphrates, Shethar Bozenai, and their fellow officials came to Jerusalem and demanded: “Who gave you orders to build this Temple and equip it?”


book: Ezra
contenido:
But God was watching over the Jewish leaders, and the Persian officials decided to take no action until they could write to Emperor Darius and receive a reply.


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“Your Majesty should know that we went to the province of Judah and found that the Temple of the great God is being rebuilt with large stone blocks and with wooden beams set in the wall. The work is being done with great care and is moving ahead steadily.


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“We then asked the leaders of the people to tell us who had given them authority to rebuild the Temple and to equip it.


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contenido:
“They answered, ‘We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the Temple which was originally built and equipped many years ago by a powerful king of Israel.


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contenido:
But because our ancestors made the God of Heaven angry, he let them be conquered by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, a king of the Chaldean dynasty. The Temple was destroyed, and the people were taken into exile in Babylonia.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Then in the first year of the reign of King Cyrus as emperor of Babylonia, Cyrus issued orders for the Temple to be rebuilt.


book: Ezra
contenido:
He restored the gold and silver Temple utensils which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem and had placed in the temple in Babylon. Emperor Cyrus turned these utensils over to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he appointed governor of Judah.


book: Ezra
contenido:
The emperor told him to take them and return them to the Temple in Jerusalem, and to rebuild the Temple where it had stood before.


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So Sheshbazzar came and laid its foundation; construction has continued from then until the present, but it is still not finished.’


book: Ezra
contenido:
“Now, if it please Your Majesty, have a search made in the royal records in Babylon to find whether or not Emperor Cyrus gave orders for this Temple in Jerusalem to be rebuilt, and then inform us what your will is in this matter.”


book: Ezra
contenido:
Emperor Cyrus' Order Is Rediscovered
So Emperor Darius issued orders for a search to be made in the royal records that were kept in Babylon.


book: Ezra
contenido:
But it was in the city of Ecbatana in the province of Media that a scroll was found, containing the following record:


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contenido:
“In the first year of his reign Emperor Cyrus commanded that the Temple in Jerusalem be rebuilt as a place where sacrifices are made and offerings are burned. The Temple is to be ninety feet high and ninety feet wide.


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contenido:
The walls are to be built with one layer of wood on top of each three layers of stone. All expenses are to be paid by the royal treasury.


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Also the gold and silver utensils which King Nebuchadnezzar brought to Babylon from the Temple in Jerusalem are to be returned to their proper place in the Jerusalem Temple.”


book: Ezra
contenido:
Emperor Darius Orders the Work to Continue
Then Emperor Darius sent the following reply:
“To Tattenai, governor of West-of-Euphrates, Shethar Bozenai, and your fellow officials in West-of-Euphrates.
“Stay away from the Temple


book: Ezra
contenido:
and do not interfere with its construction. Let the governor of Judah and the Jewish leaders rebuild the Temple of God where it stood before.


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contenido:
I hereby command you to help them rebuild it. Their expenses are to be paid promptly out of the royal funds received from taxes in West-of-Euphrates, so that the work is not interrupted.


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Day by day, without fail, you are to give the priests in Jerusalem whatever they tell you they need: young bulls, sheep, or lambs to be burned as offerings to the God of Heaven, or wheat, salt, wine, or olive oil.


book: Ezra
contenido:
This is to be done so that they can offer sacrifices that are acceptable to the God of Heaven and pray for his blessing on me and my sons.


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contenido:
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I further command that if any disobey this order, a wooden beam is to be torn out of their houses, sharpened on one end, and then driven through their bodies. And their houses are to be made a rubbish heap.


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May the God who chose Jerusalem as the place where he is to be worshiped overthrow any king or nation that defies this command and tries to destroy the Temple there. I, Darius, have commanded. My command is to be fully obeyed.”


book: Ezra
contenido:
The Temple Is Dedicated
Then Governor Tattenai, Shethar Bozenai, and their fellow officials did exactly as the emperor had commanded.


book: Ezra
contenido:
The Jewish leaders made good progress with the building of the Temple, encouraged by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. They completed the Temple as they had been commanded by the God of Israel and by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, emperors of Persia.


book: Ezra
contenido:
They finished the Temple on the third day of the month Adar in the sixth year of the reign of Emperor Darius.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites, and all the others who had returned from exile—joyfully dedicated the Temple.


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contenido:
For the dedication they offered 100 bulls, 200 sheep, and 400 lambs as sacrifices, and 12 goats as offerings for sin, one for each tribe of Israel.


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contenido:
They also organized the priests and the Levites for the Temple services in Jerusalem, according to the instructions contained in the book of Moses.


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contenido:
The Passover
The people who had returned from exile celebrated Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month of the following year.


book: Ezra
contenido:
All the priests and the Levites had purified themselves and were ritually clean. The Levites killed the animals for the Passover sacrifices for all the people who had returned, for the priests, and for themselves.


book: Ezra
contenido:
The sacrifices were eaten by all the Israelites who had returned from exile and by all those who had given up the pagan ways of the other people who were living in the land and who had come to worship the Lord God of Israel.


book: Ezra
contenido:
For seven days they joyfully celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread. They were full of joy because the Lord had made the emperor of Assyria favorable to them, so that he supported them in their work of rebuilding the Temple of the God of Israel.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Ezra Arrives in Jerusalem
Many years later, when Artaxerxes was emperor of Persia, there was a man named Ezra. He traced his ancestors back to Aaron, the High Priest, as follows: Ezra was the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah,


book: Ezra
contenido:
Ezra was a scholar with a thorough knowledge of the Law which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given to Moses. Because Ezra had the blessing of the Lord his God, the emperor gave him everything he asked for. In the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes, Ezra set out from Babylonia for Jerusalem with a group of Israelites which included priests, Levites, Temple musicians, Temple guards, and workers.


book: Ezra
contenido:
They left Babylonia on the first day of the first month, and with God's help they arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month.


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contenido:
Ezra had devoted his life to studying the Law of the Lord, to practicing it, and to teaching all its laws and regulations to the people of Israel.


book: Ezra
contenido:
The Document Which Emperor Artaxerxes Gave to Ezra
Emperor Artaxerxes gave the following document to Ezra, the priest and scholar, who had a thorough knowledge of the laws and commands which the Lord had given to Israel:


book: Ezra
contenido:
“I command that throughout my empire all the Israelite people, priests, and Levites that so desire be permitted to go with you to Jerusalem.


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contenido:
I, together with my seven counselors, send you to investigate the conditions in Jerusalem and Judah in order to see how well the Law of your God, which has been entrusted to you, is being obeyed.


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contenido:
You are to take with you the gold and silver offerings which I and my counselors desire to give to the God of Israel, whose Temple is in Jerusalem.


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contenido:
You are also to take all the silver and gold which you collect throughout the province of Babylon and the offerings which the Israelite people and their priests give for the Temple of their God in Jerusalem.


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contenido:
“You are to spend this money carefully and buy bulls, rams, lambs, grain, and wine and offer them on the altar of the Temple in Jerusalem.


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contenido:
You may use the silver and gold that is left over for whatever you and your people desire, in accordance with the will of your God.


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contenido:
You are to present to God in Jerusalem all the utensils that have been given to you for use in the Temple services.


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contenido:
“I command all the treasury officials in West-of-Euphrates Province to provide promptly for Ezra, the priest and scholar in the Law of the God of Heaven, everything he asks you for,


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contenido:
up to a limit of 7,500 pounds of silver, 500 bushels of wheat, 550 gallons of wine, 550 gallons of olive oil, and as much salt as needed.


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contenido:
You must be careful to provide everything which the God of Heaven requires for his Temple, and so make sure that he is never angry with me or with those who reign after me.


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You are forbidden to collect any taxes from the priests, Levites, musicians, guards, workers, or anyone else connected with this Temple.


book: Ezra
contenido:
“You, Ezra, using the wisdom which your God has given you, are to appoint administrators and judges to govern all the people in West-of-Euphrates who live by the Law of your God. You must teach that Law to anyone who does not know it.


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If any disobey the laws of your God or the laws of the empire, they are to be punished promptly: by death or by exile or by confiscation of their property or by imprisonment.”


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contenido:
Ezra Praises God
Ezra said, “Praise the Lord, the God of our ancestors! He has made the emperor willing to honor in this way the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem.


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contenido:
By God's grace I have won the favor of the emperor, of his counselors, and of all his powerful officials; the Lord my God has given me courage, and I have been able to persuade many of the heads of the clans of Israel to return with me.”


book: Ezra
contenido:
The People Who Returned from Exile
This is the list of the heads of the clans who had been in exile in Babylonia and who returned with Ezra to Jerusalem when Artaxerxes was emperor:


book: Ezra
contenido:
Gershom, of the clan of Phinehas
Daniel, of the clan of Ithamar
Hattush son of Shecaniah, of the clan of David
Zechariah, of the clan of Parosh, with 150 men of his clan (there were records of their family lines)
Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, of the clan of Pahath Moab, with 200 men
Shecaniah son of Jahaziel, of the clan of Zattu, with 300 men
Ebed son of Jonathan, of the clan of Adin, with 50 men
Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, of the clan of Elam, with 70 men
Zebadiah son of Michael, of the clan of Shephatiah, with 80 men
Obadiah son of Jehiel, of the clan of Joab, with 218 men
Shelomith son of Josiphiah, of the clan of Bani, with 160 men
Zechariah son of Bebai, of the clan of Bebai, with 28 men
Johanan son of Hakkatan, of the clan of Azgad, with 110 men
Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, of the clan of Adonikam, with 60 men (they returned at a later date)
Uthai and Zaccur, of the clan of Bigvai, with 70 men


book: Ezra
contenido:
Ezra Finds Levites for the Temple
I assembled the entire group by the canal that runs to the town of Ahava, and we camped there three days. I found that there were priests in the group, but no Levites.


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I sent for nine of the leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, and for two teachers, Joiarib and Elnathan.


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contenido:
I sent them to Iddo, head of the community at Casiphia, to ask him and his associates, the Temple workers, to send us people to serve God in the Temple.


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contenido:
Through God's grace they sent us Sherebiah, an able man, a Levite from the clan of Mahli; and eighteen of his sons and brothers came with him.


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contenido:
In addition there were 220 Temple workers whose ancestors had been designated by King David and his officials to assist the Levites. They were all listed by name.


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contenido:
Ezra Leads the People in Fasting and Prayer
There by the Ahava Canal I gave orders for us all to fast and humble ourselves before our God and to ask him to lead us on our journey and protect us and our children and all our possessions.


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contenido:
I would have been ashamed to ask the emperor for a troop of cavalry to guard us from any enemies during our journey, because I had told him that our God blesses everyone who trusts him, but that he is displeased with and punishes anyone who turns away from him.


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contenido:
The Gifts for the Temple
From among the leading priests I chose Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten others.


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contenido:
Then I weighed out the silver, the gold, and the utensils which the emperor, his advisers and officials, and the people of Israel had given to be used in the Temple, and I gave it to the priests.


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contenido:
This is what I gave them:
silver - 25 tons
100 silver utensils - 150 pounds
gold - 7,500 pounds
20 gold bowls - 270 ounces
fine bronze bowls, equal in value to gold bowls


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contenido:
I said to them, “You are sacred to the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and so are all the silver and gold utensils brought to him as freewill offerings.


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contenido:
Guard them carefully until you reach the Temple. There in the priests' rooms weigh them and turn them over to the leaders of the priests and of the Levites, and to the leaders of the people of Israel in Jerusalem.”


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contenido:
So the priests and the Levites took charge of the silver, the gold, and the utensils, to take them to the Temple in Jerusalem.


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contenido:
The Return to Jerusalem
It was on the twelfth day of the first month that we left the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem. Our God was with us and protected us from enemy attacks and from ambush as we traveled.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Then on the fourth day we went to the Temple, weighed the silver, the gold, and the utensils, and turned them over to Meremoth the priest, son of Uriah. With him were Eleazar son of Phinehas and two Levites, Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui.


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contenido:
All those who had returned from exile then brought offerings to be burned as sacrifices to the God of Israel. They offered 12 bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, and 77 lambs; they also offered 12 goats to purify themselves from sin. All these animals were burned as sacrifices to the Lord.


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contenido:
They also took the document the emperor had given them and gave it to the governors and officials of West-of-Euphrates Province, who then gave their support to the people and the Temple worship.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Ezra Learns of Intermarriages with Non-Jews
After all this had been done, some of the leaders of the people of Israel came and told me that the people, the priests, and the Levites had not kept themselves separate from the people in the neighboring countries of Ammon, Moab, and Egypt or from the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Amorites. They were doing the same disgusting things which these people did.


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contenido:
Jewish men were marrying foreign women, and so God's holy people had become contaminated. The leaders and officials were the chief offenders.


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contenido:
When I heard this, I tore my clothes in despair, tore my hair and my beard, and sat down crushed with grief.


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contenido:
I sat there grieving until the time for the evening sacrifice to be offered, and people began to gather around me—all those who were frightened because of what the God of Israel had said about the sins of those who had returned from exile.


book: Ezra
contenido:
When the time came for the evening sacrifice, I got up from where I had been grieving, and still wearing my torn clothes, I knelt in prayer and stretched out my hands to the Lord my God.


book: Ezra
contenido:
I said, “O God, I am too ashamed to raise my head in your presence. Our sins pile up higher than our heads; they reach as high as the heavens.


book: Ezra
contenido:
From the days of our ancestors until now, we, your people, have sinned greatly. Because of our sins we, our kings, and our priests have fallen into the hands of foreign kings, and we have been slaughtered, robbed, and carried away as prisoners. We have been totally disgraced, as we still are today.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Now for a short time, O Lord our God, you have been gracious to us and have let some of us escape from slavery and live in safety in this holy place. You have let us escape from slavery and have given us new life.


book: Ezra
contenido:
We were slaves, but you did not leave us in slavery. You made the emperors of Persia favor us and permit us to go on living and to rebuild your Temple, which was in ruins, and to find safety here in Judah and Jerusalem.


book: Ezra
contenido:
that you gave us through your servants, the prophets. They told us that the land we were going to occupy was an impure land because the people who lived in it filled it from one end to the other with disgusting, filthy actions.


book: Ezra
contenido:
They told us that we were never to intermarry with those people and never to help them prosper or succeed if we wanted to enjoy the land and pass it on to our descendants forever.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Even after everything that has happened to us in punishment for our sins and wrongs, we know that you, our God, have punished us less than we deserve and have allowed us to survive.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Then how can we ignore your commandments again and intermarry with these wicked people? If we do, you will be so angry that you will destroy us completely and let no one survive.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Lord God of Israel, you are just, but you have let us survive. We confess our guilt to you; we have no right to come into your presence.”


book: Ezra
contenido:
The Plan for Ending Mixed Marriages
While Ezra was bowing in prayer in front of the Temple, weeping and confessing these sins, a large group of Israelites—men, women, and children—gathered around him, weeping bitterly.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, of the clan of Elam, said to Ezra, “We have broken faith with God by marrying foreign women, but even so there is still hope for Israel.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Now we must make a solemn promise to our God that we will send these women and their children away. We will do what you and the others who honor God's commands advise us to do. We will do what God's Law demands.


book: Ezra
contenido:
So Ezra began by making the leaders of the priests, of the Levites, and of the rest of the people take an oath that they would do what Shecaniah had proposed.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Then he went from in front of the Temple into the living quarters of Jehohanan son of Eliashib, and spent the night there grieving over the unfaithfulness of the exiles. He did not eat or drink anything.


book: Ezra
contenido:
A message was sent throughout Jerusalem and Judah that all those who had returned from exile were to meet in Jerusalem


book: Ezra
contenido:
by order of the leaders of the people. If any failed to come within three days, all their property would be confiscated, and they would lose their right to be members of the community.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Within the three days, on the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the men living in the territory of Judah and Benjamin came to Jerusalem and assembled in the Temple square. It was raining hard, and because of the weather and the importance of the meeting everyone was trembling.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Ezra the priest stood up and spoke to them. He said, “You have been faithless and have brought guilt on Israel by marrying foreign women.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Now then, confess your sins to the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and do what pleases him. Separate yourselves from the foreigners living in our land and get rid of your foreign wives.”


book: Ezra
contenido:
But they added, “The crowd is too big, and it's raining hard. We can't stand here in the open like this. This isn't something that can be done in one or two days, because so many of us are involved in this sin.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Let our officials stay in Jerusalem and take charge of the matter. Then let anyone who has a foreign wife come at a set time, together with the leaders and the judges of his city. In this way God's anger over this situation will be turned away.”


book: Ezra
contenido:
No one was opposed to the plan except Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, who had the support of Meshullam and of Shabbethai, a Levite.


book: Ezra
contenido:
The returned exiles accepted the plan, so Ezra the priest appointed men from among the heads of the clans and recorded their names. On the first day of the tenth month they began their investigation,


book: Ezra
contenido:
The Men Who Had Foreign Wives
This is the list of the men who had foreign wives:
Priests, listed by clans:
Clan of Joshua and his brothers, sons of Jehozadak: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah.


book: Ezra
contenido:
Clan of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu


book: Ezra
contenido:
Clan of Binnui: Shimei, Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph


book: Neh
contenido:
This is the account of what Nehemiah son of Hacaliah accomplished.
Nehemiah's Concern for Jerusalem
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year that Artaxerxes was emperor of Persia, I, Nehemiah, was in Susa, the capital city.


book: Neh
contenido:
Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived from Judah with another group, and I asked them about Jerusalem and about the other Jews who had returned from exile in Babylonia.


book: Neh
contenido:
They told me that those who had survived and were back in the homeland were in great difficulty and that the foreigners who lived nearby looked down on them. They also told me that the walls of Jerusalem were still broken down and that the gates had not been restored since the time they were burned.


book: Neh
contenido:
When I heard all this, I sat down and wept.
For several days I mourned and did not eat. I prayed to God,


book: Neh
contenido:
“Lord God of Heaven! You are great, and we stand in fear of you. You faithfully keep your covenant with those who love you and do what you command.


book: Neh
contenido:
Look at me, Lord, and hear my prayer, as I pray day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess that we, the people of Israel, have sinned. My ancestors and I have sinned.


book: Neh
contenido:
We have acted wickedly against you and have not done what you commanded. We have not kept the laws which you gave us through Moses, your servant.


book: Neh
contenido:
Remember now what you told Moses: ‘If you people of Israel are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the other nations.


book: Neh
contenido:
But then if you turn back to me and do what I have commanded you, I will bring you back to the place where I have chosen to be worshiped, even though you are scattered to the ends of the earth.’


book: Neh
contenido:
Listen now to my prayer and to the prayers of all your other servants who want to honor you. Give me success today and make the emperor merciful to me.”
In those days I was the emperor's wine steward.


book: Neh
contenido:
Nehemiah Goes to Jerusalem
One day four months later, when Emperor Artaxerxes was dining, I took the wine to him. He had never seen me look sad before,


book: Neh
contenido:
so he asked, “Why are you looking so sad? You aren't sick, so it must be that you're unhappy.”
I was startled


book: Neh
contenido:
and answered, “May Your Majesty live forever! How can I keep from looking sad when the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”


book: Neh
contenido:
and then I said to the emperor, “If Your Majesty is pleased with me and is willing to grant my request, let me go to the land of Judah, to the city where my ancestors are buried, so that I can rebuild the city.”


book: Neh
contenido:
The emperor, with the empress sitting at his side, approved my request. He asked me how long I would be gone and when I would return, and I told him.


book: Neh
contenido:
Then I asked him to grant me the favor of giving me letters to the governors of West-of-Euphrates Province, instructing them to let me travel to Judah.


book: Neh
contenido:
I asked also for a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal forests, instructing him to supply me with timber for the gates of the fort that guards the Temple, for the city walls, and for the house I was to live in. The emperor gave me all I asked for, because God was with me.


book: Neh
contenido:
The emperor sent some army officers and a troop of cavalry with me, and I made the journey to West-of-Euphrates. There I gave the emperor's letters to the governors.


book: Neh
contenido:
But Sanballat, from the town of Beth Horon, and Tobiah, an official in the province of Ammon, heard that someone had come to work for the good of the people of Israel, and they were highly indignant.


book: Neh
contenido:
I did not tell anyone what God had inspired me to do for Jerusalem. Then in the middle of the night I got up and went out, taking a few of my companions with me. The only animal we took was the donkey that I rode on.


book: Neh
contenido:
It was still night as I left the city through the Valley Gate on the west and went south past Dragon's Fountain to the Rubbish Gate. As I went, I inspected the broken walls of the city and the gates that had been destroyed by fire.


book: Neh
contenido:
Then on the east side of the city I went north to the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool. The donkey I was riding could not find any path through the rubble,


book: Neh
contenido:
so I went down into Kidron Valley and rode along, looking at the wall. Then I returned the way I had come and went back into the city through the Valley Gate.


book: Neh
contenido:
None of the local officials knew where I had gone or what I had been doing. So far I had not said anything to any of the other Jews—the priests, the leaders, the officials, or anyone else who would be taking part in the work.


book: Neh
contenido:
But now I said to them, “See what trouble we are in because Jerusalem is in ruins and its gates are destroyed! Let's rebuild the city walls and put an end to our disgrace.”


book: Neh
contenido:
And I told them how God had been with me and helped me, and what the emperor had said to me.
They responded, “Let's start rebuilding!” And they got ready to start the work.


book: Neh
contenido:
When Sanballat, Tobiah, and an Arab named Geshem heard what we were planning to do, they laughed at us and said, “What do you think you're doing? Are you going to rebel against the emperor?”


book: Neh
contenido:
I answered, “The God of Heaven will give us success. We are his servants, and we are going to start building. But you have no right to any property in Jerusalem, and you have no share in its traditions.”


book: Neh
contenido:
Rebuilding the Wall of Jerusalem
This is how the city wall was rebuilt. The High Priest Eliashib and his fellow priests rebuilt the Sheep Gate, dedicated it, and put the gates in place. They dedicated the wall as far as the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel.


book: Neh
contenido:
The clan of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They put the beams and the gates in place, and put in the bolts and bars for locking the gate.


book: Neh
contenido:
Meremoth, the son of Uriah and grandson of Hakkoz, built the next section.
Meshullam, the son of Berechiah and grandson of Meshezabel, built the next section.
Zadok son of Baana built the next section.


book: Neh
contenido:
The men of Tekoa built the next section, but the leading men of the town refused to do the manual labor assigned them by the supervisors.


book: Neh
contenido:
Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah rebuilt Jeshanah Gate. They put the beams and the gates in place, and put in the bolts and bars for locking the gate.


book: Neh
contenido:
Melatiah from Gibeon, Jadon from Meronoth, and the men of Gibeon and Mizpah built the next section, as far as the residence of the governor of West-of-Euphrates.


book: Neh
contenido:
Uzziel son of Harhaiah, a goldsmith, built the next section.
Hananiah, a maker of perfumes, built the next section, as far as Broad Wall.


book: Neh
contenido:
Jedaiah son of Harumaph built the next section, which was near his own house.
Hattush son of Hashabneiah built the next section.


book: Neh
contenido:
Malchijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath Moab built both the next section and the Tower of the Ovens.


book: Neh
contenido:
Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of the other half of the Jerusalem District, built the next section. (His daughters helped with the work.)


book: Neh
contenido:
Hanun and the inhabitants of the city of Zanoah rebuilt the Valley Gate. They put the gates in place, put in the bolts and the bars for locking the gate, and repaired the wall for fifteen hundred feet, as far as the Rubbish Gate.


book: Neh
contenido:
Malchijah son of Rechab, ruler of the Beth Haccherem District, rebuilt the Rubbish Gate. He put the gates in place, and put in the bolts and the bars for locking the gate.


book: Neh
contenido:
Shallum son of Colhozeh, ruler of the Mizpah District, rebuilt the Fountain Gate. He covered the gateway, put the gates in place, and put in the bolts and the bars. At the Pool of Shelah he built the wall next to the royal garden, as far as the stairs leading down from David's City.


book: Neh
contenido:
Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of half of the Bethzur District, built the next section, as far as David's tomb, the pool, and the barracks.


book: Neh
contenido:
Levites Who Worked on the Wall
The following Levites rebuilt the next several sections of the wall:
Rehum son of Bani built the next section;
Hashabiah, ruler of half of the Keilah District, built the next section on behalf of his district;


book: Neh
contenido:
Ezer son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, built the next section in front of the armory, as far as the place where the wall turns;


book: Neh
contenido:
Baruch son of Zabbai built the next section, as far as the entrance to the house of the High Priest Eliashib;


book: Neh
contenido:
Meremoth, the son of Uriah and grandson of Hakkoz, built the next section, up to the far end of Eliashib's house.


book: Neh
contenido:
Priests Who Worked on the Wall
The following priests rebuilt the next several sections of the wall:
Priests from the area around Jerusalem built the next section;


book: Neh
contenido:
Benjamin and Hasshub built the next section, which was in front of their houses;
Azariah, the son of Maaseiah and grandson of Ananiah, built the next section, which was in front of his house;


book: Neh
contenido:
Palal son of Uzai built the next section, beginning at the corner of the wall and the tower of the upper palace near the court of the guard;
Pedaiah son of Parosh built the next section, to a point on the east near the Water Gate and the tower guarding the Temple. (This was near that part of the city called Ophel, where the Temple workers lived.)


book: Neh
contenido:
Other Builders
The men of Tekoa built the next section, their second one, from a point opposite the large tower guarding the Temple as far as the wall near Ophel.


book: Neh
contenido:
A group of priests built the next section, going north from the Horse Gate, each one building in front of his own house.


book: Neh
contenido:
Zadok son of Immer built the next section, which was in front of his house.
Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, keeper of the East Gate, built the next section.


book: Neh
contenido:
Hananiah son of Shelemiah and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, built the next section, their second one.
Meshullam son of Berechiah built the next section, which was in front of his house.


book: Neh
contenido:
Malchijah, a goldsmith, built the next section, as far as the building used by the Temple workers and the merchants, which was by the Miphkad Gate to the Temple, near the room on top of the northeast corner of the wall.


book: Neh
contenido:
The goldsmiths and the merchants built the last section, from the room at the corner as far as the Sheep Gate.


book: Neh
contenido:
Nehemiah Overcomes Opposition to His Work
When Sanballat heard that we Jews had begun rebuilding the wall, he became furious and began to ridicule us.


book: Neh
contenido:
In front of his companions and the Samaritan troops he said, “What do these miserable Jews think they're doing? Do they intend to rebuild the city? Do they think that by offering sacrifices they can finish the work in one day? Can they make building stones out of heaps of burnt rubble?”


book: Neh
contenido:
Tobiah was standing there beside him, and he added, “What kind of wall could they ever build? Even a fox could knock it down!”


book: Neh
contenido:
I prayed, “Hear how they make fun of us, O God! Let their ridicule fall on their own heads. Let them be robbed of everything they have, and let them be taken as prisoners to a foreign land.


book: Neh
contenido:
Don't forgive the evil they do and don't forget their sins, for they have insulted us who are building.”


book: Neh
contenido:
So we went on rebuilding the wall, and soon it was half its full height, because the people were eager to work.


book: Neh
contenido:
Sanballat, Tobiah, and the people of Arabia, Ammon, and Ashdod heard that we were making progress in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem and that the gaps in the wall were being closed, and they became very angry.


book: Neh
contenido:
The people of Judah had a song they sang:
“We grow weak carrying burdens;
There's so much rubble to take away.
How can we build the wall today?”


book: Neh
contenido:
Our enemies thought we would not see them or know what was happening until they were already upon us, killing us and putting an end to our work.


book: Neh
contenido:
But time after time Jews who were living among our enemies came to warn us of the plans our enemies were making against us.


book: Neh
contenido:
So I armed the people with swords, spears, and bows, and stationed them by clans behind the wall, wherever it was still unfinished.


book: Neh
contenido:
I saw that the people were worried, so I said to them and to their leaders and officials, “Don't be afraid of our enemies. Remember how great and terrifying the Lord is, and fight for your relatives, your children, your wives, and your homes.”


book: Neh
contenido:
Our enemies heard that we had found out what they were plotting, and they realized that God had defeated their plans. Then all of us went back to rebuilding the wall.


book: Neh
contenido:
From then on half of my men worked and half stood guard, wearing coats of armor and armed with spears, shields, and bows. And our leaders gave their full support to the people


book: Neh
contenido:
who were rebuilding the wall. Even those who carried building materials worked with one hand and kept a weapon in the other,


book: Neh
contenido:
and everyone who was building kept a sword strapped to their waist. The man who was to sound the alarm on the bugle stayed with me.


book: Neh
contenido:
I told the people and their officials and leaders, “The work is spread out over such a distance that we are widely separated from one another on the wall.


book: Neh
contenido:
So every day, from dawn until the stars came out at night, half of us worked on the wall, while the other half stood guard with spears.


book: Neh
contenido:
During this time I told the men in charge that they and all their helpers had to stay in Jerusalem at night, so that we could guard the city at night as well as work in the daytime.


book: Neh
contenido:
I didn't take off my clothes even at night, neither did any of my companions nor my servants nor my bodyguards. And we all kept our weapons at hand.


book: Neh
contenido:
Oppression of the Poor
Some time later many of the people, both men and women, began to complain against the other Jews.


book: Neh
contenido:
Others said, “We have had to mortgage our fields and vineyards and houses to get enough grain to keep us from starving.”


book: Neh
contenido:
We are of the same race as the other Jews. Aren't our children just as good as theirs? But we have to make slaves of our children. Some of our daughters have already been sold as slaves. We are helpless because our fields and vineyards have been taken away from us.”


book: Neh
contenido:
and decided to act. I denounced the leaders and officials of the people and told them, “You are oppressing your own relatives!”
I called a public assembly to deal with the problem


book: Neh
contenido:
and said, “As far as we have been able, we have been buying back our Jewish relatives who had to sell themselves to foreigners. Now you are forcing your own relatives to sell themselves to you, their own people!” The leaders were silent and could find nothing to say.


book: Neh
contenido:
Then I said, “What you are doing is wrong! You ought to obey God and do what's right. Then you would not give our enemies, the Gentiles, any reason to ridicule us.


book: Neh
contenido:
I have let the people borrow money and grain from me, and so have my companions and those who work for me. Now let's give up all our claims to repayment.


book: Neh
contenido:
Cancel all the debts they owe you—money or grain or wine or olive oil. And give them back their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses right now!”


book: Neh
contenido:
The leaders replied, “We'll do as you say. We'll give the property back and not try to collect the debts.”
I called in the priests and made the leaders swear in front of them to keep the promise they had just made.


book: Neh
contenido:
Then I took off the sash I was wearing around my waist and shook it out. “This is how God will shake any of you who don't keep your promise,” I said. “God will take away your houses and everything you own, and will leave you with nothing.”
Everyone who was present said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord. And the leaders kept their promise.


book: Neh
contenido:
Nehemiah's Unselfishness
During all the twelve years that I was governor of the land of Judah, from the twentieth year that Artaxerxes was emperor until his thirty-second year, neither my relatives nor I ate the food I was entitled to have as governor.


book: Neh
contenido:
Every governor who had been in office before me had been a burden to the people and had demanded forty silver coins a day for food and wine. Even their servants had oppressed the people. But I acted differently, because I honored God.


book: Neh
contenido:
I put all my energy into rebuilding the wall and did not acquire any property. Everyone who worked for me joined in the rebuilding.


book: Neh
contenido:
I regularly fed at my table a hundred and fifty of the Jewish people and their leaders, besides all the people who came to me from the surrounding nations.


book: Neh
contenido:
Every day I served one beef, six of the best sheep, and many chickens, and every ten days I provided a fresh supply of wine. But I knew what heavy burdens the people had to bear, and so I did not claim the allowance that the governor is entitled to.


book: Neh
contenido:
Plots against Nehemiah
Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem, and the rest of our enemies heard that we had finished building the wall and that there were no gaps left in it, although we still had not set up the gates in the gateways.


book: Neh
contenido:
So Sanballat and Geshem sent me a message, suggesting that I meet with them in one of the villages in the Plain of Ono. This was a trick of theirs to try to harm me.


book: Neh
contenido:
I sent messengers to say to them, “I am doing important work and can't go down there. I am not going to let the work stop just to go and see you.”


book: Neh
contenido:
Then Sanballat sent one of his servants to me with a fifth message, this one in the form of an unsealed letter.


book: Neh
contenido:
It read:
“Geshem tells me that a rumor is going around among the neighboring peoples that you and the Jewish people intend to revolt and that this is why you are rebuilding the wall. He also says you plan to make yourself king


book: Neh
contenido:
and that you have arranged for some prophets to proclaim in Jerusalem that you are the king of Judah. His Majesty is certain to hear about this, so I suggest that you and I meet to talk the situation over.”


book: Neh
contenido:
About this time I went to visit Shemaiah, the son of Delaiah and grandson of Mehetabel, who was unable to leave his house. He said to me, “You and I must go and hide together in the Holy Place of the Temple and lock the doors, because they are coming to kill you. Any night now they will come to kill you.”


book: Neh
contenido:
I answered, “I'm not the kind of person that runs and hides. Do you think I would try to save my life by hiding in the Temple? I won't do it.”


book: Neh
contenido:
When I thought it over, I realized that God had not spoken to Shemaiah, but that Tobiah and Sanballat had bribed him to give me this warning.


book: Neh
contenido:
I prayed, “God, remember what Tobiah and Sanballat have done and punish them. Remember that woman Noadiah and all the other prophets who tried to frighten me.”


book: Neh
contenido:
The Conclusion of the Work
After fifty-two days of work the entire wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul.


book: Neh
contenido:
When our enemies in the surrounding nations heard this, they realized that they had lost face, since everyone knew that the work had been done with God's help.


book: Neh
contenido:
Many people in Judah were on his side because of his Jewish father-in-law, Shecaniah son of Arah. In addition, his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah.


book: Neh
contenido:
People would talk in front of me about all the good deeds Tobiah had done and would tell him everything I said. And he kept sending me letters to try to frighten me.


book: Neh
contenido:
And now the wall had been rebuilt, the gates had all been put in place, and the Temple guards, the members of the sacred choir, and the other Levites had been assigned their work.


book: Neh
contenido:
I put two men in charge of governing the city of Jerusalem: my brother Hanani and Hananiah, commanding officer of the fortress. Hananiah was a reliable and God-fearing man without equal.


book: Neh
contenido:
I told them not to have the gates of Jerusalem opened in the morning until well after sunrise and to have them closed and barred before the guards went off duty at sunset. I also told them to appoint guards from among the people who lived in Jerusalem and to assign some of them to specific posts and others to patrol the area around their own houses.


book: Neh
contenido:
The List of Those Who Returned from Exile
Jerusalem was a large city, but not many people were living in it, and not many houses had been built yet.


book: Neh
contenido:
God inspired me to assemble the people and their leaders and officials and to check their family records. I located the records of those who had first returned from captivity, and this is the information I found:


book: Neh
contenido:
Many of the exiles left the province of Babylon and returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own hometown. Their families had been living in exile in Babylonia ever since King Nebuchadnezzar had taken them there as prisoners.


book: Neh
contenido:
Their leaders were Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.


book: Neh
contenido:
This is the list of the clans of Israel, with the number of those from each clan who returned from exile:
Parosh - 2,172
Shephatiah - 372
Arah - 652
Pahath Moab (descendants of Jeshua and Joab) - 2,818
Elam - 1,254
Zattu - 845
Zaccai - 760
Binnui - 648
Bebai - 628
Azgad - 2,322
Adonikam - 667
Bigvai - 2,067
Adin - 655
Ater (also called Hezekiah) - 98
Hashum - 328
Bezai - 324
Hariph - 112
Gibeon - 95


book: Neh
contenido:
People whose ancestors had lived in the following towns also returned:
Bethlehem and Netophah - 188
Anathoth - 128
Beth Azmaveth - 42
Kiriath Jearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth - 743
Ramah and Geba - 621
Michmash - 122
Bethel and Ai - 123
The other Nebo - 52
The other Elam - 1,254
Harim - 320
Jericho - 345
Lod, Hadid, and Ono - 721
Senaah - 3,930


book: Neh
contenido:
Clans of Levites who returned from exile:
Jeshua and Kadmiel (descendants of Hodaviah) - 74
Temple musicians (descendants of Asaph) - 148
Temple guards (descendants of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita, and Shobai) - 138


book: Neh
contenido:
Clans of Temple workers who returned from exile:
Ziha, Hasupha, Tabbaoth,
Keros, Sia, Padon,
Lebana, Hagaba, Shalmai,
Hanan, Giddel, Gahar,
Reaiah, Rezin, Nekoda,
Gazzam, Uzza, Paseah,
Besai, Meunim, Nephushesim,
Bakbuk, Hakupha, Harhur,
Bazlith, Mehida, Harsha,
Barkos, Sisera, Temah,
Neziah, and Hatipha.


book: Neh
contenido:
Clans of Solomon's servants who returned from exile:
Sotai, Sophereth, Perida,
Jaalah, Darkon, Giddel,
Shephatiah, Hattil, Pochereth Hazzebaim, and Amon.


book: Neh
contenido:
There were 642 belonging to the clans of Delaiah, Tobiah, and Nekoda who returned from the towns of Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer; but they could not prove that they were descendants of Israelites.


book: Neh
contenido:
The following priestly clans could find no record to prove their ancestry: Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai. (The ancestor of the priestly clan of Barzillai had married a woman from the clan of Barzillai of Gilead and taken the name of his father-in-law's clan.) Since they were unable to prove who their ancestors were, they were not accepted as priests.


book: Neh
contenido:
Total number of exiles who returned - 42,360.
Their male and female servants - 7,337
Male and female musicians - 245
Horses - 736
Mules - 245
Camels - 435
Donkeys - 6,720


book: Neh
contenido:
Many of the people contributed to help pay the cost of restoring the Temple:
The governor
270
ounces of gold

50
ceremonial bowls

530
robes for priests
Heads of clans
337
pounds of gold

3,215
pounds of silver
The rest of the people
337
pounds of gold

2,923
pounds of silver

67
robes for priests


book: Neh
contenido:
The priests, the Levites, the Temple guards, the musicians, many of the ordinary people, the Temple workers—all the people of Israel—settled in the towns and cities of Judah.


book: Neh
contenido:
Ezra Reads the Law to the People
By the seventh month the people of Israel were all settled in their towns. On the first day of that month they all assembled in Jerusalem, in the square just inside the Water Gate. They asked Ezra, the priest and scholar of the Law which the Lord had given Israel through Moses, to get the book of the Law.


book: Neh
contenido:
So Ezra brought it to the place where the people had gathered—men, women, and the children who were old enough to understand.


book: Neh
contenido:
There in the square by the gate he read the Law to them from dawn until noon, and they all listened attentively.


book: Neh
contenido:
Ezra was standing on a wooden platform that had been built for the occasion. The following men stood at his right: Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and the following stood at his left: Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.


book: Neh
contenido:
As Ezra stood there on the platform high above the people, they all kept their eyes fixed on him. As soon as he opened the book, they all stood up.


book: Neh
contenido:
Ezra said, “Praise the Lord, the great God!”
All the people raised their arms in the air and answered, “Amen! Amen!” They knelt in worship, with their faces to the ground.


book: Neh
contenido:
Then they rose and stood in their places, and the following Levites explained the Law to them: Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah.


book: Neh
contenido:
When the people heard what the Law required, they were so moved that they began to cry. So Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra, the priest and scholar of the Law, and the Levites who were explaining the Law told all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God, so you are not to mourn or cry.


book: Neh
contenido:
Now go home and have a feast. Share your food and wine with those who don't have enough. Today is holy to our Lord, so don't be sad. The joy that the Lord gives you will make you strong.”


book: Neh
contenido:
So all the people went home and ate and drank joyfully and shared what they had with others, because they understood what had been read to them.


book: Neh
contenido:
The Festival of Shelters
The next day the heads of the clans, together with the priests and the Levites, went to Ezra to study the teachings of the Law.


book: Neh
contenido:
They discovered that the Law, which the Lord gave through Moses, ordered the people of Israel to live in temporary shelters during the Festival of Shelters.


book: Neh
contenido:
So they gave the following instructions and sent them all through Jerusalem and the other cities and towns: “Go out to the hills and get branches from pines, olives, myrtles, palms, and other trees to make shelters according to the instructions written in the Law.”


book: Neh
contenido:
So the people got branches and built shelters on the flat roofs of their houses, in their yards, in the Temple courtyard, and in the public squares by the Water Gate and by the Ephraim Gate.


book: Neh
contenido:
All the people who had come back from captivity built shelters and lived in them. This was the first time it had been done since the days of Joshua son of Nun, and everybody was excited and happy.


book: Neh
contenido:
From the first day of the festival to the last they read a part of God's Law every day. They celebrated for seven days, and on the eighth day there was a closing ceremony, as required in the Law.


book: Neh
contenido:
The People Confess Their Sins
On the twenty-fourth day of the same month the people of Israel gathered to fast in order to show sorrow for their sins. They had already separated themselves from all foreigners. They wore sackcloth and put dust on their heads as signs of grief. Then they stood and began to confess the sins that they and their ancestors had committed.


book: Neh
contenido:
For about three hours the Law of the Lord their God was read to them, and for the next three hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord their God.


book: Neh
contenido:
There was a platform for the Levites, and on it stood Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani. They prayed aloud to the Lord their God.


book: Neh
contenido:
The following Levites gave a call to worship: Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah. They said:
“Stand up and praise the Lord your God;
praise him forever and ever!
Let everyone praise his glorious name,
although no human praise is great enough.”


book: Neh
contenido:
The Prayer of Confession
And then the people of Israel prayed this prayer:
“You, Lord, you alone are Lord;
you made the heavens and the stars of the sky.
You made land and sea and everything in them;
you gave life to all.
The heavenly powers bow down and worship you.


book: Neh
contenido:
You found that he was faithful to you,
and you made a covenant with him.
You promised to give him the land of the Canaanites,
the land of the Hittites and the Amorites,
the land of the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Girgashites,
to be a land where his descendants would live.
You kept your promise, because you are faithful.


book: Neh
contenido:
You worked amazing miracles against the king,
against his officials and the people of his land,
because you knew how they oppressed your people.
You won then the fame you still have today.


book: Neh
contenido:
Through the sea you made a path for your people
and led them through on dry ground.
Those who pursued them drowned in deep water,
as a stone sinks in the raging sea.


book: Neh
contenido:
At Mount Sinai you came down from heaven;
you spoke to your people
and gave them good laws and sound teachings.


book: Neh
contenido:
“When they were hungry, you gave them bread from heaven,
and water from a rock when they were thirsty.
You told them to take control of the land
which you had promised to give them.


book: Neh
contenido:
They refused to obey; they forgot all you did;
they forgot the miracles you had performed.
In their pride they chose a leader
to take them back to slavery in Egypt.
But you are a God who forgives;
you are gracious and loving, slow to be angry.
Your mercy is great; you did not forsake them.


book: Neh
contenido:
They made an idol in the shape of a bull-calf
and said it was the god who led them from Egypt!
How much they insulted you, Lord!


book: Neh
contenido:
But you did not abandon them there in the desert,
for your mercy is great.
You did not take away the cloud or the fire
that showed them the path by day and night.


book: Neh
contenido:
In your goodness you told them what they should do;
you fed them manna and gave them water to drink.


book: Neh
contenido:
Through forty years in the desert
you provided all that they needed;
their clothing never wore out,
and their feet were not swollen with pain.


book: Neh
contenido:
“You let them conquer nations and kingdoms,
lands that bordered their own.
They conquered the land of Heshbon, where Sihon ruled,
and the land of Bashan, where Og was king.


book: Neh
contenido:
You gave them as many children as there are stars in the sky,
and let them conquer and live in the land
that you had promised their ancestors to give them.


book: Neh
contenido:
They conquered the land of Canaan;
you overcame the people living there.
You gave your people the power to do as they pleased
with the people and kings of Canaan.


book: Neh
contenido:
Your people captured fortified cities,
fertile land, houses full of wealth,
cisterns already dug,
olive trees, fruit trees, and vineyards.
They ate all they wanted and grew fat;
they enjoyed all the good things you gave them.


book: Neh
contenido:
“But your people rebelled and disobeyed you;
they turned their backs on your Law.
They killed the prophets who warned them,
who told them to turn back to you.
They insulted you time after time,


book: Neh
contenido:
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;so you let their enemies conquer and rule them.
In their trouble they called to you for help,
and you answered them from heaven.
In your great mercy you sent them leaders
who rescued them from their foes.


book: Neh
contenido:
When peace returned, they sinned again,
and again you let their enemies conquer them.
Yet when they repented and asked you to save them,
in heaven you heard, and time after time
you rescued them in your great mercy.


book: Neh
contenido:
You warned them to obey your teachings,
but in pride they rejected your laws,
although keeping your Law is the way to life.
Hard-headed and stubborn, they refused to obey.


book: Neh
contenido:
Year after year you patiently warned them.
You inspired your prophets to speak,
but your people were deaf,
so you let them be conquered by other nations.


book: Neh
contenido:
And yet, because your mercy is great,
you did not forsake or destroy them.
You are a gracious and merciful God!


book: Neh
contenido:
“O God, our God, how great you are!
How terrifying, how powerful!
You faithfully keep your covenant promises.
From the time when Assyrian kings oppressed us,
even till now, how much we have suffered!
Our kings, our leaders, our priests and prophets,
our ancestors, and all our people have suffered.
Remember how much we have suffered!


book: Neh
contenido:
Our ancestors, our kings, leaders, and priests
have not kept your Law.
They did not listen to your commands and warnings.


book: Neh
contenido:
With your blessing, kings ruled your people
when they lived in the broad, fertile land you gave them;
but they failed to turn from sin and serve you.


book: Neh
contenido:
What the land produces goes to the kings
that you put over us because we sinned.
They do as they please with us and our livestock,
and we are in deep distress!”


book: Neh
contenido:
The People Sign an Agreement
Because of all that has happened, we, the people of Israel, hereby make a solemn written agreement, and our leaders, our Levites, and our priests put their seals to it.


book: Neh
contenido:
The first to sign was the governor, Nehemiah son of Hacaliah, and then Zedekiah signed. The following also signed:


book: Neh
contenido:
Priests:
Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaia.


book: Neh
contenido:
Levites:
Jeshua son of Azaniah,
Binnui of the clan of Henadad,
Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Hodiah,
Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.


book: Neh
contenido:
Leaders of the people:
Parosh, Pahath Moab,
Elam, Zattu, Bani,
Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,
Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.


book: Neh
contenido:
The Agreement
We, the people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, the Temple guards, the Temple musicians, the Temple workers, and all others who in obedience to God's Law have separated themselves from the foreigners living in our land, we, together with our wives and all our children old enough to understand,


book: Neh
contenido:
do hereby join with our leaders in an oath, under penalty of a curse if we break it, that we will live according to God's Law, which God gave through his servant Moses; that we will obey all that the Lord, our Lord, commands us; and that we will keep all his laws and requirements.


book: Neh
contenido:
If foreigners bring grain or anything else to sell to us on the Sabbath or on any other holy day, we will not buy from them.
Every seventh year we will not farm the land, and we will cancel all debts.


book: Neh
contenido:
Every year we will each contribute one-eighth of an ounce of silver to help pay the expenses of the Temple.


book: Neh
contenido:
We will provide for the Temple worship the following: the sacred bread, the daily grain offering, the animals to be burned each day as sacrifices, the sacred offerings for Sabbaths, New Moon Festivals, and other festivals, the other sacred offerings, the offerings to take away the sins of Israel, and anything else needed for the Temple.


book: Neh
contenido:
We, the people, priests, and Levites, will draw lots each year to determine which clans are to provide wood to burn the sacrifices offered to the Lord our God, according to the requirements of the Law.


book: Neh
contenido:
We will take to the Temple each year an offering of the first grain we harvest and of the first fruit that ripens on our trees.


book: Neh
contenido:
The first son born to each of us we will take to the priests in the Temple and there, as required by the Law, dedicate him to God. We will also dedicate the first calf born to each of our cows, and the first lamb or kid born to each of our sheep or goats.


book: Neh
contenido:
We will take to the priests in the Temple the dough made from the first grain harvested each year and our other offerings of wine, olive oil, and all kinds of fruit.
We will take to the Levites, who collect tithes in our farming villages, the tithes from the crops that grow on our land.


book: Neh
contenido:
Priests who are descended from Aaron are to be with the Levites when tithes are collected, and for use in the Temple the Levites are to take to the Temple storerooms one-tenth of all the tithes they collect.


book: Neh
contenido:
The people of Israel and the Levites are to take the contributions of grain, wine, and olive oil to the storerooms where the utensils for the Temple are kept and where the priests who are on duty, the Temple guards, and the members of the Temple choir have their quarters.
We will not neglect the house of our God.


book: Neh
contenido:
The People Who Lived in Jerusalem
The leaders settled in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people drew lots to choose one family out of every ten to go and live in the holy city of Jerusalem, while the rest were to live in the other cities and towns.


book: Neh
contenido:
In the other towns and cities the people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, the Temple workers, and the descendants of Solomon's servants lived on their own property in their own towns.
The following is the list of the leading citizens of the province of Judah who lived in Jerusalem:


book: Neh
contenido:
Members of the tribe of Judah
Athaiah, the son of Uzziah and grandson of Zechariah. His other ancestors included Amariah, Shephatiah, and Mahalalel, descendants of Judah's son Perez.


book: Neh
contenido:
Maaseiah, the son of Baruch and grandson of Colhozeh. His other ancestors included Hazaiah, Adaiah, Joiarib, and Zechariah, descendants of Judah's son Shelah.


book: Neh
contenido:
Members of the tribe of Benjamin
Sallu, the son of Meshullam and grandson of Joed. His other ancestors included Pedaiah, Kolaiah, Maaseiah, Ithiel, and Jeshaiah.


book: Neh
contenido:
Joel son of Zichri was their leader, and Judah son of Hassenuah was the second ranking official in the city.


book: Neh
contenido:
Seraiah, the son of Hilkiah and grandson of Meshullam. His ancestors included Zadok, Meraioth, and Ahitub, who was the High Priest.


book: Neh
contenido:
In all, 822 members of this clan served in the Temple.
Adaiah, the son of Jeroham and grandson of Pelaliah. His ancestors included Amzi, Zechariah, Pashhur, and Malchijah.


book: Neh
contenido:
In all, 242 members of this clan were heads of families.
Amashsai, the son of Azarel and grandson of Ahzai. His ancestors included Meshillemoth and Immer.


book: Neh
contenido:
There were 128 members of this clan who were outstanding soldiers. Their leader was Zabdiel, a member of a leading family.


book: Neh
contenido:
Levites
Shemaiah, the son of Hasshub and grandson of Azrikam. His ancestors included Hashabiah and Bunni.


book: Neh
contenido:
Mattaniah, the son of Mica and grandson of Zabdi, a descendant of Asaph. He led the Temple choir in singing the prayer of thanksgiving.
Bakbukiah, who was Mattaniah's assistant.
Abda, the son of Shammua and grandson of Galal, a descendant of Jeduthun.


book: Neh
contenido:
The rest of the people of Israel and the remaining priests and Levites lived on their own property in the other cities and towns of Judah.


book: Neh
contenido:
The Temple workers lived in the part of Jerusalem called Ophel and worked under the supervision of Ziha and Gishpa.


book: Neh
contenido:
The supervisor of the Levites who lived in Jerusalem was Uzzi, the son of Bani and grandson of Hashabiah. His ancestors included Mattaniah and Mica, and he belonged to the clan of Asaph, the clan that was responsible for the music in the Temple services.


book: Neh
contenido:
There were royal regulations stating how the clans should take turns in leading the Temple music each day.


book: Neh
contenido:
Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, of the clan of Zerah and the tribe of Judah, represented the people of Israel at the Persian court.


book: Neh
contenido:
The People in Other Towns and Cities
Many of the people lived in towns near their farms. Those who were of the tribe of Judah lived in Kiriath Arba, Dibon, and Jekabzeel, and in the villages near these cities.


book: Neh
contenido:
in Zanoah, in Adullam, and in the villages near these towns. They lived in Lachish and on the farms nearby, and in Azekah and its villages. That is to say, the people of Judah lived in the territory between Beersheba in the south and Hinnom Valley in the north.


book: Neh
contenido:
Some groups of Levites that had lived in the territory of Judah were assigned to live with the people of Benjamin.


book: Neh
contenido:
List of Priests and Levites
The following is a list of the priests and Levites who returned from exile with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with the High Priest Joshua:


book: Neh
contenido:
Priests
Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah, Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah.
These men were leaders among all their fellow priests in the days of Joshua.


book: Neh
contenido:
Levites
The following were in charge of the singing of hymns of thanksgiving: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah.


book: Neh
contenido:
Descendants of the High Priest Joshua
Joshua was the father of Joiakim; Joiakim was the father of Eliashib; Eliashib was the father of Joiada;


book: Neh
contenido:
Heads of the Priestly Clans
When Joiakim was High Priest, the following priests were the heads of the priestly clans:
Priest
Clan
Meraiah
Seraiah
Hananiah
Jeremiah
Meshullam
Ezra
Jehohanan
Amariah
Jonathan
Malluchi
Joseph
Shebaniah
Adna
Harim
Helkai
Meraioth
Zechariah
Iddo
Meshullam
Ginnethon
Zichri
Abijah

Miniamin
Piltai
Moadiah
Shammua
Bilgah
Jehonathan
Shemaiah
Mattenai
Joiarib
Uzzi
Jedaiah
Kallai
Sallai
Eber
Amok
Hashabiah
Hilkiah
Nethanel
Jedaiah


book: Neh
contenido:
Record of the Priestly and Levite Families
A record was kept of the heads of the Levite families and of the priestly families during the lifetimes of the following High Priests: Eliashib, Joiada, Jonathan, and Jaddua. This record was finished when Darius was emperor of Persia.


book: Neh
contenido:
The heads of the Levite families, however, were recorded in the official records only until the time of Jonathan, the grandson of Eliashib.


book: Neh
contenido:
Assignment of Duties in the Temple
Under the direction of Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua, Binnui, and Kadmiel, the Levites were organized into groups. Two groups at a time praised God responsively and gave thanks to him, in accordance with the instructions given by King David, the man of God.


book: Neh
contenido:
The following Temple guards were in charge of guarding the storerooms by the gates to the Temple: Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub.


book: Neh
contenido:
These people lived during the time of Joiakim, the son of Joshua and grandson of Jehozadak, and the time of Nehemiah the governor, and the time of Ezra, the priest who was a scholar of the Law.


book: Neh
contenido:
Nehemiah Dedicates the City Wall
When the city wall of Jerusalem was dedicated, the Levites were brought in from wherever they were living, so that they could join in celebrating the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals and harps.


book: Neh
contenido:
The Levite families of singers gathered from the area where they had settled around Jerusalem and from the towns around Netophah,


book: Neh
contenido:
The priests and the Levites performed ritual purification for themselves, the people, the gates, and the city wall.


book: Neh
contenido:
I assembled the leaders of Judah on top of the wall and put them in charge of two large groups to march around the city, giving thanks to God.
The first group went to the right on top of the wall toward the Rubbish Gate.


book: Neh
contenido:
The following priests, blowing trumpets, marched next: Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah. Next came Zechariah, the son of Jonathan and grandson of Shemaiah. (His ancestors also included Mattaniah, Micaiah, and Zaccur, of the clan of Asaph.)


book: Neh
contenido:
He was followed by other members of his clan—Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani—all of whom carried musical instruments of the kind played by King David, the man of God. Ezra the scholar led this group in the procession.


book: Neh
contenido:
At the Fountain Gate they went up the steps that led to David's City, past David's palace, and back to the wall at the Water Gate, on the east side of the city.


book: Neh
contenido:
The other group of those who gave thanks went to the left along the top of the wall, and I followed with half of the people. We marched past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall,


book: Neh
contenido:
and from there we went past Ephraim Gate, Jeshanah Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, to the Sheep Gate. We ended our march near the gate to the Temple.


book: Neh
contenido:
So both the groups that were giving thanks to God reached the Temple area.
In addition to the leaders who were with me,


book: Neh
contenido:
my group included the following priests, blowing trumpets: Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah;


book: Neh
contenido:
and they were followed by Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. The singers, led by Jezrahiah, sang at the top of their voices.


book: Neh
contenido:
That day many sacrifices were offered, and the people were full of joy because God had made them very happy. The women and the children joined in the celebration, and the noise they all made could be heard for miles.


book: Neh
contenido:
Providing for Worship in the Temple
At that time men were put in charge of the storerooms where contributions for the Temple were kept, including the tithes and the first grain and fruit that ripened each year. These men were responsible for collecting from the farms near the various cities the contributions for the priests and the Levites which the Law required. All the people of Judah were pleased with the priests and the Levites,


book: Neh
contenido:
because they performed the ceremonies of purification and the other rituals that God had commanded. The Temple musicians and the Temple guards also performed their duties in accordance with the regulations made by King David and his son Solomon.


book: Neh
contenido:
From the time of King David and the musician Asaph long ago, the musicians have led songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.


book: Neh
contenido:
In the time of Zerubbabel and also in the time of Nehemiah, all the people of Israel gave daily gifts for the support of the Temple musicians and the Temple guards. The people gave a sacred offering to the Levites, and the Levites gave the required portion to the priests.


book: Neh
contenido:
Separation from Foreigners
When the Law of Moses was being read aloud to the people, they came to the passage that said that no Ammonite or Moabite was ever to be permitted to join God's people.


book: Neh
contenido:
This was because the people of Ammon and Moab did not give food and water to the Israelites on their way out of Egypt. Instead, they paid money to Balaam to curse Israel, but our God turned the curse into a blessing.


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contenido:
Nehemiah's Reforms
The priest Eliashib, who was in charge of the Temple storerooms, had for a long time been on good terms with Tobiah.


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contenido:
He allowed Tobiah to use a large room that was intended only for storing offerings of grain and incense, the equipment used in the Temple, the offerings for the priests, and the tithes of grain, wine, and olive oil given to the Levites, to the Temple musicians, and to the Temple guards.


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While this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, because in the thirty-second year that Artaxerxes was king of Babylon I had gone back to report to him. After some time I received his permission


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contenido:
and returned to Jerusalem. There I was shocked to find that Eliashib had allowed Tobiah to use a room in the Temple.


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contenido:
I gave orders for the rooms to be ritually purified and for the Temple equipment, grain offerings, and incense to be put back.


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contenido:
I also learned that the Temple musicians and other Levites had left Jerusalem and gone back to their farms, because the people had not been giving them enough to live on.


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contenido:
I reprimanded the officials for letting the Temple be neglected. And I brought the Levites and musicians back to the Temple and put them to work again.


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contenido:
Then all the people of Israel again started bringing to the Temple storerooms their tithes of grain, wine, and olive oil.


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contenido:
I put the following men in charge of the storerooms: Shelemiah, a priest; Zadok, a scholar of the Law; and Pedaiah, a Levite. Hanan, the son of Zaccur and grandson of Mattaniah, was to be their assistant. I knew I could trust these men to be honest in distributing the supplies to the other workers.


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At that time I saw people in Judah pressing juice from grapes on the Sabbath. Others were loading grain, wine, grapes, figs, and other things on their donkeys and taking them into Jerusalem; I warned them not to sell anything on the Sabbath.


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contenido:
Some people from the city of Tyre were living in Jerusalem, and they brought fish and all kinds of goods into the city to sell to our people on the Sabbath.


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contenido:
I reprimanded the Jewish leaders and told them, “Look at the evil you're doing! You're making the Sabbath unholy.


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contenido:
This is exactly why God punished your ancestors when he brought destruction on this city. And yet you insist on bringing more of God's anger down on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”


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So I gave orders for the city gates to be shut at the beginning of every Sabbath, as soon as evening began to fall, and not to be opened again until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my men at the gates to make sure that nothing was brought into the city on the Sabbath.


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I warned them, “It's no use waiting out there for morning to come. If you try this again, I'll use force on you.” From then on they did not come back on the Sabbath.


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contenido:
I ordered the Levites to purify themselves and to go and guard the gates to make sure that the Sabbath was kept holy.
Remember me, O God, for this also, and spare me because of your great love.


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contenido:
At that time I also discovered that many of the Jewish men had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.


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contenido:
Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or some other language and didn't know how to speak our language.


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contenido:
I reprimanded the men, called down curses on them, beat them, and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath in God's name that never again would they or their children intermarry with foreigners.


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contenido:
I told them, “It was foreign women that made King Solomon sin. Here was a man who was greater than any of the kings of other nations. God loved him and made him king over all of Israel, and yet he fell into this sin.


book: Neh
contenido:
Joiada was the son of Eliashib the High Priest, but one of Joiada's sons married the daughter of Sanballat, from the town of Beth Horon, so I made Joiada leave Jerusalem.


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contenido:
Remember, God, how those people defiled both the office of priest and the covenant you made with the priests and the Levites.


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contenido:
I purified the people from everything foreign; I prepared regulations for the priests and the Levites so that all of them would know their duties;


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contenido:
I arranged for the wood used for burning the offerings to be brought at the proper times, and for the people to bring their offerings of the first grain and the first fruits that ripened.
Remember all this, O God, and give me credit for it.


book: Tob
contenido:
I am Tobit and this is the story of my life. My father was Tobiel, my grandfather was Ananiel, and my great-grandfather was Aduel. Aduel's father was Gabael; his grandfather was Raphael; and his great-grandfather was Raguel, who belonged to the clan of Asiel, a part of the tribe of Naphtali.


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During the time that Shalmaneser was emperor of Assyria, I was taken captive in my hometown of Thisbe, located in northern Galilee, south of Kadesh in Naphtali, northwest of Hazor, and north of Phogor.


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Tobit's Early Life
All my life I have been honest and have tried to do what was right. I often gave money to help needy relatives and other Jews who had been deported with me to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria.


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When I was young, I lived in northern Israel. All the tribes in Israel were supposed to offer sacrifices in Jerusalem. It was the one city that God had chosen from among all the Israelite cities as the place where his Temple was to be built for his holy and eternal home. But my entire tribe of Naphtali rejected the city of Jerusalem and the kings descended from David.


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Like everyone else in this tribe, my own family used to go to the city of Dan in the mountains of northern Galilee to offer sacrifices to the gold bull-calf which King Jeroboam of Israel had set up there.


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contenido:
Tobit's Faithfulness to His Religion
I was the only one in my family who regularly went to Jerusalem to celebrate the religious festivals, as the Law of Moses commands everyone to do. I would hurry off to Jerusalem with the first part of my harvest, the first-born of my animals, a tenth of my cattle, and the freshly clipped wool from my sheep. Then I would stand before the altar in the Temple, and give these offerings to the priests, the descendants of Aaron.


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I would give a tenth of my grain, wine, olive oil, pomegranates, figs, and other fruits to the Levites who served God in Jerusalem. Every year, except the seventh year when the land was at rest, I would sell a second tenth of my possessions and spend the money in Jerusalem on the festival meal.


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But every third year, I would give a third tithe to widows and orphans and to foreigners living among my people, and we would eat the festival meal together. I did this in keeping with the Law of Moses, which Deborah, the mother of my grandfather Ananiel, had taught me to obey. (I had been left an orphan when my father died.)


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contenido:
Tobit's Faithfulness in Exile
When I grew up, I married Anna, a member of my own tribe. We had a son and named him Tobias.


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contenido:
Later, I was taken captive and deported to Assyria, and that is how I came to live in Nineveh.
While we lived in Nineveh, all my relatives and the other Jews used to eat the same kind of food as the other people who lived there,


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he made Emperor Shalmaneser respect me, and I was placed in charge of purchasing all the emperor's supplies.


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Before the emperor died, I made regular trips to the land of Media to buy things for him there. Once, when I was in the city of Rages in Media, I left some bags of money there with Gabael, Gabrias' brother, and asked him to keep them for me. There were more than 600 pounds of silver coins in those bags.


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When Shalmaneser died, his son Sennacherib succeeded him as emperor. It soon became so dangerous to travel on the roads in Media that I could no longer go there.


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contenido:
Tobit Buries the Dead
While Shalmaneser was still emperor, I took good care of my own people whenever they were in need.


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If they were hungry, I shared my food with them; if they needed clothes, I gave them some of my own. Whenever I saw that the dead body of one of my people had been thrown outside the city wall, I gave it a decent burial.


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One day Sennacherib cursed God, the King of Heaven; God punished him, and Sennacherib had to retreat from Judah. On his way back to Media he was so furious that he killed many Israelites. But I secretly removed the bodies and buried them; and when Sennacherib later searched for the bodies, he could not find them.


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Then someone from Nineveh told the emperor that I was the one who had been burying his victims. As soon as I realized that the emperor knew all about me and that my life was in danger, I became frightened. So I ran away and hid.


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Everything I owned was seized and put in the royal treasury. My wife Anna and my son Tobias were all I had left.


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contenido:
Tobit's Nephew Rescues Him
About six weeks later, two of Sennacherib's sons assassinated him and then escaped to the mountains of Ararat. Another son, Esarhaddon, became emperor and put Ahikar, my brother Anael's son, in charge of all the financial affairs of the empire.


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This was actually the second time Ahikar was appointed to this position, for when Sennacherib was emperor of Assyria, Ahikar had been wine steward, treasurer, and accountant, and had been in charge of the official seal. Since Ahikar was my nephew, he put in a good word for me with the emperor, and I was allowed to return to Nineveh.


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contenido:
A Family Celebration
When I returned home I was reunited with my wife Anna and my son Tobias. At the Harvest Festival, which is also called the Festival of Weeks, I sat down to a delicious meal.


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contenido:
When I saw how much food there was on the table, I said to Tobias,
Son, go out and find one of our people who is living in poverty here in exile, someone who takes God's commands seriously. Bring him back with you, so that he can share this festival meal with us. I won't start eating until you come back.


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contenido:
A Murder in Nineveh
So Tobias went out to look for such a person. But he quickly returned, shouting,
Father! Father!
Yes, what is it? I asked.
One of our people has just been murdered! Someone strangled him and threw his body into the marketplace.


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contenido:
I jumped up and left the table without even touching my food. I removed the body from the street and carried it to a little shed, where I left it until sunset, when I could bury it.


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contenido:
I was reminded of what the prophet Amos had said to the people of Bethel,
Your festivals will be turned into funerals,
and your glad songs will become cries of grief.


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contenido:
My neighbors thought I was crazy.
Haven't you learned anything? they asked.
You have already been hunted down once for burying the dead, and you would have been killed if you had not run away. But here you are doing the same thing all over again.


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Tobit Is Blinded
That night I washed, so as to purify myself, and went out into my courtyard to sleep by the wall. It was a hot night, and I did not pull the cover up over my head.


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contenido:
Sparrows were on the wall right above me, but I did not know it. Their warm droppings fell into my eyes, causing a white film to form on them. I went to one doctor after another, but the more they treated me with their medicines, the worse my eyes became, until finally I was completely blind.
For four years I could see nothing. My relatives were deeply concerned about my condition, and Ahikar supported me for two years before he went to the land of Elam.


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contenido:
A Family Quarrel
After Ahikar left, my wife Anna had to go to work, so she took up weaving, like many other women.


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The people she worked for would pay her when she delivered the cloth. One spring day, she cut a finished piece of cloth from the loom and took it to the people who had ordered it. They paid her the full price and also gave her a goat.


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When Anna came home with the goat, it began to bleat. I called out,
Where did that goat come from? You stole it, didn't you? Take it straight back to its owners. It's not right to eat stolen food!


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No! she replied.
It was given to me as a gift in addition to what I got for the cloth. But I didn't believe her, and I blushed for shame for what she had done. I ordered her to return the goat to its owners, but she had the last word.
Now I see what you are really like! she shouted.
Where is all that concern of yours for others? What about all those good deeds you used to do?


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Tobit's Prayer
I was so embarrassed and ashamed that I sighed and began to cry. Then, as I choked back my tears, I prayed:


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contenido:
You are righteous, O Lord!
You are merciful in all you do,
faithful in all your ways.
You are the judge of this world.


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contenido:
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I beg you, treat me with kindness.
Do not punish me for my sins,
not even for sins of which I am unaware.
My ancestors rebelled and disobeyed your commands,
but do not punish me for their sins.
You let our people be plundered,
taken captive and killed.
You made an example of our people,
an object of contempt and disgrace
in all the nations where you scattered us.


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You have often judged my ancestors for their sins
and punished me for mine.
We were disloyal and rejected your commands,
so our punishment has always been just.


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contenido:
Now treat me as you please.
Take my life away and free me from this world;
let my body return to the earth.
I would be better off dead.
I am tormented by insults I don't deserve,
and weighed down with despair.
Lord, give the command—
bring all my troubles to an end,
take me to my eternal rest.
Don't reject my prayer.
I would rather die than live in misery
and face such cruel insults.


book: Tob
contenido:
Sarah's Troubles
That same day in the city of Ecbatana in Media, it happened that Sarah, the daughter of a man named Raguel, was insulted by one of her father's servant women.


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contenido:
Sarah had been married seven times, but the evil demon, Asmodeus, killed each husband before the marriage could be consummated. The servant woman said to Sarah,
You husband killer! Look at you! You've already had seven husbands, but not one of them lived long enough to give you a son.


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contenido:
Why should you take it out on us? Why don't you go and join your dead husbands? I hope we never see a child of yours!


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Sarah was so depressed that she burst into tears and went upstairs determined to hang herself. But when she thought it over, she said to herself,
No, I won't do it! People would insult my father and say,
You had only one child, a daughter whom you loved dearly, but she hanged herself because she felt so miserable. Such grief would bring my gray-haired father to his grave, and I would be responsible. I won't kill myself; I'll just beg the Lord to let me die. Then I won't have to listen to those insults any longer!


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contenido:
Sarah's Prayer
Then Sarah stood by the window, raised her arms in prayer, and said,
God of mercy, worthy of our praise,
may your name always be honored,
may all your creation praise you forever.


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contenido:
Never have I disgraced myself or my father's name,
as long as we have lived in this land of exile.
My father has no other child to be his heir,
and there is no relative whom I can marry.
I have already lost seven husbands,
so why should I live any longer?
But if it is not your will to take my life,
at least show mercy to me.
Don't let me hear those insults again!


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contenido:
God Hears the Prayers of Tobit and Sarah
As Tobit and Sarah were praying, God in heaven heard their prayers


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and sent his angel Raphael to help them. He was sent to remove the white film from Tobit's eyes, so that he could see again, and to arrange a marriage between Sarah and Tobit's son Tobias, who, as her cousin, had the right to marry her. Raphael was also ordered to expel the demon Asmodeus from Sarah. At the very moment that Tobit went back into his house from the courtyard, Sarah, in her house in Ecbatana, was coming downstairs.


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Tobit's Advice to Tobias
That same day, Tobit remembered the money that he had left with Gabael at Rages in Media.


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He thought to himself,
Now that I have asked God to let me die, I should call my son Tobias and tell him about the money.


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contenido:
So Tobit called Tobias and said to him,
Son, when I die, give me a proper burial. And after I'm gone, show respect to your mother. Take care of her for the rest of her life, and when she dies, bury her beside me. Remember, she risked her life to bring you into this world, so try to make her happy and never do anything that would worry her.


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Every day of your life, keep the Lord our God in mind. Never sin deliberately or disobey any of his commands. Always do what is right and never get involved in anything evil.


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Give generously to anyone who faithfully obeys God. If you are stingy in giving to the poor, God will be stingy in giving to you.


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Give according to what you have. The more you have, the more you should give. Even if you have only a little, be sure to give something.


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contenido:
Taking care of the poor is the kind of offering that pleases God in heaven. Do this, and you will be kept safe from the dark world of the dead.


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contenido:
Son, be on your guard against prostitutes. Above all, marry a woman of our tribe, because we are descendants of the prophets. Do not marry anyone who is not related to us. Remember that Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, our earliest ancestors, all married relatives. God blessed them with children, and so their descendants will inherit the land of Israel.


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Son, be loyal to your own relatives. Don't be too proud to marry one of them. Such pride leads to terrible frustration and ruin, just as laziness brings on severe poverty and causes starvation.


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contenido:
Pay your workers each day; never keep back their wages overnight. Honor God in this way, and he will reward you. Behave properly at all times.


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contenido:
Never do to anyone else anything that you would not want someone to do to you.
Do not drink so much wine that you get drunk, and do not let drinking become a habit.


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contenido:
Give food to the hungry and clothes to people in need. If you are prosperous, give generously, and do it gladly!


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When one of God's faithful people has died, prepare food for the family, but never do this when someone evil dies.


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Take advantage of every opportunity to praise the Lord your God. Ask him to make you prosper in whatever you set out to do. He does not give his wisdom to the people of any other nation. He is the source of all good things, but he can also destroy you and bring you to certain death, if he wishes.
Remember all my instructions. Don't forget them for one minute.


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Tobias, I want you to know that I once left a large sum of money with Gabrias' son, Gabael, at Rages in Media.


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contenido:
We're poor now, but don't worry. If you obey God and avoid sin, he will be pleased with you and make you prosperous.


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But how can I get the money back from Gabael? We have never even met each other. How can I prove to him who I am, so that he will trust me and give me the money? Besides that, I don't know how to get to Media.


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Tobit replied,
Gabael and I both signed a document. I then tore it in two, and we each took a half. I put his half with the money. That was twenty years ago! Now, go and find a reliable person to travel with you to Media and back, and we will pay him when you return. But you must get the money that I left with Gabael.


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Tobias Meets Raphael
Tobias then went out to look for someone who knew the way to Media and would travel with him. Almost as soon as he left the house, he found himself face-to-face with Raphael. Tobias did not know that Raphael was an angel of God,


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so he asked him where he was from.
I am an Israelite, Raphael answered,
one of your distant relatives, and I have come here to Nineveh to find work.
Do you know the way to Media? Tobias asked.


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Yes, I do, Raphael replied.
I have been there many times, and I know all the roads well. I used to stay with our relative Gabael, who lives there in the town of Rages. It takes at least two days to travel there from Ecbatana, the capital city, because Rages is up in the mountains.


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Then Tobias said to Raphael,
Wait here for me, my friend, while I go in and tell my father. I would like for you to travel with me, and I will pay you for the journey.


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contenido:
Tobias went in and told his father,
I have found an Israelite to travel with me.
Call the man in, Tobit replied.
I would like to know what family and tribe he belongs to, and whether he is a reliable traveling companion for you.
Tobit Meets Raphael
So Tobias went out and called to Raphael,
My father would like to meet you. When Raphael came in, Tobit greeted him first.
Then Raphael returned the greeting,
I hope all is well with you.
But Tobit replied,
How can all be well with me? I'm blind and can't see a thing. It's like being dead and no longer able to see the light. I might as well be dead! I can hear people talking, but I can't see them.
Cheer up! Raphael said to him.
God is going to cure you soon, so don't worry!
Tobit then said,
My son Tobias wants to go to Media. Can you go with him and show him the way? I will pay you, of course.
Raphael replied,
Certainly I can go with him. I have traveled there many times and I know all the roads in the mountains and on the plains.


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But Raphael asked,
Why do you need to know that?
Tell me the truth, said Tobit.
What is your name, and who are you?


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contenido:
Then Tobit said to him,
Welcome to our home! God bless you, my son. Please don't be offended because I wanted to know the truth about you and your family. As it turns out, you are from a good family and a relative at that! I knew Ananias and Nathan, the two sons of the older Shemaiah. They were always loyal to their religion. We used to travel together to Jerusalem and worship there. Your relatives are fine people, and you come from good stock. Have a safe journey.


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I will go with him, Raphael said.
And don't worry; we will get there and back safely. The roads are not dangerous.
God be with you! Tobit replied. Then he called Tobias and said to him,
Son, get everything ready that you need for the journey, so that the two of you can be on your way. May God and his angel watch over you both and bring you back to me safe and sound.
Before leaving for Media, Tobias kissed his father and mother good-bye. Tobit said again,
Have a safe journey!


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contenido:
Then his mother began to cry.
How could you send my son away like this? she complained.
He's our only means of support. Who will take care of us now?


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contenido:
Calm down, Tobit said to her.
He will get there and back safely, and with your own eyes you will see him return home safe and sound.


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Now stop worrying about them, dear. A good angel will go with Tobias. He will have a successful journey and will come back in good health.
At that, Anna calmed down and stopped crying.


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contenido:
Tobias Catches a Fish
So Tobias and the angel started out toward Media, taking Tobias' dog along with them. They walked on until sunset, then camped by the Tigris River.


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contenido:
Tobias had gone down to wash his feet in the river, when suddenly a huge fish jumped up out of the water and tried to swallow one of his feet. Tobias let out a yell,


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contenido:
and the angel called to him,
Grab that fish! Don't let it get away.
Then Tobias grabbed the fish and dragged it up on the bank.


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Cut the fish open, the angel instructed,
and take out its gall bladder, heart, and liver. Keep these with you; they can be used for medicine, but throw away the guts.


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contenido:
Tobias did as the angel had told him. Then he cooked the fish, ate part of it, and salted the rest to take along with him.
The two continued on together until they were near Media.


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contenido:
Then Tobias asked,
Azarias, my friend, what diseases can be cured by this gall bladder, heart, and liver?


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The angel answered,
The heart and liver can be burned and used to chase away a demon or an evil spirit that is tormenting someone. The attacks will stop immediately, and the person will never be troubled again.


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You can use the gall bladder to treat someone whose eyes are covered with a white film. Just rub it on his eyes and blow on the film, and he will be able to see again.


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contenido:
Raphael said,
Tobias, my friend.
Yes, what is it? Tobias asked.
Raphael continued,
Tonight we will stay at the home of your relative Raguel. He has only one child, a daughter named Sarah,


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contenido:
and since you are her closest relative, you have the right to marry her. You also have the right to inherit all her father's property.


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contenido:
She is sensible, brave, and very beautiful; and her father is a good man. Tonight I'll discuss the marriage proposal with her father, and he will consent to give her to you as your bride. Then, when we return home from the town of Rages, we will celebrate the marriage. Raguel cannot refuse to let you marry her, and he cannot let any other man have her. If he did, then according to the Law of Moses he would deserve the death penalty. He knows that you are the only man who has the right to marry his daughter and receive the inheritance, so follow my advice. Raguel and I will discuss the matter tonight and arrange your engagement to Sarah. When we get back from the city of Rages, we will take her home with us.


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Tobias then said to Raphael,
Azarias, my friend, I have already heard about Sarah's seven former husbands, and how each one dropped dead on his wedding night, even before he could get to bed.


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According to the story I heard, a demon killed them. He doesn't harm Sarah, but he kills every man who tries to get near her. I am afraid of this demon. I am an only child, and if I were to die, the sorrow would send my parents to their graves. They don't even have another son to bury them.


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The angel replied,
Have you already forgotten your father's instructions? He told you to marry a woman from your own tribe. So, listen carefully to what I say. Don't worry about the demon. Marry Sarah! I know that tonight Raguel will let Sarah marry you.


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When you go into the bedroom, take the fish's heart and liver with you and place them on the burning incense,


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contenido:
so that the odor will spread throughout the room. When the demon smells it, he will leave and never come near Sarah again. But before you consummate the marriage, both of you must get up and pray for the Lord in heaven to be merciful to you and to protect you. Don't be afraid. Sarah was meant to be yours from the beginning of creation. You will rescue her from the demon, and she will go with you to your home. You and Sarah will have many children, whom you will love very much. So don't worry!
Tobias listened very carefully to what Raphael had to say. He knew that Sarah was a relative on his father's side of the family. He began to fall in love with her and looked forward to marrying her.


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At Raguel's House
When Tobias and the angel Raphael had entered the city of Ecbatana, Tobias said,
Azarias, my friend, take me to see Raguel as quickly as you can. The angel brought him to Raguel's house, where they found him sitting at the entrance to his courtyard. Raphael and Tobias greeted him first; then he replied,
Come in, my friends. You are welcome in my home.
Raguel brought them into his house


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Edna asked them,
Where do you come from?
We are Israelites of the tribe of Naphtali, Tobias and Raphael answered,
but we are now living in exile in the city of Nineveh in Assyria.


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Edna said,
Do you know our cousin Tobit?
We certainly do know him, they answered.
How is he? she asked.


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contenido:
Then he said,
God bless you, my child. Your father is a good and noble man. What a terrible tragedy that such an honest and generous man should have lost his sight! He threw his arms around Tobias' neck and wept on his shoulder.


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His wife Edna and his daughter Sarah also wept for Tobit.
Raguel gave Tobias and Raphael a warm welcome and had one of his rams slaughtered. After the guests had bathed and were about to sit down to eat, Tobias said to Raphael,
Azarias, my friend, when are you going to ask Raguel to let me marry Sarah?


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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Eat and drink something first and enjoy yourself this evening. You have the right to marry Sarah, and I cannot let anyone else marry her, because you are my closest relative. But I must tell you the truth, my son.


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I have already given her to seven men, all of them relatives. Each one died on his wedding night, as soon as he entered the bedroom. But now, my son, have something to eat and drink. The Lord will take care of you both.
Tobias replied,
I won't eat or drink until you give me your word.


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Raguel agreed.
Certainly I will, he said.
I will give her to you just as the Law of Moses commands. God in heaven has arranged this marriage, so take her as your wife. From now on, you belong to each other. Sarah is yours today and forever. May the Lord of heaven keep both of you safe tonight. May he be merciful and kind to you.


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The Marriage Ceremony
Then Raguel called his daughter. When she came in, he took her by the hand and gave her to Tobias with his blessing,
Take her to be your wife according to the teachings in the Law of Moses. Take her safely with you to your father's house. May the God of heaven give you a happy life together.


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Raguel asked his wife to bring him a blank scroll so that he could write out the marriage contract. Edna brought him the scroll, and Raguel wrote out the agreement, saying that Sarah was given to Tobias according to the teachings in the Law of Moses.


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Edna made up the bed as Raguel had told her. Then she took Sarah into the room with her, and Sarah began to cry. But Edna wiped away her tears and said,


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contenido:
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Don't worry, Sarah. I'm sure the Lord of heaven will make you happy this time and not sad. So cheer up, my dear. Then Edna left the room.


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contenido:
The Demon Is Expelled
When they had finished the meal, and it was time to go to bed, Sarah's parents led young Tobias to the bedroom.


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contenido:
He remembered Raphael's instructions, so he took the fish's liver and heart out of the bag where he had been keeping them. Then he placed them on the burning incense.


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contenido:
The smell drove the demon away from them, and he fled to Egypt. Raphael chased after him and caught him there. At once he bound him hand and foot.


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The Prayer of Tobias
When Tobias and Sarah were alone behind closed doors, Tobias got up from the bed and said to his wife,
Get up, dear. Let's pray for the Lord to be merciful and to protect us.


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Sarah got up so that they could pray together and ask God for his protection. Then Tobias prayed:
God of our ancestors, you are worthy of praise.
May your name be honored forever and ever
by all your creatures in heaven and on earth.


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contenido:
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;You created Adam and gave him his wife Eve
to be his helper and support.
They became the parents of the whole human race.
You said,
It is not good for man to live alone.
I will make a suitable helper for him.


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Lord, I have chosen Sarah because it is right,
not because I lusted for her.
Please be merciful to us
and grant that we may grow old together.


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and went to bed for the night.
Anxious Parents
Later that night, Raguel called his servants, and together they went out to dig a grave,


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Send one of the servant women to find out if Tobias is still alive. If he isn't, then we will bury him before anyone finds out.


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They then sent a servant woman to take a lamp and see if he was still alive. As she opened the door, she could see that both of them were sound asleep.


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Then Raguel praised the God of heaven:
Raguel's Prayer
You are worthy of our praise, O God.
May your people praise you forever,
may they praise you with pure hearts.


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I praise you because you have made me glad;
you have been merciful to us,
and my worst fears did not come true.


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You deserve our praise, O Lord;
you were merciful to this young couple,
the only children of their parents.
Now, grant them your mercy and protection.
Let them live out their lives in happiness and love.


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The Wedding Feast
Raguel told his wife to bake enough bread for a big feast. Then he went out to the herd and brought back two oxen and four rams, which he ordered his servants to slaughter in preparation for the wedding feast.


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He called for Tobias and vowed that he would not let him leave for two weeks.
Stay, and we will eat and drink together, he said.
It will do my daughter good after her terrible suffering.


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Then you may take half of what I own and go back to your parents safe and sound. You will inherit the other half when Edna and I die. Have no doubts about our love for you; from now on you are as much our son as Sarah is our daughter. You can be sure of that, my son.


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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Azarias, take four of the servants with you, and two camels, and go to Gabael's house in the town of Rages. Give him the signed document, so that he will give you the money. Then bring him back with you for the wedding feast.


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You know that my father is counting the days until I come home, and he will be very upset if I am even one day late. You know, too, how Raguel insists that I must stay, and I cannot disappoint him.


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So Raphael and the four servants went to Rages in Media, where they stayed at Gabael's house. Raphael gave him the signed document and told him that Tobit's son Tobias had recently married, and that Gabael was invited to the wedding feast. At once Gabael counted out the bags of money, which were still sealed, and they loaded them on the camels.


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Very early the next morning, they set out for the wedding feast. When Raphael and Gabael came to Raguel's house, they found Tobias at dinner. Tobias immediately got up and greeted Gabael. With tears in his eyes Gabael returned the greeting and added,
You are just like your honest and generous father. May the Lord in heaven bless you and your wife, your mother-in-law, and your father. Praise God! He has let me live to see my cousin Tobias, who looks so much like his father.


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Tobit and Anna Are Worried
Meanwhile, every day Tobit was keeping count of the time needed to travel to Rages and back. When the time was up and his son had not returned, Tobit said to his wife,


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contenido:
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What can be keeping him? Do you suppose Gabael has died? Maybe there is no one to give him the money.


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Tobit tried to comfort her.
Calm down, my dear, he said.
Don't worry. He will be all right. Something unexpected is probably keeping them there longer than we counted on. Besides, his companion is a reliable man and a relative at that. Don't let yourself get so upset over him, dear. I'm sure he is already on his way home.


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But she replied,
Be quiet and leave me alone! Don't try to fool me. My son is dead. Each day she would rush out of the house to the road which Tobias had taken and would watch for him until sunset. She would let no one comfort her, and when she returned home she would weep and mourn for her son all night long, without sleeping.
Departure from Ecbatana
The two-week wedding feast which Raguel had promised to hold for his daughter Sarah came to an end. So Tobias went to him and asked,
Please let me go home now. I'm certain my parents have given up all hope of ever seeing me again. Please, Raguel, let me go home to my father. I have already told you the condition he was in when I left.


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But Raguel answered,
Stay, my son. Stay here with me. I will send messengers to your father to tell him that you are all right.


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So Raguel gave Tobias his bride Sarah without further delay. He also gave Tobias half of everything he owned: slaves, cattle, sheep, donkeys, camels, clothes, money, and furniture.


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Raguel embraced Tobias and sent them on their way with his blessing,
Good-bye, my son. Have a safe journey. May the Lord of heaven protect you and Sarah. And may I live to see your children.


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contenido:
Raguel then said to Sarah,
Go with your husband and live in his parents' house. From now on they are as much your parents as your own mother and I are. Let me hear only good things about you as long as I live. After saying good-bye he sent them on their way.
Then Edna said to Tobias,
Tobias my dear child, may the Lord bring you safely home. And may he let me live to see your children. The Lord is my witness; I am placing my daughter in your care. Never, at any time in your life, do anything that would break her heart. Have a safe journey, Tobias. From now on, Sarah is your wife and I am your mother. May we all prosper as long as we live. Then Edna kissed them both and sent them safely on their way.


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When Tobias left, he was as happy as could be. He praised the Lord of heaven and earth, the King of all the world, because his journey had been so successful, and he promised to honor Raguel and his wife as long as they lived.
The Homecoming
As they came near the city of Kaserin, just outside Nineveh,


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Be sure to bring the fish's gall bladder with you.
So they went on ahead, and Tobias' dog ran along with them.


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Suddenly she saw him coming and she shouted out to Tobit,
Look! Our son is coming, and his friend is with him!


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Just put the fish's gall bladder on his eyes like a plaster. The medicine will make the white film shrivel up so that you can peel it off, and your father will then regain his eyesight.


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Anna ran to her son, threw her arms around him, and exclaimed,
Now that I have seen you alive, my child, I can die in peace! And she wept for joy.


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Tobias went up to him, holding the fish's gall bladder in his hand. He blew on his father's eyes and steadied him.
Don't worry now, father, he said.


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contenido:
Tobias then applied the gall, and beginning from the corners of Tobit's eyes, he peeled away the white film.


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contenido:
Tobit threw his arms around Tobias' neck and wept for joy. Then he exclaimed,
I can see you! My son, the light of my eyes!
Praise God. Praise him for his greatness.
Praise all his holy angels.
May he continue to bless us.
Praise all his angels forever.


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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He brought this illness upon me,
but now I can see my son Tobias!
Then Tobias went happily into the house, praising God at the top of his voice. He told his father how successful he had been, that he had not only brought back the money, but had married Raguel's daughter Sarah, who was on her way and would soon arrive.


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Sarah's Arrival
Tobit was excited and praised God as he went out to meet his son's bride at the city gate. When the people of Nineveh saw him, they were amazed, because he was walking on his own, with no one leading him by the hand.


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Tobit praised God and told everyone how God in his mercy had restored his sight.
When Tobit met Sarah, he greeted her,
Welcome, daughter! Praise God for bringing you to us, my daughter. May God bless your father, as well as you and my son Tobias. Welcome to your new home. May you always be blessed with good health and happiness. Come in, daughter!
It was a day of great joy for all the Jews of Nineveh.


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The Angel Raphael
When the wedding feast was over, Tobit called his son Tobias and said to him,
Son, be sure to pay your traveling companion, and don't forget to give him a bonus.


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Tobias asked him,
Father, how much do you think I should pay him? I wouldn't mind giving him half of everything we brought back with us.


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He brought me back home safe and sound; he went to get the money for me from Gabael; he rid my wife of a demon; and he cured your blindness. How much of a bonus should I give him?


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contenido:
Tobias then called Raphael and said to him,
Here is half of what you helped me bring back. You have earned it; have a safe journey home.


book: Tob
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Then Raphael called the two men aside and said to them, Praise God and tell everyone about the good things he has done for you, so that they too will honor him and sing his praises. Let everyone know what God has done. Never stop praising him.


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It's a good idea to keep a king's secret, but what God does should be told everywhere, so that he may be praised and honored.
If you do good, no harm will come to you.


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It is better to pray sincerely and to please God by helping the poor than to be rich and dishonest. It is better to give to the poor than to store up gold.


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Such generosity will save you from death and will wash away all your sins. Those who give to the poor will live full lives,


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I have already told you that a king's secret ought to be kept, but the things God does should be told to everyone. Now I will reveal to you the full truth and keep nothing back.


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Tobit, when you and Sarah prayed to the Lord, I was the one who brought your prayers into his glorious presence. I did the same thing each time you buried the dead.


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On the day you got up from the table without eating your meal in order to bury that corpse, God sent me to test you.


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I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand in the glorious presence of the Lord, ready to serve him.


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He wanted me to come and help you; I did not come on my own. So sing God's praises as long as you live.


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contenido:
While you are on this earth, you must praise the Lord God and give him thanks. Now I must go back to him who sent me. Write down everything that has happened to you.


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contenido:
They began to sing hymns of praise, giving thanks for all the mighty deeds God had done while his angel Raphael had been with them.


book: Tob
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He punishes us; then he shows us mercy.
He sends us down to the world of the dead,
then he brings us up from the grave.
No one can escape his power.


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contenido:
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;even there he showed his great power.
Let all who live hear your praise.
The Lord is our God and father forever.


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contenido:
Though he punished you for your wickedness,
he will be merciful and bring you home
from among the nations where he scattered you.


book: Tob
contenido:
Turn to him with all your heart and soul,
live in loyal obedience to him.
Then he will turn to you to help you
and will no longer hide himself.
Remember what God has done for you,
and give thanks with all your heart.
Praise the righteous Lord;
honor the eternal King.
Although I live in exile in a foreign land,
I will give thanks to the Lord
and will speak of his great strength to a nation of sinners.
Turn away from your sins, and do what pleases God!
Perhaps he will be gracious
and show you his mercy.


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contenido:
Jerusalem, Holy City of our God,
he will punish you for the sins of your people,
but he will be merciful to all who do right.


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So give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
Praise the eternal King.
Your Temple will be rebuilt,
and your people will be happy again.
May the Lord make all your exiles glad,
may he take care of your suffering people
for as long as time shall last.


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Jerusalem, your light will shine brightly for all the world,
and from far away many nations will come to you.
Their people will come to honor the Lord your God,
they will bring gifts for the King of heaven.
In your streets many generations will sing joyful praise,
your name will endure forever as God's chosen city.


book: Tob
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A curse will be on all who make threats against you,
on all who destroy you and tear down your walls,
on all who demolish your towers and burn your homes.
But all who honor you will be blessed forever.


book: Tob
contenido:
Rejoice, Jerusalem, because of your righteous people;
they will be gathered together from exile
to praise the Lord of the ages.


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Happy are all who love you
and are pleased to see you prosper.
Those who mourn over your suffering now
will one day be happy;
your happiness will bring them joy forever.


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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jerusalem will be rebuilt
and will be his home forever.
Jerusalem, how happy I will be
when my descendants can see your splendor
and give thanks to the King of heaven.
Your gates will be built with sapphires and emeralds,
and all your walls with precious stones.
Your towers will be made of gold,
and their fortifications of pure gold.


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Joyful songs will ring out from your gates,
and from all your houses people will shout,
Praise the Lord! Praise the God of Israel!
Jerusalem, God will bless your people,
and they will praise his holy name forever.
With these words Tobit ended his song of praise.


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contenido:
Tobit's Final Advice
Tobit was 62 years old when he became blind, but after his sight had been restored, he lived a very full life. Once again he gave generously to the poor, and he continued to praise God and tell of his greatness. Tobit died a peaceful death at the age of 112, and was given an honorable burial in Nineveh.


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My son, take your children and go at once to Media. I believe that God's judgment which his prophet Nahum announced against Nineveh is about to take place. Everything that God's prophets told Israel about Nineveh and Assyria will happen. It will all come true, every word of it, when the right time comes. I am absolutely convinced that everything God has said is sure to come true. God does not break his promises. It will be safer for you in Media than in Assyria or Babylon.
Those Jews who live in Israel will all be scattered and taken from that good land into exile. All Israel will become a wasteland; Samaria and Jerusalem will be abandoned cities. God's Temple will be burned to the ground and will lie in complete ruin for a while.


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But God will have mercy on his people again, and he will bring them back to the land of Israel. They will rebuild the Temple, but it will not be as splendid as the first Temple, not until the proper time has come. But when that time does come, all the people of Israel will return from exile, and they will rebuild the city of Jerusalem in all its former splendor. They will rebuild God's Temple in Jerusalem, just as Israel's prophets have foretold.


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Then all the nations in the world will come back to God. They will worship him as the only true God and give up the idols that led them into false worship.


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The nations of the world will praise the everlasting God by doing what he demands.
At that time God will save all the people of Israel who have been faithful to him. He will bring them together to Jerusalem, and let them take possession of the land of Abraham, and there they will live securely forever. All who love God with their heart and soul will rejoice, but all sinners and evil people will be wiped off the face of the earth.


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Bring up your children to do what is right. Teach them that they must give to the poor and must always remember to praise God with all sincerity.


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contenido:
Tobias, my son, leave Nineveh now. Do not stay here. As soon as you bury your mother beside me, leave; do not stay another night within the city limits. It is a wicked city and full of immorality; the people here have no sense of shame. Remember what Nadab did to Ahikar his own uncle who had brought him up. He tried to kill Ahikar and forced him to go into hiding in a tomb. Ahikar came back into the light of day, but God sent Nadab down into everlasting darkness for what he had done. Ahikar escaped the deadly trap which Nadab had set for him, because Ahikar had given generously to the poor. But Nadab fell into that fatal trap and it destroyed him.


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So now, my children, you see what happens to those who show their concern for others, and how death awaits those who treat others unjustly. But now I am very weak.
Then they laid Tobit on his bed. He died and was given an honorable burial.


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Later on, Tobit's wife died and was buried beside her husband. Then Tobias and his wife moved to Ecbatana in Media, where they lived with Raguel, Tobias' father-in-law.


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contenido:
Tobias took care of Edna and Raguel in their old age and showed them great respect. When at last they died, he buried them at Ecbatana. Tobias inherited Raguel's estate, as he had inherited the estate of his father Tobit.


book: Tob
contenido:
having lived long enough to hear about the destruction of Nineveh and to see King Cyaxares of Media take the people away as captives. Tobias praised God for the way that he had punished the people of Nineveh and Assyria. As long as he lived he gave thanks for what God had done to Nineveh.


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contenido:
The War between Nebuchadnezzar and Arphaxad
While King Nebuchadnezzar was ruling over the Assyrians from his capital city of Nineveh, King Arphaxad ruled over the Medes from his capital city of Ecbatana.


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Around Ecbatana King Arphaxad built a wall 105 feet high and 75 feet thick of cut stones; each stone was 4 1/2 feet thick and 9 feet long.


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Each gateway was 105 feet high and 60 feet wide—wide enough for his whole army to march through, with the infantry in formation.


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contenido:
In the twelfth year of his reign King Nebuchadnezzar went to war against King Arphaxad in the large plain around the city of Rages.


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Many nations joined forces with King Arphaxad—all the people who lived in the mountains, those who lived along the Tigris, Euphrates, and Hydaspes rivers, as well as those who lived in the plain ruled by King Arioch of Elam. Many nations joined this Chelodite alliance.


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Then King Nebuchadnezzar of Assyria sent a message to the Persians and to the people to the west, in the regions of Cilicia, Damascus, Lebanon, Antilebanon, to those along the coast,


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contenido:
The message also went to the people living in Samaria and the nearby towns, to those in the area west of the Jordan River as far as the cities of Jerusalem, Bethany, Chelous, and Kadesh, and to the district of Goshen. The message was also taken to the Egyptian cities of Tahpanhes, Rameses, Tanis, and Memphis, and the district up the Nile River to the Ethiopian border.


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But everyone in this whole region ignored King Nebuchadnezzar's appeal and refused to take part in the war. They thought that he had no chance of winning the war, so they were not afraid of him and sent his messengers back disgraced and empty-handed.


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contenido:
This made Nebuchadnezzar so furious that he vowed he would risk his entire kingdom to take revenge on all those people. He vowed that he would put to death the entire population of Cilicia, Damascus, Syria, Moab, Ammon, Judah, and Egypt—everyone from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf.


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contenido:
In the seventeenth year of his reign King Nebuchadnezzar led his army into battle against King Arphaxad. He defeated all of Arphaxad's forces, including his entire cavalry, and all his charioteers.


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contenido:
Then Nebuchadnezzar occupied all the towns in the land of Media and advanced against the city of Ecbatana. He captured the city's towers, looted its markets, and made that beautiful city a ruin.


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contenido:
Nebuchadnezzar and his entire army returned to Nineveh with all the loot taken in battle. There they relaxed and feasted for four months.


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contenido:
The War against the Nations in the West
In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, on the twenty-second day of the first month of that year, he and his advisers decided to carry out his threat to take revenge on all those countries that had refused to help him.


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The king called his general staff and senior officers together and reported in detail how those countries had betrayed him. He and his officers agreed that everyone who had refused to help him in the war should be put to death. Then he described to them his plan of attack.


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contenido:
At the close of the meeting, Nebuchadnezzar gave the following command to Holofernes, who was the general in command of his armies and second in command to the king:


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contenido:
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I, Nebuchadnezzar, the great king and ruler of all the earth, command you to choose some experienced soldiers: 120,000 infantry and 12,000 cavalry.


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contenido:
Warn them that they must prepare their offerings of earth and water to show that they have surrendered unconditionally. I will make them feel the full force of my anger and completely destroy them. My armies will march over every foot of their land and plunder it as they go.


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I will fill the valleys with their dead bodies and will choke up every stream and river with so many corpses that they will all overflow.


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contenido:
But you, Holofernes, are ordered to go ahead of me and occupy all their territories in advance. If they surrender to you, hold them for me until I come to punish them.


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contenido:
I have taken a solemn vow, and at the risk of my life and my royal power I am determined to do what I have vowed to do.


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contenido:
Do not disobey me in any way. I am your king; remember that, and carry out without delay every order that I have given you.


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contenido:
The Campaign of Holofernes
So Holofernes left the king and called together all the commanders, generals, and officers of the Assyrian army.


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contenido:
Just as the king had ordered, he chose 120,000 of the best infantrymen and 12,000 of the best mounted archers


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contenido:
He also took along a very large number of camels, donkeys, and mules to carry the equipment, as well as many sheep, cattle, and goats for food.


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contenido:
Every soldier received plenty of rations and a large payment of gold and silver from the royal treasury.


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contenido:
Then Holofernes and his entire army set out, advancing ahead of King Nebuchadnezzar. The chariots, the cavalry, and the infantry marched out to overrun the entire western region.


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contenido:
Other troops went with them. There were so many that it was impossible to count them—they were like a swarm of locusts or like grains of sand in the desert.


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contenido:
Three days after they had left the city of Nineveh, they reached the plains around Bectileth near the mountains north of Cilicia, where they set up camp.


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contenido:
From there Holofernes advanced into the hill country with his entire army, his infantry, cavalry, and chariots.


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contenido:
He totally destroyed the countries of Libya and Lydia, then plundered all the people of Rassis and the Ishmaelites who lived on the edge of the desert, south of the land of the Chelleans.


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contenido:
Then Holofernes crossed the Euphrates River and marched through the land of Mesopotamia, completely destroying all the walled towns along the Abron River as far as the sea.


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contenido:
He seized the territory of Cilicia, killing everyone who resisted him, and went as far as the southern borders of the land of Japheth, near Arabia.


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contenido:
Holofernes went down into the plains around Damascus during the wheat harvest, burned all the fields, slaughtered the flocks and herds, looted the towns, devastated the entire countryside, and killed all the young men.


