by Septuagint
[20] And Esaias the son of Amos sent to Ezekias, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, I have heard thy prayer to me concerning Sennacherim king of the Assyrians. [21] This is the word which the Lord has spoken against him; The virgin daughter of Sion has made light of thee, and mocked thee; the daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head at thee. [22] Whom hast thou reproached, and whom hast thou reviled? and against whom hast thou lifted up thy voice, and raised thine eyes on high? Is it against the Holy One of Israel?
[23] By thy messengers thou has reproached the Lord, and hast said, I will go up with the multitude of my chariots, to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Libanus, and I have cut down the height of his cedar, and his choice cypresses; and I have come into the midst of the forest and of Carmel. [24] I have refreshed myself, and have drunk strange waters, and I have dried up with the sole of my foot all the rivers of fortified places. [25] I have brought about the matter, I have brought it to a conclusion; and it is come to the destruction of the bands of warlike prisoners, even of strong cities. [26] And they that dwelt in them were weak in hand, they quaked and were confounded, they became as grass of the field, or as the green herb, the grass growing on houses, and that which is trodden down by him that stands upon it. [27] But I know thy down-sitting, and thy going forth, and thy rage against me. [28] Because thou was angry against me, and thy fierceness is come up into my ears, therefore will I put my hooks in thy nostrils, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.
[29] And this shall be a sign to thee; eat this year the things that grow of themselves, and in the second year the things which spring up: and in the third year let there be sowing, and reaping, and planting of vineyards, and eat ye the fruit of them. [30] And he shall increase him that has escaped of the house of Juda: and the remnant shall strike root beneath, and it shall produce fruit above. [31] For from Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and he that escapes from the mountain of Sion: the zeal of the Lord of host shall do this. [32] Is it not so?
Thus saith the Lord concerning the king of the Assyrians, He shall not enter into this city, and he shall not shoot an arrow there, neither shall a shield come against it, neither shall he heap a mound against it. [33] By the way by which he comes, by it shall he return, and he shall not enter into this city, saith the Lord. [34] And I will defend this city as with a shield, for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.
[35] And it came to pass at night that the angel of the Lord went forth, an smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and eighty-five thousand: and they rose early in the morning, and, behold, these were all dead corpses. [36] And Sennacherim king of the Assyrians departed, and went and returned, and dwelt in Nineve. [37] And it came to pass, while he was worshipping in the house of Meserach his god, that Adramelech and Sarasar his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Ararath; and Asordan his son reigned in his stead.
Chapter 20
[1] In those days was Ezekias sick even to death. And the prophet Esaias the son of Amos came in to him, and said to him, Thus saith the Lord, Give charge to thy household; for thou shalt die, and not live. [2] And Ezekias turned to the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying, [3] Lord, remember, I pray thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thine eyes. And Ezekias wept with a great weeping.
[4] And Esaias was in the middle court, and the word of the Lord came to him, saying, [5] Turn back, and thou shalt say to Ezekias the ruler of my people, Thus saith the Lord God of thy father David, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up to the house of the Lord. [6] And I will add to thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians, and I will defend this city for my own sake, and for my servant’s David sake. [7] And he said, Let them take a cake of figs, and lay it upon the ulcer, and he shall be well. [8] And Ezekias said to Esaias, What is the sign that the Lord will heal me, and I shall go up to the house of the Lord on the third day? [9] And Esaias said, This is the sign from the Lord, that the Lord will perform the word which he has spoken, the shadow of the dial shall advance ten degrees: or if it should go back ten degrees this would also be the sign. [10] And Ezekias said, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return ten degrees backward on the dial. [11] And Esaias the prophet cried to the Lord: and the shadow returned back ten degrees on the dial.
[12] At that time Marodach Baladan, son of Baladan king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Ezekias, because he had heard that Ezekias was sick. [13] And Ezekias rejoiced at them, and shewed all the house of his spices, the silver and the gold, the spices, and the fine oil, and the armory, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing which Ezekias did not shew them in his house, and in all his dominion. [14] And Esaias the prophet went in to king Ezekias, and said to him, What said these men? and whence came they to thee? And Ezekias said, they came to me from a distant land, even from Babylon. [15] And he said, What saw they in thy house? And he said, They saw all things that are in my house: there was nothing in my house which I shewed not to them; yea, all that was in my treasures also. [16] And Esaias said to Ezekias, Hear the word of the Lord: [17] Behold, the days come, that all things that are in thy house shall be taken, and all that thy fathers have treasured up until this day, to Babylon; and there shall not fail a word, which the Lord has spoken. [18] And as for thy sons which shall come forth of thee, which thou shalt beget, the enemy shall take them, and they shall be eunuchs in the house of the king of Babylon. [19] And Ezekias said to Esaias, Good is the word of the Lord which he has spoken: only let there be peace in my days.
[20] And the rest of the acts of Ezekias, and all his might, and all that he made, the fountain and the aqueduct, and how he brought water into the city, are not these things written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Juda? [21] And Ezekias slept with his fathers: and Manasses his son reigned in his stead.
Chapter 21
[1] Manasses was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Apsiba. [2] And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations which the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel. [3] And he built again the high places, which Ezekias his father had demolished; and set up an altar to Baal, and made groves as Achaab king of Israel made them; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. [4] And he built an altar in the house of the Lord, whereas he had said, In Jerusalem I will place my name. [5] And he built an altar to all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. [6] And he caused his sons to pass through the fire, and used divination and auspices, and made groves, and multiplied wizards, so as to do that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger. [7] And he set up the graven image of the grove in the house of which the Lord said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I even place my name for ever. [8] And I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I gave to their fathers, even of those who shall keep all that I commanded, according to all the commandments which my servant Moses commanded them. [9] But they hearkened not; and Manasses led them astray to do evil in the sight of the Lord, beyond the nations whom the Lord utterly destroyed from before the children of Israel.
[10] And the Lord spoke by his servants the prophets, saying, [11] Forasmuch as Manasses the king of Juda has wrought all these evil abominations, beyond all that the Amorite did, who lived before him, and has led Juda also into sin by their idols, [12] it shall not be so. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I bring calamities upon Jerusalem and Juda, so that both the ears of every one that hears shall tingle. [13] And I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measure of Samaria, and the plummet of
the house of Achaab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a jar is wiped, and turned upside down in the wiping. [14] And I will reject the remnant of my inheritance, and will deliver them into the hands of their enemies; and they shall be for a plunder and for a spoil to all their enemies: [15] forasmuch as they have done wickedly in my sight, and have provoked me from the day that I brought out their fathers out of Egypt, even until this day. [16] Moreover Manasses shed very much innocent blood, until he filled Jerusalem with it from one end to the other, beside his sins with which he caused Juda to sin, in doing evil in the eyes of the Lord.
[17] And the rest of the acts of Manasses, and all that he did, and his sin which he sinned, are not these things written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Juda? [18] And Manasses slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his house, even in the garden of Oza: and Amos his son reigned in his stead.
[19] Twenty and two years old was Amos when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Mesollam, daughter of Arus of Jeteba. [20] And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as Manasses his father did. [21] And he walked in all the way in which his father walked, and served the idols which his father served, and worshipped them. [22] And he forsook the Lord God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of the Lord. [23] And the servants of Amos conspired against him, and slew the king in his house. [24] And the people of the land slew all that had conspired against king Amos; and the people of the land made Josias king in his room.
[25] And the rest of the acts of Amos, even all that he did, behold, are not these written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Juda? [26] And they buried him in his tomb in the garden of Oza: and Josias his son reigned in his stead.
Chapter 22
[1] Josias was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Jedia, daughter of Edeia of Basuroth. [2] And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father; he turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
[3] And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josias, in the eighth month, the king sent Sapphan the son of Ezelias the son of Mesollam, the scribe of the house of the Lord, saying, [4] Go up to Chelcias the high priest, and take account of the money that is brought into the house of the Lord, which they that keep the door have collected of the people. [5] And let them give it into the hand of the workmen that are appointed in the house of the Lord. And he gave it to the workmen in the house of the Lord, to repair the breaches of the house, [6] even to the carpenters, and builders, and masons, and also to purchase timber and hewn stones, to repair the breaches of the house. [7] Only they did not call them to account for the money that was given to them, because they dealt faithfully.
[8] And Chelcias the high priest said to Saphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Chelcias gave the book to Sapphan, and he read it. [9] And he went into the house of the Lord to the king, and reported the matter to the king, and said, Thy servants have collected the money that was found in the house of the Lord, and have given it into the hand of the workmen that are appointed in the house of the Lord. [10] And Sapphan the scribe spoke to the king, saying, Chelcias the priest has given me a book. And Sapphan read it before the king. [11] And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his garments. [12] And the king commanded Chelcias the priest, and Achikam the son of Sapphan, and Achobor the son of Michaias, and Sapphan the scribe, and Asaias the king’s servant, saying, [13] Go, enquire of the Lord for me, and for all the people, and for all Juda, and concerning the words of this book that has been found: for the wrath of the Lord that has been kindled against us is great, because our fathers hearkened not to the words of this book, to do according to all the things written concerning us.
[14] So Chelcias the priest went, and Achicam, and Achobor, and Sapphan, and Asaias, to Olda the prophetess, the mother of Sellem the son of Thecuan son of Aras, keeper of the robes; and she dwelt in Jerusalem in Masena; and they spoke to her.
[15] And she said to them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Say to the man that sent you to me, [16] Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I bring evil upon this place, and upon them that dwell in it, even all the words of the book which the king of Juda has read: [17] because they have forsaken me, and burnt incense to other gods, that they might provoke me with the works of their hands: therefore my wrath shall burn forth against this place, and shall not be quenched. [18] And to the king of Juda that sent you to enquire of the Lord, — thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, As for the words which thou hast heard; [19] because thy heart was softened, and thou was humbled before me, when thou heardest all that I spoke against this place, and against the inhabitants of it, that it should be utterly destroyed and accursed, and thou didst rend thy garments, and weep before me; I also have heard, saith the Lord. [20] It shall not be so therefore: behold, I will add thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy tomb in peace, and thine eyes shall not see any among all the evils which I bring upon this place.
Chapter 23
[1] So they reported the word to the king: and the king sent and gathered all the elders of Juda and Jerusalem to himself. [2] And the king went up to the house of the Lord, and every man of Juda and all who dwelt in Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people small and great; and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the Lord. [3] And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his ordinances with all the heart and with all the soul, to confirm the words of this covenant; even the things written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.
[4] And the king commanded Chelcias the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and them that kept the door, to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and all the host of heaven, and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kedron, and took the ashes of them to Baethel. [5] And he burned the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Juda had appointed, (and they burned incense in the high places and in the cities of Juda, and the places around about Jerusalem); and them that burned incense to Baal, and to the sun, and to the moon, and to Mazuroth, and to all the host of heaven.
[6] And he carried out the grove from the house of the Lord to the brook Kedron, and burned it at the brook Kedron, and reduced it to powder, and cast its powder on the sepulchres of the sons of the people. [7] And he pulled down the house of the sodomites that were by the house of the Lord, where the women wove tents for the grove. [8] And he brought up all the priest from the cities of Juda, and defiled the high places where the priests burned incense, from Gaebal even to Bersabee; and he pulled down the house of the gates that was by the door of the gate of Joshua the ruler of the city, on a man’s left hand at the gate of the city. [9] Only the priests of the high places went not up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, for they only ate leavened bread in the midst of their brethren. [10] And he defiled Tapheth which is in the valley of the son of Ennom, constructed for a man to cause his son or his daughter to pass through fire to Moloch.
[11] And he burned the horses which the king of Juda had given to the sun in the entrance of the house of the Lord, by the treasury of Nathan the king’s eunuch, in the suburbs; and he burned the chariot of the sun with fire. [12] And the altars that were on the roof of the upper chamber of Achaz, which the kings of Juda had made, and the altars which Manasses had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord, did the king pull down and forcibly remove from thence, and cast their dust into the brook of Kedron. [13] And the king defiled the house that was before Jerusalem, on the right hand of the mount of Mosthath, which Solomon king of Israel built to Astarte the abomination of the Sidonians, and to Chamos the abo
mination of Moab, and to Moloch the abomination of the children of Ammon. [14] And he broke in pieces the pillars, and utterly destroyed the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men.
[15] Also the high altar in Baethel, which Jeroboam the son of Nabat, who made Israel to sin, had made, even that high altar he tore down, and broke in pieces the stones of it, and reduced it to powder, and burnt the grove. [16] And Josias turned aside, and saw the tombs that were there in the city, and sent, and took the bones out of the tombs, and burnt them on the altar, and defiled it, according to the word of the Lord which the man of God spoke, when Jeroboam stood by the altar at the feast: and he turned and raised his eyes to the tomb of the man of God that spoke these words. [17] And he said, What is that mound which I see? And the men of the city said to him, It is the grave of the man of God that came out of Juda, and uttered these imprecations which he imprecated upon the altar of Baethel. [18] And he said, Let him alone; let no one disturb his bones. So his bones were spared, together with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria.
