THE REIGNS OF JEHORAM, AHAZIAH, ATHALIAH, JOASH, AND AMAZIAH.
JEHOSHAPHAT left seven sons. To six of them he gave presents of silver and gold, and other precious things; he made them rulers also over some of the cities of Judah; but Jehoram, his eldest son, he made king.
Jehoram was not like his father, he did not serve God. He cared only to get the kingdom, and to keep it for himself. Because he feared that his brethren might take it from him, he killed them. He killed also some of the princes of the land, who, he thought, were not his friends.
Now the Edomites had been servants to the kings of Judah for many years before this time, but while Jehoram was king, they rebelled against him and chose a king of their own. Then Jehoram went out with all his war chariots, and fought against them in the night, but he could not overcome them and make them his servants again. For the Lord did not help him, because he had turned away from serving the Lord.
And Jehoram did very wickedly. He built high places in the mountains, for the people to worship idols there, and he made the people of Judah to sin, as the kings of Israel made their people. For Jehoram had the daughter of Ahab, the wicked king of Israel, for his wife. And there came a letter to him from Elijah, the prophet, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Because thou hast not obeyed me, as Jehoshaphat thy father did, but hast done wickedly, and made the people do wickedly, and hast slain thy brethren who were better than thou art; therefore I will send trouble on thy people, thy wives, and thy children, and a great sickness shall come upon thee.
And the Lord sent the Philistines and the Arabians against Jehoram. They came up to Jerusalem and went into his house and took away his riches. They carried away his wives also, and his sons, as captives, so that he had not one son left, save Ahaziah, the youngest. After all this the Lord sent a dreadful disease upon him, as Elijah had said. He was sick two years, and grew worse and worse, for he could not be cured. Jehoram reigned eight years and he died, but the people did not mourn for him. They buried him in Jerusalem, but not in the sepulchres where the kings of Judah were buried. And they made Ahaziah, his son, king in his place.
Ahaziah reigned only one year; like his father, he did wickedly; for his mother, who was the daughter of Ahab, taught him to sin. He went down to visit Jehoram, king of Israel, at Jezreel. While he was there, he rode out with Jehoram to meet Jehu, each in his chariot. We have read how Jehu drew a bow with all his might, and shot an arrow at Jehoram that went into his heart, and Jehoram fell down dead. Then Ahaziah turned his horses to flee, but Jehu followed him, saying to his servants, Kill him also in the chariot; and they killed him. Afterward the servants of Ahaziah brought his dead body in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him there, in the sepulchre of the kings.
When his mother, whose name was Athaliah, saw that he was dead, she took Ahaziah's sons (who were her own grandchildren) and slew them to make herself queen. But one of his sons, a little boy named Joash, was stolen away from her and hidden with his nurse in the temple. He was hidden there six years, for Jehoiada, the high priest, watched over him, and Athaliah, the queen, knew nothing of it. But when the six years were ended, Jehoiada showed him to the Levites and told them that he ought to be king. And the priests and Levites talked in secret together, and agreed to make Joash king.
Now there were at the temple some spears and shields that had belonged to king David; these the priests gave to the Levites. And on the day that the high priest appointed, the Levites came to the temple, and kept guard all around it with their spears in their hands, that no one might go in. And they brought Joash, who was but seven years old, out of the chamber C;F JOASH. where he was hidden, and pouring oil on his head, they anointed him; and they put the crown upon his head, and made him king over Judah: then they clapped their hands, and cried, God save the king.
When the queen heard the noise of the people, running and shouting, she came to the temple and looked in, and saw the king, standing by a pillar, with the crown on his head. The princes of the land stood by him, and all the people rejoiced, and blew on trumpets, and the singers in the temple sang to instruments of music. Then the queen was angry; she rent her clothes, and cried out, Here is rebellion! Here is rebellion! But the high priest said to the Levites, Take her out from the temple, for she must not be slain in the house of the Lord. So they took hold of her and brought her out near to the king's palace, and slew her there.
Afterward the high priest made a covenant with King Joash, and with all the people, and they promised to serve the Lord. For the queen had served Baal, and kept a house with images of the idol in it, but the temple of the Lord she had allowed to go to decay. She had allowed her sons also, to break into the temple, and carry away the sacred vessels of gold and silver, and put them into the house of Baal. But when the queen was dead all the people went to Baal's house, and tore it down, and broke the altars and images, and killed the priest of Baal. Then Jehoiada, the high priest, sent the priests of the Lord and the Levites, to the temple, to attend to the worship of God there; he set porters also to watch at the gates, so that no one who was forbidden might enter.
When Joash grew older and saw how the temple was broken and decayed, he called the priests and Levites to him, saying, Go out through all the cities of Judah, and gather money from the people, to mend and repair the house of the Lord. And see that you make haste in doing it. But the Levites did not make haste. Then the King sent for Jehoiada, the high priest, and said to him, Why do not the Levites bring the money to repair the house of the Lord?
So Jehoiada took a chest and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it before the door of the temple. And word was sent through all the land, that every man should bring a piece of silver money, called a half shekel, as an offering to the Lord. Then all the princes and the people brought the money willingly, and cast it into the chest. As soon as much had been cast in, the high priest and the king's officers came, and emptied it out and counted it, and put it in bags and gave it to the men who were set over the carpenters, the masons and the builders, that were mending the house.
After the work was done, and the house was finished, these men brought the money that was left and gave it to the king and Jehoiada; and they had spoons and vessels of gold and silver made of it, to take the place of those which had been carried away by the sons of queen Athaliah. And Jehoiada, the high priest, caused sacrifices to be offered up at the temple every day. He persuaded the king also to obey the Lord; for though Joash had taken pains to repair the temple, he did not love God in his heart. Yet as long as Jehoiada lived he did what was right. But Jehoiada, when he was a hundred and thirty years old, died. And they buried him in Jerusalem in the same sepulchre where the kings were buried; because he had done good in Judah, obeying the Lord himself and teaching the people to obey him.
Now the princes of Judah were wicked men; for although they had worshipped at the temple while Jehoiada was alive, it was not because they loved God, but only because Jehoiada had persuaded the king to worship there, and they went to the temple with him. As soon as Jehoiada was dead they came to the king, and said that they wanted to worship at the temple no more. And the king, because his own heart was wicked, gave them permission to stay away. Then they went and worshipped idols on the high places.
And Zechariah the priest, the son of Jehoiada, when he saw the wickedness of the princes and the people, spoke to them, saying, Why do you disobey the commandments of the Lord, and so bring trouble on the land? for you cannot prosper while you disobey him. But king Joash was angry at Zechariah for saying this, and commanded the people to stone him; then they took stones and stoned him to death, even in the court of the temple. So Joash forgot how kind Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had been to him in making him king, and he slew Jehoiada's son. And Zechariah, as he was dying, said to the people, The Lord will see what you have done, and will punish you for it.
And what Zechariah said came true, for at the end of the year the Syrians made war against Judah. They came into Jerusalem, and slew the princes, and took away their silver and gold, and sent it to the king of Syria at Damascus. For the king of Syria had not come up himself against Jerusalem, nor sent a great army there. He had sent only a small company of men; and the Lord gave them the victory over a great multitude of the men of Judah, because the men of Judah had ceased to obey him. So the Lord punished king Joash, and the people, for their sins. A great sickness came upon Joash also, and, after the Syrians were gone, his own servants rebelled against him and slew him while he lay in his bed. And they buried him in Jerusalem, but not in the sepulchre of the kings. He had reigned forty years. And Amaziah, his son, was made king over the land.
Amaziah, after he was made king, gathered together a great army out of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, three hundred thousand men, who could fight with spear and shield. He hired also, a hundred thousand more brave and strong soldiers from the kingdom of Israel, and paid them a hundred talents of silver, to go with the men of Judah and Benjamin against the Edomites. But there came a prophet to him, saying, O king, let not the men of Israel go with thee to the battle, for the Lord is not with them to help them. And if they go, he will not help thee; for God has power to help thee, or to give thy enemies the victory over thee. Amaziah said to the prophet, But what shall I do for the hundred talents of silver which I have paid to the men of Israel? The prophet answered, The Lord is able to give thee back much more than this, if thou wilt trust in him. Then Amaziah obeyed the command of the Lord, and sent the men of Israel to their own homes. And they left in great anger, because they could not go out to war with the men of Judah and Benjamin.
And Amaziah went with his army against the Edomites, and the Lord gave him the victory over them. But when he came from the battle he brought with him the idols of the men of Edom, and set them up to be his gods. Therefore the Lord was displeased with Amaziah, and sent a prophet to speak with him, saying, Why dost thou worship the idols of Edom, that could not help the Edomites themselves when thou didst go up to fight against them? But Amaziah was angry at the prophet, and said to him, Art thou the one to tell me what I should do? Be silent, lest I punish thee. Then the prophet spoke to him about the idols no more; yet he said to Amaziah, I know that God has determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this wicked thing, and wilt not cease, although he has sent thee word.
After this, Amaziah sent messengers to the king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look one another in the face: he meant that they should come out with their armies and fight with each other. But the king of Israel answered him, and said, Because thou hast gained the victory over the Edomites, therefore thou art proud and ready to boast. But stay now at home; why shouldst thou meddle with me and so bring trouble on thyself and on all the people of Judah with thee? But Amaziah would not listen to the king of Israel, because the Lord meant to punish him and the people of Judah for worshipping the idols of Edom.
So Amaziah went out with the army of Judah, and the king of Israel came out against him; then the men of Judah were afraid and fled. And the king of Israel took Amaziah captive, and brought him back to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of the city. He went into the temple and took the vessels of gold and silver that were there, and the treasures that were in the king's palace, and carried away some of the people, as captives, to his own city of Samaria. After this the people of Jerusalem rebelled against Amaziah, and when he tried to escape from them, they followed him and killed him. And they brought his dead body upon horses to Jerusalem, and buried him there. He had been king over Judah for twenty-nine years.