The FarAboveAll translation of the Westminster Leningrad Codex edition of the Old Testament / Tanakh

This is the FarAboveAll English translation of the Westminster Leningrad Codex (version 4.18), obtained from the Groves Center. This document contains the English translation text only, without notes. Please refer to the Introduction, the Hebrew and Aramaic source text and the English translation and notes at www.FarAboveAll.com.

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Version 0.33.105, 15 February 2024

Song of Solomon  

Song of Solomon Chapter 1 

1Solomon's Song of Songs.

2“May he kiss me with kisses of his mouth,

For your love is better than wine.

3At the fragrance of your good oils,

Your name is as oil poured out,

Which is why the virgins love you.

4Draw me after you; we will run away.

The king has brought me to his rooms.”

“We will rejoice and be glad with you;

We will remember your love more than wine.

Those who are upright love you.”

5“I am swarthy and comely,

You daughters of Jerusalem,

Like the tents of Kedar,

Like Solomon's curtains.

6Do not look at me, because I am swarthy

– Because the sun has given me a tan.

The sons of my mother have become angry with me.

They appointed me as a guardian of their vineyards;

I have not guarded my own vineyard.

7Tell me, you whom my being loves,

Where are you tending your flock?

Where do you make them lie down at noon?

For why should I be languishing

Alongside the flocks of your fellow shepherds?”

8“If you do not know,

O most beautiful among women,

Then go out along the tracks of the flock

And tend your goat-kids

By the tabernacles of the shepherds.”

9“I have compared you to my mare

Among Pharaoh's chariots, my beloved.

10How beautiful would be your cheeks

With rows of beads,

And your neck with strings of pearls!

11We will make you rows of golden beads

With studs of silver.”

12“While the king is on his couch,

My spikenard emits its fragrance.

13My lover is a bundle of myrrh to me.

He shall pass the night between my breasts.

14My lover is a bunch of henna flowers to me,

In the vineyards of En-Gedi.”

15“Behold how beautiful you are, my beloved;

Behold how beautiful you are

With your eyes of a dove.”

16“Behold how handsome you are my lover

– Indeed delightful –

Moreover our couch is fresh.”

17“The joists of our house are cedars,

And our wainscoting is of cypress.”

Song of Solomon Chapter 2 

1“I am a lily of Sharon

And a lily of the valley.”

2“Like a lily among the brambles,

So is my beloved among the daughters.”

3“Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest,

So is my lover among the sons.

In his shadow I delight and sit,

And his fruit is sweet to my taste.

4He brought me to the house of wine,

And the ensign over me was love.

5Sustain me with raisin cake,

Refresh me with apples,

For I am lovesick.

6His left hand will be under my head,

And his right hand will embrace me.

7I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

By the wild gazelles and deer hinds,

Do not by any means awaken or arouse love,

Until it is willing.

8The voice of my lover

– Behold, he is coming –

Leaping over the mountains

And bounding over the hills.

9My lover is like a gazelle or a deer fawn.

See how he is standing behind our wall,

Gazing from the windows,

Glancing from the grille.

10My lover answered and said to me,

‘Get yourself up, my beloved, my beauty,

And get going.

11For behold, the winter has passed,

The rain has passed on

And gone its way.

12The blossoms have appeared in the land,

The time of pruning has arrived,

And the sound of the turtle-dove

Is heard in our land.

13The fig tree has ripened its unripe figs,

And the vines with vine blossom have produced a fragrance.

Arise, come my beloved, my beauty,

And get moving.

14O dove of mine in the clefts of the rock,

In the shelter of the precipice,

Show me what you look like,

And let me hear your voice,

For your voice is mellow

And your appearance is becoming.’

15‘Catch the foxes for us,

The little foxes which spoil the vineyards,

For our vineyards are in blossom.’

16My lover is mine,

And I am his

– The shepherd among the lilies.

17Before the day grows cool,

And the shadows flee,

Return, my beloved;

Be like a gazelle or a deer fawn

On the mountains of Bether.

Song of Solomon Chapter 3 

1On my couch at night I sought him

Whom my whole being loves;

I sought him,

But I did not find him.

2Let me get up, then,

And I will go around the city;

In the squares and the streets,

I will seek him

Whom my whole being loves.

I sought him,

But I did not find him.

3The watchmen who patrol the city found me.

I asked, ‘Have you seen the one

Whom my whole being loves?’

4I had hardly passed on from them

When I found him

Whom my whole being loves.

I held on to him

And would not let him go

Until I had brought him to my mother's house,

And to the room of her who conceived me.

5I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

By the wild gazelles and deer hinds,

Do not by any means awaken or arouse love,

Until it is willing.”

6“Who is this coming up from the desert,

Like pillars of smoke,

Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,

With all the aromatic powder of the merchant?”

7“Behold Solomon's bed.

There are sixty warriors around it

From the warriors of Israel.

8They are all wielding a sword

And are trained in warfare.

Each has his sword on his thigh

Because of fear at night.”

9“King Solomon has made himself a litter

From the wood of Lebanon.

10He made its posts of silver

And its backing of gold

And its seat of purple material.

Its inside is a mosaic of love themes

From the daughters of Jerusalem.”

11“Come out, O daughters of Zion,

And look at King Solomon,

With the crown with which his mother crowned him

On his wedding day,

And on the day of joy in his heart.”

Song of Solomon Chapter 4 

1“How beautiful you are, my beloved,

How beautiful you are!

Your eyes are those of doves through your veil.

Your hair is like a flock of goats

Which shine from Mount Gilead.

2Your teeth are like a flock

Which has been shorn,

Which has come up from the washing place,

Which are all paired

And among which none is bereft of young.

3Your lips are like a scarlet thread,

And your speech is delightful.

Your cheek is like the segment of a pomegranate

Through your veil.

4Your neck is like the Tower of David,

Built as an armoury.

A thousand bucklers hang from it

– All the shields of warriors.

5Your two breasts are like two deer fawn twins

Of the gazelle hind,

Grazing among the lilies.”

6“Before the day grows cool,

And the shadows flee,

I will betake myself

To the mountain of myrrh

And to the hill of frankincense.”

7“You are beautiful all over, my beloved,

And there is no blemish on you.

8Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,

With me from Lebanon.

Look from the peak of Amana,

From the peak of Senir and Hermon,

From the dens of lions

And from the mountains of leopards.

9You have given me heart, my sister, my bride,

You have given me heart

With one of your eyes,

With one necklace of your necklace stack.

10How beautiful your love is, my sister, my bride!

How your love is better than wine,

And the fragrance of your oils than all the perfumes!

11Your lips distil honey from the honeycomb, my bride.

Honey and milk are under your tongue,

And the fragrance of your clothes

Is like the fragrance of Lebanon.

12My sister – my bride – is a locked garden,

A blocked spring, a sealed water-source.

13Your shoots are a park of pomegranates,

With exquisite fruit,

Henna flowers with spikenard plants,

14Spikenard and saffron,

Sweet cane and cinnamon,

With all kinds of frankincense trees,

Myrrh and aloes,

With all the prime sorts of perfumes,

15A source for gardens,

A well of living water,

And distillations from Lebanon.

16Awake, O North,

And come, O South,

Blow on my garden and let its perfumes distil.”

“Let my lover come to his garden,

And eat its exquisite fruit.”

Song of Solomon Chapter 5 

1“I have come to my garden, my sister, my bride;

I have gathered my myrrh with my perfume,

I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey,

I have drunk my wine with my milk.”

“Eat, friends,

Drink, and imbibe strong drink,

You lovers.”

2“I was asleep,

But my heart was awake;

The voice of my lover was knocking,

‘Open to me, my sister,

My beloved, my dove, my undefiled,

For my head is full of dew,

As are my locks of hair

With dewdrops of the night.

3I have taken my tunic off;

How can I put it on again?

I have washed my feet;

How can I soil them again?’

4My lover stretched out his hand by the lock hole,

And I was moved inwardly because of him.

5I arose to open to my lover,

And my hands exuded drops of myrrh,

And my fingers liquid myrrh

On the handles of the lock.

6I opened to my lover,

But my lover withdrew and vanished.

My heart went out to him when he spoke.

I sought him,

But I did not find him;

I called to him,

But he did not answer me.

7The watchmen who patrol in the city found me.

They struck me, they wounded me;

The guardians of the walls lifted my veil off me.

8I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

If you find my lover,

That you tell him

That I am lovesick.”

9In what way is your lover different

From any other lover,

O beautiful one among women?

In what way is your lover different

From any other lover,

That you should adjure us like this?”

10“My lover is bright and red,

Conspicuous among ten thousand.

11His head is pure gold;

His locks of hair are swaying palm fronds,

And they are black like a raven.

12His eyes are like a dove's

By the torrents of water

Eyes washed in milk,

Set like a gemstone in a bezel.

13His cheeks are like a raised garden of balsam plants

– Raised beds of aromatic herbs;

His lips are like lilies,

Exuding liquid myrrh.

14His forearms are cylinders of gold

Set with Tarshish gemstones;

His midriff is polished ivory,

Covered with sapphires.

15His legs are pillars of marble,

Founded on socles of pure gold.

His appearance is as Lebanon;

He is a young man like the cedars.

16His mouth is most sweet.

And all of him is most desirable.

This is my lover

And this is my beloved,

O daughters of Jerusalem.”

Song of Solomon Chapter 6 

1“Where has your lover gone,

O most beautiful among women?

Which way has your lover turned?

Then let us look for him with you.”

2“My lover went down to his garden,

To the raised beds of balsam

To graze in the gardens

And to gather lilies.

3I belong to my lover,

And my lover belongs to me,

The one grazing among the lilies.”

4“You are beautiful, my beloved, like Tirzah,

As delightful as Jerusalem,

As awe-inspiring as a display of banners.

5Turn your eyes away from me,

For they have excited me.

Your hair is like a flock of goats

Which shine from Gilead.

6Your teeth are like a flock of ewes

Which have come up from the washing-place,

Which are all paired,

And among which none is bereft of young.

7Your cheek is like the segment of a pomegranate

Through your veil.

8There are sixty queens and eighty mistresses,

And virgins without number.

9But there is just one of my dove,

My undefiled.

She is the only one of her mother's;

She is the favourite of her who bore her.

The daughters saw her and blessed her,

And the queens and mistresses praised her

And said,

10‘Who is this peeping out like the dawn,

As beautiful as the moon,

As clear as the sun,

As awesome as a display of banners?’ ”

11“I went down to the nut garden

To see the plant life of the valley,

To see if the vine was blossoming

If the pomegranates were blooming.

12I don't know how I landed myself

In the chariots of my noble people.”

Song of Solomon Chapter 7 

1“Come back, come back, O Shulamite, come back.

Come back, and let us look at you.”

“What do you see in the Shulamite?”

You are like the dance of Mahanaim.

2How beautiful your feet are in your shoes,

O daughter of a noble.

Your figure at your thighs is like necklaces

– Craftsmanship in the hands of an artisan.

3Your navel is like a round bowl;

Let it not lack spiced wine.

Your stomach is a pile of wheat

Enclosed by lilies.

4Your two breasts are like two deer fawn

– Twins of the gazelle hind.

5Your neck is like a tower of ivory.

Your eyes are pools in Heshbon

At the Gate of Bath-Rabbim.

Your nose is like the Tower of Lebanon,

Which looks out towards Damascus.

6Your head rests on you like Carmel,

And the locks of your head are like purple material;

The king is captivated by the shocks of hair.

7How beautiful you are and how delightful you are,

O love among the pleasures!

8This stature of yours is like a date palm,

And your breasts are like bunches of grapes.

9I said, ‘I will go up to the date palm;

I will take hold of its palm-branches.’

And now may your breasts become like bunches of grapes of the vine,

And the smell of your nose like apples.

10And your mouth is like good wine

Going straight to my beloved,

Flowing past the lips of the sleepy.”

11“I am my lover's,

And his desire is for me.

12Come, my lover, let us go out into the countryside;

Let us lodge in the villages.

13Let us get up early to go to the vineyards;

Let us see whether the vine is blossoming,

Whether the vine blossom has opened,

Whether the pomegranates have flourished.

There I will give you my love.

14The mandrakes give a fragrance,

And at our gates are all kinds of exquisite fruit,

Both new and old, my lover,

Which I have stowed away for you.

Song of Solomon Chapter 8 

1If only you were as my brother,

Who sucked my mother's breasts.

I would find you outdoors;

I would kiss you,

And I would not be despised.

2I would lead you

And bring you to my mother's house.

She would teach me.

I would give you some spiced wine to drink

Made from my pomegranate must.

3Let his left hand be under my head,

And his right hand embrace me.

4I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

Why awaken or why arouse love

Before it is willing?”

5“Who is this coming up from the desert,

Leaning on her lover?”

“I aroused you under the apple tree.

Your mother bore you there.

She who gave birth to you

Bore you there.

6Place me like a seal on your heart,

Like a seal on your arm,

For love is as strong as death

And jealousy is as harsh as the grave;

Its flames are fiery flames

– An intense blaze.

7Even much water cannot quench love,

Nor can rivers wash it away.

If a man were to give all the wealth of his household for love,

It would be utterly contemptible of him.”

8“We have a little sister,

Who does not yet have breasts.

What should we do with our sister

On the day when she is proposed to?”

9“If she is a wall,

We will build silver castellations on her.

And if she is a door,

We will enclose her with panels of cedar.”

10“I am a wall,

And my breasts are like towers.

Then I was the one

Who found peace in his sight.

11Solomon had a vineyard in Baal-Hamon.

He let the vineyard out to tenants.

Each one was to bring one thousand pieces of silver

For his fruit.

12My own vineyard is in front of me.

You can have your thousand, Solomon,

And you who keep its fruit, your two hundred.”

13“You garden-dweller,

My companions can hear your voice.

Let me hear it too.”

14“Hasten, my lover,

And be like a gazelle or a fawn of the deer

On the mountains of balsam.”

Ruth  

Ruth Chapter 1 

1And it came to pass in the days when the judges were judging that there was a famine in the land, and a man went from Bethlehem-Judah to live in the plains of Moab – he and his wife and his two sons. 2Now the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem-Judah. And they came to the plains of Moab and stayed there. 3Then Elimelech the husband of Naomi died, and she was left with her two sons. 4And they took Moabitess wives. The name of one was Orpah, and the name of the other was Ruth, and they dwelt there for about ten years. 5Then both Mahlon and Chilion died too, and the woman was left bereaved of her two children and her husband. 6So she got up, she and her daughters-in-law, and she returned from the plains of Moab, for she had heard in the plain of Moab that the Lord had visited his people by giving them bread. 7And she departed from the place where she had been, together with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go and return, each to your mother's house. May the Lord act kindly with you, as you have done with the dead and with me. 9May the Lord grant that you find rest, each in your husband's house.” And she kissed them, and they raised their voice and wept. 10But they said to her, “It is with you that we will return – to your people.” 11But Naomi said, “Go back, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Do I have any more sons in my womb, to be your husbands? 12Go back, my daughters, go, for I am too old for a husband to have me, for I have said, ‘Is there hope for me, even if a husband had me tonight, and even if I gave birth to sons, 13would you wait for them until they grew up? Would you refrain from belonging to another husband for them?’ No, my daughters. For it is much more bitter for me than you, because the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.” 14And they raised their voice and wept again, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15Then she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has returned to her people, and to her gods. Go back after your sister-in-law.” 16But Ruth said, “Do not press me into leaving you – into giving up following you – for wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people are my people, and your God is my God. 17Where you die, I will die, and that is where I will be buried. May the Lord so do to me and more still otherwise, for only death will separate you from me.” 18And she saw that she had resolved to go with her, and she stopped speaking to her. 19And the two of them journeyed until they had come to Bethlehem, and it came to pass when they came to Bethlehem that the whole city went into commotion over them, and they said, “Is this Naomi?” 20But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi. Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt with me very bitterly. 21I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why should you call me Naomi when the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has brought harm on me.” 22Then Naomi returned, Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law being with her, having returned from the plains of Moab, and they arrived in Bethlehem at the start of the barley harvest.

Ruth Chapter 2 

1Now Naomi had a kinsman through her husband, a man mighty in wealth, of Elimelech's family, and his name was Boaz. 2And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Let me go into the field and glean ears of corn after him in whoever's eyes I find grace.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3So she departed and came there and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And her venture happened to be in a part of the field belonging to Boaz, of the family of Elimelech. 4And what should happen but Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you.” And they said to him, “The Lord bless you.” 5Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “To whom does this young woman belong?” 6And the servant in charge of the reapers replied and said, “She is a Moabitess, who came back with Naomi from the plain of Moab. 7And she said, ‘Let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers’, and she came and has continued doing it from the morning until now. That leaves little rest for her at home.” 8Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Did you not hear, my daughter? Do not go to glean in any other field, and do not move across from here, and in this way you will stay attached to my maidservants. 9Your eyes will be on the field that they are reaping, and you will follow the maidservants. Have I not ordered my menservants not to touch you? If you are thirsty, go to the pots and drink from what the servants draw.” 10Then she fell face down and bowed to the ground and said to him, “Why have I found grace in your eyes, in that you have been concerned about me, when I am a foreigner?” 11Then Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been told me in full – everything you have done with your mother-in-law after the death of your husband, and how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth and went to a people which you did not know in times past. 12May the Lord reward your work, and may your recompense from the Lord God of Israel be in full, under whose wings you have come to trust.” 13And she said, “Let me find grace in your eyes, my lord, for you have shown compassion on me, and because you have spoken kindly to your maidservant, while I am not like any of your maidservants.” 14Then Boaz said to her at the time of the meal, “Come here, and you can eat some bread and dip your piece in the vinegar.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he handed her roasted corn, and she ate and was satisfied and had some left over. 15Then she got up to go gleaning, and Boaz instructed his servants and said, “Let her glean between the sheaves too, and do not treat her ignominiously. 16And deliberately spill some from the sheaves for her too, and leave it so she can glean it, and do not rebuke her.” 17So she gleaned in the field until the evening, and she threshed what she had gleaned, and it amounted to about an ephah of barley. 18And she took it and came to the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned, and she emptied it out, and she gave her what she had left over after taking what was enough for her. 19And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today, and where did you work? May he who is showing concern for you be blessed.” And she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and she said, “The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the Lord, who has not abandoned his kindness to the living and the dead.” And Naomi said to her, “The man is a near relative of ours. He is one of our kinsman redeemers.” 21And Ruth the Moabitess said, “He also said to me, ‘You must stay attached to my servants until they have finished the whole of my harvest.’ ” 22Then Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It is a good thing, my daughter, that you go out with his maidservants, so that no-one will molest you in another field.” 23So she stayed attached to Boaz's maidservants to glean until the end of the barley harvest, and the end of the wheat harvest, and she stayed with her mother-in law.

Ruth Chapter 3 

1Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, will I not seek rest for you, so that it will go well for you? 2Well now, is not Boaz, with whose maidservants you were, our relation? Look, he will be winnowing the barley in the threshing floor tonight. 3Now wash and anoint yourself and put your dress on and go down to the threshing floor. Do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4And it will come to pass when he lies down that you must note the place where he lies, then go in and uncover his feet-end and lie down, and he will tell you what you must do.” 5And she said to her, “I will do everything you say.” 6And she went down to the threshing floor, and she acted according to everything her mother-in-law had instructed her. 7So Boaz ate and drank, and his heart was merry, and he went to lie down at the end of the heap. Then she came secretly and uncovered his feet-end and lay down. 8And it came to pass at midnight that the man had a shock and turned round, and what he saw was that a woman was lying at his feet-end. 9And he said, “Who are you?” And she said, “I am Ruth your maidservant, so spread your wings over your maidservant, for you are a kinsman redeemer.” 10Then he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have shown even more kindness of late than in the beginning, in not going after the young lads, whether poor or rich. 11So now, my daughter, do not be afraid. Everything you say, I will do for you, because every gate of my people knows that you are a virtuous woman. 12And now although it is true that indeed I am a kinsman redeemer, yet there is a kinsman redeemer nearer than me. 13Lodge tonight, and it will follow in the morning, if he will redeem you, all right, let him redeem. But if he does not wish to redeem you, then I will redeem you, as the Lord lives. Lie down until the morning.” 14So she lay down at his feet-end until the morning, then she got up before anyone would recognize his neighbour, and he said, “Let it not be known that a woman came into the threshing floor.” 15And he said, “Take the gown which is on you and hold it out.” So she held it out, and he measured out six measures of barley, and he put it in it, then he went to the city. 16And she went to her mother-in-law, and she said, “Who are you, my daughter?” So she told her everything the man had done for her. 17And she said, “He gave me these six measures of barley, for he said, ‘Do not go to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’ ” 18Then she said, “Stay, my daughter, until you know how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest unless he concludes the matter today.”

Ruth Chapter 4 

1Then Boaz went up to the gate and sat there, and what should happen but the kinsman redeemer of whom Boaz had spoken passed by. And Boaz said, “Turn aside and sit down here, my good sir.” And he turned aside and sat down. 2And he took ten men from the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” And they sat down. 3And he said to the kinsman redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the plain of Moab, is selling the parcel of land which belonged to our brother, Elimelech. 4And I hereby declare, I notify you as follows: you can buy it in the presence of the inhabitants and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not redeem it, tell me, so that I know, for there is no-one except you first in line to redeem it, and I am after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.” 5Then Boaz said, “On the day you purchase the field from Naomi, and from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, you also buy to raise up the name of the deceased in his inheritance.” 6At this the kinsman redeemer said, “I cannot take this redemption on myself lest I spoil my own inheritance. You redeem my inheritance, for I cannot redeem it.” 7Now this was the custom in early times in Israel concerning redemption and concerning exchange, so as to establish every transaction: a man would take off his shoe and give it to his contracting counterpart, and this was a testimony in Israel. 8And the kinsman redeemer said to Boaz, “You buy it.” And he took off his shoe. 9And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I have purchased everything that was Elimelech's and everything that was Chilion's, and Mahlon's, from Naomi. 10And I have also purchased Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, to be my wife, to raise up the name of the deceased on his inheritance, so that the name of the deceased is not cut off from being with his brothers, or from the gate of his place. You are witnesses today.” 11And all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord grant the woman who has come to your household to be like Rachel and Leah, the two who built up the house of Israel. And you act virtuously in Ephrathah, and proclaim fame in Bethlehem. 12And may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, from the seed which the Lord will give you, the house being built from this young woman.” 13Then Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14And the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not deprived you of a kinsman redeemer today, so that his fame may be proclaimed in Israel. 15And he will be a restorer of your well-being, and one who sustains you in your old age, for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better for you than seven sons, has borne him.” 16And Naomi took the child and placed him in her bosom, and she became a nurse to him. 17And the neighbouring women proclaimed his fame and said, “A son has been born to Naomi.” And they called him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. 18This is the genealogy of Perez: Perez begot Hezron, 19and Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminadab, 20and Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon, 21and Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed, 22and Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David.

Reference(s) in Chapter 4: v.17 ↔ Acts 13:22.

Lamentations  

Lamentations Chapter 1 

1How the city which was so populous

Remains alone and has become like a widow!

She who was great among the nations

– A princess among the states –

Has become tribute-paying.

2She weeps and weeps at night,

And her tears are on her cheeks.

She has no-one comforting her among all her lovers.

All her friends have betrayed her;

They have become her enemies.

3Judah has gone into exile

In affliction and in severe enslavement.

She dwells among the Gentiles;

She has not found rest.

All those who pursue her have caught up with her,

Putting her in straits.

4The roads of Zion mourn

For want of any coming to the festival.

All her gates are desolate,

Her priests sigh,

Her virgins grieve

– And it is bitter to her.

5Her adversaries have become the head;

Her enemies prosper,

For the Lord has afflicted her

Because of the large number of her transgressions.

Her young children have gone into captivity

In front of the adversary.

6And all her splendour has departed from the daughter of Zion,

And her princes, who were like deer,

Did not find pasture,

And they went powerlessly in front of the pursuer.

7Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and her wanderings

All her valuable objects

Which she had in the old days,

When her people fell into the hand of the adversary,

And there was no-one to help her.

The adversaries saw her

And mocked her demise.

8Jerusalem has committed a sin,

Which is why she has become displaced.

All those who honoured her disparage her,

For they have seen her nakedness,

As she herself sighs and turns back.

9Her uncleanness is in her skirts;

She is not mindful of her final state,

And she has plummeted astonishingly.

There is no-one comforting her.

O Lord, look at my affliction,

For the enemy has become powerful.

10The adversary has spread his hand over all her valuable objects,

For she has seen how the Gentiles have entered her sanctuary,

Whereas you commanded

That they should not come into your convocation.

11All her people sigh and seek bread.

They have given their desirable objects in exchange for food

To refresh themselves.

O Lord, look and see,

For I have become contemptible.

12Is it not of concern to you,

All you who pass by the way?

Look and see if there is any grief like my grief

Which has been dealt out to me,

Because the Lord has afflicted me

On the day of his furious anger.

13He has sent fire into my bones from above,

And it has subdued them.

He has spread a net for my feet,

He has turned me back;

He has made me desolate,

And ailing all day long.

14The yoke of my transgressions has been fastened by his hand.

They are intertwined,

They have come on my neck;

He has made my strength falter.

The Lord* has delivered me into the hands

Of those from whom I cannot get up.

15The Lord* has removed all my valiant men within my confines.

He has called an assembly against me

To crush my youths.

The Lord* has trodden the wine press,

Which is the virgin daughter of Judah.

16Over these things I weep.

My eye, my eye is running with water,

For the comforter is far from me,

Who would refresh my being.

My sons have become devastated,

For the enemy has prevailed.

17Zion has spread out her hands;

She has no comforter.

The Lord has commanded concerning Jacob,

“Let his adversaries be round about him”,

And Jerusalem has become an unclean woman among them.

18The Lord is righteous,

For I have rebelled against his word.

Hear now, all you nations,

And look at my grief –

My virgins and my young men have gone into captivity.

19I called on my lovers,

But they have been treacherous to me.

My priests and my elders in the city expired

When they sought food for themselves

To revive themselves.

20O Lord, see how I am in straits.

My innards are turbulent;

My heart is overturned inside me,

For I have rebelled badly.

Outside the sword has bereaved me;

Inside it is deathly.

21They have heard that I am sighing

That I have no comforter.

All my enemies have heard of my misfortune;

They rejoice because you have done this,

But you will bring about the day which you have proclaimed,

And they will become like me.

22Let all their wickedness come before you,

And treat them severely as you have treated me severely

For all my transgressions.

For my sighs are many,

And my heart is ailing.

Lamentations Chapter 2 

1How the Lord* has covered the daughter of Zion in darkness in his anger.

He has cast the splendour of Israel

Down from heaven to the earth.

And he did not remember his footstool

On the day of his anger.

2The Lord* has swallowed up all the settlements of Jacob

And has not had compassion.

In his ire he has demolished the fortifications of the daughter of Judah.

He has cast them to the ground;

He has profaned the kingdom and its princes.

3In his furious anger

He has cut every horn of Israel off;

He has drawn his right hand back from the presence of the enemy,

And he has burned in Jacob as if with blazing fire,

Which has consumed the land all around.

4He drew his bow like an enemy;

His right hand stood like an adversary,

And he killed all who were pleasing to the eye

In the tent of the daughter of Zion.

He poured out his fury like fire.

5The Lord* was like an enemy,

He swallowed up Israel,

He swallowed up all her palaces;

He brought her fortifications to ruin

And he increased mourning and lamentation

In the daughter of Judah.

6And he did violence to his booth like a garden;

He ravaged his assembly.

The Lord has caused the assembly and the Sabbath to be forgotten in Zion,

And he has rejected king and priest

In his angry indignation.

7The Lord* has repudiated his altar;

He has abhorred his sanctuary.

He has delivered the walls of her palaces into the hand of the enemy.

They have uttered a sound in the house of the Lord

As on a day of the assembly.

8The Lord decided to bring the wall of the daughter of Zion to ruin.

He has stretched out a line;

He did not withdraw his hand from swallowing it up,

And he has brought mourning on fortification and wall

– They languish together.

9Her gates have sunk into the ground;

He has wrecked and shattered her bolts.

Her king and her princes are among the Gentiles.

There is no book of the law;

Her prophets do not find any vision from the Lord either.

10The elders of the daughter of Zion are sitting on the ground;

They are silent.

They have put dust on their heads,

They have girded themselves with sackcloth;

The virgins of Jerusalem have lowered their heads to the ground.

11My eyes are exhausted with tears;

My innards are turbulent.

My liver is poured out on the ground

Over the devastation of the daughter of my people,

At the fainting of the child and baby

In the streets of the city.

12To their mothers they say,

“Where is the corn and the wine?”

As they faint like a wounded soldier in the streets of the city,

As their life is poured out

In their mothers' bosom.

13What can I testify to you?

To what can I liken you, O daughter of Jerusalem?

To what can I compare you,

So as to comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion?

For your devastation is as great as the sea.

Who can heal you?

14Your prophets had visions for you

Which were false and deluded,

And they did not reveal your iniquity,

Which would have restored you from your captivity,

But they have had visions for you

Of false prophecies and seductions.

15All who pass by the way

Clap their hands at you.

They whistle and shake their head

At the daughter of Jerusalem,

And say, “Is this the city of which they say,

It is the perfection of beauty

– The joy of all the earth’?”

16All your enemies gape at you;

They whistle and gnash their teeth.

They say, “We have swallowed her up.

Indeed this is the very day which we have hoped for.

We have arrived at it, we have seen it.”

17The Lord has done what he devised;

He has carried out his word

Which he appointed in days of old.

He has demolished

And did not show pity.

And he has given the enemy reason to rejoice over you;

He has raised the horn of your adversaries.

18Their heart cried out to the Lord*.

O wall of the daughter of Zion,

Let tears run down like a torrent day and night,

Do not give yourself respite;

Do not let the pupil of your eye rest.

19Arise, shout out in the night at the start of the watches,

Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord*;

Lift up your hands to him for the life of your small children

Who are fainting with hunger

At the head of all the streets.

20Look, O Lord, and see to whom you have done this.

Will women eat their own fruit

– Infants who are nursed?

Will priest and prophet be killed

In the sanctuary of the Lord*?

21The youth and the old man lie on the ground on the streets.

My virgins and my young men have fallen by the sword.

You have killed them on the day of your anger;

You have slaughtered them

And not shown pity.

22You have publicized my fears round about,

As on the day of an assembly.

But on the day of the Lord's anger

There was no-one who had escaped or survived.

Those whom I nursed and brought up,

My enemy has finished off.

Lamentations Chapter 3 

1I am the man who has seen affliction

By the rod of his wrath.

2He has driven me and removed me

Into darkness, and not light.

3Surely he has turned against me;

His hand is adverse to me all day long.

4He has caused my flesh and my skin to waste away;

He has shattered my bones.

5He has built the case against me

And surrounded me with noxiousness and weariness.

6He has made me sit in darkness,

Like the age-abidingly dead.

7He has fenced me in

And I cannot go out.

He has made my fetter heavy.

8Although I cry out and shout,

He shuts out my prayer.

9He has blocked my ways with hewn stones;

He has overturned my paths.

10He is a bear in ambush to me

– A lion in a covert place.

11He has deflected me from my ways

And torn me to pieces;

He has made me desolate.

12He has drawn his bow

And set me as a target for the arrow.

13He has shot the contents of his quiver into my kidneys.

14I have become a laughing stock to all my people,

In their song all day long.

15He has filled me with bitter herbs;

He has given me wormwood to drink.

16And he has crushed my teeth with gravel;

He has covered me with ash.

17And you have been averse to my well-being;

I have forgotten what goodness is.

18And I said, “My endurance and my hope in the Lord

Have faded away.”

19Remember my affliction and wandering,

The wormwood and the venom.

20Oh do remember,

And may your soul sink down onto me.

21I will lay this to heart;

This is why I will be in expectation:

22The Lord's kind deeds are such

That we are not finished

– That his mercies have not come to an end.

23The mornings bring these anew;

Great is your faithfulness.

24“My portion is the Lord,”

My inner being has said,

“Which is why I will await him.”

25The Lord is good to those who put their hope in him

– To the person who seeks him.

26It is good to be in expectation and quiet for the Lord's salvation.

27It is good for a man

That he bears his yoke in his youth.

28He sits alone and is silent,

For he laid it on him.

29He puts his mouth in the dust

And says,

“Perhaps there is hope.”

30He gives his cheek to him who strikes him;

He is steeped in reproach.

31For the Lord* will not repudiate us age-abidingly.

32Although he causes grief,

Yet he shows mercy

According to the abundance of his kindness.

33For he does not afflict wholeheartedly

Nor so grieve the sons of men.

34Neither on crushing all the prisoners of the earth under one's feet,

35Nor on perverting the course of justice of a man

Against the intention of the Most High,

36Nor on doing violence to a man's contention

Does the Lord* look favourably.

37Who is it who spoke, and it came to pass,

If the Lord* did not command it?

38Do not bad things and good

Issue from the mouth of the Most High?

39How a man who is alive complains!

– A man confronted by his sin.

40Let us search our ways and investigate

And return to the Lord.

41Let us lift up our hearts on our hands

To God in the heavens.

42We have transgressed and rebelled,

And you have not forgiven us.

43You have covered us with anger and pursued us;

You have killed us and not shown pity.

44You have covered yourself with a cloud,

So that a prayer cannot pass through.

45You have made us an offscouring

And a reject in the company of the nations.

46All our enemies gape at us.

47Fear and ruin are our lot

With desolation and devastation.

48Streams of water run down my eye

At the devastation of the daughter of my people.

49My eye is flowing and will not become quiet,

With no respite,

50Until the Lord peers down

And looks from heaven.

51My eye is wearing on my spiritual condition

Because of all the daughters of the city.

52My enemies have relentlessly hunted me,

Gratuitously, like a bird.

53They have knocked my life down into the pit,

And they have thrown stones at me.

54Waters overwhelmed me above my head.

I said, “I have been cut off.”

55I called on your name, O Lord,

From the lowest pit.

56You have heard my voice.

Do not turn a deaf ear to relieving me at my cry.

57You drew near on the day

When I called on you,

And you said,

“Do not fear.”

58You, O Lord*, have defended the indictments against my person,

You have redeemed my life.

59O Lord, you have seen my oppression;

Do defend my case.

60You have seen all their vengeance

– All their thoughts concerning me.

61You have heard their reproach,

O Lord – all their thoughts against me.

62The lips of those who rise up against me

And their meditation

Are against me all day long.

63Observe their sitting down and their rising up;

I am their derisive song.

64Bring retribution on them, O Lord,

According to the work of their hands.

65Give them a veiled heart

– Your curse on them.

66Pursue them in anger,

And destroy them,

Under the heavens of the Lord.

Lamentations Chapter 4 

1How gold has become dull,

And the good fine gold has changed!

The holy gemstones are poured out

At the head of all the streets.

2As for the precious sons of Zion

Who were weighed against fine gold,

How they are considered as earthen jars

– The work of the hands of the potter!

3Even the jackals present a breast;

They suckle their cubs.

The daughter of my people is prey to the cruel one,

Like the ostriches in the desert.

4The baby's tongue cleaves to the roof of his mouth with thirst.

Children ask for bread,

But there is no-one to break any for them.

5Those who used to eat delicacies

Have become desolate in the streets.

Those brought up in scarlet

Embrace the rubbish dumps.

6And the punishment for the iniquity of the daughter of my people

Is greater than the punishment for the sin of Sodom,

Which was overthrown in a moment,

And no hands in it endured.

7Her Nazarites were purer than snow,

They were brighter than milk,

They were redder in body than red corals;

Their features were as of a sapphire.

8Their appearance has become darker than blackness,

They are not recognized in the streets;

Their skin cleaves to their bones

– It has become dry like wood.

9Those who fell by the sword were better off

Than those who died of hunger,

For they bled to death when pierced,

Rather than dying for lack of the produce of the field.

10The hands of compassionate women

Have cooked their own children.

They were food to them

In the devastation of the daughter of my people.

11The Lord has discharged his wrath;

He has poured out his furious anger,

And he has kindled a fire in Zion,

And it has consumed its foundations.

12The kings of the earth

And all the inhabitants of the world

Did not believe that an adversary and an enemy

Would enter the gates of Jerusalem.

13Because of the sins of her prophets,

And the iniquities of her priests

Who shed the blood of the righteous

In her precincts,

14They stagger along in blindness in the streets;

They are stained with blood.

In their powerlessness

They strike their clothes.

15“Go away, you unclean person”,

They call out to them,

“Go away, go away. Do not touch.”

For they fled and wandered.

Among the Gentiles they said,

“They will not dwell there any more.”

16The presence of the Lord has divided them;

He no longer watches over them.

They did not show the priests respect,

Nor did they show the elders compassion.

17Our eyes still fail us

At the worthlessness of the help we had,

When in our expectation we awaited a people,

But they could not save us.

18They hounded us at our steps,

So that we could not walk on our streets.

Our end came near;

Our days were fulfilled,

For our end had come.

19Our pursuers were swifter than eagles of the sky;

They ardently pursued us on the mountains

– In the desert they ambushed us.

20The breath of our nostrils

– The Lord's anointed –

Was caught in their snares,

Of whom we said,

“We will live in his shadow among the Gentiles.”

21Exult and be joyful, O daughter of Edom,

You who live in the land of Uz.

The cup will pass over you too,

And you will become drunk

And make yourself naked.

22Your iniquity has come to its culmination,

O daughter of Zion;

He will not send you into exile any more.

He will punish your iniquity,

O daughter of Edom;

He will expose your sins.

Lamentations Chapter 5 

1Remember, O Lord,

What has come upon us.

Look and see our reproach.

2Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers

– Our houses to foreigners.

3We have become orphans;

We have no father.

Our mothers are like widows.

4We have drunk our water against payment;

Our wood comes at a price.

5We are pursued at our necks,

We are weary;

We are not given rest.

6We offered the hand to Egypt;

We gave Assyria bread with which to be satiated.

7Our fathers have sinned;

They are not here.

We are suffering for their iniquities.

8Servants have ruled over us;

No-one breaks away from their grip.

9We fetch our bread at the risk of our lives

Because of the sword in the desert.

10Our skin is as black as an oven

Because of the scorching famine.

11They raped the women in Zion

And the virgins of the cities of Judah.

12Princes were hanged at their behest;

The standing of the elderly was not respected.

13They took young men to do grinding,

And youths staggered with wood.

14Old men cease to be at the gate,

And young men playing music.

15The joy of our heart has ceased;

Our dancing has turned into mourning.

16The crown on our head has fallen off.

Oh woe to us,

For we have sinned!

17For this reason our heart has become sick;

On these grounds our eyes have become dark.

18On Mount Zion,

Which is desolate,

Foxes roam.

19You, O Lord, remain age-abidingly;

Your throne is from generation to generation.

20Why should you forget us forever

– Abandon us for the length of days?

21Restore us, O Lord, to yourself,

And we will return.

Renew our days

As of old.

22For you have utterly rejected us,

You have been angry with us

In great measure.

Ecclesiastes  

Ecclesiastes Chapter 1 

1The words of the convener, the son of David, the king in Jerusalem.

2“Vanity of vanities,”

Says the convener,

“Vanity of vanities;

All is vanity.

3What is the benefit to a man

Of all his toil which he toils at

Under the sun?

4A generation goes and a generation comes,

But the world stands age-abidingly.

5And the sun rises, and the sun sets,

Then it draws towards its place

Where it rises again.

6It goes to the south, and it turns to the north;

Turning and turning, the wind goes,

And by its round trips

The wind returns.

7All the streams go to the sea,

But the sea is not full.

To the place where the streams flow,

There they return to flow again.

8Everything is wearisome;

No-one can utter it.

The eye is not satisfied with seeing,

And the ear is not filled with hearing.

9What has been is what will be,

And what has been done is what will be done,

And there is nothing new under the sun.

10Is there anything of which it can be said,

‘Look, this is new’?

It was already in existence in ancient times

Something which existed before us.

11There is no remembrance of the former things,

Nor will there be any remembrance of the latter things which will be,

With those who will be in existence

In the latter time.

12I, the convener, became king over Israel in Jerusalem, 13and I decided to seek and investigate by means of wisdom everything that has been done under heaven. It is a troublesome matter that God has given the sons of Adam to be afflicted by. 14I have seen all the works which are done under the sun, and look, everything is vanity and idle pursuit.

15That which is crooked

Cannot be made straight,

And that which is lacking

Cannot be counted.

16I spoke to myself deep down and said, ‘Here I am; I have become great, and I have increased in wisdom more than everyone who was before me in Jerusalem, and my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge.’ 17And I devoted my heart to knowing wisdom, and to knowledge of folly and foolishness, and I came to know that this too is idle pursuit.

18For in much wisdom there is much annoyance,

And he who increases knowledge

Increases sorrow.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 2 

1I said in my heart, ‘Go now; I will test you with joy. And discern what is good.’ But behold, this is also vanity. 2To laughter I said, ‘It is foolish’, and to joy, ‘What is it doing?’ 3I purposed in my heart to invigorate my body with wine, yet familiarizing my heart with wisdom, and to lay hold of foolishness until I had seen what was good for the sons of Adam, for them to do under heaven for the number of the days of their life. 4I was great in my works – I built myself houses; I planted myself vineyards. 5I made gardens for myself, and parks, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6I made pools of water for myself, with which to irrigate the orchard where the trees were growing. 7I acquired menservants and maidservants, and I had servants born in the household; I also had much livestock – oxen and sheep – more than anything there had been in Jerusalem before me. 8I also collected for myself silver and gold and what is particular to kings and states. I acquired for myself men singers and women singers and the delights of the sons of Adam, and mistresses one after another. 9And I became great and surpassed everyone who was before me in Jerusalem, and my wisdom stood me in good stead.

10And I did not deny my eyes anything they asked for;

I did not refuse my heart any pleasure,

For my heart obtained joy from all my toil,

And this was my portion of all my toil.

11And I turned to all my works

Which my hands had made,

And to the toil which I had toiled at by working,

And behold, it was all vanity and idle pursuit,

And there was no benefit under the sun.

12And I turned to look into wisdom,

And folly and foolishness,

For what will the man who comes after the king do?

Something that they have already done.

13And I saw that wisdom has more benefit than foolishness,

As light has more benefit than darkness.

14The wise man has his eyes in his head,

But the fool walks in darkness.

And I myself know that one event

Takes place with all of them.

15And I said in my heart,

‘As is the event with the fool,

So it will happen to me too.

So why then should I become wiser still?’

And I concluded

That this too was vanity.

16For there is no age-abiding remembrance of the wise

Any more than of the fool,

In that the days are already coming

When everything will be forgotten.

And how will the wise man die?

With the fool.

17And I hated life. For the matter which was done under the sun was baneful to me, because everything is vanity and idle pursuit. 18And I hated all my toil which I had toiled at under the sun, which I will leave to the man who comes after me. 19And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool when he rules over all my toil which I have toiled at, and which I was wise in under the sun? This too is vanity. 20Then I had reason to let my heart despair of all the toil which I had toiled at under the sun. 21For there is one man whose toil is in wisdom and knowledge and skill, but to another who has not toiled in this way he will legate a share. This too is vanity and a great evil. 22For what accrues to a man in all his toil and in his pursuit of his heart's desire at which he toils under the sun? 23For all his days are sorrows, and his affairs are an irritation. Moreover his heart does not rest at night. This too is vanity. 24There is nothing good in the fact that a man eats and drinks and provides himself with good things in his toil. I have seen this too – that it is from the hand of God. 25For who eats and who experiences pleasure more than me? 26For he gives a man who is good in his sight wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he gives a task of gathering and collecting things, to give to a good man before God. This too is vanity and idle pursuit.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 

1There is a time for everything,

And a season for every concern under heaven.

2A time to bear children,

And a time to die;

A time to plant,

And a time to uproot that which has been planted;

3A time to kill,

And a time to heal;

A time to demolish,

And a time to build;

4A time to weep,

And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

And a time to dance;

5A time to throw stones,

And a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace,

And a time to be far from embracing;

6A time to demand,

And a time to forego;

A time to keep,

And a time to throw away;

7A time to tear,

And a time to sew;

A time to be silent,

And a time to speak;

8A time to love,

And a time to hate;

A time for war,

And a time for peace.

9What is the benefit to the maker of what he toils at? 10I have seen the task which God has given to the sons of Adam to be exercised by. 11He has made everything beautiful in its season; he has also put the world into their heart, because of man's failure to find the work which God has done from the beginning to the end. 12I know that there is no good in them, except to rejoice and to do good in one's life, 13and also for every man to eat and drink and to see the good in all his toil – it is the gift of God. 14I know that everything that God does will be age-abiding. There is nothing to add to it, and there is nothing to take away from it, and God made it so that men should fear in his presence.

15That which has been is still here,

And that which is to be has already been.

And God demands an account

Of what has been pursued.

16And I saw more under the sun,

In the place of justice,

There there was wickedness,

And in the place of righteousness,

There there was wickedness.

17I said in my heart,

‘God will judge the righteous and the wicked.

For there is a time for every concern,

And then for every work.’

18I said in my heart, ‘It is because of the behaviour of the sons of Adam, that God will examine them and see whether they are beasts towards each other.’ 19Because the sons of Adam are subject to an event, and cattle are subject to an event, and they share one event. As is the death of one, so is the death of the other, and all have one breath, and there is no superiority of man over the cattle, for everything is vanity. 20All go to one place, all came from the dust and all return to the dust. 21Who knows the spirit of the sons of Adam, which goes up, and the spirit of cattle which goes down to the earth? 22And I saw that there is nothing better than that man should rejoice in his works, for that is his apportionment. For who can bring him to look at what will take place after him?

Ecclesiastes Chapter 4 

1So I returned, and I saw all the oppressions which are perpetrated under the sun.

And what I saw was the tear of the oppressed,

Who have no comforter,

While from the hand of those who oppress them comes force.

And they have no comforter.

2Then I praised the dead,

Who have already died,

More than the living,

Who are still alive.

3Yet better than both is he

Who has not yet come into being,

Who has not seen the wicked work

Which has been done under the sun.

4And I saw all the toil and all the skill applied to the work, for it is a man's rivalry with his neighbour. This too is vanity and idle pursuit.

5The fool folds his arms

And eats his own flesh.

6A handful in quiet is better

Than two fistfuls in toil and idle pursuit.

7Then I returned and saw vanity under the sun.

8There is a certain man,

And there is no-one in his company,

Neither does he have son or brother,

And there is no end to all his toil,

Nor is his eye satisfied with riches.

And he says, ‘For whom do I toil,

And deprive myself of goodness?’

This too is vanity,

And it is a bad state of affairs.

9Two are better than one,

In that they have good wages for their toil.

10For if they fall,

One will get his colleague up.

But alas for one on his own who falls

When there is no other to get him up.

11Also if two lie down together

Then they have warmth.

But how will one on his own

Become warm?

12If anyone would overpower the one,

Two will stand against him.

And a triple thread

Is not quickly broken.

13It is better to be a poor but wise child

Than an old and foolish king

Who no longer knows how to receive admonition.

14For he comes out of prison to reign,

But also in his kingdom

A poor man is born.

15I have seen all who are alive,

Walking under the sun,

With the heir apparent

Who will succeed him.

16There is no end to all the people

– To all who were before them –

Neither will the latter ones rejoice in him,

For this too is vanity and idle pursuit.

17Mind your feet when you go into the house of God, and be near so as to hear, rather than to let fools give a sacrifice, for they do not know anything other than doing wrong.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 5 

1Do not be rash with your mouth,

And do not let your heart be hasty in uttering a word in God's presence,

For God is in heaven,

But you are on the earth,

So let your words be few.

2For a dream comes with much to occupy one,

But the voice of the fool

Comes with many words.

3When you make a vow to God,

Do not be late in fulfilling it,

For there is no pleasure in fools.

What you have vowed, fulfil!

4It is better for you not to make a vow

Than to vow but not fulfil.

5Do not let your mouth cause you to commit carnal sin, and do not say in the presence of an angel that it was a sin through ignorance. Why should God become angry at your utterance and destroy the work of your hands? 6For in many dreams there are many vain things, as in many words. But fear God. 7If you see oppression of the impoverished, and wresting of justice and righteousness in a state, do not be surprised at the matter, for there is high rank watching over high rank, and higher ranks above them. 8And the benefit of the earth is for all. The king is served by the field.

9He who loves money

Will never be satisfied with money,

Nor will he who loves wealth be satisfied with profit.

This too is vanity.

10With an increase in good things

Comes an increase in those that eat them,

So what is the advantage to their owner

Except a sight for his eyes?

11The workman's sleep is sweet

Whether he eats little or much,

But the abundance of the rich man

Does not permit him to sleep.

12There is a grievous injustice

That I have seen under the sun:

Riches kept by their owner

To his detriment.

13Then those riches are lost

In a calamitous affair,

And he begets a son

But has nothing in his hand.

14As when he came out of his mother's womb

– Naked – so he will return,

Going as he came,

And he will not take any of his toil with him

Which he might take in his hand.

15And this too is a grievous injustice:

In exactly the same way that he comes, so he goes.

So what benefit does he have

By toiling for the wind?

16Moreover all his days he eats in darkness

And is much grieved

And is sick and angry.

17Behold what I have seen. It is right that it is pleasant to eat and drink and to see goodness in all one's toil which one toils at under the sun for the number of days of one's life which God gives him, for that is his apportionment. 18Also as regards every man to whom God has given riches and property and has allowed him to eat from them, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his toil – this is a gift of God. 19For one will not remember the days of his life much, for it is God who causes a response in the joy of his heart.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 6 

1There is an injustice which I have seen under the sun, and it is severe among mankind, 2about a man to whom God has given riches and property and honour, and whose heart does not lack anything he could wish for, but God does not allow him to eat from it, but a foreigner eats it. This is vanity and a grievous injustice. 3If a man begets a hundred children and lives for many years, and many are the days of his years, but his heart is not satisfied with the goodness, and also if he does not have a burial, I say that a miscarriage would have been better than that. 4For he arrives in vanity and departs in darkness, and in darkness his name is covered. 5And he did not see the sun or know about it. This one has more rest than the former. 6And even if he were to live a thousand years twice over but did not see goodness, is it not still the case that all go to the same place?

7All man's toil is for his mouth,

But his heart is nevertheless not fulfilled.

8For what does a wise man have

More than a fool?

And what advantage does a poor man have,

Knowing how to walk before the living?

9A sight seen by the eyes is better

Than a wandering mind.

This too is vanity and idle pursuit.

10What has taken place

Has already been called by its name.

And it is known that it is Adam,

And that he cannot contend

With him who is more powerful than he.

11For there are many things that increase vanity,

But what is the advantage to man?

12For who knows what is good for man in life in the number of the days of his vain life which he spends like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will take place after him under the sun?

Ecclesiastes Chapter 7 

1A reputation is better than fine oil,

And the day of death than the day of one's birth.

2It is better to go to the house of mourning

Than to go to a house of banqueting,

For that is the end of every man.

And may he who is alive lay it to his heart.

3Grief is better than laughter,

For in a sad expression the heart is benefited.

4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,

Whereas the heart of fools

Is in the house of rejoicing.

5It is better to hear the rebuke of a wise man

Than for a man to hear the song of fools.

6For as is the sound of the thorns under the pot,

So is the laughter of the fool.

And this too is vanity.

7For unjust gain shames the wise,

And a bribe makes the heart stray.

8The end of a matter is better than its beginning,

And longsuffering is better than arrogance.

9Do not be quick in your spirit to become angry,

For anger lodges in the bosom of fools.

10Do not say, ‘What has taken place?

Because the first days were better than these’,

For you would not be asking wisely about this.

11Wisdom with an inheritance is good,

And is advantageous to those who see the sun.

12For one may be under the protection of wisdom,

Or under the protection of money,

But the advantage of knowledge

Is that wisdom gives life to its owners.

13Look at the work of God,

For who can straighten

That which he has made bent?

14On a day of prosperity enjoy the success,

But on a day of adversity, observe:

God has made both one thing and another

In order that man should not find out

About anything coming after him.

15I have seen everything in my vain days.

There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness,

And there is a wicked man

Who lives a long time in his wickedness.

16Do not be over-righteous,

And do not make yourself too wise.

Why should you destroy yourself?

17Do not do much wrong,

And do not be foolish.

Why should you die

When it is not your time?

18It is good if you hold on to this,

And do not let your hands drop this either,

For he who fears God

Will leave with everyone else.

19Wisdom will strengthen the wise man

More than ten rulers

Who are in the city.

20For there is not a just man on the earth

Who does good and does not sin.

21Moreover do not concern yourself

With all the words spoken,

So that you do not hear

Your servant cursing you.

22For also your heart knows

That you have also cursed others

Many times.

23I have tested all this with wisdom.

I said, ‘I will be wise’,

But it was far from me.

24Who can find what is distant

And very deep?

25Then I applied my heart

To know and to investigate and to seek wisdom,

And an explanation of things,

And to know the wickedness of foolhardiness,

And foolishness and folly.

26And I found more bitter than death

The woman who is out to catch,

And whose heart is set on enticements,

Whose hands are bonds.

It is good in God's sight that one should escape from her,

But the sinner will be caught by her.

27‘See what I have found’,

Says the convener,

Putting one thing and another together

To find the result.’

28So my mind is still seeking

And I have not found it.

I have found one man in a thousand,

But I have not found such a woman among all these.

29Just look at this that I have found,

That God made man upright,

Yet they seek all sorts of schemes.

Reference(s) in Chapter 7: v.20 ↔ Romans 3:10.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 8 

1Who is like the wise man?

And who knows the interpretation of a matter?

A man's wisdom enlightens his face,

And the harshness of his face is changed.”

2I say, “Keep the king's commandment, and do so on account of God's oath. 3Do not hasten away from his presence, but walk. Do not defend an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases.

4Where the word of the king is,

There is authority.

And who will say to him,

‘What are you doing?’

5He who keeps the commandment

Will not experience any harmful thing,

And a wise heart will know

Both time and custom,

6Because for every matter there is a time and a custom,

For the wickedness of man

Is heavily against him.

7For he does not know what will come to pass,

For who can tell him when it will come to pass?

8There is no man with power over the wind

To restrain the wind,

And no-one has power over the day of death.

And there is no leave of absence in war,

Nor will wickedness save those who practise it.

9I have seen all this, and I have applied my heart to every kind of occupation which is practised under the sun. It is a time when one man rules over another man to his detriment. 10And so I looked at the wicked who were buried, who had come to, and who had departed from, the holy place, and who were forgotten in the city where they had done this. This too is vanity. 11Where sentence is not executed, the work of the wicked is prompt, which is why the heart of the sons of men is full of boldness in them to do evil. 12Even if a sinner does wrong a hundred times, and lives long, yet I also know that it will go well with those who fear God, who fear in his presence. 13But it will not go well with the wicked man, and he will not live long, being as a shadow, because he does not fear in God's presence. 14There is a vanity which is committed on the earth, whereby there are righteous men upon whom the consequences of the work of the wicked comes, and there are wicked men upon whom the consequences of the work of the righteous comes. I say that this also is vanity. 15And I praised joy, because man has nothing good under the sun other than to eat and drink and be merry, and that will accompany him in his toil for the days of his life which God has given him under the sun. 16When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to look into the matter which is being done on the earth – for it neither by day nor by night sees sleep in its eyes – 17I saw the whole of God's work. For man cannot discover the work which is done under the sun, because man toils to seek it out, but he does not discover it, and even if a wise man says he knows it, he cannot discover it.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 9 

1For I applied my heart to all this, to examine all this – the fact that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. Mankind does not know whether either love or hatred will come – everything lies in front of them. 2Everything happens similarly to everyone. There is one result for the righteous and for the wicked, for the good and for the clean and for the unclean, and for him who sacrifices and for him who does not sacrifice.

As for the good,

So for the sinner,

As for him who swears an oath,

So for him who fears an oath.

3This is an evil thing among everything that has been done under the sun, for there is one result for all, and also the heart of the sons of Adam is full of evil. And folly is in their heart during their life, and afterwards they proceed to the dead. 4For whoever is joined to all the living has confidence. For

A living dog is better than a dead lion.

5Yet the living know that they will die,

But the dead don't know anything,

Nor do they have a reward any more,

For memory of them is forgotten.

6Also their love and their hatred

And their jealousy have already passed away.

And they age-abidingly no longer have a portion

In anything that has been done under the sun.

7Go and eat your bread with joy,

And drink your wine with a merry heart,

For God has already accepted your works.

8Let your clothes be white at all times,

And let not oil be lacking on your head.

9Spend life with the woman you love all the days of your vain life which he has given you under the sun – all the days of your vanity – for that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. 10Do with your strength whatever your hand finds to do, for there is no occupation or explanation or knowledge or wisdom in the underworld to which you are going. 11I again saw under the sun that

The race is not for the swift,

And war is not for the valiant,

Nor is bread for the wise,

Nor is wealth for the prudent,

Nor is grace for those who have knowledge,

For an occasion and an incident befall them all.

12For man does not know his time either;

He is like a fish caught in a nasty net,

Or like birds caught in a snare.

The sons of Adam are ensnared like them,

In an evil hour,

When it suddenly falls on them.

13I have also seen this wisdom under the sun, and it seems to me to be great: 14there was a small town, with few people in it, and a great king came against it and surrounded it, and he built great siegeworks against it. 15But in it was found a poor man, but wise, and he delivered the city by his wisdom. Yet no man remembered that poor man.” 16And I said,

“Wisdom is better than valour,

But the wisdom of the poor man is despised,

And his words are not heard.

17The words of the wise are heard in quiet

More than the shout of a ruler among fools.

18Wisdom is better than equipment for battle,

But one sinner can ruin much good.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 10 

1As deadly flies make the pharmacist's oil stink and go putrid,

So does a little foolishness with him who is esteemed with wisdom and with honour.

2The heart of a wise man

Is on his right,

But the heart of a fool

Is on his left.

3And also when a fool is walking along a road,

His heart fails him,

And he says to everyone

That he is a fool.

4If the spirit of the ruler rises against you,

Do not leave your place,

For calmness bears with great sins.

5There is an evil thing which I have seen under the sun:

A sin through ignorance,

Which proceeds from the ruler.

6Foolishness is instituted in many high places,

But the rich will sit in a low place.

7I have seen servants on horses,

And princes walking like servants on the ground.

8He who digs a pit will fall into it,

And as for him who demolishes a wall,

A serpent will bite him.

9He who quarries stones

Will be hurt by them,

And he who chops wood

Will be endangered by it.

10If the iron implement is blunt,

And he does not sharpen its edge,

Then he must use more force.

But wisdom has the benefit of bringing success.

11If a serpent bites,

It is because it has not been charmed,

So the talkative man has nothing illustrious.

12The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious,

But the lips of a fool will swallow him up.

13The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness,

And the end of his speech is calamitous folly.

14And the fool is very talkative.

But man does not know what will come to pass,

And who can tell him

What will come to pass after him?

15The fool's toil will weary him

Because he does not know how to go to the city.

16Woe to you, O land,

Where your king is a boy,

And your princes dine in the morning.

17Blessed are you, O land,

Where your king is a nobleman,

And your princes eat in season,

In valour and not in drinking.

18Through slackness the rafter-work decays,

And through idleness in maintenance the house leaks.

19A meal is made for entertainment,

And wine makes life merry,

But money answers everything.

20And do not curse the king in your mind,

And do not curse the rich in your bedrooms,

For a bird of the sky will carry your voice,

And the winged one will divulge the matter.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 11 

1Cast seed for your bread alongside water,

For then after many days

You will find it.

2Give a part to seven,

And also to eight,

For you do not know

What will become a calamity on the earth.

3If the thick clouds are full of rain,

They will empty it on the land,

And whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,

In the place where the tree falls,

There it remains.

4He who takes note of the wind will not sow,

And he who observes the clouds will not reap.

5Just as you do not know the route of the wind,

Nor the way of the bones in the womb of her that is pregnant,

So you do not know the work of God,

Who makes everything.

6Sow your seed in the morning,

And do not rest your hand in the evening,

Because you do not know what will give success

– This or that –

Or whether both alike will be good.

7Light is sweet,

And it is also good for the eyes to see the sunlight.

8For if a man lives for many years,

May he rejoice in them all,

But may he remember the days of darkness,

For they will be many.

Everything that comes is vanity.

9Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,

And let your heart make you cheerful in your youthful days,

And walk in the ways of your heart

And the sight of your eyes,

But know that concerning all these things

God will bring you into judgment.

10Put away anger from your heart,

And remove evil from your flesh,

For childhood and tender age are vanity.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 12 

1And remember your creator in the days of your youth,

While the bad days have not yet come,

Nor have the years arrived of which you will say,

‘I have no pleasure in them’,

2While the sun has not gone dark,

Nor the light, nor the moon and the stars,

Nor have the thick clouds returned after the rain,

3On the day when the guardians of the house shake,

And the strong men have become bowed,

And the grinders have become unserviceable,

Because they are few,

And the lookers out of the windows have become dark,

4And the doors have closed in the street,

When the sound of the mill is low,

And one rises at the sound of a bird,

And all the daughters of song are faint,

5When also they are afraid of heights,

With trepidation on the road,

And the almond tree sheds its blossom,

And the grasshopper is a burden,

And the caperberry fails,

For man goes to his age-abiding house,

And mourners circulate in the street.

6For a while the silver cord is not constrained,

And the golden bowl is not crushed,

And the pitcher is not fractured at the fountain,

And the wheel is not broken at the cistern,

7Then dust returns onto the earth,

As it was,

And the spirit returns to God

Who gave it.”

8“Vanity of vanities,”

Says the convener,

“Everything is vanity.”

9And the more that the convener was wise, the more he taught the people knowledge, and he weighed it up, and he sought it out, and he composed many proverbs. 10The convener set out to find pleasing words, and honest writing – words of truth. 11The words of the wise are like goads and like nails driven in. They are masters of gatherings, given by one shepherd. 12And, my son, be warned of anything more than these. There is no end of making many books, and much study is weariness to the flesh. 13We will hear the whole conclusion of the matter:

Fear God and keep his commandments,

For this is the whole duty of man.

14For God will bring every deed into judgment,

With every hidden thing,

Whether good or bad.

Esther  

Esther Chapter 1 

1And it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus – that is Ahasuerus who was reigning from India to Ethiopia, over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces – 2in those days, when King Ahasuerus was sitting on the throne of his kingdom, which was in the citadel of Shushan, 3in the third year of his reign, that he held a banquet for all his officials and his servants – from the forces in Persia and Media, the nobles and the officials of the provinces – in his presence, 4when he exhibited the riches of his glorious kingdom, and the extravagance of his majestic magnificence, for many days – for one hundred and eighty days. 5And at the conclusion of those days, the king held a feast for all the people present in the citadel of Shushan, for both great and small, for seven days, in the court of the garden of the king's palace, 6where there was linen and fine cotton and blue material, fastened with byssus cords, and purple material on silver rings, and columns of white marble, and beds of gold and silver on a pavement of porphyry and marble, with pearl and black marble, 7and where they served drink in vessels of gold, the vessels differing from one another, with royal wine in abundance according to the means of the king. 8And drinking was according to the law: no-one compelled anyone, for so the king had decreed to every dignitary of his house, so that everyone should do as he pleased. 9Vashti the queen also held a banquet for the women in King Ahasuerus's royal house. 10On the seventh day, when the king's heart was merry with wine, he told Mehuman, Bizzetha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carcas – seven eunuchs serving in the presence of King Ahasuerus – 11to bring Vashti the queen before the king, with the royal diadem, to show the various peoples and the officers her beauty, for she was fair in appearance. 12But Vashti the queen refused to come at the king's bidding, which was conveyed by his eunuchs, and the king became very angry and his fury burned in him. 13And the king said to the wise men, who knew the times, for so was the word of the king before all those that knew the law and judicial system, 14with those near him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan, seven officials of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face, and who were pre-eminent in the kingdom, 15“According to law, what should be done with Vashti the queen, for not doing the bidding of King Ahasuerus conveyed by his eunuchs?” 16And Memucan said in the presence of the king and the officials, “Vashti the queen has not done wrong to the king alone, but to all the officials and all the various peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17For the matter of the queen will go out to all the women, inducing them to despise their husbands in their eyes, when it is said, ‘King Ahasuerus gave orders to bring Vashti the queen before him, but she did not come.’ 18And on this day, the official consorts of Persia and Media who hear the matter of the queen will say likewise to all the king's officials, and there will be plenty of contempt and anger. 19If the king approves, let a royal decree go out from him, and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media, which shall not lapse, that Vashti should not come before King Ahasuerus, and that the king shall give her royal estate to another better than she. 20And the king's decree which he will make will be heard in all the kingdom, for it is great, that all wives should give honour to their husbands, to both great and small.” 21And the wording pleased the king and the officials, and the king acted according to the word of Memucan. 22And he sent letters to all the king's provinces, to each individual province according to its script, and to each individual people according to their language, that every man should rule in his house, so declaring it in each language of his people.

Esther Chapter 2 

1After these things, when King Ahasuerus's anger had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done, and what had been decreed against her. 2Then the king's servants who ministered to him said, “Let virgin girls of fair appearance be sought for the king. 3And let the king appoint overseers in all the provinces of his kingdom, and let them gather every virgin girl of fair appearance, to the citadel of Shushan, to the women's quarters, under the care of Hegai the king's eunuch who is keeper of the women. And let them be given their toiletries for purification. 4And let the girl who pleases the king reign instead of Vashti.” And the matter pleased the king, and he did so. 5There was a certain Jew in the citadel of Shushan, and his name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjaminite, 6who had been deported from Jerusalem with the deportees who were deported with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had deported. 7And he brought up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had no father or mother. And the girl was beautiful in figure and fair in appearance, and when her father and mother died, Mordecai took charge of her as a daughter. 8And it came to pass, when the matter of the king and his decree were heard, and when many girls were gathered in the citadel of Shushan, in the care of Hegai, that Esther was taken to the king's house under the care of Hegai, the keeper of the women. 9And the girl pleased the king, and she won his favour, and he hastened to give her toiletries for her purification, and her personal goods, and to give her seven distinguished servant-girls from the king's house. And he transferred her and her servant-girls to the best place in the women's quarters. 10Esther did not declare her nationality or her race, for Mordecai had charged her not to declare them. 11And every day Mordecai walked around in front of the court of the women's quarters, in order to know how Esther was and what was happening to her. 12And when the turn came for each girl to go to King Ahasuerus at the end of her twelve months, as was the custom of women, for so were the days of their purification fulfilled – six months with oil of myrrh and six months with fragrances and toiletries for purification of women – 13the girl would then go to the king. Everything she said would be given to her to go with her from the women's quarters to the king's house. 14In the evening she would go, and in the morning she would return to the second women's quarters, in the care of Shaashgaz the king's eunuch who kept the concubines. She would not go again to the king unless the king was pleased with her, and she was called by name. 15And when the turn came for Esther, the daughter of Abihail, Mordecai's uncle, whom he had taken as a daughter, to go to the king, she did not request anything except what Hegai the king's eunuch, the keeper of the women, had said. And Esther obtained favour in the eyes of all who beheld her. 16And Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, to his royal house, in the tenth month – that is the month of Tevet – in the seventh year of his reign. 17And the king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained more grace and favour in his presence than all the other virgins, and he placed the crown of the kingdom on her head, and he made her queen instead of Vashti. 18And the king held a great banquet for all his officials and servants, the banquet of Esther, and he made a holiday for the provinces, and he gave a gift according to the means of the king. 19And while the virgins were being collected the second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate. 20Esther did not declare her race or her nationality, as Mordecai had charged her, and Esther carried out Mordecai's instruction, as when she was being brought up by him. 21In those days while Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs who guarded the threshold, became angry, and they tried to lay their hands on King Ahasuerus. 22And the matter became known to Mordecai, and he told Esther the queen, and Esther told the king in Mordecai's name. 23And the matter was investigated, and it was exposed, and the two of them were hanged on gallows, and it was written in the chronicles in the king's presence.

Esther Chapter 3 

1After these things, King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and he elevated him, and he made his seat above all the officials who were with him. 2And all the king's servants who were at the king's gate, would bow and prostrate themselves to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him, but Mordecai did not bow or prostrate himself. 3And the king's servants who were at the king's gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the king's command?” 4And it happened that when they instructed him each day, he didn't take notice of them, and they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's behaviour would stand, for he had told them that he was a Jew. 5And when Haman saw that Mordecai was not bowing and prostrating himself to him, Haman was filled with fury. 6But he considered it contemptible to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him Mordecai's nationality, and Haman looked for a way to destroy all the Jews who were in the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus – Mordecai's people. 7In the first month, that is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur – that is a lot – in the presence of Haman day by day and month by month, up to the twelfth month – that is the month of Adar. 8And Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is one people, scattered and separated among the various peoples in every province of your kingdom, and their laws are different from the laws of every other people, and they do not comply with the king's laws, and it is not fitting for the king to suffer them. 9If the king sees fit, let it be written to destroy them, and I will weigh ten thousand talents of silver to be paid to those who do the job, to be brought to the king's treasuries.” 10And the king removed his ring from his hand and gave it to Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11And the king said to Haman, “The money is given to you, and it is for you to do to the people what is right in your sight.” 12And the king's scribes were called in the first month, on the thirteenth day of it, and it was written according to everything that Haman commanded the king's satraps and the governors who were in charge of every province, and the officials of every people – every province according to their script, and every people according to their language. In the name of King Ahasuerus it was written, and it was sealed with the king's ring. 13And the letters were sent by runners to all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill and to cause to perish all the Jews, from the child to the old man, little children and women, in one day, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month – that is the month of Adar – and to plunder their spoil. 14A transcript of the writing was to be issued as a decree in every single province, published to all the various peoples, for them to be ready on this day. 15The runners went out with haste at the king's word, and the decree was issued in the citadel of Shushan, and the king and Haman sat down to drink, while the city of Shushan was in confusion.

Esther Chapter 4 

1Now Mordecai knew everything that had been done, and Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and he went out to the middle of the city, and he cried out with a great and bitter cry. 2And he went in front of the king's gate, for it was not permitted to go in to the king's gate in sackcloth clothing. 3And in every single province, wherever the word of the king and his decree arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews, and there was fasting and weeping and bewailing. Sackcloth was worn and ashes were strewn by many. 4And when Esther's servant-girls and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was very grieved, and she sent clothing to clothe Mordecai and to have him remove his sackcloth, but he did not accept it. 5And Esther called for Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs whom he had appointed to be in her presence, and she commanded him concerning Mordecai, to find out what this was and why this was. 6And Hathach went out to Mordecai, to the street of the city which was in front of the king's gate. 7And Mordecai told him everything that had befallen him, and the specification of the sum of money which Haman had said that he would weigh to go into the king's treasuries in an act against the Jews, to destroy them. 8And he gave him a transcript of the text of the decree which was issued in Shushan, to destroy them, to show Esther and to tell her, and to command her to go to the king and to supplicate him and to plead before him concerning her people. 9And Hathach went back and told Esther Mordecai's words. 10And Esther spoke to Hathach, and she commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, 11“All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that for every man or woman who goes to the king, to the inner court, who has not been called, that there is one law about this, to kill the person unless the king extends the golden sceptre to him, so that he should live. I have not been called to go to the king for thirty days now.” 12And they told Mordecai Esther's words. 13And Mordecai said to report back to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that you will escape in the king's house any more than all Jews will. 14For if you are completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will be set up for the Jews from another place, but you and the house of your father will perish. And who knows whether it was for a time like this that you came into the kingdom?” 15And Esther said to report to Mordecai as follows: 16“Go and assemble all the Jews who are present in Shushan and fast for me, and do not eat or drink for three days, night and day. I too and my servant-girls will fast likewise, and then I will go to the king in the way not according to the law, and if I perish, I perish.” 17And Mordecai moved on and acted according to everything that Esther had commanded him.

Esther Chapter 5 

1And it came to pass on the third day that Esther put on her royal dress and stood in the inner court of the king's house, opposite the king's house, while the king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal house opposite the door of the house. 2And it came to pass when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court that she obtained favour in his sight, and the king extended to Esther the golden sceptre which was in his hand. And Esther approached, and she touched the top of the sceptre. 3And the king said to her, “What is the matter, Queen Esther? And what is your request? Ask for up to half of the kingdom, and it shall be given to you.” 4And Esther said, “If it has the king's approval, let the king and Haman come to the banquet today which I have prepared for him.” 5And the king said, “Tell Haman to make haste to do what Esther said.” And the king and Haman came to the banquet which Esther had prepared. 6And the king said to Esther at the banquet of wine, “What is your petition? Ask, and it will be given to you. And what is your request? Ask for up to half of the kingdom, and it will be done.” 7And Esther answered and said, “My petition and request is: 8if I have found favour with the king, and if the king approves, to accede to my petition and to carry out my request, let the king and Haman come to my banquet which I will hold for them, and tomorrow I will do according to the king's word.” 9And Haman went out on that day rejoicing, and glad in his heart, but when Haman saw Mordecai at the king's gate, and that he did not rise or move on account of him, Haman was filled with fury about Mordecai. 10But Haman restrained himself and went to his house, and he sent for and invited his friends and Zeresh his wife. 11And Haman told them about the glory of his riches and the multitude of his sons, and everything with which the king had made him great, and that he had elevated him above officials and the king's servants. 12And Haman said, “Also, Esther the queen did not invite anyone with the king to the banquet which she held but me, and also tomorrow I have been invited to her with the king. 13Yet all this does not satisfy me, all the time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.” 14And Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, “Let them make gallows, fifty cubits high, and in the morning, tell the king and let them hang Mordecai on it, and go with the king to the banquet a happy man.” And the matter had Haman's approval, and he made the gallows.

Esther Chapter 6 

1On that night, the king's sleep deserted him, and he commanded to bring the book of the records – the chronicles – and they were read before the king. 2And it was found written that Mordecai told about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, of those guarding the threshold, who tried to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 3And the king said, “What has been done by way of honour and greatness for Mordecai concerning this?” And the king's servants who ministered to him, said, “Nothing has been done for him.” 4And the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had come to the outer court of the king's house, to say to the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows which he had prepared for him. 5And the king's servants said to him, “Look, Haman is standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” 6So Haman came in, and the king said to him, “What should be done for the man whom the king is pleased to honour?” And Haman said in his heart, “On whom is the king pleased to bestow honour more than on me?” 7And Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king is pleased to honour, 8let royal clothing be brought which the king wears, and a horse upon which the king rides, and the royal crown which is put on his head. 9And put the clothing and the horse in the care of a man, one of the king's most noble officials, and let them clothe the man whom the king is pleased to honour, and have them let him ride on the horse in the main street of the city, and they will call out before him, ‘This is how it is done for the man whom the king is pleased to honour.’ ” 10Then the king said to Haman, “Hasten and get the clothing and the horse, according to what you said, and let it be done to Mordecai the Jew who sits at the king's gate. Let no aspect of anything you have said fail.” 11So Haman took the clothing and the horse, and he clothed Mordecai, and let him ride through the main street of the city, and he called out before him, “This is how it is done for the man whom the king is pleased to honour.” 12And Mordecai returned to the king's gate, but Haman hastened to his house mourning and with his face covered. 13And Haman told Zeresh his wife, and all his friends, everything that had befallen him. And his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish seed, you will not prevail against him, but you will certainly fall before him.” 14Then while they were still speaking with him, the king's eunuchs arrived and hastened to bring Haman to the banquet which Esther was holding.

Esther Chapter 7 

1And the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen. 2And the king said to Esther, on the second day at the wine banquet as well, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? Ask, and it will be given to you, and what is your request? Ask for up to half of the kingdom, and it will be done.” 3And Esther the queen answered and said, “If I have found favour in your sight, O king, and if the king approves, let my life be given to me at my petition, and that of my people at my request. 4For we have been sold – I and my people – to be destroyed, to be killed and to be eliminated. But if we had been sold as slaves and servant-girls, I would have remained silent, for the distress would not be suitable grounds for disturbing the king.” 5And King Ahasuerus spoke and said to Esther the queen, “Who is this, and where is he, whose heart has emboldened him to act this way?” 6And Esther said, “An adversarial and hostile man – this wicked Haman.” And Haman was terrified in the presence of the king and the queen. 7And the king rose in his fury from the wine banquet, and he went to the palace garden, while Haman stood to plead for his life with Esther the queen, for he saw that evil was determined against him by the king. 8And the king returned from the palace garden to the house of the wine banquet, and Haman fell onto the couch on which Esther was, and the king said, “Are you also going to assault the queen at home with me?” And the word went out from the king's mouth, and they covered Haman's face. 9And Harbonah, one of the eunuchs in the presence of the king, said, “Look at the gallows as well, which Haman made for Mordecai who had given good information concerning the king, standing at Haman's house, fifty cubits high.” And the king said, “Hang him on it.” 10And they hanged Haman on the gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai, and the king's fury abated.

Esther Chapter 8 

1On that day, King Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, to Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told him what relation he was to her. 2And the king removed his ring which he had taken away from Haman, and he gave it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed Mordecai over Haman's house. 3And Esther spoke again before the king, and she fell at his feet, and she wept and implored him to revoke the evil of Haman the Agagite, and his plan which he had plotted against the Jews. 4And the king extended his golden sceptre to Esther, and Esther arose and stood before the king. 5And she said, “If the king approves, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the matter is fitting to the king, and if I am agreeable in his sight, let it be written to rescind the letters of the plot of Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote, to destroy the Jews who are in all the king's provinces. 6For how could I endure and see the evil which would come upon my people, and how could I endure and see the elimination of my kin?” 7And King Ahasuerus said to Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, “Look, I have given the house of Haman to Esther, and they have hanged him on the gallows, because he laid his hands on the Jews. 8Write to the Jews as seems right in your sight, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king's ring, for any writing which is written in the name of the king and is sealed with the king's seal cannot be rescinded.” 9And the king's scribes were called at that time, in the third month – that is the month of Sivan – on the twenty-third day in it, and it was written according to everything that Mordecai commanded the Jews and the satraps and the governors and the officials of the provinces which are from India to Ethiopia – one hundred and twenty-seven provinces – to each individual province according to its script, and to each individual people according to their language, and to the Jews according to their script and according to their language. 10And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, and he sealed it with the king's seal, and he sent the letters by the agency of couriers on horses – or rather riders of royal mule stallions, being the offspring of royal mares – 11that the king allowed the Jews who were in each individual city to be gathered and to take a stand for their lives, and to destroy and to kill and to eliminate every army of a people or province hostile to them, children and women, and to plunder their spoil, 12on one day, in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, that is the month of Adar. 13A transcript of the writing was to be issued as a decree in every individual province, published to all the various peoples, and for the Jews to be prepared for that day, to avenge themselves of their enemies. 14The couriers riding on royal mule stallions went out hastening and pressing on at the king's word, and the decree was issued at the citadel of Shushan. 15And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal clothing, in blue material, and white linen, and a large golden crown, and a robe of fine linen, and purple material. And the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. 16The Jews had prosperity and joy and happiness and honour. 17And in every individual province, and in every individual city – every place where the word of the king and his decree arrived – the Jews had joy and happiness. They held a feast and a holiday, and many of the people of the land became Jews, for the fear of the Jews had fallen on them.

Esther Chapter 9 

1And in the twelfth month – that is the month of Adar – on the thirteenth day of it, when the king's word and his decree were reaching the point of being carried out, on the day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to have dominion over them, this was inverted, so that it was the Jews who had dominion over those that hated them. 2The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, to lay their hands on those who sought to harm them, and no man stood before them, for the fear of them fell upon all the various peoples. 3And all the officials of the provinces, and the satraps and the governors, and those who carried out the king's work, assisted the Jews, for fear of Mordecai had fallen on them. 4For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his reputation went to all the provinces, for the man Mordecai became greater and greater. 5And the Jews struck all their enemies with the blow of the sword, and slaughter and destruction. And they did what they pleased to those who hated them. 6And in the citadel of Shushan the Jews killed and eliminated five hundred men, 7and Parshandatha and Dalphon and Aspatha, 8and Poratha and Adalia and Aridatha, 9and Parmashta and Arisai and Aridai and Vajezatha. 10They killed the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha the enemy of the Jews, but they did not lay their hands on the spoil. 11On that day the report of the number of those killed in the citadel of Shushan came before the king. 12And the king said to Esther the queen, “In the citadel of Shushan the Jews have killed and eliminated five hundred men and Haman's ten sons. In the remainder of the provinces of the king, what have they done and what else is your petition, and it will be given to you, and what is your request, and it will be done?” 13And Esther said, “If the king approves, let the Jews who are in Shushan do according to today's decree tomorrow as well, and let them hang Haman's ten sons on the gallows.” 14And the king commanded this to be done, and the decree was issued in Shushan, and they hanged Haman's ten sons. 15And the Jews who were in Shushan assembled also on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they killed in Shushan three hundred men, but they did not lay their hands on the spoil. 16And the remainder of the Jews, who were in the king's provinces, assembled and took a stand for their lives, and for rest from their enemies, and they killed seventy-five thousand of those who hated them, but they did not lay their hands on the spoil. 17This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and there was rest on the fourteenth day of it, and they made it a day of festivity and gladness. 18And the Jews who were in Shushan assembled on the thirteenth day of it, and on the fourteenth day of it. And there was rest on the fifteenth day of it, and they made it a day of festivity and gladness. 19Therefore the Jews in the villages, who dwelt in unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month of Adar a day of gladness and festivity, and a holiday, and of sending each other presents. 20And Mordecai wrote these things, and he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, near and far, 21to establish among them that they should celebrate the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and the fifteenth day of it, each year, 22as the days on which the Jews rested from their enemies, and as the month when it was turned for them from sorrow to gladness, and from mourning to a holiday, to make them days of festivity and gladness, and sending of presents to one another, and gifts to the poor. 23And the Jews undertook that which they had begun to do, and that which Mordecai had written to them. 24For Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, plotted against the Jews to eliminate them, and he cast Pur – that is a lot – to defeat them and to eliminate them, 25but when she came before the king, he commanded with a letter that his evil plot which he plotted against the Jews should rebound on him, and they hanged him and his sons on the gallows. 26Therefore they call these days Purim, according to the name Pur, for this reason, because of all the words of this letter, and because of what they saw of this matter, and because of what had come upon them. 27The Jews established and took it upon themselves and upon their seed and upon all those who joined them, that it would not pass into disuse, to celebrate these two days according to their description and according to their time each year. 28And these days are remembered and celebrated in every generation, in every family, in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim will not pass into disuse among the Jews, and their memory will not come to an end among their seed. 29And Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority to confirm this second letter of Purim. 30And he sent letters to all the Jews – to the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces – of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth, 31to establish these days of Purim at their times, as Mordecai the Jew had established them among them, as had Esther the queen, and as they had established matters of fasts and their outcry for their lives and for their seed. 32And Esther's commandment established these matters of Purim, and it was written in the book.

Esther Chapter 10 

1And King Ahasuerus levied a tax on the land and the islands. 2And every act of his authority and his power, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai whom the king made great, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia? 3For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews, and he was well-received among the multitude of his brothers, seeking good for his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.

Daniel  

Daniel Chapter 1 

1In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2And the Lord* delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah and some of the equipment of the house of God into his hand, and he brought it to the land of Shinar, to the house of his gods, and he brought the equipment to the treasury of his gods. 3And the king commanded Ashpenaz the head of his eunuchs to bring some of the sons of Israel and some of the royal seed, and some seed of the high-ranking officials, 4children in whom was no blemish, and who were good-looking and insightful in all wisdom, and who were knowledgeable and who understood science, and who had the mettle to stand in the king's palace. And he gave commandment to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. 5And the king appointed them daily servings from the king's fare, and some wine as used for his drink, and he gave instructions to educate them for three years, and at the end of that, they would stand before the king. 6And among them were, of the sons of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7And the officer in charge of the eunuchs assigned them names. And he assigned to Daniel, Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, Shadrach; and to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego. 8Now Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's fare or with the wine as used for his drink, and he requested from the officer in charge of the eunuchs that he should not defile himself. 9And God gave Daniel kind and compassionate treatment before the officer in charge of the eunuchs. 10And the officer in charge of the eunuchs said to Daniel. “I am fearful of my lord the king who appointed your food and your drink, because why should he see your faces more pallid than those of the other children of your age, and why should you all cost me my head with the king?” 11Then Daniel said to the head steward whom the head of the eunuchs had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12“Please do a trial with your servants for ten days, and let them give us some vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13Then our appearance and that of the children who eat the king's fare will be seen in your presence, and then deal with your servants according to what you see.” 14And he heeded them in this matter, and he gave them a trial for ten days. 15And at the end of ten days, their appearance was better and more healthy than that of all the children who ate the king's fare. 16Then the head steward took away their fare and wine for their drink and gave them vegetables. 17And God gave these four children intellect and insight in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding of every vision and all dreams. 18And after the days which the king had specified as to when to bring them in, the head of the eunuchs brought them before Nebuchadnezzar. 19And the king spoke with them. And of all of them, no-one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, and they stood before the king. 20And in every matter of wisdom in discernment which the king asked them, he found them ten times superior to all the magi and enchanters who were in all his kingdom. 21And Daniel was there until the first year of Cyrus the king.

Daniel Chapter 2 

1And in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams, and his spirit was disturbed, and his sleep eluded him. 2And the king summoned the magi and the enchanters and the magicians and the Chaldeans to give the king the interpretation of his dreams, and they came and stood before the king. 3And the king said to them, “I have had a dream and my spirit is anxious to know the meaning of the dream.” 4And the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live age-abidingly. Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.” 5The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The matter escapes me. If you do not make the dream and its interpretation known to me, you will be dismembered and your houses will be made a dunghill. 6But if you expound the dream and its interpretation, you will receive gifts and a reward and great honour from me. So expound the dream and its interpretation to me.” 7They answered again and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will expound the interpretation.” 8The king replied and said, “I definitely know that you are buying time, because you see that the matter escapes me, 9so if you do not make the dream known to me, then the judgment against you is conclusive, and you have conspired in speaking false and fabricated words to me, biding your time. Otherwise, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can explain its interpretation.” 10The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There does not exist a man on dry land who can expound the king's matter, and for this reason no great king or ruler has ever asked any magus or enchanter or Chaldean a question like this. 11And the matter which the king is asking is difficult, and there is no-one else who can expound it to the king, except the gods, whose abode is not with flesh.” 12On account of this, the king became enraged and very angry, and he gave an order to execute all the wise men of Babylon. 13And the decree went out, and the wise men started to be killed. And they searched for Daniel and his colleagues for them to be killed. 14Then Daniel responded with caution and discernment to Arioch the king's chief executioner, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. 15He answered and said to Arioch the king's commissioner, “Why is the decree from the king so urgent?” Then Arioch informed Daniel of the matter. 16And Daniel went in and requested from the king that he give him time, so that he could expound the interpretation to the king. 17Then Daniel went to his house and informed Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah his colleagues about the matter, 18and to ask for mercy from the God of heaven about this secret, so that Daniel and his colleagues should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19Then in a vision of the night the secret was revealed to Daniel, whereupon Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 20Daniel responded and said,

“Blessed be the name of God from age to age,

Because wisdom and might are his.

21And he changes seasons and times;

He removes kings, and he establishes kings.

He gives wisdom to the wise

And knowledge to those who have understanding.

22He reveals deep things and hidden things;

He knows what is in darkness,

But with him dwells light.

23You, O God of my fathers,

I celebrate and praise,

For you have given me wisdom and power,

And now you have made known to me

What we requested from you,

For you have made the king's subject matter known to us.”

24On account of this, Daniel went into the presence of Arioch, whom the king had appointed for the execution of the wise men of Babylon. He went and said this to him: “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Bring me into the presence of the king, and I will expound the interpretation to the king.” 25At this Arioch brought Daniel hastily into the presence of the king, and he said this to him: “I have found a man among the deportees of Judah who will make the interpretation known to the king.” 26The king responded and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Is it true that you are able to make known to me the dream which I saw, and its interpretation?” 27Daniel answered in the presence of the king and said, “Are not the wise men and enchanters and magi and diviners able to expound to the king the secret which the king is asking about? 28But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets and who has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days. Your dream and the visions in your head on your bed are as follows. 29As for you, O king, there arose in your cogitations on your bed what will take place after this, and he who reveals secrets has made known to you what will take place. 30And as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me by there being more wisdom in me than in anyone living, but to the intent that the interpretation should be made known to the king, and that you should know the cogitations of your heart. 31You, O king, were having a vision, and you beheld a great image. That image was large, and its splendour was prodigious, standing in front of you, and its appearance was fearful. 32The image was like this: its head was of good quality gold, its breast and its arms were of silver, its midriff and its thighs were of copper, 33its legs were of iron; its feet were partly of iron and partly of clay. 34You were having the vision until a stone was cut out, which was not done with hands, and which struck the image on the feet of iron and clay and shattered them. 35Then the iron and the clay, copper, silver and gold were shattered together, and they became like chaff from the summer threshing floors, and the wind carried them away, and no place was found for them, but the stone which struck the image became a great mountain, and it filled the whole earth. 36That was the dream, and we will give its interpretation in the presence of the king. 37You, O king, are king of kings, to whom the God of heaven gave the kingdom, the power, and the authority and the honour. 38And everywhere where the sons of man, wild animals and the birds of the sky dwell, he has delivered them all into your hand and given you power over them all. The head of gold represents you. 39And after you, another kingdom, inferior to yours, will arise, and a third kingdom – another one – which will be of copper, which will rule over all the earth. 40And a fourth kingdom: it will be as strong as iron, for iron shatters and smashes everything, and as iron which crushes all these, so it will shatter and break. 41And as regards the fact that you saw the feet and the toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom, and there will be some of the firmness of iron in it, inasmuch as you saw iron mixed with clay earthenware. 42And as for the toes, partly of iron and partly of clay, part of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be fragile. 43And as regards the fact that you saw iron mixed with clay earthenware, they will be mixed in with the seed of mankind, but they will not stick to each other, just as iron does not blend with clay. 44And in the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up an age-abiding kingdom which will not be destroyed, nor will the kingdom be left to another people. It will shatter and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it will stand age-abidingly. 45In view of the fact that you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain, which was not done with hands, and it shattered the iron, the copper, the clay, the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place after the present time. Now the dream is certain, and its interpretation is trustworthy.” 46At this King Nebuchadnezzar fell face down, and he prostrated himself to Daniel, and he said he would pour out a meal-offering and fragrances to him. 47The king responded to Daniel and said, “It is true that your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings and a revealer of secrets, in that you were able to reveal this secret.” 48Then the king exalted Daniel, and he gave him many great gifts, and he put him in charge of the whole province of Babylon, and he made him the administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. 49And Daniel made requests to the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego over the administration of the province of Babylon. And Daniel was in the king's royal court.

Reference(s) in Chapter 2: v.35 ↔ Revelation 12:8.

Daniel Chapter 3 

1Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold. Its height was sixty cubits and its breadth was six cubits. He set it up in the lowland of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2And Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the satraps, the administrators and the governors, the high court judges, the treasurers, the legislators, the security officials and all the rulers of the provinces, for them to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3At this the satraps, the administrators and the governors, the high court judges, the treasurers, the legislators, the security officials and all the rulers of the provinces assembled for the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king set up, and they stood facing the image which Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4And the herald proclaimed loudly, “We command you, O peoples and nations and languages, 5that at the moment when you hear the sound of the horn, the flute, the harp, the sambuke, the psaltery, the bagpipes, and all the kinds of music, you shall fall down and prostrate yourselves to the image of gold which Nebuchadnezzar the king set up. 6And whoever does not fall down and prostrate himself will at that time be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.” 7In accordance with this, at the very moment when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, the flute, the harp, the sambuke, the psaltery, and all the kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and languages would fall down and prostrate themselves to the image of gold which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 8Pursuant to this, at that very time some Chaldean men came along and slandered the Jews. 9They broached the subject and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live age-abidingly. 10O king, you issued a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, the flute, the harp, the sambuke, the psaltery and the bagpipes, and all the kinds of music, shall fall down and prostrate themselves to the image of gold, 11and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. 12There are Jewish men whom you appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. These men, O king, have not heeded you; they do not worship your gods, nor do they prostrate themselves to the image of gold which you set up.” 13At this Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave commandment to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego in. So these men were brought before the king. 14Nebuchadnezzar addressed them and said to them, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, do you really not worship my gods, nor prostrate yourselves to the image of gold which I set up? 15Now then, if you are willing at the time when you hear the sound of the horn, the flute, the harp, the sambuke, the psaltery and the bagpipes, and all kinds of music, to fall down and prostrate yourselves to the image which I made, fine. But if you do not prostrate yourselves, at that very time you will be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire, and what god is there who can deliver you from my hands?” 16Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we are not obliged to reply to you in this matter. 17Nevertheless, our God, whom we worship, is able to save us from the furnace of blazing fire. And from your hand, O king, he will save us. 18And even if he does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not worship your gods, and we will not prostrate ourselves to the image of gold which you have set up.” 19At this Nebuchadnezzar became full of fury, and the complexion of his face changed, in opposition to Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. He responded and gave commandment to heat the furnace seven times more than it was customary to heat it. 20And he commanded men, valiant warriors who were in his army, to bind Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. 21So these men were bound in their trousers, their shirts and their hats and their garments, and they were thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. 22As a result of this, considering that the king's word was pressing, and the furnace was heated in the extreme, the flame of the fire killed those men who took Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego up. 23And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego fell into the furnace of blazing fire, bound. 24Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and he arose in haste and reacted and said to his attendants, “Did we not throw three men into the fire, bound?” They answered and said to the king, “Certainly, O king.” 25He replied and said, “Look, I see four men, loose, walking around in the fire, and there is no harm being done to them. And the appearance of the fourth is like a son of God.” 26Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and addressed them and said, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego came out of the fire. 27And the satraps, administrators and governors and attendants to the king gathered together and saw these men over whose bodies the fire had no power, and whose hair of their head was not singed, and whose trousers were not affected, and on whom the smell of fire did not pass. 28Nebuchadnezzar spoke up and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, who sent his angel and saved his servants who put their trust in him and defied the king's word, and who gave up their bodies so that they should not worship or prostrate themselves to any god except their God. 29And a decree is hereby issued by me, that every people and nation and language which speaks disrespectfully about the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego will be dismembered and their house will be made a dunghill, because there is no other god who can bring deliverance like this.” 30Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon. 31From Nebuchadnezzar the king to all peoples and nations and languages who dwell in all the earth, may your peace increase. 32It gives me pleasure to communicate the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done in connection with me.

33How great his signs are!

And how powerful his wonders are!

His kingdom is an age-abiding kingdom,

And his rule is with generation after generation.

Reference(s) in Chapter 3: v.31 ↔ 1 Peter 1:2.

Daniel Chapter 4 

1I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and thriving in my palace. 2I had a dream, and it frightened me, and my thoughts on my bed and the visions in my head disturbed me. 3And a decree was issued by me to bring in before me all the wise men of Babylon, for them to make the interpretation of the dream known to me. 4At this the magi, the enchanters, the Chaldeans and the diviners came in, and I described the dream in their presence, but they did not make its interpretation known to me. 5And last of all Daniel came in to my presence, whose name is Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of holy gods, and I described the dream to him as follows: 6‘Belteshazzar, head of the magi, in whom I know that the spirit of the holy gods is, and no mystery is too difficult for you. Set out the visions of my dream which I had, and its interpretation. 7Now I saw the visions of my head on my bed,

And there was a tree in the middle of the earth,

And its height was great.

8The tree grew and became strong,

And in height it reached the sky,

And it was visible at the ends of the whole world.

9Its foliage was beautiful

And its fruit was plentiful,

And there was food for everything in it.

Under it wild animals could find shade,

And in its branches the birds of the sky could dwell,

And from it all flesh could be nourished.

10I saw things in the visions of my head on my bed, and there was an angel – indeed a holy one – descending from heaven. 11He proclaimed loudly and said this:

«Cut the tree down,

And chop its branches off;

Strip its foliage off,

And scatter its fruit.

Let the animals under it flee,

And also the birds from its branches.

12But leave the stump with its roots in the ground,

And do that with iron and copper bonds

Pegged in the wild grass,

And let it be moistened with the dew from the sky,

And let its portion be with the animals

In the vegetation of the earth.

13Let his heart be changed from that of a man,

And let the heart of an animal be given to him,

And let seven timespans pass over him.

14The matter is by the decree of angels,

And the proceeding is by the edict of the holy ones,

So that the living may know

That the Most High is the ruler in the kingdom of man,

And that he may give it to whomever he wishes,

And that he may set the lowest of men over it.»

15I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw this dream. Now you, Belteshazzar, give the interpretation, because none of the wise men of my kingdom are able to make the interpretation known to me, but you are able to, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.’ 16At this Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was stupefied for about one hour, and his thoughts disturbed him. The king reacted and said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not let the dream and the interpretation disturb you.’ Belteshazzar replied and said, ‘My lord, may the dream apply to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your adversaries. 17The tree which you saw, which grew and became strong, and which in height reached the sky, and which was visible over the whole world, 18and whose foliage was beautiful, and whose fruit was plentiful, with there being food for everything in it, with wild animals able to dwell under it, and in whose branches the birds of the sky could settle, 19represents you, O king, who have grown and become strong, and whose greatness has increased and reached the sky, and whose rule extends to the end of the world. 20And concerning the fact that the king saw an angel – indeed a holy one – descending from heaven saying, «Cut the tree down and destroy it, but leave the stump with its roots in the ground, and do that with iron and copper bonds pegged in the wild grass, and let it be moistened by the dew from the sky, and let its portion be with the wild animals until seven timespans pass over it», 21this is the interpretation, O king, and it is the decree of the Most High which has come upon my lord the king. 22Now you will be driven out from human society, and your habitat will be with the wild animals, and you will be fed on grass like oxen, and you will obtain drink from the dew of the sky. And seven timespans will pass over you in order that you may know that the Most High is the ruler in the kingdom of man, and that he can give it to whomever he wishes. 23And concerning the fact that it was enjoined to leave the stump with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will remain yours after you have come to know that heaven is the ruler. 24So, O king, let my counsel be commended to you, desist from your sins in favour of righteousness, and from your iniquity in favour of being compassionate to the poor, and it may be that your prosperity will have long duration.’ ” 25All this came upon Nebuchadnezzar the king. 26Twelve months later as he was walking in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon, 27the king ventured to speak and said, “Is this not Babylon the Great, which I built as a royal house by the strength of my power, and to the honour of my glory?” 28While the words were still in the king's mouth, a voice came down from heaven and said, “You are hereby informed, O King Nebuchadnezzar, that the kingdom has retreated from you. 29And you are hereby driven out from human society, and your habitat is with wild animals. You will be fed grass like oxen, and seven timespans will pass over you in order that you may know that the Most High is the ruler in the kingdom of man, and that he can give it to whomever he wishes.” 30At that very moment the pronouncement was fulfilled on Nebuchadnezzar, and he was driven out from human society, and he ate grass like oxen, and his body obtained drink from the dew of the sky, until his hair had grown like eagle's plumage, and his nails were like birds' claws. 31“And at the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes up to heaven, and my sanity returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and gave glory to him who lives age-abidingly,

Whose dominion is an age-abiding dominion,

And whose kingdom is with every generation.

32And all the inhabitants of the earth are considered nothing,

And as he wishes, so he acts,

With the might of heaven.

And as for the inhabitants of the earth,

Well there is no-one who can ward his hand off,

Or say to him,

‘What are you doing?’

33At that very time my sanity returned to me. And to the honour of my kingdom, my glory and my splendour returned to me, and my attendants and my high-ranking officials sought me, and I was restored over my kingdom, and exceeding greatness was added to me. 34So now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the king of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and whose ways are justice, and who is able to humble those who walk in arrogance.”

Daniel Chapter 5 

1Belshazzar the king held a grand banquet for one thousand of his senior ranking officials, and he drank wine in the presence of the thousand. 2Belshazzar, while tasting the wine, gave an order to bring the gold and silver articles which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which is in Jerusalem, for the king and his high-ranking officials, his consorts and his concubines, to drink from. 3So they brought the golden articles which they had taken out of the temple of the house of God, which is in Jerusalem, and the king and his high-ranking officials and his consorts and his concubines drank from them. 4They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, copper, iron, wood and stone. 5At that very moment the fingers of a man's hand appeared and started writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace. And the king saw the palm of the hand which was writing. 6At this the king's radiant complexion changed, and his thoughts alarmed him, and his hip joints became loose, and his knees knocked against each other. 7The king called out loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans and the diviners. The king addressed them and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Any man who can read this writing and expound its interpretation to me will be clothed in purple and have a golden chain around his neck, and he will rule as the third in command in the kingdom.” 8So all the king's wise men came in, but they were not able to read the writing or to make the interpretation known to the king. 9Then King Belshazzar became exceedingly alarmed, and his radiance changed, and his high-ranking officials were perplexed. 10On account of the words of the king and his high-ranking officials, the queen came into the banqueting house. The queen spoke out and said, “O king, live age-abidingly. Do not let your thoughts alarm you and do not let your radiance change. 11There is a man in your kingdom in whom there is the spirit of holy gods, and in the days of your father, enlightenment and intelligence and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And as for King Nebuchadnezzar your father, your father the king appointed him head of the magi, enchanters, Chaldeans and diviners, 12because a prodigious spirit and knowledge and intelligence in interpreting dreams and cracking riddles and solving problems were found in him – in Daniel – whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now then, let Daniel be called and let him give the interpretation.” 13So Daniel was brought in before the king. The king started to speak and said to Daniel, “Are you Daniel, who is one of the deportees from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? 14For I have heard concerning you that the spirit of gods is in you, and that enlightenment and intelligence and prodigious wisdom have been found in you. 15And now the wise men and the enchanters were brought into my presence to read this writing and to make its interpretation known to me, but they were not able to expound the meaning of the text. 16And I have heard concerning you that you are able to give interpretations and to solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make its interpretation known to me, you will be clothed in purple, and you will have a golden chain around your neck, and you will rule as the third in command in the kingdom.” 17At this Daniel responded and said in the presence of the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another, but I will read the writing to the king, and I will make the interpretation known to him. 18You are the king, but it is the Most High God who gave the kingdom and the magnificence and the honour and the glory to Nebuchadnezzar your father. 19And on account of the magnificence which he gave him, all the peoples and nations and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he wished, he killed, and whom he wished, he preserved alive. Whom he wished, he exalted, and whom he wished, he brought low. 20But when his heart became haughty, and his spirit became obdurate to the point of him acting impertinently, he was taken down from his royal throne, and his honour was removed from him. 21And he was driven out from human society, and his heart was made like that of animals, and his habitat was with wild asses, and he was fed on grass like oxen, and his body was moistened from the dew of the sky, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is the ruler in the kingdom of man, and that whom he wishes, he appoints over it. 22And you are his son Belshazzar. You have not humbled your heart, yet you knew all this. 23And you have exalted yourself over the Lord of heaven, and the articles of his house were brought in before you, and you and your high-ranking officials, your consorts and your concubines have drunk wine from them, and you have praised gods of silver and gold, copper and iron, wood and stone, which do not see and do not hear and do not perceive, but you have not glorified the God in whose hand your breath is and to whom all your ways are answerable. 24So the palm of a hand was sent from him, and this writing was inscribed. 25And this is the writing which was inscribed:

‘Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin.’

26This is the interpretation of the words: mene – God has summed up your kingdom, and he has brought it to an end; 27tekel – you have been weighed in the balance and found wanting; 28peres – your kingdom is divided and is to be given to Media and Persia.” 29Then Belshazzar gave commandment, and they clothed Daniel in purple, and he put a chain of gold around his neck, and he made proclamation concerning him that he was to be the third in command in the kingdom. 30That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed.

Daniel Chapter 6 

1Darius the Mede received the kingdom when he was sixty-two years old. 2It pleased Darius to appoint one hundred and twenty satraps over the kingdom, who were to be distributed throughout all the kingdom, 3and over them three ministers, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps would give a report, so that the king would not be in danger. 4Then this Daniel distinguished himself more than the other ministers and satraps, because there was a prodigious spirit in him, and the king proposed to appoint him over the whole kingdom. 5At this the ministers and satraps tried to find a pretext against Daniel from the standpoint of the kingdom, but they could not find any pretext or corrupt practice, because he was faithful, and no negligence or corrupt practice was found concerning him. 6So these men said, “We shall not find any pretext against this Daniel, except when we find something against him in the formalities of his God.” 7Then these ministers and satraps assembled with the king and spoke as follows to him: “O King Darius, live age-abidingly. 8All the ministers of the kingdom, the administrators and the satraps, the attendants and the governors have taken counsel together to establish a statute, O king, and to issue a prohibition, that anyone who prays for a request from any god or man for thirty days except from you, O king, will be thrown into the lions' den. 9Now then, O king, ratify the prohibition, and draw up the document which is immutable according to the law of Media and Persia, so that it does not lapse.” 10On account of this, King Darius drew up the document and the prohibition. 11Then when Daniel came to know that the document had been drawn up, he went into his house with his windows open in his upper room facing Jerusalem, and three times a day he knelt down on his knees and prayed and gave praise before his God, just as he used to do before this. 12Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and seeking mercy before his God. 13At this they went up to the king and said in his presence concerning the king's prohibition, “Did you not draw up a prohibition that anyone who prays for a request from any god or man for thirty days except from you, O king, would be thrown into the lions' den?” The king answered and said, “The words are fixed according to the law of Media and Persia which does not lapse.” 14To this they replied and said in the king's presence, “Daniel, who is one of the deportees from Judah, has not heeded you, O king, or the prohibition which you drew up, and he prays for his request three times a day.” 15Then when the king heard the words, it grieved him greatly. And concerning Daniel, he applied his mind to deliver him, and up to sunset he made efforts to save him. 16Then these men assembled to the king and said to the king, “Be aware, O king, that the law of Media and Persia is such that no prohibition or statute which the king establishes is open to change.” 17So the king gave commandment, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions' den. The king addressed him and said to Daniel, “Your God, whom you constantly worship, will save you.” 18And a stone was brought, and it was placed on the entrance to the den, and the king sealed it with his seal ring and with the seal ring of his high-ranking officials, so that the plot against Daniel should not change. 19Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting, and he did not have entertainment come before him, and his sleep evaded him. 20Then at dawn the king arose, at first light, and he went hastily to the lions' den. 21And as he approached the den, he called out in a sad voice to Daniel, and the king spoke and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, was your God, whom you worship continually, able to save you from the lions?” 22Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live age-abidingly. 23My God has sent his angel and closed the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found to be innocent before him, and I haven't done anything injurious before you either, O king.” 24At this the king was very pleased about him, and he gave commandment to bring Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was brought up out of the den, and no harm was found on him, because he had put trust in his God. 25And the king gave commandment, and they brought those men who had slandered Daniel, and they threw them, their sons, and their wives into the lions' den. And they had not landed at the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them, and they crushed all their bones. 26Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations and languages who lived in the whole earth, “May your peace increase. 27A decree is hereby issued by me that in every administrative region of my kingdom, they tremble and fear before Daniel's God,

For he is the living God,

Who endures throughout the ages,

Whose kingdom will not be destroyed,

And whose dominion is up to the end.

28He saves and rescues

And performs signs and wonders

In heaven and on earth,

For he saved Daniel

From the reach of the lions.”

29And this Daniel prospered in the kingdom of Darius and in the kingdom of Cyrus the Persian.

Reference(s) in Chapter 6: v.26 ↔ 1 Peter 1:2.

Daniel Chapter 7 

1In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and there were visions in his head while on his bed. Then he wrote the dream down and set out the essentials of the subject matter. 2Daniel elucidated and said, “I saw things in a vision of mine in the night. Now there were the four winds of heaven stirring the great sea, 3and four large animals arising out of the sea, differing one from another. 4The first one was like a lion, and it had an eagle's wings. I continued looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth and was made to stand on legs as a man does, and the heart of a man was given to it. 5And there was another animal – a second one – like a bear, and it was made to stand up on one side, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And this is what was said to it: ‘Arise, and devour much flesh.’ 6After this I continued to see, and there was another, like a leopard, and it had four bird's wings on its back, and the animal had four heads, and it was given rule. 7After this I continued to see a vision in the visions of the night, and there was a fourth animal, frightful and terrifying, and exceedingly strong. And its many teeth were of iron, and it devoured and crushed, and it trampled on the rest with its feet. Moreover it was different from all the animals which were before it, and it had ten horns. 8I looked at its horns, and I saw another small horn arise among them. And three of the first horns were uprooted before it. And what I saw was eyes in this horn like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking presumptuous words.

9I continued seeing,

And then the thrones were set up,

And the Ancient of Days sat down.

His clothing was like white snow,

And the hair on his head was like pure wool.

His throne was flames of fire,

And its wheels were burning fire.

10A river of fire flowed and issued from him;

A million served him,

And a hundred million arose in his presence.

The court sat, and the books were opened.

11I continued seeing, and then from a voice there came presumptuous words which the horn spoke. I continued seeing and then the animal was killed, and its body was destroyed and consigned to the burning of a fire. 12And as for the remaining animals, their rule was taken away, but a prolongation of their life was granted to them for a time and a season.

13And I continued seeing in the visions of the night,

And what I saw was,

With clouds of the sky,

One like a son of man coming,

And he went up to the Ancient of Days,

And he was brought near him.

14And to him rule was given,

And honour, and a kingdom,

And all peoples and nations and languages worshipped him.

His rule was an age-abiding rule

Which would never pass away,

And his kingdom was one

Which will not be destroyed.

15My spirit was grieved – that of me, Daniel, in my being – and the visions in my head disturbed me. 16I approached one of those standing, and I inquired of him the reality of all this, and he told me, and he made the interpretation of the words known to me. 17These large animals, of which there were four, represent four kings who will arise from the earth. 18But the holy ones of the Most High will receive the kingdom, and they will possess the kingdom age-abidingly, and throughout the durations of the ages. 19Then I wished to know precisely about the fourth animal, which was different from all the others, being exceedingly frightful. Its teeth were of iron, and its claws were of copper. It devoured and crushed, and it trampled on the rest with its feet. 20And concerning the ten horns on its head, and the other one which arose, and before which the three fell, now that horn had eyes and a mouth speaking presumptuous words, and its appearance was more imposing than that of those accompanying it. 21I continued seeing, and that horn waged a war on the holy ones, and it prevailed over them, 22until the Ancient of Days came, and justice was given to the holy ones of the Most High, and the time arrived when the holy ones took possession of the kingdom. 23He said this: ‘The fourth animal will be the fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth and pound it and crush it. 24And the ten horns which constitute the kingdom represent ten kings who will arise, and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the preceding ones, and he will bring three kings down. 25And he will speak words against the Most High, and he will wear out the holy ones of the Most High, and he will contrive to change times and the law. And they will be delivered into his hand until a time, times, and half a time have passed. 26And the court will sit, and his rule will be removed, by destroying and eliminating it until its end. 27And the kingdom and the rule and the greatness of the kingdoms under all heaven will be given to the people – the holy ones of the Most High. His kingdom is an age-abiding kingdom, and all administrative regions will worship him and obey him.’ 28That is it up to the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts disturbed me very much, and my radiance changed. But I kept the matter in my heart.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 7: v.10 ↔ Revelation 5:11 ● v.11 ↔ Revelation 19:20, Revelation 20:10, Revelation 20:14, Revelation 20:15 ● v.13 ↔ Matthew 24:30, Matthew 26:64, Mark 13:26, Hebrews 10:37, Revelation 1:7, Revelation 1:13, Revelation 14:14 ● v.19 ↔ Revelation 12:3, Revelation 13:1, Revelation 17:3, Revelation 17:7 ● v.20 ↔ Revelation 12:3, Revelation 13:1, Revelation 17:3, Revelation 17:7, Revelation 17:12, Revelation 17:16 ● v.21 ↔ Revelation 11:7, Revelation 13:7 ● v.25 ↔ Revelation 11:2, Revelation 11:3, Revelation 12:6, Revelation 12:14, Revelation 13:5.

Daniel Chapter 8 

1In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king, a vision appeared to me – to me Daniel – after what had appeared to me at first, 2and I saw in the vision, and it came to pass as I saw that I was at the citadel of Shushan, which is in the province of Elam. Then I saw in the vision that I was at the Ulai Canal. 3And I lifted up my eyes and looked, and there was a ram standing before the canal, and it had two horns, and the two horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one arose later. 4I saw the ram butting westwards and northwards and southwards, and no animal could stand against it, and there was no-one who delivered anyone from its grip, and it did as it wished, and it became great. 5And as I was contemplating this, what I saw was a goat buck come from the west over the expanse of the whole land, not touching the ground, and the goat buck had a conspicuous horn between its eyes. 6And it came to the ram which had the two horns, which I saw standing at the canal, and it ran to it in its intense fury. 7And I saw it come up to the ram, and it acted ferociously against it, and it struck the ram and shattered its two horns, and there was no strength in the ram to stand against it. And it cast the ram down onto the ground and trampled on it, and there was no-one who delivered the ram from its grip. 8And the goat buck became very great, but just as it was displaying strength, the large horn broke, and four others arose conspicuously in its place, facing the four winds of heaven. 9And from one of them a very small horn came out, but it became exceedingly great southwards and eastwards and towards the Splendid Land. 10And it became great – as great as the host of the sky – and it brought some of the host and some of the stars down to the ground and trampled on them. 11And it magnified itself to the heights of the prince of the host, and the perpetual sacrifice was removed from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown, 12so that the host would be delivered up at the place of the perpetual sacrifice in transgression, and truth could be cast to the ground. And it did this and prospered. 13And I heard a holy one speak, and a holy one said to the particular one speaking, “How long is the vision of the perpetual sacrifice and the devastating transgression – the delivering up of both the holy place and the host to being trampled on?” 14And he said to me, “Until two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary will be purified.” 15And it came to pass as I, Daniel, saw the vision, that I sought understanding. And what I saw was that there stood before me an apparition of a man. 16And I heard the voice of a man in the middle of the Ulai, and he called out and said, “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.” 17And he came to my station, and as he came, I was terrified and I fell face down. But he said to me, “Understand, son of Adam, that the vision is for the end time.” 18And as he spoke to me, I slumped down to the ground face down, and he touched me, and he stood me up at my station. 19And he said, “I am here making known to you what will take place at the end of the indignation, for it is for the end time period. 20The ram which you saw, having two horns, represents the kings of Media and Persia. 21And the hairy goat represents the king of Greece, and the large horn which is between its eyes is the first king. 22And as for the horn which was broken, and the four which stood in its place, these are four kingdoms out of a people which will stand up, but not in its own strength. 23And at the end of their kingdom, when transgressors reach their conclusion, a king of fierce appearance, and shrewd in dealing with problems, will stand up. 24And his power will be mighty, but it will not be in his own power, and he will spoil in an astounding way, and he will prosper and be active, and he will spoil mighty people including the holy people. 25And through his expertise he will prosper, with deceit under his control, and in his heart he will magnify himself, and in calmness he will spoil many, and he will take a stand against the prince of princes. Then without human power he will be broken. 26Now the vision of the evening and the morning which was declared is true, but you close the vision, for it is for many days from now.” 27And I, Daniel, became ill for a number of days. Then I arose and did the king's work, but I was astounded at the vision, and there was no-one who understood it.

Reference(s) in Chapter 8: v.26 ↔ Revelation 10:4, Revelation 22:10.

Daniel Chapter 9 

1In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median seed, who had been made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans, 2in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel – because the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah the prophet – came to understand through books the number of years to fulfil the desolations of Jerusalem: seventy years. 3And I turned my attention to the Lord* God, in seeking intercession and making supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4And I prayed to the Lord my God, and I confessed and said, “Please, Lord*, O great and awesome God, who keeps the covenant, and shows kindness to those who love him and keep his commandments, 5we have sinned and been iniquitous, we have acted wickedly and rebelled, and we have departed from your commandments and your regulations, 6and we did not heed your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our high-ranking officials, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7Yours, O Lord*, is justice, and ours is shamefacedness on this day – on the men of Judah and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on all Israel, those near and those far away in all the lands to which you have driven them out – because of their perverseness with which they have acted perversely with you. 8O Lord, ours is shame to our faces, to our kings, to our high-ranking officials and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9Mercy and forgiveness are of the Lord* our God, yet we have rebelled against him. 10And we have not obeyed the Lord our God telling us to walk in his laws which he has set before us, through the intermediacy of his servants the prophets. 11And all Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside in not obeying you, and the curse has been poured out on us, and the oath, which are written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, for we have sinned against him. 12And he has fulfilled his words which he spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing a great calamity on us, which has not been done under all of heaven as it has been done in Jerusalem. 13As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us, and we have not pleaded with the Lord our God, by turning away from our iniquities and acting prudently in your truth. 14And the Lord watched over the calamity and brought it on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all his dealings which he does, but we did not obey him. 15And now, O Lord* our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand and acquired fame for yourself as on this day, with us having sinned and acted wickedly, 16O Lord*, according to all your righteousness, do let your anger and your fury turn away from your city, Jerusalem, your holy mountain, for it is because of our sins and because of the iniquities of our fathers that Jerusalem and your people are a reproach to all those around us. 17So now, hear, O God of ours, the prayer of your servant and his supplications, and be propitious to your sanctuary, which is desolate, for the sake of the Lord*. 18O God of mine, incline your ear and hear, open your eyes and see our desolate conditions and the city over which your name is called, for it is not on account of our righteousness that we lay our supplications before you, but on account of your many mercies. 19O Lord*, do hear, O Lord*, do forgive, O Lord*, do listen and act. Do not delay, for your sake, O God of mine, for your name is called upon over your city and over your people.” 20And as I was still speaking and praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and laying my supplication before the Lord my God on the holy mountain of my God, 21indeed while I was still speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at first, being propelled into a rapid flight, touched me, at about the time of the evening meal-offering, 22and he explained and spoke with me and said, “Daniel, I have come out now to impart understanding to you. 23At the start of your supplications, a pronouncement went out, and I have come to report that you are greatly loved. So understand the matter and discern the vision. 24Seventy year-weeks have been determined concerning your people and concerning your holy city, to put an end to transgression and to seal up sins, and to atone for iniquity, and to bring in age-abiding righteousness, and to seal the vision and prophet, and to anoint the holy of holies. 25And know and understand that from the issuing of the order to restore and rebuild Jerusalem up to messiah the leader, there are seven year-weeks and sixty-two year-weeks, and street and ditch will be built again, but in distressful times. 26And after the sixty-two year-weeks, messiah will be cut off, but not for himself, and the people of the coming leader will spoil the city and the sanctuary, and his end will be with a flood. And until the end of the war, desolations are determined. 27And he will confirm a covenant with many for one year-week, and after half of the year-week he will put a stop to sacrifice and meal-offering, and he who makes desolate will stand on the pinnacle of abominations, and this will be until the conclusion. Then what is determined will be poured out on the desolator.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 9: v.27 ↔ Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14.

Daniel Chapter 10 

1In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a matter was revealed to Daniel, who was called Belteshazzar, and the matter is true. Now there was intense warfare, and he understood the matter, and he had understanding in the vision. 2In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks; 3I did not eat appetizing food, and neither meat nor wine came to my mouth, and I did not anoint myself at all until three full weeks had elapsed. 4And on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, when I was on the side of the great river, that is the Hiddekel, 5I lifted up my eyes, and I looked, and what I saw was a man clothed in fine linen, whose waist was girded with fine gold from Uphaz. 6And his body was like the Tarshish gemstone, and his face had the appearance of lightning, and his eyes were like torches of fire, and his arms and his feet had the gleam of polished copper, and the sound of his speech was like the sound of a crowd. 7And I, Daniel, on my own, saw the vision, but the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great fear fell on them, and they fled so as to hide. 8And I remained on my own, and I saw this great vision, but I didn't have any strength left, and my radiance turned into pallor, and I didn't retain any strength. 9But I heard the sound of his speech, and when I heard the sound of his speech while I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground, 10it so happened that a hand touched me and made my knees and hands tremble. 11And he said to me, “Daniel, greatly beloved man, understand the words which I am speaking to you, and stand at your station, for I have been sent to you now.” And as he spoke these words to me, I stood up trembling. 12And he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for ever since the first day when you set your heart on understanding things and submitting yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come in answer to your words. 13But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me for twenty-one days. Then what happened was that Michael, one of the foremost princes, came to help me, and I remained there with the kings of Persia. 14Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the last days, for the vision was for many days yet.” 15And as he spoke with me about these things, I faced the ground and became mute, 16and behold, someone in the likeness of the sons of Adam touched my lips, and I opened my mouth, and I spoke and said to the one standing opposite me, “My lord, at the vision pangs of pain came over me, and I did not retain any strength. 17For how can a servant of my lord here speak with my lord here, when for my part, from that moment, no strength has remained in me, and no breath has been left in me.” 18Then the one in the likeness of a man touched me again and strengthened me, 19and he said to me, “Do not fear, greatly beloved man. Peace to you. Become stronger and stronger.” And as he spoke with me, I gained strength, and I said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” 20And he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? And now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and as I go, look, the prince of Greece will come. 21But I will tell you what is recorded in the scripture of truth, and there is not one gathering strength with me concerning these things, except Michael your prince.

Daniel Chapter 11 

1And I, in the first year of Darius the Mede, was at my station as his strengthener and stronghold. 2And now I will relate the truth to you. Behold, three kings are still to arise in Persia. And the fourth will accumulate greater wealth than any, and just as he will become strong in his riches, so he will stir everyone up against the kingdom of Greece. 3And a mighty king will arise, and he will rule over a great empire, and he will do as he wishes. 4And when he arises, his kingdom will be broken, and it will be divided into the four winds of heaven, but not for his posterity, and not according to his manner of rule by which he ruled, for his kingdom will be plucked up and be for others – other than these. 5And the king of the south will become strong, but one of his princes will become stronger than him, and he will rule. His rule will be a great empire. 6And after some years, they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south will go to the king of the north to make a compact, but she will not retain a strong arm, and he will not stand, nor will his arm, and she will be delivered up, as will those who brought her, and he who begot her, and he who strengthened her in those times. 7But one from a branch of her roots will assume his role, and he will turn to the army, and he will go to the fortress of the king of the north, and he will engage them and prevail. 8And he will also take back to Egypt their gods with their cast images, with their valuable articles of silver and gold which were captured, and he will stand for more years than the king of the north. 9So the king of the south will come into a kingdom then return to his territory. 10And his sons will be provoked, and they will gather a large quantity of powerful forces, and they will come with determination, and they will inundate the place and pass through, then they will return. Then they will be provoked at the fortress. 11And the king of the south will become bitter, and he will go out to wage war against him – against the king of the north – and he will recruit a large multitude, but the multitude will be delivered into his hand. 12And he will carry the multitude away; his heart will be exalted, and he will cut down tens of thousands, but he will not gain strength. 13Then the king of the north will again recruit a multitude, larger than the first one, and after many vicissitudes and years, he will come with determination, with a great army and with much military equipment. 14And in those times, many will defend the king of the south, and the violent members of your people will exalt themselves in establishing the vision, but they will fail. 15And the king of the north will come, and he will cast up a rampart and capture a highly fortified city, and the arms of the south will not stand, nor will his elite people, and they will not have strength to stand. 16And the one who is coming will do as he wishes, and no-one will stand against him, and he will stand in the Splendid Land, and destructive power will be at his disposal. 17And he will resolve to come with the might of all his kingdom, and he will settle with equitable terms with him, and he will give him the fairest daughter among women to spoil her, but she will not brook it, and she will not be his. 18And he will turn his attention to the islands, and he will capture many of them, and a commander will put an end to his reproach for him. Then with no reproach of his, he will turn his attention to him. 19Then he will turn his attention to the strongholds of his own country, but he will fail and fall, and he will be nowhere to be found. 20Then an oppressor will take on his role, and he will pass through the glorious kingdom. But in a few days he will be crushed, but not by anger and not by war. 21Then the despicable one will take on his role, but he will not be invested with the majesty of the kingdom. And he will come calmly, and he will take hold of the kingdom by flatteries. 22And people will be swept away before him in the arms of a flood, and they will be crushed, as also the leader of the covenant. 23And he will act deceitfully towards those in league with him, and he will rise and become strong with a small people. 24Calmly and in the fertile parts of the province, he will come and do what neither his fathers nor his father's fathers ever did. He will lavishly distribute booty and spoil and property to them, and he will devise plots against fortifications, which will be for a time. 25Then he will stir up his power and his heart against the king of the south, with a large force. And the king of the south will be provoked into war, with a force large and mighty in the extreme, but he will not prevail, because they will devise plots against him. 26And those who dine with him will cut him to pieces, and his army will swirl around, and many will fall as casualties. 27And the hearts of both kings will be set on wrongdoing, and they will tell lies at one table, but the proceeding will not be successful, for the end will still come in due course. 28Then he will return to his own land with much property, and his heart will be against the holy covenant. Then he will take action and then return to his land. 29In due course he will return and go to the south, but it will not be like the first occasion or the last. 30And ships from Chittim will come against him, and he will be despondent, and he will return, and he will be indignant over the holy covenant, and he will take action. Then he will return and act shrewdly with those who forsake the holy covenant. 31And brigades from him will arise and desecrate the sanctuary – the place of strength – and they will put a stop to the perpetual sacrifice, and they will set up the desolating abomination. 32And he will entice violators of the covenant to profanity with flatteries, but a people who know their God will remain steadfast and take action. 33And those of the people with insight will explain to many, but they will be brought down by the sword and by the flame, by captivity and by being plundered, for a number of days. 34And as they are brought down, they will be afforded a little help, but many will associate with them with flatteries. 35And some of those enlightened will be brought down, to refine them, and to purify and to whiten them up to the end time. For it is still a designated time away. 36And the king will do as he wishes, and he will exalt himself and present himself as great – above every god – and he will speak awesomely against the God of gods, and he will prosper until the indignation is ended, for what has been determined will be accomplished. 37And he will not give consideration to the God of his fathers, nor will he give consideration to attraction to women, or give consideration to any god, because he will present himself as greater than all. 38But he will honour the god of strongholds in his role. So he will honour a god whom his fathers did not know, with gold and with silver and with precious gemstones and with valuable items. 39And he will organize fortified strongholds in connection with a foreign god, and whoever has acknowledged him, he will greatly honour, and he will give them rule over many, and he will apportion land at a price. 40And at the end time, the king of the south will skirmish with him, and the king of the north will rage against him with chariots and with cavalry and with many ships, and he will enter those countries and will inundate them and pass on. 41Then he will enter the Splendid Land, and many countries will be brought down, but these will escape from his hand: Edom and Moab and the principal part of the sons of Ammon. 42And he will stretch out his hand in various countries, and the land of Egypt will not have deliverance. 43And he will rule over treasures of gold and silver, and over all the valuable items of Egypt. And Libyans and Ethiopians will follow in his footsteps. 44But rumours from the east and from the north will alarm him, and he will set off in great fury to destroy and obliterate many. 45And he will pitch the palatial tents between the seas in the holy Splendid Mount, and he will come to his end, with no-one helping him.

Reference(s) in Chapter 11: v.31 ↔ Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14.

Daniel Chapter 12 

1And at that time Michael will stand up – the great prince who stands for the sons of your people – and there will be a time of tribulation such as there never has been since the coming into existence of a nation up to that time, and at that time your people will be delivered – everyone who is found written in the book. 2And many of those sleeping in the dusty ground will awaken, some to age-abiding life, and some to age-abiding reproach and abhorrence. 3And those who have insight will shine like the brilliance of the firmament, and those who make many righteous will shine like the stars, age-abidingly and throughout time. 4But you, Daniel, close up the words and seal up the book, until the end time. Many will run to and fro, and knowledge will increase.” 5Then I, Daniel, saw a vision, and there were two others standing, one on one side of the river and one on the other side of the river. 6And he said to the man clothed in fine linen who was above the water of the river, “How long is it to the end of the wonders?” 7And I heard the man clothed in fine linen who was above the water of the river. And he raised his right hand and his left hand towards heaven, and he swore by him who lives age-abidingly, that it was for a time, times and a half, and he swore that at the completion of the crushing of the strength of the holy people, all these things would come to an end. 8And although I heard, I did not understand, and I said, “My lord, what is the end result of these things?” 9And he said, “Go your way Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed until the end time. 10Many will be purified and whitened and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly, and none of the wicked will understand, but those with insight will understand. 11And from the time when the perpetual sacrifice is removed and when the desolating abomination is installed, there are one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12Blessed is he who waits and comes to one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. 13But you proceed to the end, and you shall rest. Then you shall stand in your lot at the end of days.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 12: v.1 ↔ Matthew 24:21, Mark 13:19; Philippians 4:3, Revelation 3:5, Revelation 13:8, Revelation 17:8, Revelation 20:12, Revelation 20:15, Revelation 21:27 ● v.4 ↔ Revelation 10:4, Revelation 22:10 ● v.7 ↔ Revelation 10:5, Revelation 11:2, Revelation 11:3, Revelation 12:6, Revelation 12:14, Revelation 13:5 ● v.11 ↔ Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14.

Ezra  

Ezra Chapter 1 

1Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in fulfilling the word of the Lord from the speech of Jeremiah, the Lord aroused the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he had a proclamation made throughout his kingdom, and also by a letter, saying, 2“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the world, and he has charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3Who is there among you from all his people to participate? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and let him build the house of the Lord God of Israel – of the God who is in Jerusalem. 4And as for anyone who is not able to move about in any place where he lives, let the men of his home town transport him with his silver and gold and with his property and with his cattle, with his freewill-offering, to the house of God which is in Jerusalem.’ ” 5And the paternal heads of Judah and Benjamin arose, as did the priests and the Levites. God aroused the spirit of all of them to go up and to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. 6And all those around them supplemented their resources with articles of silver, of gold, with possessions and with cattle and with valuables, besides everything given as a freewill-offering. 7And King Cyrus brought the equipment of the house of the Lord out which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out of Jerusalem and had put in the house of his gods. 8So Cyrus king of Persia brought them out under the direction of Mithredath the treasurer, and he registered them with Sheshbazzar the leading person of Judah. 9And these are their quantities: thirty golden basins, one thousand silver basins, twenty-nine slaughtering knives, 10thirty golden bowls, four hundred and ten silver bowls of second quality, and one thousand other items. 11All the items of gold and silver amounted to five thousand four hundred. Sheshbazzar brought them all up along with the deportees being brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Ezra Chapter 2 

1And the following are the fraternity of the province who came back up from the displaced body of deportees, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon deported to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own city. 2Those who came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel was as follows: 3the fraternity of Parosh numbered two thousand one hundred and seventy-two; 4the fraternity of Shephatiah numbered three hundred and seventy-two; 5the fraternity of Arah numbered seven hundred and seventy-five; 6the fraternity of Pahath-Moab, of the line of the sons of Jeshua-Joab, numbered two thousand eight hundred and twelve; 7the fraternity of Elam numbered one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; 8the fraternity of Zattu numbered nine hundred and forty-five; 9the fraternity of Zaccai numbered seven hundred and sixty; 10the fraternity of Bani numbered six hundred and forty-two; 11the fraternity of Bebai numbered six hundred and twenty-three; 12the fraternity of Azgad numbered one thousand two hundred and twenty-two; 13the fraternity of Adonikam numbered six hundred and sixty-six; 14the fraternity of Bigvai numbered two thousand and fifty-six; 15the fraternity of Adin numbered four hundred and fifty-four; 16the fraternity of Ater, of Hezekiah's line, numbered ninety-eight; 17the fraternity of Bezai numbered three hundred and twenty-three; 18the fraternity of Jorah numbered one hundred and twelve; 19the fraternity of Hashum numbered two hundred and twenty-three; 20the fraternity of Gibbar numbered ninety-five; 21the fraternity of Bethlehem numbered one hundred and twenty-three; 22the men of Netophah numbered fifty-six; 23the men of Anathoth numbered one hundred and twenty-eight; 24the fraternity of Azmaveth numbered forty-two; 25the fraternity of Kiriath-Arim, Chephirah and Beeroth numbered seven hundred and forty-three; 26the fraternity of Ramah and Geba numbered six hundred and twenty-one; 27the men of Michmas numbered one hundred and twenty-two; 28the men of Beth-El and Ai numbered two hundred and twenty-three; 29the fraternity of Nebo numbered fifty-two; 30the fraternity of Magbish numbered one hundred and fifty-six; 31the fraternity of the other Elam numbered one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; 32the fraternity of Harim numbered three hundred and twenty; 33the fraternity of Lod, Hadid and Ono numbered seven hundred and twenty-five; 34the fraternity of Jericho numbered three hundred and forty-five; 35the fraternity of Senaah numbered three thousand six hundred and thirty; 36the priests who were the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, numbered nine hundred and seventy-three; 37the fraternity of Immer numbered one thousand and fifty-two; 38the fraternity of Pashhur numbered one thousand two hundred and forty-seven; 39the fraternity of Harim numbered one thousand and seventeen; 40the Levites, the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodaviah, numbered seventy-four; 41the singers, the sons of Asaph, numbered one hundred and twenty-eight; 42the sons of the gatekeepers – the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, and the sons of Shobai – numbered in total one hundred and thirty-nine. 43The temple-servants, the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, 44the sons of Keros, the sons of Siaha, the sons of Padon, 45the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub, 46the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shalmai, the sons of Hanan, 47the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah, 48the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam, 49the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai, 50the sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephusim, 51the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, 52the sons of Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, 53the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Tamah, 54the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha, 55the sons of Solomon's servants, the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Peruda, 56the sons of Jaalah, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, 57the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth of the Zebaim, the sons of Ami – 58all the temple-servants and the sons of Solomon's servants numbered three hundred and ninety-two. 59And the following are those who went up from Tel-Melah, Tel-Harsha, Cherub, Addan and Immer, but they could not specify their paternal house or their family line – whether they were of Israel – : 60the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah and the sons of Nekoda, who numbered six hundred and fifty-two, 61and those of the sons of the priests who were the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, and the sons of Barzillai who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and he was named after them. 62These looked for their registration among those registered by genealogy, but they were not found, so they were disqualified from the priesthood as extraneous. 63And the governor told them that they were not to eat anything from the holy of holies until a priest should stand with Urim and Thummim. 64The whole convocation together numbered forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty people, 65apart from these menservants and maidservants of theirs – seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven of them. And they also had two hundred male and female singers. 66Their horses numbered seven hundred and thirty-six; their mules, two hundred and forty-five; 67their camels, four hundred and thirty-five; the donkeys, six thousand seven hundred and twenty. 68And when some of the paternal heads came to the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, they gave freewill-offerings for the house of God, to set it on its foundation. 69They contributed according to their means to the treasury for the work: sixty-one thousand darics of gold, five thousand manehs of silver, and one hundred priests' gowns. 70And the priests and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers and the gatekeepers and the temple-servants lived in their cities, as did all Israel in their cities.

Ezra Chapter 3 

1And by the time the seventh month came, the sons of Israel were in their cities, and the people gathered in unison in Jerusalem. 2And Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose, as did his brothers the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brothers, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to make burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God. 3And they set up the altar on its base, because in a dread which had come over them because of the peoples of the various countries, they made burnt offerings to the Lord on it – burnt offerings of the morning and of the evening. 4And they celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles as it is written, and they made burnt offerings daily, in the right quantity, according to the ordinance of the daily proceeding. 5And after that was the recurrent burnt offering, both for the new moons and for all the Lord's sanctified festival times, and a freewill-offering from everyone who freely offered it to the Lord. 6From the first day of the seventh month, they began to make burnt offerings to the Lord, although the Lord's temple had not yet had its foundations laid. 7And they gave money to the stonemasons and to the craftsmen, as well as food and drink and oil, and to the Sidonians and the Tyrians, for bringing cedar wood from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according to the authorization given to them by Cyrus king of Persia. 8And in the second year after their coming to the house of God in Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak and the rest of their brothers – the priests and the Levites – and all those who came back from captivity to Jerusalem, began to appoint the Levites from twenty years old and above to superintend the work of the house of the Lord. 9And Jeshua, his sons and his brothers, and Kadmiel and his sons – the sons of Judah – stood in unison to superintend those doing the work in the house of God, with the sons of Henadad, and their sons and their brothers, the Levites. 10And the builders laid the foundations of the Lord's temple, and they appointed priests in full dress, with trumpets, and also Levites – sons of Asaph – with cymbals, to praise the Lord according to the instructions of David king of Israel. 11And they sang to the Lord in praise and thanksgiving – that

He is good,

For his kindness to Israel is age-abiding.

And all the people shouted with loud shouting in praising the Lord for the fact that the foundations of the house of the Lord had been laid. 12And many of the priests and the Levites and the elderly paternal heads who had seen the first house, when this house had its foundations laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice, and many raised their voice in shouting for joy. 13And the people could not distinguish between the sound of shouting for joy and the sound of weeping of the people, because the people were raising a loud shout, and the sound was heard a long way off.

Ezra Chapter 4 

1But when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the deportees were building a temple to the Lord God of Israel, 2they went up to Zerubbabel and the paternal fathers, and they said to them, “Let us build with you, because, like you, we will seek your God, and we have been sacrificing to him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.” 3But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the paternal heads of Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building the house for our God, for we alone will build to the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus king of Persia commanded us.” 4And the people of the land impeded the people of Judah, and they harassed them in building. 5And they contracted advisers to work against them, to frustrate their plan for all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, and up to the reign of Darius king of Persia. 6And in the reign of Ahasuerus, at the start of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. 7And in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. And the content of the communiqué was written in Aramaic, and on reception it was translated from Aramaic. 8Rehum the chief minister and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter to Artaxerxes the king against Jerusalem accordingly. 9At that time Rehum the chief minister and Shimshai the scribe wrote, along with the rest of their associates, judges and magistrates, Tripolitans, Persians, Urukites, Babylonians, Shushanites (that is, Elamites), 10and the rest of the various peoples whom the great and honourable Osnappar deported and settled in the towns of Samaria, and the rest of the region on the far side of the river etcetera. 11This is a transcript of the letter which they sent to him – to Artaxerxes the king. “From your servants, men from the far side of the river etcetera, 12let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from where you are to us have come to Jerusalem, and they are rebuilding the rebellious and wicked city, and they have completed the walls, and they have laid the foundations. 13Let it now be known to the king that if that city is rebuilt, and the walls are completed, they will not pay the levy of tax and excise, and in the end it will harm the interests of the monarchy. 14Now since our salaries are paid by the palace, and it would not be proper for us to see any ingloriousness of the king, we have sent word and informed the king about this, 15so that it may be investigated in the chronicles of your fathers, and you may find it in the chronicles and know that this city is a rebellious city which damages kings and provinces, and that they have been perpetrating an insurrection inside it since days of old, on account of which this city was destroyed. 16We hereby inform the king that if this city is rebuilt, and its walls are completed, as a result of it you will not have revenue from the far side of the river.” 17The king sent the following message to Rehum the chief minister and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their associates who were living in Samaria, and the rest who were on the far side of the river: “Peace etcetera. 18The communiqué which you sent us has been translated and read before me, 19and a decree has been issued by me, and a search has been carried out, and it was found that this city since days of old has been rising up against kings, and that rebellion and insurrection have been perpetrated in it, 20and that powerful kings have ruled over Jerusalem, as have rulers in all regions on the far side of the river, and the levy of tax and excise was paid to them. 21Issue a decree now to stop those men, and that that city is not to be rebuilt, until the decree is issued by me. 22And be warned against being negligent in this, so that the damage does not increase in harming the monarchy.” 23Then as soon as a transcript of King Artaxerxes' communiqué was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe, and their associates, they hastily went to Jerusalem, to the Jews, and they stopped them with might and force. 24Then the work on the house of God which is in Jerusalem stopped. And it was stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Ezra Chapter 5 

1Then Haggai the prophet prophesied, as did Zechariah the son of Iddo – the prophets to the Jews who were in Judah and in Jerusalem – to them in the name of the God of Israel. 2Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose, and they began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem, and with them were God's prophets helping them. 3At that very moment Tatnai the governor of the region on the far side of the river came to them, with Shethar-Bozenai and their associates, and they said this to them: “Who gave you authorization to build this house and to complete this wall?” 4Then we accordingly told them what the names of the men were who were building this building. 5But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they could not make them stop the work, and at length the matter came to Darius, when a communiqué about this was handed over. 6There follows a transcript of the letter which Tatnai the governor of the regions on the far side of the river, and Shethar-Bozenai and his associates, and the magistrates who were on the far side of the river, sent to Darius the king. 7They sent the message to him, in which the following was written: “To Darius the king, complete peace. 8Let it be known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, and it is being built of hewn stone, and wood is being placed on the walls, and this work is being carried out with precision, and it is progressing well in their hands. 9Then we questioned those elders. This is what we said to them: ‘Who gave you authorization to build this house and to complete this wall?’ 10And we also asked them to make their names known to you, so that we could write down the names of the men who are their head people. 11But this is the response which they gave us, saying, ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house which was built many years ago when a great king of Israel built it and completed it. 12But because our fathers provoked the God of heaven to anger, he delivered them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, and he tore down this house and deported the people to Babylon. 13But in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king issued a decree to build this house of God. 14And also, as for the articles of gold and silver of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple in Babylon, Cyrus the king brought them out of the temple in Babylon, and they were given to a certain Sheshbazzar by name, whom he had appointed governor, 15and he said to him, «Take these articles and go and deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be built on its site.» 16Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem, and from then up to now it has been built, but it is not finished.’ 17So now, if the king approves, let a search be made where the king's treasure house is in Babylon, as to whether it is a fact that a decree was issued by Cyrus the king to build this house of God in Jerusalem, and let the king send his wishes to us concerning this matter.”

Ezra Chapter 6 

1Then Darius the king issued a decree, and they searched in the library where they deposit treasures in Babylon. 2And a scroll was found in Ecbatana, in the fortress which is in the province of Media, and this is what was written on it – a memorandum – : 3“In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king issued a decree. Regarding the house of God in Jerusalem, let the house be built as a place where sacrifices are offered. Now its foundations are load-bearing; its height is sixty cubits and its breadth is sixty cubits, 4with three storeys of hewn stone and one storey of wood. And let the expenses be paid from the king's house. 5And also, as for the articles of gold and silver of the house of God which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, let them be returned and let them go to the temple in Jerusalem, to their rightful place, and deposit them in the house of God.” 6Darius wrote, “So Tatnai, governor of the region on the far side of the river, and Shethar-Bozenai and your associates, the magistrates who are on the far side of the river, stay away from there. 7Leave the work on this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and of the elders of the Jews build this house of God on its site. 8And a decree is hereby issued by me as to what you shall do with these elders of the Jews – regarding the building of this house of God – that from the king's resources which are from the tax on the region on the far side of the river, the expenses of these men shall be rigorously paid and that they are not to be hindered. 9And let whatever they need – bull-calves and rams and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine and oil, according to the specification of the priests of Jerusalem – be given to them on a daily basis without fail, 10so that they may offer sweet fragrances to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons. 11And a decree is hereby issued by me that as for any man who changes this pronouncement, the wood be torn out of his house, and let him be vertically affixed to it, and let his house be made a dung heap for this. 12And may the God who causes his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who stretches out his hand to change or damage this house of God which is in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued a decree; let it be carried out diligently.” 13At this Tatnai the governor of the region on the far side of the river, Shethar-Bozenai, and their associates, pursuant to Darius the king sending this, carried it out diligently. 14And the elders of the Jews built and made good progress with the prophecy of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo being fulfilled, and they built and completed it, by the decree of the God of Israel, and by the decree of Cyrus and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. 15This house was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, and it was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. 16And the sons of Israel – the priests and the Levites and the rest of the deportees – celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. 17And for the dedication of this house of God they offered one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and twelve he-goats, to offer as a sin-offering for all Israel – for the number of the tribes of Israel. 18And the priests were appointed in their sections, and Levites in their divisions, for God's work in Jerusalem, according to the stipulation in the book of Moses. 19And the deportees celebrated the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. 20So the priests and the Levites purified themselves as a unity – all of them were pure, and they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the deportees and for their brothers the priests and for themselves. 21And the sons of Israel who had returned from the deportation ate, as did all who had set themselves aside from the uncleanness of the nations of the earth and had come to them, in seeking the Lord God of Israel. 22And they celebrated the Festival of the Unleavened Bread for seven days with joy, for the Lord had given them joy, and he had turned the heart of the king of Assyria towards them, in empowering them in the work of the house of God – the God of Israel.

Ezra Chapter 7 

1And after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, came Ezra, the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, 2the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, 3the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, 4the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 5the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the head priest. 6This Ezra came up from Babylon, and he was a scribe astute in the law of Moses, whom the Lord God of Israel had appointed, and to whom the king had granted every request of his, according to the hand of the Lord his God on him. 7And in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king, some of the sons of Israel and some priests and Levites went up to Jerusalem, as did the singers and the gatekeepers and the temple-servants. 8And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, and it was in the king's seventh year. 9For it was on the first day of the first month that the start of the coming back up from Babylon took place, and on the first day of the fifth month he arrived in Jerusalem, with the good hand of his God on him. 10For Ezra had resolved to seek the law of the Lord, and to observe it, and to teach statute and judgment in Israel. 11And this is a transcript of the communiqué which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest and scribe – the scribe of the words of the Lord's commandments, and his statutes imposed on Israel: 12From Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, scribe in the law of the God of heaven, greetings etcetera. 13A decree is hereby issued by me that everyone of the people of Israel in my kingdom – including its priests and the Levites – who wishes to go to Jerusalem, may go with you, 14it being so that you are sent from the king and his seven advisers to carry out investigations concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the law of your God, which is in your hand, 15and to take the silver and gold which the king and his advisers have voluntarily given to the God of Israel, whose abode is in Jerusalem, 16and all silver and gold which you find in the entire province of Babylon, given by the free will of the people and the priests, who freely give for the house of their God in Jerusalem. 17Pursuant to this, you shall diligently buy bulls and rams and lambs with this money, and their meal-offerings and their libations, and you will offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem. 18And whatever seems right to you and your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, do according to the good pleasure of your God. 19And restore in the presence of the God of Jerusalem the articles which are given to you for worship in the house of your God. 20And pay for the remaining needs of the house of your God which you incur as expenses from the king's treasury. 21And a decree is hereby issued by me, Artaxerxes the king, to all treasurers of the region on the far side of the river, that whatever Ezra – the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven – asks of you, it be done forthwith, 22up to one hundred talents of silver, and up to one hundred cors of wheat, and up to one hundred baths of wine, and up to one hundred baths of oil, and salt without bookkeeping. 23Let everything which is by decree of the God of heaven be done diligently for the house of the God of heaven lest anger come upon the kingdom of the king or his sons. 24And we make it known to you that for all the priests and the Levites and the singers and the gatekeepers and the temple-servants and the worshippers in this house of God, it is not authorized to impose the levy of tax and excise on them. 25And you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of your God, which is in your hand, appoint judges and magistrates who will judge all the people on the far side of the river – all those who know the laws of your God. And teach those who do not know them. 26And as for anyone who does not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let justice be rigorously done with him, whether death or exile or confiscation of property or imprisonment.” 27Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers who put this in the heart of the king, to adorn the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. 28And he showed me kindness in the presence of the king and his advisers, and all the king's valiant commanders, and I was strengthened according to the hand of the Lord my God on me, and I gathered head men from Israel to go up with me.

Ezra Chapter 8 

1Now these are their paternal heads and the registration by genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylon in the reign of Artaxerxes the king: 2of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, Hattush; 3of the sons of Shechaniah, of the sons of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him one hundred and fifty males were registered by genealogy; 4of the sons of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males; 5of the sons of Shechaniah, the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males; 6and of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him were fifty males; 7and of the sons of Elam, Isaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him were seventy males; 8and of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him were eighty males; 9and of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him were two hundred and eighteen males; 10and of the sons of Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah, and with him one hundred and sixty males; 11and of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight males; 12and of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him one hundred and ten males; 13and of the last sons of Adonikam – these are their names – Eliphelet, Jeiel and Shemaiah, and with them sixty males; 14and of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai and Zaccur, and with them were seventy males. 15And I gathered them at the river which goes to Ahava, where we encamped for three days, and I took stock of the people and of the priests, and I did not find any sons of Levi there. 16So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah and Elnathan and Jarib and Elnathan and Nathan and Zechariah and Meshullam – head men – and for Joiarib and Elnathan – intelligent men. 17And I sent them out to Iddo the head man in Casiphia-the-Resort, and I put words in their mouth to say to Iddo and his brother, the temple-servants in Casiphia-the-Resort, to bring us servants for the house of our God. 18And with the good care of our God over us, they brought us a sensible man, one of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi the son of Israel, and Sherebiah and his sons and his brothers – eighteen of them, 19and Hashabiah, and with him Isaiah one of the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons – twenty of them, 20and of the temple-servants whom David and the officials appointed for the work of the Levites – two hundred and twenty temple-servants – all of them specified by their names. 21And I called a fast there, at the River Ahava, to afflict ourselves before our God, and to seek the right way from him, for us and for our little ones and all that belong to us. 22For I was ashamed to ask for soldiers and horsemen from the king to help protect us from an enemy on the way, for we had spoken to the king and said, “The hand of our God is favourably on all who seek him, but his vehemence and anger are on all who desert him.” 23So we fasted and asked our God about this, and he was entreated by us. 24Then I separated twelve of the high-ranking priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah and ten of their brothers with them. 25And I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the articles – the gifts for the house of our God which the king and his advisers and his officials and all Israel who were present had donated. 26And I weighed out into their hands six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver articles to the value of one hundred talents, and one hundred talents of gold, 27and twenty golden bowls, to the value of one thousand darics, and two articles of high quality gold-coloured copper, as sought after as gold. 28And I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord, and the articles are holy, and the silver and the gold are a freewill-offering to the Lord God of your fathers. 29Watch over it and guard it until you weigh it before the high-ranking priests and the Levites and the paternal officials of Israel in Jerusalem, in the offices of the house of the Lord.” 30So the priests and the Levites took the weighed-out amount of silver and gold and the articles, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God. 31Then we set off from the River Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. And the hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the ambusher along the road. 32And we arrived in Jerusalem, and we stayed there for three days. 33Then on the fourth day, the silver and the gold and the articles were weighed in the house of our God by Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas, and with them were Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui, the Levites. 34Everything was done by number and by weight, and the entire weight was written down at that time. 35Those who came back from captivity – the deportees – made burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs and twelve goats as a sin-offering. Everything was a burnt offering to the Lord. 36And the king's edicts were delivered to the king's satraps and the governors of the region on the far side of the river, and they supported the people and the house of God.

Ezra Chapter 9 

1And when these had discharged their duties, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the various countries, with their abominations – those of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, the Ammonite, the Moabite, the Egyptian and the Amorite. 2For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, and they have mixed holy seed with the peoples of the various countries. And the involvement of the officials and the administrators was first in this perverseness.” 3And when I heard this matter, I tore my clothes and my coat, and I pulled the hair out of my head and my chin, and I sat down devastated. 4Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel concerning the perverseness of the deportees gathered around me as I sat devastated, until the evening offering. 5At the evening offering I arose from my humbled state, and having torn my clothes and my coat, I bowed down on my knees and stretched my hands out to the Lord my God. 6And I said, “O God of mine, I am ashamed and unworthy to lift up, O God of mine, my face to you, for our iniquities have risen above our head, and our guilt extends to heaven. 7We have been highly guilty from the days of our fathers up to this day, and for our iniquities we – our kings and our priests – have been delivered into the hands of the kings of the various countries, by the sword and in captivity and through spoil and with shamefacedness, as on this day. 8But now, in a short moment, grace has come from the Lord our God in leaving us an escaped remnant, and in giving us a tent-peg hold in his holy place, and in our God enlightening our eyes and in reanimating us a little in our enslavement. 9For we are slaves, but our God has not abandoned us in our enslavement, and he has shown us kindness from the kings of Persia in reanimating us to raise up the house of our God, and to restore it from its ruins, and in giving us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem. 10And now, what can we say, O God of ours, after this, for we have abandoned your commandments 11which you gave through the intermediacy of your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land into which you are coming, to inherit it, is a filthy land with the filth of the peoples of the various countries, with their abominations with which they have filled it from end to end in their uncleanness. 12So now, do not give your daughters to their sons, and do not take their daughters for your sons, and do not seek their peace or their welfare, throughout the age, in order that you may prevail and eat the good produce of the land, and bequeath it to your sons age-abidingly.’ 13And after everything that has come over us for our evil works and for our great guilt, since you, our God, have been lenient with our iniquities and have given us this very escaped remnant, 14how could we go back and break your commandments by intermarrying with the various peoples of these abominations? Would you not be incensed at us to the extent of finishing us off without remainder or escaped remnant? 15O Lord God of Israel, you are righteous, for we remain an escaped remnant on this very day. Here we are before you in our guilt, for there are no grounds for standing before you on account of this.”

Ezra Chapter 10 

1And as Ezra was praying, and as he was confessing, weeping, and prostrating himself before the house of God, a very large convocation of men and women and children of Israel gathered around him. For the people wept with many tears. 2And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, started to speak and said to Ezra, “We have acted treacherously against our God, and we have brought foreign women from the various countries into our homes, but now there is hope for Israel despite this. 3So now, let us make a covenant with our God to remove all the women and those born by them, in line with the advice of the Lord* and those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the law. 4Get up, for the matter is your responsibility. And we are with you. Be strong and act.” 5And Ezra got up and adjured the high-ranking priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to act according to these words. And they swore. 6Then Ezra got up from his position before the house of God, and he went to the office of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib. Having arrived there, he did not eat bread and he did not drink water, because he was mourning over the perverseness of the deportees. 7And they had it proclaimed in Judah and Jerusalem for all the deportees to be gathered in Jerusalem. 8And that as for anyone who did not come within three days according to the advice of the officials and elders, all his property would be confiscated, and he would be excluded from the convocation of the deportees. 9At this all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered in Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month, and all the people sat in the open at the house of God, trembling at the matter and because of the rain. 10Then Ezra the priest arose and said to them, “You have acted perversely and brought foreign women into your homes, so adding to Israel's guilt. 11So now, make a confession to the Lord God of your fathers and do his will, and separate yourselves from the various peoples of the land, and from foreign women.” 12And the whole convocation answered and said in a loud voice, “We must indeed act according to your words. 13But the people are many and it is the season of rain, and we do not have the fortitude to endure outside, and the operation is not a matter of one day, nor is it of two, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter. 14Please let our officials of the whole convocation superintend, and let everyone who has brought foreign women into his home in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of each city, with its judges, until the fury of our God's anger is averted from us – until this matter is over.” 15And indeed it was Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahziah the son of Tikvah who superintended this, while Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them. 16So the deportees did this. And Ezra the priest, and men who were paternal heads of their paternal house were all separated by name, and they sat on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter. 17And they finished investigating all the men who had brought foreign women into their homes by the first day of the first month. 18And among the sons of the priests who had brought foreign women into their homes, the following were found: of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the sons of his brothers were Maaseiah and Eliezer and Jarib and Gedaliah, 19and they pledged to remove their wives, and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their guilt. 20And among the sons of Immer were Hanani and Zebadiah; 21and among the sons of Harim were Maaseiah and Elijah and Shemaiah and Jehiel and Uzziah; 22and among the sons of Pashhur were Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad and Elasah; 23and among the Levites were Jozabad and Shimei and Kelaiah (he is Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah and Eliezer; 24and among the singers was Eliashib; and among the gatekeepers were Shallum and Telem and Uri; 25and among Israel, among the sons of Parosh were Ramiah and Jiziah and Malchijah and Miamin and Eleazar and Malchijah and Benaiah; 26and among the sons of Elam were Mattaniah, Zechariah and Jehiel and Abdi and Jeremoth and Eliah; 27and among the sons of Zattu were Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah and Jeremoth and Zabad and Aziza; 28and among the sons of Bebai were Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai and Athlai; 29and among the sons of Bani were Meshullam, Malluch and Adaiah, Jashub and Sheal and Jeremoth; 30and among the sons of Pahath-Moab were Adna and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel and Binnui and Manasseh; 31and among the sons of Harim were Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimon, 32Benjamin, Malluch and Shemariah; 33among the sons of Hashum were Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh and Shimei; 34among the sons of Bani were Maadai, Amram and Uel, 35Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelahai, 36Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37Mattaniah, Mattenai and Jaasai, 38and Bani and Binnui and Shimei, 39and Shelemiah and Nathan and Adaiah, 40Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41Azarel, and Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42Shallum, Amariah and Joseph. 43Among the sons of Nebo were Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai and Joel and Benaiah. 44All these married foreign women, and there are among them women by whom they begot sons.

Nehemiah  

Nehemiah Chapter 1 

1The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass, in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year, that I was in the citadel of Shushan, 2and Hanani, who is one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came, and I asked them about the escaped remnant of Jews who were left behind avoiding the captivity, and about Jerusalem. 3And they said to me, “Those remaining, who were left behind avoiding the captivity, there in the province, are in a very bad state and in disrepute, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned down with fire.” 4And it came to pass when I heard these things that I sat down and wept, and I mourned for a number of days, and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 5And I said, “Please, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, who keeps the covenant and kindness to those who love him and to those who keep his commandments, 6may your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant which I am praying before you today, day and night, concerning the sons of Israel, your servants. And I confess the sins of the sons of Israel which we have committed against you, and that I and the house of my father have sinned. 7We have offended you badly, and we have not kept the commandments and the statutes and the ordinances which you commanded Moses your servant. 8Do remember the words which you commanded your servant Moses when you said, ‘If you act perversely, I will scatter you among the nations, 9but if you return to me and keep my commandments and carry them out, even if any of you were to be driven out to the end of heaven, I would gather them from there and bring them to the place where I have chosen to set up my name.’ 10And they are your servants and your people whom you have redeemed by your great power and with your strong hand. 11Please, Lord*, may your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in fearing your name. And do be propitious to your servant today, and show him compassion in the presence of this man, for I have become the king's butler.”

Nehemiah Chapter 2 

1And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that there was wine available for him, and I bore the wine and gave some to the king. Now I was not normally sorrowful in his presence, 2and the king said to me, “Why is your expression sorrowful, although you are not ill? Is this nothing other than a sorrowful heart?” And I was very much afraid. 3And I said to the king, “May the king live age-abidingly. Why should my expression not be sorrowful when the city of the graveyards of my fathers is desolate, and its gates have been consumed by fire?” 4At this the king said to me, “What is it that you are requesting?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven. 5And I said to the king, “If it is acceptable to the king, and if your servant is approved of in your sight, it is that you should send me to Judah, to the city of the tombs of my fathers, and that I should rebuild it.” 6And the king said to me, with the queen sitting next to him, “How long would your journey take and when would you return?” And it was acceptable to the king, and he let me go, and I gave him a timescale. 7And I said to the king, “If it is acceptable to the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region on the far side of the river, so that I am given passage until I arrive in Judah, 8and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's park, for him to give me wood to put a roof over the gates of the citadel which belongs to the house, and for the city wall, and for the house to which I am going.” And the king gave me these, according to the good hand of my God on me. 9And I came to the governors of the region on the far side of the river, and I gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent army commanders with me, and horsemen. 10But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard it, it grieved them very greatly that a man should have come to seek the welfare of the sons of Israel. 11And I arrived in Jerusalem, and I was there for three days. 12Then I got up at night – I and a few men with me – but I did not tell anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. And I did not have any animals with me except the animal I rode on. 13And I went out through the Valley Gate by night and came up to the Crocodile Fount and to the Dung Gate, and I examined the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down, and its gates which had been consumed by fire. 14And I crossed over to the Fount Gate and to the king's pool, but there was no place for the animal under me to pass. 15Then I went up by the way of the brook by night, and I examined the wall, and I returned and went in by the Valley Gate, then I came back. 16And the administrators did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and up to this time I had not told the Jews or the priests or the nobles or the administrators or the rest who were doing the work. 17And I said to them, “You see the plight which we are in – that Jerusalem is desolate, and its gates here have been burnt with fire. Come, and let's build the wall of Jerusalem so that we are no longer a reproach.” 18And I told them that the hand of my God had been good on me, and also the king's words which he spoke to me. Then they said, “We will arise and build.” And they encouraged themselves for the good work. 19But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arabian heard about it, they mocked us and despised us, and they said, “What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” 20And I replied to them, and I said to them, “The God of heaven will give us success, and we, his servants, will arise and build, but you have no part or right or remembrance in Jerusalem.”

Nehemiah Chapter 3 

1And Eliashib the high priest arose, as did his brothers – the priests – and they built the Sheep Gate. They sanctified it and installed its doors. And they sanctified it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, and as far as the Tower of Hananel. 2And alongside it men from Jericho did building work, and alongside that Zaccur the son of Imri did building work. 3And the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They put a roof over it and installed its doors, its bars and its bolts. 4And alongside them Meremoth, the son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, did repair work. Also alongside them Meshullam, the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, did repair work. Also alongside them Zadok, the son of Baana, did repair work. 5And alongside them the Tekoites did repair work, but their nobles did not put their backs into the work of their Lord. 6And Jehoiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate. They put a roof over it and installed its doors and bars and bolts. 7And alongside them Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite – men of Gibeon and Mizpah – did repair work for the seat of office of the governor of the region on the far side of the river. 8Alongside him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, one of the refiners, did repair work, and alongside him Hananiah the son of the pharmacists did repair work, and they restored Jerusalem up to the Broad Wall. 9And alongside them Rephaiah the son of Hur, an official in charge of half of the district of Jerusalem, did repair work. 10And alongside them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph did repair work, opposite his own house, and alongside him Hattush the son of Hashabniah did repair work. 11Malchijah the son of Harim and Hashshub the son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section, and the Tower of Furnaces. 12And alongside him Shallum the son of Halohesh, an official in charge of half of the district of Jerusalem, did repair work – he and his daughters. 13Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They built it and installed its doors, its bars and its bolts, and a thousand cubits of the wall – as far as the Dung Gate. 14And Malchijah the son of Rechab, the official in charge of the district of Beth-Haccerem, repaired the Dung Gate. He would build it and would install its doors, its bars and its bolts. 15And Shallun the son of Col-Hozeh, the official in charge of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fount Gate. He would build it and would roof it, and he would install its doors, its bars and its bolts, and the wall of the Pool of Siloam for the king's garden as far as the steps which go down from the City of David. 16After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, an official in charge of half the district of Beth-Zur, made repairs as far as opposite the tombs of David, and as far as the pool which had been made, and as far as the Warriors' House. 17After him the Levites made repairs. Rehum the son of Bani, and alongside him Hashabiah, an official in charge of half the district of Keilah, made repairs in his district. 18After him their brothers made repairs: Bavai the son of Henadad, an official in charge of half of the district of Keilah, 19and alongside him, Ezer the son of Jeshua, the official in charge of Mizpah, repaired a further section, opposite the ascent to the armoury at the corner buttress; 20after him Baruch the son of Zaccai was zealous to repair a further section from the corner buttress to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest; 21after him Meremoth, the son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired a further section from the entrance to Eliashib's house to the end of Eliashib's house. 22And after him the priests, men of the adjoining tract, made repairs. 23After him Benjamin, with Hashshub, made repairs opposite their house. After him Azariah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs by his house. 24After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired a further section from Azariah's house to the corner buttress and to the battlement. 25Palal the son of Uzai repaired from opposite the corner buttress and the tower which protrudes from the king's lofty house towards the prison court. After him came Pedaiah the son of Parosh. 26And the temple-servants were living in the Ophel, as far as opposite the Water Gate to the east, and the protruding tower. 27After him the Tekoites repaired a further section, from opposite the Great Tower which protrudes, as far as the wall of the Ophel. 28The priests made repairs above the Horse Gate, each opposite his house. 29After them Zadok the son of Immer made repairs opposite his house, and after him Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah the keeper of the Eastern Gate made repairs. 30After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah made repairs, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph repaired a further section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah made repairs opposite his office. 31After him Malchijah the son of the refiner made repairs as far as the house of the temple-servants and the traders, opposite the Muster Gate, and as far as the corner ascent. 32And between the corner ascent and the Sheep Gate, the refiners and the traders made repairs. 33And it came to pass that when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, it infuriated him, and he became very angry, and he mocked the Jews, 34and he spoke in the presence of his brothers and the forces of Samaria, and he said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they re-establish themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from heaps of dust, which have been burned?” 35And Tobiah the Ammonite was with him, and he said, “Even what they are building – if a fox were to climb onto it, it would cause their wall of stones to collapse.” 36“Hear, O God of ours, how we have become an object of contempt, and turn their reproach onto their heads, and make them into a spoil in a land where they are in captivity. 37And do not pardon their iniquity and do not let their sin be blotted out before you, for they have been provocative towards the builders.” 38And we built the wall, and all the wall was joined up for half its length, and the people had a heart to work on it.

Nehemiah Chapter 4 

1Then it came to pass when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairs to the walls of Jerusalem had progressed, and that the breaches had begun to be closed up, it infuriated them greatly. 2And they all conspired together to go and fight against Jerusalem and to do harm to it. 3So we prayed to our God, and we set up a look-out for them by day and night because of them. 4But the people of Judah said, “The strength of those who carry a load has failed them, and there is much dust, and we will not be able to build the wall.” 5And our adversaries said, “They will not know, and they will not see anything until we have come among them, and we kill them and put a stop to the work.” 6And it came to pass, when the Jews who lived among them came, that they said to us ten times, “From all the places to which you might turn, they will be upon us.” 7So I set up defences in the lower parts of the place behind the wall in the dry places, and I stationed the people according to their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 8And I observed, and I arose, and I said to the nobles and the administrators and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the great and awesome Lord*, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses.” 9And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known to us that God had frustrated their plan, that we all returned to the wall – each man to his work. 10And it was from that day that half of my servant-lads were engaged in the work, and half of them held spears and shields and bows and wore armour. And the commanders were behind the whole house of Judah. 11Those building the wall and those carrying a load or loading it would do the work with one hand, while the other would hold the weapon. 12And each of the builders had his sword fastened at his waist while they built. And he who blew the ramshorn was next to me. 13And I said to the nobles, and to the administrators, and to the rest of the people, “The work is immense and extensive, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 14In a place where you hear the sound of the ramshorn, gather round us there. Our God will fight for us.” 15So we were engaged in the work, and half of them held spears from the rise of dawn until the appearance of the stars. 16Also at that time I said to the people, “Let every man and his servant-lad lodge inside Jerusalem, and they will be our watch at night, and the day will be for work.” 17And neither I nor my brothers nor my servant-lads, nor the men of the guard who were behind me – none of us – took off our clothes. Each man had his weapon and water.

Nehemiah Chapter 5 

1Then there was a great outcry from the people and their wives to their brothers the Jews. 2And there were some who said, “We, our sons and our daughters, are many, and we need to get corn and eat to survive.” 3And there were some who said, “We are mortgaging our fields and our vineyards and our houses, so that we can get corn in the famine.” 4And there were some who said, “We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards. 5And although our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, and our sons are like their sons, yet see how we are reducing our sons and our daughters to slavery, and there are some of our daughters so reduced, and it is out of our control, and others have our fields and our vineyards.” 6And it infuriated me greatly when I heard their cry and these things. 7And my heart commended itself to me, and I took issue with the nobles and the administrators, and I said to them, “Each of you is bringing his brother into debt.” And I presented a large assembly against them. 8And I said to them, “We have redeemed our brothers the Jews who were sold to the Gentiles as much as we could. Now would you even sell your brothers, so that they are sold back to us?” And they were silent and did not find a word to say. 9And I said, “The thing you are doing is not right. Should you not walk in the fear of our God, rather than the reproachful way of the nations which are our enemies? 10But I too, my brothers, and my servant-lads have been lending them money and corn on interest, but let us please discontinue this lending on interest. 11Do restore to them today their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves and their houses, and the one per cent monthly interest on their money and corn and new wine and fresh oil which you have been lending them on interest.” 12And they said, “We will restore them, and we will not require anything of them. As you have said, so we shall do.” Then I called the priests, and I had them swear to do this undertaking. 13I also shook the breast fold of my garment, and I said, “So shall God shake every man who does not fulfil this undertaking, out of his house and out of his livelihood, and so he will be shaken out and empty.” And the whole convocation said, “Amen.” And they praised the Lord, and the people acted according to this proceeding. 14Moreover from the day when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king – twelve years – neither I nor my brothers ate the governor's fare. 15But the previous governors who were before me had weighed down heavily on the people, and they had taken bread and wine from them to the value of forty shekels. Even their servants lorded it over the people, but I did not act like that, because of the fear of God. 16And I also persevered in the work of this wall, and we did not buy a field, and all my servant-lads were gathered there for the work. 17And the Jews and the administrators – one hundred and fifty men – and those who came to us from the nations around us, were at my table. 18And this is what was prepared for one day: one ox, six choice sheep; and poultry was prepared for me, and at ten day intervals all sorts of wine in abundance. But nevertheless, I did not require the governor's fare, because the work was a heavy load on this people. 19Remember me, O God of mine, favourably, for everything I have done concerning this people.

Nehemiah Chapter 6 

1And it came to pass, when it came to the ear of Sanballat and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, that I had built the wall, and that there was not a single breach remaining in it, even though at that time I had not installed doors in the gates, 2that Sanballat and Geshem sent word to me and said, “Come and let us meet together in the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they were plotting to do me harm. 3So I sent messengers to them, and I said, “I am carrying out a major work, and I will not be able to come down. Why should the work stop, while I leave it and go down to you?” 4Then they sent word to me in the same way four times, and I replied to them in the same way. 5Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same way for a fifth time, with the letter open in his hand. 6In it was written, “Among the nations it is reported, and Gashmu states, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel, which is why you are building the wall, and that you will be their king, in accordance with these things. 7And you have also appointed prophets to make proclamation about you in Jerusalem, saying, ‘The king is in Judah.’ So now, let it be reported to the king, in accordance with these things. Or come now, and let us take counsel together.” 8At this I sent word to him and said, “No such thing as what you say has happened, for you are devising them in your own heart.” 9For they were all intimidating us, saying, “The strength of their hands for the work will ebb away, and it will not be done.” “But now, strengthen my hands.” 10Then I went to the house of Shemaiah, the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was confined there, and he said, “Let us meet at the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you, and it is tonight that they are coming to kill you.” 11But I said, “Will a man such as myself flee? And who such as I would go into the temple for his life? I shall not go.” 12And I became aware that God had not sent him, but that he had spoken the prophecy against me, and that Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13He was hired for a purpose – so that I should be afraid and do that, and so sin, and they would have an ill report with which to reproach me. 14“Remember, O God of mine, Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these works of theirs, and also Noadiah the prophetess, and the rest of the prophets who were intimidating me.” 15And the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. 16And it came to pass, when all our enemies heard this, that all the nations around us feared and were very downcast, and they knew that this work had been done by inducement from our God. 17Also in those days the nobles of Judah wrote many letters which went to Tobiah, and those of Tobiah came to them. 18For there were many in Judah who had sworn allegiance to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah, and Jehohanan his son had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as his wife. 19They also recounted his good news to me, and my words were expounded to him, but Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.

Nehemiah Chapter 7 

1And it came to pass when the wall was built that I installed the doors, and the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed. 2And I assigned Hanani my brother, and Hananiah the official in charge of the citadel, to be in charge of Jerusalem, for the latter was very much a man of truth, and he feared God more than many. 3And I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem shall not be opened until the heat of the sun, and while the gatekeepers are standing by, let them shut the doors and fasten them.” And I set up watches from the inhabitants of Jerusalem – each man in his watch, and each man opposite his house. 4Now the city was very wide and large, but the people in it were few, and there were no houses built. 5Then my God put it in my heart that I should assemble the nobles and the administrators and the people to be registered by genealogy, and I found the book of genealogy of those who had come up previously, and I found this written in it: 6“The following are the fraternity of the province who came back up from the displaced body of deportees whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon deported, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own city. 7Those who came with Zerubbabel were Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum and Baanah. The number of men of the people of Israel was as follows: 8the fraternity of Parosh numbered two thousand one hundred and seventy-two; 9the fraternity of Shephatiah numbered three hundred and seventy-two; 10the fraternity of Arah numbered six hundred and fifty-two; 11the fraternity of Pahath-Moab, of the line of the fraternity of Jeshua-Joab, numbered two thousand eight hundred and eighteen; 12the fraternity of Elam numbered one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; 13the fraternity of Zattu numbered eight hundred and forty-five; 14the fraternity of Zaccai numbered seven hundred and sixty; 15the fraternity of Binnui numbered six hundred and forty-eight; 16the fraternity of Bebai numbered six hundred and twenty-eight; 17the fraternity of Azgad numbered two thousand three hundred and twenty-two; 18the fraternity of Adonikam numbered six hundred and sixty-seven; 19the fraternity of Bigvai numbered two thousand and sixty-seven; 20the fraternity of Adin numbered six hundred and fifty-five; 21the fraternity of Ater, of Hezekiah's line, numbered ninety-eight; 22the fraternity of Hashum numbered three hundred and twenty-eight; 23the fraternity of Bezai numbered three hundred and twenty-four; 24the fraternity of Hariph numbered one hundred and twelve; 25the fraternity of Gibeon numbered ninety-five; 26the men of Bethlehem and Netophah numbered one hundred and eighty-eight; 27the men of Anathoth numbered one hundred and twenty-eight; 28the men of Beth-Azmaveth numbered forty-two; 29the men of Kiriath-Jearim, Chephirah and Beeroth numbered seven hundred and forty-three; 30the men of Ramah and Geba numbered six hundred and twenty-one; 31the men of Michmas numbered one hundred and twenty-two; 32the men of Beth-El and Ai numbered one hundred and twenty-three; 33the men of the other Nebo numbered fifty-two; 34the fraternity of the other Elam numbered one thousand two hundred and fifty-four; 35the fraternity of Harim numbered three hundred and twenty; 36the fraternity of Jericho numbered three hundred and forty-five; 37the fraternity of Lod, Hadid and Ono numbered seven hundred and twenty-one; 38the fraternity of Senaah numbered three thousand nine hundred and thirty; 39the priests who were the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, numbered nine hundred and seventy-three; 40the fraternity of Immer numbered one thousand and fifty-two; 41the fraternity of Pashhur numbered one thousand two hundred and forty-seven; 42the fraternity of Harim numbered one thousand and seventeen; 43the Levites, the sons of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, and of the sons of Hodevah, numbered seventy-four; 44the singers, the sons of Asaph, numbered one hundred and forty-eight; 45the gatekeepers, the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, and the sons of Shobai, numbered one hundred and thirty-eight. 46The temple-servants, the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, 47the sons of Keros, the sons of Sia, the sons of Padon, 48the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Shalmai, 49the sons of Hanan, the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, 50the sons of Reaiah, the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, 51the sons of Gazzam, the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, 52the sons of Besai, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephishesim, 53the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, 54the sons of Bazlith, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, 55the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Tamah, 56the sons of Neziah, the sons of Hatipha, 57the sons of Solomon's servants, the sons of Sotai, the sons of Sophereth, the sons of Perida, 58the sons of Jaala, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, 59the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth of the Zebaim, the sons of Amon – 60all the temple-servants and the sons of Solomon's servants numbered three hundred and ninety-two. 61And the following are those who came up from Tel-Melah, Tel-Harsha, Cherub, Addon and Immer, but they could not specify their paternal house or their family line – whether they were of Israel – : 62the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, and the sons of Nekoda, who numbered six hundred and forty-two, 63and those of the priests who were the sons of Hobaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, and the sons of Barzillai who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and he was named after them. 64These looked for their registration among those registered by genealogy, but it wasn't found, and they were disqualified from the priesthood as extraneous. 65And the governor told them that they were not to eat anything from the holy of holies until the priest should stand with Urim and Thummim. 66The whole convocation together numbered forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty people, 67apart from these menservants and maidservants of theirs – seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven of them. And they also had two hundred and forty-five male and female singers. 68There were four hundred and thirty-five camels and six thousand seven hundred and twenty donkeys. 69And some of the paternal heads contributed to the work. The governor gave one thousand darics of gold to the treasury, fifty bowls and five hundred and thirty priests' gowns. 70And some of the paternal heads gave twenty thousand darics of gold and two thousand two hundred manehs of silver to the treasury of the work. 71And this is what the rest of the people gave: twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand manehs of silver, and sixty-seven priests' gowns.” 72And the priests and the Levites, and the gatekeepers and the singers, and some of the people, and the temple-servants and all Israel lived in their cities, and by the time the seventh month came, the sons of Israel were in their cities.

Nehemiah Chapter 8 

1And all the people gathered in unison in the square which was opposite the Water Gate, and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel to observe. 2And Ezra the priest presented the law to the convocation, to both men and women, and everyone who would understand on hearing it, on the first day of the seventh month. 3And he read from it facing the square which was opposite the Water Gate, from first light until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who understood. And the ears of all the people were riveted to the book of the law. 4And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden tower which they had made for the occasion, and next to him stood Mattithiah and Shema and Anaiah and Uriah and Hilkiah and Maaseiah on his right, and on his left were Pedaiah and Mishael and Malchijah and Hashum and Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam. 5And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was higher up than all the people, and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6And Ezra blessed the great Lord God, and all the people answered, “Amen, amen”, with their arms raised, then they bowed to and worshipped the Lord face down to the ground. 7And Jeshua and Bani and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah and the Levites expounded the law to the people, and the people stood glued to their place. 8And they read from the book of the law of God distinctly, and they gave insight, and they enabled them to understand the reading. 9And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest, the scribe, and the Levites who expounded to the people, said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn and do not weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. 10And he said to them, “Go and eat rich food, and drink sweet drinks, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared for him, for the day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your stronghold.” 11And the Levites made all the people be quiet, and they said, “Be quiet, for this day is holy, and do not be grieved.” 12Then all the people went to eat and to drink and to send portions and to celebrate with great joy, for they understood the words which had been made known to them. 13And on the second day, the paternal heads of all the people, and the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the scribe, and it was to gain insight into the words of the law. 14And they found written in the law which the Lord had commanded through the intermediacy of Moses, that the sons of Israel should live in tabernacles during the festival in the seventh month, 15and that they should proclaim and publish an announcement in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the mountain and bring back olive foliage, and wild olive foliage, and myrtle foliage, and palm foliage, and foliage from bushy trees, to make tabernacles, as it is written.” 16So the people went out and brought them, and they made themselves tabernacles, each one on his roof and in their courtyards and in the courtyards of the house of God, and in the square of the Water Gate and in the square of the Gate of Ephraim. 17And the whole convocation of those who returned from captivity made tabernacles, and they lived in the tabernacles, which the sons of Israel had not done like this since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun up to this day, and there was very great joy. 18And he read from the book of the law of God day by day, from the first day to the last day, and they celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly according to the ordinance.

Nehemiah Chapter 9 

1Then on the twenty-fourth day of this month, the sons of Israel assembled, fasting and in sackcloth and with soil on them. 2And the seed of Israel were separated from all the foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3And they stood up in their place, and they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a quarter of a day, and for another quarter they confessed and worshipped the Lord their God. 4Then Jeshua and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Chenani arose on the Levites' platform and cried out in a loud voice to the Lord their God. 5And the Levites, Jeshua and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah said,

“Arise and bless the Lord your God

From age to age.”

“And may your glorious name be blessed,

Which is exalted above all blessing and praise.

6You alone are the Lord.

You made heaven,

The heaven of heavens and all their array,

The earth and everything on it,

The seas and everything in them,

And you give them all life.

And the array of heaven worships you.

7You are the Lord God

Who chose Abram

And brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees

And appointed his name as Abraham.

8And you found his heart to be faithful before you,

And you made a covenant with him

To give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite

And the Perizzite and the Jebusite and the Girgashite

– To give it to his seed –

And you fulfilled your words,

For you are righteous.

9And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,

And you heard their cry at the Red Sea.

10And you performed signs and miracles against Pharaoh

And against all his servants

And against all the people of his land,

For you know that they acted presumptuously against them,

And you made yourself a name,

As it is today.

11And you divided the sea in front of them,

And they crossed in the middle of the sea on dry land,

But you cast those chasing them into the depths,

Like a stone in fierce waters.

12And by day you led them with a column of cloud,

And by night with a pillar of fire,

To light up for them the way

By which they were to go.

13And you came down onto Mount Sinai,

And you spoke with them from heaven,

And you gave them upright judgments

And truthful laws

And good statutes and commandments.

14And you made your holy Sabbath known to them,

And you gave them commandments and statutes and law

Through the intermediacy of Moses your servant.

15And you gave them bread from heaven

When they were hungry,

And you brought water out of a rock for them

When they were thirsty,

And you instructed them to come and inherit the land

Concerning which you took an oath

To give it to them.

16But they and our fathers acted presumptuously,

And they became stiff-necked

And did not heed your commandments.

17And they refused to hear,

And they did not remember your wonders

Which you performed with them,

And they became stiff-necked,

And they appointed a head man

So as to return to their slavery in their rebellion.

But you are a God of forgiveness,

Gracious and compassionate,

Forbearing and of great kindness,

And you did not desert them.

18Even when they made themselves a cast calf

And said, ‘This is your God

Who brought you up out of Egypt’,

And they committed gross blasphemies,

19You still in your many mercies

Did not abandon them in the desert.

The column of cloud did not go away from them by day,

It being to lead them on the way,

Nor did the pillar of fire by night,

It being to give them light

And to light up the way which they were to go.

20And you gave your good spirit to enlighten them,

And you did not withhold your manna from their mouth,

And you gave them water for their thirst.

21And you sustained them for forty years in the desert;

They did not lack anything.

Their clothes did not wear out,

And their feet did not swell.

22And you gave them kingdoms and peoples,

And you apportioned them territory,

And they inherited the land of Sihon

And the land of the king of Heshbon

And the land of Og king of Bashan.

23And you increased the number of their sons like the stars of the sky,

And you brought them to the land

Which you told their fathers to come into

And inherit.

24And the sons came and inherited the land,

And you subdued the inhabitants of the land

– The Canaanites – at their advance,

And you delivered them into their hand,

Including their kings and the various peoples of the land,

To do what they wanted with them.

25And they captured fortified cities and fertile land,

And they inherited houses full of all good accessories

– Hewn cisterns, vineyards and olive groves

And orchard trees in abundance –

And they ate and were satisfied and became fat,

And they lived luxuriously in your great goodness.

26But they became contentious

And they rebelled against you,

And they cast your law behind their back,

And they killed your prophets,

Who testified against them

To turn them back to you,

And they committed gross blasphemies.

27Then you delivered them into the hand of their adversaries,

Who maltreated them.

Then in the time of their distress they cried out to you,

And you heard them from heaven.

And according to your many mercies, you gave them saviours

Who saved them from the hand of their adversaries.

28But when they had quiet,

They again did what was wrong before you,

And you abandoned them in the hand of their enemies,

Who trod them down.

Then they cried out to you again,

And you heard from heaven,

And you saved them according to your mercies many times.

29And you testified against them,

So as to bring them back to your law,

But they acted presumptuously

And did not heed your commandments.

And as for your judicial principles, they sinned against them

Principles which a man shall observe and live by –

And they shrugged their wayward shoulders

And stiffened their necks

And did not heed them.

30And you endured them for many years,

And you testified against them by your spirit

Through the intermediacy of your prophets,

But they did not listen,

And you delivered them into the hand of the nations of the various countries.

31But in your many mercies,

You did not finish with them,

And you did not abandon them,

For you are a gracious and compassionate God.

32And now, O God of ours,

The great and mighty and awesome God

Who keeps the covenant and maintains kindness,

Do not let all the weariness be considered little before you,

Which has come over us,

Over our kings, our officials,

And our priests and our prophets,

And our fathers, and all your people,

From the days of the kings of Assyria to this day.

33But you are righteous

Concerning everything which has come over us,

For you have acted truthfully,

Whereas we have acted wickedly,

34And our kings, our officials,

Our priests and our fathers

Did not observe your law

And did not heed your commandments or your testimonies

Which you testified against them.

35And they – in their kingdom

And despite your great generosity which you showed them,

And in the broad and fertile land which you gave them in their presence –

Did not serve you

And did not turn away from their wicked deeds.

36Behold, we are servants today,

And as for the land which you gave to our fathers,

To eat its fruit and its good produce,

Behold, we are servants on it.

37And its produce is abundant,

Destined for kings

Whom you have set over us for our sins,

And they rule over our bodies and our cattle as they wish,

And we are in great distress.

Nehemiah Chapter 10 

1And because of all this, we are making a treaty

And putting it in writing,

And the parties participating in sealing it

Are our officials, Levites and priests.”

2Now the individuals participating in sealing it were Nehemiah the governor – the son of Hachaliah – and Zedekiah, 3Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 4Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, 5Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 6Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 7Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 8Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 9Maaziah, Bilgai and Shemaiah. These were the priests. 10And the Levites were Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui, who was one of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel, 11and their brothers, Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 12Micah, Rehob, Hashabiah, 13Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 14Hodijah, Bani and Beninu. 15The heads of the people were Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 16Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 17Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 18Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 19Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai, 20Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 21Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 22Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 23Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 24Hoshea, Hananiah, Hashshub, 25Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 26Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 27and Ahijah, Hanan, Anan, 28Malluch, Harim and Baanah. 29And the rest of the people, that is the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple-servants and everyone who had separated himself from the peoples of the various lands to the law of God, and their wives, their sons and their daughters – all who knew and understood – 30joined up with their brothers, their nobles, and they entered into a curse and an oath, to walk in the law of God, which was given through the intermediacy of Moses the servant of God, and to keep and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and his ordinances and his statutes, 31and that we would not give our daughters to the various peoples of the land, and that we would not take their daughters for our sons. 32And that as for the various peoples of the land who brought merchandise and any grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we would not accept anything from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day, and that we would leave the seventh year fallow, and waive the debt owed by every claimant. 33And we instituted obligations on ourselves to be obliged to give a third of a shekel per year for the work of the house of our God, 34for the showbread and the perpetual meal-offering and the perpetual burnt offering, and the Sabbaths, and the new moons, for the festivals and for holy things, and for sin-offerings, to atone for Israel, and all the work of the house of our God. 35And we – the priests, the Levites and the people – cast lots for the offering of wood, to bring it to the house of our God, to the house of our fathers, at appointed times, year by year, to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the law, 36and to bring the firstfruits of our land, and the firstfruits of all the fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the Lord. 37And to bring the firstborn of our sons and our livestock, as it is written in the law (so the firstborn of our oxen and our sheep), to the house of our God, to the priests who serve in the house of our God. 38And that we should bring the firstfruits of our grain, and our heave-offering, and the fruit of every tree, new wine and new oil, to the priests at the offices of the house of our God, and the tithes of our ground to the Levites, who are the very Levites who take tithes in all the cities where we work. 39And that the priest – a son of Aaron – would be with the Levites when the Levites take tithes, and that the Levites should bring a tenth of the tithes up to the house of our God, to the offices of the treasury. 40For the sons of Israel and the sons of Levi will bring the heave-offering of the corn, the new wine and the new oil, to the offices where the equipment of the sanctuary is, and where the priests who serve and the gatekeepers and the singers are. And we will not neglect the house of our God.

Nehemiah Chapter 11 

1And the officials among the people lived in Jerusalem, but the rest of the people cast lots for bringing one in ten to live in Jerusalem – the holy city – whereas nine out of ten would be in the cities. 2And the people blessed all the men who were willing to live in Jerusalem. 3And these were the heads of the province who lived in Jerusalem, whereas in the cities of Judah, each man lived on his estate in their cities, these people being Israel, the priests and the Levites and the temple-servants and the sons of Solomon's servants. 4And in Jerusalem there lived some of the sons of Judah and some of the sons of Benjamin. Of the sons of Judah were Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, he being of the sons of Perez, 5and Maaseiah, the son of Baruch, the son of Col-Hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of Shiloni. 6All the sons of Perez who lived in Jerusalem amounted to four hundred and sixty-eight valiant men. 7And these were the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Isaiah, 8and after him, Gabbai and Sallai – nine hundred and twenty-eight in all. 9And Joel the son of Zichri was superintendent over them, and Judah the son of Hassenuah was second in charge of the city. 10From the priests were Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin, 11Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub – the leader in the house of God – 12with their brothers who carried out the work on the house who were eight hundred and twenty-two in number, and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah, 13and his brothers the paternal heads – two hundred and forty-two in number – and Amashsai, the son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer, 14and their brothers – valiant warriors – one hundred and twenty-eight in number. And the superintendent over them was Zabdiel, a son of the great ones. 15And from the Levites was Shemaiah the son of Hashshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni. 16And Shabbethai and Jozabad from the heads of the Levites were in charge of the exterior work on the house of God. 17And Mattaniah the son of Micah, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, was head – at the start he would give thanks in prayer – and Bakbukiah was assistant head among his brothers, with Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun. 18All the Levites in the holy city were two hundred and eighty-four in number. 19And the gatekeepers, Akkub and Talmon and their brothers who guarded the gates were one hundred and seventy-two in number. 20And the rest of Israel and the Levite priests were in all the cities of Judah, each in his inheritance. 21And the temple-servants lived in the Ophel, and Ziha and Gishpa were in charge of the temple-servants. 22And the superintendent of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micah. The singers were from the sons of Asaph, appointed for the work of the house of God. 23For a commandment from the king had been imposed on them, as had an obligation on the singers as a daily undertaking. 24And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabel from the sons of Zerah the son of Judah was at the king's side in every matter of the people. 25And some of the sons of Judah lived in the outlying areas in their countryside, in Kiriath-Arba and its satellite villages, and in Dibon and its satellite villages, and in Jekabzeel and its outlying areas, 26and in Jeshua and in Moladah and in Beth-Pelet, 27and in Hazar-Shual and in Beersheba and its satellite villages, 28and in Ziklag and in Mekonah and its satellite villages, 29and in En-Rimmon and in Zareah and in Jarmuth, 30Zanoah, Adullam and their outlying areas, Lachish and its countryside, and Azekah and its satellite villages. And they encamped in places from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom. 31And the sons of Benjamin from Geba lived in Michmas and Aijah and Beth-El and its satellite villages, 32and in Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, 33Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, 34Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, 35Lod and Ono and the Valley of the Craftsmen. 36And among the Levites were divisions of Judah assigned to Benjamin.

Nehemiah Chapter 12 

1And these are the priests and the Levites who went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 3Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 4Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, 5Miamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, 6Shemaiah and Joiarib, Jedaiah, 7Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah and Jedaiah. These were the heads of the priests and their brothers in the days of Jeshua. 8And the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah who was in charge of songs of praise – he and his brothers – 9and Bakbukiah and Unni, their brothers, corresponding to them in guard duties. 10Now Jeshua begot Joiakim, and Joiakim begot Eliashib, and Eliashib begot Joiada, 11and Joiada begot Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jaddua. 12And in the days of Joiakim, the priests – the paternal heads – were: in Seraiah's line, Meraiah; in Jeremiah's line, Hananiah; 13in Ezra's line, Meshullam; in Amariah's line, Jehohanan; 14in Melicu's line, Jonathan; in Shebaniah's line, Joseph; 15in Harim's line, Adna; in Meraioth's line, Helkai; 16in Iddo's line, Zechariah; in Ginnethon's line, Meshullam; 17in Abijah's line, Zichri; in Miniamin's line, in Moadiah's line, Piltai; 18in Bilgah's line, Shammua; in Shemaiah's line, Jonathan; 19in Joiarib's line, Mattenai; in Jedaiah's line, Uzzi; 20in Sallai's line, Kallai; in Amok's line, Eber; 21in Hilkiah's line, Hashabiah; and in Jedaiah's line, Nethaneel. 22In the days of Eliashib, Joiada and Johanan and Jaddua, the Levites were registered as paternal heads, and the priests were registered in the kingdom of Darius the Persian. 23The sons of Levi – the paternal heads – were written in the Book of Chronicles, up to the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib. 24And the heads of the Levites were: Hashabiah, Sherebiah and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, and their brothers corresponding to them to praise and to give thanks in fulfilment of the commandment of David the man of God, one duty alongside another. 25Mattaniah and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon and Akkub were guards gatekeeping, in a watch at the gate storehouses. 26These were in the days of Joiakim, the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe. 27At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, they looked for the Levites in all their places, so as to bring them to Jerusalem, to celebrate the dedication and festivity, with both thanksgiving and song, with timbrels and lutes and with harps. 28And the sons of the singers were gathered, both from the adjoining tract around Jerusalem, and from the outlying villages of Netophathi, 29and from the house of Gilgal and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built themselves outlying villages around Jerusalem. 30And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people, and the gates, and the wall. 31And I brought the officials of Judah up above the wall, and I organized two great thanksgiving processions, and processions to the right above the wall towards the Dung Gate. 32And after them came Hoshaiah and half the officials of Judah, 33and Azariah, Ezra and Meshullam, 34Judah and Benjamin and Shemaiah and Jeremiah, 35and some of the sons of the priests, with trumpets, namely Zechariah, the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph, 36and his brothers, Shemaiah and Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel and Judah and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them. 37And at the Fount Gate, which was opposite them, they went up the steps of the City of David, at the ascent of the wall above David's house, up to the Water Gate to the east. 38And the second thanksgiving procession went in the opposite direction, and I followed it. And half the people were above the wall, above the Tower of Furnaces, as far as the Broad Wall, 39and above the Gate of Ephraim, and on the Old Gate, and on the Fish Gate, and the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, and as far as the Sheep Gate, and they stood at the Prison Gate. 40And the two thanksgiving processions stopped at the house of God, as did I and the half of the administrators who were with me, 41and the priests, namely Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah and Hananiah, with trumpets, 42and Maaseiah and Shemaiah and Eleazar and Uzzi and Jehohanan and Malchijah and Elam and Ezer. And the singers made themselves heard, and Jizrahiah was the choirmaster. 43And on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God gave them great joy, and the women and children also rejoiced, and the rejoicing in Jerusalem was heard at a distance. 44And on that day men were appointed over the treasury office rooms for the heave-offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to collect through them the contributions of the outlying fields of the cities specified in the law, for the priests and the Levites. For it was Judah's joy for the priests and the Levites who stood serving. 45And both the singers and the gatekeepers kept the observance of their God and the observance of purification, according to the commandment of David and Solomon his son. 46For back in the former days of David and Asaph there was a head over the singers, and singing in praise and thanksgiving to God. 47And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah would give contributions for the singers and the gatekeepers, as a daily undertaking, and they consecrated the contributions to the Levites, and the Levites consecrated them to the sons of Aaron.

Nehemiah Chapter 13 

1On that day there was a reading from the book of Moses with the people hearing, and there was found written in it that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the convocation of God. 2For they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and water, and they hired Balaam against them to curse them, but our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3And it came to pass when they heard the law that they separated all the mixed camp followers from Israel. 4Now before this, Eliashib the priest had been given an appointment in an office of the house of our God. He was related to Tobiah, 5and he had acquired for him a large office where people had previously given the meal-offering, the frankincense and various articles and the tithe of the corn, the new wine and the new oil – a commandment for the Levites and the singers and the gatekeepers – and the heave-offering for the priests. 6But during all this I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon, I had gone to the king, and after some days I asked the king for leave, 7and I came to Jerusalem, and I became aware of the wrong which Eliashib had done for the benefit of Tobiah in acquiring an office for him in the courtyards of the house of God. 8And it was very hurtful to me, and I threw all Tobiah's household articles out of the office. 9And I gave instruction, and they cleansed the offices, and I restored the equipment of the house of God there, and the meal-offering, and the frankincense. 10And I knew that the contributions for the Levites had not been given, and that the Levites and the singers who did the work had fled – each to his own field. 11And I argued with the administrators, and I said, “Why has the house of God been abandoned?” And I gathered them together and stationed them in their positions. 12And all Judah brought the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the new oil to the treasuries. 13And I appointed treasurers over the treasuries: Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah from the Levites, and alongside them was Hanan, the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, for they were considered faithful, and it was incumbent on them to apportion the revenue to their brothers. 14Remember me, O God of mine, for this, and do not blot out the kind deeds which I have done in the house of my God and its observances. 15In those days I saw in Judah men treading in wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing grain in in heaps, and loading it on donkeys – and also wine, grapes and figs and all kinds of burden – and bringing them to Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I testified against them on the day when they sold the produce. 16And Tyrians lived in the place, and they brought fish and all kinds of merchandise and sold it on the Sabbath to the sons of Judah and in Jerusalem. 17And I argued with the nobles of Judah, and I said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, seeing you are profaning the Sabbath day? 18Did not your fathers do likewise, so that our God brought all this trouble on us and on this city, yet you are adding fury on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.” 19And it came to pass, when the gates of Jerusalem were becoming overshadowed before the Sabbath, that I ordered that the doors be shut, and I ordered that they should not be open until after the Sabbath. And I stationed some of my servant-lads at the gates so that no burden should enter on the Sabbath day. 20Then the traders and sellers of all kinds of merchandise lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. 21But I testified against them, and I said to them, “Why do you lodge opposite the wall? If you do it again I will lay hands on you.” From that time they did not come on the Sabbath. 22And I instructed the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates to sanctify the Sabbath day. Remember this too on my account, O God of mine, and have pity on me, according to the abundance of your kindness. 23Also in those days I saw the Jews bringing Ashdodite, Ammonite and Moabite women into their homes, 24and their sons spoke half Ashdodian, and they were not familiar with speaking the Judaean language, but they spoke in the tongue of the various peoples. 25And I argued with them, and I cursed them, and I struck some of the men, and I plucked out their hair, and I adjured them by God and said, “Do not give your daughters to their sons and do not take any of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves at all. 26Did not Solomon king of Israel sin similarly? Yet among the numerous nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his God, and God appointed him king over all Israel. But the foreign women induced even him to sin. 27So shall we consent to you doing all this great evil, in acting perversely against our God, in taking foreign women into our homes?” 28And one of the sons of Joiada the son of Eliashib the high priest was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite, and I chased him away from me. 29Remember them, O God of mine, for the stains they brought on the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites. 30And I cleansed them from all foreignness, and I instituted duties for the priests and Levites – each in his own work – 31and for the offering of wood at appointed times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me favourably, O God of mine.

1 Chronicles  

1 Chronicles Chapter 1 

1Adam, Seth, Enos, 2Cainan, Mahalalel, Jared, 3Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, 4Noah, Shem, Ham, Japheth. 5The sons of Japheth were Gomer and Magog and Madai and Javan and Tubal and Meshech and Tiras. 6And the sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz and Diphath and Togarmah. 7And the sons of Javan were Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim and Rodanim. 8And the sons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan. 9And the sons of Cush were Seba and Havilah and Sabtah and Raamah and Sabtechah. And the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. 10And Cush begot Nimrod. He started to become mighty in the land. 11And Mizraim begot Ludim and Anamim and Lehabim and Naphtuhim, 12and Pathrusim, and Casluhim from whom the Philistines emerged, and the Caphtorites. 13And Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn and Heth, 14and the Jebusite and the Amorite and the Girgashite, 15and the Hivite and the Arkite and the Sinite, 16and the Arvadite and the Zemarite and the Hamathite. 17The sons of Shem were Elam and Ashshur and Arphaxad and Lud and Aram and Uz and Hul and Gether and Meshech. 18And Arphaxad begot Shelah, and Shelah begot Eber. 19And by Eber two sons were begotten. The name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth became divided, and the name of his brother was Joktan. 20And Joktan begot Almodad and Sheleph and Hazarmaveth and Jerah, 21and Hadoram and Uzal and Diklah, 22and Ebal and Abimael and Sheba, 23and Ophir and Havilah and Jobab. All of these were the sons of Joktan. 24Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, 25Eber, Peleg, Reu, 26Serug, Nahor, Terah, 27Abram, who is Abraham. 28The sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael. 29This is their genealogy: the firstborn of Ishmael was Nebaioth, then Kedar and Adbeel and Mibsam, 30and Mishma and Dumah, Massa, Hadar and Tema, 31Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael. 32And as for the sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine, she bore Zimran and Jokshan and Medan and Midian and Ishbak and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan. 33And the sons of Midian were Ephah and Epher and Hanoch and Abida and Eldaah. All these were the sons of Keturah. 34And Abraham begot Isaac. The sons of Isaac were Esau and Israel. 35The sons of Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel and Jeush and Jaalam and Korah. 36The sons of Eliphaz were Teman and Omar, Zephi and Gatam, Kenaz and Timna and Amalek. 37And the sons of Reuel were Nahath and Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. 38And the sons of Seir were Lotan and Shobal and Zibeon and Anah and Dishon and Ezer and Dishan. 39And Lotan's sons were Hori and Homam, and Lotan's sister was Timna. 40The sons of Shobal were Alian and Manahath and Ebal, Shephi and Onam. And the sons of Zibeon were Ajah and Anah. 41The sons of Anah were Dishon and his line. And the sons of Dishon were Hamran and Eshban and Ithran and Cheran. 42The sons of Ezer were Bilhan and Zaavan and Jaakan. The sons of Dishon were Uz and Aran. 43And these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the sons of Israel: Bela the son of Beor. And the name of his city was Dinhabah. 44Then Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in place of him. 45Then Jobab died, and Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in place of him. 46Then Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who struck Midian down in the countryside of Moab, reigned in place of him, and the name of his city was Avith. 47Then Hadad died, and Samlah from Masrekah reigned in place of him. 48Then Samlah died, and Saul from Rehoboth-upon-the-River reigned in place of him. 49Then Saul died, and Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in place of him. 50Then Baal-Hanan died, and Hadad reigned in place of him, and the name of his city was Pai, and the name of his wife was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab. 51Then Hadad died, and there arose chieftains of Edom: Chieftain Timna, Chieftain Alvah, Chieftain Jetheth, 52Chieftain Aholibamah, Chieftain Elah, Chieftain Pinon, 53Chieftain Kenaz, Chieftain Teman, Chieftain Mibzar, 54Chieftain Magdiel, Chieftain Iram. These were the chieftains of Edom.

1 Chronicles Chapter 2 

1These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah, Issachar and Zebulun, 2Dan, Joseph and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 3The sons of Judah were Er and Onan and Shelah. Three were born to him by the daughter of Shua the Canaanitess. And Er, Judah's firstborn was evil in the Lord's sight, and he killed him. 4Then Tamar, his daughter-in-law bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah's sons were five in total. 5The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 6And the sons of Zerah were Zimri and Ethan and Heman and Calcol and Dara – five of them in total. 7And the sons of Carmi were Achar the plague of Israel who acted treacherously with the condemned spoils. 8And the sons of Ethan were Azariah and his line. 9And the sons of Hezron who were born to him were Jerahmeel and Ram and Chelubai. 10And Ram begot Amminadab, and Amminadab begot Nahshon, the leader of the sons of Judah. 11And Nahshon begot Salma, and Salma begot Boaz. 12And Boaz begot Obed, and Obed begot Jesse, 13and Jesse begot his firstborn, Eliab, and Abinadab the second son, and Shimah the third, 14and Nethaneel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, 15Ozem the sixth, and David the seventh. 16And their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And Zeruiah's sons were Abishai and Joab and Asahel – three of them. 17And Abigail bore Amasa, and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite. 18And Caleb the son of Hezron begot offspring by Azubah his wife and by Jerioth, and these were their sons: Jesher and Shobab and Ardon. 19Then when Azubah died, Caleb took Ephrath as his wife, and she bore him Hur. 20And Hur begot Uri, and Uri begot Bezalel. 21And afterwards Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead. And when he took her as wife, he was sixty years old, and she bore him Segub. 22And Segub bore Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. 23And he took Geshur and Aram with the villages of Jair from them, with Kenath and its satellites – sixty towns. All these fell to the sons of Machir the father of Gilead. 24And after the death of Hezron in Caleb-Ephrathah, Hezron's wife Abijah bore him Ashhur the father of Tekoa. 25And the sons of Jerahmeel the firstborn of Hezron were Ram the firstborn and Bunah and Oren and Ozem and Ahijah. 26And Jerahmeel had another wife, whose name was Atarah. She was the mother of Onam. 27And the sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel, were Maaz and Jamin and Eker. 28And the sons of Onam were Shammai and Jada. And the sons of Shammai were Nadab and Abishur. 29And the name of Abishur's wife was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid. 30And the sons of Nadab were Seled and Appaim. But Seled died without sons. 31And the sons of Appaim were Ishi and his line. And the sons of Ishi were Sheshan and his line. And the sons of Sheshan were Ahlai and his line. 32And the sons of Jada the brother of Shammai were Jether and Jonathan. But Jether died without sons. 33And the sons of Jonathan were Peleth and Zaza. These were the sons of Jerahmeel. 34Now Sheshan did not have any sons, but daughters, and Sheshan had an Egyptian servant whose name was Jarha. 35And Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant as a wife, and she bore him Attai. 36And Attai begot Nathan, and Nathan begot Zabad, 37and Zabad begot Ephlal, and Ephlal begot Obed, 38and Obed begot Jehu, and Jehu begot Azariah, 39and Azariah begot Helez, and Helez begot Elasah, 40and Elasah begot Sismai, and Sismai begot Shallum, 41and Shallum begot Jekamiah, and Jekamiah begot Elishama. 42And the sons of Caleb, the brother of Jerahmeel were Mesha his firstborn and his line. He is the father of Ziph, and the forefather of the sons of Mareshah the father of Hebron. 43And the sons of Hebron were Korah and Tappuah and Rekem and Shema, 44and Shema begot Raham, the father of Jorkoam, and Rekem begot Shammai. 45And the son of Shammai was Maon. And Maon was the father of Beth-Zur. 46And Ephah, Caleb's concubine, bore Haran and Moza and Gazez. And Haran begot Gazez. 47And the sons of Johdai were Regem and Jotham and Geshan and Pelet and Ephah and Shaaph. 48Caleb's concubine Maachah bore Sheber and Tirhanah. 49And she bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah, and the father of Gibea. And Caleb's daughter was Achsah. 50These were the sons of Caleb the son of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath-Jearim, 51Salma the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth-Gader. 52And Shobal the father of Kiriath-Jearim had sons: Haroeh and half of the Manahethites. 53And the families of Kiriath-Jearim were the Ithrites and the Puthites and the Shumathites and the Mishraites. From these the Zorathites and the Eshtaulites descended. 54The sons of Salma were Bethlehem and the Netophathites, Ataroth the house of Joab, and half of the Manahethites, the Zorites. 55And the families of the scribes – the inhabitants of Jabez – were the Tirathites, the Shimathites and the Suchathites. These were the Kenites who came from Hamath, the father of the house of Rechab.

1 Chronicles Chapter 3 

1And these were the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron. The firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second was Daniel, by Abigail the Carmelitess; 2the third was Absalom, the son of Maachah, the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth was Adonijah the son of Haggith; 3the fifth was Shephatiah by Abital; the sixth was Ithream by Eglah his wife. 4Six were born to him in Hebron, and he reigned there for seven years and six months, then he reigned in Jerusalem for thirty-three years. 5And these were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimah and Shobab and Nathan and Solomon – four by Bath-Shua the daughter of Ammiel – 6and Ibhar and Elishama and Eliphelet, 7and Nogah and Nepheg and Japhia, 8and Elishama and Eliada and Eliphelet – nine of them. 9These were all the sons of David, apart from the sons of his concubines, and Tamar was their sister. 10And Solomon's son was Rehoboam, whose son was Abijah, whose son was Asa, whose son was Jehoshaphat, 11whose son was Joram, whose son was Ahaziah, whose son was Joash, 12whose son was Amaziah, whose son was Azariah, whose son was Jotham, 13whose son was Ahaz, whose son was Hezekiah, whose son was Manasseh, 14whose son was Amon, whose son was Josiah. 15And the sons of Josiah were Johanan the firstborn, Jehoiakim the second son, Zedekiah the third, Shallum the fourth. 16And the sons of Jehoiakim were Jeconiah his son, and Zedekiah his son. 17And the sons of Jeconiah were Assir, Shealtiel his son, 18and Malchiram and Pedaiah and Shenazar, Jecamiah, Hoshama and Nedabiah. 19And the sons of Pedaiah were Zerubbabel and Shimei. And the sons of Zerubbabel were Meshullam and Hananiah, and Shelomith their sister, 20and Hashubah and Ohel and Berechiah and Hasadiah and Jushab-Hesed – five of them. 21And the sons of Hananiah were Pelatiah and Isaiah, the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, the sons of Shechaniah. 22And the sons of Shechaniah were Shemaiah and his line. And the sons of Shemaiah were Hattush and Igeal and Bariah and Neariah and Shaphat – six of them. 23And the sons of Neariah were Elioenai and Hezekiah and Azrikam – three of them. 24And the sons of Elioenai were Hodaviah and Eliashib and Pelaiah and Akkub and Johanan and Delaiah and Anani – seven of them.

1 Chronicles Chapter 4 

1The sons of Judah were Perez and Hezron and Carmi and Hur and Shobal. 2And Reaiah the son of Shobal bore Jahath, and Jahath begot Ahumai and Lahad. These were the families of the Zorathites. 3And these were the fathers of Etam: Jezreel and Ishma and Idbash. And the name of their sister was Hazlelponi. 4And Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah. These were the sons of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah, the father of Bethlehem. 5And Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah. 6And Naarah bore him Ahuzam and Hepher and Temeni and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. 7And the sons of Helah were Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan. 8And Coz begot Anub and Hazzobebah and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum. 9Now Jabez was more honoured than his brothers, and his mother called him Jabez and said, “It is because I bore him in sorrow.” 10And Jabez called on the God of Israel and said, “If only you would make a point of blessing me, and increase my territory, and your hand would be with me, and you would act keeping me from harm so that I may not have sorrow!” And God brought about what he had asked. 11And Chelub the brother of Shuhah begot Mehir – he was the father of Eshton. 12And Eshton begot Beth-Rapha and Paseah and Tehinnah the father of Ir-Nahash. These were the men of Rechah. 13And the sons of Kenaz were Othniel and Seraiah. And the sons of Othniel were Hathath and his line. 14And Meonothai begot Ophrah. And Seraiah begot Joab the father of the Valley of Harashim, for they were craftsmen. 15And the sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh were Iru, Elah and Naam. And the sons of Elah were Kenaz and his line. 16And the sons of Jehalelel were Ziph and Ziphah, Tiria and Asarel. 17And the sons of Ezrah were Jether and Mered and Epher and Jalon. And she bore Miriam and Shammai and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. 18And his wife Jehudijah bore Jered the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Sochoh, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. And these were the sons of Bithiah, Pharaoh's daughter, whom Mered took. 19And the sons of the wife of Hodijah, the sister of Naham, were the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maachathite. 20And the sons of Shimon were Amnon and Rinnah, Ben-Hanan and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi were Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth. 21The sons of Shelah the son of Judah were Er the father of Lecah, and Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of fine linen work, of the house of Ashbea, 22and Jokim and the men of Chozeba, and Joash and Saraph who ruled over Moab and Jashubi-Lehem. And the records are ancient. 23These were the potters and the inhabitants of Netaim and Gederah. They accompanied the king in his work, and they lived there. 24The sons of Simeon were Nemuel and Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, Saul, 25Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son. 26And the sons of Mishma were Hamuel his son, Zaccur his son, Shimei his son. 27And Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers did not have many sons, and their family as a whole did not multiply to the extent the sons of Judah did. 28And they lived in Beersheba and Moladah and Hazar-Shual, 29and in Bilhah and in Ezem and in Tolad, 30and in Bethuel and in Hormah and in Ziklag, 31and in Beth-Marcaboth and in Hazar-Susim and in Beth-Birei and in Shaaraim. These were their cities until David reigned. 32And their villages were Etam and Ain, Rimmon and Tochen and Ashan – five cities. 33And all their villages in the areas surrounding these cities extended as far as Baal. This was their homeland and their place of genealogical registration which they had. 34And as for Meshobab and Jamlech and Joshah the son of Amaziah, 35and Joel and Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel, 36and Elioenai and Jaakobah and Jeshohaiah and Asaiah and Adiel and Jesimiel and Benaiah, 37and Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah, 38these are those who came in high standing – leaders among their families – and the house of their fathers expanded profusely. 39And they went to the approach of Gedor, as far as the east of the valley, to look for pasture for their sheep. 40And they found rich and good quality pasture, and the land was wide on both sides, and quiet and calm, for the inhabitants there had for a long time been those descended from Ham. 41And those who were registered by their names in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah came and attacked their tents and the dwelling places which were found there, and they obliterated them, as they are up to this day. And they lived there in place of them, for there was pasture for their sheep there. 42And some of them from the sons of Simeon went to Mount Seir – five hundred men – and Pelatiah and Neariah and Rephaiah and Uzziel the sons of Ishi were at their head. 43And they struck down the escaped remnant of the Amalekites, and they have been living there up to this day.

1 Chronicles Chapter 5 

1And concerning the sons of Reuben, Israel's firstborn, although he was the firstborn, by his violation of his father's bed, his firstborn status was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel, and he was not registered as having firstborn status. 2For Judah became strong among his brothers, and he was destined for a leader to stem from him, but the firstborn status was Joseph's. 3The sons of Reuben, Israel's firstborn, were Hanoch and Pallu and Hezron and Carmi. 4The sons of Joel were Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, 5Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son, 6Beerah his son whom Tilgath-Pilneser king of Assyria deported. He was a leader of the Reubenites. 7And his brothers according to their families, according to the registration of their genealogy were Jeiel the head and Zechariah, 8and Bela, the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel. He dwelt in Aroer, and as far as Nebo and Baal-Meon. 9And in the east he dwelt as far as the way into the desert, up to the River Euphrates, because their cattle had increased in the land of Gilead. 10And in the days of Saul they waged war against the Hagarites, who fell into their hand. And they lived in their tents, over the whole landscape of the east of Gilead. 11And the sons of Gad lived opposite them in the land of Bashan, as far as Salcah. 12And Joel was the head, and Shapham was second, then there were Jaanai and Shaphat in Bashan. 13And their brothers according to their paternal house were Michael and Meshullam and Sheba and Jorai and Jacan and Zia and Eber – seven of them. 14These were the sons of Abihail, the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz. 15Ahi, the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, was the head of their paternal house. 16And they lived in Gilead in Bashan and its satellite towns and in all the pasture lands of Sharon in their most distant parts. 17They were all registered genealogically in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel. 18The sons of Reuben and the Gadites and half of the tribe of Manasseh, with some of the soldiers – men who bore a shield and sword and drew a bow and who were skilled in war – were forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty in number who went out to war. 19And they waged war against the Hagarites and Jetur and Naphish and Nodab. 20And they were helped in fighting against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, as were all who were with them, for they cried out to God in the war, and he acceded to them, because they had put their trust in him. 21And they captured their cattle – fifty thousand of their camels and two hundred and fifty thousand of their sheep and two thousand donkeys – and one hundred thousand men, alive. 22For many fell defeated, for the war was from God, and they lived there instead of them until the deportation. 23And the sons of the half-tribe of Manasseh lived in the land. They increased from Bashan to Baal-Hermon and Senir and Mount Hermon. 24And these are the heads of their paternal house: both Epher and Ishi, and Eliel and Azriel and Jeremiah and Hodaviah and Jahdiel – men who were valiant warriors, men of renown, heads of their paternal house. 25But they acted perversely with the God of their fathers, and they acted promiscuously in going after the gods of the various peoples of the land whom God had destroyed before them. 26And the God of Israel aroused the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgath-Pilneser king of Assyria, and he deported them – that is the Reubenites and the Gadites and half of the tribe of Manasseh – and he brought them to Halah, and Habor, and Hara and the River Gozan, as it is up to this day. 27The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath and Merari. 28And the sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar and Hebron and Uzziel. 29And the sons of Amram were Aaron and Moses, and Miriam. And the sons of Aaron were Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 30Eleazar begot Phinehas, Phinehas begot Abishua, 31and Abishua begot Bukki, and Bukki begot Uzzi, 32and Uzzi begot Zerahiah, and Zerahiah begot Meraioth. 33Meraioth begot Amariah, and Amariah begot Ahitub, 34and Ahitub begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Ahimaaz, 35and Ahimaaz begot Azariah, and Azariah begot Johanan, 36and Johanan begot Azariah – it is he who officiated as priest in the house which Solomon built in Jerusalem – 37and Azariah begot Amariah, and Amariah begot Ahitub, 38and Ahitub begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Shallum, 39and Shallum begot Hilkiah, and Hilkiah begot Azariah, 40and Azariah begot Seraiah, and Seraiah begot Jehozadak. 41And Jehozadak was moved out when the Lord deported Judah and Jerusalem by the agency of Nebuchadnezzar.

1 Chronicles Chapter 6 

1The sons of Levi were Gershom Kohath and Merari. 2And these are the names of the sons of Gershom: Libni and Shimei. 3And the sons of Kohath were Amram and Izhar and Hebron and Uzziel. 4The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. And these were the families of the Levites according to their fathers: 5of Gershom, Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son, 6Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, Jeatherai his son. 7The sons of Kohath were Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, 8Elkanah his son and Ebiasaph his son and Assir his son, 9Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son and Saul his son. 10And the sons of Elkanah were Amasai and Ahimoth. 11As for Elkanah, the sons of Elkanah were Zophai his son, Nahath his son, 12Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son. 13And the sons of Samuel were the firstborn Vashni, and Abijah. 14The sons of Merari were Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzza his son, 15Shimah his son, Haggiah his son, Asaiah his son. 16And these are they whom David set up to attend to singing in the house of the Lord after the resting of the ark. 17And they served before the tabernacle of the tent of contact with song until Solomon had built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. And they stood according to their schedule at their work. 18And these are those who stood, as did their sons. Those of the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, 19the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, 20the son of Ziph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, 21the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, 22the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, 23the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, 24and his brother Asaph who stands on his right hand side, Asaph being the son of Berechiah, the son of Shima, 25the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchijah, 26the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah, 27the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei, 28the son of Jahath, the son of Gershom, the son of Levi, 29and the sons of Merari, their brothers who stand on the left hand side, were Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch, 30the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah, 31the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shemer, 32the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi. 33And there were their brothers, the Levites, who were appointed to all the work of the tabernacle of the house of God. 34And Aaron and his sons burned incense on the altar for the burnt offering, and on the altar for incense, and they were appointed for all service concerning the holy of holies, and to atone for Israel according to everything that Moses the servant of God commanded. 35And these were the sons of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son, 36Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son, 37Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son, 38Zadok his son, Ahimaaz his son. 39And these are their places of abode, concerning their castles in their territory, belonging to the sons of Aaron, to the Kohathite family, for they had this lot, 40that they were given Hebron in the land of Judah, and its pasture lands around it, 41but the fields of the city and its courtyards were given to Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 42So they gave the sons of Aaron the cities of refuge: Hebron and Libnah and its pasture lands, and Jattir and Eshtemoa and its pasture lands, 43and Hilez and its pasture lands, Debir and its pasture lands, 44and Ashan and its pasture lands, and Beth-Shemesh and its pasture lands. 45And from the tribe of Benjamin they were given Geba and its pasture lands, and Alemeth and its pasture lands, and Anathoth and its pasture lands. In total their cities came to thirteen cities among their families. 46And to the sons of Kohath who remained of the family of the tribe were given – from a half-tribe, the half-tribe of Manasseh – ten cities by lot. 47And to the sons of Gershom, according to their families were given – from the tribe of Issachar and from the tribe of Asher and from the tribe of Naphtali, and from the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan – thirteen cities. 48To the sons of Merari, according to their families were given – from the tribe of Reuben and from the tribe of Gad and from the tribe of Zebulun – twelve cities by lot. 49So the sons of Israel gave the cities with their pasture lands to the Levites. 50And from the tribe of the sons of Judah, and from the tribe of the sons of Simeon, and from the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, they gave by lot these cities which they specified by name. 51And as for a certain part of the families of the sons of Kohath, the cities of their territory were from the tribe of Ephraim. 52And they gave them the cities of refuge: Shechem and its pasture lands at Mount Ephraim, and Gezer and its pasture lands, 53and Jokmeam and its pasture lands, and Beth-Horon and its pasture lands, 54and Aijalon and its pasture lands, and Gath-Rimmon and its pasture lands, 55and from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Aner and its pasture lands, Bilam and its pasture lands, given to the family of the sons of Kohath who remained. 56To the sons of Gershom, from the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh, they gave Golan in Bashan and its pasture lands, and Ashtaroth and its pasture lands, 57and from the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh and its pasture lands, and Daberath and its pasture lands, 58and Ramoth and its pasture lands, and Anem and its pasture lands, 59and from the tribe of Asher: Mashal and its pasture lands, and Abdon and its pasture lands, 60and Hukok and its pasture lands, and Rehob and its pasture lands, 61and from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee and its pasture lands, and Hammon and its pasture lands, and Kiriathaim and its pasture lands. 62To the remaining sons of Merari were given: from the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmono and its pasture lands, and Tabor and its pasture lands, 63and on the other side of the Jordan, Jericho, to the east of the Jordan; from the tribe of Reuben, Bezer in the desert and its pasture lands, and Jahzah and its pasture lands, 64and Kedemoth and its pasture lands, and Mephaath and its pasture lands; 65and from the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead and its pasture lands, and Mahanaim and its pasture lands, 66and Heshbon and its pasture lands and Jazer and its pasture lands.

1 Chronicles Chapter 7 

1And as for the sons of Issachar, they were Tola and Puah, Jashub and Shimron – four of them. 2And the sons of Tola were Uzzi and Rephaiah and Jeriel and Jahmai and Jibsam and Samuel – heads of their paternal house. To Tola valiant warriors were recorded in their genealogies. Their number in David's days was twenty-two thousand six hundred. 3And the sons of Uzzi were Izrahiah and his line. And the sons of Izrahiah were Michael and Obadiah and Joel and Ishiah – five of them – all heads in rank. 4And alongside them according to their genealogies, according to their paternal house, were the troops of the army for war – thirty-six thousand men – for they had many wives and sons. 5And their brothers according to all the families of Issachar were valiant soldiers – eighty-seven thousand of them in total according to their registration by their genealogy. 6The sons of Benjamin were Bela and Becher and Jediael – three of them. 7And the sons of Bela were Ezbon and Uzzi and Uzziel and Jerimoth and Iri – five of them – heads of the paternal house, valiant soldiers – and they were twenty-two thousand and thirty-four in number in their registration by their genealogy. 8And the sons of Becher were Zemira and Joash and Eliezer and Elioenai and Omri and Jeremoth and Abijah and Anathoth and Alemeth. All these were the sons of Becher. 9And their registration according to their genealogy was as heads of their paternal house – as valiant warriors – twenty thousand two hundred in number. 10And the sons of Jediael were Bilhan and his line. And the sons of Bilhan were Jeush and Benjamin and Ehud and Chenaanah and Zethan and Tarshish and Ahishahar. 11All these were the sons of Jediael according to the paternal heads – valiant soldiers – seventeen thousand two hundred in number who would go out to battle in the army. 12And Shuppim and Huppim were the sons of Ir, and there was Hushim, of the sons of someone else. 13The sons of Naphtali were Jahziel and Guni and Jezer and Shallum, being the sons of Bilhah. 14The sons of Manasseh were Asriel to whom his wife gave birth. His Aramaean concubine gave birth to Machir the father of Gilead. 15And Machir took as wife the sister of Huppim and Shuppim, and the name of his sister was Maachah. And the name of the second son was Zelophehad, and Zelophehad had daughters. 16And Maachah the wife of Machir gave birth to a son, and she called him Peresh, and the name of his brother was Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rekem. 17And the sons of Ulam were Bedan and his line. These were the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh. 18And his sister Hammolecheth gave birth to Ishhod and Abiezer and Mahlah. 19And the sons of Shemida were Ahian and Shechem and Likhi and Aniam. 20And the sons of Ephraim were Shuthelah, and Bered his son, and Tahath his son, and Eladah his son and Tahath his son, 21and Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elad, but the men of Gath who were born in the land killed them, because they came down to take their cattle. 22And Ephraim their father mourned for many days, and his brothers came to console him. 23And after he had gone in to his wife, she conceived and bore a son, and he called him Beriah, because it was troublesome in his house. 24And his daughter was Sheerah, and she built Lower and Upper Beth-Horon and Uzzen-Sheerah. 25And Rephah was his son, as were Resheph, and Telah his son, and Tahan his son, 26Ladan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, 27Non his son and Joshua his son. 28And their estate and place of residence was Beth-El and its satellite villages. And to the east it was Naaran, and to the west it was Gezer and its satellite villages, and Shechem and its satellite villages, as far as Ajah and its satellite villages. 29And next to the sons of Manasseh were Beth-Shean and its satellite villages, Taanach and its satellite villages, Megiddo and its satellite villages, and Dor and its satellite villages. It is in these that the sons of Joseph the son of Israel lived. 30The sons of Asher were Jimnah and Jishvah and Jishvi and Beriah, and Serah was their sister. 31And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel – he was the father of Birzoth. 32And Heber begot Japhlet and Shomer and Hotham and Shua their sister. 33And the sons of Japhlet were Pasach and Bimhal and Ashvath. These were the sons of Japhlet. 34And the sons of Shemer were Ahi and Rohgah and Jahbah and Aram. 35And the sons of Helem his brother were Zophah and Imna and Shelesh and Amal. 36And the sons of Zophah were Suah and Harnepher and Shual and Beri and Imrah, 37Bezer and Hod and Shammah and Shilshah and Ithran and Beera. 38And the sons of Jether were Jephunneh and Pispah and Ara. 39And the sons of Ulla were Arah and Hanniel and Rizia. 40All of these were the sons of Asher – heads of the paternal house, elite men, valiant soldiers, top ranking leaders – and their genealogical registration was in the army for warfare. They were twenty-six thousand men in number.

1 Chronicles Chapter 8 

1And Benjamin begot Bela his firstborn, Ashbel the second son and Ahrah the third, 2Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth. 3And Bela's sons were Addar and Gera and Abihud, 4and Abishua and Naaman and Ahoah, 5and Gera and Shephuphan and Huram. 6And these were the sons of Ehud – these were the paternal heads over the inhabitants of Geba – but they were deported to Manahath – : 7both Naaman and Ahiah, and Gera who deported them and begot Uzza and Ahihud. 8And Shaharaim begot offspring in rural Moab after he had sent away Hushim and Baara his wives. 9And he begot, by Hodesh his wife, Jobab and Zibia and Mesha and Malcam, 10and Jeuz and Sachiah and Mirmah. These were his sons – paternal heads. 11And by Hushim he begot Abitub and Elpaal. 12And the sons of Elpaal were Eber and Misham and Shemed – he built Ono and Lod and its satellite villages – 13and Beriah and Shema – paternal heads of the inhabitants of Aijalon; they drove the inhabitants of Gath out – 14and Ahio, Shashak and Jeremoth, 15and Zebadiah and Arad and Eder. 16And Michael and Ishpah and Joha, who were the sons of Beriah, were also paternal heads, 17as were Zebadiah and Meshullam and Hezeki and Heber, 18and Ishmerai and Jizliah and Jobab, the sons of Elpaal, 19as were Jakim and Zichri and Zabdi, 20and Elienai and Zillethai and Eliel, 21and Adaiah and Beraiah and Shimrath the sons of Shimei, 22and Ishpan and Eber and Eliel, 23and Abdon and Zichri and Hanan, 24and Hananiah and Elam and Anthothijah, 25and Iphdeiah and Penuel, the sons of Shashak, 26and Shamsherai and Shehariah and Athaliah, 27and Jaareshiah and Eliah and Zichri, the sons of Jeroham. 28These were the paternal heads according to their genealogies as heads. These lived in Jerusalem. 29And in Gibeon there lived the father of Gibeon, and the name of his wife was Maachah. 30And his firstborn son was Abdon, then Zur and Kish and Baal and Nadab, 31and Gedor and Ahio and Zecher. 32And Mikloth begot Shimah. And these also lived opposite their brothers in Jerusalem, with their brothers. 33And Ner begot Kish, and Kish begot Saul, and Saul begot Jonathan and Malchi-Shua and Abinadab and Eshbaal. 34And the son of Jonathan was Merib-Baal, and Merib-Baal begot Micah. 35And the sons of Micah were Pithon and Melech and Tarea and Ahaz. 36And Ahaz begot Jehoaddah, and Jehoaddah begot Alemeth and Azmaveth and Zimri. And Zimri begot Moza. 37And Moza begot Bina. Rapha was his son, Elasa was his son, and Azel was his son. 38And Azel had six sons, and these are their names: Azrikam, Bocheru and Ishmael and Sheariah and Obadiah and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel. 39And the sons of Eshek his brother were Ulam his firstborn, Jeush the second son, and Eliphelet the third. 40And sons of Ulam were men who were valiant warriors, who drew the bow, who had many sons and grandsons – one hundred and fifty of them. All these were from the sons of Benjamin.

1 Chronicles Chapter 9 

1And all Israel was registered by genealogy, and they were written in the Book of the Kings of Israel, but Judah was deported to Babylon because of their treachery. 2And the first inhabitants who were back in their possession in their cities were Israel, the priests, the Levites and the temple-servants. 3And in Jerusalem there lived some of the sons of Judah and some of the sons of Benjamin, and some of the sons of Ephraim and Manasseh: 4Uthai the son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, one of the sons of Perez, the son of Judah; 5and from the Shilonites, Asaiah the firstborn and his sons; 6and from the sons of Zerah, Jeuel and their brothers – six hundred and ninety of them; 7and from the sons of Benjamin, Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah, 8and Ibneiah the son of Jeroham, and Elah the son of Uzzi the son of Michri, and Meshullam the son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah; 9and their brothers according to their genealogies – nine hundred and fifty-six of them. All these were men who were paternal heads over the house of their fathers. 10And in Jerusalem there lived: from the priests, Jedaiah and Jehoiarib and Jachin, 11and Azariah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub – the leader in the house of God – 12and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah, and Maasai the son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer, 13and their brothers, heads of their paternal house – one thousand seven hundred and sixty of them – valiant heroes in the execution of the work of the house of God; 14and from the Levites, Shemaiah the son of Hashshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, from the sons of Merari, 15and Bakbakkar, Heresh and Galal and Mattaniah the son of Micah, the son of Zichri, the son of Asaph, 16and Obadiah the son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal the son of Jeduthun, and Berechiah the son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites; 17and the gatekeepers, Shallum and Akkub and Talmon and Ahiman, and their brother – Shallum being the head – 18who are the ones who have been gatekeeping at the king's gate in the east up to now, as companies of the sons of Levi. 19And Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brothers of his paternal house, the Korhites, were in charge of the execution of the work, they being the doorkeepers of the tent. And their fathers had been in charge of the Lord's precinct as keepers of the entrance. 20And Phinehas the son of Eleazar had been an overseer in charge of them, previously, the Lord being with him. 21Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was gatekeeper at the entrance to the tent of contact. 22All of them who were elite in gatekeeping at the thresholds came to two hundred and twelve. Their registration by their genealogy was in their villages. They are whom David and Samuel the seer installed on account of their faithfulness. 23And they and their sons were in charge of the gates of the house of the Lord – the house of the tent – in guard shifts. 24The gatekeepers were in their four quarters: east, to the west, to the north and to the south. 25And their brothers in their villages were charged to come for seven days from time to time, with these. 26For it was on account of their faithfulness that they were there – the four valiant gatekeepers. They were Levites, and they were in charge of the office rooms and in charge of the treasuries of the house of God. 27And they lodged in the vicinity of the house of God, because the duty of guarding had been committed to them, and they had charge of the key every morning. 28And some of them were in charge of the equipment for the service, for they would bring it in with a tally and bring it out with a tally. 29And some of them were appointed over the equipment and over all the holy equipment, and over the fine flour and the wine and the oil and the frankincense and the fragrances. 30And some of the sons of the priests were preparers of the ointment for the fragrances. 31And Mattithiah from the Levites – he was the firstborn of Shallum the Korhite – was faithfully in charge of the work with the pans. 32And some of the sons of the Kohathites, taken from their brothers, were in charge of the showbread, to prepare it every Sabbath. 33And these were the singers, paternal heads of the Levites in the annexes; they were there when discharged between shifts, for they were charged with their function day and night. 34These were the paternal heads of the Levites in their genealogies as heads, and they lived in Jerusalem, 35and the father of Gibeon, Jeiel, lived in Gibeon, and his wife's name was Maachah, 36and there was his firstborn son Abdon, and Zur and Kish and Baal and Ner and Nadab, 37and Gedor and Ahio and Zechariah and Mikloth. 38And Mikloth begot Shimam. And they also lived opposite their brothers in Jerusalem, with their brothers. 39And Ner begot Kish, and Kish begot Saul, and Saul begot Jonathan and Malchi-Shua and Abinadab and Eshbaal. 40And the son of Jonathan was Merib-Baal, and Meri-Baal begot Micah. 41And the sons of Micah were Pithon and Melech and Tahrea. 42And Ahaz begot Jarah, and Jarah begot Alemeth and Azmaveth and Zimri, and Zimri begot Moza. 43And Moza begot Bina and Rephaiah his son, Elasah his son and Azel his son. 44And Azel had six sons, and these are their names: Azrikam, Bocheru and Ishmael and Sheariah and Obadiah and Hanan. These were Azel's sons.

1 Chronicles Chapter 10 

1And the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from the Philistines, and they fell as casualties on Mount Gilboa. 2And the Philistines hotly pursued Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-Shua, Saul's sons. 3And the war went heavily against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was wounded by the archers. 4And Saul said to his arms-bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, so that these uncircumcised men do not come and ill-treat me.” But his arms-bearer was not willing to do so, because he was very afraid. So Saul took his sword and fell on it. 5Then when his arms-bearer saw that Saul had died, he too fell on his sword and died. 6So Saul and his three sons died, and all his household died together. 7And when every man of Israel who was in the valley saw that they had fled, and that Saul and his sons had died, they left their cities and fled, and the Philistines came and lived in them. 8And it came to pass on the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the fallen, that they found Saul and his sons lying fallen at Mount Gilboa. 9And they stripped him and removed his head, and his weaponry, and they sent messengers into the land of the Philistines round about to bring the good news to their idols and to the people. 10And they put his weaponry in the house of their gods, and they mounted his skull in the house of Dagon. 11And when all of Jabesh-Gilead heard everything that the Philistines had done to Saul, 12every valiant man arose and removed Saul's corpse and his sons' corpses and brought them to Jabesh, and they buried their bones under the terebinth tree in Jabesh. And they fasted for seven days. 13So Saul died for his treachery which he committed against the Lord, against the word of the Lord, which he did not keep, and also for consulting with a necromancer to make an inquiry. 14But he did not inquire of the Lord, so he killed him, and he directed the kingdom to David the son of Jesse.

1 Chronicles Chapter 11 

1And all Israel converged on David, in Hebron, and they said, “Here we are; we are your bone and your flesh. 2Throughout the past when Saul was king, it was you who brought Israel out and led it in. And the Lord your God said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will be a leader over my people Israel.’ ” 3And all the elders of Israel came to the king in Hebron, and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David as king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord through the intermediacy of Samuel. 4And David and the whole of Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus, and the Jebusites were there, inhabiting the land. 5And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You shall not come here.” But David captured the stronghold of Zion, which is the City of David. 6And David said, “Whoever strikes a Jebusite first will be a head and a commander.” And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and he became head. 7And David resided in the citadel, which is why they called it the City of David. 8And he built the city round about, from the Millo to the surrounding area. And Joab fortified the remainder of the city. 9And David continued to become greater, and the Lord of hosts was with him. 10And these were the heads of the warriors whom David had, who showed themselves strong with him in his kingdom with all Israel, in making him king according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel. 11And these are the number of the warriors whom David had: Jashobam a member of the Hachmonites, a head of thirty. He raised his spear against three hundred who were struck down by him on one occasion. 12And after him came Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite. He was among the three warriors. 13He was with David in Pas-Dammim, where the Philistines had assembled for war, and where there was a parcel of land in the field full of barley, and the people fled from the presence of the Philistines. 14But they took a stand in the middle of the parcel of land, and they saved it, and they struck the Philistines, and the Lord brought about a great salvation. 15And three of the thirty heads went down to the rock, to David, to the cave of Adullam, while the Philistines' camp was pitched in the Valley of the Rephaim. 16And David was then in the stronghold, whereas the garrison of the Philistines was at that time in Bethlehem. 17And David had a longing and said, “Who will give me a drink of water from the cistern in Bethlehem, which is at the gate?” 18And the three broke through into the Philistines' camp and drew water from the cistern in Bethlehem, which is at the gate, and they carried it, and they brought it to David, but David was not willing to drink it, and he poured it out to the Lord. 19And he said, “Far be it from me, O God of mine, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives? For they brought it at the risk of their lives.” So he was not willing to drink it. The three warriors did these things. 20And Abishai the brother of Joab was the head of the three, and he raised his spear against three hundred who were struck down by him, and he had fame among the three. 21Of the three he was more honoured than the two, and he became their commander, but he did not equal the three. 22There was Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of many exploits, from Kabzeel. He struck down two men of Ariel of Moab, and he went down and struck a lion inside a pit on a snowy day. 23And he struck down an Egyptian man, a man of five cubits in height, and in the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam, and he went down against him with a staff, and he wrenched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his spear. 24Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did these things, and he had fame among the three warriors. 25You see how he was the most honoured of the thirty, but he did not equal the three, and David appointed him to his council. 26And the valiant warriors were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo from Bethlehem, 27Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, 28Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, 29Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, 30Mahrai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, 31Ithai the son of Ribai from Gibeah of the sons of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, 32Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, 33Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, 34the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shageh the Hararite, 35Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, 36Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, 37Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai, 38Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, 39Zelek the Ammonite, Nahrai the Berothite, the arms-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, 40Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 41Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, 42Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a head of the Reubenites, with thirty alongside him, 43Hanan the son of Maachah and Joshaphat the Mithnite, 44Uzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, 45Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother the Tizite, 46Eliel of the Mahavites and Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite, 47Eliel and Obed, and Jasiel the Mezobaite.

1 Chronicles Chapter 12 

1And these were those who came to David in Ziklag while he was still being constrained because of Saul the son of Kish, and they were among the warriors who were helpers in the war, 2armed with a bow, right and left handed with stones, and arrows from the bow, from Saul's brothers, from Benjamin. 3The head was Ahiezer, as were Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite, and Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth, and Berachah, and Jehu the Anathothite, 4and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a warrior among thirty, and in charge of the thirty, 5and Jeremiah and Jahaziel and Johanan and Jozabad the Gederathite, 6Eluzai and Jerimoth and Bealiah and Shemariah and Shephatiah the Haruphite, 7Elkanah and Jishshiah and Azarel and Joezer and Jashobam, the Korhites, 8and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham from Gedor. 9And from the Gadites men detached themselves to David in the fortification in the desert, men who were valiant warriors, men of the army of warfare, handling shield and spear, whose faces were like a lion's face, and who were like gazelles on the mountain in speed: 10Ezer the head, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, 11Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, 12Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, 13Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, 14Jeremiah the tenth, Machbannai the eleventh. 15These, who were of the sons of Gad, were heads of the army – a junior one over a hundred and a senior one over a thousand. 16These are they who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it flooded all its banks, and they put all the inhabitants of the valleys to flight eastwards and westwards. 17And some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came up to David's fortification. 18And David went out to confront them, and he addressed them and said to them, “If you have come to me in peace to assist me, my heart will be united with you, but if you have come to betray me to my adversaries – with there being no violence on my part – may the God of my fathers see it and convict it.” 19Then a spirit invested Amasai, a head of thirty, and it said,

We are for you, David,

And with you, son of Jesse.

Peace, peace be to you,

And peace to your helpers,

For your God has helped you.”

Then David accepted them and appointed them among the heads of the troop. 20And some men of Manasseh defected to David when he came with Philistines against Saul in the war, but they did not help them, for the barons of the Philistines sent him away by counsel and said, “He will defect to his master Saul at the cost of our heads.” 21When he went to Ziklag, these defected to him from Manasseh: Adnah and Jozabad and Jediael and Michael and Jozabad and Elihu and Zillethai – heads of thousands who were from Manasseh. 22And they helped David against the hostile troop, for they were all valiant warriors, and they became commanders in the army. 23For at that time day by day they would come to David to help him until it became a great camp, like a camp of God. 24And these are the numbers of the heads of the army's armed soldiery. They came to David in Hebron to direct Saul's kingdom to him, according to the pronouncement of the Lord: 25the sons of Judah who bore a shield and spear, six thousand eight hundred armed soldiers; 26from the sons of Simeon, valiant warriors in the army, seven thousand one hundred; 27from the sons of Levi, four thousand six hundred; 28and Jehoiada the leader of the sons of Aaron, and with him three thousand seven hundred men; 29and Zadok, a lad, a valiant warrior; and his paternal house, twenty-two commanders; 30and from the sons of Benjamin, Saul's kin, three thousand – up to this point the majority of them having been guards in the guard duty of Saul's house; 31and from the sons of Ephraim, twenty thousand eight hundred valiant warriors, men of fame of their paternal house; 32and from half of the tribe of Manasseh, eighteen thousand men who were specified by name to go and make David king; 33and from the sons of Issachar, who were knowledgeable in timely tactics, so as to know what Israel should do, their heads who were two hundred in number and all of whose brothers were at their command; 34from Zebulun, those who went out in the army, equipped for war with every weapon of war, fifty thousand men, fit to take up position without wavering; 35and from Naphtali, a thousand commanders, and with them, with shield and spear, thirty-seven thousand; 36and from the Danites, those equipped for war, twenty-eight thousand six hundred; 37and from Asher, those who went out in the army, equipped for war, forty thousand; 38and from the other side of the Jordan, from the Reubenites and the Gadites and half of the tribe of Manasseh, with all weaponry of the army of warfare, one hundred and twenty thousand. 39All these warfaring men, who took up position in battle formation, went wholeheartedly to Hebron to make David king over all Israel, and also all the rest of Israel was unanimous in making David king. 40And they were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their brothers had prepared it for them. 41And also those who were related to them – to Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali – brought bread on donkeys and on camels and on mules and on oxen: food, flour, pressed fig cake, raisin cake, wine and oil, and oxen and small cattle in abundance, for there was joy in Israel.

1 Chronicles Chapter 13 

1And David took counsel with the commanders of a thousand and of a hundred and with every leader, 2and David said to the whole convocation of Israel, “If it is right in your opinion and if it is from the Lord our God, let us spread out and send companies to our brothers who remain in all the lands of Israel, and let us send with them the priests and the Levites into the cities of their pasture lands, so that they gather themselves to us. 3And let us recover to the ark of our God, because we did not inquire with it in Saul's days.” 4And the whole convocation agreed to do this, for the matter was right in the eyes of all the people. 5Then David convened the whole of Israel from Shihor in Egypt to the approach to Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-Jearim. 6And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, to Kiriath-Jearim, which belongs to Judah, so as to bring up from there the ark of God – of the Lord, who resides between the cherubim – where his name is called on. 7And they loaded the ark of God onto a new wagon obtained from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio were driving the wagon. 8Now David and all Israel were playing music before God with all their strength, both with singing and on harps and on lutes, and with drums and with cymbals, and with trumpets, 9when they came to Chidon's threshing floor, and Uzza stretched out his hand to hold the ark, because the oxen were destabilizing it. 10At this the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzza, and he struck him down because he had stretched out his hand on the ark, and he died there before God. 11And it grieved David that the Lord had burst out against Uzza, and he called that place Perez-Uzza, as it is up to this day. 12And David feared God* on that day, and he said, “How will I have the ark of God* brought to me?” 13So David did not have the ark brought to him in the City of David, and he had it diverted to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 14So the ark of God remained with the house of Obed-Edom, in his house for three months, and the Lord blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all who belonged to him.

1 Chronicles Chapter 14 

1And Huram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, and cedar wood and wall masons and carpenters, to build him a house. 2And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, because his kingdom was highly exalted, for the sake of his people Israel. 3And David took some more wives in Jerusalem, and David begot more sons and daughters. 4And these are the names of those born, whom he had in Jerusalem: Shammua and Shobab, Nathan and Solomon, 5and Ibhar and Elishua and Elpelet, 6and Nogah and Nepheg and Japhia, 7and Elishama and Beeliada and Eliphelet. 8And when the Philistines heard that David had been anointed as king over all Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David, but David heard about it, and he went out to confront them. 9And the Philistines came and spread themselves out in the Valley of the Rephaim. 10And David asked God* and said, “Should I go up against the Philistines, and will you deliver them into my hand?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up, and I will deliver them into your hand.” 11So they went up to Baal-Perazim, and David struck them there. And David said, “God* has dispersed my enemies by means of myself, like an outpouring of water”, which is why they called that place Baal-Perazim. 12And they abandoned their gods there, and David gave the commandment that they were to be burned with fire. 13But the Philistines spread themselves out again in the valley. 14And David inquired of God* again, and God* said to him, “You shall not go up after them. Go round away from them and advance on them from opposite the balsam trees. 15And it will come to pass, when you hear the sound of marching in the crowns of the balsam trees, that then you will go out to war, for God will go out before you to strike the Philistines' camp.” 16And David did as God* had commanded him, and they struck the Philistines' camp from Gibeon to Gezer. 17And David's fame spread throughout all the lands, and the Lord put fear of him on all the nations.

1 Chronicles Chapter 15 

1And he made himself houses in the City of David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and he pitched a tent for it. 2Then David commanded that no-one should bear the ark of God except the Levites, for the Lord had chosen them to bear the ark of the Lord, and to serve him age-abidingly. 3And David convened all of Israel to Jerusalem for the bringing up of the ark of the Lord to its place which he had prepared for it. 4And David gathered the sons of Aaron and the Levites: 5of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the principal one and his brothers – one hundred and twenty of them; 6of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the principal one and his brothers – two hundred and twenty of them; 7of the sons of Gershom, Joel the principal one and his brothers – one hundred and thirty of them; 8of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the principal one and his brothers – two hundred of them; 9of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the principal one and his brothers – eighty of them; 10of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the principal one and his brothers – one hundred and twelve of them. 11And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah and Joel, Shemaiah and Eliel and Amminadab, 12and he said to them, “You are the paternal heads of the Levites. Sanctify yourselves, you and your brothers, and bring the ark of the Lord God of Israel up to where I have prepared for it. 13Since it wasn't you bringing it up on the first occasion, the Lord our God broke in on us – because we did not seek him according to the ordinance.” 14So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel. 15And the sons of the Levites bore the ark of God, as Moses had commanded, according to the word of the Lord, with the poles extending onto their shoulders. 16And David told the senior Levites to appoint their brothers as the singers with instruments of song: lutes and harps and timbrels, producing sounds and with raising of the voice in joy. 17So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel, and from his brothers, Asaph the son of Berechiah, and from the sons of Merari – their brothers – Ethan the son of Kushaiah. 18And with them were their brothers the juniors in rank: Zechariah, Ben and Jaaziel and Shemiramoth and Jehiel and Unni, Eliab and Benaiah and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah and Elipheleh and Mikneiah and Obed-Edom and Jeiel, the gatekeepers; 19and the singers, Heman, Asaph and Ethan to produce sound with copper timbrels; 20and Zechariah and Aziel and Shemiramoth and Jehiel and Unni and Eliab and Maaseiah and Benaiah, with lutes accompanying the maiden's choir; 21and Mattithiah and Elipheleh and Mikneiah and Obed-Edom and Jeiel and Azaziah, with harps accompanying the eighth day division choir, to lead in music; 22and Chenaniah, a senior Levite who was engaged in the singing – he instructed the singing because he was knowledgeable; 23and Berechiah and Elkanah, gatekeepers for the ark; 24and Shebaniah and Jehoshaphat and Nethaneel and Amasai and Zechariah and Benaiah and Eliezer, the priests who blew the trumpets before the ark of God; and Obed-Edom and Jehiah who were gatekeepers of the ark. 25So it was David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of a thousand who went to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord up from the house of Obed-Edom with joy, 26and it came to pass, when God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, that they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. 27And David was attired in a byssus robe, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the choir of the singers. And on David was an ephod of fine linen. 28So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord, with shouting and with the sound of the ramshorn and with trumpets and with timbrels, making sounds with lutes and harps. 29And it came to pass, as the ark of the covenant of the Lord was arriving in the City of David, that Michal, Saul's daughter, was peering out of the window, and she saw King David dancing and cavorting, and she despised him in her heart.

1 Chronicles Chapter 16 

1And they brought the ark of God*, and they put it inside the tent which David had pitched for it, and they made burnt offerings and peace-offerings before God*. 2And when David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace-offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. 3And he distributed to every person of Israel, both men and women – to each one – a loaf of bread and a portion of roast beef and raisin cake. 4And in the presence of the ark of the Lord, he appointed some of the Levites who performed service, both to remember and to give thanks and to praise the Lord God of Israel: 5Asaph the head, and his adjunct Zechariah, and Jeiel and Shemiramoth and Jehiel and Mattithiah and Eliab and Benaiah and Obed-Edom and Jeiel, with lutes and with harps, whereas Asaph produced sound with timbrels, 6and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets, continually before the ark of the covenant of God. 7Then on that day at the start David handed these words over to Asaph and his brothers, to give thanks to the Lord:

8Give thanks to the Lord,

Call on his name;

Make his deeds known

Among the various peoples.

9Sing to him,

Make psalm melody to him;

Meditate on all his wonders.

10Boast in his holy name.

Let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

11Search for the Lord and his strength;

Seek his presence continually.

12Remember his wonders

Which he has performed

– His miracles

And the judgments of his mouth.

13The seed of Israel his servant

– The sons of Jacob –

Are his chosen ones.

14He is the Lord our God;

His principles of justice

Are in the whole land.

15Remember his covenant age-abidingly

– The word he commanded to a thousand generations,

16The covenant which he made with Abraham –

And his oath to Isaac,

17Which he established as a statute to Jacob,

And as an age-abiding covenant to Israel,

18When he said,

“To you I will give the land of Canaan,

The allocation of your inheritance”,

19When you were a small company

– Few, but residents in it.

20And they went round from nation to nation,

And from one kingdom to another people.

21He did not permit man to oppress them,

And he reproved kings concerning them,

22Saying, “Do not touch my anointed ones,

And do not harm my prophets.”

23Sing to the Lord, all the earth;

Proclaim his salvation

From one day to the next.

24Tell of his glory among the Gentiles,

And of his wondrous deeds,

Among all the various peoples.

25For the Lord is great

And much to be praised;

He is awesome

Above all gods.

26For all the gods of the nations are idols,

But the Lord made the heavens.

27Majesty and splendour are before him;

Strength and joy are in his place.

28Ascribe to the Lord,

You families of nations,

Ascribe glory and strength

To the Lord.

29Ascribe the glory of his name to the Lord;

Make a meal-offering

And enter in before him.

Worship the Lord

In the splendour of holiness.

30Tremble in his presence,

All the earth;

Indeed the world will be established

Such that it will not totter.

31Let the heavens rejoice

And the earth be glad,

And let them say among the nations,

“The Lord reigns.”

32Let the sea roar

With its fulness;

Let the field exult,

And everything in it.

33Then let the trees of the forest shout for joy,

Before the Lord

When he comes to judge the earth.

34Give thanks to the Lord,

For he is good,

For his kindness is age-abiding.

35And say,

“Save us, O God of our salvation,

And gather us,

And save us from the Gentiles,

To give thanks to your holy name

And to exult in praise of you.

36Blessed be the Lord God of Israel

From age to age.”

And all the people said, “Amen”, and they praised the Lord. 37Then he left Asaph and his brothers there in the presence of the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to serve in the presence of the ark continually as a daily matter, 38and Obed-Edom and their brothers – sixty-eight of them – and Obed-Edom the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah, as gatekeepers, 39and Zadok the priest, and his brothers the priests, in the presence of the tabernacle of the Lord in the raised site which is in Gibeon, 40namely to offer burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar for the burnt offering perpetually in the morning and in the evening, and to carry out everything written in the law of the Lord, which he commanded Israel. 41And with them were Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest – the elite who were specified by name – to give thanks to the Lord, for his kindness is age-abiding. 42And with them were Heman and Jeduthun, and trumpets and timbrels for those who produced sounds with them, and musical instruments of God. And the sons of Jeduthun attended to the gate. 43Then all the people departed – each to his home – and David returned to bless his household.

Reference(s) in Chapter 16: v.31 ↔ Revelation 12:12.

1 Chronicles Chapter 17 

1And it came to pass, when David was sitting in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I am sitting in a house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under sheets.” 2And Nathan said to David, “Whatever is in your heart, do, for God is with you.” 3And it came to pass on that night that the word of God came to Nathan and said, 4“Go and say to my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: «It is not you who will build a house for me to dwell in, 5for I have not dwelt in a house from the day when I brought Israel up, up to this day, and I have been going from tent to tent and from tabernacle to tabernacle. 6Everywhere where I have gone about among all Israel, have I spoken a word with one of the judges of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd my people, saying, ‹Why have you not built me a house of cedar?›?» ’ 7So now, this is what you will say to my servant, to David: ‘This is what the Lord of hosts says: «I took you out of the pasture, from looking after the sheep, to be a leader over my people, Israel. 8And I was with you everywhere you went, and I cut off all your enemies at your advance, and I made a name for you, like the name of the great men who are on the earth. 9And I will appoint a place for my people – Israel – and I will plant them there, and they will dwell right there, and they will no longer shudder, and the unrighteous will no longer wear them out as at first. 10And ever since the days when I appointed judges over my people Israel, I have subdued all your enemies. And I have told you that the Lord will build you a house. 11And it will come to pass that your days will be fulfilled for you to go to your fathers, but I will raise up your seed after you, who will be one of your sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12He will build me a house, and I will establish his throne age-abidingly. 13I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to me, and I will not withdraw my kindness from him, as I withdrew it from him who was before you. 14And I will establish him in my house, and in my kingdom, age-abidingly, and his throne will be confirmed age-abidingly.» ’ ” 15According to all these words, and according to all of this vision, so Nathan spoke to David. 16Then King David came and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and who constitutes my house, that you should have brought me here? 17And was this just a small matter in your sight, O God? For you spoke concerning the house of your servant from afar, yet you have considered me according to an exceeding privilege for a man, O Lord God. 18What more can David say to you in this honouring of your servant? For you know your servant. 19O Lord, for your servant's sake and according to your heart, you performed all of this great thing in making all great things known. 20O Lord, there is none like you, and there is no God except for you in anything which we have heard with our ears. 21And who is like your people Israel, one nation on the earth, which God proceeded to redeem to himself as a people, and to establish a name for yourself by great and awesome deeds in driving out nations before your people whom you redeemed in Egypt? 22And you have appointed your people Israel as your people age-abidingly, and you, O Lord, have become their God. 23So now, O Lord, may the word which you spoke concerning your servant and concerning his house be upheld age-abidingly, and act as you have spoken. 24And may your name be upheld, and may it be magnified age-abidingly, by people saying, ‘O Lord of hosts, O God of Israel, a God to Israel’, and may the house of David your servant be established before you. 25For you, O God of mine, have informed your servant that you will build him a house, which is why your servant has found it in his heart to pray before you. 26So now, O Lord, you are God, and you have pronounced this good thing concerning your servant. 27And now, you have been willing to bless the house of your servant, for it to be before you age-abidingly, because you, O Lord, have blessed and are blessed age-abidingly.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 17: v.11 ↔ Acts 2:30 ● v.13 ↔ 2 Corinthians 6:18, Hebrews 1:5.

1 Chronicles Chapter 18 

1And it came to pass after that, that David attacked the Philistines and subdued them. And he took Gath and its satellite villages from the Philistines' control. 2And he attacked Moab, and Moab became David's servants and tribute-bearers. 3And David attacked Hadadezer king of Zobah, on his way to Hamath, when he went to establish his authority at the River Euphrates. 4And David captured from him a thousand chariots and seven thousand horsemen and twenty thousand infantrymen. And David hamstrung all the horses of the chariot fleet, but he allowed one hundred of its chariots to remain. 5Then Aramaea of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, and David struck down twenty-two thousand men in Aramaea. 6And David stationed garrisons in Aramaea of Damascus, and Aramaea became David's servants and tribute-bearers. And the Lord sustained David everywhere he went. 7And David took the golden shields which were on Hadadezer's servants, and he brought them to Jerusalem. 8And David took a very great quantity of copper from Tibhath and from Chun, Hadadezer's cities, with which Solomon made the copper artificial sea and the columns and the copper equipment. 9And when Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer king of Zobah, 10he sent Hadoram his son to King David to ask him for peace and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Hadadezer had been a man of war with Tou. Tou sent Hadoram with all kinds of instruments of gold and silver and copper. 11Them too King David consecrated to the Lord with the silver and the gold which he had brought from all the nations – from Edom and from Moab and from the sons of Ammon, and from the Philistines and from Amalek. 12And Abishai the son of Zeruiah defeated Edom in the Valley of Salt – eighteen thousand men. 13And he stationed garrisons in Edom, and all of Edom became David's servants. And the Lord sustained David everywhere he went. 14So David reigned over all of Israel, and he would execute judgment and justice to all his people. 15And Joab the son of Zeruiah was in charge of the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was state secretary. 16And Zadok the son of Ahitub and Abimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, and Shavsha was the scribe. 17And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in charge of the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and the first sons of David were at the king's side.

1 Chronicles Chapter 19 

1And it came to pass after this, that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his place. 2And David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed me kindness.” And David sent messengers to comfort him about his father, and David's servants went to the land of the sons of Ammon to Hanun to comfort him. 3But the officials of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun, “Does David honour your father, in your opinion? For he has sent consolers to you. Is it not to investigate and overthrow and spy on the land that his servants have come to you?” 4And Hanun seized David's servants, and he shaved them, and he cut their garments down the middle as far as their buttocks, and he sent them away. 5So they departed, then when David was told about the men, he sent servants to meet them, for the men had been very much put to shame. And the king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards grow, and then return.” 6Then when the sons of Ammon saw that they had become odious to David, Hanun and the sons of Ammon sent one thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia and from Aramaea-Maachah and from Zobah. 7And they hired thirty-two thousand chariots, and the king of Maachah and his people, and they came and encamped before Medeba. And the sons of Ammon gathered from their cities and went to war. 8And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and the whole army of warriors. 9And the sons of Ammon came out and drew up in battle order at the city entrance, and the kings who had come were in the field by themselves. 10And when Joab saw that there was a battlefront against him, ahead of him and behind, he made a selection from all the young men in Israel, and he drew them up to confront the Aramaeans. 11And he placed the remainder of the people in the hand of Abishai his brother, and they drew up to confront the sons of Ammon. 12And he said, “If the Aramaeans are too strong for me, then you will come to my rescue, and if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will rescue you. 13Be strong and let us be strengthened for our people and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what is right in his sight.” 14Then Joab and the people who were with him advanced to the battle against the Aramaeans, who fled from his presence. 15Then when the sons of Ammon saw that the Aramaeans had fled, they also fled from Abishai his brother, and they went to the city, and Joab went to Jerusalem. 16But when the Aramaeans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers, and they brought out the Aramaeans who were on the far side of the river, with Shophach the commander of Hadadezer's army at their head. 17And it was reported to David, and he gathered the whole of Israel, and he crossed the Jordan and went to them, and he drew up to them. So David drew his forces up to confront the Aramaeans for battle and fought against them. 18And the Aramaeans fled from Israel. And of the Aramaeans David killed seven thousand chariot crew and forty thousand infantrymen, and he killed Shophach the commander of the army. 19And when Hadadezer's servants saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and served him, and the Aramaeans weren't willing to come to the rescue of the sons of Ammon any more.

1 Chronicles Chapter 20 

1And it came to pass in the new year, at the time when kings go out, that Joab led the forces of the army, and he ravaged the land of the sons of Ammon, and he went to besiege Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. And Joab attacked Rabbah and demolished it. 2And David took their king's crown from his head, and he found it to have a weight of a talent of gold, and in it was a precious gemstone, and it was placed on David's head. He also brought a great deal of the city's spoil, 3and he brought out the people who were in it, and he assigned them to work with the saw and with iron threshing boards and with axes. And David did likewise to all the cities of the sons of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem. 4And it came to pass after this, that a war arose in Gezer with the Philistines, when Sibbechai the Hushathite struck down Sippai, who was one of the offspring of the Rephaim. And they were subdued. 5Then there was another war with the Philistines, and Elhanan the son of Jair struck down Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. 6And there was another war in Gath, and there was a man of great stature whose fingers and toes were six apiece – twenty-four in all – and he too was born to Rapha. 7And when he showed contempt for Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimah, David's brother, struck him down. 8These were born to Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hand of David and at the hand of his servants.

1 Chronicles Chapter 21 

1And Satan made a stand against Israel, and he stirred up David to count Israel. 2And David said to Joab and to the commanders of the people, “Go and count Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and report back to me so that I know the number of them.” 3But Joab said, “May the Lord add to his people as they are a hundred times over, but are they not, my lord the king, all my lord's servants? Why does my lord require this? Why should Israel incur this guilt?” 4But the king's decision was firmly against Joab, so Joab went out, and he went up and down all of Israel and came back to Jerusalem. 5And Joab gave the number of the census of the people to David, and the whole of Israel consisted of one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and Judah consisted of four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew the sword. 6But he did not count Benjamin and Levi among them, for the king's word was repugnant to Joab. 7Now this matter was wrong in God's sight, and he struck Israel. 8And David said to God, “I have greatly sinned in that I did this thing. So now, please remit the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.” 9Then the Lord spoke to Gad, David's seer, as follows: 10“Go and speak to David and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: «I am offering you three things. Choose one of them, and I will do it to you.» ’ ” 11So Gad went to David and said to him: “This is what the Lord says: ‘Choose, 12either three years of famine, or three months of being harassed by your adversaries with the sword of your enemies advancing on you, or three days of the sword of the Lord and pestilence in the land, and the angel of the Lord ravaging in every region of Israel.’ So now, consider what answer I should give to him who sent me.” 13Then David said to Gad, “I am very much in a strait. Let me, then, fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercies are very great, so I won't fall into the hand of man.” 14So the Lord caused a pestilence in Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell. 15And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but during the destruction, the Lord looked on and grieved over the harm, and he said to the destroying angel, “Enough now; stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was standing at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 16And David raised his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between the earth and heaven, with his sword drawn in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. And David and the elders, who were covered in sackcloth, fell face down. 17And David said to God, “Was it not I who said I would count the people? So I am the one who has sinned, and I have caused this terrible harm, but as for these sheep – what have they done? O Lord my God, may your hand be against me and the house of my father, and not against your people with an attack.” 18Then the angel of the Lord told Gad to say to David, that David should go up to set up an altar to the Lord at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19So David went up according to the words of Gad who had spoken in the name of the Lord. 20And Ornan returned and saw the angel, and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan threshed wheat. 21And David came up to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David, and he went out of the threshing floor and prostrated himself to David face down. 22And David said to Ornan, “Give me the site of the threshing floor so that I can build an altar to the Lord in it. Give it to me for the full price so that the plague on the people stops.” 23And Ornan said to David, “Take it, and let my lord the king do what is right in his sight. Look, I have given you the oxen for the burnt offerings and the threshing boards for wood, and the wheat for the meal-offering. I have given it all.” 24Then King David said to Ornan, “No, for I insist on buying it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the Lord and offer a burnt offering at no cost.” 25And David gave Ornan by weight six hundred shekels of gold for the site. 26And David built an altar to the Lord there, and he offered burnt offerings and peace-offerings, and he called on the Lord. And he answered him with fire from heaven on the altar for the burnt offering. 27And the Lord spoke to the angel, and he returned his sword to its sheath. 28At that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. 29And the tabernacle of the Lord which Moses had made in the desert, and the altar for the burnt offering, were at that time at the idolatrous raised site in Gibeon. 30But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was terrified because of the sword of the angel of the Lord.

1 Chronicles Chapter 22 

1And David said, “This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar for the burnt offering for Israel.” 2And David gave word to gather the foreigners who were in the land of Israel, and he appointed hewers to hew stone, to build the house of God. 3And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the cramp irons, and copper in abundance beyond weighing, 4and innumerable cedar trees, for the Sidonians and the Tyrians brought cedar trees in abundance to David. 5And David said, “Solomon my son is just a lad and is tender, but the house which is to be built for the Lord is to be sublimely great, for fame and splendour in all the lands. Let me then make preparations for it.” So David made preparations in abundance before his death. 6And he called for Solomon his son, and he ordered him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel. 7And David said to Solomon his son, “As for me, it was in my heart to build a house for the name of the Lord my God. 8But the word of the Lord came to me and said, ‘You have shed blood in abundance and waged great wars. You shall not build a house for my name, because you have shed much blood on the earth before me. 9Look, a son is to be born to you. He will be a man of rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about. For Solomon will be his name, and I will grant peace and quiet over Israel in his days. 10He will build a house for my name, and he will be a son to me, and I a father to him. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel age-abidingly.’ 11So now, my son, may the Lord be with you, and may you prosper, and build the house of the Lord your God as he has spoken concerning you. 12But may the Lord give you intelligence and understanding, and may he put you in charge of Israel, and charge you to keep the law of the Lord your God. 13Then you will prosper – if you take heed to observe the statutes and the ordinances which the Lord commanded Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and courageous; do not fear and do not be dismayed. 14And look, in my affliction I have prepared for the house of the Lord one hundred thousand talents of gold, and one million talents of silver, and copper and iron beyond weighing, for it was present in abundance, and I have prepared wood and stone to which you can add. 15And there are craftsmen with you in abundance – hewers and artisans in stone and wood, and every kind of skilled person in every kind of artisanry – 16and they are innumerable, artisans in gold, in silver, in copper and in iron. Arise and act, and may the Lord be with you.” 17Then David commanded all the senior officials of Israel to assist Solomon his son. 18And he said, “Is not the Lord your God with you, and hasn't he given you rest all around? For he delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land was conquered before the Lord and before his people. 19Now apply your hearts and souls to seeking the Lord your God, and arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, for bringing the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy equipment of God to the house which is to be built for the name of the Lord.”

1 Chronicles Chapter 23 

1Then when David was old and with his fill of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel. 2And he gathered all the officials of Israel, and the priests and the Levites. 3And the Levites were counted, from thirty years old and above, and their number by headcount was thirty-eight thousand men. 4Of these, twenty-four thousand were to superintend the work of the house of the Lord, whereas six thousand were overseers and judges. 5And there were four thousand gatekeepers and four thousand who praised the Lord with instruments, “Which”, David said, “I made for praising.” 6And David assigned them in divisions, according with the sons of Levi – Gershon, Kohath and Merari. 7According with the Gershonites were Ladan and Shimei. 8The sons of Ladan were Jehiel the head, and Zetham and Joel – three of them. 9The sons of Shimei were Shelomith and Haziel and Haran – three of them. These were the paternal heads belonging to Ladan. 10The sons of Shimei were Jahath, Zina and Jeush and Beriah. These sons of Shimei were four in number. 11And Jahath was the head, and Zizah the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, and they became the paternal house of one appointed line. 12The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel – four of them. 13The sons of Amram were Aaron and Moses. And Aaron was separated so as to consecrate him for the holy of holies – he and his sons age-abidingly – to burn incense before the Lord, to serve him and to bless in his name age-abidingly. 14And as Moses was a man of God, his sons were called after the tribe of Levi. 15The sons of Moses were Gershom and Eliezer. 16The sons of Gershom were Shebuel the head and his line. 17And the sons of Eliezer were Rehabiah the head and his line. Now Eliezer did not have any other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were ever so many. 18The sons of Izhar were Shelomith the head and his line. 19The sons of Hebron were Jeriah the head, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekamam the fourth. 20The sons of Uzziel were Micah the head and Jishshiah the second. 21The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish. 22But Eleazar died, and he didn't have any sons, but daughters, and the sons of Kish their brothers took them as wives. 23The sons of Mushi were Mahli and Eder and Jeremoth – three of them. 24These were the sons of Levi according to the house of their fathers – the paternal heads by their appointed lines – with the number of names corresponding to their headcount, performing service in the work of the house of the Lord, from twenty years old upwards. 25For David had said, “The Lord God of Israel has given rest to his people, and he will dwell in Jerusalem age-abidingly, 26and also to the Levites because there will be no need to transport the tabernacle and all the equipment for its service.” 27For in the last words of David, the number of the sons of Levi is reckoned from twenty years old and above, 28because their position was as an accessory to the sons of Aaron in the work of the house of the Lord concerning the courtyards and the offices and the purity of all holy equipment, and the work of the service of the house of God, 29including the showbread and the fine flour for the meal-offering, and the thin cakes of unleavened bread, and the baking dish and the stirrer, and for every measure and quantity, 30and to stand every morning to give thanks to and to praise the Lord, and similarly in the evening, 31and to stand for all the offering of burnt offerings to the Lord, on the Sabbaths, the new moons, the festival days, in number according to the ordinance imposed on them, continually before the Lord. 32And they kept guard of the tent of contact and guard of the sanctuary and guard of the sons of Aaron, their brothers, in the work of the house of the Lord.

1 Chronicles Chapter 24 

1And the sons of Aaron had their divisions. The sons of Aaron were Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 2But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and they did not have any sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar officiated as priests. 3And David assigned them in divisions, both Zadok from the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech from the sons of Ithamar, according to their assignment in their work. 4And the sons of Eleazar were found to be more numerous as heads of the warriors than the sons of Ithamar, and they divided them into sixteen sons of Eleazar as heads of the paternal house, and eight sons of Ithamar as their paternal house. 5And they divided them by lot, into groups, for there were masters of the sanctuary, and masters of things pertaining to God, from the sons of Eleazar and among the sons of Ithamar. 6And Shemaiah the son of Nethaneel the scribe registered them, he being of the Levites who officiated before the king and the officials: both Zadok the priest and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the paternal heads, as priests and Levites, registering them with one paternal house being taken for Eleazar and another being taken for Ithamar. 7And the first lot fell to Jehoiarib; the second to Jedaiah; 8the third to Harim; the fourth to Seorim; 9the fifth to Malchijah; the sixth to Mijamin; 10the seventh to Hakkoz; the eighth to Abijah; 11the ninth to Jeshua; the tenth to Shecaniah; 12the eleventh to Eliashib; the twelfth to Jakim; 13the thirteenth to Huppah; the fourteenth to Jeshebab; 14the fifteenth to Bilgah; the sixteenth to Immer; 15the seventeenth to Hezir; the eighteenth to Happizzez; 16the nineteenth to Pethahiah; the twentieth to Ezekiel; 17the twenty-first to Jachin; the twenty-second to Gamul; 18the twenty-third to Delaiah; the twenty-fourth to Maaziah. 19These were their assignments in their work: to come to the house of the Lord, according to their ordinance, in the authority of Aaron their father, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him. 20And the remaining sons of Levi were: of the sons of Amram, Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah; 21of Rehabiah, of the sons of Rehabiah, the head, Jishshiah; 22of the Izharites, Shelomith; of the sons of Shelomith, Jahath; 23and my sons, Jeriah, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekamam the fourth; 24of the sons of Uzziel, Micah; of the sons of Micah, Shamir; 25of the brother of Micah, Jishshiah; of the sons of Jishshiah, Zechariah. 26The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi; the sons of Jaaziah were Beno and his line; 27the sons of Merari – those to Jaaziah – were Beno and Shoham and Zaccur and Ibri; 28of Mahli, Eleazar, but he did not have any sons; 29of Kish, the sons of Kish were Jerahmeel and his line; 30and the sons of Mushi were Mahli and Eder and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites according to their paternal house. 31And these also cast lots in the same way as their brothers, the sons of Aaron, in the presence of King David and Zadok and Ahimelech and the paternal heads of the priests and of the Levites – the fathers at the head in the same way as their younger brother.

1 Chronicles Chapter 25 

1And David and the commanders of the army separated some of the sons of Asaph, and Heman and Jeduthun for the work – the prophets with harps and lutes and timbrels. And the enumeration of them – men skilled for their work – was as follows: 2of the sons of Asaph, Zaccur and Joseph and Nethaniah and Asarelah, the sons of Asaph, under the auspices of Asaph the prophet, under the auspices of the king; 3of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun were Gedaliah and Zeri and Isaiah, Hashabiah and Mattithiah – six of them, under the auspices of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the harp to give thanks and to praise the Lord; 4of Heman, the sons of Heman were Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir and Mahazioth. 5All these were the sons of Heman, the king's seer in the words of God, to enhance his prestige, and God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. 6All these were under the auspices of their father, in song at the house of the Lord with timbrels, lutes and harps for the work of the house of God, under the auspices of the king, they being the lines of Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman. 7So the number of them with their brothers who were trained in singing to the Lord – everyone who was skilled – was two hundred and eighty-eight. 8And they cast lots for the guardianship, small and great in the same way, the skillful with the learner. 9And Asaph's first lot fell on Joseph; the second on Gedaliah. He and his brothers and his sons were twelve in number. 10The third fell on Zaccur; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 11The fourth fell on Izri; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 12The fifth fell on Nethaniah; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 13The sixth fell on Bukkiah; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 14The seventh fell on Jesarelah; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 15The eighth fell on Isaiah; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 16The ninth fell on Mattaniah; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 17The tenth fell on Shimei; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 18The eleventh fell on Azarel; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 19The twelfth fell on Hashabiah; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 20As for the thirteenth, it fell on Shubael; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 21As for the fourteenth, it fell on Mattithiah; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 22As for the fifteenth, it fell on Jeremoth; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 23As for the sixteenth, it fell on Hananiah; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 24As for the seventeenth, it fell on Joshbekashah; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 25As for the eighteenth, it fell on Hanani; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 26As for the nineteenth, it fell on Mallothi; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 27As for the twentieth, it fell on Eliathah; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 28As for twenty-first, it fell on Hothir; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 29As for the twenty-second, it fell on Giddalti; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 30As for the twenty-third, it fell on Mahazioth; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number. 31As for the twenty-fourth it fell on Romamti-Ezer; he and his sons and his brothers were twelve in number.

1 Chronicles Chapter 26 

1For the divisions of the gatekeepers, the lot fell to the Korhites. Meshelemiah was the son of Kore, from the sons of Asaph, 2and the sons of Meshelemiah were Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth, 3Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth, Eliehoenai the seventh. 4And the sons of Obed-Edom were Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third and Sacar the fourth and Nethaneel the fifth, 5Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, and Peullethai the eighth, for God blessed him. 6And to Shemaiah his son several sons were born who were rulers in their paternal house, for they were valiant warriors. 7The sons of Shemaiah were Othni and Rephael and Obed-Elzebad, whose brothers were valiant men: Elihu and Semachiah. 8All these were of the sons of Obed-Edom. They and their sons and their brothers, valiant men with strength for the work, were sixty-two in number, of Obed-Edom's line. 9And Meshelemiah had sons and brothers – men of valour – eighteen in number. 10And Hosah, of the sons of Merari, had sons: Shimri the head, for although he was not the firstborn, his father appointed him as head; 11Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, Zechariah the fourth. All the sons and brothers of Hosah were thirteen in number. 12To these the divisions of the gatekeepers were assigned, that is to the heads of the men who were assigned guard duties in the same way as their brothers, in serving in the house of the Lord. 13And they cast lots, in the same way for the small as for the great, in their paternal house, for each gate. 14And the lot for the east fell to Shelemiah. Then they cast lots for Zechariah his son, a prudent counsellor, and his lot fell on the north. 15To Obed-Edom the lot was in the south, and to his sons the lot was for the storehouses. 16To Shuppim and Hosah the lot was for the west with the Shallecheth Gate at the embankment for the ascent, with guard post adjoining guard post. 17For the east there were six Levites; for the north there were four, for the day; for the south four, for the day; and for the storehouses, two each. 18In the suburbs to the west, there were four for the embankment and two for the suburbs. 19These were the divisions of the gatekeepers assigned to the sons of the Korhites and to the sons of Merari. 20And to the Levites the lot was for Ahijah to be over the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries of the holy places. 21The sons of Ladan, the sons of the Gershonite, of Ladan – the paternal heads of Ladan the Gershonite – were Jehieli and his line, 22and the sons of Jehieli were Zetham and Joel his brother, who were appointed to be over the treasuries of the house of the Lord. 23Alongside the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, the Uzzielites, 24there was Shebuel the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, who was the overseer of the treasuries, 25and there were his brothers the sons of Eliezer who were Rehabiah his son and Isaiah his son and Joram his son and Zichri his son and Shelomith his son. 26He is Shelomith who with his brothers was appointed over all the treasuries of the holy places which King David and the paternal heads of the commanders of a thousand and the commanders of a hundred, who were commanders of the army, had consecrated. 27They consecrated things from the wars and from spoil for the enhancement of the house of the Lord. 28And everything that Samuel the seer had consecrated, or Saul the son of Kish, or Abner the son of Ner, or Joab the son of Zeruiah, or from anyone who consecrated anythingit was under the protection of Shelomith and his brothers. 29The lot for the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons, was for the external work concerning Israel, for officials and for judges. 30The lot for the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his brothers – valiant men, one thousand seven hundred of them according to the census of Israel – was on the side of the Jordan to the west, for all craftsmanship for the Lord and for the king's work. 31The lot was for the Hebronites, with Jerijah the head, for the Hebronite according to his paternal lineage. In the fortieth year of David's reign the lineage was consulted, and there were found among them valiant warriors in Jazer-Gilead. 32And his brothers – valiant men – were two thousand seven hundred paternal heads, and King David appointed them over the Reubenites and the Gadites and half of the tribe of Manasseh, in every matter of God, and concern of the king.

1 Chronicles Chapter 27 

1And of the sons of Israel, regarding their number of paternal heads and commanders of a thousand and commanders of a hundred and their officials who serve the king in every matter of divisions for rotating duty – the one coming in and the one going out, month by month for all the months of the year – each division was twenty-four thousand strong. 2In charge of the first division, for the first month, was Jashobam the son of Zabdiel, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 3One of the sons of Perez was the head of all the commanders of the armies of the first month. 4And in charge of the division for the second month was Dodai the Ahohite, with his division. And Mikloth was the leader, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 5The third commander of the army, for the third month, was Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the head priest, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 6He is the Benaiah who was a warrior of the thirty and in charge of the thirty, and in his division was Ammizabad his son. 7The fourth commander, for the fourth month, was Asahel, Joab's brother, and Zebadiah his son after him, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 8The fifth commander, for the fifth month, was commander Shamhuth the Izrahite, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 9The sixth commander, for the sixth month, was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 10The seventh commander, for the seventh month, was Helez the Pelonite, one of the sons of Ephraim, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 11The eighth commander, for the eighth month, was Sibbecai the Hushathite, in the line of the Zarhites, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 12The ninth commander, for the ninth month, was Abiezer the Anathothite, a Benjaminite, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 13The tenth commander, for the tenth month, was Mahrai the Netophathite, in the line of the Zarhites, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 14The eleventh commander for the eleventh month, was Benaiah the Pirathonite, one of the sons of Ephraim, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 15The twelfth commander, for the twelfth month, was Heldai the Netophathite, in the line of Othniel, and in his division were twenty-four thousand men. 16And over the tribes of Israel, the leader of the Reubenites was Eliezer the son of Zichri; of the Simeonites it was Shephatiah the son of Maachah; 17of the Levites it was Hashabiah the son of Kemuel; of the Aaronites it was Zadok; 18of Judah it was Elihu, one of David's brothers; of Issachar it was Omri the son of Michael; 19of Zebulun it was Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah; of Naphtali it was Jerimoth the son of Azriel; 20of the sons of Ephraim it was Hoshea the son of Azaziah; of half of the tribe of Manasseh across the Jordan to the west it was Joel the son of Pedaiah; 21of half of the tribe of Manasseh in Gilead it was Iddo the son of Zechariah; of Benjamin it was Jaasiel the son of Abner; 22of Dan it was Azarel the son of Jeroham. These were the commanders of the tribes of Israel. 23But David did not count those from twenty years old and under, for the Lord had said that he would make Israel as numerous as the stars of the sky. 24Joab the son of Zeruiah began to count the people, but he did not finish, and wrath came over Israel because of this, and the number did not enter into the records of numbers in the Chronicles of King David. 25And in charge of the king's treasuries was Azmaveth the son of Adiel, and in charge of the storehouses in the countryside, in the cities and in the villages and in the towers, was Jonathan the son of Uzziah. 26And in charge of those who did agricultural work – cultivation of the ground – was Ezri the son of Chelub. 27And in charge of the vineyards was Shimei the Ramathite, and in charge of the buildings in the vineyards serving as storehouses for the wine was Zabdi the Shiphmite. 28And in charge of the olive groves and the sycamore fig trees which were in the lowlands was Baal-Hanan the Gederite, and in charge of the storehouses for oil was Joash. 29And in charge of the cattle grazing in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite, and in charge of the cattle in the valleys was Shaphat the son of Adlai. 30And in charge of the camels was Obil the Ishmaelite, and in charge of the donkeys was Jehdeiah the Meronothite. 31And in charge of the sheep was Jaziz the Hagrite. All these were officials of the property which King David owned. 32And Jonathan David's cousin was an adviser; he was an intelligent man and a scribe. And Jehiel the son of Hachmoni was with the king's sons. 33And Ahithophel was the king's adviser, and Hushai the Archite was the king's friend. 34And after Ahithophel was Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, and Abiathar. And the commander of the king's army was Joab.

1 Chronicles Chapter 28 

1And David convened all the officials of Israel – the officials of the tribes and the officials of the divisions who served the king, and the commanders of a thousand and the commanders of a hundred, and the officials over all the property and cattle of the king and his sons – together with the eunuchs and the warriors and every valiant warrior, in Jerusalem. 2Then King David got up on his feet and said, “Listen to me, my brothers and my people. It was in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and as a footstool for the feet of our God, and I made preparations for building, 3but God said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for my name, for you are a man of warfare, and you have shed blood.’ 4And the Lord God of Israel chose me from the whole house of my father to be king over Israel age-abidingly, for he chose Judah to be a leader, and in the house of Judah – the house of my father and among my father's sons – he was pleased to make me king over all of Israel. 5And of all my sons – for the Lord has given me many sons – he chose my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. 6And he said to me, ‘It is Solomon your son who will build my house and my courtyards, for I have chosen him to be a son to me, and I will be a father to him. 7And I will establish his kingdom age-abidingly, providing he is steadfast in carrying out my commandments and my ordinances, as he is today.’ 8So now, in the sight of the whole of Israel – the convocation of the Lord – and with our God hearing, keep and apply yourself to all the commandments of the Lord your God, in order that you may inherit the good land and bequeath it to your sons after you age-abidingly. 9And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him wholeheartedly, and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts, and he understands every thought which presents itself. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you desert him, he will reject you throughout the age. 10Now observe that the Lord has chosen you to build a house as a sanctuary. Be strong and act.” 11Then David gave to Solomon his son the design of the portico and its houses and its treasuries and its upper rooms and its inner rooms and the house of the atonement cover, 12and the design of everything that had come to him by the spirit, of the courtyards of the house of the Lord, and of all the offices round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the holy places, 13and the scheme of the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the execution of the work of the house of the Lord, and for all the equipment for the work of the house of the Lord, 14and the design of the golden equipment with the weight of gold needed, of all equipment for all kinds of service, and of all silver equipment with its weight, for all equipment for all kinds of service, 15including the weight of the golden lampstands and their golden lamps, with the weight of each lampstand and its lamps, and the design of the silver lampstands, with the weight of the lampstand and its lamps, according to the service of each lampstand, 16and he specified the weight of gold for the showbread tables for each table, and of the silver for the silver tables, 17and gold for the forks and basins and bowls of pure gold, and for the golden cups by weight for each cup, and for the silver cups by weight for each cup, 18and for the incense altar of refined gold he specified its weight, and the design of the carriage, and the golden cherubim who spread their wings and cover the ark of the covenant of the Lord. 19David said, “Everything is in writing from the hand of the Lord to me, to give instruction in all the intricacies of the design.” 20And David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and be of good courage and act. Do not fear and do not be afraid, for the Lord God – my God – is with you. He will not forsake you, and he will not desert you during the completion of the execution of all the work of the house of the Lord. 21And there are divisions of the priests and the Levites for every item of work on the house of God, and they are with you in all the craftsmanship, with every willing man, in wisdom, for all the work, and the officials and all the people are available at every word of yours.”

Reference(s) in Chapter 28: v.9 ↔ Revelation 2:23.

1 Chronicles Chapter 29 

1And King David said to the whole convocation, “Solomon my son, the one whom God has chosen, is just a lad and is tender, but the work is great, for the temple is not for man, but for the Lord God. 2And I have with all my might prepared for the house of my God, with gold for what will be made of gold, and silver for what will be made of silver, and copper for what will be made of copper, and iron for what will be made of iron, and wood for what will be made of wood, and onyx gems and gemstones to be set, and antimony gemstones and a range of colours, and every kind of valuable stone, and marble in abundance. 3Moreover, in my delight in the house of my God, I have a special possession of gold and silver which I give to the house of my God over and above everything which I have prepared for the holy house: 4three thousand talents of gold – of gold from Ophir – and seven thousand talents of refined silver to overlay the walls of the houses, 5the gold for what will be in gold, and the silver for what will be in silver, and for all artisanry in the hands of the artisans. Now who volunteers to take on work today for the Lord?” 6And the officials in the line of the fathers, and the officials of the tribes of Israel, and the commanders of a thousand and the commanders of a hundred, and the officials in the king's operations volunteered. 7And they gave for the work of the house of God five thousand talents of gold and ten thousand darics, and ten thousand talents of silver, and eighteen thousand talents of copper, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. 8And whoever found that they had gemstones, they gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord through the administration of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9And the people rejoiced at their generosity, because they offered voluntarily to the Lord wholeheartedly, and King David also rejoiced with great joy. 10And David blessed the Lord in the sight of all the convocation, and David said,

“Blessed have you been,

O Lord God of Israel our father,

From age to age.

11Yours, O Lord, is the greatness

And the might and the splendour

And the pre-eminence and the majesty,

For everything in heaven and on earth is yours, O Lord,

As is the kingdom,

And you are exalted as head over all.

12Riches and honour proceed from you,

And you rule over all,

And in your hand is power and might,

And it is in your hand

To make great and to make strong

In every respect.

13So now, O God of ours,

We thank you

And we praise your splendid name.

14And who am I, and who are my people, that we should withhold any of our substance in giving voluntary offerings like this? For everything is from you, and what we give you is from your hand. 15For we are foreigners before you, and temporary residents like all our fathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. 16O Lord our God, all this abundance of resources which we have prepared to build a house for you – for your holy name – is from your hand, and all is yours. 17And I know, O God of mine, that you test the heart and take pleasure in uprightness, and as for me, I have done all these things willingly, with a sincere heart, and now I see with joy your people who are present here voluntarily for you. 18O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel our fathers, keep this attitude age-abidingly in the predisposition of the thoughts of the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts towards yourself. 19And give a sincere heart to Solomon my son to keep your commandments, your testimonies and your statutes, and to do them all, and to build the temple which I have made preparations for.” 20Then David said to the whole convocation, “Now bless the Lord your God.” And the whole convocation blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the Lord and before the king. 21Then they offered sacrifices to the Lord and made burnt offerings to the Lord on the day after that day – a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, a thousand lambs, and the accompanying libations – and sacrifices in abundance for the whole of Israel. 22And they ate and drank before the Lord on that day with great joy, and they made Solomon the son of David king for the second time, and they anointed him as belonging to the Lord, as a leader, and also Zadok as priest. 23And Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king in place of David his father, and he prospered, and all Israel heeded him. 24And all the commanders and the warriors, and also all the sons of King David gave the hand of allegiance under King Solomon. 25And the Lord exalted Solomon highly in the eyes of the whole of Israel, and he bestowed on him royal majesty such as there had never been on any king over Israel before him. 26So David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. 27And the days for which he reigned over Israel amounted to forty years. In Hebron he reigned for seven years and in Jerusalem he reigned for thirty-three. 28And he died in ripe old age, full of days, wealth and honour, and Solomon his son reigned in his place. 29And as for the affairs of King David, from the first to the last, they are to be seen written in the Chronicles of Samuel the seer, and in the Chronicles of Nathan the prophet, and in the Chronicles of Gad the beholder of visions, 30with all his royal dignity and bravery, and the times which passed over him and over Israel and over all the kingdoms of the various countries.

Reference(s) in Chapter 29: v.15 ↔ Hebrews 11:13 ● v.17 ↔ Revelation 2:23.

2 Chronicles  

2 Chronicles Chapter 1 

1And Solomon the son of David gained strength over his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him, and he exalted him highly. 2And Solomon spoke to the whole of Israel – to the commanders of a thousand and the commanders of a hundred, and to the judges and to every leading person in the whole of Israel – the paternal heads. 3And Solomon and the whole convocation with him went to the idolatrous raised site which was in Gibeon, for in that place was the tent of contact of God which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the desert. 4But it was David who brought the ark of God up from Kiriath-Jearim to where David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. 5And he put the copper altar, which Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, before the tabernacle of the Lord, and Solomon and the convocation consulted the Lord there. 6And Solomon made offerings there on the copper altar before the Lord, it being in front of the tent of contact, and he made a thousand burnt offerings on it. 7On that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what you want me to give you.” 8And Solomon said to God, “You acted with much kindness towards my father David, and you made me king in his place. 9Now, O Lord God, may your word in connection with my father David be upheld, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the particles of dust of the earth. 10So now, give me wisdom and knowledge, so that I can conduct myself in the presence of this people, for who can judge this numerous people of yours?” 11Then God said to Solomon, “Since this was in your heart, and you did not ask for wealth and treasures and honour, or the life of those who hate you, and you did not ask for long life either, but you have asked for wisdom and knowledge with which you can judge my people, over whom I have made you king, 12the wisdom and knowledge are given to you, and I will give you wealth and treasures and honour such as no kings have had before you and will not have after you.” 13And Solomon went to the idolatrous raised site which was in Gibeon and back to Jerusalem, opposite the tent of contact. And he reigned over Israel. 14And Solomon assembled a chariot fleet and horsemen, and he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities, whereas some were with the king in Jerusalem. 15And the king made silver and gold commonplace in Jerusalem like stones in their abundance, and he made cedars like the sycamores which are in the lowlands in abundance. 16And the origin of Solomon's horses was that they were from Egypt, and the company of the king's merchants obtained the company of animals at a price. 17And they brought up and exported from Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred and fifty, and so they dispatched them through their agency to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aramaea. 18And Solomon gave instructions to build a house for the name of the Lord and a house for his kingdom.

2 Chronicles Chapter 2 

1And Solomon counted seventy thousand burden bearers, and eighty thousand men to hew in the mountain, and three thousand six hundred superintendents over them. 2And Solomon sent word to Huram king of Tyre and said, “As you did with David my father and sent him cedars to build himself a house to live in, 3so I for my part am about to build a house to the name of the Lord my God, to consecrate it to him and to burn aromatic incense before him, and for showbread perpetually, and for burnt offerings in the morning and in the evening, for Sabbaths and for new moons and for festival times of the Lord our God, this being enjoined age-abidingly on Israel. 4And the house which I am building is great, because our God is greater than all the gods. 5But who retains strength to build him a house? For heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain him, so who am I that I should build him a house, except to burn incense before him? 6So now, send me a man skilled in working with gold and with silver and with copper and with iron and with purple and with crimson and with cerulean blue dyes, and who knows how to engrave engravings, to work with skilled men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father appointed. 7And send me cedar and cypress and almug wood from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to fell the trees of Lebanon. And look, my servants will be with your servants, 8in order to prepare wood for me in abundance, because the house which I am building will be great, and wondrously so. 9And look, I will give to the hewers and to the lumberjacks – to your servants – twenty thousand cors of threshed wheat and twenty thousand cors of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.” 10And Huram king of Tyre stated in writing and sent the following to Solomon: “In the Lord's love for his people, he has appointed you king over them.” 11Then Huram said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who made heaven and the earth, who has given to King David a wise son who has prudence and intelligence, who will build a house to the Lord, and a house for his kingdom. 12So now, I have sent a skilled man who has intelligence, who belonged to Huram my father, 13the son of a woman who is one of the daughters of Dan, whose father is a Tyrian, who knows how to work with gold and with silver, with copper and with iron, with stone and with wood, with purple and with cerulean blue dye, and with byssus and with crimson, and how to engrave every kind of engraving, and to devise every kind of device which is presented to him, with your skilled men, and the skilled men of my lord David your father. 14And now what my lord specified may he send to his servants – the wheat and the barley and the oil and the wine – 15and we will fell trees in Lebanon according to all your needs, and we will bring them to you as rafts by sea to Joppa, whereupon you can bring them up to Jerusalem.” 16And Solomon counted all the foreigners who were in the land of Israel after the census when David his father counted them, and they were found to be one hundred and fifty-three thousand and six hundred in number. 17And of them he made seventy thousand burden bearers and eighty thousand hewers on the mountain, and three thousand six hundred superintendents to put the people to work.

2 Chronicles Chapter 3 

1So Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to David his father, who had made preparations on David's site at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 2And he began to build in the second month, on the second day, in the fourth year of his reign. 3So by these things Solomon was moved to initiate building the house of God. The length in cubits by the former system was sixty cubits, and the width was twenty cubits. 4And the portico which was in front had a length across the width of the house – twenty cubits. And its height was one hundred and twenty cubits. And he overlaid it on the inside with pure gold. 5And he panelled the great house with cypress wood, and he overlaid it with fine gold, and he set palm tree figures and chains on it. 6And he overlaid the house with expensive stone for its splendour. And the gold was Parvaim gold. 7And he overlaid the house – the beams and the thresholds and its walls and its doors with gold, and he engraved cherubim on the walls. 8And he made the room of the holy of holies, whose length was in accordance with the width of the house – twenty cubits – and its width was twenty cubits, and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents. 9And the weight of the nails was equal to that of fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper rooms with gold. 10And in the room of the holy of holies he made two cherubim – carved work – and the gilders overlaid them with gold. 11As for the wings of the cherubim, their length was twenty cubits. One wing had a length of five cubits, touching the wall of the room, while the other wing of five cubits touched the wing of the other cherub. 12And the wing of the other cherub was five cubits in length, touching the wall of the room, and the other wing was five cubits, adjoining the wing of the other cherub. 13The wings of these cherubim extended to twenty cubits, and they stood on their feet with their faces directed inwards. 14And he made the veil of cerulean blue and purple and crimson material, and byssus, and he set up cherubim on it. 15And in front of the house he made two columns, thirty-five cubits in height, and the capital which was on top of them was five cubits high. 16And he made a work in chains in the place of address, and he put it on top of the columns, and he made one hundred pomegranates and put them on the work in chains. 17And he erected the columns alongside the temple, one on the right and one on the left, and he called the right hand one Jachin, and the left hand one Boaz.

2 Chronicles Chapter 4 

1And he made a copper altar whose length was twenty cubits and whose width was twenty cubits and whose height was ten cubits. 2And he made the cast artificial sea, ten cubits in diameter, circular all round, whose height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits would fit round it. 3And below it, encircling it all around was an image of oxen, ten to the cubit, encircling the artificial sea. There were two rows of oxen cast integrally. 4It stood on twelve oxen – three facing northwards, and three facing westwards, and three facing southwards, and three facing eastwards. And the artificial sea rested on them, above, and all their posteriors were facing inwards. 5And its thickness was a handbreadth, and its rim was in the style of the rim of the bud of a lily flower. It held three thousand baths in volume. 6And he made ten lavers, and he put five of them on the right hand side and five on the left hand side, to wash in them. They washed in them the things to do with the burnt offering, whereas the artificial sea was for the priests to wash. 7And he made ten golden lampstands in the prescribed way for them, and he put them in the temple – five on the right and five on the left. 8And he made ten tables, and he placed them in the temple – five on the right and five on the left. And he made one hundred golden sprinkling basins. 9And he made the priests' courtyard and the great enclosure, and doors for the enclosure, and he overlaid their doors with copper. 10And he put the artificial sea on the right hand side, in the southern part of the eastern side. 11And Huram made the pans and the shovels and the sprinkling basins, and Huram finished making the artisanry which he made for King Solomon to go in the house of God: 12the two columns with bowls and capitals on top of both columns, and the two trellises to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on top of the columns, 13and four hundred pomegranates for the two trellises – two rows of pomegranates to each trellis to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on top of the columns. 14And he made the stands, and he made the lavers on the stands, 15and the single artificial sea, and the twelve oxen under it. 16And Huram his father made the pans and the shovels and the forks and all the equipment for King Solomon for the house of the Lord, in polished copper. 17The king cast them in the tract of the Jordan, in the thickly overgrown land between Succoth and Zeredath. 18So Solomon made all this equipment, which was in great abundance, for the weight of copper was not investigated. 19So Solomon made all the equipment which was for the house of God, including the golden altar and the tables, on which the showbread is put, 20and the lampstands and their lamps, for them to burn in the prescribed way before the place of address, of seamless gold, 21and the flowers and the lamps and the golden snuffing-tongs, immaculate in gold, 22and the snuffers and the sprinkling basins and the ladles and the firepans – of seamless gold – and at the entrance to the house, its inner doors to the holy of holies, and the doors to the temple building – again of gold.

2 Chronicles Chapter 5 

1And all the artisanry which Solomon made for the house of the Lord was completed, and Solomon brought the holy articles of David his father, and he put the silver and the gold and all the equipment in the treasuries of the house of God. 2Then Solomon convened the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the paternal families of the sons of Israel, in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the City of David, which is Zion. 3So every head man of Israel was convened to the king at the festival time – that is in the seventh month. 4So all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites carried the ark. 5And they brought the ark up, and the tent of contact, and all the holy equipment which was in the tent. And it was the Levite priests who brought it up. 6Then King Solomon, and the whole congregation of Israel which was assembled with him before the ark, sacrificed sheep and oxen, which could not be numbered and could not be counted for abundance. 7And the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place – to the place of address of the house, to the holy of holies – under the wings of the cherubim. 8And the cherubim stretched out their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and its staves from above. 9And they extended the staves such that the ends of the staves of the ark were visible in front of the place of address, but they were not visible outside. And it has been there up to this day. 10There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets which Moses put in it at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the sons of Israel when they came out of Egypt. 11Then it came to pass, when the priests came out of the sanctuary, that all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves. They were not on duty according to their divisions. 12And the Levites who sang – all of Asaph's choirs, of Heman's, of Jeduthun's, and those of their sons and their brothers, clothed in byssus – with timbrels and lutes and harps, stood to the east of the altar, and with them were one hundred and twenty priests blowing trumpets. 13And it came to pass, as the trumpeters and the singers were in unison in producing a harmonious sound, in praising and giving thanks to the Lord, and in raising their voice with trumpets and timbrels and musical instruments and in praising the Lord that he is good, that his kindness is age-abiding, that the building – the house of the Lord – filled with a cloud. 14And the priests could not stand to serve because of the cloud, because the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

Reference(s) in Chapter 5: v.13 ↔ Revelation 15:8.

2 Chronicles Chapter 6 

1Then Solomon said,

“The Lord said that he would dwell

In thick clouds.

2And I have built

A dwelling place for you

And an age-abiding abode

For you to reside in.”

3Then the king turned round and blessed the whole convocation of Israel, and the whole convocation of Israel was standing 4as he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who spoke by his own mouth with David my father, and who accomplished it, when he said, 5‘From the day when I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I did not select a city from any of the tribes of Israel to build a house for my name to be there, and I did not choose a man to be a leader over my people Israel, 6then I chose Jerusalem for my name to be there, and I chose David to be over my people Israel.’ 7And it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the Lord God of Israel. 8But the Lord said to David my father, ‘Inasmuch as it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well, for it was in your heart. 9However, it is not you who will build the house, but it is your son who will come from your loins who will build the house for my name.’ 10And the Lord fulfilled his word which he had spoken, and I arose in the place of David my father, and I sat on the throne of Israel, as the Lord had said, and I built the house for the name of the Lord God of Israel. 11And I set up the ark there, where the covenant of the Lord is, which he made with the sons of Israel.” 12And he stood before the Lord's altar opposite the whole convocation of Israel, and he stretched out his hands. 13For Solomon had made a copper laver, and he had put it in the enclosure, and its length was five cubits, and its width was five cubits, and its height was three cubits. And he stood on it and knelt down in the presence of the whole convocation of Israel, and he stretched out his hands towards heaven, 14and he said, “O Lord God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven or on the earth – you who keep the covenant and kindness with your servants who walk before you with all their heart – 15in that what you said to your servant – David my father – you kept for him, for you spoke with your mouth, and you have accomplished it, as it is today. 16So now, O Lord God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father what you said to him when you said, ‘No-one of your line sitting on the throne of Israel will be cut off before me, provided your sons keep their way by walking in my law, as you have walked before me.’ 17And now, O Lord God of Israel, may your word which you spoke to your servant – to David – be upheld. 18For will God truly dwell with man on earth? Behold, heavens and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you, so how much less this house which I have built. 19But you have considered the prayer of your servant and his supplication, O Lord my God, in hearing the shout and the prayer which your servant is praying before you, 20that your eyes may be open by day and night to this house – to the place of which you said to set up your name there – so as to hear the prayer which your servant will pray facing this place. 21And do hear the supplications of your servant and your people Israel, who will pray facing this place, and do hear from the place where you are seated – from the heavens – so do hear and forgive. 22If a man sins against his neighbour, and an oath is imposed on him, so as to adjure him, and the oath comes before your altar in this house, 23then hear from heaven and take action, and judge your servants in requiting the wicked, in bringing his way back on his head, and in justifying the righteous, in rewarding him according to his righteousness. 24And if your people Israel are struck down in confrontation with an enemy because they have sinned against you, and they repent and confess your name, and they pray and make supplications before you in this house, 25then do hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which you gave to them and to their fathers. 26When the heavens are shut, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against you, then they will pray facing this place, and they will confess your name, and they will turn back from their sin when you oppress them. 27And do hear in heaven, and do forgive the sin of your servants and your people Israel, then do teach them the right way in which they should walk, and do give rain on your land which you have given to your people as an inheritance. 28If there is a famine in the land, if there is a pestilence, if there is a blight or mildew, swarming locusts or consuming locusts, if their enemy besieges them in the land at their gates, if there is any affliction or any sickness, 29then for every prayer and every supplication which any man, or the whole of your people Israel may have – because each man will know the reason for his affliction and his grief – he will stretch out his hands towards this house. 30Then do hear from heaven, the abode where you reside, and do forgive, and repay each man according to all his ways, whose heart you know, for you alone know the heart of the sons of Adam, 31so that they may fear you in walking in your ways, for all the days that they live on the surface of the land which you have given to our fathers. 32And also concerning the foreigner who is not of your people Israel, but who has come from a distant land for the sake of your great name and your strong hand and your outstretched arm, when they come and pray facing this house, 33then do hear from heaven, the abode where you reside, and act according to everything that the foreigner calls on you about, so that all the various peoples of the earth may know your name, and know to fear you, as your people Israel does, and to know that your name is called on at this house which I have built. 34When your people go out to war against their enemies by the way which you send them, they will pray to you in the direction of this city which you have chosen, and of the house which I have built for your name. 35And do hear from heaven their prayer and their supplication, and do execute judgment for them. 36When they sin against you – for there is no man who does not sin – and you are angry with them, and you deliver them to the enemy, and their captors take them captive to a land, be it far or near, 37then when they have a change of heart in the land in which they have been taken captive, and repent, and they make supplication to you in the land of their captivity, and they say, ‘We have sinned and committed iniquity and behaved wickedly’, 38and they return to you with all their heart and with all their soul, in the land of their captivity where they have taken them captive, and they pray in the direction of their land which you gave their fathers, and the city which you have chosen, and towards the house which I have built for your name, 39then do hear from heaven – from the abode where you reside – their prayer and their supplications, and do execute judgment for them, and do forgive your people who sinned against you. 40Now, O God of mine, may your eyes be open and your ears be attentive to the prayer of this place.

41So now, O Lord God,

Arise to your resting place

– You and the ark of your strength.

Let your priests, O Lord God,

Be clothed with salvation,

So that those of yours under your grace

May rejoice in goodness.

42O Lord God,

Do not turn the face of your anointed away;

Remember the acts of kindness

Shown to David your servant.”

2 Chronicles Chapter 7 

1And when Solomon had finished praying, a fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house. 2And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. 3And all the sons of Israel saw when the fire came down and the glory of the Lord was over the house, and they bowed face down to the ground on the pavement, and they worshipped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying,

“For he is good,

For his kindness is age-abiding.”

4And the king and all the people offered a sacrifice before the Lord. 5And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. And the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. 6And the priests were standing at their guard posts, and the Levites were standing with instruments of music to the Lord which King David had made, to give thanks to the Lord, for his kindness is age-abiding, when David gave praise by means of them, and the priests blew trumpets before them, and all Israel stood. 7And Solomon sanctified the inside of the court which was in front of the house of the Lord, for it is there that he made the burnt offerings and offered the fat of the peace-offerings, because the copper altar which Solomon had made could not hold the burnt offering and the meal-offering and the fat-offerings. 8And Solomon celebrated the festival at that time for seven days, as did all Israel with him – a very large convocation from the approach to Hamath to the Brook of Egypt. 9And on the eighth day he held a solemn assembly, for they had conducted the dedication of the altar for seven days, and the festival had been for seven days. 10And on the twenty-third day of the seventh month, he sent the people to their tents, happy and in good spirits because of the good which the Lord had done to David and to Solomon and to Israel his people. 11So Solomon completed the house of the Lord and the king's house, and he was successful with everything that came into Solomon's heart to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house. 12And the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night, and he said to him, “I have heard your prayer, and I have chosen this place for myself to be a house of sacrifice. 13If I shut heaven so that there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send a pestilence on my people, 14and my people on whom my name is called humble themselves, and they pray, and they seek my face, and they turn back from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land. 15Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to a prayer from this place. 16And now I have chosen and I have sanctified this house for my name to be there age-abidingly, and my eyes and my heart will be there continually. 17And as for you, if you walk before me as David your father walked, in doing everything that I have commanded you, and if you keep my statutes and my regulations, 18then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘No man of your line ruling in Israel will be cut off.’ 19But if you turn away and abandon my statutes and my commandments which I have set before you, and you go your way and serve other gods and worship them, 20then I will pluck them up from my land which I have given them, and I will cast this house which I have sanctified for my name out of my sight, and I will make it the subject of taunting and jeering among all the nations. 21And this house which will have been exalted, will be a cause of astonishment to everyone passing by it, and a man will say, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this land and to this house?’ 22And they will say, ‘Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they adhered to other gods and worshipped them and served them – that is why he has brought all this trouble on them.’ ”

2 Chronicles Chapter 8 

1And it came to pass after twenty years, when Solomon had built the house of the Lord and his own house, 2and Solomon had built up the cities which Huram had given to Solomon, and he had settled the sons of Israel there, 3that Solomon went to Hamath-Zobah and overpowered it, 4and he built Tadmor in the desert, and all the storehouse cities which he built in Hamath. 5And he built Upper Beth-Horon, and Lower Beth-Horon – cities with fortifications, walls, doors and bolts – 6and Baalath and all the storehouse cities which Solomon had, and all the cities with chariot fleets, and the cities with horsemen, and all the ambitions of Solomon which he aspired to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and in all the land under his rule. 7On all the people who remained from the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel 8those of their sons who remained after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel did not exterminate – Solomon imposed tribute tax, which is in force up to this day. 9But Solomon did not make any of the sons of Israel bondmen for his work, because they were warriors and commanders of his officers, and commanders of his charioteers and his horsemen. 10And these were the senior officials of King Solomon's overseers: two hundred and fifty who ruled over the people. 11And Solomon brought Pharaoh's daughter up from the City of David to the house which he had built for her, for he had said, “No wife of mine will live in any house of David king of Israel, because they are holy, where the ark of the Lord has come.” 12And Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of the Lord which he had built in front of the portico, 13and in the duty of the day on its day, to offer according to the commandment of Moses, for there to be Sabbaths and observance of new moons, and festival days three times in the year, at the Festival of the Unleavened Bread and at the Festival of Weeks and at the Festival of Tabernacles. 14And he set up, according to the prescribed way of David his father, the divisions of the priests by their work, and the Levites by their duties of observance to praise and to serve before the priests as the duty of the day on its day, and the gatekeepers in their divisions, for each individual gate, for such was the commandment of David, the man of God. 15And they did not turn away from the king's commandment concerning the priests and the Levites in any matter or in relation to the treasuries. 16And all Solomon's work was prepared for the day of laying the foundations of the house of the Lord up to it being finished – the complete house of the Lord. 17Then Solomon went to Ezion-Geber and to Eloth on the sea coast in the land of Edom. 18And through the agency of his servants, Huram sent him ships and servants, who knew the sea, and they went with Solomon's servants to Ophir, and they took from there four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and they brought it to King Solomon.

2 Chronicles Chapter 9 

1And when the queen of Sheba heard the report of Solomon, she came to test Solomon with riddles in Jerusalem, and she came with a very large retinue, with camels bearing fragrances and gold in abundance, and precious stones. And she came to Solomon and spoke with him about everything that was on her heart. 2And Solomon answered all her points raised and nothing was inexplicable to Solomon, which he could not tell her. 3So the queen of Sheba saw Solomon's wisdom, and the house which he had built, 4and the food at his table, and the seated assembly of his servants, and the standing assembly of his attendants and their apparel, and his butlers and their apparel, and his ascent by which he went up to the house of the Lord. And it took her breath away. 5And she said to the king, “The report which I heard in my country about your affairs and your wisdom was true. 6But I did not believe those things until I came and my eyes saw them, and it turns out that half the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You have exceeded the report which I heard. 7Blessed are your men, and blessed are these servants of yours who stand before you continually, and who hear your wisdom. 8Blessed be the Lord your God, who has been favourably disposed to you in setting you on his throne as king for the Lord your God, in the love of your God for Israel, by establishing it age-abidingly. And he has appointed you as king over them, to execute justice and righteousness.” 9And she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, and very many fragrances and precious stones, and there never was fragrance like this which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 10And Huram's servants, and Solomon's servants – those who had brought gold from Ophir – also brought almug wood and precious stones. 11And the king made from the almug wood terraces for the house of the Lord and for the king's house, and harps and lutes for the singers. Never had anything like them been seen before in the land of Judah. 12And King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all her desire which she asked for, in addition to what she had brought to the king. And she turned and went back to her country with her servants. 13And the weight of gold which accrued to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, 14apart from what travelling people and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and the potentates of the land brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15And King Solomon made two hundred shields of alloyed gold. Six hundred shekels of alloyed gold went in each shield, 16and he made three hundred bucklers of alloyed gold. Three hundred shekels of alloyed gold went into each buckler, and the king put them in the house of the Forest of Lebanon. 17And the king made a large ivory throne, and he overlaid it with pure gold. 18And there were six steps up to the throne, and the throne had a footstool in gold, which were all attached, and armrests on each side of the seat. And two lions stood beside the armrests. 19And twelve lions stood there on six steps – six on each side. Nothing had been made like it in any kingdom. 20And all King Solomon's tableware for drinking was of gold, and all the articles of the house of the Forest of Lebanon were of seamless gold. Silver was not regarded in Solomon's days as anything special. 21But the king had ships which went to Tarshish with Huram's servants. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish came transporting gold and silver, ivory and monkeys and peacocks. 22And King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth, in riches and wisdom. 23And all the kings of the earth would seek an audience with Solomon, so as to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. 24And they each brought their gift – articles of silver and articles of gold, and garments, and weaponry and fragrances, horses and mules – an event which took place year in year out. 25And Solomon had four thousand stables for horses, and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, and he located them in the cities of the chariots, and with the king in Jerusalem. 26And he was a ruler over all the kings from the river up to the land of the Philistines and up to the border with Egypt. 27And the king made silver commonplace in Jerusalem like stones in their abundance, and he made cedars like the sycamores which are in the lowlands in abundance. 28And they brought horses to Solomon from Egypt, and from all countries. 29And as for the rest of Solomon's affairs – the first and the last – are they not written in the Chronicles of Nathan the prophet and in the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the Visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat? 30And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over the whole of Israel for forty years. 31And Solomon lay with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in place of him.

2 Chronicles Chapter 10 

1And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel went to Shechem to make him king. 2And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it, when he was in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon, that Jeroboam returned from Egypt. 3For they sent messengers and called for him. And Jeroboam came, as did all Israel, and they spoke to Rehoboam and said, 4“Your father made our yoke heavy, but lighten now the hard work imposed by your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” 5And he said to them, “In three days' time come back to me.” So the people went away. 6Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had stood before Solomon his father when he was alive, and he said, “How do you advise me to reply to this people?” 7And they spoke to him and said, “If you will be for the good of this people and be favourable to them and speak pleasing words to them, then they will be your servants all the time.” 8But he ignored the advice of the elders who had advised him, and he consulted the children who had grown up with him, who stood in his presence. 9And he said to them, “What do you advise that we reply to this people who spoke to me and said, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?” 10And the children who had grown up with him spoke to him and said, “Say this to the people who spoke to you and said, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it on us’ – say this to them – : ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. 11And now, my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke. My father chastened you with whips, but I will chasten you with scorpions.’ ” 12Then Jeroboam came to Rehoboam, as did all the people, on the third day, as the king had spoken when he said, “Come back to me on the third day.” 13And the king answered them harshly, and King Rehoboam ignored the advice of the elders. 14And he spoke to them according to the advice of the children and said, “I will make your yoke heavy, and I will add to it. My father chastened you with whips, but I will chasten you with scorpions.” 15And the king did not listen to the people, because it was a turn of events from God, in order for the Lord to establish his word which he had spoken through the agency of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 16And the whole of Israel realized that the king had not heeded them, and the people replied to the king and said,

“What part have we with David?”

And, “There is no inheritance in the son of Jesse.

Everyone to your tents, O Israel.

Now you see to your own house, David.”

Then all Israel went to their tents. 17But as for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 18Then when King Rehoboam sent Hadoram who was in charge of the tax, the sons of Israel stoned him, and he died, and King Rehoboam scrambled to board a carriage to flee to Jerusalem. 19So Israel revolted against the house of David, as it is up to this day.

2 Chronicles Chapter 11 

1Then when Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he convened the house of Judah and Benjamin – one hundred and eighty thousand young men – who were about to wage war, so as to fight against Israel, so as to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. 2And the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, a man of God, and it said, 3“Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, the king of Judah, and to the whole of Israel in Judah and Benjamin, and say, 4‘This is what the Lord says: «Do not go up, and do not fight against your brothers. Go back, each one to his house, because this matter has been brought about by me.» ’ ” And they heeded the words of the Lord and turned back from going against Jeroboam. 5And Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and he built cities as fortification in Judah. 6And he built up Bethlehem and Etam and Tekoa, 7and Beth-Zur and Sochoh and Adullam, 8and Gath and Mareshah and Ziph, 9and Adoraim and Lachish and Azekah, 10and Zorah and Aijalon and Hebron, which are in Judah and Benjamin – cities with fortifications. 11And he strengthened the fortifications, and he put overseers in them, and storehouses for food and oil and wine. 12And in every individual city he put shields and spears, and he strengthened them to a very great extent. So Judah and Benjamin belonged to him. 13And the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel stationed themselves beside him, coming from all their territories. 14For the Levites left their pasture lands and their estates, and they went to Judah and to Jerusalem, because Jeroboam had rejected them, as had his sons, stopping them from officiating as priests to the Lord. 15But he had appointed himself priests for the idolatrous raised sites and for the satyrs and the calves which he had made. 16Then after them there came from all the tribes of Israel those who gave their hearts to seeking the Lord God of Israel, to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord God of their fathers. 17And they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and they gave strength to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years. 18And Rehoboam took a wife – Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and Abihail, the daughter of Eliab, the son of Jesse. 19And she bore him sons: Jeush and Shemariah and Zaham. 20And after her he took Maachah, Absalom's daughter, and she bore him Abijah and Attai and Ziza and Shelomith. 21And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom the most of all his wives and concubines, for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he begot twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters. 22And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maachah as head – as leader among his brothers – for it was to make him king. 23And he was astute, and he dispersed all his sons to all the districts of Judah and Benjamin, to all the cities with fortifications, and he gave them food in abundance. And he asked for many wives.

2 Chronicles Chapter 12 

1And it came to pass at the establishing of Rehoboam's kingdom, and when he had strengthened himself, that he forsook the law of the Lord, as did all Israel with him. 2And it came to pass in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had acted perversely against the Lord, 3with one thousand two hundred chariots and with sixty thousand horsemen and with innumerable people who came with him from Egypt – Libyans, Sukkiim and Ethiopians – 4and he took the fortified cities which belonged to Judah, and he came to Jerusalem. 5Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the senior officials of Judah who had gathered in Jerusalem because of Shishak, and he said to them, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You have left me, and I for my part have left you in the hands of Shishak.’ ” 6At this the senior officials of Israel and the king humbled themselves, and they said, “The Lord is righteous.” 7And when the Lord saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah and said, “They have humbled themselves; I will not ruin them, but I will soon make them like an escaped group, and my wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem by means of Shishak. 8But they will be his servants, and they will know what it means to serve me and to serve the kingdoms of the various countries.” 9Then Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and he took the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house. He took everything away, and he took away the golden shields which Solomon had made. 10Then King Rehoboam made shields of copper instead of them, and he committed them to the care of the captains of the couriers who guarded the entrance to the king's house. 11And it was the case that every time the king went to the house of the Lord, the couriers came and carried them there and then brought them back to the repository of the couriers. 12And at him humbling himself, the Lord's anger subsided, and he did not completely ruin him, and also in Judah there were good reports. 13And King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and he reigned, for Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord chose out of all the tribes of Israel to establish his name there. And his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 14Then he did evil, for he did not resolve to seek the Lord. 15And the affairs of Rehoboam – the first and the last – are they not written in the Chronicles of Shemaiah the prophet and Iddo the seer, as registered according to genealogies? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the time. 16And Rehoboam lay with his fathers, and he was buried in the City of David, and Abijah his son reigned in his place.

2 Chronicles Chapter 13 

1In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah started to reign over Judah. 2He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Micaiah, the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3And Abijah gave battle with a force of warriors, of four hundred thousand elite men, while Jeroboam drew up battle lines against him with eight hundred thousand elite men – valiant warriors. 4And Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim, which is at Mount Ephraim, and he said, “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel. 5Is it not given to you to know that the Lord God of Israel gave a kingdom to David, over Israel age-abidingly, to him and his sons, in a covenant of salt? 6But Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master. 7And idle men joined him – good-for-nothing lads – and they emboldened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was a tender-hearted youth and could not gather strength to confront them. 8But now you say that you will gain strength to confront the Lord's kingdom, which is under the authority of the sons of David, and that you are a great multitude, and that with you are golden calves which Jeroboam made for you as gods. 9Have you not thrust out the Lord's priests – the sons of Aaron and the Levites – and created for yourselves priests like the nations of the various countries? Everyone who comes to commission himself with a bull-calf and seven rams becomes a priest of non-gods. 10But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him, and the priests who serve the Lord are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites are engaged in the work, 11and they make burnt offerings to the Lord with incense every morning and every evening, and incense from fragrances, and see to the arrangement of the showbread on the pure table, and the golden lampstand and its candles so that they burn every evening. For we keep the duty of observance of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken him. 12And look, with us at the head is God, and his priests and the trumpets, the sounding of them being to raise an alarm to you. You sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.” 13But Jeroboam wheeled an ambush round so as to get behind them, so that they – Jeroboam's men – were facing Judah, whereas his ambush was behind them. 14Then when Judah turned round, they became aware that they faced battle in front and behind, and they cried out to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets. 15And the men of Judah raised the alarm, and it came to pass, when the men of Judah raised the alarm, that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel in the presence of Abijah and Judah. 16And the sons of Israel fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hand. 17And Abijah and his people dealt them a severe blow, and five hundred thousand elite men of Israel fell as casualties. 18So the sons of Israel were brought low at that time, whereas the sons of Judah displayed strength, because they relied on the Lord God of their fathers. 19And Abijah pursued Jeroboam, and he captured cities from him – Beth-El and its satellite villages, and Jeshanah and its satellite villages, and Ephron and its satellite villages. 20And Jeroboam did not regain strength in the days of Abijah, and the Lord struck him down, and he died. 21But Abijah became stronger, and he took fourteen wives, and he begot twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22And the rest of the affairs of Abijah, both his ways and his affairs, are written in the Commentary of the Prophet Iddo. 23And Abijah lay with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David, and Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land enjoyed rest for ten years.

2 Chronicles Chapter 14 

1Now Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God, 2and he removed the foreign altars and the idolatrous raised sites, and he broke the idolatrous statues up, and he cut the phallic parks down. 3Then he told Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandments. 4And he removed from all the cities of Judah the idolatrous raised sites, and the sun-images. And the kingdom enjoyed rest before him. 5And he built fortified cities in Judah, although the land enjoyed rest and he did not have war in those years, because the Lord gave him rest. 6And he said to Judah, “We will build these cities, and we will encircle them with a wall and towers and doors and bolts, while the land is still before us, for we have sought the Lord our God; we sought him, and he has given us rest all round.” So they built and prospered. 7And Asa had an army bearing shield and spear from Judah, three hundred thousand strong, and from Benjamin bearing the buckler and drawing the bow, two hundred and eighty thousand strong, all these being valiant warriors. 8Then Zerah the Ethiopian went out against them with a force of one million, and three hundred chariots, and he arrived in Mareshah. 9So Asa went out to confront him, and they drew up for battle in the Valley of Zephathah in Mareshah. 10And Asa called on the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, it is nothing to you to help, whether a large number or whether those without strength. Help us, O Lord our God, because we have relied on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; do not let man obstruct you.” 11And the Lord struck the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. 12And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and so many of the Ethiopians fell that they had no sign of life, for they were crushed before the Lord and before his battalion. And they carried away a very large quantity of spoil. 13And they attacked all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the Lord was on them. And they spoiled all the cities, for there was much spoil in them. 14And they also attacked the tents of cattle, and they captured sheep in abundance, and camels, and they returned to Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles Chapter 15 

1And the spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded. 2And he went out to see Asa, and he said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him, and if you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 3Now for a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a priestly teacher, and without the law, 4but when they were in straits, they returned to the Lord God of Israel, and they sought him, and he was found by them. 5But in those times there was no peace to anyone going about their business because there was much turmoil over all the inhabitants of the various countries. 6And nation was routed by nation, and city by city, for God so motivated them with all adversity. 7So you be strong, and do not let your hands droop, because there is a reward for your labour.” 8And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy – Oded being the prophet – he took courage and removed the abominations from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin, and from the cities which he had taken in the mountainous country of Ephraim, and he renewed the altar of the Lord which was in front of the Lord's portico. 9And he gathered the whole of Judah and Benjamin and those temporarily resident with them from Ephraim and Manasseh, and from Simeon, for they flocked to him from Israel in abundance when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. 10And they gathered in Jerusalem in the third month in the fifteenth year of Asa's reign. 11And they sacrificed to the Lord on that day – they brought from the spoil seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. 12And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul. 13And everyone who would not seek the Lord God of Israel would be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. 14And they swore to the Lord in a loud voice, and with a shout, and with trumpets and with ramshorns. 15And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, because they swore wholeheartedly, and they sought him with all their will, and he was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all round. 16And as for Maachah too, King Asa's mother, he excluded her from being queen mother, because she had made a monstrosity for the phallic park. And Asa cut her monstrosity down and pulverized it and burnt it at the Kidron Brook. 17But the idolatrous raised sites were not removed from Israel, yet Asa's heart was sincere all his days. 18And he brought his father's holy articles, and his own holy articles, to the house of God – silver and gold and equipment. 19And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign.

2 Chronicles Chapter 16 

1In the thirty-sixth year of Asa's reign, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and he built Ramah, to prevent traffic to and from Asa king of Judah. 2And Asa brought silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the king's house, and he sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aramaea, who was living in Damascus, and he said, 3There is a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Look, I have sent you silver and gold. Go and break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel so that I am rid of him.” 4And Ben-Hadad heeded King Asa, and he sent the commanders of his forces to the cities of Israel, and they attacked Ijon and Dan and Abel-Maim, and all the storehouses in the cities of Naphtali. 5And when Baasha heard about it, he discontinued building Ramah, and he put a stop to his work. 6And King Asa took all of Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timbers, with which Baasha had been building it, and he built Geba and Mizpah with them. 7And at that time, Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you have relied on the king of Aramaea, and you have not relied on the Lord your God, the forces of the king of Aramaea have escaped from your control. 8Had not the Ethiopians and the Libyans become a numerous force, with chariots and horsemen in very great numbers? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand. 9For the eyes of the Lord scour the whole land, so that he may show his strength to those whose heart is sincere with him, but you have acted foolishly in this respect, so from now on you will have wars.” 10At this Asa became angry with the seer, and he put him in prison, for he was in a rage with him about this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time. 11And as for the affairs of Asa – the first and the last – they are to be seen written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12Now Asa became diseased in his feet in the thirty-ninth year of his reign. His disease was in an advanced stage, but even with his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the doctors. 13And Asa lay with his fathers, and he died in the forty-first year of his reign. 14And they buried him in his own grave which he had had dug for himself in the City of David, and they laid him on a bed which he had filled with fragrances and suchlike, composed as a professional preparation, and they lit a very great fire for him indeed.

2 Chronicles Chapter 17 

1And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place, and he strengthened himself against Israel. 2And he put forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and he put garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which Asa his father had captured. 3And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of David his father, and he did not seek the Baalim, 4for he sought the God of his father, and he walked in his commandments, and not like the practice of Israel. 5And the Lord established the kingdom in his hand, and all Judah gave gifts to Jehoshaphat, and he had wealth and honour in abundance. 6And his heart was exuberant in the ways of the Lord, and furthermore he removed the idolatrous raised sites and the phallic parks from Judah. 7And in the third year of his reign, he sent teachers to his senior officials, to Ben-Hail and to Obadiah and to Zechariah and to Nethaneel and to Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah. 8And with them were the Levites, Shemaiah and Nethaniah and Zebadiah and Asahel and Shemiramoth and Jonathan and Adonijah and Tobiah and Tob-Adonijah – the Levites – and with them were Elishama and Jehoram the priests. 9And they taught in Judah, and with them was the book of the law of the Lord. And they went round all the cities of Judah, and they taught among the people. 10And the fear of the Lord came over all the kingdoms of the countries around Judah, and they did not fight against Jehoshaphat. 11And some of the Philistines brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, and silver as tribute. Also, the Arabs brought him sheep – seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred he-goats. 12And Jehoshaphat became greater and greater in the extreme, and he built palaces and storehouse cities in Judah. 13And he had a lot of business in the cities of Judah, whereas the men of war – the valiant warriors – were in Jerusalem. 14And these were their offices according to their paternal house. For Judah, the commanders of a thousand were Adnah the commander, with whom were three hundred thousand valiant warriors, 15and next in line to him was Jehohanan the commander, with whom were two hundred and eighty thousand men, 16and next in line to him was Amasiah the son of Zichri, who volunteered for the Lord, with whom were two hundred thousand valiant warriors. 17And from Benjamin was the valiant warrior Eliada, with whom were those armed with bow and buckler – two hundred thousand men, 18and next in line to him was Jehozabad, with whom were one hundred and eighty thousand armed soldiers. 19These were those who served the king, apart from those whom the king put in the fortified cities all over Judah.

2 Chronicles Chapter 18 

1And Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and he contracted an in-law relationship with the family of Ahab. 2And after a number of years he went down to Ahab, to Samaria, and Ahab sacrificed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people with him, and he induced him to go up to Ramoth-Gilead. 3And Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-Gilead?” And he said to him, “I am as you are, and my people are as your people, and I am with you in the war.” 4And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please consult the word of the Lord today.” 5And the king of Israel gathered the prophets – four hundred men – and he asked them, “Should we go to war against Ramoth-Gilead or should I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, and God will deliver it into the king's hand.” 6And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no other prophet of the Lord here for us to inquire of him.” 7And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is one more man from whom one can consult the Lord, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good about me, but all the time evil. He is Micaiah the son of Imla.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let the king not say suchlike.” 8And the king of Israel called for a certain eunuch and said, “Bring Micaiah the son of Imla quickly.” 9And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were each sitting on his throne, dressed in royal clothes, and they were sitting in a threshing hall at the entrance of the Gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying in their presence. 10And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made himself some iron horns, and he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will butt the Aramaeans until you have finished them off.’ ” 11And all the prophets prophesied likewise and said, “Go up to Ramoth-Gilead and have success, and the Lord will deliver it into the king's hand.” 12Then the messenger who had gone to fetch Micaiah spoke to him and said, “These are the unanimously favourable words of the prophets to the king. Now may your word be similar to any one of them, and speak favourably.” 13But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, rather, it is what my God says that I will speak.” 14And when he went to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth-Gilead to war, or should I refrain?” And he said, “Go up and have success, and they will be delivered into your hand.” 15Then the king said to him, “How many times must I adjure you not to tell me anything except the truth in the name of the Lord?” 16Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep which do not have a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These do not have a master. Let them all return to their homes in peace.’ ” 17At this the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn't I tell you that he wouldn't prophesy good about me, but evil?” 18And Micaiah said, “So hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, with the whole host of heaven standing in attendance to him on his right and on his left. 19And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and attack Ramoth-Gilead?’ And he said, ‘One says this, and another says that.’ 20And a spirit went out and stood before the Lord, and it said, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to it, ‘By what means?’ 21And it said, ‘I will go out, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You may entice him, and indeed you will be able to. Go out and do so.’ 22So now you see that the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and the Lord has pronounced evil concerning you.” 23Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah approached and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the spirit of the Lord pass from me when I spoke to you?” 24And Micaiah said, “You will see just that on that day when you go into an inner room to hide.” 25And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son, 26and say, ‘This is what the king says: «Put this man in prison and feed him on baneful bread and water until I return in peace.» ’ ” 27Then Micaiah said, “Whether you will come back at all in peace, the Lord hasn't pronounced on through me.” And he said, “Pay heed, all you various peoples.” 28Then the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-Gilead. 29And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “It is time to disguise oneself and go into the battle, but you wear your royal clothes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. 30And the king of Aramaea instructed his chariot fleet commanders and said, “Do not fight with small or with great, but rather with the king of Israel only.” 31Then it came to pass, when the chariot fleet commanders saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, “He is the king of Israel.” And they turned towards him to do battle, but Jehoshaphat shouted out, and the Lord helped him, and God induced them to leave him. 32And it came to pass, when the commanders of the chariot fleet saw that he was not the king of Israel, that they stopped pursuing him. 33Meanwhile a man drew his bow in his innocence, and he hit the king of Israel through the joints between the armour plates. And he said to the chariot driver, “Steer and get me out of the battle theatre, for I have been wounded.” 34And the battle intensified on that day, and the king of Israel was propping himself up in the chariot in front of the Aramaeans until the evening, and he died at the time of sunset.

2 Chronicles Chapter 19 

1Then Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned to his house in Jerusalem in peace. 2And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to confront him, and he said to King Jehoshaphat, “Is it right to help the wicked, and will you love those who hate the Lord? And for this reason there is anger from the Lord on you. 3But some good things have been found in you, for you have burned the phallic parks in the land, and you have prepared your heart to seek God.” 4And Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to Mount Ephraim, and he brought them back to the Lord God of their fathers. 5And he set up judges in the land – in all the fortified cities of Judah – city by city. 6And he said to the judges, “Watch what you do, for you will not be judging for man, but for the Lord, and may he be with you in the matter of judgment. 7And now, may the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be on your guard and act, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or taking bribes.” 8Also in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed men from the Levites and the priests, and from the paternal heads of Israel, for the Lord's judgment and for disputes. So they returned to Jerusalem. 9And he gave commandment concerning them and said, “This is what you will do in the fear of the Lord, in faith, and with a sincere heart, 10with every dispute which comes before you from your brothers who live in your cities, between blood relations, whether about law or commandment or statutes or judgments: you will warn them not to transgress against the Lord, or wrath will come over you and over your brothers. You shall do this, and you shall not transgress. 11And look, Amariah the high priest is over you in every matter concerning the Lord, as is Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the leader of the house of Judah, for every matter concerning the king, and as magistrates there are the Levites at your disposal. Take courage and act and may the Lord be with what is good.”

2 Chronicles Chapter 20 

1And it came to pass after this, that the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon, and with them some of the Ammonites, went to war against Jehoshaphat. 2And informers came and told Jehoshaphat and said, “A large multitude is coming against you from across the sea – from Aramaea – and they are already in Hazezon-Tamar, which is En-Gedi.” 3And Jehoshaphat was afraid, and he resolved to seek the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast over all of Judah. 4So Judah gathered to seek instructions from the Lord, and people also came from all the cities of Judah to seek the Lord. 5And Jehoshaphat stood in the convocation of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the Lord, in front of the new court. 6And he said, “O Lord God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven and ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? And in your hand is power and might, and there is no-one who can match you. 7Are you not our God, who disinherited the inhabitants of this land in the presence of your people Israel and gave it to the seed of Abraham your friend age-abidingly? 8And they lived in it, and they built a holy place for your name in it for you, and they said, 9‘If evil comes upon us – the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine – we will stand before this house and before you, for your name is in this house, and we will cry out to you because of our distress, then do hear us and save us.’ 10And now, look at the sons of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you did not allow Israel to attack when they came from the land of Egypt, so they kept away from them and did not destroy them. 11And here they are requiting us by coming to drive us out of your inheritance which you legated to us. 12O God of ours, will you not pass judgment on them, for we do not have the strength in the face of this large multitude which is coming against us, and we do not know what we should do, but our eyes are directed to you.” 13And all of Judah was standing before the Lord, including their little ones, their wives and their sons. 14Then the spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah the Levite, of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the convocation, 15and he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Don't you be afraid and do not fear this large multitude, for it is not with you that the war is, but with God. 16Go down against them tomorrow. Look, they are coming up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook facing the Desert of Jeruel. 17It is not up to you to fight this matter. Station yourselves and stand and watch the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid and do not fear. Go out tomorrow to confront them, and the Lord will be with you.’ ” 18And Jehoshaphat bowed down face to the ground, and all of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord in worshipping the Lord. 19And the Levites of the sons of the Kohathites, and of the sons of the Korhites, arose to praise the Lord God of Israel, raising a loud voice. 20And they arose early in the morning and went out to the Desert of Tekoa, and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Believe in the Lord your God and be faithful. Believe his prophets and prosper.” 21And he took counsel together with the people, and he stationed singers to the Lord, and psalm-singers, to the splendour of the holy event – when they went out to confront the armed body – as they said,

“Praise the Lord,

For his kindness is age-abiding.”

22And at that time when they began the joyful singing and praise, the Lord placed ambushers against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir who were coming to Judah, and they were struck down. 23And the sons of Ammon and Moab stood against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, to obliterate and destroy them, and when they had exterminated the inhabitants of Seir, each one helped to bring his neighbour's downfall. 24Then when Judah came to the watchtower overlooking the desert, they cast their eyes on the large multitude, and what they saw was that they were corpses, having fallen to the ground, and that there was no escaped remnant. 25And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take spoil from them, they found among them in abundance both valuables and corpses and desirable objects, and they stripped them for themselves to the point of being unable to carry them, and they spent three days taking the spoil, for it was great. 26And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, for they blessed the Lord there, which is why they call that place the Valley of Berachah, as it is up to this day. 27And every man of Judah and Jerusalem returned, with Jehoshaphat at their head, so as to return to Jerusalem with joy, because the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies. 28And they arrived in Jerusalem with lutes and with harps and with trumpets at the house of the Lord. 29And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the various countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30And Jehoshaphat's kingdom was quiet, and his God gave him rest all round. 31And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he started to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. And the name of his mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 32And he walked in the way of his father Asa, and he did not deviate from it, in doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord. 33But the idolatrous raised sites were not removed, and the people still had not prepared their hearts for the God of their fathers. 34And as for the rest of the affairs of Jehoshaphat – the first and the last – they are to be seen written in the Chronicles of Jehu the Son of Hanani, who is recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel. 35And after that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah the king of Israel. He acted wrongly in doing this. 36And he allied himself to him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made ships in Ezion-Geber. 37Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat and said, “Because of you allying yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord has thwarted your affairs.” And the ships were broken, and they were not able to go to Tarshish.

Reference(s) in Chapter 20: v.7 ↔ James 2:23.

2 Chronicles Chapter 21 

1And Jehoshaphat lay with his fathers, and with his fathers he was buried, in the City of David, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place. 2And he had brothers – the sons of Jehoshaphat – Azariah and Jehiel and Zechariah and Azariah and Michael and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. 3And their father gave them many gifts of silver and of gold, and valuable items, with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn. 4And when Jehoram had become established in his father's kingdom, he emboldened himself and killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the senior officials of Israel. 5Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 6And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab did, for his wife was Ahab's daughter, and he did what was wrong in the eyes of the Lord. 7But the Lord was not willing to bring ruin on the house of David, for the sake of the covenant which he had made for David, and according to how he had said he would give him and his sons a lamp continually. 8In his days Edom rebelled against Judah's control, and they appointed a king over themselves. 9And Jehoram crossed over with his commanders, and with him was the whole chariot fleet, and it came to pass that he arose in the night and attacked Edom which was surrounding him, and the chariot commanders. 10So Edom rebelled against Judah's control, as it is up to this day. Then Libnah rebelled, at that time, against his control, because he had forsaken the Lord God of his fathers. 11He also made idolatrous raised sites in the mountains of Judah, and he caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to engage in prostitution, and he induced Judah to do so. 12But a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, which said, “This is what the Lord God of David your father says: ‘As you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, and in the ways of Asa king of Judah, 13and you have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and you have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to engage in prostitution, like the way the house of Ahab promoted prostitution, and also you have killed your brothers of the house of your father, who were better than you, 14look, the Lord is about to inflict a severe plague on your people and on your sons and on your wives and on all your property. 15And you will be severely ill with a disorder of your intestines, until your intestines come out because of the disorder continuing day after day.’ ” 16And the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabs who were next to the Ethiopians. 17And they came up into Judah and split it. And they captured all the property which was present in the king's house, and also his sons and his wives, and there was not a son of his remaining except Jehoahaz the youngest of his sons. 18And after all this the Lord struck him in his intestines with an incurable disorder. 19And it came to pass in the course of time that at the time of the year's close, after two full years, his intestines came out, because of his disorder, and he died of severe ailments. And his people did not make a fire for him, like the fire for his fathers. 20He was thirty-two years old when he started to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years, and he departed in an unpleasant way, and they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

2 Chronicles Chapter 22 

1And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his place, because the troop which came with the Arabians into the camp had killed all the older ones, so Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, the king of Judah, started to reign. 2Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri. 3He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, because his mother would advise him to do wrong. 4So he did what was wrong in the eyes of the Lord, like the house of Ahab, for they would advise him, after the death of his father, with things to his detriment. 5So he walked in their advice, and he went to war with Jehoram the son of Ahab, the king of Israel, against Hazael king of Aramaea in Ramoth-Gilead. And the Aramaeans struck Joram. 6And he returned to recover in Jezreel, because of the blows which they dealt him in Ramah when he fought Hazael the king of Aramaea. And Azariah the son of Jehoram, the king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was ill. 7Now the downfall of Ahaziah was from God, for going to Joram, and when he had gone, he came out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed to cut the house of Ahab off. 8And it came to pass, while Jehu was contending with the house of Ahab, that he found the senior officials of the house of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's brothers who served Ahaziah, and he killed them. 9And he sought Ahaziah, and they captured him while he was hiding in Samaria, and they brought him to Jehu, and they killed him and buried him, for they said, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat who sought the Lord with all his heart.” And there was no-one of the house of Ahaziah to retain power over the kingdom. 10But when Athaliah, Ahaziah's mother, saw that her son was dead, she arose and eradicated all the royal seed of the house of Judah, 11but Jehoshabath the king's daughter had taken Joash the son of Ahaziah and had stolen him away from the king's sons who were killed, and he had put him and his nurse in the bedroom. And Jehoshabath the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest – for she was the sister of Ahaziah – hid him from Athaliah, and she did not kill him. 12And he was with them in the house of God, hidden for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

2 Chronicles Chapter 23 

1Then in the seventh year Jehoiada took courage, and he took the commanders of a hundred with him in a covenant: Azariah the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah the son of Obed, and Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri. 2And they went round Judah, and they gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the paternal heads of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. 3And the whole convocation made a covenant in the house of God with the king. And he said to them, “Behold, the king's son shall reign as the Lord has spoken, concerning the sons of David. 4This is the operation which you will carry out. One third of you will come on the Sabbath: you of the priests and the Levites, as gatekeepers at the entrance thresholds. 5And one third will be at the king's house, and one third will be at the Foundation Gate, and all the people will be in the courtyards of the house of the Lord. 6But do not let anyone go into the house of the Lord, except for the priests, and those who serve, who belong to the Levites – they shall go in, for they are holy. But all the people will keep the Lord's guard. 7And the Levites will form a circle around the king, each man having his weapons in his hand, and anyone going inside the circle will be put to death. And accompany the king as he goes out and comes in.” 8And the Levites and all of Judah did everything which Jehoiada the priest commanded, and each one took his men – those who were to come on the Sabbath with those who were to go out on the Sabbath – for Jehoiada the priest did not exempt the divisions. 9And Jehoiada the priest gave to the commanders of a hundred the spears and the bucklers and the shields which had belonged to King David, which were in the house of God. 10And he stationed all the people, each with his weapon in his hand, from the right hand side of the house to the left hand side of the house, and around the altar and the house, in defence of the king. 11Then they brought the king's son out, and they put the crown on him, and they gave him the testimony, and they made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, “May the king live.” 12And when Athaliah heard the sound of the people running and those praising the king, she went to the people and to the house of the Lord. 13And she looked, and what she saw was the king standing at his column at the entrance with officials and trumpet-players in attendance to the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets, with the singers with musical instruments and directors of praise. At this Athaliah tore her clothes and said, “A conspiracy, a conspiracy!” 14Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the commanders of a hundred who were in charge of the army, and he said to them, “Take her away but within the ranks, and anyone who follows her will be put to death by the sword.” For the priest had said, “You shall not put her to death in the house of the Lord.” 15So they laid hands on her as she went to the entrance of the Horse Gate of the king's house, and they put her to death there. 16And Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king, to be a people to the Lord. 17And all the people went to the house of Baal and demolished it, and they shattered his altars and his images, and they killed Mattan, Baal's priest, in front of the altars. 18And Jehoiada appointed duties in the house of the Lord to be fulfilled by the Levite priests whom David had assigned over the house of the Lord, to offer the Lord's burnt offerings, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as set up by David. 19And he appointed gatekeepers at the gates to the house of the Lord, so that no unclean person should approach anything. 20And he took the commanders of a hundred and the nobles and those in authority over the people, and all the people of the land, and he brought the king down from the house of the Lord, and they went in at the upper gate to the king's house, and they seated the king on the throne of the kingdom. 21And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was undisturbed. So they killed Athaliah by the sword.

2 Chronicles Chapter 24 

1Joash was seven years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Zibiah from Beersheba. 2And Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 3And Jehoiada took two wives, and he begot sons and daughters. 4And it came to pass after that, that Joash had it in his heart to renovate the house of the Lord. 5And he gathered the priests and the Levites, and he said to them, “Go out into the cities of Judah and collect money from all of Israel to keep the house of your God in good repair year by year. So expedite the matter.” But the Levites did not expedite it. 6And the king called for Jehoiada the head priest, and he said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring from Judah and from Jerusalem the contribution enjoined by Moses the servant of the Lord, and from the convocation of Israel, for the tent of the testimony?” 7For the sons of Athaliah, the wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and moreover they had refashioned all the holy things of the house of the Lord for the Baalim. 8So the king spoke, and they made a chest, and they put it at the gate of the house of the Lord on the outside. 9And they issued an appeal in Judah and in Jerusalem to bring to the Lord the contribution enjoined by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the desert. 10And all the officials and all the people rejoiced, and they brought it, and they deposited it in the chest until all was done. 11And it came to pass, at the time when he had the chest brought at the king's behest by the agency of the Levites, and when they saw that the amount of money was large, that the king's scribe came, and the head priest's officer, and they emptied the chest and carried it, and they returned it to its place. They did this daily, and they collected money in abundance. 12And the king and Jehoiada gave it to those who carried out the work of craftsmanship for the house of the Lord, and they hired hewers and artisans to renovate the house of the Lord, and also blacksmiths and coppersmiths to refurbish the house of the Lord. 13And those engaged in the work did the work, and the restoration of the artisanry progressed in their hands, and they restored the house of God to its elegant form, and they reinforced it. 14And when they had finished it, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, and they used it for equipment for the house of the Lord – equipment for serving and for making offerings, and spoons, and items of gold and silver. And they would make burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually, in all the days of Jehoiada. 15And when Jehoiada grew old, he was replete with days, and he died. He was one hundred and thirty years old at his death. 16And they buried him in the City of David with the kings, because he did good in Israel, and with God, and his house. 17And after the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and prostrated themselves to the king, and then the king listened to them. 18Then they forsook the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and they served the phallic parks and the idols, and there was anger over Judah and Jerusalem because of this trespass of theirs. 19And he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the Lord, and they testified against them, but they would not listen. 20Then the spirit of God invested Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people, and he said to them, “This is what God says: ‘Why are you transgressing the Lord's commandments, so not prospering? Now because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.’ ” 21But they conspired against him, and they stoned him at the king's command, in the courtyard of the house of the Lord. 22So Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada Zechariah's father had shown him, but he killed his son, who, as he died, said, “Let the Lord see and requite it.” 23And it came to pass at the close of the year that the forces of Aramaea came up against him, and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and they eliminated all the officials of the people from the people themselves, and they sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. 24For the forces of Aramaea came with a small number of men, but the Lord delivered a very large force into their hand, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. So they executed judgment on Joash. 25And when they had departed from him – but they left him with many ailments – his servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him on his bed, and he died, and they buried him in the City of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings. 26And these were the conspirators against him: Zabad the son of Shimath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess. 27And as for his sons, and the greatness of the burden on him, and the re-establishment of the house of God, they are to be seen written in the Commentary of the Book of the Kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

2 Chronicles Chapter 25 

1Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Jehoaddan from Jerusalem. 2And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, except that it was not wholeheartedly. 3And it came to pass, as the kingdom became stronger under him, that he killed those servants of his who had struck down the king who was his father. 4But he did not kill their sons, for as it stands written in the law, in the book of Moses whom the Lord commanded and said, “Fathers shall not die because of their sons, and sons shall not die because of their fathers, for each person shall die because of his own sin.” 5And Amaziah gathered Judah together and appointed them by their paternal house as commanders of a thousand and commanders of a hundred throughout all Judah and Benjamin. And he counted them from twenty years of age and above, and he found them to be three hundred thousand elite men who went out to war, holding spear and shield. 6And he hired one hundred thousand valiant warriors from Israel for one hundred talents of silver. 7Then a man of God came to him and said, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel – not with any of the sons of Ephraim. 8But if you are determined to go, act and show strength for battle. But God can make you stumble before the enemy, for God has power to help and to make stumble.” 9Then Amaziah said to the man of God, “Then what am I to do about the one hundred talents which I gave the troop of Israel?” And the man of God said, “The Lord has the ability to give you more than this.” 10Then Amaziah set them aside – the troop which had come to him from Ephraim – to go back to their place. And their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned to their place in furious anger. 11Then Amaziah took courage and led his people, and he went to the Valley of Salt, and he struck down the sons of Seir – ten thousand of them – 12and the sons of Judah took ten thousand alive captive, and they brought them to the peak of the outcrop, and they threw them from the peak of the outcrop, and they were all dashed to pieces. 13But the members of the troop which Amaziah sent back instead of going to war with him raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth-Horon, and they struck down three thousand men from them, and they took much spoil. 14And it came to pass, after Amaziah had come back from attacking the Edomites, that he brought back the gods of the sons of Seir, and he set them up for himself as gods, and he bowed down before them and burned incense to them. 15And the Lord's anger was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, and he said to him, “Why do you cultivate the gods of the people – gods who did not deliver their people from your hand?” 16And it came to pass, when he had spoken to him, that the king said to him, “Have you been appointed as an adviser to the king? Stop. Why should you be struck down?” Then the prophet stopped, but he said, “I know that God has decided to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my advice.” 17Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel, and he sent messengers to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, the king of Israel, to say, “Come, let us see each other face to face.” 18Then Joash king of Israel sent a reply to Amaziah king of Judah and said, “The thistle which was in Lebanon has sent word to the cedar which was in Lebanon and said, ‘Give your daughter to be my son's wife’, and a wild animal which was in Lebanon passed by and trampled on the thistle. 19You have told me to see how you have defeated Edom, and your heart has given you a high-minded complacency. Stay at home now. Why should you embroil yourself in trouble and fall in war, you and Judah with you?” 20But Amaziah did not heed it, for the course of events was from God, so as to deliver them into the hand of the king of Israel, because they had cultivated the gods of Edom. 21And Joash king of Israel went up, and they looked at each other face to face – he and Amaziah king of Judah – in Beth-Shemesh which belongs to Judah. 22And Judah was defeated in confrontation with Israel, and each man fled to his tent. 23And Joash king of Israel seized Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, in Beth-Shemesh, and he brought him to Jerusalem. And he demolished the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Turning Gate – four hundred cubits of wall. 24And he raided all the gold and the silver and all the equipment which were present in the house of God, with Obed-Edom gatekeeping, and in the treasuries of the king's house. And he took hostages and returned to Samaria. 25And Amaziah the son of Joash, the king of Judah, lived for fifteen years after the death of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, the king of Israel. 26And the rest of the affairs of Amaziah – the first and the last – are they not to be seen written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel? 27And from the time when Amaziah departed from following the Lord, they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent forces after him to Lachish, and they killed him there. 28And they bore him on horses and buried him with his fathers in the City of Judah.

2 Chronicles Chapter 26 

1And all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and they made him king in place of his father Amaziah. 2He built Eloth, and he restored it to Judah after the previous king had lain with his fathers. 3Uzziah was sixteen years old when he started to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for fifty-two years. And his mother's name was Jecholiah from Jerusalem. 4And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, like everything that Amaziah his father did. 5And he would seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in perceiving God. And in the days when he sought the Lord, God made him prosper. 6And he went out and fought the Philistines, and he breached the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and then he built cities in the Ashdod area and among the Philistines. 7And God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabians who lived in Gur-Baal, and the Meunim. 8Then the Ammonites gave Uzziah tribute money, and his fame spread as far as the approach to Egypt, for he strengthened himself in the extreme. 9And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate and at the Valley Gate and at the Angle, and he fortified them. 10And he built towers in the desert, and he hewed out many cisterns, for he had much cattle, both in the lowlands and on the plain, and farmers and vine cultivators in the mountains and in Carmel, for he was fond of the land. 11And Uzziah had forces waging war, soldiers going out as a battalion, according to the number from when they were counted by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the superintendent under the authority of Hananiah, one of the king's officials. 12The total number of the paternal heads of the valiant warriors was two thousand six hundred. 13And under their authority was a military force of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred soldiers in a powerful force to uphold the king against the enemy. 14And Uzziah equipped them – the whole army – with shields and spears and helmets and coats of mail and bows and equipment for stone slinging. 15And he had war engines made in Jerusalem, feats of engineering designed by engineers, to be deployed on the towers, and on the corners, to shoot arrows and large stones. And his fame spread far and wide, for he was helped in a wonderful way until he became strong. 16But when he became strong, his heart became haughty to the extent of ruining him, and he acted perversely towards the Lord his God, and he went to the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the incense altar. 17At this Azariah the priest came after him, and with him were priests to the Lord – eighty valiant men. 18And they confronted King Uzziah and said to him, “It is not permitted for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, for it is reserved for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who have been sanctified to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have acted perversely, and it is not your lot to be for the glory of the Lord God.” 19And Uzziah became enraged while the censer for burning incense was in his hand, and while he was enraged with the priests, leprosy arose on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of the Lord, as he stood beside the incense altar. 20And Azariah the head priest and all the priests turned their eyes to him, and what they saw was that he was leprous on his forehead, and they quickly ejected him from there, and he also hastened to get out, for the Lord had struck him. 21So King Uzziah was leprous until the day of his death, and he stayed in the infirmary as a leper, because he was excluded from the house of the Lord, and Jotham his son was in charge of the king's house, judging the people of the land. 22And Isaiah the son of Amoz, the prophet, wrote the rest of the affairs of Uzziah – the first and the last. 23And Uzziah lay with his fathers, and with his fathers they buried him, in the burial field which is for the kings, for they said, “He was a leper.” And Jotham his son reigned in his place.

2 Chronicles Chapter 27 

1Jotham was twenty-five years old when he started to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for sixteen years. And the name of his mother was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok. 2And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, like everything which Uzziah his father did, except that he did not go to the temple of the Lord. And the people were still acting in a corrupt way. 3He built the upper gate to the house of the Lord, and at the wall of the Ophel he built profusely. 4And he built the cities in the mountain ranges of Judah, and in the woods he built fortresses and towers. 5And he fought against the king of the Ammonites, and he prevailed over them, and the Ammonites gave him one hundred talents of silver and ten thousand cors of wheat, and ten thousand of barley in that year. That is what the Ammonites remitted to him, also in the second year and the third. 6And Jotham gained strength, for he established his ways before the Lord his God. 7And as for the rest of the exploits of Jotham, and all his wars and his ways, they are to be seen written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. 8He was twenty-five years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 9And Jotham lay with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David, and Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

2 Chronicles Chapter 28 

1Ahaz was twenty years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. But he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord like David his father. 2And he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and he also made castings to the Baalim. 3And he burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and he set his sons on fire like the abominations of the Gentiles whom the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 4And he sacrificed and burned incense on the idolatrous raised sites and on the hills and under every luxuriant tree. 5And the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Aramaea, and they struck him and took a large body of his men captive, and they brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with a great blow. 6And Pekah the son of Remaliah killed one hundred and twenty thousand people in Judah in one day – all valiant men – because of them forsaking the Lord God of their fathers. 7And Zichri, a warrior of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son, and Azrikam the superintendent of the house, and Elkanah the king's deputy. 8And the sons of Israel took from their brothers two hundred thousand women, sons and daughters captive, and they also stripped much spoil from them, and they brought the spoil to Samaria. 9But there was a prophet of the Lord there whose name was Oded, and he went out before the army which had come back to Samaria, and he said to them, “You see how in the fury of the Lord God of your fathers with Judah, he delivered them into your hand, and you have killed them in a rage, and it has reached heaven. 10And now as for the sons of Judah and Jerusalem, you say that you will subjugate them as slaves and maidservants for yourselves. Is it not precisely the case that you are with guilt towards the Lord your God? 11So now, hear me, and rescind the captivity with which you have made captives of your brothers, for the furious anger of the Lord is on you.” 12Then some men from the heads of the sons of Ephraim arose – Azariah the son of Jehohanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Hezekiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai – against those coming back from the war. 13And they said to them, “You shall not bring the body of captives here, for what you are propounding would entail a guilty verdict from the Lord against us, in adding to our sins and to our guilt, for our guilt is great, and there is furious anger on Israel.” 14At this the army relinquished possession of the body of captives and the spoil in the presence of the officials and the whole convocation. 15And those men who were specified by name arose and refreshed the body of captives, and they clothed all the naked among them from the spoil, and they clothed them and shod them, and they fed them and gave them drink, and they anointed them and brought everyone who was flagging on donkeys, and they brought them to Jericho, the City of Palm Trees, in company with their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria. 16At that time King Ahaz sent a request to the kings of Assyria to help him. 17And the Edomites came again and attacked Judah and took captives. 18And the Philistines raided the cities of the lowlands and the south of Judah, and they captured Beth-Shemesh and Aijalon and Gederoth and Sochoh and its satellite villages, and Timnah and its satellite villages, and Gimzo and its satellite villages, and they lived there. 19For the Lord humbled Judah on account of Ahaz king of Israel, because he had caused disorder in Judah and had acted thoroughly perversely against the Lord. 20And Tilgath-Pilneser king of Assyria came to him, and Ahaz was in distress, but Tilgath-Pilneser did not strengthen him. 21For Ahaz had raided the house of the Lord and the house of the king and of the officials, and he had given the proceeds to the king of Assyria, but he wasn't any help to him. 22Yet at the time he was in straits, he acted perversely towards the Lord again – he being King Ahaz. 23And he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which were beleaguering him, and he said, “Since the gods of the kings of Aramaea help them, I will sacrifice to them, and they will help me.” But they were the cause of him stumbling, and of all Israel. 24And Ahaz collected the equipment of the house of God and cut up the equipment of the house of God, and he shut the doors of the house of the Lord, and he made altars for himself in every corner in Jerusalem. 25And in every single city of Judah he made idolatrous raised sites on which to burn incense to other gods, and he provoked the Lord God of his fathers to anger. 26And the rest of his exploits and all his ways – the first and the last – they are to be seen written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27And Ahaz lay with his fathers, and they buried him in the city in Jerusalem, for they did not bring him to the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

2 Chronicles Chapter 29 

1Hezekiah started to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. And the name of his mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 2And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, like everything that his father David did. 3It was he who in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. 4And he brought the priests and the Levites in, and he assembled them in the East Square. 5And he said to them, “Listen to me, you Levites. Sanctify yourselves now, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and remove the uncleanness from the sanctuary. 6For our fathers acted perversely and did what was wrong in the eyes of the Lord our God, and they forsook him, and they turned their faces away from the Lord's tabernacle and showed him the back of the neck. 7They also shut the doors of the hall, and they extinguished the candles, and they did not burn incense, nor did they make any burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. 8And the anger of the Lord came on Judah and Jerusalem, and he made them a horror and a desolation and an object of jeering, as you see with your eyes. 9And the result was that our fathers fell by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives went into captivity for this. 10It is now in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, so that the fury of his wrath may turn away from us. 11My sons, do not now be lax, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him to serve him and to be his servants and incense-burners.” 12And the Levites arose: Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites; and from the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi and Azariah the son of Jehalelel; and from the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah and Eden the son of Joah; 13and from the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeiel; and from the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; 14and from the sons of Heman, Jehiel and Shimei; and from the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. 15And they gathered their brothers and sanctified themselves, and they came in, according to the king's commandment, on the Lord's business – to cleanse the house of the Lord. 16So the priests came into the interior of the house of the Lord to cleanse it, and they took all the defilement which they found in the Lord's temple out to the courtyard of the house of the Lord, and the Levites took charge of it, to take it outside to the Kidron Brook. 17And they began on the first day of the first month to do the sanctification, and on the eighth day of the month they entered the hall of the Lord, and they sanctified the house of the Lord for eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month, they finished. 18And they went inside to Hezekiah the king and said, “We have cleansed the whole house of the Lord, the burnt offering altar and all its equipment and the showbread table, and all its equipment. 19And we have prepared and sanctified all the equipment which King Ahaz abused in his reign in his perverseness. And they are before the Lord's altar.” 20Then King Hezekiah rose early and gathered the officials of the city, and he went up to the house of the Lord. 21And they brought seven bulls and seven rams and seven lambs and seven he-goats as a sin-offering for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah, and he told the sons of Aaron – the priests – to make the offering on the Lord's altar. 22So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests collected the blood and sprinkled it on the altar, and they slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar, and they slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar. 23And they brought the goats for the sin-offering before the king and the convocation, and they laid their hands on them, 24and the priests slaughtered them and offered their blood as a sin-offering on the altar to make atonement for all Israel, for the king had said to make a burnt offering and a sin-offering for the whole of Israel. 25And he marshalled the Levites to the house of the Lord with their timbrels and lutes and harps in accordance with the commandment of David, and Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet, for the commandment was given by the Lord through the intermediacy of his prophets. 26So the Levites stood with the instruments specified by David, as did the priests with trumpets. 27And Hezekiah told them to make the burnt offering on the altar. And at the time when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began, with the trumpets, and in accompaniment were the instruments specified by David king of Israel. 28And the whole convocation was worshipping, and the choir was singing, and the trumpet-players were playing the trumpet. All this went on until the burnt offering was completed. 29And when they had completed making the burnt offering, the king and all those present with him bowed and worshipped. 30And Hezekiah the king and the officials told the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David and Asaph the seer. So they praised him with rejoicing, and they bowed down and worshipped. 31Then Hezekiah reacted and said, “You have taken up your responsibility to the Lord. Approach and bring sacrifices and thank-offerings to the house of the Lord.” So the convocation brought sacrifices and thank-offerings, and all those of a willing heart brought burnt offerings. 32And the number of burnt offerings which the convocation brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs. All these were for a burnt offering to the Lord. 33And the consecrated cattle consisted of six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep. 34But the priests were few, and they were not able to skin all the burnt offerings, and their brothers the Levites assisted them until the completion of the work and until the priests had sanctified themselves, for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests. 35But the burnt offerings were nevertheless in abundance, with the fat of the peace-offerings and the libations to the burnt offerings. And the work of the house of the Lord was established. 36And Hezekiah rejoiced, as did all the people, at what God had prepared for the people, for the thing happened suddenly.

2 Chronicles Chapter 30 

1And Hezekiah sent word to all of Israel and Judah, and he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, to come to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover of the Lord God of Israel. 2For the king had been counselled, with his officials and all the convocation in Jerusalem, to celebrate the Passover in the second month. 3For they were not able to celebrate it at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently and the people had not been gathered in Jerusalem. 4And the matter was right in the eyes of the king and in the eyes of the whole convocation. 5So they established the matter, to proclaim the announcement throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, to come to celebrate the Passover to the Lord God of Israel in Jerusalem, because for a long time they had not done what is written. 6And the couriers went with the letters handed to them by the king and his officials, through all Israel and Judah, and in accordance with the king's commandment, saying, “You sons of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, in order that he may return to the remnant of yours who escaped from the grip of the kings of Assyria. 7And do not be like your fathers and like your brothers who acted perversely against the Lord God of their fathers, when he made them a desolation, as you see. 8Do not now be stiff-necked like your fathers; offer the hand of obedience to the Lord and come to his sanctuary which he has sanctified age-abidingly, and serve the Lord your God, so that the fury of his anger is turned away from you. 9For in returning to the Lord, your brothers and your sons will find compassion from their captors, so that they can return to this land, for the Lord your God is merciful and compassionate, and he will not turn his face away from you, if you return to him.” 10And the couriers would cross from city to city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but the people would mock them and scorn them. 11But men from Asher and Manasseh and from Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12Also in Judah there was the hand of God to give them unanimity to carry out the commandment of the king and the officials on the Lord's business. 13So a large number of people assembled in Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month – a very large convocation. 14And they arose and removed the altars which were in Jerusalem, and they removed all the incense altars, and they threw them in the Kidron Brook. 15And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month, and the priests and the Levites felt shame, and they sanctified themselves, and they brought burnt offerings to the house of the Lord. 16And they stood in their post according to their custom, in accordance with the law of Moses, the man of God, whereas the priests sprinkled the blood which was handed to them by the Levites. 17For there were many in the convocation who had not sanctified themselves, and the Levites were in charge of the slaughter of the Passover lambs for all who were not clean, to sanctify them to the Lord. 18For a large number of the people, many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, for they had eaten the Passover lamb in a way not as written, but Hezekiah prayed for them and said, “May the good Lord forgive this for 19everyone who has prepared his heart to seek God – the Lord God of his fathers – but is not clean according to the standards of holy cleanness.” 20And the Lord heard Hezekiah, and he healed the people. 21And the sons of Israel who were present in Jerusalem celebrated the Festival of the Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy, and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord each day accompanied by powerful instruments played to the Lord. 22And Hezekiah spoke warmheartedly to all the Levites who officiated with great skill towards the Lord, and they ate the sacrificed animal of the occasion for seven days, as they sacrificed peace-offerings and made confession to the Lord God of their fathers. 23And the whole convocation decided to celebrate another seven days, and they celebrated those seven days with joy. 24For Hezekiah king of Judah contributed one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep to the convocation, while the officials contributed one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep to the convocation, and the priests sanctified themselves in abundance. 25And the whole convocation of Judah rejoiced, as did the priests and the Levites, and the whole convocation which came from Israel, and the temporary residents who came from the land of Israel, and those who lived in Judah. 26So there was great rejoicing in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon, the son of David, the king of Israel, there had not been anything like this in Jerusalem. 27Then the Levite priests arose and blessed the people and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy dwelling place in the heavens.

2 Chronicles Chapter 31 

1Then when all this was finished, all of Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah, and they smashed the idolatrous statues, and they cut down the phallic parks, and they demolished the idolatrous raised sites and the altars in all Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had eliminated them, and all the sons of Israel returned, each to his estate in their cities. 2And Hezekiah set up the divisions of the priests and the Levites, for them to be in their divisions, each according to his work, as assigned to the priests and the Levites, for the burnt offerings and the peace-offerings, so as to serve and give thanks and to praise at the gates of the Lord's encampment. 3And the part of the king was that there should be provided from his property animals for the burnt offerings – for the burnt offerings for the morning and for the evening, and the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths and the new moons, and for the festival days, as it is written in the law of the Lord. 4And he told the people – the inhabitants of Jerusalem – to give a portion to the priests and the Levites, so that they might be invigorated by the law of the Lord. 5And as the word spread, the sons of Israel brought much firstfruit of corn, new wine and fresh oil, and honey and all kinds of produce of the field, and they brought a tenth of everything in abundance. 6And as for the sons of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah, they too brought a tenth of the oxen and sheep, and a tenth of the holy things which were consecrated to the Lord their God, and they put them in heap after heap. 7In the third month they began to form the heaps, and in the seventh month they finished them. 8And Hezekiah and the officials came and saw the heaps, and they blessed the Lord and his people Israel. 9And Hezekiah inquired of the priests and the Levites about the heaps. 10And Azariah the head priest of the house of Zadok, spoke to him and said, “Since the start of bringing the offerings to the house of the Lord, there has been enough to eat with a great surplus, for the Lord has blessed his people, and what remains is this large quantity.” 11Then Hezekiah told them to prepare rooms in the house of the Lord. And they prepared them. 12And they brought the offering and the tithe and the holy things in faith, and in charge of them as leader was Conaniah the Levite with Shimei his brother as second in charge. 13And Jehiel and Azaziah and Nahath and Asahel and Jerimoth and Jozabad and Eliel and Ismachiah and Mahath and Benaiah were overseers under the direction of Conaniah and Shimei his brother, under the authority of Hezekiah the king, and Azariah the person in charge of the house of God. 14And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the gatekeeper on the east, was in charge of the freewill-offerings to God, in allocating the contributions made to the Lord, and the holies of holies. 15And next to him were Eden and Miniamin and Jeshua and Shemaiah, Amariah and Shecaniah in the cities of the priests, acting in faith, giving produce to their brothers in the divisions, to great and small alike, 16apart from them seeing to it that males from three years old and above were registered by genealogy for all who entered the house of the Lord, as a daily duty – as their work in their duties of observance according to their divisions – 17and performing the registering by genealogy of the priests by their paternal house, and of the Levites, from twenty years old and above, in their duties of observance in their divisions, 18and for all their little ones, their wives and their sons and their daughters, in the whole convocation, to be registered by their genealogy, for they sanctified themselves in holiness in their faith. 19And the sons of Aaron who were the priests in the pasture fields of all their individual cities included men who were specified by name to give portions to every male among the priests and to everyone who was registered by genealogy among the Levites. 20And Hezekiah did this in the whole of Judah, and he did what was good and right and truthful before the Lord his God. 21And in every undertaking which he embarked on in the work on the house of God, and in the law and in the commandment, in seeking his God, he did it with his whole heart, and he prospered.

2 Chronicles Chapter 32 

1After these things and this fidelity shown, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered Judah, and he encamped against the fortified cities, intending to split them open and take them for himself. 2And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, and that he was intent on war against Jerusalem, 3he consulted with his officials and his warriors about blocking the water of the sources which were outside the city, and they helped him. 4And a large number of people gathered together and blocked all the water-sources and the brook which flowed through the middle of the land, and they said, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find abundant water?” 5And he showed himself strong, and he repaired all the wall which had been breached, and he erected another wall, up to the towers and on the outside, and he restored the Millo in the City of David, and he had missiles made in abundance, and shields. 6And he appointed army commanders over the people, and he gathered them to himself in the square at the city gate, and he spoke to them warmheartedly and said, 7“Be strong and be courageous; do not fear and do not be afraid of the king of Assyria and of all the crowd which is with him, for there is a mightier one with us than the one with him. 8With him there is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our wars.” And the people trusted the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. 9After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem – while he and all his realm with him went against Lachish – to Hezekiah king of Judah, and to all the population of Judah which was in Jerusalem, and he said, 10“This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: ‘In what are you putting your trust, since you are living under siege in Jerusalem? 11Isn't Hezekiah misleading you, so as to deliver you up to die of hunger and of thirst, saying, «The Lord our God will deliver us from the grip of the king of Assyria»? 12Was it not Hezekiah who removed his raised sites and his altars, when he spoke to Judah and Jerusalem and said, «You shall worship before one altar, and on it you shall burn incense»? 13Don't you know what I and my fathers have done to all the various peoples of the countries at large? Could the gods of the countries possibly deliver their land from my grip? 14Who is there among all the gods of these nations whom my fathers obliterated, who can deliver his people from my grip? So will your God be able to deliver you from my grip? 15So now, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom will be able to deliver his people from my grip or from the grip of my fathers, so how much less will your gods deliver you from my grip?’ ” 16And his servants spoke more against the Lord God and against Hezekiah his servant. 17And he wrote a communiqué scorning the Lord God of Israel, and speaking against him, saying, “Just as the gods of the countries are which did not deliver their people from my grip, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver his people from my grip.” 18And they called out in a loud voice in Judaean to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them and alarm them, in order to capture the city. 19And they spoke against the God of Jerusalem, as they did against the gods of the nations of the land – the product of man's hands. 20And King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz prayed about this, and they cried out to heaven. 21And the Lord sent an angel, and he obliterated every valiant warrior and leader and commander in the camp of the king of Assyria, and he returned to his land shamefacedly, and when he went to the house of his gods, his own offspring struck him down there by the sword. 22So the Lord delivered Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the grip of Sennacherib king of Assyria, and from the grip of all, and he led them around. 23And many would bring a gift to the Lord, to Jerusalem, and valuable items to Hezekiah king of Judah, and he was exalted in the eyes of all the nations after that. 24In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill, and he prayed to the Lord, who spoke to him, and who performed a miracle for him. 25But Hezekiah did not reciprocate according to what had been shown to him, for his heart was proud, and anger came on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. 26Then Hezekiah humbled himself in regard to his pride – he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem – and the Lord's anger did not come on them in the days of Hezekiah. 27And Hezekiah had very great wealth and honour, and he made himself treasuries for silver and for gold, and for precious stone, and for fragrances, and for shields, and for all kinds of desirable items, 28and storehouses for the crop of grain and new wine and fresh oil, and stalls for all kinds of cattle, and he acquired herds for the stalls. 29And he acquired cities and sheep and oxen livestock in abundance, for God gave him very great possessions. 30And it was Hezekiah who blocked the upper water-source of Gihon, and who brought the water straight down to the west of the City of David, and Hezekiah was successful in all his undertakings. 31But actually, with the interpreters of the officials from Babylon having come, whom they had sent to him to inquire about the miracle which had taken place in the land, God left him, so as to test him – to know everything in his heart. 32And as for the rest of the affairs of Hezekiah, and his kind deeds, they are to be seen written in the vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, the prophet, in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 33And Hezekiah lay with his fathers, and they buried him at the rise of the tombs of the sons of David, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem paid honour to him in his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his place.

2 Chronicles Chapter 33 

1Manasseh was twelve years old when he started to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for fifty-five years. 2And he did what was wrong in the sight of the Lord, like the abominations of the nations which the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 3And he rebuilt the idolatrous raised sites which Hezekiah his father had demolished, and he set up altars to the Baalim, and he made phallic parks, and he worshipped every celestial body, and he served them. 4And he built altars in the house of the Lord, where the Lord had said, “My name will be in Jerusalem age-abidingly.” 5And he built altars to every celestial body in the two courtyards of the house of the Lord. 6And he made his sons pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and he divined by clouds and used enchantment and sorcery, and he engaged in necromancy and wizardry. He was profuse in doing evil in the sight of the Lord, so that he provoked him to anger. 7And he set up the carved image – the statue which he had made – in the house of God, concerning which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, “I will set up my name age-abidingly in this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. 8And I will not chase Israel around again from the land which I appointed for your fathers, but only if they take care to do everything which I have commanded them, and to act in accordance with all the law and the statutes and the regulations given through the intermediacy of Moses.” 9But Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to act worse than the nations which the Lord had destroyed before the sons of Israel. 10And the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they did not listen. 11So the Lord brought the commanders of the king of Assyria's army against them, and they caught Manasseh and restrained him with hooks, and they bound him in fetters and led him away to Babylon. 12And as he was in straits, he pleaded with the Lord his God, and he humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 13And he prayed to him, and God was entreated by him, and he heard his supplication, and he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. So Manasseh knew that the Lord was God. 14And after that he built an outer wall to the City of David to the west of Gihon, at the watercourse, and at the approach to the Fish Gate and going round the Ophel, and he made it very high, and he appointed army officers in all the fortified cities in Judah. 15And he removed the foreign gods and the statue from the house of the Lord, and all the altars which he had built on the mount of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and he discarded them outside the city. 16And he restored the altar of the Lord, and he sacrificed peace- and thank-offerings on it, and he told Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel. 17But the people were still sacrificing on the idolatrous raised sites, except that it was to the Lord their God. 18And as for the rest of the affairs of Manasseh, and his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, they are to be seen in the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 19And his prayer with which God was entreated by him, and all his sin and perverseness, and the places in which he built idolatrous raised sites and set up phallic parks and the carved images, before his being humbled – they are to be seen written in the accounts of, God says, “My seers.” 20And Manasseh lay with his fathers, and they buried him in his house, and Amon his son reigned in his place. 21Amon was twenty-two years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem. 22And he did what was wrong in the sight of the Lord, like what his father Manasseh did, and Amon sacrificed to all the images which Manasseh his father had made, and he served them. 23And he didn't humble himself before the Lord, as Manasseh his father humbled himself, for this was Amon who was profuse in wrongdoing. 24And his servants conspired against him, and they killed him in his home. 25Then the people of the land struck down all the conspirators against King Amon, and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place.

2 Chronicles Chapter 34 

1Josiah was eight years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and he walked in the ways of David his father, and he did not deviate to the right or left. 3And after eight years in his reign, when he was still a lad, he began to seek the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem of the idolatrous raised sites and the phallic parks and the carved images and cast images. 4And they demolished the altars of the Baalim in his presence, and he cut down the sun-images which were high up above them, and he smashed up and ground small the phallic parks and the carved images and the cast images, and he scattered them on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5And he burnt the bones of the priests on the two altars, and he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem, 6and he did likewise in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, using their mattocks all around. 7And when he had demolished the altars, and broken up and ground fine the phallic parks and the carved images, and had cut down all the sun-images, in all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem. 8And in the eighteenth year of his reign, in cleansing the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Jehoahaz, the state secretary, to refurbish the house of the Lord his God. 9And when they had come to Hilkiah the high priest, they gave him the money which had been brought to the house of God, which the Levite doorkeepers had collected from the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and from all the rest of Israel and from all of Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10And they paid those doing the work – those charged with the house of the Lord – and they gave it to those doing the work, who worked on the house of the Lord, in repairing and restoring the house. 11And they gave it to the craftsmen and the builders, to buy hewn stone, and wood for the beams, and to provide a roof for the buildings which the kings of Judah had brought to ruin. 12And the men acted faithfully in the work, and those appointed over them were Jahath and Obadiah the Levites of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam of the sons of the Kohathites, to superintend. And the Levites included all who were knowledgeable about musical instruments. 13And they were in charge of the burden bearers, and they superintended all who carried out the craftsmanship, whatever the work. And from the Levites were scribes and officers and gatekeepers. 14And when they brought the money out which had been brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of the Lord, written through the intermediacy of Moses. 15And Hilkiah reacted and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. 16Then Shaphan brought the book to the king, and he reported again to the king and said, “Everything which was committed to your servants, they are carrying out.” 17And they poured out the money which was found in the house of the Lord, and they paid it to those who were in charge and to those who carried out the work. 18And Shaphan the scribe explained to the king and said, “Hilkiah the priest gave me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the king's presence. 19And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the law, that he tore his clothes. 20And the king gave orders to Hilkiah and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, and he said, 21“Go and consult the Lord on behalf of me and on behalf of the remainder in Israel and in Judah concerning the book which was found, for the fury of the Lord which has been poured out on us is great, because our fathers did not keep the word of the Lord, that we should do everything written in this book.” 22So Hilkiah and those whom the king had commanded went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah the vestry keeper, and she was resident in Jerusalem in the second quarter, and they spoke to her about it. 23And she said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Say to the man who sent you to me, 24«This is what the Lord says: ‹I am about to bring evil on this place and on its inhabitants – all the curses which are written in the book, which they read in the presence of the king of Judah – 25because they have forsaken me and have burned incense to other gods, so as to provoke me to anger with every work of their hands, and my fury will be poured out on this place, and it will not be extinguished.› » 26And to the king of Judah who sent you to consult the Lord, this is what you shall say, «This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‹As for the things which you have heard, 27on account of your contrition and the fact that you have humbled yourself before God, in that you have heard his words in relation to this place and in relation to its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me, and that you have torn your clothes and wept before me, so I for my part have heard you›, the Lord says, 28And I am about to gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see all the evil which I am bringing on this place and on its inhabitants.› » ’ ” And they reported it to the king. 29Then the king sent word, and he assembled all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30And the king went up to the house of the Lord, as did every man of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests and the Levites and all the people, both great and small, and he read, with them hearing, all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord. 31And the king stood on his rostrum, and he made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and with all his soul – to do the words of the covenant which were written in this book. 32And he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin party to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem acted in accordance with the covenant of God – the God of their fathers. 33And Josiah removed all the abominations from all the lands which belonged to the sons of Israel, and he made everyone who was present in Israel serve, that is serve the Lord their God. In all his days they did not depart from following the Lord God of their fathers.

2 Chronicles Chapter 35 

1And Josiah celebrated Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2And he appointed the priests in their duties, and he encouraged them in the work of the house of the Lord. 3And he said to the Levites who explained the holy things of the Lord to all Israel, “Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon, the son of David, the king of Israel, built. It is not a burden to you on the shoulder. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel. 4And prepare yourselves in your paternal house according to your divisions, as specified in the writings of David king of Israel and in the documents of Solomon his son. 5And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the paternal houses of your brothers – the people at large – and the category of the paternal house of the Levites. 6And slaughter the Passover lamb, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brothers to celebrate according to the word of the Lord, given through the intermediacy of Moses.” 7And Josiah contributed to the people at large small cattle – lambs and goat kids – all as Passover offerings for everyone who was present, thirty thousand offerings in number, and three thousand oxen, these being from the king's possessions. 8And his officials contributed generously to the people and to the priests and to the Levites. Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, the leaders of the house of God, gave to the priests as Passover animals two thousand six hundred small cattle animals and three hundred oxen. 9And Conaniah and Shemaiah and Nethaneel his brothers, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, Levite officials, contributed to the Levites as Passover animals five thousand small cattle animals and five hundred oxen. 10And the work was organized, and the priests stood in their post, and the Levites in their divisions, according to the king's commandment. 11And they slaughtered the Passover lamb, and the priests sprinkled the blood with their hands, and the Levites flayed it. 12Then they removed the burnt offering so as to allow the people at large, in sections according to their paternal house, to offer to the Lord as it is written in the book of Moses, and likewise with the oxen. 13And they cooked the Passover lamb on the fire according to the injunction, and they cooked the holy sacrificed animals in pots and cauldrons and bowls, and they quickly brought that to all the people at large. 14And afterwards they prepared it for themselves and for the priests, for the priests were the sons of Aaron, occupied with offering the burnt offering and the fat-offerings until night. So the Levites prepared it for themselves and for the priests – the sons of Aaron. 15And the singers – the sons of Asaph – were at their post according to the commandment of David, as were Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun the king's seer, and the gatekeepers at each gate. They were not to leave their work, so their brothers the Levites made the various preparations for them. 16So all the Lord's work was prepared on that day – to celebrate the Passover and to make burnt offerings on the Lord's altar, according to the commandment of King Josiah. 17So the sons of Israel who were present celebrated the Passover at that time, and the Festival of the Unleavened Bread, for seven days. 18And the Passover had not been celebrated like it in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet, and none of the kings of Israel had celebrated it like the Passover which Josiah celebrated, with the priests and the Levites and all Judah and Israel which was present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 19It was in the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign that this Passover was celebrated. 20After all this when Josiah had prepared the house, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight in Carchemish at the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to confront him. 21And Necho sent messengers to him, who said, “What have I got to do with you, you king of Judah? It is not against you that I have come today, but against a house with which I am at war. And God has told me to hasten. Stop interfering with God, who is with me, so that he does not bring you to ruin.” 22But Josiah did not turn away from him; on the contrary he had disguised himself so as to fight him. And he did not heed the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and he went to fight in the Valley of Megiddo. 23And archers shot at King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, “Move me, for I have been severely wounded.” 24So his servants transferred him from the chariot, and they put him on board in the second chariot which he had, and they conducted him to Jerusalem. And he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. And all of Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. 25And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah, and all the men and women singers have been speaking of Josiah in their lamentations up to today, and they made them a statute in Israel, and they are to be seen written in the Lamentations. 26And the rest of the affairs of Josiah and his kind deeds were in accordance with what is written in the law of the Lord. 27And his exploits – the first and the last – are to be seen written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

2 Chronicles Chapter 36 

1And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and they made him king in place of his father in Jerusalem. 2Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he started to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for three months. 3Then the king of Egypt removed him in Jerusalem and imposed a tax on the land of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 4And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and he changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother and brought him to Egypt. 5Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem, and he did what was wrong in the sight of the Lord his God. 6Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon campaigned against him and bound him in fetters so as to lead him to Babylon. 7And Nebuchadnezzar brought some of the equipment of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and he put it in his palace in Babylon. 8And as for the rest of the affairs of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he made, and what was found against him, they are to be seen written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place. 9Jehoiachin was eight years old when he started to reign, and he reigned for three months and ten days in Jerusalem, and he did what was wrong in the sight of the Lord. 10And towards the end of the year, King Nebuchadnezzar sent orders and had him brought to Babylon with the desirable objects of the house of the Lord, and he made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem. 11Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he started to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eleven years. 12And he did what was wrong in the sight of the Lord his God, and he did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet who spoke the pronouncement of the Lord. 13And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear by God, and he was stiff-necked, and he hardened his heart against returning to the Lord God of Israel. 14Also all the senior priests and the people transgressed all the more, like all the abominations of the Gentiles, and they defiled the house of the Lord which he had sanctified in Jerusalem. 15And the Lord God of their fathers sent word to them through the intermediacy of messengers, rising early and sending word, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling. 16But they kept ridiculing God's messengers and despising his words and mocking his prophets, until the Lord's fury arose against his people to the point of there being no remedy. 17And he brought the king of the Chaldeans up against them, and he killed their young men with the sword in their temple, and he did not spare young men or virgins, old men or anyone elderly – he delivered everyone into his hand. 18And as for all the equipment of the house of God – large items and small items, and the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the treasuries of the king and his officials – he brought everything to Babylon. 19And they burnt the house of God, and they demolished the wall of Jerusalem, and they burnt all its palaces with fire, and they brought all its valuable furnishings to ruin. 20And he deported the survivors of the sword to Babylon, and they became servants to him and to his sons, until the kingdom of Persia became a royal power, 21to fulfil the word of the Lord communicated through Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. For all the days that it was in desolation, it kept the Sabbath, fulfilling seventy years. 22Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in fulfilling the word of the Lord by the speech of Jeremiah, the Lord aroused the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, and he had a proclamation made throughout his kingdom, and also by a letter, saying, 23“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the world, and he has charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you from all his people to participate? May the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up.’ ”