-Israel-

Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? And Jehu slept with his fathers: and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his place.

In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; Jehoahaz departed not from them. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael, all their days.

And Jehoahaz pleaded with the LORD, and the LORD listened unto him: for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them. And the LORD gave Israel a savior, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: And the LORD was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he them from his presence as yet.

Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked in them: and there remained the grove also in Samaria. And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria: and Jehoash his son reigned in his place.

In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah began Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years. And Jehoash did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin: but he walked in them.

-Judah-

And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the army of Syria came up against Joash: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus. For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the LORD delivered a very great number into their hand, because the people of Judah had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers.

So they executed judgment against Joash. And when they were departed from him, (for they left him in great diseases) his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed, and he died: and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the tombs of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart.

Now it came to pass, after…Amaziah came from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down…before them, and burned incense unto them. Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, who said unto him, "Why have you sought after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of your hand?"

And it came to pass, as the prophet talked with him, that the king said unto him, "Are you…the king's counsel? Stop; why should you be struck?"

Then the prophet stopped, and said, "I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this, and have not listened unto my counsel."

Then Amaziah king of Judah…and sent to Jehoash…king of Israel, saying, "Come, let us see one another in battle. So Jehoash…went up; and they saw one another face to face, both he and Amaziah king of Judah, at Bethshemesh, which belongs to Judah. And Judah was defeated by Israel, and they fled every man to his tent.

-Israel-

And Jehoash the king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash…and brought him to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits. And Jehoash took all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obededom, and the treasures of the king's house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.

And Jehoash slept with his fathers; and Jeroboam II sat upon his throne: and Jehoash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. And Amaziah…king of Judah lived after the death of Jehoash…king of Israel fifteen years.

In the fifteenth year of Amaziah…king of Judah Jeroboam II the son of Jehoash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty-one years. And Jeroboam II did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

Jeroboam II restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spoke by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet…. For the LORD saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: for there was not any slave, nor any free, nor any helper for Israel. And the LORD said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam II….

- Jonah -

Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah…saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me." But Jonah rose up to flee…from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare…and went down into it….

But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest…so that the ship was like to be broken. Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and threw out the things that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it…. And they said every one to his fellow, "Come, and let us cast lots that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us". So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, "Why have you done this?" For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. Then said they unto him, "What shall we do unto you, that the sea may be calm unto us?"

And Jonah said unto them, "Take me up, and throw me out into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you." So they took up Jonah, and threw him out into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.

Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly…. And the LORD spoke unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, "Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid you." So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. And the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. And God saw their works that they turned from their evil way; and God relented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

-Judah-

Now after the time that Amaziah did turn away from following the LORD they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent to Lachish after him, and killed him there. And they brought him upon horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah. Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah.

And Uzziah did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did. …He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper.

And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that lived in Gurbaal, and the Mehunims. …Under their hand was an army, three hundred and seven thousand five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy.

And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the army shields, and spears, and helmets, and armor, and bows, and slings to cast stones. And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the corners, to shoot arrows and great stones with. And Uzziah’s name spread far abroad; for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong. But when Uzziah was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.

And Azariah the priest went in after Uzziah, and with him eighty priests of the LORD that were valiant men: And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated…go out of the sanctuary; for you have sinned; neither shall it be for your honor from the LORD God."

Then Uzziah was angry, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was angry with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar.

REFERENCES

2 Kings 10:34-35; 2 Kings 13:1-5a; 2 Kings 13:23; 2 Kings 13:6, 9-11; 2 Chronicles 24:23-25, 27b; 2 Chronicles 25:1-2, 14-17, 21-24; 2 Kings 13:13; 2 Chronicles 25:25; 2 Kings 14:23-27; Jonah 1:1-3a, 4-5a, 7, 10-12, 15-17; Jonah 2:1, 10; Jonah 3:1-3,5,10; 2 Chronicles 25:27-28; 2 Chronicles 26:1, 4-5, 7, 13-19.

CHAPTER 39