they brought forth the asherah out of the house of Baal, and burned it. And they brake down the pillar of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day.

The Reign of Jehu (2 Kings x. 28-36). Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel. Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Beth-el, and that were in Dan. And the Lord said unto Jehu: "Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes,

Ambassadors from Jehu to Shalmaneser II. From the Black Obelisk sent to the British Museum by Layard in 1846

and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel." But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.

In those days the Lord began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel from Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan. 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 1 An inscription of Shalmaneser II records that in 842 B. C. Jehu paid him tribute.

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son reigned in his stead. And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty and eight years.

Jehoahaz (2 Kings xiii. 1-9). In the three and twentieth 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; he departed not therefrom. 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 Ben-hadad the son of Hazael, all their days. And Jehoahaz besought the Lord, and the Lord hearkened unto him for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them. And the Lord gave Israel a savior,1 so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime. Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin, but walked therein and there remained the asherah also in Samaria. Neither did he leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria: and Jehoash his son reigned in his stead.

Jehoash (2 Kings xiii. 10, 11). In the thirty and seventh year of Joash king of Judah began Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years. And he 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 therein.

Death of Elisha (2 Kings xiii. 14-21). Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Jehoash the king of

1 a savior. A recently found inscription records that an Aramean, Zakar king of Hazrak, defeated a coalition headed by Damascus. This Zakar rose into power at some time between 800 and 772 B. C., and was probably the "savior" here mentioned.

Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said: "O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof." And Elisha said unto him, "Take bow and arrows." And he took unto him bow and arrows. And he said to the king of Israel, "Put thine hand upon the bow." And he put his hand upon it and Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands. And he said, "Open the window eastward." And he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot." And he shot. And he said: "The arrow of the Lord's deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them." And he said, "Take the arrows." And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, "Smite upon the ground." And he smote thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said: "Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.”

And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha, and went away. And when the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.

Victories of Jehoash (2 Kings xiii. 22-25; xiv. 8-16). Now Hazael king of Syria had oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. But 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. So Hazael king of Syria died; and Ben-hadad his son reigned in his stead. And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times did Jehoash beat him, and recovered the cities of Israel.2

Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying: "Come, let us look one another in the face." And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to 1 the chariot... thereof. Elisha had been his country's best defence.

2 Ramman-nirari III of Assyria in 803 B. C. compelled Damascus to pay tribute; and, though his inscription mentions tribute from "the land of Omri" (Israel) as well, his invasion, by breaking the power of Syria, helped Israel to hold its own against her.

Amaziah king of Judah, saying: "The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle. Thou hast indeed smitten Edom,' and thine heart hath lifted thee up: glory of this, and tarry at home: for why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?" But Amaziah would not hear. Therefore Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth-shemesh, which belongeth to Judah. And Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man to their tents. And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits. And he took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.

Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? And Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his stead.

Jeroboam II (2 Kings xiv. 23-29; Amos vii. 10–17). In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Jehoash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years. And he 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. He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the rea of the Arabah,2 according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher. For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: for there was not any shut up, nor any left, 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 the son of Jehoash.

1 See p. 394.

sea of the Arabah. The Dead Sea.

Then Amaziah the priest of Beth-el sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying: "Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst. of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land." Also Amaziah said unto Amos: "O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there : but prophesy not again any more at Beth-el: for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court." Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah: "I am no prophet, neither am I a prophet's son; but I am an herdman, and a pincher1 of sycomore fruit: and the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. Now therefore hear thou the word of the Lord: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac. Therefore thus saith the Lord; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land."

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Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he warred, and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath for Israel, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 2 And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel; and Zechariah his son reigned in his stead.

Zechariah (2 Kings xv. 8-12). In the thirty and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his fathers had done: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired 1 pincher. The sycomore fig required pinching or scraping to bring it into proper condition for eating.

2 Jeroboam's long reign owed its prosperity largely to the crippling of Damascus by Assyria. The moral and religious corruption of his time called into activity not only Amos, but towards the end of his reign — Hosea. Amos preached especially against the moral remissness of the well-to-do, urging that they could not please Jehovah with their lavish worship at his altars, so long as they practiced oppression and vice. Hosea attacked the worship itself, as corrupted by sensual and superstitious features which made it practically wor ship of Baal.