Study Desk

But the places where gods were worshiped were not removed, so the people still made sacrifices and burned incense there.

The Lord struck Uzziah with a skin disease, which he had until the day he died. So he had to live in a separate house. Jotham, the king's son, was in charge of the palace, and he governed the people of the land.

Pul king of Assyria came to attack the land. Menahem gave him about seventy-four thousand pounds of silver so Pul would support him and make his hold on the kingdom stronger.

Menahem taxed Israel to pay about one and one-fourth pounds of silver to each soldier of the king of Assyria. So the king left and did not stay in the land.

So the king of Assyria listened to Ahaz. He attacked Damascus and captured it and sent all its people away to Kir. And he killed Rezin.

So Uriah the priest built an altar, just like the plans King Ahaz had sent him from Damascus. Uriah finished the altar before King Ahaz came back from Damascus.

So Uriah the priest did everything as King Ahaz commanded him.

But the king of Assyria found out that Hoshea had made plans against him by sending messengers to So, the king of Egypt. Hoshea had also stopped giving Shalmaneser the payments, which he had paid every year in the past. For that, the king put Hoshea in prison.

so the Lord rejected all the people of Israel. He punished them and let others destroy them; he threw them out of his presence.

So they continued to do all the sins Jeroboam did. They did not stop doing these sins

until the Lord removed the Israelites from his presence, just as he had said through all his servants the prophets. So the Israelites were taken out of their land to Assyria, and they have been there to this day.

At first they did not worship the Lord , so he sent lions among them which killed some of them.

So one of the priests who had been carried away from Samaria returned to live in Bethel. And he taught the people how to honor the Lord .

So these nations honored the Lord but also worshiped their idols, and their children and grandchildren still do as their ancestors did.

And the Lord was with Hezekiah, so he had success in everything he did. He turned against the king of Assyria and stopped serving him.

Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent a message to the king of Assyria at Lachish. He said, "I have done wrong. Leave me alone, and I will pay anything you ask." So the king of Assyria made Hezekiah pay about twenty-two thousand pounds of silver and two thousand pounds of gold.

They called for the king, so the king sent Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah out to meet them. Eliakim son of Hilkiah was the palace manager, Shebna was the royal secretary, and Joah son of Asaph was the recorder.

You say you have battle plans and power for war, but your words mean nothing. Whom are you trusting for help so that you turn against me?

You cannot defeat one of my master's least important officers, so why do you depend on Egypt to give you chariots and horsemen?

The king of Assyria sent his field commander to make fun of the living God. Maybe the Lord your God will hear what the commander said and will punish him for it. So pray for the few of us who are left alive."