Study Desk

The king of Assyria was told, "See, King Tirhakah of Cush has come out to fight against you." So he sent men again to Hezekiah, saying,

They have thrown their gods into the fire. For they were not gods, but the work of men's hands, made from wood and stone. So they have destroyed them.

You have spoken against Me in your anger and pride, and I have heard it. So I will put My hook in your nose, and My bit in your mouth. And I will have you return by the way you came.

So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: He will not come to this city or shoot an arrow there. He will not come to it with a battle-covering or build a wall around it.

So Isaiah the man of God cried to the Lord, and the Lord brought the shadow back ten steps, on the steps set up by King Ahaz.

So he turned away from the Lord, the God of his fathers. He did not walk in the way of the Lord.

So Hilkiah the religious leader, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to Huldah the woman who spoke for God. She was the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, and watched over the clothes of the house. (She lived in the Second Part of Jerusalem.) They spoke to her.

because they have turned away from Me and have burned special perfume to other gods. They have made Me angry with all the work of their hands. So My anger burns against this place, and it will not be stopped.'

"So I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the trouble which I will bring upon this place."'" So they returned to the king and told him what was said.

The king made Topheth unclean, which is in the valley of the sons of Hinnom. He did this so no one might give his son or daughter there as a burnt gift to the false god Molech.

As Josiah turned, he saw the graves that were there on the mountain. He had the bones taken from the graves, and burned them on the altar. So he made the altar sinful, as the word of the Lord said would happen, through the man of God.

Josiah said, "Let him alone. Let no one move his bones." So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the man of God who came from Samaria.

So Jehoiakim gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh. But he taxed the land to give Pharaoh the money he wanted. He took the silver and gold from the people of the land, from each one by the amount of tax he was made to pay. And he gave it to Pharaoh Neco.

So he led Jehoiachin away to Babylon. He also led away the king's mother, his wives, his leaders, and the most important men of the land. He took them from Jerusalem to Babylon.

Then the king of Babylon killed them. He put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken away from its land.

All the captains of the armies and their men heard that the king of Babylon had chosen Gedaliah to be leader. So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. The captains who came with their men were Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of Maacathite.

The sons of Judah were Er, Onan and Shelah. These three were born to him by Bath-shua of Canaan. Judah's first-born son Er was sinful in the eyes of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death.

In the days of Saul they made war with the Hagrites and killed them. So they lived in their tents over all the land east of Gilead.

So the God of Israel moved the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, also known as Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria. And he carried the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-family group of Manasseh away to a strange land. He brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan. And they are there to this day.

So the people of Israel gave to the Levites the cities with their fields.