Simeon

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1 Chronicles 4:24–43, “The sons of Simeon were, Nemuel, and Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul: Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son. And the sons of Mishma; Hamuel his son, Zacchur his son, Shimei his son. And Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brethren had not many children, neither did all their family multiply, like to the children of Judah. And they dwelt at Beersheba, and Moladah, and Hazarshual, And at Bilhah, and at Ezem, and at Tolad, And at Bethuel, and at Hormah, and at Ziklag, And at Bethmarcaboth, and Hazarsusim, and at Bethbirei, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities unto the reign of David. And their villages were, Etam, and Ain, Rimmon, and Tochen, and Ashan, five cities: And all their villages that were round about the same cities, unto Baal. These were their habitations, and their genealogy. And Meshobab, and Jamlech, and Joshah the son of Amaziah, And Joel, and Jehu the son of Josibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel, And Elioenai, and Jaakobah, and Jeshohaiah, and Asaiah, and Adiel, and Jesimiel, and Benaiah, And Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah; These mentioned by their names were princes in their families: and the house of their fathers increased greatly. And they went to the entrance of Gedor, even unto the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks. And they found fat pasture and good, and the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceable; for they of Ham had dwelt there of old. And these written by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and smote their tents, and the habitations that were found there, and destroyed them utterly unto this day, and dwelt in their rooms: because there was pasture there for their flocks. And some of them, even of the sons of Simeon, five hundred men, went to mount Seir, having for their captains Pelatiah, and Neariah, and Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi. And they smote the rest of the Amalekites that were escaped, and dwelt there unto this day.”

Simeon’s descendants didn’t have a separate territory for themselves. They lived within the borders of Judean territory. When Jacob blessed his sons, he wasn’t kind to Simeon and Levi because they killed in anger. Their lot was to be scattered among the rest of Israel.

Dwelt with the king

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1 Chronicles 4:11–23, “And Chelub the brother of Shuah begat Mehir, which was the father of Eshton. And Eshton begat Bethrapha, and Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Irnahash. These are the men of Rechah. And the sons of Kenaz; Othniel, and Seraiah: and the sons of Othniel; Hathath. And Meonothai begat Ophrah: and Seraiah begat Joab, the father of the valley of Charashim; for they were craftsmen. And the sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh; Iru, Elah, and Naam: and the sons of Elah, even Kenaz. And the sons of Jehaleleel; Ziph, and Ziphah, Tiria, and Asareel. And the sons of Ezra were, Jether, and Mered, and Epher, and Jalon: and she bare Miriam, and Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. And his wife Jehudijah bare Jered the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Socho, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. And these are the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, which Mered took. And the sons of his wife Hodiah the sister of Naham, the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maachathite. And the sons of Shimon were, Amnon, and Rinnah, Benhanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi were, Zoheth, and Benzoheth. The 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 them that wrought fine linen, of the house of Ashbea, And Jokim, and the men of Chozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had the dominion in Moab, and Jashubilehem. And these are ancient things. These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work.”

The most important part of this sections the fact that there were people who lived with the king so that they could work for him. What a wonderful privilege these people had, they were able to work for the king and he gave them accommodation so that they could be ready to work for him at any time.

Jabez

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1 Chronicles 4:1–10, “1 The sons of Judah; Pharez, Hezron, and Carmi, and Hur, and Shobal. And Reaiah the son of Shobal begat Jahath; and Jahath begat Ahumai, and Lahad. These are the families of the Zorathites And these were of the father of Etam; Jezreel, and Ishma, and Idbash: and the name of their sister was Hazelelponi: And Penuel the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These are the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah, the father of Bethlehem. And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah. And Naarah bare him Ahuzam, and Hepher, and Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. And the sons of Helah were, Zereth, and Jezoar, and Ethnan. And Coz begat Anub, and Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum. And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.”

Because Jacob prophesied concerning Judah, “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” (Genesis 49:10) his family line was very important. This section is important for another reason as well. One of the members of this family line was called Jabez, who prayed that the Lord would bless him and the Lord did bless him.

Solomon's descendants

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1 Chronicles 3:10–24 (AV)

10 And Solomon’s son was Rehoboam, Abia his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son, Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son, Amon his son, Josiah his son. And the sons of Josiah were, the firstborn Johanan, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum. And the sons of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son. And the sons of Jeconiah; Assir, Salathiel his son, Malchiram also, and Pedaiah, and Shenazar, Jecamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah. And the sons of Pedaiah were, Zerubbabel, and Shimei: and the sons of Zerubbabel; Meshullam, and Hananiah, and Shelomith their sister: And Hashubah, and Ohel, and Berechiah, and Hasadiah, Jushabhesed, five. And the sons of Hananiah; Pelatiah, and Jesaiah: the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, the sons of Shechaniah. And the sons of Shechaniah; Shemaiah: and the sons of Shemaiah; Hattush, and Igeal, and Bariah, and Neariah, and Shaphat, six. And the sons of Neariah; Elioenai, and Hezekiah, and Azrikam, three. And the sons of Elioenai were, Hodaiah, and Eliashib, and Pelaiah, and Akkub, and Johanan, and Dalaiah, and Anani, seven.”

Solomon was the second king in the Davidic dynasty. That line followed through to Josiah, father following son as king. After Josiah the Davidic kingly line came to an end and his grandsons went into Exile. It was important that the Davidic line be recognised because the Lord made a promise that one of David’s sons would reign on the throne forever. (2 Sam 23: 5)

David's line

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1 Chronicles 3:1–9, “Now these were the sons of David, which were born unto him in Hebron; the firstborn Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess: The third, Absalom the son of Maachah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur: the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith: The fifth, Shephatiah of Abital: the sixth, Ithream by Eglah his wife. These six were born unto him in Hebron; and there he reigned seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years. And these were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, four, of Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel:  Ibhar also, and Elishama, and Eliphelet, And Nogah, and Nepheg, and Japhia, And Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet, nine. These were all the sons of David, beside the sons of the concubines, and Tamar their sister.”

As the king, David had more than one wife. He had sons and daughters, the first son was Amnon, who raped his half sister and was murdered by his brother. His third son was called Absalom who was very ambitious and tried to take the kingdom from his father before his father died. Absalom was killed and forgotten. We can see that David made some political marriages to cement alliances with kings from the surrounding countries as well. David also had a son called Solomon, who became king after David died.

Hezron

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1 Chronicles 2:18–55, “And Caleb the son of Hezron begat children of Azubah his wife, and of Jerioth: her sons are these; Jesher, and Shobab, and Ardon. And when Azubah was dead, Caleb took unto him Ephrath, which bare him Hur. And Hur begat Uri, and Uri begat Bezaleel. And afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead, whom he married when he was threescore years old; and she bare him Segub. And Segub begat Jair, who had three and twenty cities in the land of Gilead. And he took Geshur, and Aram, with the towns of Jair, from them, with Kenath, and the towns thereof, even threescore cities. All these belonged to the sons of Machir the father of Gilead. And after that Hezron was dead in Calebephratah, then Abiah Hezron’s wife bare him Ashur the father of Tekoa. And the sons of Jerahmeel the firstborn of Hezron were, Ram the firstborn, and Bunah, and Oren, and Ozem, and Ahijah. Jerahmeel had also another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam. And the sons of Ram the firstborn of Jerahmeel were, Maaz, and Jamin, and Eker. And the sons of Onam were, Shammai, and Jada. And the sons of Shammai; Nadab, and Abishur. And the name of the wife of Abishur was Abihail, and she bare him Ahban, and Molid. And the sons of Nadab; Seled, and Appaim: but Seled died without children. And the sons of Appaim; Ishi. And the sons of Ishi; Sheshan. And the children of Sheshan; Ahlai. And the sons of Jada the brother of Shammai; Jether, and Jonathan: and Jether died without children. And the sons of Jonathan; Peleth, and Zaza. These were the sons of Jerahmeel. Now Sheshan had no sons, but daughters. And Sheshan had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Jarha. And Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant to wife; and she bare him Attai. And Attai begat Nathan, and Nathan begat Zabad, And Zabad begat Ephlal, and Ephlal begat Obed, And Obed begat Jehu, and Jehu begat Azariah, And Azariah begat Helez, and Helez begat Eleasah, And Eleasah begat Sisamai, and Sisamai begat Shallum, And Shallum begat Jekamiah, and Jekamiah begat Elishama. Now the sons of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel were, Mesha his firstborn, which was the father of Ziph; and the sons of Mareshah the father of Hebron. And the sons of Hebron; Korah, and Tappuah, and Rekem, and Shema. And Shema begat Raham, the father of Jorkoam: and Rekem begat Shammai. And the son of Shammai was Maon: and Maon was the father of Bethzur. And Ephah, Caleb’s concubine, bare Haran, and Moza, and Gazez: and Haran begat Gazez. And the sons of Jahdai; Regem, and Jotham, and Geshan, and Pelet, and Ephah, and Shaaph. Maachah, Caleb’s concubine, bare Sheber, and Tirhanah. She bare also Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah, and the father of Gibea: and the daughter of Caleb was Achsah. These were the sons of Caleb the son of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah; Shobal the father of Kirjathjearim, Salma the father of Bethlehem, Hareph the father of Bethgader. And Shobal the father of Kirjathjearim had sons; Haroeh, and half of the Manahethites. And the families of Kirjathjearim; the Ithrites, and the Puhites, and the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; of them came the Zareathites, and the Eshtaulites. The sons of Salma; Bethlehem, and the Netophathites, Ataroth, the house of Joab, and half of the Manahethites, the Zorites. And the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Suchathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab.”

Caleb was a grandson of Judah. He became an important man in his own right and established a clan in Israel. Hezron, Caleb's father, also had another wife and has sons in Gilead, on the other side of the Jordan.

Judah

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1 Chronicles 2:1–17, “These are the sons of Israel; Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. The sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah: which three were born unto him of the daughter of Shua the Canaanitess. And Er, the firstborn of Judah, was evil in the sight of the LORD; and he slew him. And Tamar his daughter in law bare him Pharez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five. The sons of Pharez; Hezron, and Hamul. And the sons of Zerah; Zimri, and Ethan, and Heman, and Calcol, and Dara: five of them in all. And the sons of Carmi; Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed. And the sons of Ethan; Azariah. The sons also of Hezron, that were born unto him; Jerahmeel, and Ram, and Chelubai. And Ram begat Amminadab; and Amminadab begat Nahshon, prince of the children of Judah; And Nahshon begat Salma, and Salma begat Boaz, And Boaz begat Obed, and Obed begat Jesse, And Jesse begat his firstborn Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimma the third, Nethaneel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, Ozem the sixth, David the seventh: Whose sisters were Zeruiah, and Abigail. And the sons of Zeruiah; Abishai, and Joab, and Asahel, three. And Abigail bare Amasa: and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmeelite.”

While only one of Abraham’s sons inherited the promise of being the vector of God’s blessing to all the families of the earth, all of Jacob’s (Israel) sons were part of the Lord’s overall plan. Jacob’s first son, Reuben, slept with his father’s concubine and forfeited the birthright. Simeon and Levi, ruthlessly murdered all the inhabitants of Hamor’s settlement and made significant trouble for Jacob in Canaan. These two brothers forfeited their right to the birthright. Jacob blessed Joseph and gave him the blessing and the birthright. However, the Lord chose Judah to be the ancestor of Israel’s kings, the kings chosen and anointed by the Lord. Judah was king David’s ancestor and David’s cousins had an important role in the Israeli military.

Abraham's soms

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1 Chronicles 1:28–54, “The sons of Abraham; Isaac, and Ishmael. These are their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, Mishma, and Dumah, Massa, Hadad, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael. Now the sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine: she bare Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan; Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Henoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these are the sons of Keturah. And Abraham begat Isaac. The sons of Isaac; Esau and Israel. The sons of Esau; Eliphaz, Reuel, and Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah. The sons of Eliphaz; Teman, and Omar, Zephi, and Gatam, Kenaz, and Timna, and Amalek. The sons of Reuel; Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. And the sons of Seir; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah, and Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan. And the sons of Lotan; Hori, and Homam: and Timna was Lotan’s sister. The sons of Shobal; Alian, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. And the sons of Zibeon; Aiah, and Anah. The sons of Anah; Dishon. And the sons of Dishon; Amram, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran. The sons of Ezer; Bilhan, and Zavan, and Jakan. The sons of Dishan; Uz, and Aran. Now these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel; Bela the son of Beor: and the name of his city was Dinhabah. And when Bela was dead, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead. And when Jobab was dead, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his stead. And when Husham was dead, Hadad the son of Bedad, which smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Avith. And when Hadad was dead, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead. And when Samlah was dead, Shaul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his stead. And when Shaul was dead, Baalhanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead. And when Baalhanan was dead, Hadad reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Pai; and his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab. Hadad died also. And the dukes of Edom were; duke Timnah, duke Aliah, duke Jetheth, Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon, Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar, Duke Magdiel, duke Iram. These are the dukes of Edom.”

The Lord gave the Promised Land to Israel, as a permanent inheritance. They failed to maintain tenure of the Land through their sin and were forced away into Exile. However, even though Abraham had only one son who was born as a direct consequence of the Lord’s promise to bless all the families of the earth, there were other sons. It was important for Judah to understand where they fitted into the context of their related nations so the Lord gave them another list of these close tribes. They were not to allow these other tribes into the Promised Land for Israel, alone, had a contract with the Lord God, on the other hand, they were not to destroy the nations that were born from Abraham’s other descendants. In order to do this they needed to know who these people were.

The beginning of the record

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1 Chronicles 1:1–27, “Adam, Sheth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered, Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. And the sons of Gomer; Ashchenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. The sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raamah, and Sabtecha. And the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan. 1And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be mighty upon the earth. And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (of whom came the Philistines,) and Caphthorim. And Canaan begat Zidon his firstborn, and Heth, The Jebusite also, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite, And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. The sons of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram, and Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Meshech. And Arphaxad begat Shelah, and Shelah begat Eber. And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg; because in his days the earth was divided: and his brother’s name was Joktan. And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah, Hadoram also, and Uzal, and Diklah, And Ebal, and Abimael, and Sheba, And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, Abram; the same is Abraham.”

After Judah was taken away into Exile by the Babylonians, the Lord sent the Medes and the Persians to defeat them. Before Judah was taken into Exile, the Lord had promised that the Persians would send the Jews back to their own Land. This happened, exactly as the Lord promised. When the Jews came back to the Promised Land they were changed and never again worshipped any heathen gods. When they got back it was vitally important for them to know who belonged to their nation and who didn’t because the Promised Land was for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob only. In order to do this the people who came back first established a proper record of their history and then made true records of their ancestors. [We can notice that Jeremiah, the prophet, who was in Judah before the Exile, was told to redeem some land on behalf of his cousin. After he redeemed the Land, he took the title deeds and made sure that everything was recorded in the legal manner so that the land would be recognised as belonging to him. The Lord promised Jeremiah that land would be owned again in the Land of Judah. (Jer 32: 9-15)] Even though the Babylonians destroyed the Temple, they didn’t destroy the records of property and land and the tribal records for Israel. The archives that were recorded and kept during the times of the kings were also kept intact during that time.The Jews who came back wanted to make a true record of every person who came back and so that each person could have access to their own property. The books of Chronicles contain that great work, showing where the people, the tribes and the families belonged and their ancestors.

Gedaliah

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2 Kings 25:22–30, “And as for the people that remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even over them he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ruler. And when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, there came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Careah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men. And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be well with you. But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah. And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose, and came to Egypt: for they were afraid of the Chaldees. And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison; And he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon; And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life. And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.”

Nebuchadnezzar took the vast majority of the people away from Judah and took them into Exile. Never the less, he left a few of the very poor people behind to keep the Land and make sure that it wouldn’t decay into wilderness and become totally useless. The few poor people in the Land were left with someone in charge so that they would be able to work together and not be prey to anyone who came and tried to plunder the little that had been left behind. Even though, there weren’t enough people to properly mount a rebellion against the Babylonians, the king appointed a man called Gedaliah as the governor of the province. He was responsible to the Babylonians for everything that happened in the Land. However, some of the local people decided to assassinate Gedaliah and they ran away to Egypt. After Nebuchadnezzar died he was replaced by Evilmerodach, his son in law, who only reigned for a few years. This king had a different policy towards Jehoiachin and let his out of prison so that he could live in freedom in Babylon and be supported by the public purse.

Exile

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2 Kings 25:8–21, “And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem: And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man’s house burnt he with fire. And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about. Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away. But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen. And the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of the LORD, did the Chaldees break in pieces, and carried the brass of them to Babylon. And the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away. And the firepans, and the bowls, and such things as were of gold, in gold, and of silver, in silver, the captain of the guard took away. The two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD; the brass of all these vessels was without weight. The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the chapiter upon it was brass: and the height of the chapiter three cubits; and the wreathen work, and pomegranates upon the chapiter round about, all of brass: and like unto these had the second pillar with wreathen work. And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door: And out of the city he took an officer that was set over the men of war, and five men of them that were in the king’s presence, which were found in the city, and the principal scribe of the host, which mustered the people of the land, and threescore men of the people of the land that were found in the city: And Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took these, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah: And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away out of their land.”

Nebuchadnezzar sent one of his senior generals back to Jerusalem after he established himself at Riblah. Riblah was in Syria near the Babylonian border. The general went back to Jerusalem and took everything that he thought might be useful to that Babylonians and he broke down the city walls so that it could not be used as a centre for rebellion. There was so much brass in the Temple area, from the huge basins used to store water for washing and many other instruments used in the ceremonies that no one even bothered to weigh it. The senior priests and soldiers were taken back to Riblah as well. The priests and the soldiers were all executed. The Babylonians left the very poorest people behind in Judah so that they could care for the Land when no one else was there. Good land has to be worked to keep its value otherwise it will just fall away into a useless landscape and become barren.

Zedekiah

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2 Kings 25:1–7, “And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about. And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. And the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king’s garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain. And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him. So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.”

Zedekiah, the king of Judah, found that the Babylonians besieged the city of Jerusalem after he had been king for nine years. The siege was severe and after about eighteen months Zedekiah found that everyone in the city was starving so he decided to escape with some of his army. They went towards the Jordan Valley but the Babylonians followed them and caught up beside the river. The soldiers were scattered in the battle and the king was captured along with all his family. The Babylonians were very cruel. They forced the king to watch while his entire family was killed and then they put out his eyes. They did this so that he would remember that the last thing he saw was the massacre of his family.

Jehoiachin

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2 Kings 24:8–20, “Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother’s name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done. At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it. And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign. And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said. And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land. And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon. And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father’s brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah. Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.”

Jehoiachin was fairly young when he began to reign as king in Judah. There were other kings who were much younger than he was but this doesn’t change the fact. He followed in the footsteps of his father. King Nebuchadnezzar had established himself as king in Babylon and came back to conquer the kingdoms that he had not been able to before. He knew that there was great wealth in Jerusalem and wanted that for himself. Nebuchadnezzar’s armies besieged Jerusalem in order to take the city. Jehoiachin decided to surrender to the Babylonians and he went to meet them with his whole family. He was captured along with all the senior people in his government and they were all taken away to Babylon as captives. The Babylonians had a different strategy to the Assyrians. Nebuchadnezzar left another king to rule in Jehoiachin’s place. His uncle Mattaniah was made king but his name was changed to Zedekiah. Zedekiah reigned as king under Babylonian authority for eleven years. During this time he followed the evil practices of his father and grandfather. Eventually he decided to rebel against the Babylonians.

Jehoiakim

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2 Kings 24:1–7, “In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.  And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servants the prophets. Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead. And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt.”

Nebuchadnezzar had gone down to Egypt and defeated the Egyptians. This was the last time that Egypt was an independent, sovereign nation ruled by the ancient Egyptians. After the Babylonians took control of Egypt, the Persians followed them and then the Greeks. The modern Egyptians are descended from other conquerors and the ancient Egyptians, the Copts, are a persecuted minority. In fact, Egypt is actually a Greek word. Nebuchadnezzar came back to Judah and took control of the nation. When Nebuchadnezzar went back to his own kingdom, Judah was attacked by bands of marauders from the surrounding nations. The Lord began to impose the most severe penalty clauses of the contract. Jehoiakim, the king, eventually died and was replaced by his son Jehoiachin. A record of this reign was kept in the official archives of the kings of Judah.

Jehoahaz

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2 Kings 23:31–37, “Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done. And Pharaohnechoh put him in bands at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a tribute of an hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold. And Pharaohnechoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and turned his name to Jehoiakim, and took Jehoahaz away: and he came to Egypt, and died there. And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give the money according to the commandment of Pharaoh: he exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, of every one according to his taxation, to give it unto Pharaohnechoh. Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Zebudah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.”

Jehoahaz replaced his father on the Judean throne. He didn’t follow the Lord like his father but followed in the ways of this grand father and great grand father. After Pharaohnechoh was defeated, along with the Assyrians, at Carchemish, he hurried back to Egypt. He decided to punish Jerusalem because Josiah had come to fight him while he was on his way to Carchemish. However, Josiah was no longer on the throne and his son Jehoahaz was taken away to Hamath, north of Damascus. Pharaohnechoh forced Judah to become a vassal state and pay him regular taxes. Pharaohnechoh put another king on the throne, Jehoiakim, Jehoahaz’s brother. Jehoiakim was another evil king and he remained on the throne for eleven years.

Josiah's death

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2 Kings 23:25–30, “And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him. Notwithstanding the LORD turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal. And the LORD said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there. Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? In his days Pharaohnechoh king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates: and king Josiah went against him; and he slew him at Megiddo, when he had seen him. And his servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own sepulchre. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father’s stead.”

Even though Josiah was a righteous king before the Lord, he still couldn’t make up for the multitude of sins committed by his father and grandfather. They had led Israel so far away from the Lord that Judah resembled the Amorites, who were in the Land before the Lord gave it to Israel. However, the king was not entirely responsible for Judah’s spiritual state. In Deut 13: 6-11, the Lord told Israel that every individual was responsible for the spiritual state of the nation. When one person heard another person leading someone else astray that person was responsible to immediately deal with that sin. It didn’t matter if one person heard their most loved partner or child saying these things that person was still responsible for dealing with the sin. This means that the kings of Judah were only able to lead Judah astray because the people of Judah let it happen. Josiah may have led a revival but the whole nation had tolerated the sin of their kings for many years and had done nothing about it. The Lord sent prophets but they were persecuted by the general population who were too much in love with their idols and their ways. On the other hand, the Lord made sure that there was an up to date and understood copy of the Book of the Law in Judah before they were taken away into exile so that they could have access to that book and begin the process of revival. When they returned from their exile they had that book with them to rebuild and seek to restore the contract. Josiah went to fight against the Egyptian Pharaoh who was on his way to fight against the Babylonians at Carchemish. This is where the Babylonians defeated the Assyrians and took away their empire. When the Babylonians came down to take possession Egypt they found an ungodly king in Jerusalem because the Egyptians had killed Josiah. The Lord promised Hezekiah that these people would take away Jerusalem’s wealth. (2 Kings 20: 12-19)

Josiah's faithfulness

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2 Kings 23:4–24, “And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel. And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven. And he brought out the grove from the house of the LORD, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people. And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove. And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba, and brake down the high places of the gates that were in the entering in of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on a man’s left hand at the gate of the city. Nevertheless the priests of the high places came not up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but they did eat of the unleavened bread among their brethren. And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech. And he took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entering in of the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathanmelech the chamberlain, which was in the suburbs, and burned the chariots of the sun with fire. And the altars that were on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, did the king beat down, and brake them down from thence, and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron. And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile. And he brake in pieces the images, and cut down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men. Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high place, and stamped it small to powder, and burned the grove. And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words. Then he said, What title is that that I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God, which came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Bethel. And he said, Let him alone; let no man move his bones. So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria. And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the LORD to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Bethel. And he slew all the priests of the high places that were there upon the altars, and burned men’s bones upon them, and returned to Jerusalem. And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover unto the LORD your God, as it is written in the book of this covenant. Surely there was not holden such a passover from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah; But in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, wherein this passover was holden to the LORD in Jerusalem. Moreover the workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD.”

Not only did Josiah ask his people to listen to the words of the Book of the Law, he read them carefully himself and made sure that everything that had been written down was carefully followed. He made sure that he desecrated all the places and things that were dedicated to the worship of other gods. There was a site called Topheth, in a valley that belonged to the sons of Hinnom, where people went to sacrifice their children to strange gods, which he made into a garbage disposal place. This place was know for it fires and was equated to hell at a later stage, it was then called Gehenna. Josiah also destroyed the altar that Jeroboam had built in Bethel when he first led Israel astray with the golden calves. This had been prophesied nearly three hundred years before (See 1 Kings 13:2) Josiah also celebrated the Passover. This one was celebrated properly according to all the regulations in the Law. On the other hand, Hezekiah had celebrated a Passover as well but he didn’t have the Book of the Law when he did it. (compare 2 Chron 30: 13-20)

Remake the contract

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2 Kings 23:1–3, “And the king sent, and they gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem. And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the LORD. And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.”

When the king read the book he saw that Israel had been called upon, when they first went into the Land, to recite the blessing and the curses and agree to them. (see Deut 27: 1-26) He took the people from his kingdom to the Temple and read the words of the Book of the Law to the people so that they would know what was required of them. As Moses had told Joshua and Joshua later did, Josiah called on everyone in Judah to remake the contract with the Lord. He asked them to promise the Lord that they would obey the Law of the Lord.

Huldah

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2 Kings 22:11–20, "And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king’s, saying, Go ye, enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us. So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her. And she said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read: Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched. But to the king of Judah which sent you to enquire of the LORD, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard; Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the LORD. Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.”

The Book of the Law listed the contract obligations that had been agreed between the Lord and Israel when Israel first took possession of the Promised Land. There was also a list of penalty clauses. When Josiah heard the words of this book, he was completely terrified because he knew that Judah had not kept their part of the contract for many years. He believed that the Lord would soon send them away into exile. He sent some of his men to ask a local prophetess what would happen to him and the nation. At that stage, the Lord had actually achieved His objective and brought the king to a place of submission before the Lord. The prophetess, Huldah, gave Josiah a message from the Lord. She told that king that he would not experience the consequences of disobedience as he had humbled himself before the Lord.

Josiah

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2 Kings 22:1–10, “Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left. And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the LORD, saying, Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of the LORD, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people: And let them deliver it into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD: and let them give it to the doers of the work which is in the house of the LORD, to repair the breaches of the house, Unto carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house. Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully. And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD. And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.”

Josiah succeeded his father on throne when he was only eight years old. He had a long reign that lasted 31 years. He followed after king David's ways rather than his father and his grandfather. When Josiah was twenty six years old, he sent one of his scribes, Shaphan, and asked him to approach the high priest and tell him to start work on restoring the Temple of the Lord. The king trusted the high priest and didn’t ask him to provide accounts, just to do the work. While the restoration was being done, the high priest found a copy of the Book of the Law in the Temple. When the king heard about the book, he asked Shaphan to read the book to him.

Amon

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2 Kings 21:19–26, “Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh did. And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them: And he forsook the LORD God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of the LORD. And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and slew the king in his own house.  And the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead. Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And he was buried in his sepulchre in the garden of Uzza: and Josiah his son reigned in his stead.”

Amon was just as evil as his father and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem. Some of his attendants assassinated him and he was buried in the same garden as his father. Josiah, Amon’s son, succeeded him as king.

Manasseh's end

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2 Kings 21:10–18, “And the LORD spake by his servants the prophets, saying,  Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols: Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down. And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies; Because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day. Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza: and Amon his son reigned in his stead.”

King Manasseh was more evil than even the Amorites, whose evil had been full by the time Israel came into the Promised Land. (Gen 15: 16) The Lord warned Judah that it was time for the penalty clauses of the contract to be completed and they would be taken from the Land altogether. Jerusalem was going to be flattened and the people from Judah would be taken to a foreign land. At the end of his long and evil reign of 55 years Manasseh died and was buried. He was actually buried in his own garden rather that with the other kings of Judah.

Manasseh

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(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

2 Kings 21:1–9, “Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hephzibah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD said, In Jerusalem will I put my name. And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever: Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them. But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel.”

Manasseh was only twelve years old when he began to reign as king in Jerusalem. He didm’t follow his father’s example but was completely evil. He returned to the heathen practices of the Canaanites, he worshipped the sun and the stars and made many idols. He even put altars for strange gods in the Temple that had been dedicated to the Lord God. In fact, he showed no respect for the Lord at all and did everything he could to lead the nation as far away from the Lord as he could. Even though the Lord had chosen Jerusalem as the city where He would place His Name, Manasseh made that city the headquarters of every pagan sect that he could think of. Manasseh was the most evil king, to that time, who had ruled in Jerusalem and he led the nation to follow him into every kind of abomination. Manasseh even offered his son as a sacrifice to the fire god by burning his son to death.

Hezekiah's tunnel

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(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

2 Kings 20:12–21, “At that time Berodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick. And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not. Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon. And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them. And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD. Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days? And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.”

After Hezekiah recovered, he received some messengers from Babylon. They came a long was to visit Hezekiah and he gave the all the hospitality available. As part of this, he showed them through his storehouses and let them know the extent of his wealth. After they left, Isaiah, the prophet, came to Hezekiah and asked him what he had done. Hezekiah told the prophet that he had shown the Babylonians everything that he owned and hadn’t kept anything secret from them. Isaiah told Hezekiah that, one day in the future, Babylonians would come to Jerusalem and plunder all the wealth that he had just shown them. Hezekiah didn’t really care, as long as it didn’t happen to him. One of this king’s great achievements was that he dug a tunnel from the spring that was outside the upper wall of Jerusalem so that water flowed into the city. He covered the top of the spring so no one could see any evidence of the fact that it had been there. This meant that Jerusalem had a clean, continuous supply of water if it was ever besieged and the besiegers would not have access to any water. Manasseh succeeded Hezekiah, his father.