On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land. Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king's garden: and the king escaped from the city.
But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army was scattered from him. Then they took the king, and carried him up unto 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 in fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
Now in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, an officer 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, even every great house, burnt he with fire. And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls of Jerusalem round about. And the residue of the people that were left in the city, and those that fled to the king of Babylon, and the residue of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away captive. But the captain of the guard left of the poorest 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 brazen sea that were in the house of the Lord, did the Chaldeans break in pieces, and carried the {352} 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 basins; that which was of gold, and that which was of silver, the captain of the guard took away. The two pillars, the one sea, and the bases, which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord; the brass of all these vessels was of great weight. So Judah was carried away captive.
JEROBOAM.
(The story of the revolt of the northern part of the kingdom from the south has been told in the story of Rehoboam. Jeroboam, who became the king of the northern territory, was little improvement over Rehoboam, his rival in the south. He was not of royal birth, but, as a bright young man in Solomon's court, came under the great king's notice. He plotted, however, against his master, and, his treachery being discovered, fled to Egypt. As soon as Solomon died, Jeroboam returned from Egypt, and became the leader of the successful revolt against the tyranny of the young king of the south.)
The New Kingdom.
Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and he went out from thence, and built Penuel. And Jeroboam said in his heart, "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David: if this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then will the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me, and return to Rehoboam king of Judah." Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold; and he said unto them, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." And he set the one {354} in Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before, the one, even unto Dan. And he made houses of high places, and made priests from among all the people, which were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he went up unto the altar; so did he in Beth-el, sacrificing unto the calves that he made: and he placed in Beth-el the priests of the high places which he had made. And he went up unto the altar which he had made in Beth-el on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart: and he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and went up unto the altar, to burn incense.
The Prophet from Judah and His Fate.
And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Beth-el: and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. And he cried against the altar by the word of Jehovah, and said, "O altar, altar, thus saith Jehovah: 'Behold, a son shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he sacrifice the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall they burn upon thee.'"
And he gave a sign the same day, saying, "This is the sign which Jehovah hath spoken: 'Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.'"
STREET OF AN ANCIENT EASTERN CITY.
From a photograph taken by Prof. Lewis Bayles Paton of Hartford
Theological Seminary, and used by his kind permission.
Notice the houses built over the street converting it almost into a tunnel.
And it came to pass, when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Beth-el, that Jeroboam put forth his hand from the altar, saying, "Lay hold on him."
And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back again to him. The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of Jehovah. And the king answered and said unto the man of God, "Entreat now the favor of Jehovah thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again."
And the man of God entreated Jehovah, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.
And the king said unto the man of God, "Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward."
And the man of God said unto the king, "If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: for so it was charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, 'Thou shalt eat no bread, nor drink water, neither return by the way that thou camest.'"
So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Beth-el.
Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and one of his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Beth-el: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them also they told unto their father.
And their father said unto them, "What way went he?" Now his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah.
And he said unto his sons, "Saddle me the ass."
So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon. And he went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, "Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah?" And he said, "I am."
Then he said unto him, "Come home with me, and eat bread."
And he said, "I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place: for it was said to me by the word of the Lord, 'Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.'"
And he said unto him, "I also am a prophet as thou art; and an angel spoke unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, 'Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water.'"
But he lied unto him. So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water. And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back: and he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, "Thus saith the Lord, 'Forasmuch as thou hast been disobedient unto the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which, the Lord thy God commanded thee, but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place of the which he said to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy body shall not come unto the sepulcher of thy fathers.'"
THE RUINS OF SAMARIA
From a photograph belonging to the Forbes Library, Northampton,
Mass., and used by special permission
"To-day amid the peaceful beauty of the scene--the secluded vale covered with cornfields through which the winding streams flash and glisten into the hazy distance, and the gentle hill rises to the olives waving over its summit--it is possible to appreciate Isaiah's name for Samaria, the crown of the pride of Ephraim, the flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley. There by the entrance of the gate Ahab drew his sentence of death from the prophet of Jehovah; and there they washed his blood from his chariot, when they had brought him back to his burial. There Jezebel slew the prophets of Jehovah and Jehu the priests of Baal."
And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back. And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his body was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it; the lion also stood by the body.
And, behold, men passed by, and saw the body cast in the way, and the lion standing by the body: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, "It is the man of God who was disobedient unto the mouth of the Lord: therefore the Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke unto him."
And he spoke to his sons, saying, "Saddle me the ass."
And they saddled it.
And he went, and found his body cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the body: the lion had not eaten the body, nor torn the ass.
And the prophet took up the body of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back: and he came to the city of the old prophet, to mourn, and to bury him.
And he laid his body in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, "Alas, my brother!"
And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, "When I am dead, then bury {362} me in the sepulcher wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones. For the saying which he cried by the word of the Lord against the altar in Beth-el, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Israel, shall surely come to pass."
After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again from among all the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high places. And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.
How the King's Son Died.
At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. And Jeroboam said to his wife, "Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam: and get thee to Shiloh; behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, who spoke concerning me that I should be king over this people. And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels, and a cruse of honey, and go to him: he shall tell thee what shall become of the child."
And Jeroboam's wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see; for his eyes were blind by reason of his age.
And the Lord said unto Ahijah, "Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to inquire of thee concerning her son; for he is sick: thus and thus shalt thou say unto her: for it shall be, when she cometh in, that she shall feign herself to be another woman."
And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she carne in at the door, that he said, "Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to thee with heavy tidings. Go, tell Jeroboam, 'Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel: Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel, and rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes; but hast done evil above all that were before thee, and hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back: therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male child, and will utterly sweep away the house of Jeroboam, as a man sweepeth away dung, till it be all gone. Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat: for the Lord hath spoken it.'
"Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine house: and when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die. And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him; for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave: because in him there is found some good thing toward the Lord, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam. Moreover the Lord shall raise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day. For the Lord shall smite Israel, as {364} a reed is shaken in the water; and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the River; because they have made their Asherim, provoking the Lord to anger. And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he hath sinned, and wherewith he hath made Israel to sin."
And Jeroboam's wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah: and as she came to the threshold of the house, the child died.
And all Israel buried him, and mourned for him: according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by the hand of his servant Ahijah the prophet. And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years: and he died, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.
MOUNT GERIZIM.
Mount Gerizim (2,849 feet) faces Mount Ebal, and in the narrow pass between them is Shechem. The Samaritans erected a temple on the mountain, making it the central shrine of the nation and a rival of Jerusalem, about the year 432 B.C. The flat stone shown in the picture is the place of sacrifice, which is still maintained by a little community of Samaritans.
NADAB.
(The dynasty of the house of Jeroboam was very brief after the death of its founder. Nadab his son reigned only two years, when he was murdered by a common soldier, probably while he was laying siege to one of the towns of the Philistines.)
And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon. Even in the third year of Asa king of Judah did Baasha slay him, and reigned in his stead.
BAASHA.
(Baasha, who assassinated Nadab and usurped the throne, seems not to have been of royal blood. He was probably an adventurous soldier who saw his opportunity and won his way to the crown by sheer force of audacity and daring. He began his reign by killing all the possible aspirants to the throne in the persons of the family of Jeroboam. His reign was marked by a succession of wars with Judah.)
And it came to pass that, as soon as Baasha was king, he smote all the house of Jeroboam; he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had destroyed him; according unto the saying of the Lord, which he spoke by the hand of his servant Ahijah the Shilonite: for the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and wherewith he made Israel to sin; because of his provocation wherewith he provoked the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger. And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
In the third year of Asa king of Judah began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, and reigned twenty and four years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. And the word of the Lord came to Jehu against Baasha, saying, "Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the {369} dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins; behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house; and I will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth of his in the field shall the fowls of the air eat."
And Baasha died, and was buried in Tirzah; and Elah his son reigned in his stead. And moreover by the hand of the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of the Lord against Baasha, and against his house, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he smote him.
ELAH.
(The son of Baasha, the adventurer, seems to have been as weak and incompetent as his father was ready and daring. While his army was off to the wars, he stayed at home and indulged his appetites. He was "drinking himself drunk" in the house of his steward Arza, when Zimri, captain of his chariots, came in and murdered him in cold blood as he lay like a beast in the slumber of drunkenness.)
In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two years. And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him: now he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, which was over the household in Tirzah: and Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, and reigned in his stead. And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he smote all the house of Baasha: he left him not a single man child, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends. Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, for all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned, and wherewith they made Israel to sin, to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger with their vanities.
MOUNT HERMON.
Mount Hermon, the great mountain barrier of northern Palestine, rises 9,200 feet above the sea. In the picture the range can be seen dimly, the ravines being filled with snow.
ZIMRI.
(There was wild work in Tirzah for a few days after Zimri killed the king. He followed up his advantage by assassinating all the children of Elah, so the house of Baasha, like the house of Jeroboam, was speedily exterminated. But Zimri's triumph was very short-lived. For just one week he wore the purple. Then the army returned and fell upon him. He went into the palace to defend himself, but finding his cause hopeless, he burned the palace over his own head, and perished in the flames. His name became a synonym for treachery in Israel, so that later, when Jezebel looked from her lattice and saw her foe Jehu below, she called out to him with the taunt, "Is it peace, thou 'Zimri,' thou master's murderer?")
In the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign seven days in Tirzah. Now the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. And the people that were encamped heard that Zimri had conspired, and had also murdered the king: wherefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp. And Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the castle of the king's house, and burnt the king's house over him with fire, and died, for his sins which he sinned in doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin.
OMRI.
(In the confusion which followed the death of Zimri, there were two rival claimants to the throne, Omri and Tibni. Omri quickly prevailed, however, and at once began to show his great genius as a ruler. He established a dynasty so powerful that it lasted for four reigns. He built the city of Samaria, and waged many successful wars against neighboring peoples.)
Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri. But the people that followed Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath: so Tibni died, and Omri reigned. In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, and reigned twelve years: six years reigned he in Tirzah. And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver; and he built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill, Samaria. And Omri did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and dealt wickedly above all that were before him. For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sins wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger with their vanities. So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.
THE MOABITE STONE.
Used by special permission of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
A monument of a Moabite king, Mesha, in which he describes wars with Omri, king of Israel. This famous stone was discovered in 1868. The translation of the inscription is as follows:--
"I, Mesha, am the son of Chemosh-Gad, king of Moab, the Dibonite. My father reigned over Moab thirty years, and I reigned after my father. And I erected this stone to Chemosh at Kirkha, a (stone of) salvation, for he saved me from all despoilers, and made me see my desire upon all my enemies, even upon Omri, king of Israel. Now they afflicted Moab many days, for Chemosh was angry with his land. His son succeeded him; and he also said, I will afflict Moab. In my days (Chemosh) said, (Let us go) and I will see my desire on him and his house, and I will destroy Israel with an everlasting destruction. Now Omri took the land of Medeba, and (the enemy) occupied it in (his days and in) the days of his son, forty years. And Chemosh (had mercy) on it in my days; and I fortified Baal-Meon, and made therein the tank, and I fortified Kiriathaim. For the men of Gad dwelt in the land of (Atar)oth from of old, and the king (of) Israel fortified for himself Ataroth, and I assaulted the wall and captured it, and killed all the warriors of the wall for the well-pleasing of Chemosh and Moab; and I removed from it all the spoil, and I (offered) it before Chemosh in Kirjath; and I placed therein the men of Siran and the men of Mochrath. And Chemosh said to me, Go take Nebo against Israel. (And I) went in the night, and I fought against it from the break of dawn till noon, and I took it and slew in all seven thousand (men, but I did not kill) the women (and) maidens, for (I) devoted them to Ashtar-Chemosh; and I took from it the vessels of Yahveh, and offered them before Chemosh. And the king of Israel fortified Jahaz and occupied it, when he made war against me; and Chemosh drove him out before (me, and) I took from Moab two hundred men, all its poor, and placed them in Jahaz, and took it to annex it to Dibon. I built Kirkha, the wall of the forest, and the wall of the city, and I built the gates thereof, and I built the towers thereof, and I built the palace, and I made the prisons for the criminals within the walls. And there was no cistern in the wall at Kirkha, and I said to all the people, Make for yourselves, every man, a cistern in his house. And I dug the ditch for Kirkha by means of the (captive) men of Israel. I built Aroer, and I made the road across the Arnon. I built Beth-Bamoth, for it was destroyed; I built Bezer, for it was cut (down) by the armed men of Dibon, for all Dibon was now loyal; and I reigned from Bikran, which I added to my land, and I built (Beth-Gamul) and Beth-Diblathaim and Beth-Baal-Meon, and I placed there the poor (people) of the land. And as to Horonaim, (the men of Edom) dwelt therein (from of old). And Chemosh said to me, Go down, make war against Horonaim and take (it. And I assaulted it, and I took it, and) Chemosh (restored it) in my days. Wherefore I made . . . . year . . . . and I . . . ."
AHAB.
How a Wicked King Met His Death.
(One of the wickedest kings who ever sat upon a throne was Ahab. This story tells how, while fighting in company with Jehoshaphat, he met his death in battle, and how the terrible prophecy of Elijah was fulfilled. With his customary trickiness, he tried to escape notice in the battle, by making his ally, the king of Judah, conspicuous. An archer, however, drawing his bow at a venture, struck the king between the joints of his armor, and inflicted a mortal wound.)
[Footnote: The story of the houses of Ahab and Jehu are told more fully in "Tales of Elijah and Elisha," to be found in this volume.]
And they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel. And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. And the king of Israel said unto his servants, "Know ye that Ramoth-gilead is ours, and we are still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria?"
And he said unto Jehoshaphat, "Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramoth-gilead?"
And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses."
And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, "Inquire first, I pray thee, for the word of the Lord."
Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, {378} about four hundred men, and said unto them, "Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?"
And they said, "Go up; for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king."
But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides, that we may inquire of him?"
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil."
And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say so." Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, "Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah."
Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, in an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.
And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron, and said, "Thus saith the Lord, 'With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until they be consumed.'"
And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king."
And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spoke unto him, saying, "Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak thou good."
And Micaiah said, "As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak."
And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we forbear?" And he answered him, "Go up, and prosper; and the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king."
And the king said unto him, "How many times shall I adjure thee that thou speak unto me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?"
And he said, "I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and the Lord said, 'These have no master; let them return every man to his house in peace.'"
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"
And he said, "Therefore hear thou the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. And the Lord said, 'Who shall entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said on this manner; and another on that manner. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, 'I will entice him.'
"And the Lord said unto him, 'Wherewith?'
"And he said, 'I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.'
"And he said, 'Thou shalt entice him, and shalt prevail also: go forth, and do so.'
"Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying {380} spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets; and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee."
Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, "Which way went the spirit of the Lord from me to speak unto thee?"
And Micaiah said, "Behold, thou shalt see on that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself."
And the king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son; and say, 'Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.'"
And Micaiah said, "If thou return at all in peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me." And he said, "Hear, ye peoples, all of you."
So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself, and go into the battle; but put thou on thy robes."
And the king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle. Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty and two captains of his chariots, saying, "Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel."
And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, "Surely it is the king of Israel"; and they turned aside to fight against him: and Jehoshaphat cried out.
And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots {381} saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. And a certain archer drew his bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, "Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am sore wounded."
And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound into the bottom of the chariot. And there went a cry throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, "Every man to his city, and every man to his country."
So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria. And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; according to the word of the Lord which he spoke.
AHAZIAH.
The Brief Reign of an Evil King.
Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherein he made Israel to sin. And he served Baal, and worshiped him, and provoked to anger the Lord, the God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.
And Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. And Ahaziah fell down through the lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, "Go, inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this sickness."
But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.'"
And Elijah departed. And the messengers returned unto him, and he said unto them, "Why is it that ye are returned?"
SAMARIA FROM THE SOUTH.
From a photograph of the Palestine Exploration Fund and used
by special permission.
The revolt of the people of the north made necessary a new capital. It was first at Shechem, which was not, however, a strong situation from the military standpoint; then at Tirzah, but Omri chose finally a beautiful location at the head of a valley running down to the sea. Here on a hill rising 360 feet above the surrounding country was built one of the famous cities of the east--Samaria, meaning "watch-tower." It was the sacred city of the north, the rival of Jerusalem. The city was almost impregnable, and the sieges against it were always very long. The broad vale is visible for eight miles, then a low range of hills, and over them the sea.
"To-day amid the peaceful beauty of the scene--the secluded vale covered with cornfields through which the winding streams flash and glisten into the hazy distance, and the gentle hill rises to the olives waving over its summit--it is possible to appreciate Isaiah's name for Samaria, the crown of the pride of Ephraim, the flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley. There by the entrance of the gate Ahab drew his sentence of death from the prophet of Jehovah; and there they washed his blood from his chariot, when they had brought him back to his burial. There Jezebel slew the prophets of Jehovah and Jehu the priests of Baal."
And they said unto him, "There came up a man to meet us, and said unto us, 'Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Is it because there is no God in Israel, that thou sendest to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.'"
And he said unto them, "What manner of man was he which came up to meet you? and told you these words?"
And they answered him, "He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins."
And he said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite."
Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of the hill. And he spoke unto him, "O man of God, the king hath said, 'Come down.'"
And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, "If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty."
And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
And again he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, "O man of God, thus hath the king said, 'Come down quickly.'"
And Elijah answered and said unto them, "If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty."
And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
And again he sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, "O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and consumed the two former captains of fifty with their fifties; but now let my life be precious in thy sight."
And the angel of Jehovah said unto Elijah, "Go down with him: be not afraid of him."
And he arose, and went down with him unto the king. And he said unto him, "Thus saith the Lord, 'Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.'"
So he died according to the word of Jehovah which Elijah had spoken.
JORAM.
(Joram, or Jehoram as it is sometimes written, was another evil king of the race of Ahab. Frightened by the fate of his brother he began his reign by an attack upon idolatry. But the old wicked blood flamed out, and his reign was marked by many excesses and much wrong-doing. The account of other events of this reign not given here, and how the king, already sick from arrow wounds received in battle, was killed by an arrow from the strong bow of Jehu, will be found in the "Stories of Elijah and Elisha" in this volume. Joram was a fighting king, but he was not always successful. The battle in which he received his wounds previous to his death was an attempt to take Ramoth-gilead in company with Ahaziah of Judah, but the Syrian archers wounded him so severely that he was forced to retire. The story given below is of an attack made upon Mesha, "sheep-master" king of Moab, who, it seems, refused two years previously the tribute of wool which he had paid to Israel. Joram called the kings of Judah and Edom together, and the three made an expedition to punish the Moabites. The armies would have perished miserably had it not been for a miracle performed by Elisha. The expedition, while momentarily successful, ended in the retreat of the allies without having fully accomplished their purpose.)
Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, but not like his father, and like his mother; for he put away the pillar of Baal that his father had made. Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.
Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep-master; and he rendered unto the king of Israel the wool of a hundred thousand lambs, and of a hundred thousand rams. But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. And King Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time, and mustered all Israel. And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, "The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle?"
And he said, "I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses."
And he said, "Which way shall we go up?"
And he answered, "The way of the wilderness of Edom."
So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they made a circuit of seven days' journey: and there was no water for the host, nor for the beasts that followed them.
And the king of Israel said, "Alas! for the Lord hath called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab."
But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire of the Lord by him?"
And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, "Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah."
And Jehoshaphat said, "The word of the Lord is with him."
So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.