9 And they made a Proclamation through Judah and Jerufalem, to bring into the LORD the COLLECTION that Mofes the Servant of GOD laid upon Ifrael in the Wildernefs.

10 And all the Princes, and all the People REJOYCED, and brought in, and caft into the Cheft, until they had made an end.

11 Now it came to pafs, that at what Time the Chest was brought into the King's Office by the Hand of the Levites; and when they faw that there was much Money: the King's Scribe, and the High Prieft's Officer came and emptied the Cheft, and took it, and carried it to his Place again. Thus they did Day by Day, and gathered Money in abundance.

12 And the King and Jehoiada gave it to fuch as did the Work of the Service of the Houfe of the LORD, and hired Mafons and Carpenters to repair the House of the LORD.

13 And they fet the Houfe of GOD in his STATE, and ftrengthened it.

14 And when they had finished it, they brought the reft of the Money before the King and Jehoiada, whereof were made Vefiels for the Houfe of the LORD: and they offered Burnt-offerings in the Houfe of the LORD CONTINUALLY, all the Days of Jehoiada.

15 But Jehoiada was full of Days when he died, an hundred and thirty Years old was he when he died.

16 And they buried him in the City of David, AMONG the KINGS, because he had done GooD in Ifrael, both towards GoD, and towards his House.

17 Now after the Death of Jehoiada, came the PRINCES of Judah, and made Obeifance to the King: then the King HEARKNED unto them.

18 And they left the Houfe of the LORD GOD of their Fathers, and ferved Groves and IDOLS: and WRATH came upon Judah for this their TRESPASS.

19 Yet he fent PROPHETS to them, to bring them again unto the LORD, and they TESTIFIED against them: but they would NOT GIVE EAR.

20 And the SPIRIT of GOD came upon ZECHARIAH the Son of Jehoiada the Priest, which ftood above the People, and faid unto them, Thus faith GoD, Why TRANSGRESS ye the COMMANDMENTS of the LORD, that ye can

not PROSPER? because ye have FORSAKEN the LORD, he hath alfo FORSAKEN you.

21 And they CONSPIRED against him, and STONED him with Stones at the Commandment of the King in the Court of the Houfe of the LORD.

1 Matth. xxiii. 29 Wo unto you SCRIBES and PHARISEES, HYPOCRITES;

becaufe ye build the Tombs of the PROPHETS, and garnish the Sepulchres of the RIGHTEOUS.

31 Wherefore ye be Witneffes unto yourselves, that ye are the Children of them which KILLED the PROPHETS.

30 And fay, If we had been in the Days of our Fathers, we would not 22 Thus Joafh the King have been Partakers with them in the remembred not the KIND-BLOOD of the PROPHETS. NESS which Jehoiada his Father had done to him, but SLEW his SON: and when he died, he faid, The LORD look upon it, and REQUIRE it.

23 And it came to pafs, at the End of the Year, that the Hoft of Syria came up against him and they came to Judah and Jerufalem, and deftroyed all the PRINCES of the People from among the People, and fent all the Spoil of them unto the King of Damafcus.

32 Fill ye up then the Measures of your Fathers.

33 Ye Serpents, ye Generation of Vipers, how can ye efcape the Dam

nation of Hell?

34 Wherefore behold, I fend unto you PROPHETS, and WISE MEN, and SCRIBES; and fome of them ye fhall KILL and CRUCIFY, and fome of them

hall ye SCOURGE in your Synagogues, and PERSECUTE them from City to City:

35 That upon you may come all the RIGHTEOUS BLOOD fhed upon the Earth, from the Blood of righteous Abel, unto the BLOOD of ZACHARIAS tween the Temple and the Altar. Son of Barachias, whom ye SLEW be

36 Verily Itay unto you, All these Things fhall come upon this Gene

ration.

37 Jerufalem, Jerufalem, thou that KILLEST the PROPHETS, and STONEST them which are fent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy Children together, even as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her Wings, and ye would not!

38 Behold, your Houfe is left unto you DESOLATE.

39 For I fay unto you, Ye fhall not fee me henceforth, till ye shall fay, BLESSED is he that cometh in the NAME of the LORD.

m

Heb. x. 30 We know him that hath faid, VENGEANCE belongeth un

to me, I will RECOMPENSE. faith the

LORD. And again, the LORD fhall
JUDGE his People

24 For the Army of the Syrians came with a SMALL Company of Men, and the LORD DELIVERED a very GREAT HOST into their Hand, because they had FORSAKEN the LORD GOD of their Fathers: So they EXECUTED JUDGMENT against Joash.

into the Hands of the LIVING GOD.
31 It is a fearful Thing to FALL

25 And when they were departed from him (for they left him in great Diseases) his own SERVANTS CONSPIRED against him, for the Blood of the Sons of Jehoiada the Priest,

Zzz 2

and

and flew him on his Bed: but they buried him not in the Sepulchres of the Kings.

27 Now concerning his Sons, and the Greatness of the Burdens laid upon him, and the repairing of the House of GOD, behold, they are written in the Story of the Book of the Kings. And Amaziah his Son reigned in his stead.

IT

T is obferved by the learned Dr. Lightfoot, That the Murder of Zacharias the Prophet in the Court of the Temple, was the Beginning of the Ruin of Judah, whereby they plainly fhew'd, that they defpifed and rejected the LORD, his TEMPLE, PRIESTHOOD, and PROPHECY; and from that Time did their State decay, of which they were forewarn'd by the Prophet HOSEA,

Chap. iv. Ver. 1 Hear the Word of the LORD, ye Children of Ifrael: for the LORD hath a CONTROVERSY with the Inhabitants of the Land, because there is no TRUTH, nor MERCY, nor KNOWLEDGE of GOD in the Land.

2 By SWEARING, and LYING, and KILLING, and STEALING, and committing ADULTERY, they break out, and BLOOD toucheth BLOOD.

3 Therefore fhall the Land MOURN, and every one that dwelleth therein fhall LANGUISH, with the Beasts of the Field, and with the Fowls of Heaven, yea, the Fishes of the Sea alfo fhall be taken away.

4 Yet let no Man ftrive, nor reprove another for thy People are as they that frive with the Prieft.

5 Therefore fhalt thou fall in the Day, and the Prophet alfo fhall fall with thee in the Night, and I will deftroy thy Mother.

6 My People are DESTROYED for LACK of KNOWLEDGE: because thou haft rejected Knowledge, I will alfo reject thee, that thou shalt be no Prieft to me: feeing thou haft forgotten the Law of thy God, I will alio forget thy Children.

II. KINGS,

II. KINGS, CHAP. XIII.

Jehoahaz his wicked Reign. 3 Jehoahaz oppressed by Hazael, is relieved by Prayer. 8 Joash fucceedeth him: 10 His wicked Reign. 12 Jeroboam fucceedeth him. 14 Elifba dying, prophefieth to Joash three Victories over the Syrians. 20 The Moabites invading the Land, Elifba's Bones raise up a dead Man. 22 Hazael dying, Joash getteth three Victories over Benhadad.

Ver. 1

'IN

N the three and twentieth Year of Joafh the Son of Ahaziah King of Judah, Jehoahaz began to reign over Ifrael in Samaria, and reigned SEVENTEEN Years.

2 And he did that which was EVIL in the fight of the LORD, and followed the Sins of Jeroboam, which made Ifrael to fin, he departed not therefrom.

3 And the ANGER of the LORD was kindled against Ifrael, and he DELIVERED them into the Hand of Hazael King of Syria, and into the Hand of Benhadad the Son of Hazael, all their Days.

4 And Jehoahaz BESOUGHT the LORD, and the LORD HEARKNED unto him: for he faw the OPPRESSION of Ifrael, because the King of Syria oppreffed them.

5 (And the LORD gave Ifrael a Saviour, so that they went out from under the Hand of the Syrians and the Children. of Ifrael dwelt in their Tents, as beforetime.

6 Nevertheless they departed not from the SINS of the Houfe of Jeroboam, but walked therein, and there remained the Grove alfo in Samaria.)

7 Neither did he leave of the People to Jehoahaz, but fifty Horsemen, and ten Chariots, and ten thousand Footmen; for the King of Syria had deftroyed them, and had made them like the DUST by THRESHING.

9 And Jehoahaz flept with his Fathers, and they buried him in Samaria, and Joash his Son reigned in his ftead.

10 In the thirty and feventh Year of Joafh King of Judah, began Jehoafh the Son of Jehoahaz to reign over Ifrael in Samaria, and reigned fixteen Years.

11 And he did that which was evil in the fight of the LORD; he departed not from all the Sins of Jeroboam.

12 And the reft of the Acts of Joafh, and all that he did, and his Might wherewith he fought against Amaziah King

of

of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Ifrael?

13 And Joafh flept with his Fathers, and Jeroboam fat upon his Throne: and Joafh was buried in Samaria with the Kings of Ifrael.

14 Now Elifha was fallen fick of his Sickness whereof he died, and Joafh the King of Ifrael came down unto him, and WEPT over his Face, and faid, O my Father, my Father, the Chariot of Ifrael, and the Horfemen thereof.

15 And Elisha faid unto him, Take Bow and Arrows: and he took unto him Bow and Arrows.

16 And he said to the King of Ifrael, Put thine Hand upon the Bow: and he put his Hand upon it: and Elifha put his Hands upon the King's Hands.

17 And he faid, Open the Window Eaftward and he opened it. Then Elisha faid, Shoot: and he fhot. And he faid, The ARROW of the LORD'S DELIVERANCE, and the Arrow of Deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt fmite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have confumed them.

18 And he faid, Take the Arrows: and he took them. And he said unto the King of Ifrael, Smite upon the Ground and he fmote thrice, and stayed.

19 And the Man of GOD was wroth with him, and said, Thou fhouldft have fmitten five or fix times, then hadft thou fmitten Syria, till thou hadft confumed it: whereas now thou fhalt fmite Syria but thrice.

II. CHRON. CHA P. XXV.

1 Amaziah beginneth to reign well: 3 He executeth Justice upon the Traitors: 5 Having hired an Army of Ifraelites against the Edomites, at the Word of a Prophet, he lofeth the hundred Talents, and difmiffeth them: 11 He overthroweth the Edomites. 13 The Ifraelites difcontented with their Dif miffion, fpoil as they return home. 14 Amaziah proud of bis Victories, ferveth the Gods of Edom, and despiseth the Almonitions of the Prophet: 17 He provoketh Joash to his Overthrow: 25 His Reign: 27 He is flain by Confpiracy.

Ver. 1

A

MAZIAH was twenty and five Years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and nine Years in Jerufalem.

2 And he did that which was RIGHT in the fight of the LORD, but not with a PERFECT HEART.