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31. Now Rehoboam slept with his fathers, being buried with them in the city of David (ver 21.); and (5.) Abijam his son reigned in his stead.

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CHAP. XV.

HISTORY OF ABIJAM AND asa.

In the eighteenth year of Jeroboam, Nebat's son, Abijam became king over Judah. 2. Three years he reigned in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Maachah, Abishalom's daughter. 3. And he abandoned himself to all the sins, his father had done before him; for his heart was not perfectly with the Eternal his God as that of David his father. 4. Yet for David's sake, the Eternal his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, to establish Jerusalem; 5. 6. Because David did what was right before the Eternal, and turn ed not aside from any of his commands all his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. There was perpetual war between Abijam and Jeroboam. 7. Now the rest of Abijam's acts, and all that he did, are written in the Chronicles of the kings of Judah. 8. Now Abijam slept with his fathers, being buried in the city of David; and (6.) Asa his son reigned in his stead.

9. Now in the twentieth year of Jeroboam, king of Israel, reigned Asa over Judah. 10. Forty-one years reigned he in Jerusalem; and his grand-mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. 11. And Asa did what was right before the Eternal, as David his father: 12. For he removed the Sodomites from the land, and all the idols his father had made.

13. He even removed Maachah his mother from being queen, because she made an idol in a grove; but Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron. 14, But the high places were not removed; yet Asa's heart was perfectly with the E

ternal all his days. 15. And he brought in the things which his father had dedicated, and which himself had consecrated into the Eternal's house, silver, and gold, and utensils.

16. There was war between Asa and Baasha, king of Israel,all their days. 17. Baasha went up against Judah, and fortified Ramah, to prevent any of his people from going over to Asa king of Judah. 18. Then Asa took all the treasures of silver and gold left in the Eternal's house, and in the king's house, and giving them to his servants, sent them to Benhadad, Tabrimon's son, Hezion's son, king of Syria, saying, 19. Let there be a league between thee and me, as there was between thy father and my father: lo I send thee a present of silver and gold; come and break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me. 20. So Ben-hadad

hearkened to Asa, and sent the chief of his hosts againsts the cities of Israel, and smote ljon, and Dan, and Abel-beth-maachah, and all Cinneroth, with all Naphtali's land. 21. So Baasha hearing thereof, left off fortifying Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah. 22. Then king Asa summoned all Judah, (none being exempted); and they took the stones and timber wherewith Baasha fortified Ramah, and Asa fortified with them Geba of Benjamin, and Mizpah.

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23. The rest of Asa's acts, all the mighty things he did, and all the cities he fortified, are written in the Chronicles of the kings of Judah. In his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24. And Asa slept with his fathers, being buried with them in the city of David his father: And (7.) Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead.

25. Nadab, Jereboam's son, began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned two years. 26. And he did evil before the Eternal, as did his father, and walked in the sins wherein he involved Israel.

27. And Baasha, Ahijah's son, of Issachar's tribe, conspired against him, and smote him at Gib bethon of the Philistines, which he, with all Israel, besieged. 28. In the third year of Asa king of Judah, (3) Baasha slew him, and reigned in his stead. 29.Now he destroyed all Jeroboam's house, according to the saying of the Eternal, by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite; 30. Because of Jeroboam's wickedness, by which he made Israel sin, provoking the Eternal God of Israel to anger.

30. Now the whole of Nadab's acts are written in the Chronicles of the kings of Israel. 32. And their was war between Asa and Baasha all their days. 38. In the third year of Asa king of Judah, began Baasha, Ahijah's son, to reign over all Israel; he reigned twenty-four years. 34. And did evil before the Eternal, as did Jeroboam, thereby ma king Israel to sin.

CHAP. XVI.

BAASHA, ELAH, ZIMRI, OMRI, KINGS OF ISRAEL.

THE Eternal's commission came to Jehu, Hanani's son,against Baasha, saying, 2.Tho' I exalted thee from the dust, making thee prince over my people Israel, yet thou hast imitated Jeroboam, and made my people to sin, provoking me to anger. 9. Lo I will remove Baasha's posterity, and that of his house; making thy house like Jeroboam's, Nebat's son. 4. 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. 5. Now the rest of Baasha's acts, and his mighty doings, are written in the Chronicles of the kings of Israel. 6. So Baasha slept with his fathers, being buried in Tirzah; and (4) Elah his son reigned in his stead. 7. Now also by the prophet Jehu, Hanani's son, came the word of the Eternal against Baasha and his house, for all the evil he did before the Eternal, in provok

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ing him to anger with his deeds, like Jeroboam's house, and for killing him.

8. In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah, Baasha's son, to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years. 9. But his servant Zimri, chief captain of half his cavalry, conspired against him in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in his household, steward Arza's house. 10. And slew him, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his stead.

14. And as soon as he began to reign, he slew all Baasha's family, leaving him not one male of his kindred nor friends. 12. But destroyed them all, as the Eternal spake against Baasha, by Jehu the prophet. 13. For on account of all the sins of Baasha, and Elah his son, whereby they made Israel to sin, provoking the Eternal God of Israel to anger with their idols. 14. Now the rest of Elah's acts, all that he did, are written in the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.

15. In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah (5) Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah; the people being encamped against Gibethon, belonging then to the Philistines. 16. The encamped hearing that Zimri conspired and slew the king, therefore all Israel made (6) Omri, chief captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp. 17. So he went from Gibethon, with all Israel, and besieged Tirzah. 18. And Zimri seeing the city taken, he went into the womens' palace of the king's house, and burning it over him, died, 19. For his sins, in doing evil before the Eternal, like Jeroboam, making Israel sin. 20, Now the rest of Zimri's acts, and his conspiracy, are written in the Chronicles of the kings of Israel.

21. Then were the Israelites divided into two parties; the one half followed Tibni, Ginah's son, to make him king, and the other followed Omri. 22. But Omri's party prevailed; so Tibni died, and Omri reigned.

23. In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel twelve years: he reigned six in Tirzah. 2. Then he bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver, and built a city on it, calling it Samaria, after the owner's name.

25. But Omri did worse before the Eternal than all before him: 26. For he wholly followed Jerobo am's conduct, whereby he made Israel to sin; to provoke the Eternal God of Israel to anger with their idols. 27. Now the rest of Omri's acts, all his mighty deeds, are written in the Chronicles of the kings of Israel. 28. So Omri slept with his fathers, being buried in Samaria; and (7) Ahab his son reigned in his stead.

29. Ahab, Omri's son, began, in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, to reign over Israel; and he reigned in Samaria twenty-two years. 30. And he did evil before the Eternal above all his predecessors: 31. For, as if it had been little for him to imitate the sins of Jeroboam, he took to wife Jezebel, the daughter of Ethhaal, king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, worshipping him. 32. And he reared up an altar for Baal in Baal's house, which he built in Samaria. 33. He also made a grove, and did more to provoke the Eternal God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel before him.

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34. In his days Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho; he laid its foundation in the loss of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates in that of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Eternal, spoken by Joshua the son of Nun. (Josh. vi. 26.)

CHAP. XVII.

ELIJAH'S MIRACLES.

Now the prophet Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbi in Gilead, said to Ahab, As the Eternal God of

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