WEBVTT

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Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're

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taking this journey together to read the Bible

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in a year. Today's reading is from 2 Chronicles

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chapter 32, as well as 2 Kings chapters 21 and

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22. 2 Chronicles chapter 32. After these deeds

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of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria

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came and entered Judah. He encamped against the

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fortified cities. thinking to win them over to

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himself. And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib

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had come, and that his purpose was to make war

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against Jerusalem, he consulted with his leaders

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and commanders to stop the water from the springs

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which were outside the city, and they helped

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him. Thus many people gathered together who stopped

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all the springs and the brook that ran through

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the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria

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come and find much water? And he strengthened

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himself, built up all the wall that was broken,

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raised it up to the towers, and built another

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wall outside. Also he repaired the Milo in the

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city of David, and made weapons and shields in

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abundance. Then he set military captains over

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the people, gathered them together to him in

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the open square of the city gate, and gave them

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encouragement, saying, Be strong and courageous.

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Do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king

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of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that

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is with him. For there are more with us than

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with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with

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us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight

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our battles. And the people were strengthened

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by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. After

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this, Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants

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to Jerusalem, but he and all the forces with

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him laid siege against Lashish, to Hezekiah king

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of Judah and to all Judah who were in Jerusalem,

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saying, Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria,

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In what do you trust that you remain under siege

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in Jerusalem? Does not Hezekiah persuade you

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to give yourselves over to die by famine and

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by thirst, saying, The Lord our God will deliver

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us from the hand of the king of Assyria? Has

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not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places

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and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem,

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saying, You shall worship before one altar and

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burn incense on it? Do you not know what I and

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my fathers have done to all the peoples of other

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lands? Were the gods of the nations of those

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lands in any way able to deliver their lands

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out of my hand? Who was there among all the gods

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of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed

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that could deliver his people from my hand, that

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your God should be able to deliver you from my

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hand? Now therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive

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you or persuade you like this. And do not believe

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him, for no god of any nation or kingdom was

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able to deliver his people from my hand or the

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hand of my fathers. How much less will your God

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deliver you from my hand? Furthermore, his servants

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spoke against the Lord God and against his servant

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Hezekiah. He also wrote letters to revile the

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Lord God of Israel and to speak against him,

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saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands

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have not delivered their people from my hand,

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so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver his people

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from my hand. Then they called out with a loud

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voice in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who

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were on the wall to frighten them and trouble

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them that they might take the city. And they

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spoke against the God of Jerusalem as against

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the gods of the people of the earth, the work

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of man's hands. Now because of this, King Hezekiah

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and the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, prayed

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and cried out to heaven. Then the Lord sent an

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angel who cut down every mighty man of valor,

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leader and captain in the camp of the king of

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Assyria. So he returned shamefaced to his own

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land. And when he had gone into the temple of

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his God, some of his own offspring struck him

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down with the sword there. Thus the Lord saved

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Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from

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the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria,

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and from the hand of all others, and guided them

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on every side. And many brought gifts to the

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Lord at Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah king

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of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight

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of all nations thereafter. In those days Hezekiah

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was sick and near death, and he prayed to the

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Lord, and he spoke to him and gave him a sign.

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But Hezekiah did not repay according to the favor

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shown him, for his heart was lifted up. Therefore

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wrath was looming over him and over Judah and

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Jerusalem. Then Hezekiah humbled himself for

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the pride of his heart, he and the inhabitants

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of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did

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not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah. Hezekiah

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had very great riches and honor. And he made

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himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for

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precious stones, for spices, for shields, and

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for all kinds of desirable items, storehouses

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for the harvest of grain, wine, and oil, and

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stalls for all kinds of livestock, and folds

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for flocks. Moreover, he provided cities for

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himself, and possessions of flocks and herds

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in abundance. For God had given him very much

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property. This same Hezekiah also stopped the

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water outlet of Upper Gihon. and brought the

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water by tunnel to the west side of the city

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of David. Hezekiah prospered in all his works.

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However, regarding the ambassadors of the princes

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of Babylon, whom they sent to him to inquire

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about the wonder that was done in the land, God

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withdrew from him, in order to test him, that

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he might know all that was in his heart. Now

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the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his goodness,

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indeed, they are written in the vision of Isaiah

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the prophet, the son of Amoz, and in the book

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of the kings of Judah and Israel. So Hezekiah

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rested with his fathers, and they buried him

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in the upper tombs of the sons of David. And

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all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored

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him at his death. Then Manasseh his son reigned

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in his place. Manasseh was twelve years old when

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he became king, and he reigned fifty -five years

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in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah.

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And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according

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to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord

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had cast out before the children of Israel. For

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he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his

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father had destroyed. He raised up altars for

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Baal and made a wooden image, as Ahab king of

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Israel had done. And he worshipped all the hosts

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of heaven and served them. He also built altars

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in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had

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said, In Jerusalem I will put my name. and he

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built altars for all the hosts of heaven in the

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two courts of the house of the lord also he made

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his son pass through fire practice who saying

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used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and

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mediums. He did much evil in the sight of the

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Lord to provoke him to anger. He even set a carved

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image of Asherah that he had made, in the house

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of which the Lord had said to David and to Solomon

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his son, In this house and in Jerusalem, which

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I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel,

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I will put my name forever. And I will not make

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the feet of Israel wander any more from the land

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which I gave their fathers, only if they are

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careful to do according to all that I have commanded

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them, and according to all the law that my servant

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Moses commanded them. But they paid no attention,

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and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than

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the nations whom the Lord had destroyed before

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the children of Israel. And the Lord spoke by

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his servants the prophets, saying, because manasseh

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king of judah has done these abominations he

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has acted more wickedly than all the amorites

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who were before him and has also made judah sin

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with his idols Therefore thus says the Lord God

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of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such calamity

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upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears

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of it, both his ears will tingle. And I will

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stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of

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Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab.

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I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping

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it and turning it upside down. so I will forsake

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the remnant of my inheritance, and deliver them

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into the hand of their enemies. And they shall

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become victims of plunder to all their enemies,

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because they have done evil in my sight, and

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have provoked me to anger since the day their

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fathers came out of Egypt even to this day. Moreover,

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Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till

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he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another.

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besides his sin by which he made Judah sin in

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doing evil in the sight of the Lord. Now the

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rest of the acts of Manasseh, all that he did,

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and the sin that he committed, are they not written

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in the book of the chronicles of the kings of

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Judah? So Manasseh rested with his fathers and

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was buried in the garden of his own house, in

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the garden of Uzzah. Then his son Amon reigned

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in his place. Amon was 22 years old when he became

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king and reigned two years in Jerusalem. His

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mother's name was Meshulamit, the daughter of

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Haruz of Jodhba. And he did evil in the sight

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of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done.

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So he walked in all the ways that his father

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had walked, and he served the idols that his

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father had served, and worshipped them. He forsook

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the Lord God of his fathers, and did not walk

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in the way of the Lord. Then the servants of

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Amon conspired against him, and killed the king

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in his own house. But the people of the land

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executed all those who had conspired against

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king Amon. Then the people of the land made his

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son Josiah king in his place. Now the rest of

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the acts of Ammon, which he did, are they not

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written in the book of the chronicles of the

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kings of Judah? And he was buried in his tomb

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in the garden of Uzzah. Then Josiah his son reigned

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in his place. Chapter 22 Josiah was eight years

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old when he became king, and he reigned thirty

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-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was

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Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. And

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he did what was right in the sight of the Lord,

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and walked in all the ways of his father David.

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He did not turn aside to the right hand or to

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the left. Now it came to pass in the eighteenth

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year of King Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan

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the scribe, the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshulam,

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to the house of the Lord, saying, Go up to Hilkiah

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the high priest, that he may count the money

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which has been brought into the house of the

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Lord, which the doorkeepers have gathered from

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the people. and let them deliver it into the

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hands of those doing the work, who are the overseers

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in the house of the Lord. Let them give it to

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those who are in the house of the Lord doing

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the work, to repair the damages of the house,

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to carpenters and builders and masons, and to

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buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.

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However, there need be no accounting made with

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them of the money delivered into their hand,

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because they deal faithfully. Then Hilkiah the

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high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, I have

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found the book of the law in the house of the

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Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan and

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he read it. So Shaphan the scribe went to the

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king, bringing the king word, saying, Your servants

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have gathered the money that was found in the

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house, and have delivered it into the hand of

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those who do the work, who oversee the house

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of the Lord. Then Shaphan the scribe showed the

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king, saying, Hilkiah the priest has given me

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a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.

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Now it happened when the king heard the words

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of the book of the law, that he tore his clothes.

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Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam

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the son of Shaphan, Akbor the son of Micaiah,

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Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the

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king, saying, Go inquire of the Lord for me,

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for the people and for all Judah. concerning

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the words of this book that has been found. For

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great is the wrath of the Lord that is aroused

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against us, because our fathers have not obeyed

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the words of this book, to do according to all

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that is written concerning us. So Hilkiah the

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priest, Ahikam, Akbar, Shafan, and Asaiah went

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to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shalom,

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the son of Tikva, the son of Harhas, keeper of

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the wardrobe. She dwelt in Jerusalem in the second

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quarter, and they spoke with her. Then she said

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to them, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, Tell

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the man who sent you to me, Thus says the Lord,

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Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and

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on its inhabitants, all the words of the book

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which the king of Judah has read, because they

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have forsaken me and burned incense to other

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gods, that they might provoke me to anger with

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all the works of their hands. Therefore my wrath

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shall be aroused against this place and shall

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not be quenched. But as for the king of Judah,

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who sent you to inquire of the Lord, in this

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manner you shall speak to him, Thus says the

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Lord God of Israel concerning the words which

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you have heard because your heart was tender

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and you humbled yourself before the Lord when

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you heard what I spoke against this place and

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against its inhabitants that they would become

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a desolation and a curse and you tore your clothes

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and wept before me. I also have heard you. says

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the lord surely therefore i will gather you to

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your fathers and you shall be gathered to your

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grave in peace and your eyes shall not see all

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the calamity which i will bring on this place

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so they brought back word to the king i hope

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you enjoyed today's reading as much as i did

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and i look forward to seeing you again tomorrow

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to continue on our journey god bless you and

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have a great day