Judah Defeats Israel

FROM THE BIBLICAL SERIES BY GUSTAVE DORÉ.

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"And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind: and they cried unto the Lord."—II. Chron., 13, 14.

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O AMID tumult and irreligion, civic disruption and foreign invasion and disaster, did the downfall of the Hebrew race proceed. A tragic story, an awful warning! Rehoboam, the foolish son of Solomon, died; and his strife against Jeroboam was continued by his son Abijah or Abijam. King Abijah did what his father had avoided doing; he invaded the northern kingdom with all the strength of his army, challenging Jeroboam to put their differences to the test of the sword. Thus at last Israelites fought against Israelites, or Judahites, as we must call them henceforth. The former power of the race was wiped out in fratricidal blood.

Jeroboam, forced into unwilling conflict, marshalled his people against Judah. King Abijah made a long address to the northern Israelites, exhorting them to return to him. This, Jeroboam craftily permitted, meanwhile encircling the army of Judah with his forces to catch them in a trap. At the end of his wasted oration, Abijah suddenly discovered his danger, and cried out to his men to do their best. So they prayed to God, and fought; and "God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah." Great was the disaster to Israel, great the slaughter. The northern kingdom never wholly recovered its strength; and Jeroboam, “struck" by God, died soon after, having accomplished all the evil that he could.

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11 And they killed the passover, and the priests sprinkled the blood from their hands, and the Levites flayed them.

12 And they removed the burnt offerings, that they might give according to the divisions of the families of the people, to offer unto the LORD, as it is written in the book of Moses. And so did they with the oxen.

13 And they roasted the passover with fire according to the ordinance: but the other holy offerings sod they in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and divided them speedily among all the people.

14 And afterward they made ready for themselves, and for the priests: because the priests the sons of Aaron were busied in offering of burnt offerings and the fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests the sons of Aaron.

15 And the singers the sons of Asaph were in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the porters waited at every gate; they might not depart from their service: for their brethren the Levites prepared for them.

16 So all the service of the LORD was prepared the same day, to keep the passover, and to offer burnt offerings upon the altar of the LORD, according to the commandment of king Josiah.

17 And the children of Israel that were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days.

18 And there was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover kept.

20 ¶ After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Charchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him.

21 But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.

22 Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.

23 And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded.

24 His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put

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him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

25¶ And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.

26 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his goodness, according to that which was written in the law of the LORD,

27 And his deeds, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

Chapter 36

1 Jehoahaz succeeding is deposed by Pharaoh, and carried into Egypt. 5 Jehoiakim reigning ill is carried bound into Babylon. 9 Jehoiachin succeeding reigneth ill, and is brought into Babylon. 11 Zedekiah succeeding reigneth ill, and despiseth the prophets, and rebelleth against Nebuchadnezzar, 14 Jerusalem, for the sins of the priests and people, is wholly destroyed. 22 The proclamation of Cyrus.

HEN the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's stead in Jerusalem.

2 Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.

3 And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and condemned the land in an hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.

4 And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.

5¶Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God.

6 Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.

7 Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.

8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.

9¶ Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.

10 And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the LORD, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.

'In II. Kings 24, 8 this age is given as eighteen.