These are the visions that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. He saw these visions during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah.

当乌西雅、约坦、亚哈斯、希西家作犹大王的时候，亚摩斯的儿子以赛亚得默示，论到犹大和耶路撒冷。

当乌西雅、约坦、亚哈斯、希西家作犹大王的时候，亚摩斯的儿子以赛亚见异象，论到犹大和耶路撒冷。

当乌西雅、约坦、亚哈斯、希西家作犹大王的时候，亚摩斯的儿子以赛亚见异象，论到犹大和耶路撒冷。

犹大王乌西雅、约坦、亚哈斯和希西迦执政期间，亚摩斯的儿子以赛亚看到了以下有关犹大和耶路撒冷的异象。

在乌西雅、约坦、亚哈斯和希西家作犹大王的时候，亚摩斯的儿子以赛亚看见异象，是关于犹大和耶路撒冷的：

犹大王乌西雅、约坦、亚哈斯、希西加年间，亚摩斯的儿子以赛亚所看到的异象，是关于犹大和耶路撒冷的：

當烏西雅、約坦、亞哈斯、希西家作猶大王的時候，亞摩斯的兒子以賽亞得默示，論到猶大和耶路撒冷。

當烏西雅、約坦、亞哈斯、希西家作猶大王的時候，亞摩斯的兒子以賽亞見異象，論到猶大和耶路撒冷。

當烏西雅、約坦、亞哈斯、希西家作猶大王的時候，亞摩斯的兒子以賽亞見異象，論到猶大和耶路撒冷。

猶大王烏西雅、約坦、亞哈斯和希西迦執政期間，亞摩斯的兒子以賽亞看到了以下有關猶大和耶路撒冷的異象。

在烏西雅、約坦、亞哈斯和希西家作猶大王的時候，亞摩斯的兒子以賽亞看見異象，是關於猶大和耶路撒冷的：

以下是亞摩斯的兒子以賽亞的異象，就是當猶大王烏西雅、約坦、亞哈斯、希西家執政的日子以賽亞所看見、論到猶大和耶路撒冷的。

猶大王烏西雅、約坦、亞哈斯、希西加年間，亞摩斯的兒子以賽亞所看到的異象，是關於猶大和耶路撒冷的：

猶大國烏西雅、約坦、亞哈斯、希西家、相繼為王時、亞摩斯子以賽亞、所得論猶大與耶路撒冷之啟示、○

猶大國烏西亞、約擔、亞哈士、希西家、相繼在位時、亞麼士子以賽亞、以猶大耶路撒冷之事、得之默示者筆於書。

烏西雅、約坦、亞哈斯、希西家、相繼為猶大王時、亞摩斯子以賽亞得默示、論猶大及耶路撒冷曰、

The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Here is the vision about Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah saw. It came to him when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah were ruling. They were kings of Judah. Isaiah was the son of Amoz.

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah.

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz,[ and] Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Here is the message about Judah and Jerusalem that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz during the time when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah reigned over Judah.

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

This is a vision that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

When Ahaz, son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, set out to attack Jerusalem. However, they were unable to carry out their plan.

the message of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:

It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple.

Long ago you spoke in a vision to your faithful people. You said,“ I have raised up a warrior. I have selected him from the common people to be king.

Hezekiah son of Ahaz began to rule over Judah in the third year of King Hoshea’s reign in Israel.He was twenty five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done.He removed the pagan shrines, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke up the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because the people of Israel had been offering sacrifices to it. The bronze serpent was called Nehushtan.Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time.He remained faithful to the Lord in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the Lord had given Moses.So the Lord was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did. He revolted against the king of Assyria and refused to pay him tribute.He also conquered the Philistines as far distant as Gaza and its territory, from their smallest outpost to their largest walled city.During the fourth year of Hezekiah’s reign, which was the seventh year of King Hoshea’s reign in Israel, King Shalmaneser of Assyria attacked the city of Samaria and began a siege against it.Three years later, during the sixth year of King Hezekiah’s reign and the ninth year of King Hoshea’s reign in Israel, Samaria fell.At that time the king of Assyria exiled the Israelites to Assyria and placed them in colonies in Halah, along the banks of the Habor River in Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.For they refused to listen to the Lord their God and obey him. Instead, they violated his covenant— all the laws that Moses the Lord’s servant had commanded them to obey.In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, King Sennacherib of Assyria came to attack the fortified towns of Judah and conquered them.King Hezekiah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish:“ I have done wrong. I will pay whatever tribute money you demand if you will only withdraw.” The king of Assyria then demanded a settlement of more than eleven tons of silver and one ton of gold.To gather this amount, King Hezekiah used all the silver stored in the Temple of the Lord and in the palace treasury.Hezekiah even stripped the gold from the doors of the Lord’s Temple and from the doorposts he had overlaid with gold, and he gave it all to the Assyrian king.Nevertheless, the king of Assyria sent his commander in chief, his field commander, and his chief of staff from Lachish with a huge army to confront King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. The Assyrians took up a position beside the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool, near the road leading to the field where cloth is washed.They summoned King Hezekiah, but the king sent these officials to meet with them: Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace administrator; Shebna the court secretary; and Joah son of Asaph, the royal historian.Then the Assyrian king’s chief of staff told them to give this message to Hezekiah:“ This is what the great king of Assyria says: What are you trusting in that makes you so confident?Do you think that mere words can substitute for military skill and strength? Who are you counting on, that you have rebelled against me?On Egypt? If you lean on Egypt, it will be like a reed that splinters beneath your weight and pierces your hand. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is completely unreliable!“ But perhaps you will say to me,‘ We are trusting in the Lord our God!’ But isn’t he the one who was insulted by Hezekiah? Didn’t Hezekiah tear down his shrines and altars and make everyone in Judah and Jerusalem worship only at the altar here in Jerusalem?“ I’ll tell you what! Strike a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you 2,000 horses if you can find that many men to ride on them!With your tiny army, how can you think of challenging even the weakest contingent of my master’s troops, even with the help of Egypt’s chariots and charioteers?What’s more, do you think we have invaded your land without the Lord’s direction? The Lord himself told us,‘ Attack this land and destroy it!’”Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to the Assyrian chief of staff,“ Please speak to us in Aramaic, for we understand it well. Don’t speak in Hebrew, for the people on the wall will hear.”But Sennacherib’s chief of staff replied,“ Do you think my master sent this message only to you and your master? He wants all the people to hear it, for when we put this city under siege, they will suffer along with you. They will be so hungry and thirsty that they will eat their own dung and drink their own urine.”Then the chief of staff stood and shouted in Hebrew to the people on the wall,“ Listen to this message from the great king of Assyria!This is what the king says: Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you. He will never be able to rescue you from my power.Don’t let him fool you into trusting in the Lord by saying,‘ The Lord will surely rescue us. This city will never fall into the hands of the Assyrian king!’“ Don’t listen to Hezekiah! These are the terms the king of Assyria is offering: Make peace with me— open the gates and come out. Then each of you can continue eating from your own grapevine and fig tree and drinking from your own well.Then I will arrange to take you to another land like this one— a land of grain and new wine, bread and vineyards, olive groves and honey. Choose life instead of death!“ Don’t listen to Hezekiah when he tries to mislead you by saying,‘ The Lord will rescue us!’Have the gods of any other nations ever saved their people from the king of Assyria?What happened to the gods of Hamath and Arpad? And what about the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Did any god rescue Samaria from my power?What god of any nation has ever been able to save its people from my power? So what makes you think that the Lord can rescue Jerusalem from me?”But the people were silent and did not utter a word because Hezekiah had commanded them,“ Do not answer him.”Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace administrator; Shebna the court secretary; and Joah son of Asaph, the royal historian, went back to Hezekiah. They tore their clothes in despair, and they went in to see the king and told him what the Assyrian chief of staff had said.When King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes and put on burlap and went into the Temple of the Lord.And he sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the court secretary, and the leading priests, all dressed in burlap, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.They told him,“ This is what King Hezekiah says: Today is a day of trouble, insults, and disgrace. It is like when a child is ready to be born, but the mother has no strength to deliver the baby.But perhaps the Lord your God has heard the Assyrian chief of staff, sent by the king to defy the living God, and will punish him for his words. Oh, pray for those of us who are left!”After King Hezekiah’s officials delivered the king’s message to Isaiah,the prophet replied,“ Say to your master,‘ This is what the Lord says: Do not be disturbed by this blasphemous speech against me from the Assyrian king’s messengers.Listen! I myself will move against him, and the king will receive a message that he is needed at home. So he will return to his land, where I will have him killed with a sword.’”Meanwhile, the Assyrian chief of staff left Jerusalem and went to consult the king of Assyria, who had left Lachish and was attacking Libnah.Soon afterward King Sennacherib received word that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was leading an army to fight against him. Before leaving to meet the attack, he sent messengers back to Hezekiah in Jerusalem with this message:“ This message is for King Hezekiah of Judah. Don’t let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you with promises that Jerusalem will not be captured by the king of Assyria.You know perfectly well what the kings of Assyria have done wherever they have gone. They have completely destroyed everyone who stood in their way! Why should you be any different?Have the gods of other nations rescued them— such nations as Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Tel assar? My predecessors destroyed them all!What happened to the king of Hamath and the king of Arpad? What happened to the kings of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?”After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the Lord’s Temple and spread it out before the Lord.And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the Lord:“ O Lord, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth.Bend down, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance against the living God.“ It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations.And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all— only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands.Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O Lord, are God.”Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah:“ This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer about King Sennacherib of Assyria.And the Lord has spoken this word against him:“ The virgin daughter of Zion despises you and laughs at you. The daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head in derision as you flee.“ Whom have you been defying and ridiculing? Against whom did you raise your voice? At whom did you look with such haughty eyes? It was the Holy One of Israel!By your messengers you have defied the Lord. You have said,‘ With my many chariots I have conquered the highest mountains— yes, the remotest peaks of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars and its finest cypress trees. I have reached its farthest corners and explored its deepest forests.I have dug wells in many foreign lands and refreshed myself with their water. With the sole of my foot I stopped up all the rivers of Egypt!’“ But have you not heard? I decided this long ago. Long ago I planned it, and now I am making it happen. I planned for you to crush fortified cities into heaps of rubble.That is why their people have so little power and are so frightened and confused. They are as weak as grass, as easily trampled as tender green shoots. They are like grass sprouting on a housetop, scorched before it can grow lush and tall.“ But I know you well— where you stay and when you come and go. I know the way you have raged against me.And because of your raging against me and your arrogance, which I have heard for myself, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth. I will make you return by the same road on which you came.”Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah,“ Here is the proof that what I say is true:“ This year you will eat only what grows up by itself, and next year you will eat what springs up from that. But in the third year you will plant crops and harvest them; you will tend vineyards and eat their fruit.And you who are left in Judah, who have escaped the ravages of the siege, will put roots down in your own soil and will grow up and flourish.For a remnant of my people will spread out from Jerusalem, a group of survivors from Mount Zion. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!“ And this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:“ His armies will not enter Jerusalem. They will not even shoot an arrow at it. They will not march outside its gates with their shields nor build banks of earth against its walls.The king will return to his own country by the same road on which he came. He will not enter this city, says the Lord.For my own honor and for the sake of my servant David, I will defend this city and protect it.”That night the angel of the Lord went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere.Then King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and returned to his own land. He went home to his capital of Nineveh and stayed there.One day while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with their swords. They then escaped to the land of Ararat, and another son, Esarhaddon, became the next king of Assyria.About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message:“ This is what the Lord says: Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness.”When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord,“ Remember, O Lord, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single mindedly, always doing what pleases you.” Then he broke down and wept bitterly.But before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, this message came to him from the Lord:“ Go back to Hezekiah, the leader of my people. Tell him,‘ This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you, and three days from now you will get out of bed and go to the Temple of the Lord.I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my own honor and for the sake of my servant David.’”Then Isaiah said,“ Make an ointment from figs.” So Hezekiah’s servants spread the ointment over the boil, and Hezekiah recovered!Meanwhile, Hezekiah had said to Isaiah,“ What sign will the Lord give to prove that he will heal me and that I will go to the Temple of the Lord three days from now?”Isaiah replied,“ This is the sign from the Lord to prove that he will do as he promised. Would you like the shadow on the sundial to go forward ten steps or backward ten steps?”“ The shadow always moves forward,” Hezekiah replied,“ so that would be easy. Make it go ten steps backward instead.”So Isaiah the prophet asked the Lord to do this, and he caused the shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial of Ahaz!Soon after this, Merodach baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent Hezekiah his best wishes and a gift, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been very sick.Hezekiah received the Babylonian envoys and showed them everything in his treasure houses— the silver, the gold, the spices, and the aromatic oils. He also took them to see his armory and showed them everything in his royal treasuries! There was nothing in his palace or kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked him,“ What did those men want? Where were they from?” Hezekiah replied,“ They came from the distant land of Babylon.”“ What did they see in your palace?” Isaiah asked.“ They saw everything,” Hezekiah replied.“ I showed them everything I own— all my royal treasuries.”Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah,“ Listen to this message from the Lord:The time is coming when everything in your palace— all the treasures stored up by your ancestors until now— will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord.Some of your very own sons will be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who will serve in the palace of Babylon’s king.”Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah,“ This message you have given me from the Lord is good.” For the king was thinking,“ At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime.”The rest of the events in Hezekiah’s reign, including the extent of his power and how he built a pool and dug a tunnel to bring water into the city, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah.Hezekiah died, and his son Manasseh became the next king.

This message was given to Amos, a shepherd from the town of Tekoa in Judah. He received this message in visions two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam II, the son of Jehoash, was king of Israel.

The Lord gave this message to Hosea son of Beeri during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.

When Uzziah died, he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. And his son Jotham became the next king.

Jotham son of Uzziah began to rule over Judah in the second year of King Pekah’s reign in Israel.He was twenty five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.Jotham did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. He did everything his father, Uzziah, had done.But he did not destroy the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there. He rebuilt the upper gate of the Temple of the Lord.The rest of the events in Jotham’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah.In those days the Lord began to send King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah of Israel to attack Judah.When Jotham died, he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. And his son Ahaz became the next king.Ahaz son of Jotham began to rule over Judah in the seventeenth year of King Pekah’s reign in Israel.Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. He did not do what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had done.Instead, he followed the example of the kings of Israel, even sacrificing his own son in the fire. In this way, he followed the detestable practices of the pagan nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites.He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the pagan shrines and on the hills and under every green tree.Then King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah of Israel came up to attack Jerusalem. They besieged Ahaz but could not conquer him.At that time the king of Edom recovered the town of Elath for Edom. He drove out the people of Judah and sent Edomites to live there, as they do to this day.King Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath pileser of Assyria with this message:“ I am your servant and your vassal. Come up and rescue me from the attacking armies of Aram and Israel.”Then Ahaz took the silver and gold from the Temple of the Lord and the palace treasury and sent it as a payment to the Assyrian king.So the king of Assyria attacked the Aramean capital of Damascus and led its population away as captives, resettling them in Kir. He also killed King Rezin.King Ahaz then went to Damascus to meet with King Tiglath pileser of Assyria. While he was there, he took special note of the altar. Then he sent a model of the altar to Uriah the priest, along with its design in full detail.Uriah followed the king’s instructions and built an altar just like it, and it was ready before the king returned from Damascus.When the king returned, he inspected the altar and made offerings on it.He presented a burnt offering and a grain offering, he poured out a liquid offering, and he sprinkled the blood of peace offerings on the altar.Then King Ahaz removed the old bronze altar from its place in front of the Lord’s Temple, between the entrance and the new altar, and placed it on the north side of the new altar.He told Uriah the priest,“ Use the new altar for the morning sacrifices of burnt offering, the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt offering and grain offering, and the burnt offerings of all the people, as well as their grain offerings and liquid offerings. Sprinkle the blood from all the burnt offerings and sacrifices on the new altar. The bronze altar will be for my personal use only.”Uriah the priest did just as King Ahaz commanded him.Then the king removed the side panels and basins from the portable water carts. He also removed the great bronze basin called the Sea from the backs of the bronze oxen and placed it on the stone pavement.In deference to the king of Assyria, he also removed the canopy that had been constructed inside the palace for use on the Sabbath day, as well as the king’s outer entrance to the Temple of the Lord.The rest of the events in Ahaz’s reign and everything he did are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah.When Ahaz died, he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. Then his son Hezekiah became the next king.

I see a terrifying vision: I see the betrayer betraying, the destroyer destroying. Go ahead, you Elamites and Medes, attack and lay siege. I will make an end to all the groaning Babylon caused.

O Zion, messenger of good news, shout from the mountaintops! Shout it louder, O Jerusalem. Shout, and do not be afraid. Tell the towns of Judah,“ Your God is coming!”

The Lord gave this message to Micah of Moresheth during the years when Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah. The visions he saw concerned both Samaria and Jerusalem.

All the people of Judah had crowned Amaziah’s sixteen year old son, Uzziah, as king in place of his father.After his father’s death, Uzziah rebuilt the town of Elath and restored it to Judah.Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty two years. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem.He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his father, Amaziah, had done.Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. And as long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success.Uzziah declared war on the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. Then he built new towns in the Ashdod area and in other parts of Philistia.God helped him in his wars against the Philistines, his battles with the Arabs of Gur, and his wars with the Meunites.The Meunites paid annual tribute to him, and his fame spread even to Egypt, for he had become very powerful.Uzziah built fortified towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the angle in the wall.He also constructed forts in the wilderness and dug many water cisterns, because he kept great herds of livestock in the foothills of Judah and on the plains. He was also a man who loved the soil. He had many workers who cared for his farms and vineyards, both on the hillsides and in the fertile valleys.Uzziah had an army of well trained warriors, ready to march into battle, unit by unit. This army had been mustered and organized by Jeiel, the secretary of the army, and his assistant, Maaseiah. They were under the direction of Hananiah, one of the king’s officials.These regiments of mighty warriors were commanded by 2,600 clan leaders.The army consisted of 307,500 men, all elite troops. They were prepared to assist the king against any enemy.Uzziah provided the entire army with shields, spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and sling stones.And he built structures on the walls of Jerusalem, designed by experts to protect those who shot arrows and hurled large stones from the towers and the corners of the wall. His fame spread far and wide, for the Lord gave him marvelous help, and he became very powerful.But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar.Azariah the high priest went in after him with eighty other priests of the Lord, all brave men.They confronted King Uzziah and said,“ It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is the work of the priests alone, the descendants of Aaron who are set apart for this work. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have sinned. The Lord God will not honor you for this!”Uzziah, who was holding an incense burner, became furious. But as he was standing there raging at the priests before the incense altar in the Lord’s Temple, leprosy suddenly broke out on his forehead.When Azariah the high priest and all the other priests saw the leprosy, they rushed him out. And the king himself was eager to get out because the Lord had struck him.So King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in isolation in a separate house, for he was excluded from the Temple of the Lord. His son Jotham was put in charge of the royal palace, and he governed the people of the land.The rest of the events of Uzziah’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.When Uzziah died, he was buried with his ancestors; his grave was in a nearby burial field belonging to the kings, for the people said,“ He had leprosy.” And his son Jotham became the next king.Jotham was twenty five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.Jotham did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. He did everything his father, Uzziah, had done, except that Jotham did not sin by entering the Temple of the Lord. But the people continued in their corrupt ways.Jotham rebuilt the upper gate of the Temple of the Lord. He also did extensive rebuilding on the wall at the hill of Ophel.He built towns in the hill country of Judah and constructed fortresses and towers in the wooded areas.Jotham went to war against the Ammonites and conquered them. Over the next three years he received from them an annual tribute of 7,500 pounds of silver, 50,000 bushels of wheat, and 50,000 bushels of barley.King Jotham became powerful because he was careful to live in obedience to the Lord his God.The rest of the events of Jotham’s reign, including all his wars and other activities, are recorded in The Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.He was twenty five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years.When Jotham died, he was buried in the City of David. And his son Ahaz became the next king.Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. He did not do what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord, as his ancestor David had done.Instead, he followed the example of the kings of Israel. He cast metal images for the worship of Baal.He offered sacrifices in the valley of Ben Hinnom, even sacrificing his own sons in the fire. In this way, he followed the detestable practices of the pagan nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites.He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the pagan shrines and on the hills and under every green tree.Because of all this, the Lord his God allowed the king of Aram to defeat Ahaz and to exile large numbers of his people to Damascus. The armies of the king of Israel also defeated Ahaz and inflicted many casualties on his army.In a single day Pekah son of Remaliah, Israel’s king, killed 120,000 of Judah’s troops, all of them experienced warriors, because they had abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors.Then Zicri, a warrior from Ephraim, killed Maaseiah, the king’s son; Azrikam, the king’s palace commander; and Elkanah, the king’s second in command.The armies of Israel captured 200,000 women and children from Judah and seized tremendous amounts of plunder, which they took back to Samaria.But a prophet of the Lord named Oded was there in Samaria when the army of Israel returned home. He went out to meet them and said,“ The Lord, the God of your ancestors, was angry with Judah and let you defeat them. But you have gone too far, killing them without mercy, and all heaven is disturbed.And now you are planning to make slaves of these people from Judah and Jerusalem. What about your own sins against the Lord your God?Listen to me and return these prisoners you have taken, for they are your own relatives. Watch out, because now the Lord’s fierce anger has been turned against you!”Then some of the leaders of Israel— Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berekiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai— agreed with this and confronted the men returning from battle.“ You must not bring the prisoners here!” they declared.“ We cannot afford to add to our sins and guilt. Our guilt is already great, and the Lord’s fierce anger is already turned against Israel.”So the warriors released the prisoners and handed over the plunder in the sight of the leaders and all the people.Then the four men just mentioned by name came forward and distributed clothes from the plunder to the prisoners who were naked. They provided clothing and sandals to wear, gave them enough food and drink, and dressed their wounds with olive oil. They put those who were weak on donkeys and took all the prisoners back to their own people in Jericho, the city of palms. Then they returned to Samaria.At that time King Ahaz of Judah asked the king of Assyria for help.The armies of Edom had again invaded Judah and taken captives.And the Philistines had raided towns located in the foothills of Judah and in the Negev of Judah. They had already captured and occupied Beth shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages.The Lord was humbling Judah because of King Ahaz of Judah, for he had encouraged his people to sin and had been utterly unfaithful to the Lord.So when King Tiglath pileser of Assyria arrived, he attacked Ahaz instead of helping him.Ahaz took valuable items from the Lord’s Temple, the royal palace, and from the homes of his officials and gave them to the king of Assyria as tribute. But this did not help him.Even during this time of trouble, King Ahaz continued to reject the Lord.He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus who had defeated him, for he said,“ Since these gods helped the kings of Aram, they will help me, too, if I sacrifice to them.” But instead, they led to his ruin and the ruin of all Judah.The king took the various articles from the Temple of God and broke them into pieces. He shut the doors of the Lord’s Temple so that no one could worship there, and he set up altars to pagan gods in every corner of Jerusalem.He made pagan shrines in all the towns of Judah for offering sacrifices to other gods. In this way, he aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of his ancestors.The rest of the events of Ahaz’s reign and everything he did, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.When Ahaz died, he was buried in Jerusalem but not in the royal cemetery of the kings of Judah. Then his son Hezekiah became the next king.Hezekiah was twenty five years old when he became the king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done.In the very first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah reopened the doors of the Temple of the Lord and repaired them.He summoned the priests and Levites to meet him at the courtyard east of the Temple.He said to them,“ Listen to me, you Levites! Purify yourselves, and purify the Temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all the defiled things from the sanctuary.Our ancestors were unfaithful and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They abandoned the Lord and his dwelling place; they turned their backs on him.They also shut the doors to the Temple’s entry room, and they snuffed out the lamps. They stopped burning incense and presenting burnt offerings at the sanctuary of the God of Israel.“ That is why the Lord’s anger has fallen upon Judah and Jerusalem. He has made them an object of dread, horror, and ridicule, as you can see with your own eyes.Because of this, our fathers have been killed in battle, and our sons and daughters and wives have been captured.But now I will make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us.My sons, do not neglect your duties any longer! The Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him, and to lead the people in worship and present offerings to him.”Then these Levites got right to work: From the clan of Kohath: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah. From the clan of Merari: Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel. From the clan of Gershon: Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah.From the family of Elizaphan: Shimri and Jeiel. From the family of Asaph: Zechariah and Mattaniah.From the family of Heman: Jehiel and Shimei. From the family of Jeduthun: Shemaiah and Uzziel.These men called together their fellow Levites, and they all purified themselves. Then they began to cleanse the Temple of the Lord, just as the king had commanded. They were careful to follow all the Lord’s instructions in their work.The priests went into the sanctuary of the Temple of the Lord to cleanse it, and they took out to the Temple courtyard all the defiled things they found. From there the Levites carted it all out to the Kidron Valley.They began the work in early spring, on the first day of the new year, and in eight days they had reached the entry room of the Lord’s Temple. Then they purified the Temple of the Lord itself, which took another eight days. So the entire task was completed in sixteen days.Then the Levites went to King Hezekiah and gave him this report:“ We have cleansed the entire Temple of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table of the Bread of the Presence with all its utensils.We have also recovered all the items discarded by King Ahaz when he was unfaithful and closed the Temple. They are now in front of the altar of the Lord, purified and ready for use.”Early the next morning King Hezekiah gathered the city officials and went to the Temple of the Lord.They brought seven bulls, seven rams, and seven male lambs as a burnt offering, together with seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the Temple, and for Judah. The king commanded the priests, who were descendants of Aaron, to sacrifice the animals on the altar of the Lord.So they killed the bulls, and the priests took the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. Next they killed the rams and sprinkled their blood on the altar. And finally, they did the same with the male lambs.The male goats for the sin offering were then brought before the king and the assembly of people, who laid their hands on them.The priests then killed the goats as a sin offering and sprinkled their blood on the altar to make atonement for the sins of all Israel. The king had specifically commanded that this burnt offering and sin offering should be made for all Israel.King Hezekiah then stationed the Levites at the Temple of the Lord with cymbals, lyres, and harps. He obeyed all the commands that the Lord had given to King David through Gad, the king’s seer, and the prophet Nathan.The Levites then took their positions around the Temple with the instruments of David, and the priests took their positions with the trumpets.Then Hezekiah ordered that the burnt offering be placed on the altar. As the burnt offering was presented, songs of praise to the Lord were begun, accompanied by the trumpets and other instruments of David, the former king of Israel.The entire assembly worshiped the Lord as the singers sang and the trumpets blew, until all the burnt offerings were finished.Then the king and everyone with him bowed down in worship.King Hezekiah and the officials ordered the Levites to praise the Lord with the psalms written by David and by Asaph the seer. So they offered joyous praise and bowed down in worship.Then Hezekiah declared,“ Now that you have consecrated yourselves to the Lord, bring your sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings to the Temple of the Lord.” So the people brought their sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings, and all whose hearts were willing brought burnt offerings, too.The people brought to the Lord 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 male lambs for burnt offerings.They also brought 600 cattle and 3,000 sheep and goats as sacred offerings.But there were too few priests to prepare all the burnt offerings. So their relatives the Levites helped them until the work was finished and more priests had been purified, for the Levites had been more conscientious about purifying themselves than the priests had been.There was an abundance of burnt offerings, along with the usual liquid offerings, and a great deal of fat from the many peace offerings. So the Temple of the Lord was restored to service.And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because of what God had done for the people, for everything had been accomplished so quickly.King Hezekiah now sent word to all Israel and Judah, and he wrote letters of invitation to the people of Ephraim and Manasseh. He asked everyone to come to the Temple of the Lord at Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover of the Lord, the God of Israel.The king, his officials, and all the community of Jerusalem decided to celebrate Passover a month later than usual.They were unable to celebrate it at the prescribed time because not enough priests could be purified by then, and the people had not yet assembled at Jerusalem.This plan for keeping the Passover seemed right to the king and all the people.So they sent a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba in the south to Dan in the north, inviting everyone to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover of the Lord, the God of Israel. The people had not been celebrating it in great numbers as required in the Law.

Isaiah son of Amoz received this message concerning the destruction of Babylon:

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to his people:“ Do not listen to these prophets when they prophesy to you, filling you with futile hopes. They are making up everything they say. They do not speak for the Lord!

This boasting will do no good, but I must go on. I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord.

As they went back down the mountain, Jesus commanded them,“ Don’t tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

“ And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven.

Peter was very perplexed. What could the vision mean? Just then the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house. Standing outside the gate,

the message of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:

Then the Lord said to me,“ Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.

This message concerning Nineveh came as a vision to Nahum, who lived in Elkosh.

or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.

Uzziah son of Amaziah began to rule over Judah in the twenty seventh year of the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel.

And the Lord said to them,“ Now listen to what I say:“ If there were prophets among you, I, the Lord, would reveal myself in visions. I would speak to them in dreams.