Study Desk

But he did not kill the sons of the killers. Because it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, as the Lord said, "The fathers must not be put to death for the sons. And the sons must not be put to death for the fathers. Each must be put to death for his own sin."

Jehoash king of Israel answered Amaziah king of Judah, saying, "The thorn bush in Lebanon sent word to the cedar tree in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.' But a wild animal passed by in Lebanon, and crushed the thorn bush under its feet.

But Amaziah would not listen. So King Jehoash of Israel went up. He and Amaziah king of Judah fought each other at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah.

They made plans against Amaziah in Jerusalem, and he ran away to Lachish. But they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there.

But the high places were not taken away. The people still gave gifts and burned special perfume on the high places.

But the high places were not taken away. The people still gave gifts and burned special perfume on the high places. Jotham built the upper gate of the house of the Lord.

But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He even gave his sons as a burnt gift. This was very sinful and was done by the nations which the Lord had driven out from the people of Israel.

Then King Rezin of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to fight a war. Their armies closed in around Ahaz, but they could not win the battle against him.

Then King Ahaz told Urijah the religious leader, "Upon the large altar, give the morning burnt gift, the evening grain gift, and the king's burnt gift and his grain gift. Give them with the burnt gifts of all the people of the land and their grain gifts and drink gifts. Put on it all the blood of the burnt gifts given in worship. But the brass altar will be for me to go to when I ask the Lord what should be done."

Hoshea did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord, but not as bad as the kings of Israel before him.

But the king of Assyria found that Hoshea had been making plans against him. Hoshea had sent men to King So of Egypt, instead of giving taxes to the king of Assyria. He had done this year after year. So the king of Assyria shut him up and put him in chains in prison.

This happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God. He had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. But they worshiped other gods.

But they did not listen. They were strong-willed like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God.

They turned away from His Laws and His agreement which He made with their fathers. They turned away when He told them of danger. They followed false gods, and became empty. They followed the nations around them. But the Lord had told them not to act like them.

But every nation still made gods of its own. They put them in the houses of the high places which the people of Samaria had made. The people of every nation did this in the cities where they lived.

So the people feared the Lord, but they worshiped their own gods also. They followed the way of the nations from which they had been taken away.

But fear the Lord, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong arm. Put your faces to the ground before Him. And give Him your gifts.

But they did not listen. They followed the ways of times past.

These nations feared the Lord, but they worshiped their false gods also. Their children and grandchildren did the same, and they do as their fathers did to this day.

You might tell me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God.' But is it not He Whose high places and altars Hezekiah has taken away? And has he not said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship in front of this altar in Jerusalem'?