King Hezekiah and various Israelites in Judah after
Now when all this was finished, all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah, and brake the images in pieces, and cut down the groves, and threw down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities. And Hezekiah appointed the courses of the priests and the Levites after their courses, every man according to his service, the priests and Levites for burnt offerings and for peace offerings, to minister, and to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the tents of the LORD. He appointed also the king's portion of his substance for the burnt offerings, to wit, for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the sabbaths, and for the new moons, and for the set feasts, as it is written in the law of the LORD. Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in the law of the Lord.-2 Chronicles 31:1-4***Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and daughter Dinah were born to Jacob (Israel) and his 1st wife Leah. Dan and Naphtali were born to Jacob and maidservant Bilhah. Gad and Asher were born to Jacob and maidservant Zilpah. Joseph and Benjamin were born to Jacob and his 2nd wife Rachel. When Joseph was at least 17 years old, his brothers sold him to merchants traveling to Egypt and led Jacob to believe that Joseph was killed by a wild animal. In Egypt, Joseph became the top servant in the home of Potiphar, and became a prisoner, and explained the meaning of dreams, and was declared second-in-command by Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. After the 2nd time that Joseph's brothers were in Egypt to buy grain (corn) during a famine, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers and told them to move with their families, including Jacob, to Egypt. Moreover, Pharaoh expressed his generosity and hospitality. During the journey from Canaan to Egypt, the Lord God spoke to 130-year-old Jacob. In Egypt, Jacob proclaimed Manasseh and Ephraim, the sons born to Joseph and his wife Asenath, to be his own sons. Sometime after 147-year-old Jacob died in Egypt, and Jacob's family buried his body in Canaan, and 110-year old Joseph and his siblings were dead, their descendants the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. Miriam and her younger brothers Aaron and Moses were Israelites from the tribe of Levi. When Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83, they led the Israelites away from Egypt, across the divinely parted Red Sea, and into the desert wilderness of Shur, according to the commands of the Lord God. In the desert wilderness of Sinai, in the region of Mount Sinai, the Israelites heard the voice of the Lord God proclaim the Ten Commandments to them, and the Lord God began giving Moses judgments, statutes and laws for the Israelites. When Moses was upon Mount Sinai 40 days and nights with the Lord God, the Lord God told Moses that only Aaron, and Aaron's sons and the sons born to their descendants were to serve the Lord God as priests. During the following months, the Lord God described to Moses, and sometimes Aaron, the duties of the priests, and the Lord God described to Moses the duties of the Levites, the other men in the tribe Levi. During the 40-year journey to Canaan, the Promised Land, Miriam the prophetess died and was buried in Kadesh, in the desert wilderness of Zin. Upon Mount Hor, 123-year-old Aaron the high priest died. Sometime thereafter, the tribe of Reuben and the tribe of Gad asked to be given some of the land that the Israelites had conquered during their journey. Moses spoke to the Reubenites and Gadites, and the Reubenites and Gadites made a proposal, and they exchanged a few responses, and Moses gave the Reubenites, Gadites and 1/2 the tribe of Manasseh the requested land. Shortly thereafter, the Lord God gave Moses commands to proclaim to the Israelites about the high places of the idol worshiping inhabitants throughout Canaan. When Moses went upon Mount Nebo, the Lord God showed Moses the Promised Land, and 120-year-old Moses the prophet died and was divinely buried. Joshua, Moses' aide and successor from the tribe of Ephraim, led the Israelites across the divinely parted Jordan River and onto the land that the Lord God promised to give to Jacob, and to Jacob's father Isaac, and to Isaac's father Abraham (Abram the Hebrew), and to their descendants. Over 300 years after 110-year-old Joshua died and was buried in his tribe's portion of the Promised Land, Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin, became the 1st king to rule over the Israelites. David, from the tribe of Judah, was the 2nd king to rule over all of the Israelites. Solomon, the 2nd child born to David and Bathsheba, was the 3rd king to reign. Rehoboam, the son born to Solomon and Naamah, was the 4th king to rule over all of the Israelites. After Rehoboam gave a specific answer, the Israelites split into 2 kingdoms, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of Solomon. Judah was the nation in the south and consisted of the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin. Jerusalem was the royal city and Rehoboam was the 1st king to reign. In the 4th year of Rehoboam's 40-year reign, the Israelites throughout Judah began building and establishing high places and idols throughout the kingdom. Israel was the northern nation and consisted of the other Israelite tribes, including the tribe of Reuben, and the tribe of Gad, and 1/2 the tribe of Manasseh. Samaria was the final royal city and Jeroboam, the son born to Nebat and Zeruah, was the 1st king to reign. Jeroboam established idolatry and built high places for idol worship throughout the northern nation of Israel, and the number of high places and the amount of idolatry in the kingdom steadily increased. Notably the tribe of Ephraim was a large and prominent tribe in the northern nation, and the divinely inspired Scriptures of the Holy Bible reveal that the northern nation of Israel was often identified as Ephraim. King Pekah was the 18th king to rule over all of the Israelites in the northern nation of Israel. During Pekah's 20-year reign, the Assyrians invaded the kingdom and King Tiglath-pileser, ruler of Assyria, took the tribe of Naphtali, and 1/2 the tribe of Manasseh, and the Reubenites, Gadites, and other Israelites, to Assyria. King Hoshea was the 19th king to rule over all of the Israelites in the northern nation of Israel. Rehoboam's great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson Hezekiah was the 12th king to rule Judah. During the 6th year of Hezekiah's 29-year reign, the Assyrians conquered Samaria, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of the Israelites. Meanwhile, Hezekiah removed idols, idolatry and the high places from Judah. Manasseh, the son born to Hezekiah and Hephzibah, was the 13th king to rule Judah. During the beginning of his 55-year reign, Manasseh rebuilt the high places and reestablished idolatry throughout Judah and Jerusalem. Manasseh became known as the king whose wickedness exceeded the wickedness of the previous idol worshiping inhabitants in Canaan. The Assyrians invaded Jerusalem and took Manasseh captive, according to the will of the Lord God. In Babylon, a kingdom that was under Assyrian control, Manasseh humbled himself before the face of the Lord God, and prayed to the Lord God, and the Lord God brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem. Afterwards, Manasseh took the idols out of the temple of the Lord, and repaired the altar of burnt offering, and offered sacrifices to the Lord God. Although the high places remained, the Israelites in Judah started using the high places to sacrifice to the Lord God. Manasseh's grandson Josiah was the 15th king to rule Judah. Beginning in the 8th year of Josiah's 31-year reign, the high places were pulled down, the idols were destroyed, and the false priests were killed, according to the command of Josiah. Jehoahaz, the son born to Josiah and Hamutal, was the 16th king to rule Judah. Jehoiakim (Eliakim), the son born to Josiah and Zebudah, was the 17th king to rule Judah. During Jehoiakim's 11-year reign, the Babylonians (Chaldeans) invaded Judah and Jerusalem and King Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of Babylon, began looting the temple. Jehoiachin (Jeconiah/Coniah), the son born to Jehoiakim and Nehushta, was the 18th king to rule Judah. During Jehoiachin's 3-month reign, the Babylonians took more prominent Israelites, including Jehoiachin, his wives and mother, to Babylon. Josiah and Hamutal's son Zedekiah (Mattaniah) was the 19th king to rule Judah. During the 11th year of Zedekiah's reign, the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of the Israelites. Over 500 years after Israelites began returning to Judah and Jerusalem, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, was born. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, a virgin, and Jesus was born into the tribe of Judah, the tribe of Judah's kings, to Mary and her husband Joseph when Mary was a virgin.-Genesis 11:26-50:26, Exodus, Numbers 13:1-14:45, 20:1-19, 26:1-36:13, Deuteronomy 31:34:12, Joshua 1:1-4:24, 23:1-24:33, Judges 1:1-2:23, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra 1:1-11, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts 1:1-26
Reference Information:
courses = mahleqowt/machaloqeth = chalaq = divisions
encouraged = yehezqu = chazaq = grow strong, strengthen, devoted
portion = menat = menath = manah = allotment
substance = rekusow/rekush/rakash = possessions, property, goods
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