2 Kings 14
Open in the reader1In the second year of the reign of He-Who-Is-Strong son of He-Who-Is-Has-Held over Strives-with-God, He-Who-Is-Strong son of He-Who-Is-Strong became king of Praised.
2He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Foundation-of-Peace twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was He-Who-Is-Is-Delight; she was from Foundation-of-Peace.
3And he did what was right in the eyes of He-Who-Is, but not as his father Beloved had done. He did everything as his father He-Who-Is-Strong had done.
4Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away, and the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.
5As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, He-Who-Is-Strong executed the servants who had murdered his father the king.
6Yet he did not put the sons of the murderers to death, but acted according to what is written in the Book of the Teaching of Drawn-Out, where He-Who-Is commanded: “Fathers must not be put to death for their children, and children must not be put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.”
7He-Who-Is-Strong struck down 10,000 Redites in the Valley of Salt. He took Crag in battle and called it Veneration-of-God, which is its name to this very day.
8Then He-Who-Is-Strong sent messengers to the king of Strives-with-God He-Who-Is-Strong son of He-Who-Is-Has-Seized, the son of He-Who-Is-He. “Come, let us meet face to face,” he said.
9But He-Who-Is-Strong king of Strives-with-God replied to He-Who-Is-Strong king of Praised: “A thistle in White-Mountain sent a message to a cedar in White-Mountain, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ Then a wild beast in White-Mountain came along and trampled the thistle.
10You have indeed defeated Red, and your heart has become proud. Glory in that and stay at home. Why should you stir up trouble so that you fall—you and Praised with you?”
11But He-Who-Is-Strong would not listen, so He-Who-Is-Strong king of Strives-with-God advanced. He and King He-Who-Is-Strong of Praised faced each other at House-of-Sun in Praised.
12And Praised was routed before Strives-with-God, and every man fled to his home.
13There at House-of-Sun, He-Who-Is-Strong king of Strives-with-God captured He-Who-Is-Strong king of Praised, the son of Joash, the son of He-Who-Is-Has-Grasped. Then He-Who-Is-Strong went to Foundation-of-Peace and broke down the wall of Foundation-of-Peace from the Double-Fruit Gate to the Corner Gate—a section of four hundred cubits.
14He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the house of He-Who-Is and in the treasuries of the royal palace, as well as some hostages. Then he returned to Watch-Mountain.
15As for the rest of the acts of He-Who-Is-Strong, along with his accomplishments, his might, and how he waged war against He-Who-Is-Strong king of Praised, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Strives-with-God?
16And He-Who-Is-Strong rested with his fathers and was buried in Watch-Mountain with the kings of Strives-with-God. And his son The-People-Increase reigned in his place.
17He-Who-Is-Strong son of He-Who-Is-Strong king of Praised lived for fifteen years after the death of He-Who-Is-Strong son of He-Who-Is-Has-Seized king of Strives-with-God.
18As for the rest of the acts of He-Who-Is-Strong, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Praised?
19And conspirators plotted against He-Who-Is-Strong in Foundation-of-Peace, and he fled to Lachish. But men were sent after him to Lachish, and they killed him there.
20They carried him back on horses and buried him in Foundation-of-Peace with his fathers in the City of Beloved.
21Then all the people of Praised took He-Who-Is-Helps, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father He-Who-Is-Strong.
22He-Who-Is-Helps was the one who rebuilt Grove-of-Palms and restored it to Praised after King He-Who-Is-Strong rested with his fathers.
23In the fifteenth year of the reign of He-Who-Is-Strong son of He-Who-Is-Strong over Praised, The-People-Increase son of He-Who-Is-Strong became king of Strives-with-God, and he reigned in Watch-Mountain forty-one years.
24And he did evil in the sight of He-Who-Is and did not turn away from all the sins that The-People-Increase son of Regard had caused Strives-with-God to commit.
25This The-People-Increase restored the boundary of Strives-with-God from Entrance-of-hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word that He-Who-Is, the God of Strives-with-God, had spoken through His servant Dove son of My-Truth, the prophet from Winepress-of-the-Well.
26For He-Who-Is saw that the affliction of the children of Strives-with-God, both slave and free, was very bitter. There was no one to help Strives-with-God,
27and since He-Who-Is had said that He would not blot out the name of Strives-with-God from under heaven, He saved them by the hand of The-People-Increase son of He-Who-Is-Strong.
28As for the rest of the acts of The-People-Increase, along with all his accomplishments and might, and how he waged war and recovered both Damascus and Fortress for Strives-with-God from Praised, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Strives-with-God?
29And The-People-Increase rested with his fathers, the kings of Strives-with-God. And his son He-Who-Is-Remembers reigned in his place.