of a famine. The famine was so severe that the very vilest substances were sold at an enormous price. Nor was this all. Parents, mothers were found feeding upon their deceased children. In his distress, at such scenes at this, the king plunges deeper and deeper into sin, and at last, by a solemn oath, swears to take the life of Elisha. But God forewarns the prophet of his danger; and to the messengers who were come to take him, he predicts by the word of the Lord, "to-morrow, about this time, shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria." This promise was incredible to the faithless Israelites, notwithstanding all the miraculous deliverances which they had witnessed. A lord who heard the assurance, openly expressed his unbelief, and the prophet rebuked him with the sentence, "thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not eat thereof." On the following night "the Lord caused the Syrians to hear the noise of a great host," as of the Hittites and the Egyptians, and they arose and fled, and left their tents filled with gold and food. Four lepers, who were hanging around the gate, had resolved, in despair, to cast themselves upon the mercy of the Syrians. When they reached their camp, they found that they had fled. Loading themselves thrice with the spoil, from the Syrian camp, they at length brought the "good tidings to the city." The news was communicated rapidly to the king. Joram at first suspected a snare; that the Syrians had feigned a retreat to lure them from the city, and then turn upon them and take them before they could find a refuge within its walls. Sending out spies, however, he found that the flight was real. As far as Jordan "the way was strewn with garments and vessels which the Syrians had cast away in their haste." "And the people went out and spoiled the tents of the Syrians," so that the prediction of Elisha was literally fulfilled. Another prophecy also was fulfilled. The lord who had expressed his unbelief of the prophet so boldly and tauntingly, was made keeper of the gate, and in the press of the people, to secure the food, "he was trodden and died;" he saw the abundance, but did not eat thereof.

At some interval after the siege and deliverance, though directly following it in the narrative, we have given to us God's gracious care of the pious Shumanite. As a seven years' famine was about to come, Elisha warned her "to go with her household and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn." She did as Elisha advised, "and went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines." At the end of seven years she returned, but found her land in the possession of others. She went immediately to the king with her cause; who was just then, providentially, listening to Gehazi's account of Elisha's miracles.

Gehazi told the king that this was the woman whose son Elisha had raised to life. Impressed with this coincidence, the king ordered an officer "to restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land until now." We find Elisha next in Damascus. He went, probably, to fulfil the command given long before to Elijah his master. Hearing of his presence, Benhadad sent Hazael with a present "to the man of God, to inquire whether he should recover from the disease" under which he was then suffering. Elisha answered, "Thou mayest certainly recover; howbeit the Lord hath showed me that he shall surely die." The prophet "then settled his countenance and wept." Upon being asked the cause of this, by Hazael, he replied, "I know the evil thou wilt do in Israel: their strongholds wilt thou set on fire, their young men, women, and children, wilt thou slay." "Hazael said, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? Elisha answered, The Lord hath showed me that thou shalt be king over Syria." Hazael went from the prophet, and commenced his career of crime by murdering his master. Soon after this, Elisha sent one of the sons of the prophets to anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel. Having thus fulfilled the command given to Elisha, we hear no more of him till the reign of Joash. His efforts to reform the people were comparatively fruitless. At length, in a good old age, he was called to follow his master. Among those who gathered around the dying prophet was Joash king of Israel. The king wept over him as the stay and hope of Israel. The prophet once more feeling the inspiration of God upon him, directed the weeping king to take a bow and arrows, and "shoot from the window, eastward." The arrows were symbolical of the Lord's deliverance, and the deliverance from Syria. He then told him "to smite with the arrows upon the ground, and he smote thrice and stayed." Elisha reproved him for not smiting oftener, "for then hadst thou smitten Syria until thou hadst consumed it, but now thou shalt smite it but three times." "Then Elisha died and was buried:" and as if to honour him after death, his bones were gifted by God with the power of restoring a dead body to life. Elisha was little less eminent than Elijah. Though less stern, he was still severe in his reproof of the apostate kings. His miracles were numerous and stupendous; but they failed in accomplishing that for which many of them were wrought. He died as he lived, in the midst of a general apostacy, and with the sad conviction that the chosen people were still to suffer as a consequence of their sins. Men were more willing to weep over his death, as a public calamity, than to yield to his instructions while living.

Having thus followed out the life of Elisha, we turn back to bring up the history of Judah and Israel to the rebellion of Jehu, which exerted so important an influence on both kingdoms. Upon the death of Jehoshaphat, his son Jehoram, who had reigned for some years jointly with his father, succeeded "to the kingdom of his father." Fenced cities were given to the other members of the royal family. Jehoram did not follow the example of his pious father; "but walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, like as did the house of Ahab." This departure from the faith was due to the influence of his wife, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, a woman, who, like her mother, knew no restraints in crime. The deplorable results of Jehoshaphat's alliance with Ahab were already manifest. "Howbeit the Lord would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant he had made with him, and promised him and his children a light for ever."

During his reign the Edomites revolted from the dominion of Judah, "and made themselves a king." Jehoram marched with a large army to recover his dominion, but though successful in a single battle, he was not able to subdue the rebels so as to bring them under tribute. At the same time Libnah revolted, "because he had forsaken the Lord." The specific act which gave rise to this revolt, was probably the inhuman murder of his brothers by the wicked king; such an act might very naturally excite discontent in the fenced cities over which these brothers were placed. Aside from the loss of the Edomites, his kingdom was invaded by the Philistines and Arabians, who ravaged the land, plundered the royal palace, and carried captive the wives and sons of the king, except the youngest son Jehoahaz.

In the midst of his wretchedness and idolatry, he received a warning from Elijah, (who though now dead had been inspired to write this warning, and delivered to one of the prophets to give to the king,) denouncing heavy calamities and personal afflictions, as a punishment for his apostacy and crimes. The sickness which the prophet threatened came upon him in his latter days. After a short reign of eight years, and suffering two years under sore diseases, he died, and public opinion denied him the customary honors of a royal funeral, and refused him burial in the sepulchres of his fathers.

Ahaziah, (Jehoahaz,) his youngest son reigned in his stead. Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned but one year; "like his father he walked in the ways of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the Lord." Jehoram's advisers, and the queen-mother Athaliah, were his only counsellors, "to his destruction."

He immediately joined himself with Joram king of Israel, in a war against Hazael at Ramoth-gilead. In the battle Joram

was severely wounded, "and returned to Jezreel to be healed of his wounds." While lying in his palace he received a visit from the king of Judah, and then occurred the rebellion of Jehu, which was so fatal to both.

SECTION XVII.

JEHU'S CONSPIRACY-AND REIGN-ATHALIAH USURPS THE THRONE OF JUDAHJOASH THE KING OF JUDAH-JOASH KING OF ISRAEL THE HISTORY OF AMAZIAH AND JEROBOAM (II.)-THE REIGNS OF UZZIAH AND JOTHAM-THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST ZECHARIAH KING OF ISRAEL-THE CIVIL WAR UNDER MENAHEM, AND THE INVASION FROM ASSYRIA.

JEHU was anointed king in the camp at Ramoth-gilead. At the command of Elisha, one of the prophets came to the camp, and calling Jehu "from among the captains of the host, "poured oil on his head," and said, Thus saith Jehovah, God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the Lord, and thou shalt smite the house of Ahab, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord at the hand of Jezebel." Jehu returned to the council of his fellow captains, and informed them of the commission he had received. They were prepared for the intelligence, and without dissent hasted "to the top of the stairs," and spread their garments beneath his feet, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king." This was done in presence of the army, and without any opposition. Jehu lost no time and took no half measures. He immediately entered his chariot and drove for Jezreel, to be the first to tell of his own conspiracy. Joram and Ahaziah were both at Jezreel. Jehu's coming was seen by the watchmen of Jezreel, and two messengers, one after another, were sent by the king to meet him, and were commanded by Jehu to fall in with his own company in the rear. By this time the watchmen recognised the driving as that of Jehu. The king himself now went forth to meet him, and Ahaziah went with him. They met in the field of Naboth. Joram saluted his general with, "Is it peace, Jehu?" "And he answered, What peace, so long as the idolatries of thy mother Jezebel, and her witchcrafts are so many." Joram turned to flee, but Jehu, who knew not warning, drew a bow with his full strength, and shot the king through the heart. He then ordered the body to be cast into the field of Naboth, that the word of the Lord by Elijah might be fulfilled: "The blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons will I requite thee in this field." (Ahaziah escaped, but he was pursued and wounded so that he died at Megiddo, a town west of Jezreel, and not far from the mountains of Carmel. "His ser

vants carried him to Jerusalem and buried him in the sepulchres of his fathers.")*

Jehu went on and entered the city. The news of his conspiracy, however, went before him. Jezebel in the mean time attiring herself in her queenly dress, stood at the window and saluted Jehu as he passed, "Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?" Jehu, unmoved at her question, commanded the eunuchs to throw her down. They did not hesitate to obey his command, and this proud and guilty woman was trodden under foot by Jehu's horses. After he had obtained possession of the palace, and had dined, Jehu sent his servants to bury Jezebel. They found only a few remnants of her body, and as they came. to tell their fierce master, he quotes the prophecy of Elijah, "In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel.'

Samaria, the capital, was still in the hands of Ahab's sons. Jehu therefore wrote letters to the elders of the city, telling them to choose one of Ahab's seventy descendants, and make him king; but upon receiving a submissive answer, he commands them to show their submission, by beheading their master's sons. The command was executed, and the heads of the slain were brought to him at Jezreel. As he came forth the next morning, he found them lying at the entering of the gate. In the sight of these heads, Jehu explains his conduct as the executioner of the Divine purpose: "and of the word which the Lord had spoken by his servant Elijah." After this he "slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, his kinsfolks and his priests." He then proceeded to Samaria. On the way thither he fell in with the brethren, (relatives, probably nephews,) of Ahaziah, who had heard nothing of the conspiracy, and were on their way to salute the king and queen. These also were taken by this blood-thirsty man, and slain, to the number of forty-two. Further on, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab, and took him into his chariot, that he might "show him his zeal for the Lord," which was now plainly only a cover for his own fierce ambition. When he reached Samaria, he repeated the same exterminating process which he had carried on at Jezreel. With these fell the house and family of Ahab, and the third dynasty of Israel.

Still, however, a large part of his commission remained unexecuted. The adherents and priests of Baal were yet living, and these were strictly within the scope of his commission. To reach his end, Jehu feigns himself a zealous worshipper of Baal, and "proclaimed a solemn assembly" for the idol god. All

The account in Chronicles xxii. 9, varies slightly from that given in the Kings, which we have followed, (2 Kings ix. 28.)-It seems probable that the events related in the rest of the 9th, and first part of the 10th chapters, occurred before the death of Ahaziah. This would reconcile all the main differences in the two accounts. The narrative of the chronicler is here more condensed.