high places, and images, and groves on every high hill, and under every green tree."

When Rehoboam had reigned five years, Shishak, King of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem, and he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's house. He also took away all the shields of gold, which Solomon had made.

2. ABIJAM, the son of Rehoboam, next reigned over Judah. "His heart was not perfect with the Lord his God; and he walked in the sins of his father." His

son

3. ASA next reigned in his stead,

"And he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did David his father."

He took away all the idols; he also removed his mother from being queen, because she had made an idol in the grove.

4. JE-HOSH-A-PHAT, the son of Asa, now became king,

"And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father."

But his son,

5. JE-HO-RAM, who reigned in his stead, was a wicked king. He married the daughter of Ahab, and "he wrought that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord;' therefore the Lord smote him with an incurable disease, so that he died.

He

6. A-HA-ZI-AH, Jehoram's son, next became king. also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab; for his mother, the daughter of Ahab, King of Israel, advised him to do wickedly.

Ahaziah was slain, and his mother

7. ATH-A-LI-AH reigned after him.

She was a very wicked woman, and put to death all the heirs to the throne, except one little baby, who was hid by his sister in the house of Je-hoi-a-da, the high priest, until he was six years old, when Jehoiada brought him into the temple, anointed him king, and the people shouted for joy. Then Athaliah rushed into

the temple to see what caused the shouting, and was killed.

QUESTIONS.

How many kings of Judah were there? What caused the division of the kingdom? What king of Egypt attacked them? What did he do? Which kings were good? What queen reigned? Whose daughter was she? What wicked act did she do? What became of her?

CHAPTER LXIX.

KINGS OF JUDAH (continued).

8. JOASH, the son of Ahaziah,

"Did that which was right in the sight of the Lord,"

All the days of Jehoiada the priest; " and he repaired the house of the Lord, which the sons of Athaliah had broken up." His son

9. A-MA-ZI-AH next became king. "And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart; for when he came from the slaughter of the Edomites, he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them."

10. UZZIAH, the son of Amaziah, "did that which was right in the sight of the Lord," according to all that his father Amaziah did. So long as he sought the Lord God, He made him to prosper.

He sinned against God by burning incense upon the altar of incense in the temple. And God punished him by striking him with leprosy; for he had done that which was only lawful for the priests.

"And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death."

11. JOTHAM, the son of Uzziah, was a good king.

"And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord," according to all that his father Uzziah did.

And he became mighty, "because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God." His son

12. AHAZ was a wicked king. He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made molten images for Baalim. "He sacrificed also, and burnt incense in the high places and on the hills, under every green tree." So God delivered him into the hand of the King of Assyria, and into the hand of the King of Israel.

13. HEZ-E-KI-AH reigned in the stead of his father,

"And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done."

When he was very ill, and at the point of death, he prayed to God, and God gave him his life for fifteen years longer. Another time, the Assyrians came up with a great army against Jerusalem, and besieged it; but the Assyrian king, being called away to defend himself against the King of Egypt, sent a blasphemous letter to Hezekiah, which he took up to the temple and laid it before the Lord, and prayed, saying, "Lord, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, Lord, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sen-nach-er-ib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. Now, therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save Thou us out of his hands, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou art the Lord God, even Thou only."

"And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand; and when they arose early in the morning, behold they were all dead corpses. So Sen-nach-er-ib, King of Assyria, departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh." "And Hezekiah kept a great passover. So there was great joy in Jerusalem. Then the priests arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling-place, even unto heaven.

"And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good, and right, and true,

before the Lord his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did. it with all his heart, and prospered."

QUESTIONS.

Who was Joash? Who hid him? How old was he when he was made king? What sort of a king was he? What do you know about Uzziah? What sort of a king was Hezekiah? What great feast did he keep? What kindness did God shew him?

CHAPTER LXX.

KINGS OF JUDAH (continued).

"But

14. MAN-AS-SEH reigned in the room of his father. he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord." For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. Because he would not hearken to the voice of the Lord, He allowed the King of Assyria to bind him with fetters and carry him to Babylon. In his affliction he repented of his sins. He humbled himself before God, and prayed to Him. God, in His mercy, heard him, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom.

"And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he built in the mount of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city.

"And he repaired the altar of the Lord, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings, and thank-offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel."

15. AMON, the son of Manasseh, did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. "And he humbled not himself before the Lord, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself,"

And his servants conspired against him, and slew him in his own house.

16. JOSIAH, the son of Amon, was a good king.

"He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and turned not aside to the right nor to the left.

"And like unto Josiah was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to

all the law of Moses: neither after him arose there any like him."

And Josiah went up to Bethel, and destroyed the calf at Bethel, and the altar; and he burnt on the altar the bones of the priests, that had burnt incense there, as the Lord had said; but he spared the bones of the man of God, that came from Judah and foretold these things in the days of Jeroboam, who set up the calf, and taught Israel to sin,