Page:The Books of Chronicles (1916).djvu/373

Rh the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may return to the remnant that are escaped of you out of the hand of the kings of Assyria. And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the, the God of their fathers, so that he gave them up to desolation, as ye see. Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were; but yield yourselves unto the, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever, and serve the your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. For if ye turn again unto the, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that led them captive, and shall come again into this land: for the your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him. So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them. Nevertheless divers of Asher and Manasseh

attempt is made to draw Israel en masse to a regular Passover at Jerusalem.

6. the posts] Lit. "the runners."

the remnant that are escaped of you out of the hand of the kings of Assyria] The phrase applies most naturally to the final downfall of Samaria through Shalmaneser and Sargon (722—721 ), but it is possible of course to interpret it of the repeated disasters at the hands of the Assyrians in the time of Tiglath-pileser some ten years earlier.

7. to desolation] Render, as mg., to be an astonishment; cp. xxix. 8 (same Heb. word).

8. yield yourselves] Lit. "give the hand"; cp. 1 Chr. xxix. 24 "submitted themselves").

sanctified for ever] Cp. vii. 16.

9. shall find compassion] Cp. Ps. cvi. 46 (a similar phrase in Heb.).

11. of Asher] Asher is somewhat strange. The parallel with ver. 10 alone suggests that we should read of Ephraim; and this is the more probable if the real significance of the reference is for the Chronicler's period (see the head-note, and xv. 9). It is not likely that Judaism at that time could claim many adherents in the old territory of Asher (see Hölscher, Palästina, p. 32).