The second novel of “Chronicles of the Kings” picks up a few years after the first leaves off. Hezekiah is now ready to be married and take upon himself a bride. Young Hepzibah is chosen for him, and he marries her more out of duty than love. The teachings of the Torah have faded in his mind and he finds himself spending more time in his harem than with his wife.
In the meantime, the Assyrians are advancing, scattering all in their path. They are vicious and bloodthirsty, not content to just conquer; they must torture and maim. Jerusha, a young maiden of the land, is taken captive and forced into a life of slavery, to be carried with the intruders from camp to camp as they make war on everyone in their path. She is given a choice between death and a life as a concubine, and she chooses to live, but wonders every day if death wouldn’t have been kinder to her.
As the Assyrians draw closer to Jerusalem, King Hezekiah calls upon Eliakim, a trusted engineer, to help him decide how to defend the city. The decision is made to dig a tunnel under the palace walls to bring the well water inside the city, which would allow the inhabitants of Jerusalem to live indefinitely but would keep their enemies from being able to get water for themselves. Eliakim designs the tunnel and sees to its building, thus creating the famous “Hezekiah’s Tunnel,” a fabulous feat of engineering, which still exists to this day.
Many twists and turns accompany this story, including Jerusha’s escape from the Assyrians, the king’s return to the ways of the Torah, and how the tunnel keeps King Hezekiah’s people safe from the intruders. I must offer the warning that Jerusha’s experiences are gritty, but they aren’t given in detail, to the author’s credit. Greatest of all in this book is the testimony that God watches over and protects those who listen to Him and obey His laws. A very powerful book, this is my favorite of the series.
(This book was published in 2005 by Baker Publishing Group)
