g to
thy great mercy. And I will praise thee forever all the days of my
life: for all the host of heaven doth sing thy praise, and thine is
the glory for ever and ever. Amen."

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AMON.

(Amon failed to profit by his father's experience, but turned again to
idolatry. After only two years on the throne, he was assassinated by
his own courtiers, who probably expected to make one of their own
number king. In this, however, they were disappointed, for the people
insisted upon making the son of Amon, Josiah, a little boy only eight
years old, the king.)

Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign; and he
reigned two years in Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in the
sight of the Lord, as did Manasseh his father: and Amon sacrificed
unto all the graven images which Manasseh his father had made, and
served them. And he humbled not himself before the Lord, as Manasseh
his father had humbled himself; but this same Amon trespassed more and
more. And his servants conspired against him, and put him to death in
his own house. But the people of the land slew all them that had
conspired against King Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah
his son king in his stead.

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JOSIAH.

_The Story of the Little Boy Who Became a Good King_.

(The reign of Josiah was marked by one of the most sweeping and
important reforms in the history of Judah. For the first ten years of
his reign, until the king reached the age of eighteen, things went in
much the old idolatrous way. Then the young king began to assert
himself with spirit. First he ordered repairs made upon the temple,
which had fallen into decay and ruin. While these repairs were going
on, Hilkiah, the high priest, made a great discovery. He found an old
book of the law. He hastened to tell Shaphan the scribe, who in turn
told the king. When the king read this book, and discovered how the
nation had disobeyed the law he was in great distress. He called an
assembly of all the people and the law was read to them. Then he
ordered a great reform. The idols were all swept away, and the old law
was established everywhere. But after all, this good king met a sad
fate. A great army of the Egyptians advanced against the country. They
were not intending to destroy Judah, but Josiah, fearing that the
nation was in danger, went out to fight them. They met in the great
battle of Megiddo. The army of Judah was destroyed, and Josiah,
mortally wounde