(bright music)

- Oh, hi everybody!

You're watching the Superbook Show.

- And we think you'regonna dig today's episode.

- Today we're talking about several

fascinating discoveries in Israel.

- Get it?

Archeological dig?

- Yeah, I get it.

Why are you carrying a whip?

- Indiana Jones.

- Yeah well, you're not gonna need it.

Real archeologists don't carry whips.

(bright music)

(whooshing)

- So what do you know about

the Biblical King Hezekiah, Joél?

- I know he reigned for about 29 years

in the late 8th Century,early 7th Century B.C.

- Very good.

Anything else?

- I know he was a very good king,

in contrast to a whole lotof very bad kings in Judah.

- Right.

The Bible says Hezekiahtrusted in the Lord,

the God of Israel.

There was no one like himamong all the kings of Judah,

either before or after his time.

- I also know there aretwo really cool discoveries

we're talking about today.

- Right again.

And the first one isKing Hezekiah's bulla.

- You know, being king, heprobably had a lot of bullas.

and sheepas too.

(sheep bleeting)

(crickets chirping)

(laughs) Okay, no seriously,I do know what a bulla is.

It's a clay token with a personal seal.

It was used to sign lettersand other important documents.

(whooshing)

- This bulla was foundby Hebrew University's

Institute of Archeology.

It's just one centimeter wide.

- We discovered the seal impression,

imprinted by King Hezekiah himself,

saying very clearly in ancient Hebrew,

(foreign language)

"Belongs to Hezekiah, sonof Ahaz, King of Judea."

- [Joél] This discovery is amazing,

partly 'cause it's so tiny,

but it's also the first of its kind.

- We never found inarcheological excavations,

scientific stratigraphy, suchan item that is so close,

private, tangible, to any of the

Israelite or Judean King, ever.

- [Joél] The seal was foundin Jerusalem in the Ophel,

an area near the south wall of the Temple.

(whooshing)

- That was definitely awesome.

But wait, there's more.

On to our second groundbreaking discovery.

- Josie, quick question.

Aren't all archeologicaldiscoveries groundbreaking?

Get it?

- Moving on.

Our next discovery wasfound at Tel Lachish,

in central Israel, and it'salso related to King Hezekiah.

- A tel, by the way, is a hill or a mound,

with ruins inside of it.

Lachish was the mostimportant city in Israel,

after Jerusalem.

- In 2016, archeologistsfound the city gate

of Lachish at this Tel.

A lot of things would havehappened at this gate.

- Elders, judges and evenkings would have sat here

to conduct administrative business.

(whooshing)

Some of the artifactsfound here were benches

with white plaster and armrestswhere the VIPs would've sat.

- [Josie] There were alsojars, handles and scoops

that indicate both the royaland administrative activities

that went on here.

(whooshing)

- Remember how Hezekiahdestroyed all the high places

where people worshiped false gods?

- There's evidence he didthat here, at Lachish Gate.

Archeologists found two horned altars

with the horns cutoff.

They also found something elsethat's, well, kind of funny.

- A cube with a hole in it, a toilet!

- Funny, but significant,because the Bible talks

about another king, Jehu, whowho broke a shrine to Baal

and made it into a latrine.

(water flushing)

- Archeologist, Saar Ganor, is in charge

of the excavation site at Tel Lachish.

(whooshing)

- With the removing the horns,

the canceling the Holy of Holies,

of the gate shrine thatwe found, and the toilet,

make it impure.

And now it's the first time

that we can identifythe story from the Bible

in Tel Lachish, with the toilet.

- [Josie] In part of the ruins,

they also dug through morethan a foot of destruction

and found arrowheads and slingshots.

- [Joél] The archeologistssay this confirms the conquest

of Lachish by theAssyrian King Sennacherib.

(whooshing)

- These discoveries are kindof like taking the Bible

in your hands.

- And we know we can trustthe truth of the Bible

without them, but to seethem is just really awesome.

- His Word is forever alive.

(bright music)

(whooshing)

- So, Josie, do you knowwhy the archeologist

went bankrupt?

- No, but I'm sure you'll tell me.

- 'Cause his career was in ruins.

(horn honks)

- Other than the corny jokes, did you

dig this video?

(horn honks)

Be sure to like this video and subscribe.

- Don't forget aboutthe SuperBook Bible app.

You can find that TheSuperBookShow.com.

See you next time.

- I'll remember it, Hezekiah.

- It's like...

- Hezekiah.

(laughing)

- It's just like that.

- [Girl] He and kiah,with a z in the middle.

(laughing)

- Oh that's...

- I got it now.

- Nail it.

- Hezekiah, Hezekiah, Hezekiah.

- [Girl] Hez, kiah.

- Like Pez, but Hez-ekiah.

Hezekiah, okay.

- [Girl] Where you goin'?

Hezekiah.

I got nothin', let's go.

- You just have to know it.

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