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2nd Chronicles1Solomon, the son of King David, now

took firm control of the kingdom, for theLORD his God was with him and madehim very powerful.2He called together all Israel--thegenerals and captains of the army, thejudges, and all the political and clanleaders.3Then Solomon led the entire assemblyto the hill at Gibeon where God'sTabernacle was located. This was theTabernacle that Moses, the LORD'sservant, had constructed in thewilderness.4David had already moved the Ark ofGod from Kiriath-jearim to the specialtent he had prepared for it in Jerusalem.5But the bronze altar made by Bezalelson of Uri and grandson of Hur was stillat Gibeon in front of the Tabernacle ofthe LORD. So Solomon and the peoplegathered in front of it to consult theLORD.6There in front of the Tabernacle,Solomon went up to the bronze altar inthe LORD's presence and sacrificed athousand burnt offerings on it.7That night God appeared to Solomon ina dream and said, "What do you want?Ask, and I will give it to you!"8Solomon replied to God, "You havebeen so faithful and kind to my father,David, and now you have made me kingin his place.9Now, LORD God, please keep yourpromise to David my father, for youhave made me king over a people asnumerous as the dust of the earth!10Give me wisdom and knowledge torule them properly, for who is able togovern this great nation of yours?"11God said to Solomon, "Because yourgreatest desire is to help your people,and you did not ask for personal wealthand honor or the death of your enemiesor even a long life, but rather you askedfor wisdom and knowledge to properlygovern my people,12I will certainly give you the wisdom andknowledge you requested. And I willalso give you riches, wealth, and honorsuch as no other king has ever hadbefore you or will ever have again!"13Then Solomon returned to Jerusalemfrom the Tabernacle at the hill of Gibeon,and he reigned over Israel.

14Solomon built up a huge military force,which included fourteen hundredchariots and twelve thousand horses.He stationed many of them in the chariotcities, and some near him in Jerusalem.15During Solomon's reign, silver andgold were as plentiful in Jerusalem asstones. And valuable cedarwood was ascommon as the sycamore wood thatgrows in the foothills of Judah.16Solomon's horses were imported fromEgypt and from Cilicia ; the king'straders acquired them from Cilicia at thestandard price.17At that time, Egyptian chariotsdelivered to Jerusalem could bepurchased for 600 pieces of silver, andhorses could be bought for 150 piecesof silver. Many of these were then resoldto the kings of the Hittites and the kingsof Aram.

2Solomon now decided that the time

had come to build a Temple for theLORD and a royal palace for himself.2He enlisted a force of 70,000 commonlaborers, 80,000 stonecutters in the hillcountry, and 3,600 foremen.3Solomon also sent this message toKing Hiram at Tyre: "Send me cedarlogs like the ones that were supplied tomy father, David, when he was buildinghis palace.4I am about to build a Temple to honorthe name of the LORD my God. It will bea place set apart to burn incense andsweet spices before him, to display thespecial sacrificial bread, and to sacrificeburnt offerings each morning andevening, on the Sabbaths, at new mooncelebrations, and at the other appointedfestivals of the LORD our God. He hascommanded Israel to do these thingsforever.5"This will be a magnificent Templebecause our God is an awesome God,greater than any other.6But who can really build him a worthyhome? Not even the highest heavenscan contain him! So who am I toconsider building a Temple for him,except as a place to burn sacrifices tohim?7"So send me a master craftsman whocan work with gold, silver, bronze, andiron; someone who is expert at dyeingpurple, scarlet, and blue cloth; and askilled engraver who can work with thecraftsmen of Judah and Jerusalem who

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were selected by my father, David.8Also send me cedar, cypress, andalmug logs from Lebanon, for I knowthat your men are without equal atcutting timber. I will send my men tohelp them.9An immense amount of timber will beneeded, for the Temple I am going tobuild will be very large and magnificent.10I will pay your men 100,000 bushels ofcrushed wheat, 100,000 bushels ofbarley, 110,000 gallons of wine, and110,000 gallons of olive oil. "11King Hiram sent this letter of reply toSolomon: "It is because the LORD loveshis people that he has made you theirking!12Blessed be the LORD, the God ofIsrael, who made the heavens and theearth! He has given David a wise son,gifted with skill and understanding, whowill build a Temple for the LORD and aroyal palace for himself.13"I am sending you a master craftsmannamed Huram-abi. He is a brilliant man,14the son of a woman from Dan in Israel;his father is from Tyre. He is skillful atmaking things from gold, silver, bronze,and iron. He also knows all aboutstonework, carpentry, and weaving. Heis an expert in dyeing purple, blue, andscarlet cloth and in working with linen.He is also an engraver and can followany design given to him. He will workwith your craftsmen and thoseappointed by my lord David, your father.15"Send along the wheat, barley, olive oil,and wine that you mentioned.16We will cut whatever timber you needfrom the Lebanon mountains and willfloat the logs in rafts down the coast ofthe Mediterranean Sea to Joppa. Fromthere you can transport the logs up toJerusalem."17Solomon took a census of allforeigners in the land of Israel, like thecensus his father had taken, and hecounted 153,600.18He enlisted 70,000 of them ascommon laborers, 80,000 asstonecutters in the hill country, and3,600 as foremen.

3So Solomon began to build the

Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem onMount Moriah, where the LORD hadappeared to Solomon's father, KingDavid. The Temple was built on thethreshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite,

the site that David had selected.2The construction began in midspring,during the fourth year of Solomon'sreign.3The foundation for the Temple of Godwas ninety feet long and thirty feet wide.4The foyer at the front of the Templewas thirty feet wide, running across theentire width of the Temple. The innerwalls of the foyer and the ceiling wereoverlaid with pure gold. The roof of thefoyer was thirty feet high.5The main room of the Temple waspaneled with cypress wood, overlaidwith pure gold, and decorated withcarvings of palm trees and chains.6The walls of the Temple weredecorated with beautiful jewels and withpure gold from the land of Parvaim.7All the walls, beams, doors, andthresholds throughout the Temple wereoverlaid with gold, and figures ofcherubim were carved on the walls.8The Most Holy Place was thirty feetwide, corresponding to the width of theTemple, and it was also thirty feet deep.Its interior was overlaid with abouttwenty-three tons of pure gold.9They used gold nails that weighedabout twenty ounces each. The walls ofthe upper rooms were also overlaid withpure gold.10Solomon made two figures shaped likecherubim and overlaid them with gold.These were placed in the Most HolyPlace.11The total wingspan of the twocherubim standing side by side was 30feet. One wing of the first figure was 71/2 feet long, and it touched the Templewall. The other wing, also 7 1/2 feet long,touched one of the wings of the secondfigure.12In the same way, the second figurehad one wing 7 1/2 feet long thattouched the opposite wall. The otherwing, also 7 1/2 feet long, touched thewing of the first figure.13So the wingspan of both cherubimtogether was 30 feet. They both stoodand faced out toward the main room ofthe Temple.14Across the entrance of the Most HolyPlace, Solomon hung a curtain made offine linen and blue, purple, and scarletyarn, with figures of cherubimembroidered on it.15For the front of the Temple, Solomonmade two pillars that were 27 feet tall,each topped by a capital extending

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upward another 7 1/2 feet.16He made a network of interwovenchains and used them to decorate thetops of the pillars. He also made onehundred decorative pomegranates andattached them to the chains.17Then he set up the two pillars at theentrance of the Temple, one to thesouth of the entrance and the other tothe north. He named the one on thesouth Jakin, and the one on the northBoaz.

4Solomon also made a bronze altar 30

feet long, 30 feet wide, and 15 feet high.2Then he cast a large round tank, 15feet across from rim to rim; it was calledthe Sea. It was 7 1/2 feet deep andabout 45 feet in circumference.3The Sea was encircled just below itsrim by two rows of figures thatresembled oxen. There were about sixoxen per foot all the way around, andthey had been cast as part of the tank.4The Sea rested on a base of twelvebronze oxen, all facing outward. Threefaced north, three faced west, threefaced south, and three faced east.5The walls of the Sea were about threeinches thick, and its rim flared out like acup and resembled a lily blossom. Itcould hold about 16,500 gallons of water.6He also made ten basins for water towash the offerings, five to the south ofthe Sea and five to the north. Thepriests used the Sea itself, and not thebasins, for their own washing.7Solomon then cast ten gold lampstandsaccording to the specifications that hadbeen given and put them in the Temple.Five were placed against the south wall,and five were placed against the northwall.8He also built ten tables and placedthem in the Temple, five along the southwall and five along the north wall. Thenhe molded one hundred gold basins.9Solomon also built a courtyard for thepriests and the large outer courtyard. Hemade doors for the courtyard entrancesand overlaid them with bronze.10The Sea was placed near thesoutheast corner of the Temple.11Huram-abi also made the necessarypots, shovels, and basins. So at lastHuram-abi completed everything KingSolomon had assigned him to make forthe Temple of God:12two pillars, two bowl-shaped capitals

on top of the pillars, two networks ofchains that decorated the capitals,13four hundred pomegranates that hungfrom the chains on the capitals (tworows of pomegranates for each of thechain networks that were hung aroundthe capitals on top of the pillars),14the water carts holding the basins,15the Sea and the twelve oxen under it,16the pots, the shovels, the meat hooks,and all the related utensils. Huram-abimade all these things out of burnishedbronze for the Temple of the LORD, justas King Solomon had requested.17The king had them cast in clay moldsin the Jordan Valley between Succothand Zarethan.18Such great quantities of bronze wereused that its weight could not bedetermined.19So Solomon made all the furnishingsfor the Temple of God: the gold altar;the tables for the Bread of the Presence;20the lampstands and their lamps ofpure gold to burn in front of the MostHoly Place as prescribed;21the flower decorations, lamps, andtongs, all of pure gold;22the lamp snuffers, basins, dishes, andfirepans, all of pure gold; the doors forthe entrances to the Most Holy Placeand the main room of the Temple,overlaid with gold.

5When Solomon had finished all the

work related to building the Temple ofthe LORD, he brought in the giftsdedicated by his father, King David,including all the silver and gold and allthe utensils. These were stored in thetreasuries of the Temple of God.2Solomon then summoned the leadersof all the tribes and families of Israel toassemble in Jerusalem. They were tobring the Ark of the LORD's covenantfrom its location in the City of David,also known as Zion, to its new place inthe Temple.3They all assembled before the king atthe annual Festival of Shelters in earlyautumn.4When all the leaders of Israel arrived,the Levites moved the Ark,5along with the special tent and all itssacred utensils. The Levitical priestscarried them all up to the Temple.6King Solomon and the entirecommunity of Israel sacrificed sheepand oxen before the Ark in such

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numbers that no one could keep count!7Then the priests carried the Ark of theLORD's covenant into the innersanctuary of the Temple--the Most HolyPlace--and placed it beneath the wingsof the cherubim.8The cherubim spread their wings outover the Ark, forming a canopy over theArk and its carrying poles.9These poles were so long that theirends could be seen from the frontentrance of the Temple's main room--the Holy Place--but not from outside it.They are still there to this day.10Nothing was in the Ark except the twostone tablets that Moses had placedthere at Mount Sinai, when the LORDmade a covenant with the people ofIsrael after they left Egypt.11Then the priests left the Holy Place. Allthe priests who were present hadpurified themselves, whether or not theywere on duty that day.12And the Levites who were musicians--Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and all theirsons and brothers--were dressed in finelinen robes and stood at the east side ofthe altar playing cymbals, harps, andlyres. They were joined by 120 priestswho were playing trumpets.13The trumpeters and singers performedtogether in unison to praise and givethanks to the LORD. Accompanied bytrumpets, cymbals, and otherinstruments, they raised their voices andpraised the LORD with these words: "Heis so good! His faithful love enduresforever!" At that moment a cloud filledthe Temple of the LORD.14The priests could not continue theirwork because the glorious presence ofthe LORD filled the Temple of God.

6Then Solomon prayed, "O LORD,

you have said that you would live inthick darkness.2But I have built a glorious Temple foryou, where you can live forever!"3Then the king turned around to theentire community of Israel standingbefore him and gave this blessing:4"Blessed be the LORD, the God ofIsrael, who has kept the promise hemade to my father, David. For he toldmy father,5'From the day I brought my people outof Egypt, I have never chosen a cityamong the tribes of Israel as the placewhere a temple should be built to honor

my name. Nor have I chosen a king tolead my people Israel.6But now I have chosen Jerusalem asthat city, and David as that king.' "7Then Solomon said, "My father, David,wanted to build this Temple to honor thename of the LORD, the God of Israel.8But the LORD told him, 'It is right foryou to want to build the Temple to honormy name,9but you will not be the one to do it. Oneof your sons will build it instead.'10"And now the LORD has done what hepromised, for I have become king in myfather's place. I have built this Temple tohonor the name of the LORD, the Godof Israel.11There I have placed the Ark, and in theArk is the covenant that the LORD madewith the people of Israel."12Then Solomon stood with his handsspread out before the altar of the LORDin front of the entire community of Israel.13He had made a bronze platform 7 1/2feet long, 7 1/2 feet wide, and 4 1/2 feethigh and had placed it at the center ofthe Temple's outer courtyard. He stoodon the platform before the entireassembly, and then he knelt down andlifted his hands toward heaven.14He prayed, "O LORD, God of Israel,there is no God like you in all of heavenand earth. You keep your promises andshow unfailing love to all who obey youand are eager to do your will.15You have kept your promise to yourservant David, my father. You made thatpromise with your own mouth, and todayyou have fulfilled it with your own hands.16And now, O LORD, God of Israel,carry out your further promise to yourservant David, my father. For you saidto him, 'If your descendants guard theirbehavior and obey my law as you havedone, they will always reign over Israel.'17Now, O LORD, God of Israel, fulfill thispromise to your servant David.18"But will God really live on earthamong people? Why, even the highestheavens cannot contain you. How muchless this Temple I have built!19Listen to my prayer and my request, OLORD my God. Hear the cry and theprayer that your servant is making toyou.20May you watch over this Temple bothday and night, this place where youhave said you would put your name.May you always hear the prayers I maketoward this place.

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21May you hear the humble and earnestrequests from me and your people Israelwhen we pray toward this place. Yes,hear us from heaven where you live,and when you hear, forgive.22"If someone wrongs another personand is required to take an oath ofinnocence in front of the altar at thisTemple,23then hear from heaven and judgebetween your servants--the accuser andthe accused. Punish the guilty party,and acquit the one who is innocent.24"If your people Israel are defeated bytheir enemies because they have sinnedagainst you, and if they turn to you andcall on your name and pray to you herein this Temple,25then hear from heaven and forgivetheir sins and return them to this landyou gave their ancestors.26"If the skies are shut up and there isno rain because your people havesinned against you, and then they praytoward this Temple and confess yourname and turn from their sins becauseyou have punished them,27then hear from heaven and forgive thesins of your servants, your people Israel.Teach them to do what is right, andsend rain on your land that you havegiven to your people as their specialpossession.28"If there is a famine in the land, orplagues, or crop disease, or attacks oflocusts or caterpillars, or if your people'senemies are in the land besieging theirtowns--whatever the trouble is--29and if your people offer a prayerconcerning their troubles or sorrow,raising their hands toward this Temple,30then hear from heaven where you live,and forgive. Give your people whateverthey deserve, for you alone know thehuman heart.31Then they will fear you and walk inyour ways as long as they live in theland you gave to our ancestors.32"And when foreigners hear of you andyour mighty miracles, and they comefrom distant lands to worship your greatname and to pray toward this Temple,33then hear from heaven where you live,and grant what they ask of you. Then allthe people of the earth will come toknow and fear you, just as your ownpeople Israel do. They, too, will knowthat this Temple I have built bears yourname.34"If your people go out at your

command to fight their enemies, and ifthey pray to you toward this city that youhave chosen and toward this Templethat I have built for your name,35then hear their prayers from heavenand uphold their cause.36"If they sin against you--and who hasnever sinned?--you may become angrywith them and let their enemies conquerthem and take them captive to a foreignland far or near.37But in that land of exile, they may turnto you again in repentance and pray,'We have sinned, done evil, and actedwickedly.'38Then if they turn to you with theirwhole heart and soul and pray towardthe land you gave to their ancestors,toward this city you have chosen, andtoward this Temple I have built to honoryour name,39then hear their prayers from heavenwhere you live. Uphold their cause andforgive your people who have sinnedagainst you.40"O my God, be attentive to all theprayers made to you in this place.41And now, O LORD God, arise andenter this resting place of yours, whereyour magnificent Ark has been placed.May your priests, O LORD God, beclothed with salvation, and may yoursaints rejoice in your goodness.42O LORD God, do not reject youranointed one. Remember your unfailinglove for your servant David. "

7When Solomon finished praying, fire

flashed down from heaven and burnedup the burnt offerings and sacrifices,and the glorious presence of the LORDfilled the Temple.2The priests could not even enter theTemple of the LORD because theglorious presence of the LORD filled it.3When all the people of Israel saw thefire coming down and the gloriouspresence of the LORD filling the Temple,they fell face down on the ground andworshiped and praised the LORD,saying, "He is so good! His faithful loveendures forever!"4Then the king and all the people offeredsacrifices to the LORD.5King Solomon offered a sacrifice of22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. Andso the king and all the people dedicatedthe Temple of God.6The priests took their assigned

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positions, and so did the Levites whowere singing, "His faithful love enduresforever!" They accompanied the singingwith music from the instruments KingDavid had made for praising the LORD.On the other side of the Levites, thepriests blew the trumpets, while all Israelstood.7Solomon then dedicated the centralarea of the courtyard in front of theLORD's Temple so they could presentburnt offerings and the fat from peaceofferings there. He did this because thebronze altar he had built could nothandle all the burnt offerings, grainofferings, and sacrificial fat.8For the next seven days theycelebrated the Festival of Shelters withhuge crowds gathered from all the tribesof Israel. They came from as far awayas Lebo-hamath in the north, to thebrook of Egypt in the south.9On the eighth day they had a closingceremony, for they had celebrated thededication of the altar for seven daysand the Festival of Shelters for sevendays.10Then at the end of the celebration,Solomon sent the people home. Theywere all joyful and happy because theLORD had been so good to David andSolomon and to his people Israel.11So Solomon finished building theTemple of the LORD, as well as theroyal palace. He completed everythinghe had planned to do.12Then one night the LORD appeared toSolomon and said, "I have heard yourprayer and have chosen this Temple asthe place for making sacrifices.13At times I might shut up the heavensso that no rain falls, or I might commandlocusts to devour your crops, or I mightsend plagues among you.14Then if my people who are called bymy name will humble themselves andpray and seek my face and turn fromtheir wicked ways, I will hear fromheaven and will forgive their sins andheal their land.15I will listen to every prayer made in thisplace,16for I have chosen this Temple and setit apart to be my home forever. My eyesand my heart will always be here.17"As for you, if you follow me as yourfather, David, did and obey all mycommands, laws, and regulations,18then I will not let anyone take awayyour throne. This is the same promise I

gave your father, David, when I said,'You will never fail to have a successorwho rules over Israel.'19"But if you abandon me and disobeythe laws and commands I have givenyou, and if you go and worship othergods,20then I will uproot the people of Israelfrom this land of mine that I have giventhem. I will reject this Temple that I haveset apart to honor my name. I will makeit a spectacle of contempt among thenations.21And though this Temple is impressivenow, it will become an appalling sight toall who pass by. They will ask, 'Why hasthe LORD done such terrible things tohis land and to his Temple?'22And the answer will be, 'Because hispeople abandoned the LORD, the Godof their ancestors, who brought them outof Egypt, and they worshiped other godsinstead. That is why he brought all thesedisasters upon them.' "

8It was now twenty years since

Solomon had become king, and thegreat building projects of the LORD'sTemple and his own royal palace werecompleted.2Solomon now turned his attention torebuilding the towns that King Hiramhad given him, and he settled Israelitesin them.3It was at this time, too, that Solomonfought against the city of Hamath-zobahand conquered it.4He rebuilt Tadmor in the desert andbuilt towns in the region of Hamath assupply centers.5He fortified the cities of Upper Bethhoronand Lower Beth-horon, rebuildingtheir walls and installing barred gates.6He also rebuilt Baalath and othersupply centers at this time andconstructed cities where his chariotsand horses could be kept. He built to hisheart's content in Jerusalem andLebanon and throughout the entirerealm.7There were still some people living inthe land who were not Israelites,including Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites,Hivites, and Jebusites.8These were descendants of the nationsthat Israel had not completely destroyed.So Solomon conscripted them for hislabor force, and they serve in the laborforce to this day.

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9But Solomon did not conscript any ofthe Israelites for forced labor. Instead,he assigned them to serve as fightingmen, officers in his army, commandersof his chariots, and charioteers.10King Solomon also appointed 250 ofthem to supervise the various projects.11Solomon moved his wife, Pharaoh'sdaughter, from the City of David to thenew palace he had built for her. He said,"My wife must not live in King David'spalace, for the Ark of the LORD hasbeen there, and it is holy ground."12Then Solomon sacrificed burntofferings to the LORD on the altar hehad built in front of the foyer of theTemple.13The number of sacrifices varied fromday to day according to the commandsMoses had given. Extra sacrifices wereoffered on the Sabbaths, on new moonfestivals, and at the three annualfestivals--the Passover celebration, theFestival of Harvest, and the Festival ofShelters.14In assigning the priests to their duties,Solomon followed the regulations of hisfather, David. He also assigned theLevites to lead the people in praise andto assist the priests in their daily duties.And he assigned the gatekeepers totheir gates by their divisions, followingthe commands of David, the man of God.15Solomon did not deviate in any wayfrom David's commands concerning thepriests and Levites and the treasuries.16So Solomon made sure that all thework related to building the Temple ofthe LORD was carried out, from the dayits foundation was laid to the day of itscompletion.17Later Solomon went to Ezion-geberand Elath, ports in the land of Edom,along the shore of the Red Sea.18Hiram sent him ships commanded byhis own officers and manned byexperienced crews of sailors. Theseships sailed to the land of Ophir withSolomon's men and brought back toSolomon almost seventeen tons of gold.

9When the queen of Sheba heard of

Solomon's reputation, she came toJerusalem to test him with hardquestions. She arrived with a largegroup of attendants and a great caravanof camels loaded with spices, hugequantities of gold, and precious jewels.2When she met with Solomon, they

talked about everything she had on hermind. Solomon answered all herquestions; nothing was too hard for himto explain to her.3When the queen of Sheba realized howwise Solomon was, and when she sawthe palace he had built,4she was breathless. She was alsoamazed at the food on his tables, theorganization of his officials and theirsplendid clothing, the cup-bearers andtheir robes, and the burnt offeringsSolomon made at the Temple of theLORD.5She exclaimed to the king, "EverythingI heard in my country about yourachievements and wisdom is true!6I didn't believe it until I arrived here andsaw it with my own eyes. Truly I had notheard the half of it! Your wisdom is fargreater than what I was told.7How happy these people must be!What a privilege for your officials tostand here day after day, listening toyour wisdom!8The LORD your God is great indeed!He delights in you and has placed youon the throne to rule for him. BecauseGod loves Israel so much and desiresthis kingdom to last forever, he hasmade you king so you can rule withjustice and righteousness."9Then she gave the king a gift of ninethousand pounds of gold, and greatquantities of spices and precious jewels.Never before had there been spices asfine as those the queen of Sheba gaveto Solomon.10(When the crews of Hiram andSolomon brought gold from Ophir, theyalso brought rich cargoes of almugwood and precious jewels.11The king used the almug wood tomake steps for the Temple of the LORDand the royal palace, and to constructharps and lyres for the musicians. Neverbefore had there been such beautifulinstruments in Judah.)12King Solomon gave the queen ofSheba whatever she asked for--gifts ofgreater value than the gifts she hadgiven him. Then she and all herattendants left and returned to their ownland.13Each year Solomon received about 25tons of gold.14This did not include the additionalrevenue he received from merchantsand traders. All the kings of Arabia andthe governors of the land also brought

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gold and silver to Solomon.15King Solomon made two hundredlarge shields of hammered gold, eachcontaining over 15 pounds of gold.16He also made three hundred smallershields of hammered gold, eachcontaining about 7 1/2 pounds of gold.The king placed these shields in thePalace of the Forest of Lebanon.17Then the king made a huge ivorythrone and overlaid it with pure gold.18The throne had six steps, and therewas a footstool of gold attached to it. Onboth sides of the seat were armrests,with the figure of a lion standing on eachside of the throne.19Solomon made twelve other lionfigures, one standing on each end ofeach of the six steps. No other throne inall the world could be compared with it!20All of King Solomon's drinking cupswere solid gold, as were all the utensilsin the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.They were not made of silver becausesilver was considered of little value inSolomon's day!21The king had a fleet of trading shipsmanned by the sailors sent by Hiram.Once every three years the shipsreturned, loaded down with gold, silver,ivory, apes, and peacocks.22So King Solomon became richer andwiser than any other king in all the earth.23Kings from every nation came to visithim and to hear the wisdom God hadgiven him.24Year after year, everyone who came tovisit brought him gifts of silver and gold,clothing, weapons, spices, horses, andmules.25Solomon had four thousand stalls forhis chariot horses and twelve thousandhorses. He stationed many of them inthe chariot cities, and some near him inJerusalem.26He ruled over all the kings from theEuphrates River to the land of thePhilistines and the border of Egypt.27The king made silver as plentiful inJerusalem as stones. And valuablecedarwood was as common as thesycamore wood that grows in thefoothills of Judah.28Solomon's horses were imported fromEgypt and many other countries.29The rest of the events of Solomon'sreign, from beginning to end, arerecorded in The Record of Nathan theProphet and in The Prophecy of Ahijahfrom Shiloh, and also in The Visions of

Iddo the Seer, concerning Jeroboamson of Nebat.30Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over allIsrael for forty years.31When he died, he was buried in thecity of his father, David. Then his sonRehoboam became the next king.

10Rehoboam went to Shechem,

where all Israel had gathered to makehim king.2When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard ofSolomon's death, he returned fromEgypt, for he had fled to Egypt toescape from King Solomon.3The leaders of Israel sent for Jeroboam,and he and all Israel went together tospeak with Rehoboam.4"Your father was a hard master," theysaid. "Lighten the harsh labor demandsand heavy taxes that your fatherimposed on us. Then we will be yourloyal subjects."5Rehoboam replied, "Come back inthree days for my answer." So thepeople went away.6Then King Rehoboam went to discussthe matter with the older men who hadcounseled his father, Solomon. "What isyour advice?" he asked. "How should Ianswer these people?"7The older counselors replied, "If youare good to the people and show themkindness and do your best to pleasethem, they will always be your loyalsubjects."8But Rehoboam rejected the advice ofthe elders and instead asked the opinionof the young men who had grown upwith him and who were now his advisers.9"What is your advice?" he asked them."How should I answer these people whowant me to lighten the burdens imposedby my father?"10The young men replied, "This is whatyou should tell those complainers: 'Mylittle finger is thicker than my father'swaist--if you think he was hard on you,just wait and see what I'll be like!11Yes, my father was harsh on you, butI'll be even harsher! My father usedwhips on you, but I'll use scorpions!' "12Three days later, Jeroboam and all thepeople returned to hear Rehoboam'sdecision, just as the king had requested.13But Rehoboam spoke harshly to them,for he rejected the advice of the oldercounselors14and followed the counsel of his

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younger advisers. He told the people,"My father was harsh on you, but I'll beeven harsher! My father used whips onyou, but I'll use scorpions!"15So the king paid no attention to thepeople's demands. This turn of eventswas the will of God, for it fulfilled theprophecy of the LORD spoken toJeroboam son of Nebat by the prophetAhijah from Shiloh.16When all Israel realized that the kinghad rejected their request, they shouted,"Down with David and his dynasty! Wehave no share in Jesse's son! Let's gohome, Israel! Look out for your ownhouse, O David!" So all Israel returnedhome.17But Rehoboam continued to rule overthe Israelites who lived in the towns ofJudah.18King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, whowas in charge of the labor force, torestore order, but the Israelites stonedhim to death. When this news reachedKing Rehoboam, he quickly jumped intohis chariot and fled to Jerusalem.19The northern tribes of Israel haverefused to be ruled by a descendant ofDavid to this day.

11When Rehoboam arrived at

Jerusalem, he mobilized the armies ofJudah and Benjamin--180,000 selecttroops--to fight against the army of Israeland to restore the kingdom to himself.2But the LORD said to Shemaiah, theman of God,3"Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon,king of Judah, and to all the Israelites inJudah and Benjamin:4'This is what the LORD says: Do notfight against your relatives. Go backhome, for what has happened is mydoing!' " So they obeyed the message ofthe LORD and did not fight againstJeroboam.5Rehoboam remained in Jerusalem andfortified various cities for the defense ofJudah.6He built up Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,7Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam,8Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,9Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,10Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron. Thesebecame the fortified cities of Judah andBenjamin.11Rehoboam strengthened theirdefenses and stationed commanders inthem. In each of them, he stored

supplies of food, olive oil, and wine.12He also put shields and spears inthese towns as a further safety measure.So only Judah and Benjamin remainedunder his control.13But all the priests and Levites livingamong the northern tribes of Israel sidedwith Rehoboam.14The Levites even abandoned theirhomes and property and moved toJudah and Jerusalem, becauseJeroboam and his sons would not allowthem to serve the LORD as priests.15Jeroboam appointed his own priests toserve at the pagan shrines, where theyworshiped the goat and calf idols he hadmade.16From all over Israel, those whosincerely wanted to worship the LORD,the God of Israel, followed the Levites toJerusalem, where they could offersacrifices to the LORD, the God of theirancestors.17This strengthened the kingdom ofJudah, and for three years theysupported Rehoboam son of Solomonand earnestly sought to obey the LORDas they had done during the reigns ofDavid and Solomon.18Rehoboam married his cousinMahalath, the daughter of David's sonJerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter ofEliab. (Eliab was one of David's brothers,a son of Jesse.)19Mahalath had three sons--Jeush,Shemariah, and Zaham.20Later Rehoboam married anothercousin, Maacah, the daughter ofAbsalom. Maacah gave birth to Abijah,Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.21Rehoboam loved Maacah more thanany of his other wives and concubines.In all, he had eighteen wives and sixtyconcubines, and they gave birth totwenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.22Rehoboam made Maacah's son Abijahchief among the princes, making it clearthat he would be the next king.23Rehoboam also wisely gaveresponsibilities to his other sons andstationed them in the fortified citiesthroughout the land of Judah andBenjamin. He provided them withgenerous provisions and arranged foreach of them to have several wives.

12But when Rehoboam was firmly

established and strong, he abandonedthe law of the LORD, and all Israel

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followed him in this sin.2Because they were unfaithful to theLORD, King Shishak of Egypt attackedJerusalem in the fifth year of KingRehoboam's reign.3He came with twelve hundred chariots,sixty thousand horsemen, and acountless army of foot soldiers,including Libyans, Sukkites, andEthiopians.4Shishak conquered Judah's fortifiedcities and then advanced to attackJerusalem.5The prophet Shemaiah then met withRehoboam and Judah's leaders, whohad all fled to Jerusalem because ofShishak. Shemaiah told them, "This iswhat the LORD says: You haveabandoned me, so I am abandoning youto Shishak."6The king and the leaders of Israelhumbled themselves and said, "TheLORD is right in doing this to us!"7When the LORD saw their change ofheart, he gave this message toShemaiah: "Since the people havehumbled themselves, I will notcompletely destroy them and will soongive them some relief. I will not useShishak to pour out my anger onJerusalem.8But they will become his subjects, sothat they can learn how much better it isto serve me than to serve earthly rulers."9So King Shishak of Egypt came toJerusalem and took away all thetreasures of the Temple of the LORDand of the royal palace, including all ofSolomon's gold shields.10King Rehoboam later replaced themwith bronze shields and entrusted themto the care of the captain of hisbodyguard.11Whenever the king went to the Templeof the LORD, the guards would carrythem along and then return them to theguardroom.12Because Rehoboam humbled himself,the LORD's anger was turned aside,and he did not destroy him completely.And there was still goodness in the landof Judah.13King Rehoboam firmly establishedhimself in Jerusalem and continued torule. He was forty-one years old whenhe became king, and he reignedseventeen years in Jerusalem, the citythe LORD had chosen from among allthe tribes of Israel as the place to honorhis name. Rehoboam's mother was

Naamah, a woman from Ammon.14But he was an evil king, for he did notseek the LORD with all his heart.15The rest of the events of Rehoboam'sreign, from beginning to end, arerecorded in The Record of Shemaiahthe Prophet and in The Record of Iddothe Seer, which are part of thegenealogical record. Rehoboam andJeroboam were continually at war witheach other.16When Rehoboam died, he was buriedin the City of David. Then his son Abijahbecame the next king.

13Abijah began to rule over Judah in

the eighteenth year of Jeroboam's reignin Israel.2He reigned in Jerusalem three years.His mother was Maacah, a daughter ofUriel from Gibeah. Then war broke outbetween Abijah and Jeroboam.3Judah, led by King Abijah, fielded400,000 seasoned warriors, whileJeroboam mustered 800,000courageous men from Israel.4When the army of Judah arrived in thehill country of Ephraim, Abijah stood onMount Zemaraim and shouted toJeroboam and the Israelite army: "Listento me!5Don't you realize that the LORD, theGod of Israel, made an unbreakablecovenant with David, giving him and hisdescendants the throne of Israelforever?6Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, who was amere servant of David's son Solomon,became a traitor to his master.7Then a whole gang of scoundrelsjoined him, defying Solomon's sonRehoboam when he was young andinexperienced and could not stand up tothem.8Do you really think you can standagainst the kingdom of the LORD that isled by the descendants of David? Yourarmy is vast indeed, but with you arethose gold calves that Jeroboam madeas your gods!9And you have chased away the priestsof the LORD and the Levites and haveappointed your own priests, just like thepagan nations. You let anyone becomea priest these days! Whoever comes tobe dedicated with a young bull andseven rams can become a priest ofthese so-called gods of yours!10"But as for us, the LORD is our God,

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and we have not abandoned him. Onlythe descendants of Aaron serve theLORD as priests, and the Levites alonemay help them in their work.11They present burnt offerings andfragrant incense to the LORD everymorning and evening. They place theBread of the Presence on the holy table,and they light the gold lampstand everyevening. We are following theinstructions of the LORD our God, butyou have abandoned him.12So you see, God is with us. He is ourleader. His priests blow their trumpetsand lead us into battle against you. Opeople of Israel, do not fight against theLORD, the God of your ancestors, foryou will not succeed!"13Meanwhile, Jeroboam had secretlysent part of his army around behind themen of Judah to ambush them.14When Judah realized that they werebeing attacked from the front and therear, they cried out to the LORD for help.Then the priests blew the trumpets,15and the men of Judah began to shout.At the sound of their battle cry, Goddefeated Jeroboam and the Israelitearmy and routed them before Abijah andthe army of Judah.16The Israelite army fled from Judah,and God handed them over to Judah indefeat.17Abijah and his army inflicted heavylosses on them; there were 500,000casualties among Israel's finest troopsthat day.18So Judah defeated Israel becausethey trusted in the LORD, the God oftheir ancestors.19Abijah and his army pursuedJeroboam's troops and captured someof his towns, including Bethel, Jeshanah,and Ephron, along with theirsurrounding villages.20So Jeroboam of Israel never regainedhis power during Abijah's lifetime, andfinally the LORD struck him down andhe died.21By contrast, Abijah of Judah grewmore and more powerful. He marriedfourteen wives and had twenty-two sonsand sixteen daughters.22The rest of the events of Abijah's reign,including his words and deeds, arerecorded in The Commentary of Iddothe Prophet.

14When Abijah died, he was buried

in the City of David. Then his son Asabecame the next king. There was peacein the land for ten years,2for Asa did what was pleasing andgood in the sight of the LORD his God.3He removed the pagan altars and theshrines. He smashed the sacred pillarsand cut down the Asherah poles.4He commanded the people of Judah toseek the LORD, the God of theirancestors, and to obey his law and hiscommands.5Asa also removed the pagan shrines,as well as the incense altars from everyone of Judah's towns. So Asa's kingdomenjoyed a period of peace.6During those peaceful years, he wasable to build up the fortified citiesthroughout Judah. No one tried to makewar against him at this time, for theLORD was giving him rest from hisenemies.7Asa told the people of Judah, "Let usbuild towns and fortify them with walls,towers, gates, and bars. The land isours because we sought the LORD ourGod, and he has given us rest from ourenemies." So they went ahead withthese projects and brought them tocompletion.8King Asa had an army of 300,000warriors from the tribe of Judah, armedwith large shields and spears. He alsohad an army of 280,000 warriors fromthe tribe of Benjamin, armed with smallshields and bows. Both armies werecomposed of courageous fighting men.9Once an Ethiopian named Zerahattacked Judah with an army of a millionmen and three hundred chariots. Theyadvanced to the city of Mareshah,10so Asa deployed his armies for battlein the valley north of Mareshah.11Then Asa cried out to the LORD hisGod, "O LORD, no one but you can helpthe powerless against the mighty! Helpus, O LORD our God, for we trust in youalone. It is in your name that we havecome against this vast horde. O LORD,you are our God; do not let mere menprevail against you!"12So the LORD defeated the Ethiopiansin the presence of Asa and the army ofJudah, and the enemy fled.13Asa and his army pursued them as faras Gerar, and so many Ethiopians fellthat they were unable to rally. Theywere destroyed by the LORD and hisarmy, and the army of Judah carried offvast quantities of plunder.

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14While they were at Gerar, theyattacked all the towns in that area, andterror from the LORD came upon thepeople there. As a result, vast quantitiesof plunder were taken from these towns,too.15They also attacked the camps ofherdsmen and captured many sheepand camels before finally returning toJerusalem.

15Then the Spirit of God came upon

Azariah son of Oded,2and he went out to meet King Asa ashe was returning from the battle. "Listento me, Asa!" he shouted. "Listen, all youpeople of Judah and Benjamin! TheLORD will stay with you as long as youstay with him! Whenever you seek him,you will find him. But if you abandon him,he will abandon you.3For a long time, Israel was without thetrue God, without a priest to teach them,and without God's law.4But whenever you were in distress andturned to the LORD, the God of Israel,and sought him out, you found him.5During those dark times, it was not safeto travel. Problems troubled the nationon every hand.6Nation fought against nation, and cityagainst city, for God was troubling youwith every kind of problem.7And now, you men of Judah, be strongand courageous, for your work will berewarded."8When Asa heard this message fromAzariah the prophet, he took courageand removed all the idols in the land ofJudah and Benjamin and in the townshe had captured in the hill country ofEphraim. And he repaired the altar ofthe LORD, which stood in front of thefoyer of the LORD's Temple.9Then Asa called together all the peopleof Judah and Benjamin, along with thepeople of Ephraim, Manasseh, andSimeon who had settled among them.Many had moved to Judah during Asa'sreign when they saw that the LORD hisGod was with him.10The people gathered at Jerusalem inlate spring, during the fifteenth year ofAsa's reign.11On that day they sacrificed to theLORD some of the animals they hadtaken as plunder in the battle--sevenhundred oxen and seven thousandsheep and goats.

12Then they entered into a covenant toseek the LORD, the God of theirancestors, with all their heart and soul.13They agreed that anyone who refusedto seek the LORD, the God of Israel,would be put to death--whether young orold, man or woman.14They shouted out their oath of loyaltyto the LORD with trumpets blaring andhorns sounding.15All were happy about this covenant, forthey had entered into it with all theirhearts. Eagerly they sought after God,and they found him. And the LORDgave them rest from their enemies onevery side.16King Asa even deposed hisgrandmother Maacah from her positionas queen mother because she hadmade an obscene Asherah pole. He cutdown the pole, broke it up, and burned itin the Kidron Valley.17Although the pagan shrines were notcompletely removed from Israel, Asaremained fully committed to the LORDthroughout his life.18He brought into the Temple of God thesilver and gold and the utensils that heand his father had dedicated.19So there was no more war until thethirty-fifth year of Asa's reign.

16In the thirty-sixth year of Asa's

reign, King Baasha of Israel invadedJudah and fortified Ramah in order toprevent anyone from entering or leavingKing Asa's territory in Judah.2Asa responded by taking the silver andgold from the treasuries of the LORD'sTemple and from the royal palace. Hesent it to King Ben-hadad of Aram, whowas ruling in Damascus, along with thismessage:3"Let us renew the treaty that existedbetween your father and my father. See,I am sending you a gift of silver and gold.Break your treaty with King Baasha ofIsrael so that he will leave me alone."4Ben-hadad agreed to King Asa'srequest and sent his armies to attackIsrael. They conquered the towns of Ijon,Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all thestore cities in Naphtali.5As soon as Baasha of Israel heardwhat was happening, he abandoned hisproject of fortifying Ramah.6Then King Asa called out all the men ofJudah to carry away the building stonesand timbers that Baasha had been using

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to fortify Ramah. Asa used thesematerials to fortify the towns of Gebaand Mizpah.7At that time Hanani the seer came toKing Asa and told him, "Because youhave put your trust in the king of Araminstead of in the LORD your God, youmissed your chance to destroy the armyof the king of Aram.8Don't you remember what happened tothe Ethiopians and Libyans and theirvast army, with all of their chariots andhorsemen ? At that time you relied onthe LORD, and he handed them all overto you.9The eyes of the LORD search thewhole earth in order to strengthen thosewhose hearts are fully committed to him.What a fool you have been! From nowon, you will be at war."10Asa became so angry with Hanani forsaying this that he threw him into prison.At that time, Asa also began to oppresssome of his people.11The rest of the events of Asa's reign,from beginning to end, are recorded inThe Book of the Kings of Judah andIsrael.12In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asadeveloped a serious foot disease. Evenwhen the disease became lifethreatening, he did not seek the LORD'shelp but sought help only from hisphysicians.13So he died in the forty-first year of hisreign.14He was buried in the tomb he hadcarved out for himself in the City ofDavid. He was laid on a bed perfumedwith sweet spices and ointments, and athis funeral the people built a huge fire inhis honor.

17Then Jehoshaphat, Asa's son,

became the next king. He strengthenedJudah to stand against any attack fromIsrael.2He stationed troops in all the fortifiedcities of Judah, and he assignedadditional garrisons to the land of Judahand to the towns of Ephraim that hisfather, Asa, had conquered.3The LORD was with Jehoshaphatbecause he followed the example of hisfather's early years and did not worshipthe images of Baal.4He sought his father's God and obeyedhis commands instead of following thepractices of the kingdom of Israel.

5So the LORD establishedJehoshaphat's control over the kingdomof Judah. All the people of Judahbrought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so hebecame very wealthy and highlyesteemed.6He was committed to the ways of theLORD. He knocked down the paganshrines and destroyed the Asherahpoles.7In the third year of his reign,Jehoshaphat sent out his officials toteach in all the towns of Judah. Theseofficials included Ben-hail, Obadiah,Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah.8He sent Levites along with them,including Shemaiah, Nethaniah,Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth,Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, andTob-adonijah. He also sent out thepriests, Elishama and Jehoram.9They took copies of the Book of theLaw of the LORD and traveled aroundthrough all the towns of Judah, teachingthe people.10Then the fear of the LORD fell over allthe surrounding kingdoms so that noneof them declared war on Jehoshaphat.11Some of the Philistines brought himgifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabsbrought seventy-seven hundred ramsand seventy-seven hundred male goats.12So Jehoshaphat became more andmore powerful and built fortresses andstore cities throughout Judah.13He stored numerous supplies inJudah's towns and stationed an army ofseasoned troops at Jerusalem.14His army was enrolled according toancestral clans. From Judah, there were300,000 troops organized in units of onethousand, under the command of Adnah.15Next in command was Jehohanan,who commanded 280,000 troops.16Next was Amasiah son of Zicri, whovolunteered for the LORD's service, with200,000 troops under his command.17From Benjamin, there were 200,000troops equipped with bows and shields.They were under the command ofEliada, a veteran soldier.18Next in command was Jehozabad,who commanded 180,000 armed men.19These were the troops stationed inJerusalem to serve the king, besidesthose Jehoshaphat stationed in thefortified cities throughout Judah.

18Now Jehoshaphat enjoyed great

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riches and high esteem, and hearranged for his son to marry thedaughter of King Ahab of Israel.2A few years later, he went to Samariato visit Ahab, who prepared a greatbanquet for him and his officials. Theybutchered great numbers of sheep andoxen for the feast. Then Ahab enticedJehoshaphat to join forces with him toattack Ramoth-gilead.3"Will you join me in fighting againstRamoth-gilead?" Ahab asked. AndJehoshaphat replied, "Why, of course!You and I are brothers, and my troopsare yours to command. We will certainlyjoin you in battle."4Then Jehoshaphat added, "But firstlet's find out what the LORD says."5So King Ahab summoned his prophets,four hundred of them, and asked them,"Should we go to war against Ramothgileador not?" They all replied, "Goahead, for God will give you a greatvictory!"6But Jehoshaphat asked, "Isn't there aprophet of the LORD around, too? Iwould like to ask him the samequestion."7King Ahab replied, "There is still oneprophet of the LORD, but I hate him. Henever prophesies anything but bad newsfor me! His name is Micaiah son ofImlah." "You shouldn't talk like that,"Jehoshaphat said. "Let's hear what hehas to say."8So the king of Israel called one of hisofficials and said, "Quick! Go and getMicaiah son of Imlah."9King Ahab of Israel and KingJehoshaphat of Judah, dressed in theirroyal robes, were sitting on thrones atthe threshing floor near the gate ofSamaria. All of Ahab's prophets wereprophesying there in front of them.10One of them, Zedekiah son ofKenaanah, made some iron horns andproclaimed, "This is what the LORDsays: With these horns you will gore theArameans to death!"11All the other prophets agreed. "Yes,"they said, "go up to Ramoth-gilead andbe victorious. The LORD will give you aglorious victory!"12Meanwhile, the messenger who wentto get Micaiah said to him, "Look, all theprophets are promising victory for theking. Be sure that you agree with themand promise success."13But Micaiah replied, "As surely as theLORD lives, I will say only what my God

tells me to say."14When Micaiah arrived before the king,Ahab asked him, "Micaiah, should we goto war against Ramoth-gilead or not?"And Micaiah replied, "Go right ahead! Itwill be a glorious victory!"15But the king replied sharply, "Howmany times must I demand that youspeak only the truth when you speak forthe LORD?"16So Micaiah told him, "In a vision I sawall Israel scattered on the mountains,like sheep without a shepherd. And theLORD said, 'Their master has beenkilled. Send them home in peace.' "17"Didn't I tell you?" the king of Israelsaid to Jehoshaphat. "He does it everytime. He never prophesies anything butbad news for me."18Then Micaiah continued, "Listen towhat the LORD says! I saw the LORDsitting on his throne with all the armiesof heaven on his right and on his left.19And the LORD said, 'Who can enticeKing Ahab of Israel to go into battleagainst Ramoth-gilead so that he can bekilled there?' There were manysuggestions,20until finally a spirit approached theLORD and said, 'I can do it!' " 'How willyou do this?' the LORD asked.21"And the spirit replied, 'I will go out andinspire all Ahab's prophets to speaklies.' " 'You will succeed,' said the LORD.'Go ahead and do it.'22"So you see, the LORD has put a lyingspirit in the mouths of your prophets. Forthe LORD has determined disaster foryou."23Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanahwalked up to Micaiah and slapped himacross the face. "When did the Spirit ofthe LORD leave me to speak to you?"he demanded.24And Micaiah replied, "You will find outsoon enough, when you find yourselfhiding in some secret room!"25King Ahab of Israel then ordered,"Arrest Micaiah and take him back toAmon, the governor of the city, and tomy son Joash.26Give them this order from the king:'Put this man in prison, and feed himnothing but bread and water until Ireturn safely from the battle!' "27But Micaiah replied, "If you returnsafely, the LORD has not spokenthrough me!" Then he added to thosestanding around, "Take note of what Ihave said."

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28So the king of Israel and KingJehoshaphat of Judah led their armiesagainst Ramoth-gilead.29Now King Ahab said to Jehoshaphat,"As we go into battle, I will disguisemyself so no one will recognize me, butyou wear your royal robes." So Ahabdisguised himself, and they went intobattle.30Now the king of Aram had issuedthese orders to his charioteers: "Attackonly the king of Israel!"31So when the Aramean charioteers sawJehoshaphat in his royal robes, theywent after him. "There is the king ofIsrael!" they shouted. But Jehoshaphatcried out to the LORD to save him, andGod helped him by turning the attackaway from him.32As soon as the charioteers realized hewas not the king of Israel, they stoppedchasing him.33An Aramean soldier, however,randomly shot an arrow at the Israelitetroops, and the arrow hit the king ofIsrael between the joints of his armor."Get me out of here!" Ahab groaned tothe driver of his chariot. "I have beenbadly wounded!"34The battle raged all that day, and Ahabpropped himself up in his chariot facingthe Arameans until evening. Then, justas the sun was setting, he died.

19When King Jehoshaphat of Judah

arrived safely home to Jerusalem,2Jehu son of Hanani the seer went outto meet him. "Why should you help thewicked and love those who hate theLORD?" he asked the king. "What youhave done has brought the LORD'sanger against you.3There is some good in you, however,for you have removed the Asherahpoles throughout the land, and you havecommitted yourself to seeking God."4So Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, buthe went out among the people, travelingfrom Beersheba to the hill country ofEphraim, encouraging the people toreturn to the LORD, the God of theirancestors.5He appointed judges throughout thenation in all the fortified cities,6and he gave them these instructions:"Always think carefully beforepronouncing judgment. Remember thatyou do not judge to please people but toplease the LORD. He will be with you

when you render the verdict in eachcase that comes before you.7Fear the LORD and judge with care, forthe LORD our God does not tolerateperverted justice, partiality, or the takingof bribes."8Jehoshaphat appointed some of theLevites and priests and clan leaders inIsrael to serve as judges in Jerusalemfor cases concerning both the law of theLORD and civil disputes.9These were his instructions to them:"You must always act in the fear of theLORD, with integrity and with undividedhearts.10Whenever a case comes to you fromfellow citizens in an outlying town,whether a murder case or some otherviolation of God's instructions,commands, laws, or regulations, youmust warn them not to sin against theLORD, so that his anger will not comeagainst you and them. Do this and youwill not be guilty.11"Amariah the high priest will have finalsay in all cases concerning the LORD.Zebadiah son of Ishmael, a leader fromthe tribe of Judah, will have final say inall civil cases. The Levites will assist youin making sure that justice is served.Take courage as you fulfill your duties,and may the LORD be with those whodo what is right."

20After this, the armies of the

Moabites, Ammonites, and some of theMeunites declared war on Jehoshaphat.2Messengers came and toldJehoshaphat, "A vast army from Edomis marching against you from beyondthe Dead Sea. They are already atHazazon-tamar." (This was anothername for En-gedi.)3Jehoshaphat was alarmed by this newsand sought the LORD for guidance. Healso gave orders that everyonethroughout Judah should observe a fast.4So people from all the towns of Judahcame to Jerusalem to seek the LORD.5Jehoshaphat stood before the people ofJudah and Jerusalem in front of the newcourtyard at the Temple of the LORD.6He prayed, "O LORD, God of ourancestors, you alone are the God who isin heaven. You are ruler of all thekingdoms of the earth. You are powerfuland mighty; no one can stand againstyou!7O our God, did you not drive out those

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who lived in this land when your peoplearrived? And did you not give this landforever to the descendants of your friendAbraham?8Your people settled here and built thisTemple for you.9They said, 'Whenever we are facedwith any calamity such as war, disease,or famine, we can come to stand in yourpresence before this Temple where yourname is honored. We can cry out to youto save us, and you will hear us andrescue us.'10"And now see what the armies ofAmmon, Moab, and Mount Seir aredoing. You would not let our ancestorsinvade those nations when Israel leftEgypt, so they went around them anddid not destroy them.11Now see how they reward us! For theyhave come to throw us out of your land,which you gave us as an inheritance.12O our God, won't you stop them? Weare powerless against this mighty armythat is about to attack us. We do notknow what to do, but we are looking toyou for help."13As all the men of Judah stood beforethe LORD with their little ones, wives,and children,14the Spirit of the LORD came upon oneof the men standing there. His namewas Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son ofBenaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah,a Levite who was a descendant ofAsaph.15He said, "Listen, King Jehoshaphat!Listen, all you people of Judah andJerusalem! This is what the LORD says:Do not be afraid! Don't be discouragedby this mighty army, for the battle is notyours, but God's.16Tomorrow, march out against them.You will find them coming up throughthe ascent of Ziz at the end of the valleythat opens into the wilderness of Jeruel.17But you will not even need to fight.Take your positions; then stand still andwatch the LORD's victory. He is with you,O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Donot be afraid or discouraged. Go outthere tomorrow, for the LORD is withyou!"18Then King Jehoshaphat bowed downwith his face to the ground. And all thepeople of Judah and Jerusalem did thesame, worshiping the LORD.19Then the Levites from the clans ofKohath and Korah stood to praise theLORD, the God of Israel, with a very

loud shout.20Early the next morning the army ofJudah went out into the wilderness ofTekoa. On the way Jehoshaphatstopped and said, "Listen to me, all youpeople of Judah and Jerusalem! Believein the LORD your God, and you will beable to stand firm. Believe in hisprophets, and you will succeed."21After consulting the leaders of thepeople, the king appointed singers towalk ahead of the army, singing to theLORD and praising him for his holysplendor. This is what they sang: "Givethanks to the LORD; his faithful loveendures forever!"22At the moment they began to sing andgive praise, the LORD caused thearmies of Ammon, Moab, and MountSeir to start fighting among themselves.23The armies of Moab and Ammonturned against their allies from MountSeir and killed every one of them. Afterthey had finished off the army of Seir,they turned on each other.24So when the army of Judah arrived atthe lookout point in the wilderness, therewere dead bodies lying on the groundfor as far as they could see. Not a singleone of the enemy had escaped.25King Jehoshaphat and his men wentout to gather the plunder. They foundvast amounts of equipment, clothing,and other valuables--more than theycould carry. There was so much plunderthat it took them three days just tocollect it all!26On the fourth day they gathered in theValley of Blessing, which got its namethat day because the people praisedand thanked the LORD there. It is stillcalled the Valley of Blessing today.27Then they returned to Jerusalem, withJehoshaphat leading them, full of joythat the LORD had given them victoryover their enemies.28They marched into Jerusalem to themusic of harps, lyres, and trumpets andproceeded to the Temple of the LORD.29When the surrounding kingdoms heardthat the LORD himself had foughtagainst the enemies of Israel, the fear ofGod came over them.30So Jehoshaphat's kingdom was atpeace, for his God had given him reston every side.31So Jehoshaphat ruled over the land ofJudah. He was thirty-five years old whenhe became king, and he reigned inJerusalem twenty-five years. His mother

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was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.32Jehoshaphat was a good king,following the ways of his father, Asa. Hedid what was pleasing in the LORD'ssight.33During his reign, however, he failed toremove all the pagan shrines, and thepeople never fully committedthemselves to following the God of theirancestors.34The rest of the events ofJehoshaphat's reign, from beginning toend, are recorded in The Record ofJehu Son of Hanani, which is included inThe Book of the Kings of Israel.35But near the end of his life, KingJehoshaphat of Judah made an alliancewith King Ahaziah of Israel, who was avery wicked man.36Together they built a fleet of tradingships at the port of Ezion-geber.37Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu fromMareshah prophesied againstJehoshaphat. He said, "Because youhave allied yourself with King Ahaziah,the LORD will destroy your work." Sothe ships met with disaster and neverput out to sea.

21When Jehoshaphat died, he was

buried with his ancestors in the City ofDavid. Then his son Jehoram becamethe next king.2Jehoram's brothers--the other sons ofJehoshaphat--were Azariah, Jehiel,Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, andShephatiah.3Their father had given each of themvaluable gifts of silver, gold, and costlyitems, and also the ownership of someof Judah's fortified cities. However,Jehoram became king because he wasthe oldest.4But when Jehoram had become solidlyestablished as king, he killed all hisbrothers and some of the other leadersof Israel.5Jehoram was thirty-two years old whenhe became king, and he reigned inJerusalem eight years.6But Jehoram followed the example ofthe kings of Israel and was as wicked asKing Ahab, for he had married one ofAhab's daughters. So Jehoram did whatwas evil in the LORD's sight.7But the LORD was not willing to destroyDavid's dynasty, for he had made acovenant with David and promised thathis descendants would continue to rule

forever.8During Jehoram's reign, the Edomitesrevolted against Judah and crownedtheir own king.9So Jehoram went to attack Edom withhis full army and all his chariots. TheEdomites surrounded him and hischarioteers, but he escaped at nightunder cover of darkness.10Edom has been independent fromJudah to this day. The town of Libnahrevolted about that same time, becauseJehoram had abandoned the LORD, theGod of his ancestors.11He had built pagan shrines in the hillcountry of Judah and had led the peopleof Jerusalem and Judah to givethemselves to pagan gods.12Then Elijah the prophet wrote Jehoramthis letter: "This is what the LORD, theGod of your ancestor David, says: Youhave not followed the good example ofyour father, Jehoshaphat, or yourgrandfather King Asa of Judah.13Instead, you have been as evil as thekings of Israel. You have led the peopleof Jerusalem and Judah to worship idols,just as King Ahab did in Israel. And youhave even killed your own brothers, menwho were better than you.14So now the LORD is about to strikeyou, your people, your children, yourwives, and all that is yours with a heavyblow.15You yourself will be stricken with asevere intestinal disease until it causesyour bowels to come out."16Then the LORD stirred up thePhilistines and the Arabs, who livednear the Ethiopians, to attack Jehoram.17They marched against Judah, brokedown its defenses, and carried awayeverything of value in the royal palace,including his sons and his wives. Onlyhis youngest son, Ahaziah, was spared.18It was after this that the LORD struckJehoram with the severe intestinaldisease.19In the course of time, at the end of twoyears, the disease caused his bowels tocome out, and he died in agony. Hispeople did not build a great fire to honorhim at his funeral as they had done forhis ancestors.20Jehoram was thirty-two years oldwhen he became king, and he reignedin Jerusalem eight years. No one wassorry when he died. He was buried inthe City of David, but not in the royalcemetery.

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22Then the people of Jerusalem

made Ahaziah, Jehoram's youngest son,their next king. The marauding bands ofArabs had killed all the older sons. SoAhaziah son of Jehoram reigned as kingof Judah.2Ahaziah was twenty-two years oldwhen he became king, and he reignedin Jerusalem one year. His mother wasAthaliah, a granddaughter of King Omriof Israel.3Ahaziah also followed the evil exampleof King Ahab's family, for his motherencouraged him in doing wrong.4He did what was evil in the LORD'ssight, just as Ahab had done. After thedeath of his father, members of Ahab'sfamily became his advisers, and theyled him to ruin.5Following their evil advice, Ahaziahmade an alliance with King Joram, theson of King Ahab of Israel. They wentout to fight King Hazael of Aram atRamoth-gilead, and the Arameanswounded Joram in the battle.6Joram returned to Jezreel to recoverfrom his wounds, and King Ahaziah ofJudah went to Jezreel to visit him.7But this turned out to be a fatal mistake,for God had decided to punish Ahaziah.It was during this visit that Ahaziah wentout with Joram to meet Jehu son ofNimshi, whom the LORD had appointedto end the dynasty of Ahab.8While Jehu was executing judgmentagainst the family of Ahab, he happenedto meet some of Judah's officials andAhaziah's relatives who were attendingAhaziah. So Jehu killed them all.9Then Jehu's men searched for Ahaziah,and they found him hiding in the city ofSamaria. They brought him to Jehu,who killed him. Ahaziah was given adecent burial because the people said,"He was the grandson of Jehoshaphat--a man who sought the LORD with all hisheart." None of the surviving membersof Ahaziah's family was capable of rulingthe kingdom.10When Athaliah, the mother of KingAhaziah of Judah, learned that her sonwas dead, she set out to destroy therest of Judah's royal family.11But Ahaziah's sister Jehosheba, thedaughter of King Jehoram, tookAhaziah's infant son, Joash, and stolehim away from among the rest of theking's children, who were about to be

killed. She put Joash and his nurse in abedroom. In this way, Jehosheba, thewife of Jehoiada the priest, hid the childso that Athaliah could not murder him.12Joash remained hidden in the Templeof God for six years while Athaliah ruledover the land.

23In the seventh year of Athaliah's

reign, Jehoiada the priest decided to act.He got up his courage and made a pactwith five army commanders: Azariahson of Jeroham, Ishmael son ofJehohanan, Azariah son of Obed,Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphatson of Zicri.2These men traveled secretly throughoutJudah and summoned the Levites andclan leaders in Judah's towns to come toJerusalem.3They all gathered at the Temple of God,where they made a covenant with Joash,the young king. Jehoiada said to them,"The time has come for the king's son toreign! The LORD has promised that adescendant of David will be our king.4This is what you must do. When thepriests and Levites come on duty on theSabbath, a third of them will serve asgatekeepers.5Another third will go over to the royalpalace, and the final third will be at theFoundation Gate. Everyone else shouldstay in the courtyards of the LORD'sTemple.6Remember, only the priests and Leviteson duty may enter the Temple of theLORD, for they are set apart as holy.The rest of the people must obey theLORD's instructions and stay outside.7You Levites, form a bodyguard for theking and keep your weapons in hand.Any unauthorized person who enters theTemple must be killed. Stay right besidethe king at all times."8So the Levites and the people dideverything just as Jehoiada the priestordered. The commanders took chargeof the men reporting for duty thatSabbath, as well as those who weregoing off duty. Jehoiada the priest didnot let anyone go home after their shiftended.9Then Jehoiada supplied thecommanders with the spears andshields that had once belonged to KingDavid and were stored in the Temple ofGod.10He stationed the guards around the

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king, with their weapons ready. Theyformed a line from the south side of theTemple around to the north side and allaround the altar.11Then Jehoiada and his sons broughtout Joash, the king's son, and placedthe crown on his head. They presentedJoash with a copy of God's laws andproclaimed him king. Then theyanointed him, and everyone shouted,"Long live the king!"12When Athaliah heard the noise of thepeople running and the shouts of praiseto the king, she hurried to the LORD'sTemple to see what was happening.13And she saw the newly crowned kingstanding in his place of authority by thepillar at the Temple entrance. Theofficers and trumpeters weresurrounding him, and people from allover the land were rejoicing and blowingtrumpets. Singers with musicalinstruments were leading the people in agreat celebration. When Athaliah saw allthis, she tore her clothes in despair andshouted, "Treason! Treason!"14Then Jehoiada the priest ordered thecommanders who were in charge of thetroops, "Take her out of the Temple, andkill anyone who tries to rescue her. Donot kill her here in the Temple of theLORD."15So they seized her and led her out tothe gate where horses enter the palacegrounds, and they killed her there.16Then Jehoiada made a covenantbetween himself and the king and thepeople that they would be the LORD'speople.17And all the people went over to thetemple of Baal and tore it down. Theydemolished the altars and smashed theidols, and they killed Mattan the priest ofBaal in front of the altars.18Jehoiada now put the Levitical priestsin charge of the Temple of the LORD,following all the instructions given byDavid. He also commanded them topresent burnt offerings to the LORD, asprescribed by the law of Moses, and tosing and rejoice as David had instructed.19He stationed gatekeepers at the gatesof the LORD's Temple to keep thosewho were ceremonially unclean fromentering.20Then the commanders, nobles, rulers,and all the people escorted the kingfrom the Temple of the LORD. Theywent through the Upper Gate and intothe palace, and they seated the king on

the royal throne.21So all the people of the land rejoiced,and the city was peaceful becauseAthaliah had been killed.

24Joash was seven years old when

he became king, and he reigned inJerusalem forty years. His mother wasZibiah, from Beersheba.2Joash did what was pleasing in theLORD's sight throughout the lifetime ofJehoiada the priest.3Jehoiada chose two wives for Joash,and he had sons and daughters.4Some time later, Joash decided torepair and restore the Temple of theLORD.5He summoned the priests and Levitesand gave them these instructions: "Goat once to all the towns of Judah andcollect the required annual offerings, sothat we can repair the Temple of yourGod. Do not delay!" But the Levites didnot act right away.6So the king called for Jehoiada the highpriest and asked him, "Why haven't youdemanded that the Levites go out andcollect the Temple taxes from the townsof Judah and from Jerusalem? Moses,the servant of the LORD, levied this taxon the community of Israel in order tomaintain the Tabernacle of theCovenant. "7Over the years, the followers of wickedAthaliah had broken into the Temple ofGod, and they had used all thededicated things from the Temple of theLORD to worship the images of Baal.8So now Joash gave instructions for achest to be made and set outside thegate leading to the Temple of the LORD.9Then a proclamation was sentthroughout Judah and Jerusalem, tellingthe people to bring to the LORD the taxthat Moses, the servant of God, hadrequired of the Israelites in thewilderness.10This pleased all the leaders and thepeople, and they gladly brought theirmoney and filled the chest with it.11Whenever the chest became full, theLevites carried it to the king's officials.Then the court secretary and an officerof the high priest counted the moneyand took the chest back to the Templeagain. This went on day after day, and alarge amount of money was collected.12The king and Jehoiada gave themoney to the construction supervisors,

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who hired masons and carpenters torestore the Temple of the LORD. Theyalso hired metalworkers, who madearticles of iron and bronze for theLORD's Temple.13So the men in charge of the renovationworked hard, and they made steadyprogress. They restored the Temple ofGod according to its original design andstrengthened it.14When all the repairs were finished,they brought the remaining money to theking and Jehoiada. It was used to makeutensils for the Temple of the LORD--utensils for worship services and forburnt offerings, including ladles andother vessels made of gold and silver.And the burnt offerings were sacrificedcontinually in the Temple of the LORDduring the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest.15Jehoiada lived to a very old age, finallydying at 130.16He was buried among the kings in theCity of David, because he had done somuch good in Israel for God and hisTemple.17But after Jehoiada's death, the leadersof Judah came and bowed before KingJoash and persuaded the king to listento their advice.18They decided to abandon the Templeof the LORD, the God of their ancestors,and they worshiped Asherah poles andidols instead! Then the anger of Godburned against Judah and Jerusalembecause of their sin.19The LORD sent prophets to bring themback to him, but the people would notlisten.20Then the Spirit of God came uponZechariah son of Jehoiada the priest.He stood before the people and said,"This is what God says: Why do youdisobey the LORD's commands so thatyou cannot prosper? You haveabandoned the LORD, and now he hasabandoned you!"21Then the leaders plotted to killZechariah, and by order of King Joashhimself, they stoned him to death in thecourtyard of the LORD's Temple.22That was how King Joash repaidJehoiada for his love and loyalty--bykilling his son. Zechariah's last words ashe died were, "May the LORD see whatthey are doing and hold themaccountable!"23At the beginning of the year, theAramean army marched against Joash.They invaded Judah and Jerusalem and

killed all the leaders of the nation. Thenthey sent all the plunder back to theirking in Damascus.24Although the Arameans attacked withonly a small army, the LORD helpedthem conquer the much larger army ofJudah. The people of Judah hadabandoned the LORD, the God of theirancestors, so judgment was executedagainst Joash.25The Arameans withdrew, leavingJoash severely wounded. But his ownofficials decided to kill him for murderingthe son of Jehoiada the priest. Theyassassinated him as he lay in bed. Thenhe was buried in the City of David, butnot in the royal cemetery.26The assassins were Jozabad, the sonof an Ammonite woman namedShimeath, and Jehozabad, the son of aMoabite woman named Shomer.27The complete story about the sons ofJoash, the prophecies about him, andthe record of his restoration of theTemple of God are written in TheCommentary on the Book of the Kings.When Joash died, his son Amaziahbecame the next king.

25Amaziah was twenty-five years

old when he became king, and hereigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years.His mother was Jehoaddin, fromJerusalem.2Amaziah did what was pleasing in theLORD's sight, but not wholeheartedly.3When Amaziah was well established asking, he executed the men who hadassassinated his father.4However, he did not kill the children ofthe assassins, for he obeyed thecommand of the LORD written in theBook of the Law of Moses: "Parentsmust not be put to death for the sins oftheir children, nor the children for thesins of their parents. Those worthy ofdeath must be executed for their owncrimes."5Another thing Amaziah did was toorganize the army, assigning leaders toeach clan from Judah and Benjamin.Then he took a census and found thathe had an army of 300,000 men twentyyears old and older, all trained in theuse of spear and shield.6He also paid about 7,500 pounds ofsilver to hire 100,000 experiencedfighting men from Israel.7But a man of God came to the king and

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said, "O king, do not hire troops fromIsrael, for the LORD is not with Israel.He will not help those people ofEphraim!8If you let them go with your troops intobattle, you will be defeated no matterhow well you fight. God will overthrowyou, for he has the power to help or tofrustrate."9Amaziah asked the man of God, "Butwhat should I do about the silver I paidto hire the army of Israel?" The man ofGod replied, "The LORD is able to giveyou much more than this!"10So Amaziah discharged the hiredtroops and sent them back to Ephraim.This made them angry with Judah, andthey returned home in a great rage.11Then Amaziah summoned his courageand led his army to the Valley of Salt,where they killed ten thousand Edomitetroops from Seir.12They captured another ten thousandand took them to the top of a cliff andthrew them off, dashing them to pieceson the rocks below.13Meanwhile, the hired troops thatAmaziah had sent home raided severalof the towns of Judah between Samariaand Beth-horon, killing three thousandpeople and carrying off great quantitiesof plunder.14When King Amaziah returned fromdefeating the Edomites, he brought withhim idols taken from the people of Seir.He set them up as his own gods, boweddown in front of them, and presentedsacrifices to them!15This made the LORD very angry, andhe sent a prophet to ask, "Why have youworshiped gods who could not evensave their own people from you?"16But the king interrupted him and said,"Since when have I asked your advice?Be quiet now before I have you killed!"So the prophet left with this warning: "Iknow that God has determined todestroy you because you have done thisand have not accepted my counsel."17After consulting with his advisers, KingAmaziah of Judah sent this challenge toIsrael's king Jehoash, the son ofJehoahaz and grandson of Jehu: "Comeand meet me in battle!"18But King Jehoash of Israel replied toKing Amaziah of Judah with this story:"Out in the Lebanon mountains, a thistlesent a message to a mighty cedar tree:'Give your daughter in marriage to myson.' But just then a wild animal came

by and stepped on the thistle, crushingit!19You may be very proud of yourconquest of Edom, but my advice is tostay home. Why stir up trouble that willbring disaster on you and the people ofJudah?"20But Amaziah would not listen, for Godwas arranging to destroy him forworshiping the gods of Edom.21So King Jehoash of Israel mobilizedhis army against King Amaziah of Judah.The two armies drew up their battle linesat Beth-shemesh in Judah.22Judah was routed by the army of Israel,and its army scattered and fled for home.23King Jehoash of Israel captured KingAmaziah of Judah at Beth-shemesh andbrought him back to Jerusalem. ThenJehoash ordered his army to demolishsix hundred feet of Jerusalem's wall,from the Ephraim Gate to the CornerGate.24He carried off all the gold and silverand all the utensils from the Temple ofGod that had been in the care of Obededom.He also seized the treasures ofthe royal palace, along with hostages,and then returned to Samaria.25King Amaziah of Judah lived on forfifteen years after the death of KingJehoash of Israel.26The rest of the events of Amaziah'sreign, from beginning to end, arerecorded in The Book of the Kings ofJudah and Israel.27After Amaziah turned away from theLORD, there was a conspiracy againsthis life in Jerusalem, and he fled toLachish. But his enemies sent assassinsafter him, and they killed him there.28They brought him back to Jerusalemon a horse, and he was buried with hisancestors in the City of David.

26The people of Judah then

crowned Amaziah's sixteen-year-old son,Uzziah, as their next king.2After his father's death, Uzziah rebuiltthe town of Elath and restored it toJudah.3Uzziah was sixteen when he becameking, and he reigned in Jerusalem fiftytwoyears. His mother was Jecoliah,from Jerusalem.4He did what was pleasing in theLORD's sight, just as his father,Amaziah, had done.5Uzziah sought God during the days of

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Zechariah, who instructed him in thefear of God. And as long as the kingsought the LORD, God gave himsuccess.6He declared war on the Philistines andbroke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh,and Ashdod. Then he built new towns inthe Ashdod area and in other parts ofPhilistia.7God helped him not only with his warsagainst the Philistines, but also in hisbattles with the Arabs of Gur and in hiswars with the Meunites.8The Meunites paid annual tribute to him,and his fame spread even to Egypt, forhe had become very powerful.9Uzziah built fortified towers inJerusalem at the Corner Gate, at theValley Gate, and at the angle in the wall.10He also constructed forts in thewilderness and dug many water cisterns,because he kept great herds of livestockin the foothills of Judah and on theplains. He was also a man who lovedthe soil. He had many workers whocared for his farms and vineyards, bothon the hillsides and in the fertile valleys.11Uzziah had an army of well-trainedwarriors, ready to march into battle, unitby unit. This great army of fighting menhad been mustered and organized byJeiel, the secretary of the army, and hisassistant, Maaseiah. They were underthe direction of Hananiah, one of theking's officials.12Twenty-six hundred clan leaderscommanded these regiments ofseasoned warriors.13The army consisted of 307,500 men,all elite troops. They were prepared toassist the king against any enemy.14Uzziah provided the entire army withshields, spears, helmets, coats of mail,bows, and sling stones.15And he produced machines mountedon the walls of Jerusalem, designed bybrilliant men to shoot arrows and hurlstones from the towers and the cornersof the wall. His fame spread far andwide, for the LORD helped himwonderfully until he became verypowerful.16But when he had become powerful, healso became proud, which led to hisdownfall. He sinned against the LORDhis God by entering the sanctuary of theLORD's Temple and personally burningincense on the altar.17Azariah the high priest went in afterhim with eighty other priests of the

LORD, all brave men.18They confronted King Uzziah and said,"It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incenseto the LORD. That is the work of thepriests alone, the sons of Aaron who areset apart for this work. Get out of thesanctuary, for you have sinned. TheLORD God will not honor you for this!"19Uzziah was furious and refused to setdown the incense burner he was holding.But as he was standing there with thepriests before the incense altar in theLORD's Temple, leprosy suddenly brokeout on his forehead.20When Azariah and the other priestssaw the leprosy, they rushed him out.And the king himself was eager to getout because the LORD had struck him.21So King Uzziah had leprosy until theday he died. He lived in isolation,excluded from the Temple of the LORD.His son Jotham was put in charge of theroyal palace, and he governed thepeople of the land.22The rest of the events of Uzziah'sreign, from beginning to end, arerecorded by the prophet Isaiah son ofAmoz.23So Uzziah died, and since he hadleprosy, he was buried nearby in a burialfield belonging to the kings. Then hisson Jotham became the next king.

27Jotham was twenty-five years old

when he became king, and he reignedin Jerusalem sixteen years. His motherwas Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.2He did what was pleasing in theLORD's sight, just as his father, Uzziah,had done. But unlike him, Jotham didnot enter the Temple of the LORD.Nevertheless, the people continued intheir corrupt ways.3Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate to theLORD's Temple and also did extensiverebuilding on the wall at the hill of Ophel.4He built towns in the hill country ofJudah and constructed fortresses andtowers in the wooded areas.5Jotham waged war against theAmmonites and conquered them. Forthe next three years, he received fromthem an annual tribute of 7,500 poundsof silver, 50,000 bushels of wheat, and50,000 bushels of barley.6King Jotham became powerful becausehe was careful to live in obedience tothe LORD his God.7The rest of the events of Jotham's reign,

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including his wars and other activities,are recorded in The Book of the Kings ofIsrael and Judah.8He was twenty-five years old when hebecame king, and he reigned inJerusalem sixteen years.9When he died, he was buried in theCity of David, and his son Ahaz becamethe next king.

28Ahaz was twenty years old when

he became king, and he reigned inJerusalem sixteen years. He did not dowhat was pleasing in the sight of theLORD, as his ancestor David had done.2Instead, he followed the example of thekings of Israel and cast images for theworship of Baal.3He offered sacrifices in the valley of theson of Hinnom, even sacrificing his ownsons in the fire. He imitated thedetestable practices of the pagannations whom the LORD had drivenfrom the land ahead of the Israelites.4He offered sacrifices and burnedincense at the pagan shrines and on thehills and under every green tree.5That is why the LORD his God allowedthe king of Aram to defeat Ahaz and toexile large numbers of his people toDamascus. The armies of Israel alsodefeated Ahaz and inflicted manycasualties on his army.6In a single day Pekah son of Remaliah,Israel's king, killed 120,000 of Judah'stroops because they had abandoned theLORD, the God of their ancestors.7Then Zicri, a warrior from Ephraim,killed Maaseiah, the king's son; Azrikam,the king's palace commander; andElkanah, the king's second-in-command.8The armies of Israel captured 200,000women and children from Judah andtook tremendous amounts of plunder,which they took back to Samaria.9But a prophet of the LORD namedOded was there in Samaria when thearmy of Israel returned home. He wentout to meet them and said, "The LORD,the God of your ancestors, was angrywith Judah and let you defeat them. Butyou have gone too far, killing themwithout mercy, and all heaven isdisturbed.10And now you are planning to makeslaves of these people from Judah andJerusalem. What about your own sinsagainst the LORD your God?11Listen to me and return these captives

you have taken, for they are your ownrelatives. Watch out, because now theLORD's fierce anger has been turnedagainst you!"12Then some of the leaders of Israel --Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berekiahson of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son ofShallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai--agreed with this and confronted the menreturning from battle.13"You must not bring the prisonershere!" they declared. "We cannot affordto add to our sins and guilt. Our guilt isalready great, and the LORD's fierceanger is already turned against Israel."14So the warriors released the prisonersand handed over the plunder in the sightof all the leaders and people.15Then the four men mentioned by namecame forward and distributed clothesfrom the plunder to the prisoners whowere naked. They provided clothing andsandals to wear, gave them enoughfood and drink, and dressed theirwounds with olive oil. They put thosewho were weak on donkeys and took allthe prisoners back to their own land--toJericho, the city of palms. Then theyreturned to Samaria.16About that time King Ahaz of Judahasked the king of Assyria for helpagainst his enemies.17The armies of Edom had againinvaded Judah and taken captives.18And the Philistines had raided townslocated in the foothills of Judah and inthe Negev. They had already capturedBeth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Socowith its villages, Timnah with its villages,and Gimzo with its villages, and thePhilistines had occupied these towns.19The LORD was humbling Judahbecause of King Ahaz of Judah, for hehad encouraged his people to sin andhad been utterly unfaithful to the LORD.20So when King Tiglath-pileser ofAssyria arrived, he oppressed KingAhaz instead of helping him.21Ahaz took valuable items from theLORD's Temple, the royal palace, andfrom the homes of his officials and gavethem to the king of Assyria as tribute.But even this did not help him.22And when trouble came to King Ahaz,he became even more unfaithful to theLORD.23He offered sacrifices to the gods ofDamascus who had defeated him, for hesaid, "These gods helped the kings ofAram, so they will help me, too, if I

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sacrifice to them." But instead, they ledto his ruin and the ruin of all Israel.24The king took the utensils from theTemple of God and broke them intopieces. He shut the doors of the LORD'sTemple so that no one could worshipthere and then set up altars to pagangods in every corner of Jerusalem.25He made pagan shrines in all thetowns of Judah for offering sacrifices toother gods. In this way, he aroused theanger of the LORD, the God of hisancestors.26The rest of the events of Ahaz's reignand all his dealings, from beginning toend, are recorded in The Book of theKings of Judah and Israel.27When King Ahaz died, he was buriedin Jerusalem but not in the royalcemetery. Then his son Hezekiahbecame the next king.

29Hezekiah was twenty-five years

old when he became the king of Judah,and he reigned in Jerusalem twentynineyears. His mother was Abijah, thedaughter of Zechariah.2He did what was pleasing in theLORD's sight, just as his ancestor Davidhad done.3In the very first month of the first year ofhis reign, Hezekiah reopened the doorsof the Temple of the LORD and repairedthem.4He summoned the priests and Levitesto meet him at the courtyard east of theTemple.5He said to them, "Listen to me, youLevites! Purify yourselves, and purify theTemple of the LORD, the God of yourancestors. Remove all the defiled thingsfrom the sanctuary.6Our ancestors were unfaithful and didwhat was evil in the sight of the LORDour God. They abandoned the LORDand his Temple; they turned their backson him.7They also shut the doors to theTemple's foyer, and they snuffed out thelamps. They stopped burning incenseand presenting burnt offerings at thesanctuary of the God of Israel.8That is why the LORD's anger hasfallen upon Judah and Jerusalem. Hehas made us an object of dread, horror,and ridicule, as you can so plainly see.9Our fathers have been killed in battle,and our sons and daughters and wivesare in captivity.

10But now I will make a covenant withthe LORD, the God of Israel, so that hisfierce anger will turn away from us.11My dear Levites, do not neglect yourduties any longer! The LORD haschosen you to stand in his presence, tominister to him, and to lead the peoplein worship and make offerings to him."12Then these Levites got right to work:From the clan of Kohath: Mahath son ofAmasai and Joel son of Azariah. Fromthe clan of Merari: Kish son of Abdi andAzariah son of Jehallelel. From the clanof Gershon: Joah son of Zimmah andEden son of Joah.13From the family of Elizaphan: Shimriand Jeiel. From the family of Asaph:Zechariah and Mattaniah.14From the family of Heman: Jehiel andShimei. From the family of Jeduthun:Shemaiah and Uzziel.15These men called together their fellowLevites, and they purified themselves.Then they began to purify the Temple ofthe LORD, just as the king hadcommanded. They were careful to followall the LORD's instructions in their work.16The priests went into the sanctuary ofthe Temple of the LORD to cleanse it,and they took out to the Templecourtyard all the defiled things theyfound. From there the Levites carted itall out to the Kidron Valley.17The work began on a day in earlyspring, and in eight days they hadreached the foyer of the LORD's Temple.Then they purified the Temple of theLORD itself, which took another eightdays. So the entire task was completedin sixteen days.18Then the Levites went to KingHezekiah and gave him this report: "Wehave purified the Temple of the LORD,the altar of burnt offering with all itsutensils, and the table of the Bread ofthe Presence with all its utensils.19We have also recovered all theutensils taken by King Ahaz when hewas unfaithful and closed the Temple.They are now in front of the altar of theLORD, purified and ready for use."20Early the next morning King Hezekiahgathered the city officials and went tothe Temple of the LORD.21They brought seven bulls, seven rams,seven lambs, and seven male goats asa sin offering for the kingdom, for theTemple, and for Judah. The kingcommanded the priests, who weredescendants of Aaron, to sacrifice the

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animals on the altar of the LORD.22So they killed the bulls, and the prieststook the blood and sprinkled it on thealtar. Next they killed the rams andsprinkled their blood on the altar. Andfinally, they did the same with the lambs.23The male goats for the sin offeringwere then brought before the king andthe assembly of people, who laid theirhands on them.24The priests then killed the goats as asin offering and sprinkled their blood onthe altar to make atonement for the sinsof all Israel. The king had specificallycommanded that this burnt offering andsin offering should be made for all Israel.25King Hezekiah then stationed theLevites at the Temple of the LORD withcymbals, harps, and lyres. He obeyedall the commands that the LORD hadgiven to King David through Gad, theking's seer, and the prophet Nathan.26The Levites then took their positionsaround the Temple with the instrumentsof David, and the priests took theirpositions with the trumpets.27Then Hezekiah ordered that the burntoffering be placed on the altar. As theburnt offering was presented, songs ofpraise to the LORD were begun,accompanied by the trumpets and otherinstruments of David, king of Israel.28The entire assembly worshiped theLORD as the singers sang and thetrumpets blew, until all the burntofferings were finished.29Then the king and everyone with himbowed down in worship.30King Hezekiah and the officialsordered the Levites to praise the LORDwith the psalms of David and Asaph theseer. So they offered joyous praise andbowed down in worship.31Then Hezekiah declared, "Thededication ceremony has come to anend. Now bring your sacrifices andthanksgiving offerings to the Temple ofthe LORD." So the people brought theirsacrifices and thanksgiving offerings,and those whose hearts were willingbrought burnt offerings, too.32The people brought to the LORDseventy bulls, one hundred rams, andtwo hundred lambs for burnt offerings.33They also brought six hundred bullsand three thousand sheep as sacrifices.34But there were too few priests toprepare all the burnt offerings, so theirrelatives the Levites helped them untilthe work was finished and until more

priests had been purified. For theLevites had been more conscientiousabout purifying themselves than thepriests.35There was an abundance of burntofferings, along with the usual drinkofferings, and a great deal of fat fromthe many peace offerings. So theTemple of the LORD was restored toservice.36And Hezekiah and all the peoplerejoiced greatly because of what Godhad done for the people, for everythinghad been accomplished so quickly.

30King Hezekiah now sent word to

all Israel and Judah, and he wroteletters of invitation to Ephraim andManasseh. He asked everyone to cometo the Temple of the LORD at Jerusalemto celebrate the Passover of the LORD,the God of Israel.2The king, his officials, and all thecommunity of Jerusalem decided tocelebrate Passover a month later thanusual.3They were unable to celebrate it at theregular time because not enough priestscould be purified by then, and thepeople had not yet assembled atJerusalem.4This plan for keeping the Passoverseemed right to the king and all thepeople.5So they sent a proclamation throughoutall Israel, from Beersheba in the south toDan in the north, inviting everyone tocome to Jerusalem to celebrate thePassover of the LORD, the God of Israel.The people had not been celebrating itin great numbers as prescribed in thelaw.6At the king's command, messengerswere sent throughout Israel and Judah.They carried letters which said: "Opeople of Israel, return to the LORD, theGod of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, sothat he will return to the few of us whohave survived the conquest of theAssyrian kings.7Do not be like your ancestors andrelatives who abandoned the LORD, theGod of their ancestors, and became anobject of derision, as you yourselvescan see.8Do not be stubborn, as they were, butsubmit yourselves to the LORD. Cometo his Temple which he has set apart asholy forever. Worship the LORD your

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God so that his fierce anger will turnaway from you.9For if you return to the LORD, yourrelatives and your children will betreated mercifully by their captors, andthey will be able to return to this land.For the LORD your God is gracious andmerciful. If you return to him, he will notcontinue to turn his face from you."10The messengers went from town totown throughout Ephraim andManasseh and as far as the territory ofZebulun. But most of the people justlaughed at the messengers and madefun of them.11However, some from Asher,Manasseh, and Zebulun humbledthemselves and went to Jerusalem.12At the same time, God's hand was onthe people in the land of Judah, givingthem a strong desire to unite in obeyingthe orders of the king and his officials,who were following the word of theLORD.13And so a huge crowd assembled atJerusalem in midspring to celebratePassover and the Festival ofUnleavened Bread.14They set to work and removed thepagan altars from Jerusalem. They tookaway all the incense altars and threwthem into the Kidron Valley.15On the appointed day in midspring,one month later than usual, the peopleslaughtered their Passover lambs. Thenthe priests and Levites becameashamed, so they purified themselvesand brought burnt offerings to theTemple of the LORD.16They took their places at the Templeaccording to the regulations found in thelaw of Moses, the man of God. TheLevites brought the sacrificial blood tothe priests, who then sprinkled it on thealtar.17Since many of the people there hadnot purified themselves, the Levites hadto slaughter their Passover lambs forthem, to set them apart for the LORD.18Most of those who came from Ephraim,Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun hadnot purified themselves. But KingHezekiah prayed for them, and theywere allowed to eat the Passover mealanyway, even though this was contraryto God's laws. For Hezekiah said, "Maythe LORD, who is good, pardon those19who decide to follow the LORD, theGod of their ancestors, even thoughthey are not properly cleansed for the

ceremony."20And the LORD listened to Hezekiah'sprayer and healed the people.21So the people of Israel who werepresent in Jerusalem celebrated theFestival of Unleavened Bread for sevendays with great joy. Each day theLevites and priests sang to the LORD,accompanied by loud instruments.22Hezekiah encouraged the Levites forthe skill they displayed as they servedthe LORD. So for seven days thecelebration continued. Peace offeringswere sacrificed, and the peopleconfessed their sins to the LORD, theGod of their ancestors.23The entire assembly then decided tocontinue the festival another seven days,so they celebrated joyfully for anotherweek.24King Hezekiah gave the people onethousand bulls and seven thousandsheep for offerings, and the officialsdonated one thousand bulls and tenthousand sheep. Meanwhile, manymore priests purified themselves.25The entire assembly of Judah rejoiced,including the priests, the Levites, all whocame from the land of Israel, theforeigners who came to the festival, andall those who lived in Judah.26There was great joy in the city, forJerusalem had not seen a celebrationlike this one since the days of Solomon,King David's son.27Then the Levitical priests stood andblessed the people, and God heardthem from his holy dwelling in heaven.

31Now when the festival ended, the

Israelites who attended went to all thetowns of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, andManasseh, and they smashed thesacred pillars, cut down the Asherahpoles, and removed the pagan shrinesand altars. After this, the Israelitesreturned to their own towns and homes.2Hezekiah then organized the priestsand Levites into divisions to offer theburnt offerings and peace offerings, andto worship and give thanks and praise tothe LORD at the gates of the Temple.3The king also made a personalcontribution of animals for the dailymorning and evening burnt offerings, aswell as for the weekly Sabbath festivalsand monthly new moon festivals, and forthe other annual festivals as required inthe law of the LORD.

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4In addition, he required the people inJerusalem to bring the prescribedportion of their income to the priests andLevites, so they could devotethemselves fully to the law of the LORD.5The people responded immediately andgenerously with the first of their cropsand grain, new wine, olive oil, honey,and all the produce of their fields. Theybrought a tithe of all they owned.6The people who had moved to Judahfrom Israel, and the people of Judahthemselves, brought in the tithes of theircattle and sheep and a tithe of thethings that had been dedicated to theLORD their God, and they piled them upin great heaps.7The first of these tithes was brought inlate spring, and the heaps continued togrow until early autumn.8When Hezekiah and his officials cameand saw these huge piles, they thankedthe LORD and his people Israel!9"Where did all this come from?"Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites.10And Azariah the high priest, from thefamily of Zadok, replied, "Since thepeople began bringing their gifts to theLORD's Temple, we have had enoughto eat and plenty to spare, for the LORDhas blessed his people."11Hezekiah decided to have storeroomsprepared in the Temple of the LORD,and this was done.12Then all the gifts and tithes werefaithfully brought to the Temple.Conaniah the Levite was put in charge,assisted by his brother Shimei.13The supervisors under them wereJehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel,Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah,Mahath, and Benaiah. Theseappointments were made by KingHezekiah and Azariah, the chief officialin the Temple of God.14Kore son of Imnah the Levite, who wasthe gatekeeper at the East Gate, wasput in charge of distributing the freewillofferings of God, the gifts, and thethings that had been dedicated to theLORD.15His faithful assistants were Eden,Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah,and Shecaniah. They distributed thegifts among the families of priests intheir towns, by their divisions, dividingthe gifts fairly among young and oldalike.16They also distributed the gifts to allmales three years old or older,

regardless of their place in thegenealogical records, who came daily tothe LORD's Temple to perform theirofficial duties, by their divisions.17And they distributed gifts to the priestswho were listed in the genealogicalrecords by families, and to the Levitestwenty years old or older who werelisted according to their jobs and theirdivisions.18Food allotments were also given to allthe families listed in the genealogicalrecords, including the little babies, thewives, and the sons and daughters. Forthey had all been faithful in purifyingthemselves.19As for the priests, the descendants ofAaron, who were living in the openvillages around the towns, men wereappointed to distribute portions to everymale among the priests and to all theLevites listed in the genealogicalrecords.20In this way, King Hezekiah handled thedistribution throughout all Judah, doingwhat was pleasing and good in the sightof the LORD his God.21In all that he did in the service of theTemple of God and in his efforts tofollow the law and the commands,Hezekiah sought his Godwholeheartedly. As a result, he was verysuccessful.

32After Hezekiah had faithfully

carried out this work, King Sennacheribof Assyria invaded Judah. He laid siegeto the fortified cities, giving orders for hisarmy to break through their walls.2When Hezekiah realized thatSennacherib also intended to attackJerusalem,3he consulted with his officials andmilitary advisers, and they decided tostop the flow of the springs outside thecity.4They organized a huge work crew tostop the flow of the springs, cutting offthe brook that ran through the fields. Forthey said, "Why should the kings ofAssyria come here and find plenty ofwater?"5Then Hezekiah further strengthened hisdefenses by repairing the wall whereverit was broken down and by adding to thefortifications and constructing a secondwall outside the first. He also reinforcedthe Millo in the City of David andmanufactured large numbers of

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weapons and shields.6He appointed military officers over thepeople and asked them to assemblebefore him in the square at the city gate.Then Hezekiah encouraged them withthis address:7"Be strong and courageous! Don't beafraid of the king of Assyria or hismighty army, for there is a power fargreater on our side!8He may have a great army, but they arejust men. We have the LORD our Godto help us and to fight our battles for us!"These words greatly encouraged thepeople.9Then King Sennacherib of Assyria,while still besieging the town of Lachish,sent officials to Jerusalem with thismessage for Hezekiah and all thepeople in the city:10"This is what King Sennacherib ofAssyria says: What are you trusting inthat makes you think you can survivemy siege of Jerusalem?11Hezekiah has said, 'The LORD ourGod will rescue us from the king ofAssyria.' Surely Hezekiah is misleadingyou, sentencing you to death by famineand thirst!12Surely you must realize that Hezekiahis the very person who destroyed all theLORD's shrines and altars. Hecommanded Judah and Jerusalem toworship at only the one altar at theTemple and to make sacrifices on italone.13"Surely you must realize what I andthe other kings of Assyria before mehave done to all the people of the earth!Were any of the gods of those nationsable to rescue their people from mypower?14Name just one time when any god,anywhere, was able to rescue hispeople from me! What makes you thinkyour God can do any better?15Don't let Hezekiah fool you! Don't lethim deceive you like this! I say it again--no god of any nation has ever yet beenable to rescue his people from me or myancestors. How much less will your Godrescue you from my power!"16And Sennacherib's officials furthermocked the LORD God and his servantHezekiah, heaping insult upon insult.17The king also sent letters scorning theLORD, the God of Israel. He wrote,"Just as the gods of all the other nationsfailed to rescue their people from mypower, so the God of Hezekiah will also

fail."18The Assyrian officials who brought theletters shouted this in the Hebrewlanguage to the people gathered on thewalls of the city, trying to terrify them soit would be easier to capture the city.19These officials talked about the God ofJerusalem as though he were one of thepagan gods, made by human hands.20Then King Hezekiah and the prophetIsaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer toGod in heaven.21And the LORD sent an angel whodestroyed the Assyrian army with all itscommanders and officers. SoSennacherib returned home in disgraceto his own land. And when he enteredthe temple of his god, some of his ownsons killed him there with a sword.22That is how the LORD rescuedHezekiah and the people of Jerusalemfrom King Sennacherib of Assyria andfrom all the others who threatened them.So there was peace at last throughoutthe land.23From then on King Hezekiah becamehighly respected among the surroundingnations, and many gifts for the LORDarrived at Jerusalem, with valuablepresents for King Hezekiah, too.24About that time, Hezekiah becamedeathly ill. He prayed to the LORD, whohealed him and gave him a miraculoussign.25But Hezekiah did not respondappropriately to the kindness shown him,and he became proud. So the LORD'sanger came against him and againstJudah and Jerusalem.26Then Hezekiah repented of his pride,and the people of Jerusalem humbledthemselves. So the LORD's anger didnot come against them duringHezekiah's lifetime.27Hezekiah was very wealthy and held inhigh esteem. He had to build specialtreasury buildings for his silver, gold,precious stones, and spices, and for hisshields and other valuable items.28He also constructed manystorehouses for his grain, new wine, andolive oil; and he made many stalls forhis cattle and folds for his flocks ofsheep and goats.29He built many towns and acquired vastflocks and herds, for God had given himgreat wealth.30He blocked up the upper spring ofGihon and brought the water downthrough a tunnel to the west side of the

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City of David. And so he succeeded ineverything he did.31However, when ambassadors arrivedfrom Babylon to ask about theremarkable events that had taken placein the land, God withdrew fromHezekiah in order to test him and to seewhat was really in his heart.32The rest of the events of Hezekiah'sreign and his acts of devotion arerecorded in The Vision of the ProphetIsaiah Son of Amoz, which is included inThe Book of the Kings of Judah andIsrael.33When Hezekiah died, he was buried inthe upper area of the royal cemetery,and all Judah and Jerusalem honoredhim at his death. Then his sonManasseh became the next king.

33Manasseh was twelve years old

when he became king, and he reignedin Jerusalem fifty-five years.2He did what was evil in the LORD'ssight, imitating the detestable practicesof the pagan nations whom the LORDhad driven from the land ahead of theIsraelites.3He rebuilt the pagan shrines his fatherHezekiah had destroyed. Heconstructed altars for the images of Baaland set up Asherah poles. He alsobowed before all the stars of heavenand worshiped them.4He even built pagan altars in theTemple of the LORD, the place wherethe LORD had said his name should behonored forever.5He put these altars for the stars ofheaven in both courtyards of theLORD's Temple.6Manasseh even sacrificed his own sonsin the fire in the valley of the son ofHinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination,and witchcraft, and he consulted withmediums and psychics. He did muchthat was evil in the LORD's sight,arousing his anger.7Manasseh even took a carved idol hehad made and set it up in God's Temple,the very place where God had toldDavid and his son Solomon: "My namewill be honored here forever in thisTemple and in Jerusalem--the city Ihave chosen from among all the othertribes of Israel.8If the Israelites will obey mycommands--all the instructions, laws,and regulations given through Moses--I

will not send them into exile from thisland that I gave their ancestors."9But Manasseh led the people of Judahand Jerusalem to do even more evilthan the pagan nations whom the LORDhad destroyed when the Israelitesentered the land.10The LORD spoke to Manasseh and hispeople, but they ignored all his warnings.11So the LORD sent the Assyrian armies,and they took Manasseh prisoner. Theyput a ring through his nose, bound himin bronze chains, and led him away toBabylon.12But while in deep distress, Manassehsought the LORD his God and cried outhumbly to the God of his ancestors.13And when he prayed, the LORDlistened to him and was moved by hisrequest for help. So the LORD letManasseh return to Jerusalem and tohis kingdom. Manasseh had finallyrealized that the LORD alone is God!14It was after this that Manasseh rebuiltthe outer wall of the City of David, fromwest of the Gihon Spring in the KidronValley to the Fish Gate, and continuingaround the hill of Ophel, where it wasbuilt very high. And he stationed hismilitary officers in all of the fortified citiesof Judah.15Manasseh also removed the foreigngods from the hills and the idol from theLORD's Temple. He tore down all thealtars he had built on the hill where theTemple stood and all the altars thatwere in Jerusalem, and he dumpedthem outside the city.16Then he restored the altar of theLORD and sacrificed peace offeringsand thanksgiving offerings on it. He alsoencouraged the people of Judah toworship the LORD, the God of Israel.17However, the people still sacrificed atthe pagan shrines, but only to the LORDtheir God.18The rest of the events of Manasseh'sreign, his prayer to God, and the wordsthe seers spoke to him in the name ofthe LORD, the God of Israel, arerecorded in The Book of the Kings ofIsrael.19Manasseh's prayer, the account of theway God answered him, and an accountof all his sins and unfaithfulness arerecorded in The Record of the Seers. Itincludes a list of the locations where hebuilt pagan shrines and set up Asherahpoles and idols before he repented.20When Manasseh died, he was buried

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at his palace. Then his son Amonbecame the next king.21Amon was twenty-two years old whenhe became king, and he reigned inJerusalem two years.22He did what was evil in the LORD'ssight, just as his father Manasseh haddone. He worshiped and sacrificed to allthe idols his father had made.23But unlike his father, he did nothumble himself before the LORD.Instead, Amon sinned even more.24At last Amon's own officials plottedagainst him and assassinated him in hispalace.25But the people of the land killed allthose who had conspired against KingAmon, and they made his son Josiahthe next king.

34Josiah was eight years old when

he became king, and he reigned inJerusalem thirty-one years.2He did what was pleasing in theLORD's sight and followed the exampleof his ancestor David. He did not turnaside from doing what was right.3During the eighth year of his reign,while he was still young, Josiah beganto seek the God of his ancestor David.Then in the twelfth year, he began topurify Judah and Jerusalem, destroyingall the pagan shrines, the Asherah poles,and the carved idols and cast images.4He saw to it that the altars for theimages of Baal and their incense altarswere torn down. He also made sure thatthe Asherah poles, the carved idols, andthe cast images were smashed andscattered over the graves of those whohad sacrificed to them.5Then he burned the bones of the paganpriests on their own altars, and so hepurified Judah and Jerusalem.6He did the same thing in the towns ofManasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, evenas far as Naphtali.7He destroyed the pagan altars and theAsherah poles, and he crushed the idolsinto dust. He cut down the incensealtars throughout the land of Israel andthen returned to Jerusalem.8In the eighteenth year of his reign, afterhe had purified the land and the Temple,Josiah appointed Shaphan son ofAzaliah, Maaseiah the governor ofJerusalem, and Joah son of Joahaz, theroyal historian, to repair the Temple ofthe LORD his God.

9They gave Hilkiah the high priest themoney that had been collected by theLevites who served as gatekeepers atthe Temple of God. The gifts werebrought by people from Manasseh,Ephraim, and from all the remnant ofIsrael, as well as from all Judah,Benjamin, and the people of Jerusalem.10He entrusted the money to the menassigned to supervise the restoration ofthe LORD's Temple. Then they paid theworkers who did the repairs andrenovation.11Thus, they hired carpenters andmasons and purchased cut stone for thewalls and timber for the rafters andbeams. They restored what earlier kingsof Judah had allowed to fall into ruin.12The workers served faithfully under theleadership of Jahath and Obadiah,Levites of the Merarite clan, andZechariah and Meshullam, Levites ofthe Kohathite clan. Other Levites, all ofwhom were skilled musicians,13were put in charge of the laborers ofthe various trades. Still others assistedas secretaries, officials, andgatekeepers.14As Hilkiah the high priest wasrecording the money collected at theLORD's Temple, he found the Book ofthe Law of the LORD as it had beengiven through Moses.15Hilkiah said to Shaphan the courtsecretary, "I have found the Book of theLaw in the LORD's Temple!" ThenHilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan.16Shaphan took the scroll to the kingand reported, "Your officials are doingeverything they were assigned to do.17The money that was collected at theTemple of the LORD has been given tothe supervisors and workmen."18Shaphan also said to the king, "Hilkiahthe priest has given me a scroll." SoShaphan read it to the king.19When the king heard what was writtenin the law, he tore his clothes in despair.20Then he gave these orders to Hilkiah,Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son ofMicaiah, Shaphan the court secretary,and Asaiah the king's personal adviser:21"Go to the Temple and speak to theLORD for me and for all the remnant ofIsrael and Judah. Ask him about thewords written in this scroll that has beenfound. The LORD's anger has beenpoured out against us because ourancestors have not obeyed the word ofthe LORD. We have not been doing

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what this scroll says we must do."22So Hilkiah and the other men went tothe newer Mishneh section of Jerusalemto consult with the prophet Huldah. Shewas the wife of Shallum son of Tikvahand grandson of Harhas, the keeper ofthe Temple wardrobe.23She said to them, "The LORD, theGod of Israel, has spoken! Go and tellthe man who sent you,24'This is what the LORD says: I willcertainly destroy this city and its people.All the curses written in the scroll youhave read will come true.25For the people of Judah haveabandoned me and worshiped pagangods, and I am very angry with them foreverything they have done. My angerwill be poured out against this place,and nothing will be able to stop it.'26"But go to the king of Judah who sentyou to seek the LORD and tell him: 'Thisis what the LORD, the God of Israel,says concerning the message you havejust heard:27You were sorry and humbled yourselfbefore God when you heard what I saidagainst this city and its people. Youhumbled yourself and tore your clothingin despair and wept before me inrepentance. So I have indeed heard you,says the LORD.28I will not send the promised disasteragainst this city and its people until afteryou have died and been buried in peace.You will not see the disaster I am goingto bring on this place.' " So they took hermessage back to the king.29Then the king summoned all theleaders of Judah and Jerusalem.30And the king went up to the Temple ofthe LORD with all the people of Judahand Jerusalem and the priests and theLevites--all the people from the greatestto the least. There the king read to themthe entire Book of the Covenant that hadbeen found in the LORD's Temple.31The king took his place of authoritybeside the pillar and renewed thecovenant in the LORD's presence. Hepledged to obey the LORD by keepingall his commands, regulations, and lawswith all his heart and soul. He promisedto obey all the terms of the covenantthat were written in the scroll.32And he required everyone inJerusalem and the people of Benjaminto make a similar pledge. As the peopleof Jerusalem did this, they renewed theircovenant with God, the God of their

ancestors.33So Josiah removed all detestable idolsfrom the entire land of Israel andrequired everyone to worship the LORDtheir God. And throughout the rest of hislifetime, they did not turn away from theLORD, the God of their ancestors.

35Then Josiah announced that the

Passover of the LORD would becelebrated in Jerusalem on theappointed day in early spring. ThePassover lambs were slaughtered attwilight of that day.2Josiah also assigned the priests to theirduties and encouraged them in theirwork at the Temple of the LORD.3He issued this order to the Levites, whohad been set apart to serve the LORDand were teachers in Israel: "Since theArk is now in Solomon's Temple andyou do not need to carry it back andforth on your shoulders, spend your timeserving the LORD your God and hispeople Israel.4Report for duty according to the familydivisions of your ancestors, following thewritten instructions of King David ofIsrael and the instructions of his sonSolomon.5Then stand in your appointed holyplaces and help the families assigned toyou as they bring their offerings to theTemple.6Slaughter the Passover lambs, purifyyourselves, and prepare to help thosewho come. Follow all the instructionsthat the LORD gave through Moses."7Then Josiah contributed from hispersonal property thirty thousand lambsand young goats for the people'sPassover offerings, and three thousandbulls.8The king's officials also made willingcontributions to the people, priests, andLevites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel,the administrators of God's Temple,gave the priests twenty-six hundredlambs and young goats and threehundred bulls as Passover offerings.9The Levite leaders--Conaniah and hisbrothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, andHashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad--gavefive thousand lambs and young goatsand five hundred bulls to the Levites fortheir Passover offerings.10When everything was ready for thePassover celebration, the priests andthe Levites took their places, organized

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by their divisions, according to the king'sorders.11The Levites then slaughtered thePassover lambs and presented theblood to the priests, who sprinkled theblood on the altar while the Levitesprepared the animals.12They divided the burnt offeringsamong the people by their family groups,so they could offer them to the LORDaccording to the instructions recorded inthe Book of Moses. They did the samewith the bulls.13Then they roasted the Passover lambsas prescribed; and they boiled the holyofferings in pots, kettles, and pans, andbrought them out quickly so the peoplecould eat them.14Afterward the Levites prepared a mealfor themselves and for the priests,because the priests had been busy frommorning till night offering the burntofferings and the fat portions. TheLevites took responsibility for all thesepreparations.15The musicians, descendants of Asaph,were in their assigned places, followingthe orders given by David, Asaph,Heman, and Jeduthun, the king's seer.The gatekeepers guarded the gates anddid not need to leave their posts of duty,for their meals were brought to them bytheir fellow Levites.16The entire ceremony for the LORD'sPassover was completed that day. Allthe burnt offerings were sacrificed onthe altar of the LORD, as King Josiahhad ordered.17All the Israelites present in Jerusalemcelebrated Passover and the Festival ofUnleavened Bread for seven days.18Never since the time of the prophetSamuel had there been such aPassover. None of the kings of Israelhad ever kept a Passover as Josiah did,involving all the priests and Levites, allthe people of Jerusalem, and peoplefrom all over Judah and Israel.19This Passover celebration took placein the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign.20After Josiah had finished restoring theTemple, King Neco of Egypt led hisarmy up from Egypt to do battle atCarchemish on the Euphrates River,and Josiah and his army marched out tofight him.21But King Neco sent ambassadors toJosiah with this message: "What do youwant with me, king of Judah? I have noquarrel with you today! I only want to

fight the nation with which I am at war.And God has told me to hurry! Do notinterfere with God, who is with me, or hewill destroy you."22But Josiah refused to listen to Neco, towhom God had indeed spoken, and hewould not turn back. Instead, he led hisarmy into battle on the plain of Megiddo.He laid aside his royal robes so theenemy would not recognize him.23But the enemy archers hit King Josiahwith their arrows and wounded him. Hecried out to his men, "Take me from thebattle, for I am badly wounded!"24So they lifted Josiah out of his chariotand placed him in another chariot. Thenthey brought him back to Jerusalem,where he died. He was buried there inthe royal cemetery. And all Judah andJerusalem mourned for him.25The prophet Jeremiah composedfuneral songs for Josiah, and to this daychoirs still sing these sad songs abouthis death. These songs of sorrow havebecome a tradition and are recorded inThe Book of Laments.26The rest of the events of Josiah's reignand his acts of devotion done accordingto the written law of the LORD,27from beginning to end, are recorded inThe Book of the Kings of Israel andJudah.

36Then the people of the land took

Josiah's son Jehoahaz and made himthe next king in Jerusalem.2Jehoahaz was twenty-three years oldwhen he became king, but he reignedonly three months.3Then he was deposed by Neco, theking of Egypt, who demanded a tributefrom Judah of 7,500 pounds of silverand 75 pounds of gold.4The king of Egypt appointed Eliakim,the brother of Jehoahaz, as the nextking of Judah and Jerusalem, and hechanged Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim.Then Neco took Jehoahaz to Egypt as aprisoner.5Jehoiakim was twenty-five years oldwhen he became king, and he reignedin Jerusalem eleven years. But he didwhat was evil in the sight of the LORDhis God.6Then King Nebuchadnezzar of Babyloncame to Jerusalem and captured it, andhe bound Jehoiakim in chains and ledhim away to Babylon.7Nebuchadnezzar also took some of the

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treasures from the Temple of the LORD,and he placed them in his palace inBabylon.8The rest of the events of Jehoiakim'sreign, including all the evil things he didand everything found against him, arerecorded in The Book of the Kings ofIsrael and Judah. Then his sonJehoiachin became the next king.9Jehoiachin was eighteen years oldwhen he became king, but he reigned inJerusalem only three months and tendays. Jehoiachin did what was evil inthe LORD's sight.10In the spring of the following year,Jehoiachin was summoned to Babylonby King Nebuchadnezzar. Manytreasures from the Temple of the LORDwere taken to Babylon at that time. AndNebuchadnezzar appointed Jehoiachin'suncle, Zedekiah, to be the next king inJudah and Jerusalem.11Zedekiah was twenty-one years oldwhen he became king, and he reignedin Jerusalem eleven years.12He did what was evil in the sight of theLORD his God, and he refused tohumble himself in the presence of theprophet Jeremiah, who spoke for theLORD.13He also rebelled against KingNebuchadnezzar, even though he hadtaken an oath of loyalty in God's name.Zedekiah was a hard and stubborn man,refusing to turn to the LORD, the God ofIsrael.14All the leaders of the priests and thepeople became more and moreunfaithful. They followed the paganpractices of the surrounding nations,desecrating the Temple of the LORD inJerusalem.15The LORD, the God of their ancestors,repeatedly sent his prophets to warnthem, for he had compassion on hispeople and his Temple.16But the people mocked thesemessengers of God and despised theirwords. They scoffed at the prophetsuntil the LORD's anger could no longerbe restrained and there was no remedy.17So the LORD brought the king ofBabylon against them. The Babylonianskilled Judah's young men, even chasingafter them into the Temple. They had nopity on the people, killing both youngand old, men and women, healthy andsick. God handed them all over toNebuchadnezzar.18The king also took home to Babylon all

the utensils, large and small, used in theTemple of God, and the treasures fromboth the LORD's Temple and the royalpalace. He also took with him all theroyal princes.19Then his army set fire to the Temple ofGod, broke down the walls of Jerusalem,burned all the palaces, and completelydestroyed everything of value.20The few who survived were takenaway to Babylon, and they becameservants to the king and his sons untilthe kingdom of Persia came to power.21So the message of the LORD spokenthrough Jeremiah was fulfilled. The landfinally enjoyed its Sabbath rest, lyingdesolate for seventy years, just as theprophet had said.22In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia,the LORD fulfilled Jeremiah's prophecyby stirring the heart of Cyrus to put thisproclamation into writing and to send itthroughout his kingdom:23"This is what King Cyrus of Persiasays: The LORD, the God of heaven,has given me all the kingdoms of theearth. He has appointed me to build hima Temple at Jerusalem in the land ofJudah. All of you who are the LORD'speople may return to Israel for this task. May the LORD your God be with you!"