II Chronicles

Old Testament · 36 chapters · 822 verses.

Chapter 1

1:1And Solomon son of David became firmly established in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.
1:2And Solomon spoke to all Israel—to the captains of thousands and hundreds, the judges, every leader in all Israel, and the heads of fathers’ houses.
1:3Then Solomon and all the assembly with him went to the high place at Gibeon, for the Tent of Meeting of God was there, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness.
1:4But David had brought up the Ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place he had prepared for it, for he had spread a tent for it in Jerusalem.
1:5And the bronze altar that Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, had made was there before the Dwelling Place of the LORD; and Solomon and the assembly sought Him there.
1:6And Solomon went up there before the LORD to the bronze altar at the Tent of Meeting and offered one thousand burnt offerings upon it.
1:7That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.”
1:8And Solomon said to God, “You have shown great steadfast love to David my father and have made me king in his place.
1:9Now, O LORD God, let Your promise to David my father be established, for You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.
1:10Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?”
1:11And God said to Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for riches, wealth, or honor, nor for the lives of those who hate you, nor have you asked for many days, but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king,
1:12wisdom and knowledge are given to you. And I will also give you riches, wealth, and honor such as none of the kings before you had, nor shall any after you have.”
1:13Then Solomon came from the high place at Gibeon, from before the Tent of Meeting, to Jerusalem, and reigned over Israel.
1:14And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen. He had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.
1:15And the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as the sycamore trees in the lowland.
1:16And Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue; the king’s merchants bought them from Kue at the market price.
1:17A chariot was imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred fifty; and through their agents they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.
1:18And Solomon determined to build a house for the Name of the LORD and a royal house for himself.

Chapter 2

2:1And Solomon assigned seventy thousand men to bear burdens, eighty thousand to quarry stone in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.
2:2And Solomon sent word to Hiram king of Tyre, saying, “As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedar to build a house in which to dwell,
2:3behold, I am building a house for the Name of the LORD my God, to sanctify it to Him, to burn fragrant incense before Him, to set out the regular rows of bread, and to offer burnt offerings morning and evening, on Sabbaths, new moons, and the appointed times of the LORD our God. This is required of Israel forever.
2:4And the house I am building is great, for our God is greater than all gods.
2:5But who is able to build Him a house, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain Him? And who am I, that I should build Him a house, except as a place to burn incense before Him?
2:6Now therefore send me a skillful man to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, purple, crimson, and blue, and one who knows how to make engravings, to work with the skilled men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father prepared.
2:7Send me also cedar, cypress, and sandalwood from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut the trees of Lebanon. And behold, my servants shall be with your servants,
2:8to prepare timber for me in abundance; for the house I am building will be great and wonderful.
2:9And behold, I will give your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, twenty thousand cors of beaten wheat, twenty thousand cors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.”
2:10And Hiram king of Tyre answered in writing and sent word to Solomon: “Because the LORD loves His people, He has made you king over them.”
2:11And Hiram said, “Blessed be the LORD, God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth, who has given King David a wise son, endowed with wisdom and understanding, who will build a house for the LORD and a royal house for himself.
2:12And now I have sent a skillful man, endowed with understanding—Hiram, my master craftsman—
2:13the son of a Danite woman and a Tyrian father. He knows how to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, blue, fine linen, and crimson; he knows how to execute every engraving and devise every design entrusted to him, together with your skilled men and the skilled men of my lord David your father.
2:14Now therefore let my lord send his servants the wheat, barley, oil, and wine of which he has spoken.
2:15And we will cut timber from Lebanon according to all your need and bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa; then you shall take it up to Jerusalem.”
2:16And Solomon counted all the resident foreigners in the land of Israel, after the census David his father had taken of them; and they were found to be one hundred fifty-three thousand six hundred.
2:17He appointed seventy thousand of them to bear burdens, eighty thousand to quarry stone in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred as overseers to make the people work.

Chapter 3

3:1Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to David his father, at the place David had prepared on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
3:2And he began to build on the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.
3:3And these were the dimensions of the foundation Solomon laid for building the house of God: the length, in cubits according to the former standard, was sixty cubits, and the width twenty cubits.
3:4And the porch at the front was twenty cubits long, corresponding to the width of the house, and one hundred twenty cubits high; and he overlaid its interior with pure gold.
3:5And he paneled the great hall with cypress wood, overlaid it with fine gold, and decorated it with palm trees and chains.
3:6And he adorned the house with precious stones for beauty, and the gold was gold from Parvaim.
3:7And he overlaid the house—the beams, thresholds, walls, and doors—with gold, and carved winged guardians on the walls.
3:8Then he made the Most Holy Place. Its length, corresponding to the width of the house, was twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits; and he overlaid it with six hundred talents of fine gold.
3:9And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold, and he overlaid the upper rooms with gold.
3:10And in the Most Holy Place he made two winged guardians of sculptured work and overlaid them with gold.
3:11The wings of the winged guardians together extended twenty cubits. One wing of the first was five cubits, touching the wall of the house, and its other wing was five cubits, touching the wing of the other guardian.
3:12And one wing of the second guardian was five cubits, touching the other wall of the house, and its other wing was five cubits, touching the wing of the first guardian.
3:13The wings of these winged guardians extended twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, and their faces were toward the main hall.
3:14And he made the veil of blue, purple, crimson, and fine linen, and worked winged guardians into it.
3:15And before the house he made two pillars thirty-five cubits high, and the capital on the top of each was five cubits.
3:16And he made chains like a necklace and put them on the tops of the pillars; and he made one hundred pomegranates and put them on the chains.
3:17And he set up the pillars before the temple, one on the right and one on the left. He called the one on the right Jachin and the one on the left Boaz.

Chapter 4

4:1Then he made a bronze altar, twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and ten cubits high.
4:2Then he made the cast bronze Sea, ten cubits from rim to rim, round in shape and five cubits high; and a line of thirty cubits encircled it.
4:3Beneath it were figures of oxen all around, ten to a cubit, encircling the Sea. The oxen were in two rows, cast in one piece with it.
4:4It stood upon twelve oxen: three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The Sea rested upon them, and all their hindquarters were inward.
4:5Its thickness was a handbreadth, and its rim was made like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held three thousand baths.
4:6Then he made ten basins and set five on the right and five on the left, to wash in them. The things used for the burnt offering were rinsed in them, but the Sea was for the priests to wash in.
4:7And he made ten gold lampstands according to the prescribed form and placed them in the temple, five on the right and five on the left.
4:8And he made ten tables and placed them in the temple, five on the right and five on the left; and he made one hundred gold bowls.
4:9Then he made the court of the priests and the great court, with doors for the court; and he overlaid the doors with bronze.
4:10And he set the Sea on the right side, toward the southeast.
4:11And Hiram made the pots, the shovels, and the bowls. So Hiram finished the work that he made for King Solomon in the house of God:
4:12the two pillars; the two bowls of the capitals on the tops of the pillars; the two latticeworks covering the two bowls of the capitals on the tops of the pillars;
4:13the four hundred pomegranates for the two latticeworks, two rows of pomegranates for each latticework, to cover the two bowls of the capitals on the pillars;
4:14the bases and the basins upon the bases;
4:15the one Sea and the twelve oxen under it;
4:16and the pots, the shovels, the forks, and all their utensils. Hiram, his master craftsman, made them for King Solomon for the house of the LORD, of burnished bronze.
4:17The king cast them in the Jordan Valley, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan.
4:18And Solomon made all these utensils in such great abundance that the weight of the bronze was not determined.
4:19Then Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God: the gold altar and the tables upon which was the bread of the Presence;
4:20the lampstands and their lamps of refined gold, to burn according to the prescribed manner before the inner sanctuary;
4:21the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of purest gold;
4:22and the wick trimmers, bowls, spoons, and firepans, of refined gold. The entrance of the house—its inner doors to the Most Holy Place and the doors of the house to the main hall—were of gold.

Chapter 5

5:1And all the work that Solomon had made for the house of the LORD was finished. Then Solomon brought in the things David his father had dedicated—the silver, the gold, and all the vessels—and put them in the treasuries of the house of God.
5:2Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the ancestral houses of the sons of Israel in Jerusalem, to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD from the City of David, which is Zion.
5:3And all the men of Israel assembled before the king at the festival in the seventh month.
5:4Then all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites lifted up the Ark.
5:5And they brought up the Ark, the Tent of Meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent. The priests and the Levites brought them up.
5:6And King Solomon and all the assembly of Israel who had gathered to him were before the Ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude.
5:7And the priests brought the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, the Most Holy Place, beneath the wings of the winged guardians.
5:8For the winged guardians spread their wings over the place of the Ark, and the winged guardians covered the Ark and its poles from above.
5:9And the poles were so long that their ends could be seen projecting from the Ark in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from outside; and they are there to this day.
5:10There was nothing in the Ark except the two tablets that Moses put there at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the sons of Israel when they came out of Egypt.
5:11And when the priests came out of the holy place—for all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves, without regard to their divisions—
5:12all the Levite singers—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, their sons, and their brothers—clothed in fine linen and holding cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar; and with them were one hundred twenty priests blowing trumpets.
5:13And when the trumpeters and singers joined as one, making one voice heard in praising and thanking the LORD, and when they raised their sound with trumpets, cymbals, and instruments of song, praising the LORD—“For He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever”—the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud.
5:14And the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.

Chapter 6

6:1Then Solomon said, “The LORD has said that He would dwell in thick darkness.
6:2I have surely built a house for You to dwell in, a fixed place for You to abide forever.”
6:3And the king turned around and blessed the whole assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel stood.
6:4And he said, “Blessed be the LORD, God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to David my father and with His hands has fulfilled it, saying,
6:5‘From the day I brought My people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city from any of the tribes of Israel in which to build a house for My Name to be there, and I chose no man to be ruler over My people Israel.
6:6But I chose Jerusalem for My Name to be there, and I chose David to be over My people Israel.’
6:7And it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the Name of the LORD, God of Israel.
6:8But the LORD said to David my father, ‘Because it was in your heart to build a house for My Name, you did well that it was in your heart.
6:9Nevertheless, you shall not build the house; but your son who comes from your own body shall build the house for My Name.’
6:10And the LORD has established the word that He spoke. I have risen in place of David my father and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD spoke, and I have built the house for the Name of the LORD, God of Israel.
6:11And there I have set the Ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD that He made with the sons of Israel.”
6:12Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD, in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands.
6:13For Solomon had made a bronze platform, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court. He stood upon it, knelt on his knees before all the assembly of Israel, and spread his hands toward the heavens.
6:14And he said, “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like You in the heavens or on the earth, keeping covenant and steadfast love with Your servants who walk before You with all their heart,
6:15who have kept what You spoke to Your servant David my father. You spoke with Your lips, and with Your hand You have fulfilled it this day.
6:16And now, O LORD, God of Israel, keep what You spoke to Your servant David my father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man before Me to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons guard their way and walk in My law as you have walked before Me.’
6:17And now, O LORD, God of Israel, let Your word be confirmed which You spoke to Your servant David.
6:18But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain You—how much less this house that I have built.
6:19Yet turn to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, O LORD my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer that Your servant prays before You,
6:20that Your eyes may be open toward this house day and night, toward the place of which You have said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ to listen to the prayer that Your servant prays toward this place.
6:21And listen to the supplications of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from Your dwelling place, from the heavens; and when You hear, forgive.
6:22When a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and he comes and swears the oath before Your altar in this house,
6:23then hear from the heavens and act and judge Your servants, condemning the wicked by bringing his way upon his own head, and vindicating the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.
6:24When Your people Israel are struck down before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and they return, confess Your Name, and pray and make supplication before You in this house,
6:25then hear from the heavens and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land that You gave to them and to their fathers.
6:26When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place, confess Your Name, and turn from their sin because You have afflicted them,
6:27then hear in the heavens and forgive the sin of Your servants and Your people Israel. Teach them the good way in which they should walk, and give rain upon Your land, which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.
6:28When there is famine in the land, when there is pestilence, blight, mildew, locust, or devouring locust; when their enemy besieges them in the land at their gates; whatever plague, whatever sickness there may be—
6:29whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Your people Israel, each knowing his own affliction and his own pain and spreading his hands toward this house,
6:30then hear from the heavens, Your dwelling place, and forgive and give to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know—for You alone know the hearts of all mankind—
6:31so that they may fear You and walk in Your ways all the days they live upon the face of the land that You gave to our fathers.
6:32And concerning the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel, but comes from a far-off land because of Your great Name, Your strong hand, and Your outstretched arm, and comes and prays toward this house,
6:33then hear from the heavens, Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, so that all the peoples of the earth may know Your Name and fear You, as Your people Israel do, and may know that this house that I have built bears Your Name.
6:34When Your people go out to battle against their enemies, by whatever way You send them, and they pray to You toward this city that You have chosen and the house that I have built for Your Name,
6:35then hear from the heavens their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.
6:36When they sin against You—for there is no man who does not sin—and You are angry with them and give them over to an enemy, and their captors carry them away captive to a land far or near,
6:37and they take it to heart in the land where they have been taken captive, and repent and make supplication to You in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned and acted perversely; we have done wickedly,’
6:38and they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they were carried captive, and pray toward their land that You gave to their fathers, toward the city that You have chosen and the house that I have built for Your Name,
6:39then hear from the heavens, Your dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You.
6:40Now, my God, let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.
6:41And now arise, O LORD God, to Your resting place, You and the Ark of Your might. Let Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and let Your faithful ones rejoice in goodness.
6:42O LORD God, do not turn away the face of Your Anointed One; remember Your steadfast love for David Your servant.”

Chapter 7

7:1And when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from the heavens and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the house.
7:2And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.
7:3And when all the sons of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed down with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, worshiped, and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, “For He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.”
7:4Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD.
7:5And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand cattle and one hundred twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.
7:6The priests stood at their stations, and the Levites with the instruments of song to the LORD that King David had made for giving thanks to the LORD—“for His steadfast love endures forever”—as David gave praise through their ministry. The priests sounded trumpets opposite them, while all Israel stood.
7:7And Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD, for there he offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that Solomon had made could not contain the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fat.
7:8And Solomon observed the festival at that time for seven days, with all Israel—a very great assembly—from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt.
7:9And on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for they had observed the dedication of the altar for seven days and the festival for seven days.
7:10And on the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their tents, rejoicing and glad in heart for the goodness that the LORD had shown to David, to Solomon, and to His people Israel.
7:11Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD and the king’s house; and all that Solomon had purposed to do in the house of the LORD and in his own house, he accomplished successfully.
7:12Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.
7:13If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, if I command the locust to consume the land, or if I send pestilence among My people,
7:14and My people who are called by My Name humble themselves, pray, seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from the heavens, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
7:15Now My eyes shall be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.
7:16And now I have chosen and consecrated this house, that My Name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart shall be there all the days.
7:17And as for you, if you walk before Me as David your father walked, doing all that I have commanded you and keeping My statutes and My judgments,
7:18then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall never lack a man to rule in Israel.’
7:19But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and bow yourselves to them, then I will uproot My people from My land that I have given them;
7:20and this house that I have consecrated for My Name I will cast out from My presence, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
7:21And as for this exalted house, everyone who passes by it shall be appalled and say, ‘Why has the LORD done this to this land and to this house?’
7:22And they shall say, ‘Because they forsook the LORD, God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and took hold of other gods, bowed themselves to them, and served them; therefore He has brought all this calamity upon them.’”

Chapter 8

8:1And at the end of twenty years, during which Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own house,
8:2Solomon rebuilt the cities that Hiram had given him and settled the sons of Israel there.
8:3Then Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and captured it.
8:4And he built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the store cities that he built in Hamath.
8:5He also built Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars,
8:6and Ba‘alath, all the store cities that Solomon had, all the chariot cities, the cities for the horsemen, and whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout all the land of his dominion.
8:7As for all the people who were left of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not of Israel—
8:8their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel had not devoted to destruction—Solomon subjected them to forced labor, as it is to this day.
8:9But Solomon made no slaves of the sons of Israel for his work; for they were warriors, commanders of his officers, and commanders of his chariots and horsemen.
8:10These were the chief officers of King Solomon: two hundred fifty who had charge of the people.
8:11And Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the City of David to the house that he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places to which the Ark of the LORD has come are holy.”
8:12Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of the LORD that he had built before the porch,
8:13according to each day’s duty, offering according to the commandment of Moses on the Sabbaths, the new moons, and the three annual feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths.
8:14And according to the ordinance of David his father, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their service and the Levites for their duties, to praise and minister before the priests according to each day’s duty, and the gatekeepers by their divisions at every gate; for so David the man of God had commanded.
8:15And they did not turn aside from the king’s command concerning the priests and the Levites in any matter or concerning the treasuries.
8:16Thus all Solomon’s work was carried out, from the day the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was completed.
8:17Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and Elath, on the seashore in the land of Edom.
8:18And Hiram sent him ships through his servants, with sailors who knew the sea; and they went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir, took from there four hundred fifty talents of gold, and brought it to King Solomon.

Chapter 9

9:1And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions, with a very great company and camels carrying spices, very much gold, and precious stones. And she came to Solomon and spoke with him about all that was in her heart.
9:2And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from Solomon that he could not explain to her.
9:3And when the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon and the house that he had built,
9:4the food of his table, the seating of his servants, the attendance of his ministers and their clothing, his cupbearers and their clothing, and his burnt offering that he offered in the house of the LORD, there was no breath left in her.
9:5Then she said to the king, “The report that I heard in my own land concerning your deeds and your wisdom was true.
9:6But I did not believe their reports until I came and my own eyes saw it. And behold, not even half of the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you surpass the report that I heard.
9:7Happy are your men! Happy are these your servants, who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom!
9:8Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you and set you upon His throne to reign for the LORD your God. Because your God loved Israel, to establish it forever, He made you king over them, to administer justice and righteousness.”
9:9Then she gave the king one hundred twenty talents of gold, a very great abundance of spices, and precious stones. Never had there been spices like those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
9:10And the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, also brought sandalwood and precious stones.
9:11And the king made steps from the sandalwood for the house of the LORD and for the king’s house, and lyres and harps for the singers. Nothing like them had ever been seen before in the land of Judah.
9:12And King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all that she desired and asked, besides what she had brought to the king. Then she turned and went to her own land, she and her servants.
9:13And the weight of the gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold,
9:14besides what the traders and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land brought gold and silver to Solomon.
9:15And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of hammered gold went into each shield.
9:16And he made three hundred smaller shields of hammered gold; three hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
9:17And the king made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with refined gold.
9:18Six steps led to the throne, with a gold footstool attached to the throne. There were armrests on either side of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests.
9:19And twelve lions stood there on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had been made for any kingdom.
9:20And all King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of refined gold. Silver was not considered valuable in the days of Solomon.
9:21For the king had Tarshish ships that sailed with Hiram’s servants. Once every three years the Tarshish ships came carrying gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
9:22Thus King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
9:23And all the kings of the earth sought an audience with Solomon, to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.
9:24And each man brought his gift: vessels of silver, vessels of gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mules, year by year.
9:25And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.
9:26And he ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt.
9:27And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as the sycamore trees in the lowland.
9:28And horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.
9:29And the rest of the acts of Solomon, the first and the last, are they not written in the records of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat?
9:30And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.
9:31And Solomon lay with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 10

10:1Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
10:2And when Jeroboam son of Nebat heard of it—he was in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon—Jeroboam returned from Egypt.
10:3Then they sent and called for him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,
10:4“Your father made our yoke hard. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and the heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve you.”
10:5And he said to them, “Go away for three days, then return to me.” And the people went away.
10:6And King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had stood before Solomon his father while he was alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?”
10:7And they spoke to him, saying, “If you will be good to this people, please them, and speak good words to them, then they shall be your servants all their days.”
10:8But he forsook the counsel that the elders had given him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.
10:9And he said to them, “What do you advise that we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father put upon us’?”
10:10And the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus shall you say to the people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter for us’—thus shall you say to them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist.
10:11And now, my father laid a heavy yoke upon you, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’”
10:12Then Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had spoken, saying, “Return to me on the third day.”
10:13And the king answered them harshly, forsaking the counsel of the elders.
10:14And he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.”
10:15And the king did not listen to the people, for the turn of events was from God, in order that the LORD might establish His word that He had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.
10:16And when all Israel saw that the king had not listened to them, the people answered the king, saying, “What portion do we have in David? There is no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Now look to your own house, O David.” And all Israel went to their tents.
10:17But Rehoboam reigned over the sons of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah.
10:18Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the forced labor, and the sons of Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. And King Rehoboam hurried to mount his chariot and flee to Jerusalem.
10:19So Israel rebelled against the house of David, as it is to this day.

Chapter 11

11:1Then Rehoboam came to Jerusalem and assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin—one hundred eighty thousand chosen warriors—to fight against Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.
11:2But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
11:3“Speak to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,
11:4Thus says the LORD: You shall not go up or fight against your brothers. Return, each man to his house, for this thing is from Me.” And they listened to the words of the LORD and turned back from going against Jeroboam.
11:5And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem and built fortified cities in Judah.
11:6He built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
11:7Beth-zur, Socoh, Adullam,
11:8Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,
11:9Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
11:10Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron—fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin.
11:11And he strengthened the fortifications, placed commanders in them, and stored food, oil, and wine.
11:12And in every city he put shields and spears and made them exceedingly strong. So Judah and Benjamin were his.
11:13And the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel took their stand with him from all their territories.
11:14For the Levites left their pasturelands and their property and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them from serving as priests to the LORD.
11:15And Jeroboam appointed his own priests for the high places, for the goat demons, and for the calves that he had made.
11:16And after them, those from all the tribes of Israel who set their hearts to seek the LORD, God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD, God of their fathers.
11:17And they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and strengthened Rehoboam son of Solomon for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.
11:18And Rehoboam took as his wife Mahalath, daughter of Jerimoth son of David and of Abihail daughter of Eliab son of Jesse.
11:19And she bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.
11:20And after her he took Maacah daughter of Absalom, and she bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.
11:21And Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than all his wives and concubines—for he had taken eighteen wives and sixty concubines and fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
11:22And Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as chief, the leader among his brothers, for he intended to make him king.
11:23And he acted wisely and distributed some of his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to all the fortified cities. He gave them abundant provisions and procured many wives for them.

Chapter 12

12:1And when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and he had become strong, he forsook the Law of the LORD, and all Israel with him.
12:2And in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had acted unfaithfully against the LORD,
12:3with one thousand two hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen. The people who came with him from Egypt were without number—Libyans, Sukkites, and Cushites.
12:4And he captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.
12:5Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who had gathered in Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, “Thus says the LORD: You have forsaken Me, so I also have left you in the hand of Shishak.”
12:6Then the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The LORD is righteous.”
12:7And when the LORD saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and My wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.
12:8Nevertheless, they shall become his servants, so that they may know what it is to serve Me and to serve the kingdoms of the lands.”
12:9Then Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem and took the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house. He took everything. He also took the gold shields that Solomon had made.
12:10And King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place and committed them to the hands of the commanders of the guard who kept the doorway of the king’s house.
12:11And whenever the king went into the house of the LORD, the guards carried them and then brought them back to the guardroom.
12:12And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned away from him, so that He did not destroy them completely; and moreover, some good was found in Judah.
12:13So King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put His Name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite.
12:14And he did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the LORD.
12:15And the acts of Rehoboam, the first and the last, are they not written in the records of Shemaiah the prophet and Iddo the seer, in the genealogical records? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.
12:16And Rehoboam lay with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. And Abijah his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 13

13:1In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah.
13:2He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
13:3And Abijah joined battle with an army of mighty warriors, four hundred thousand chosen men; and Jeroboam drew up in battle array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, mighty men of valor.
13:4Then Abijah stood upon Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill-country of Ephraim, and said, “Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel!
13:5Do you not know that the LORD, God of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David forever, to him and to his sons, by a covenant of salt?
13:6Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord.
13:7And worthless men, sons of wickedness, gathered around him and prevailed over Rehoboam son of Solomon. Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted and could not withstand them.
13:8And now you intend to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David. You are a great multitude, and with you are the gold calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods.
13:9Have you not cast out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of the lands? Whoever comes with a young bull and seven rams to be ordained becomes a priest of what are no gods.
13:10But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken Him. The priests who minister to the LORD are sons of Aaron, and the Levites attend to their work.
13:11And every morning and every evening they offer burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the LORD. They set the bread of the Presence in rows upon the pure table, and they tend the gold lampstand and its lamps each evening; for we keep the charge of the LORD our God, but you have forsaken Him.
13:12And behold, God is with us at our head, and His priests with the trumpets of alarm to sound against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper.”
13:13But Jeroboam sent the ambush around to come upon them from behind. So his army was before Judah, and the ambush was behind them.
13:14And when Judah turned, behold, the battle was before and behind them. Then they cried to the LORD, and the priests blew the trumpets.
13:15And the men of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the men of Judah shouted, God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
13:16Then the sons of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hand.
13:17And Abijah and his people struck them with a great slaughter, and five hundred thousand chosen men of Israel fell slain.
13:18Thus the sons of Israel were humbled at that time, and the sons of Judah prevailed, because they leaned upon the LORD, God of their fathers.
13:19And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured cities from him: Bethel and its surrounding towns, Jeshanah and its surrounding towns, and Ephraim and its surrounding towns.
13:20And Jeroboam did not recover strength again in the days of Abijah; and the LORD struck him, and he died.
13:21But Abijah grew strong and took fourteen wives for himself, and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
13:22And the rest of the acts of Abijah—his ways and his words—are written in the treatise of the prophet Iddo.
13:23Then Abijah lay with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years.

Chapter 14

14:1And Asa did what was good and right in the sight of the LORD his God.
14:2And he removed the foreign altars and the high places, broke the pillars, and cut down the sacred poles.
14:3Then he commanded Judah to seek the LORD, God of their fathers, and to keep the Law and the commandment.
14:4And he removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah; and the kingdom had rest under him.
14:5Then he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. There was no war with him in those years, because the LORD had given him rest.
14:6And he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls, towers, gates, and bars, while the land is still before us. Because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered.
14:7And Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah, bearing large shields and spears, and two hundred eighty thousand from Benjamin, bearing shields and drawing the bow. All these were mighty men of valor.
14:8Then Zerah the Cushite came out against them with an army of one million men and three hundred chariots, and he came as far as Mareshah.
14:9And Asa went out before him, and they drew up in battle array in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
14:10Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, “O LORD, there is none besides You to help, whether the mighty or the powerless. Help us, O LORD our God, for we lean upon You, and in Your Name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let mortal man prevail against You.”
14:11So the LORD struck the Cushites before Asa and before Judah, and the Cushites fled.
14:12And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar. So many of the Cushites fell that none survived, for they were shattered before the LORD and before His army. And the men of Judah carried away very much spoil.
14:13And they struck all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the LORD was upon them. They plundered all the cities, for there was abundant spoil in them.
14:14And they also struck the livestock camps and captured sheep and camels in abundance. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

Chapter 15

15:1And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded.
15:2And he went out before Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.
15:3For many days Israel was without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law.
15:4But in their distress they returned to the LORD, God of Israel, and sought Him, and He was found by them.
15:5And in those times there was no peace for him who went out or for him who came in, for great troubles were upon all the inhabitants of the lands.
15:6Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress.
15:7But you, be strong, and do not let your hands grow weak, for there is a reward for your work.”
15:8And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the abominations from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had captured in the hill-country of Ephraim. And he renewed the altar of the LORD that was before the porch of the LORD.
15:9Then he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the sojourners with them from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon; for many had defected to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.
15:10And they gathered at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.
15:11And on that day they sacrificed to the LORD from the spoil they had brought: seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.
15:12And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul.
15:13And whoever would not seek the LORD, God of Israel, was to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman.
15:14And they swore to the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting, trumpets, and horns.
15:15And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their desire. And He was found by them, and the LORD gave them rest on every side.
15:16He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother, because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her abominable image, crushed it, and burned it by the Brook of Kidron.
15:17But the high places were not removed from Israel. Nevertheless, Asa’s heart was wholly devoted to the LORD all his days.
15:18And he brought into the house of God the things his father had consecrated and the things he himself had consecrated: silver, gold, and vessels.
15:19And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

Chapter 16

16:1In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and built Ramah, to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.
16:2Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and of the king’s house, and sent them to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who dwelt in Damascus, saying,
16:3“There is a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, so that he may withdraw from me.”
16:4And Ben-Hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel. And they struck Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all the store cities of Naphtali.
16:5And when Baasha heard of it, he ceased building Ramah and stopped his work.
16:6Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building; and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.
16:7And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you leaned upon the king of Aram and did not lean upon the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand.
16:8Were not the Cushites and the Libyans an immense army, with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you leaned upon the LORD, He gave them into your hand.
16:9For the eyes of the LORD range throughout all the earth, to show Himself strong for those whose heart is wholly devoted to Him. In this you have acted foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.”
16:10Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.
16:11And behold, the acts of Asa, the first and the last, are written in the book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
16:12And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa became diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians.
16:13And Asa lay with his fathers and died in the forty-first year of his reign.
16:14And they buried him in the grave he had prepared for himself in the City of David. They laid him on a bed filled with spices and various kinds of blended perfumes, prepared by the perfumer’s art; and they made a very great burning in his honor.

Chapter 17

17:1Then Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place and strengthened himself against Israel.
17:2And he stationed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had captured.
17:3And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of David his father and did not seek the Baals,
17:4but sought the God of his father and walked in His commandments, and not according to the deeds of Israel.
17:5Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand, and all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat; and he had riches and honor in abundance.
17:6And he took courage in the ways of the LORD; moreover, he removed the high places and the sacred poles from Judah.
17:7And in the third year of his reign he sent his officials—Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah—to teach in the cities of Judah;
17:8and with them the Levites Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah; and with these Levites were Elishama and Jehoram the priests.
17:9And they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the LORD with them. They went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.
17:10And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands around Judah, and they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.
17:11And some of the Philistines brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, with silver as tribute; and the Arabians brought him flocks: seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred male goats.
17:12And Jehoshaphat grew greater and greater, and he built fortresses and store cities in Judah.
17:13And he had large supplies in the cities of Judah, and men of war, mighty men of valor, were in Jerusalem.
17:14And this was their enrollment by their ancestral houses: of Judah, commanders of thousands—Adnah the commander, and with him three hundred thousand mighty men of valor;
17:15and next to him, Jehohanan the commander, and with him two hundred eighty thousand;
17:16and next to him, Amasiah son of Zichri, who offered himself willingly to the LORD, and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valor.
17:17And of Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty man of valor, and with him two hundred thousand armed with bow and shield;
17:18and next to him, Jehozabad, and with him one hundred eighty thousand armed for war.
17:19These were those who served the king, apart from those whom the king placed in the fortified cities throughout Judah.

Chapter 18

18:1Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage.
18:2And after some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab sacrificed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and for the people who were with him, and persuaded him to go up against Ramoth-gilead.
18:3And Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?” And he said to him, “I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will be with you in the battle.”
18:4And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please seek the word of the LORD today.”
18:5Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God shall give it into the hand of the king.”
18:6But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here, that we may seek Him through him?”
18:7And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we may seek the LORD, but I hate him, for all his days he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil—Micaiah son of Imlah.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.”
18:8Then the king of Israel called a court official and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah quickly.”
18:9Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting, each on his throne, clothed in their royal robes, at a threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.
18:10And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, “Thus says the LORD:
18:11With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are consumed.” And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper, for the LORD shall give it into the hand of the king.”
18:12And the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “Behold, the words of the prophets are with one mouth favorable to the king. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.”
18:13But Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, whatever my God says, that I will speak.”
18:14And he came to the king, and the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And he said, “Go up and prosper, for they shall be given into your hand.”
18:15And the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear that you speak nothing to me but the truth in the Name of the LORD?”
18:16And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains, like sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his house in peace.’”
18:17And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not say to you that he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”
18:18And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the heavenly host standing by Him, on His right and on His left.
18:19And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another.
18:20Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, ‘I will entice him.’ And the LORD said to him, ‘How?’
18:21And he said, ‘I will go out and become a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And He said, ‘You shall entice him, and you shall prevail. Go out and do so.’
18:22And now, behold, the LORD has put a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and the LORD has spoken calamity concerning you.”
18:23Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the Spirit of the LORD pass from me to speak with you?”
18:24And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an innermost chamber to hide yourself.”
18:25And the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon, ruler of the city, and to Joash son of the king.
18:26And say, ‘Thus says the king: Put this man in prison and feed him bread of affliction and water of affliction until I return in peace.’”
18:27And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace at all, the LORD has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, O peoples, all of you.”
18:28So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.
18:29And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and enter the battle, but you put on your royal robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself, and they entered the battle.
18:30Now the king of Aram had commanded the commanders of his chariots, saying, “Fight with neither small nor great, but with the king of Israel alone.”
18:31And when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely he is the king of Israel.” And they turned aside to fight against him; but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him, and God drew them away from him.
18:32And when the commanders of the chariots saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.
18:33But a man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. And he said to the charioteer, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded.”
18:34And the battle increased that day. The king of Israel was propped up in the chariot facing the Arameans until evening, and at sunset he died.

Chapter 19

19:1Then Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned in peace to his house in Jerusalem.
19:2And Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out before him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, wrath has come upon you from the LORD.
19:3Nevertheless, good things have been found in you, for you have removed the sacred poles from the land and have set your heart to seek God.”
19:4And Jehoshaphat dwelt in Jerusalem. Then he went out again among the people, from Beersheba to the hill-country of Ephraim, and brought them back to the LORD, God of their fathers.
19:5And he appointed judges in the land, in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city.
19:6And he said to the judges, “Consider what you are doing, for you do not judge for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the matter of judgment.
19:7And now, let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Take heed and act, for there is no injustice with the LORD our God, nor partiality, nor taking of a bribe.”
19:8Moreover, in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites, priests, and heads of the ancestral houses of Israel for the judgment of the LORD and for disputes. And they had their seat in Jerusalem.
19:9And he charged them, saying, “Thus you shall act in the fear of the LORD, in faithfulness, and with a wholly devoted heart.
19:10Whenever a dispute comes to you from your brothers who dwell in their cities—whether concerning bloodshed, law, commandment, statutes, or judgments—you shall warn them, lest they incur guilt before the LORD and wrath come upon you and your brothers. Thus you shall act, and you shall not incur guilt.
19:11And behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in every matter of the LORD, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, ruler of the house of Judah, in every matter of the king; and the Levites shall serve as officers before you. Act with courage, and may the LORD be with the good.”

Chapter 20

20:1And after this the Moabites and the Ammonites, and with them some of the peoples, came to battle against Jehoshaphat.
20:2Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude has come against you from beyond the sea, from Aram; and behold, they are in Hazezon-Tamar,” which is En-Gedi.
20:3And Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
20:4And Judah gathered to seek help from the LORD; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.
20:5Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,
20:6and said, “O LORD, God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in Your hand, and none can stand against You.
20:7Are You not our God, who dispossessed the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and gave it forever to the seed of Abraham Your friend?
20:8And they dwelt in it and built You a sanctuary in it for Your Name, saying,
20:9‘If calamity comes upon us—the sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this house and before You, for Your Name is in this house, and cry to You out of our distress; and You will hear and save.’
20:10And now, behold, the Ammonites, the Moabites, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir, whom You did not allow Israel to invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned aside from them and did not destroy them—
20:11behold, they repay us by coming to drive us out of Your possession, which You gave us to possess.
20:12O our God, will You not execute judgment upon them? For we have no power before this great multitude that is coming against us, and we do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
20:13And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their sons.
20:14Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.
20:15And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat. Thus says the LORD to you: Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
20:16Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they are coming up by the ascent of Ziz, and you shall find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
20:17You need not fight in this battle. Station yourselves, stand, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out before them, for the LORD is with you.”
20:18Then Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the earth, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, bowing themselves to the LORD.
20:19And the Levites, of the sons of the Kohathites and of the sons of the Korahites, rose to praise the LORD, God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
20:20And they rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa. And as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”
20:21And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who would sing to the LORD and praise Him in the splendor of holiness as they went out before the army, saying, “Give thanks to the LORD, for His steadfast love endures forever.”
20:22And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the Ammonites, the Moabites, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were struck down.
20:23Then the Ammonites and the Moabites rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to devote them to destruction and wipe them out. And when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, each helped to destroy his neighbor.
20:24And when Judah came to the watchtower in the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and behold, they were corpses fallen upon the earth, and none had escaped.
20:25Then Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, and they found among them an abundance of goods upon the bodies, as well as precious vessels. They took spoil for themselves until they could carry no more. For three days they gathered the spoil, because it was abundant.
20:26And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Blessing, for there they blessed the LORD. Therefore they have called the name of that place the Valley of Blessing to this day.
20:27Then every man of Judah and Jerusalem returned, with Jehoshaphat at their head, going back to Jerusalem with joy, for the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies.
20:28And they came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets, to the house of the LORD.
20:29And the fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel.
20:30So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat had rest, and his God gave him rest on every side.
20:31And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.
20:32And he walked in the way of Asa his father and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the LORD.
20:33But the high places were not removed, and the people had not yet set their heart upon the God of their fathers.
20:34And the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, the first and the last, behold, they are written in the annals of Jehu son of Hanani, which are included in the book of the Kings of Israel.
20:35And after this Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined himself with Ahaziah king of Israel; he acted wickedly in doing so.
20:36And he joined with him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion-geber.
20:37Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have joined yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has shattered your works.” And the ships were wrecked and could not go to Tarshish.

Chapter 21

21:1Then Jehoshaphat lay with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. And Jehoram his son reigned in his place.
21:2And he had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.
21:3And their father gave them many gifts of silver, gold, and precious things, along with fortified cities in Judah; but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn.
21:4And when Jehoram had established himself over the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself and killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the leaders of Israel.
21:5Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
21:6And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for a daughter of Ahab had become his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the LORD.
21:7Yet the LORD was unwilling to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that He had made with David, and because He had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever.
21:8In his days Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah and set a king over themselves.
21:9Then Jehoram crossed over with his commanders and all his chariots. And he rose by night and struck the Edomites who had surrounded him and the commanders of the chariots.
21:10So Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah to this day. Then Libnah rebelled at that time from under his hand, because he had forsaken the LORD, God of his fathers.
21:11Moreover, he made high places on the mountains of Judah, led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into sexual immorality, and led Judah astray.
21:12Then a writing from Elijah the prophet came to him, saying, “Thus says the LORD, God of David your father: Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father or in the ways of Asa king of Judah,
21:13but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel and led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into sexual immorality, as the house of Ahab led Israel into sexual immorality, and have also killed your brothers, your father’s household, who were better than you—
21:14behold, the LORD shall strike your people, your sons, your wives, and all your possessions with a great plague;
21:15and you shall suffer severe diseases, a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the disease, day after day.”
21:16And the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and of the Arabians who were near the Cushites.
21:17And they came up against Judah and broke into it, and carried away all the possessions found in the king’s house, along with his sons and his wives. No son was left to him except Ahaziah, the youngest of his sons.
21:18And after all this the LORD struck him in his bowels with an incurable disease.
21:19And in the course of time, at the end of two years, his bowels came out because of his disease, and he died in grievous suffering. And his people did not make a burning for him like the burning made for his fathers.
21:20He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed with no one’s regret. They buried him in the City of David, but not in the graves of the kings.

Chapter 22

22:1Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, for the raiding band that came with the Arabians to the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram, king of Judah, began to reign.
22:2Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah daughter of Omri.
22:3He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly.
22:4And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, like the house of Ahab, for after the death of his father they were his counselors, to his destruction.
22:5He also walked in their counsel and went with Joram son of Ahab, king of Israel, to battle against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead; and the Arameans wounded Joram.
22:6And Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramoth-gilead, when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. And Ahaziah son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel, for he was wounded.
22:7But the coming of Ahaziah to Joram was from God, leading to his downfall. For when he arrived, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.
22:8And when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the leaders of Judah and the sons of the brothers of Ahaziah, who were serving Ahaziah, and killed them.
22:9And he sought Ahaziah, and they captured him while he was hiding in Samaria. They brought him to Jehu and put him to death. And they buried him, for they said, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart.” And there was no one of the house of Ahaziah able to rule the kingdom.
22:10And when Athaliah mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she rose and destroyed all the royal offspring of the house of Judah.
22:11But Jehosheba daughter of the king took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and she placed him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus Jehosheba daughter of King Jehoram, wife of Jehoiada the priest and sister of Ahaziah, hid him from Athaliah, so that she did not put him to death.
22:12And he was with them, hidden in the house of God, for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

Chapter 23

23:1And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself and entered into covenant with the captains of hundreds—Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri.
23:2Then they went throughout Judah, gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah and the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel, and came to Jerusalem.
23:3And all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And Jehoiada said to them, “Behold, the king’s son shall reign, as the LORD spoke concerning the sons of David.
23:4This is what you shall do: one-third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath, both priests and Levites, shall be gatekeepers at the thresholds;
23:5one-third shall be at the king’s house, and one-third at the Foundation Gate; and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the LORD.
23:6But no one shall enter the house of the LORD except the priests and the Levites who minister; they may enter, for they are holy. And all the people shall keep the watch of the LORD.
23:7And the Levites shall surround the king on every side, each with his weapon in his hand. Whoever enters the house shall be put to death. Stay with the king whenever he comes in and whenever he goes out.”
23:8Then the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. Each took his men, those coming on duty on the Sabbath together with those going off duty on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest had not dismissed the divisions.
23:9And Jehoiada the priest gave the captains of hundreds the spears, shields, and large shields that had belonged to King David, which were in the house of God.
23:10And he stationed all the people, each with his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, by the altar and by the house, surrounding the king on every side.
23:11Then they brought out the king’s son, placed the crown upon him, and gave him the Testimony. And they made him king, and Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, “Let the king live!”
23:12And when Athaliah heard the sound of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people in the house of the LORD.
23:13And she looked, and behold, the king was standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the trumpeters were beside the king. And all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, while the singers with musical instruments were leading the praise. Then Athaliah tore her garments and cried, “Conspiracy! Conspiracy!”
23:14And Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds who commanded the army and said to them, “Take her out between the ranks, and put to death with the sword anyone who follows her.” For the priest had said, “Do not put her to death in the house of the LORD.”
23:15So they laid hands on her, and she went by way of the entrance of the Horse Gate to the king’s house; and there they put her to death.
23:16Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, all the people, and the king, that they should be the LORD’s people.
23:17And all the people went to the house of Baal and broke it down. They broke its altars and its images in pieces, and put Mattan the priest of Baal to death before the altars.
23:18Then Jehoiada placed the oversight of the house of the LORD in the hands of the Levitical priests whom David had assigned over the house of the LORD, to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD as written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and singing according to the order of David.
23:19And he stationed the gatekeepers at the gates of the house of the LORD, so that no one unclean in any way should enter.
23:20Then he took the captains of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought the king down from the house of the LORD. And they entered the king’s house through the Upper Gate and seated the king on the throne of the kingdom.
23:21And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athaliah had been put to death by the sword.

Chapter 24

24:1Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Zibiah of Beersheba.
24:2And Joash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.
24:3And Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he fathered sons and daughters.
24:4And it came to pass after this that Joash set his heart on repairing the house of the LORD.
24:5And he gathered the priests and the Levites and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect money from all Israel to repair the house of your God year by year. See that you do it quickly.” But the Levites did not act quickly.
24:6Then the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the levy imposed by Moses, servant of the LORD, and by the assembly of Israel for the Tent of the Testimony?
24:7For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and they had used all the sacred things of the house of the LORD for the Baals.”
24:8So at the king’s command they made a chest and placed it outside at the gate of the house of the LORD.
24:9And they issued a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the LORD the levy that Moses, servant of God, had imposed upon Israel in the wilderness.
24:10Then all the rulers and all the people rejoiced, and they brought their contributions and cast them into the chest until they had finished.
24:11And whenever the chest was brought to the king’s officials by the Levites, and they saw that there was much money in it, the king’s scribe and an officer of the chief priest came and emptied the chest; then they carried it back and returned it to its place. Thus they did day after day and gathered money in abundance.
24:12And the king and Jehoiada gave it to those who supervised the work on the house of the LORD. And they hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the LORD, and also workers in iron and bronze to strengthen the house of the LORD.
24:13So those who carried out the work labored, and the repair progressed under their hand. They restored the house of God to its proper condition and strengthened it.
24:14And when they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada. With it they made vessels for the house of the LORD—vessels for service and for offering, dishes, and vessels of gold and silver. And burnt offerings were offered continually in the house of the LORD throughout all the days of Jehoiada.
24:15And Jehoiada grew old and full of days, and he died; he was one hundred thirty years old at his death.
24:16And they buried him in the City of David with the kings, because he had done good in Israel, and for God and His house.
24:17And after the death of Jehoiada, the rulers of Judah came and bowed themselves before the king; then the king listened to them.
24:18And they forsook the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the sacred poles and the idols. Therefore wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of this guilt of theirs.
24:19Yet He sent prophets among them to bring them back to the LORD, and they testified against them; but they would not listen.
24:20Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people and said to them, “Thus says God: Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has forsaken you.”
24:21But they conspired against him and stoned him with stones at the command of the king, in the court of the house of the LORD.
24:22Thus King Joash did not remember the steadfast love that Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, had shown him, but put his son to death. And as he died, he said, “May the LORD see and require it.”
24:23And it came to pass at the turn of the year that the Aramean army came up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the rulers of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus.
24:24Though the Aramean army had come with only a few men, the LORD gave a very great army into their hand, because Judah had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment upon Joash.
24:25And when they withdrew from him—for they left him with severe wounds—his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest and put him to death on his bed. And he died, and they buried him in the City of David, but they did not bury him in the graves of the kings.
24:26And these were those who conspired against him: Jozachar son of Shimeath the Ammonite woman, and Jehozabad son of Shomer the Moabite woman.
24:27And as for his sons, the many pronouncements against him, and the restoration of the house of God, behold, they are written in the commentary on the book of the Kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 25

25:1Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.
25:2And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a heart wholly devoted to the LORD.
25:3And once the kingdom was firmly under his control, he struck down his servants who had struck down his father the king.
25:4But he did not put their sons to death, but did as written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the LORD commanded, saying, “Fathers shall not be put to death for sons, and sons shall not be put to death for fathers, but each shall be put to death for his own sin.”
25:5Then Amaziah assembled Judah and appointed them by fathers’ houses under captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, throughout all Judah and Benjamin. And he numbered those twenty years old and upward and found three hundred thousand chosen men able to go to war, armed with spear and shield.
25:6He also hired one hundred thousand mighty warriors from Israel for one hundred talents of silver.
25:7But a man of God came to him, saying, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the LORD is not with Israel—not with any of the sons of Ephraim.
25:8But if you go, act and be strong for battle; God will make you stumble before the enemy, for God has power to help and power to make one stumble.”
25:9Then Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall be done about the hundred talents that I have given to the troops of Israel?” And the man of God said, “The LORD is able to give you much more than this.”
25:10So Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. And their anger burned fiercely against Judah, and they returned home in fierce anger.
25:11Then Amaziah strengthened himself, led his people out, went to the Valley of Salt, and struck ten thousand of the sons of Seir.
25:12And the sons of Judah captured ten thousand alive, brought them to the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, so that all of them were dashed to pieces.
25:13But the men of the troop whom Amaziah had sent back from going with him to battle raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon, struck three thousand of them, and seized much spoil.
25:14And it came to pass after Amaziah returned from striking the Edomites that he brought the gods of the sons of Seir and set them up as his gods. And he bowed himself before them and burned incense to them.
25:15Then the anger of the LORD burned against Amaziah, and He sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why have you sought the gods of a people who could not deliver their own people out of your hand?”
25:16And as he was speaking to him, the king said, “Have we appointed you as counselor to the king? Stop! Why should you be struck down?” So the prophet stopped, but said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”
25:17Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent word to Joash son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying,
25:18“Come, let us face one another in battle.” And Joash king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thornbush in Lebanon sent to the cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ But a wild beast in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thornbush.
25:19You say, ‘Behold, I have struck Edom,’ and your heart has lifted you up to boast. Now remain in your house. Why provoke disaster so that you fall, you and Judah with you?”
25:20But Amaziah would not listen, for this was from God, that He might give them into the hand of Joash, because they had sought the gods of Edom.
25:21So Joash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another in battle at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah.
25:22And Judah was struck before Israel, and each man fled to his tent.
25:23And Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, son of Joash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh and brought him to Jerusalem. And he broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate, four hundred cubits.
25:24And he took all the gold and silver, all the vessels found in the house of God under the care of Obed-Edom, the treasures of the king’s house, and the hostages, and returned to Samaria.
25:25And Amaziah son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel.
25:26And the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from first to last, behold, are they not written in the book of the Kings of Judah and Israel?
25:27And from the time Amaziah turned away from following the LORD, they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem. And he fled to Lachish, but they sent after him to Lachish and put him to death there.
25:28Then they carried him back on horses and buried him with his fathers in the City of Judah.

Chapter 26

26:1Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.
26:2He built Elath and restored it to Judah after the king lay with his fathers.
26:3Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.
26:4And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.
26:5And he set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God. And as long as he sought the LORD, God caused him to prosper.
26:6And he went out and fought against the Philistines, broke down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and built cities in the territory of Ashdod and among the Philistines.
26:7And God helped him against the Philistines, against the Arabians who dwelt in Gur-Ba‘al, and against the Meunites.
26:8And the Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, for he had become exceedingly strong.
26:9And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, the Valley Gate, and the angle, and fortified them.
26:10And he built towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, for he had much livestock, both in the lowland and in the plain. He also had farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in Carmel, for he loved the soil.
26:11And Uzziah had an army ready for war, going out by divisions according to the number in their muster, prepared by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the authority of Hananiah, one of the king’s captains.
26:12The whole number of the heads of the fathers’ houses of the mighty warriors was two thousand six hundred.
26:13And under their command was an army of three hundred seven thousand five hundred men who made war with mighty power to help the king against the enemy.
26:14And Uzziah prepared for the whole army shields, spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and stones for slings.
26:15And in Jerusalem he made devices designed by skillful men to be placed on the towers and corners, to shoot arrows and great stones. And his fame spread far abroad, for he was wonderfully helped until he became strong.
26:16But when he became strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction, and he acted unfaithfully against the LORD his God. He entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
26:17Then Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him were eighty courageous priests of the LORD.
26:18And they stood against King Uzziah and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out from the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully, and you will receive no honor from the LORD God.”
26:19Then Uzziah became angry. And while he held a censer in his hand to burn incense, as he raged against the priests, skin disease broke out on his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, beside the altar of incense.
26:20And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, the skin disease was on his forehead. So they hurried him out from there, and he himself also hastened to go out, because the LORD had struck him.
26:21And King Uzziah had the skin disease until the day of his death. He lived in a separate house because of the skin disease, for he was excluded from the house of the LORD. And Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.
26:22And the rest of the acts of Uzziah, from first to last, Isaiah son of Amoz the prophet wrote.
26:23Then Uzziah lay with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field belonging to the kings’ burial grounds, for they said, “He had the skin disease.” And Jotham his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 27

27:1Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Jerusha daughter of Zadok.
27:2And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah had done, except that he did not enter the temple of the LORD. But the people still acted corruptly.
27:3He built the Upper Gate of the house of the LORD and built extensively on the wall of Ophel.
27:4And he built cities in the hill country of Judah, and in the forests he built fortresses and towers.
27:5And he fought against the king of the Ammonites and prevailed over them. And that year the Ammonites gave him one hundred talents of silver, ten thousand cors of wheat, and ten thousand cors of barley. The Ammonites paid him the same amount in both the second year and the third.
27:6And Jotham became strong, because he ordered his ways before the LORD his God.
27:7And the rest of the acts of Jotham, all his wars and his ways, behold, they are written in the book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
27:8He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.
27:9Then Jotham lay with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. And Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 28

28:1Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD, as David his father had done.
28:2But he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and also made cast-metal images for the Baals.
28:3And he burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and burned his sons in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had dispossessed before the sons of Israel.
28:4And he sacrificed and burned incense in the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
28:5Therefore the LORD his God gave him into the hand of the king of Aram. The Arameans struck him, took many captives from him, and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with a great slaughter.
28:6And Pekah son of Remaliah put to death one hundred twenty thousand in Judah in one day, all mighty warriors, because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers.
28:7And Zichri, a mighty warrior of Ephraim, put to death Maaseiah the king’s son, Azrikam who was over the house, and Elkanah who was second to the king.
28:8And the sons of Israel took captive from their brothers two hundred thousand women, sons, and daughters. They also seized much spoil from them and brought the spoil to Samaria.
28:9But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded. And he went out before the army that came to Samaria and said to them, “Behold, because the LORD, the God of your fathers, was furious with Judah, He gave them into your hand. But you have put them to death in a rage that has reached to heaven.
28:10And now you intend to subjugate the sons of Judah and Jerusalem as male and female servants for yourselves. But do you yourselves not have guilt before the LORD your God?
28:11Now hear me and send back the captives whom you have taken from your brothers, for the fierce anger of the LORD is upon you.”
28:12Then certain of the heads of the sons of Ephraim—Azariah son of Johanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai—rose against those returning from the army.
28:13And they said to them, “You must not bring the captives in here, for you intend to bring guilt against the LORD upon us and add to our sins and our guilt. For our guilt is already great, and fierce anger is upon Israel.”
28:14So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the rulers and all the assembly.
28:15Then the men designated by name rose and took the captives. From the spoil they clothed all who were naked, gave them garments and sandals, gave them food and drink, anointed them, and carried all who were feeble on donkeys. And they brought them to their brothers at Jericho, the City of Palms. Then they returned to Samaria.
28:16At that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria for help.
28:17For the Edomites had again come, struck Judah, and carried away captives.
28:18And the Philistines had raided the cities of the lowland and the Negev of Judah and captured Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Socoh and its villages, Timnah and its villages, and Gimzo and its villages; and they dwelt there.
28:19For the LORD humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, because he had let Judah get out of control and had acted utterly unfaithfully against the LORD.
28:20And Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came against him and afflicted him instead of strengthening him.
28:21Though Ahaz took a portion from the house of the LORD, the king’s house, and the rulers and gave it to the king of Assyria, it did not help him.
28:22And in the time of his distress he acted even more unfaithfully against the LORD—this King Ahaz.
28:23For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had struck him, saying, “Because the gods of the kings of Aram help them, I will sacrifice to them so that they may help me.” But they became a cause of stumbling to him and to all Israel.
28:24And Ahaz gathered the vessels of the house of God and cut the vessels of the house of God in pieces. He shut the doors of the house of the LORD and made altars for himself on every corner in Jerusalem.
28:25And in every city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and he provoked the LORD, the God of his fathers.
28:26And the rest of his acts and all his ways, from first to last, behold, they are written in the book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
28:27Then Ahaz lay with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, but they did not bring him into the graves of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

Chapter 29

29:1Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.
29:2And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done.
29:3In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them.
29:4And he brought in the priests and the Levites and gathered them in the eastern square.
29:5And he said to them, “Hear me, O Levites. Consecrate yourselves now, and consecrate the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers, and bring the defilement out of the holy place.
29:6For our fathers acted unfaithfully and did what was evil in the sight of the LORD our God. They forsook Him, turned their faces away from the Dwelling Place of the LORD, and turned their backs.
29:7They also shut the doors of the porch, extinguished the lamps, and did not burn incense or offer burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel.
29:8Therefore the wrath of the LORD came upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He made them an object of horror, astonishment, and hissing, as you see with your own eyes.
29:9And behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity because of this.
29:10Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, so that the fierceness of His anger may turn away from us.
29:11My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, to be His ministers, and to burn incense to Him.”
29:12Then the Levites arose: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah, from the sons of the Kohathites; Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel, from the sons of Merari; Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah, from the Gershonites;
29:13Shimri and Jeiel, from the sons of Elizaphan; Zechariah and Mattaniah, from the sons of Asaph;
29:14Jehiel and Shimei, from the sons of Heman; and Shemaiah and Uzziel, from the sons of Jeduthun.
29:15And they gathered their brothers, consecrated themselves, and came according to the king’s command, in accordance with the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD.
29:16Then the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD to cleanse it. And they brought out to the court of the house of the LORD all the defilement that they found in the temple of the LORD, and the Levites received it and carried it outside to the Brook of Kidron.
29:17And they began to consecrate the house on the first day of the first month. On the eighth day of the month they came to the porch of the LORD, and they consecrated the house of the LORD for eight days. On the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.
29:18Then they went inside to King Hezekiah and said, “We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table for the bread of the Presence and all its utensils.
29:19And all the vessels that King Ahaz discarded during his reign when he acted unfaithfully, we have prepared and consecrated; and behold, they are before the altar of the LORD.”
29:20Then King Hezekiah rose early, gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the LORD.
29:21And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. And he commanded the sons of Aaron, the priests, to offer them on the altar of the LORD.
29:22So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. Then they slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar; and they slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar.
29:23Then they brought the male goats of the sin offering near before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands upon them.
29:24And the priests slaughtered them and offered their blood as a sin offering upon the altar, to make atonement for all Israel; for the king had said that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be for all Israel.
29:25And he stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres, according to the command of David, Gad the king’s seer, and Nathan the prophet; for the command was from the LORD by His prophets.
29:26And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.
29:27Then Hezekiah commanded that the burnt offering be offered upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD began also, accompanied by the trumpets and the instruments of David king of Israel.
29:28And all the assembly worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters blew their trumpets; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.
29:29And when the offering was finished, the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped.
29:30Then King Hezekiah and the rulers commanded the Levites to praise the LORD with the words of David and Asaph the seer. And they praised with joy, bowed their heads, and worshiped.
29:31Then Hezekiah answered and said, “Now you have consecrated yourselves to the LORD. Come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the LORD.” And the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and everyone with a willing heart brought burnt offerings.
29:32And the number of the burnt offerings that the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the LORD.
29:33And the sacred offerings were six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep.
29:34But the priests were too few and could not skin all the burnt offerings, so their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was finished and until the priests had consecrated themselves; for the Levites were more upright in heart to consecrate themselves than the priests.
29:35And there were also burnt offerings in abundance, together with the fat of the peace offerings and the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. Thus the service of the house of the LORD was established.
29:36And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because of what God had prepared for the people, for the thing had come about suddenly.

Chapter 30

30:1Then Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah, and he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem to keep the Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel.
30:2For the king, his rulers, and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the Passover in the second month,
30:3because they had not been able to keep it at the appointed time, since the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient number and the people had not gathered in Jerusalem.
30:4And the plan was right in the sight of the king and in the sight of all the assembly.
30:5So they established a decree to send a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to Jerusalem to keep the Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel; for they had not kept it in great numbers as it was written.
30:6Then the couriers went with letters from the hand of the king and his rulers throughout all Israel and Judah, according to the command of the king, saying, “O sons of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and He will return to the survivors who remain to you from the hand of the kings of Assyria.
30:7Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who acted unfaithfully against the LORD, the God of their fathers, so that He made them an object of horror, as you see.
30:8Now do not harden your neck as your fathers did. Yield yourselves to the LORD and come into His sanctuary, which He has consecrated forever, and serve the LORD your God, so that the fierceness of His anger may turn away from you.
30:9For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and your sons will receive compassion from their captors and return to this land; for the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate, and He will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”
30:10So the couriers passed from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, even to Zebulun; but the people laughed them to scorn and mocked them.
30:11Nevertheless, some men of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.
30:12The hand of God was also upon Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the rulers commanded by the word of the LORD.
30:13And many people gathered in Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month—a very great assembly.
30:14And they rose and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and they removed all the incense altars and cast them into the Brook of Kidron.
30:15Then they slaughtered the Passover sacrifice on the fourteenth day of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed, consecrated themselves, and brought burnt offerings into the house of the LORD.
30:16And they stood at their stations according to their ordinance, according to the Law of Moses the man of God, while the priests sprinkled the blood received from the hand of the Levites.
30:17For many in the assembly had not consecrated themselves, so the Levites were responsible for slaughtering the Passover sacrifices for everyone who was unclean, to consecrate the sacrifices to the LORD.
30:18For a great number of the people—many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun—had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good LORD pardon everyone
30:19who has prepared his heart to seek God, the LORD, the God of his fathers, though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.”
30:20And the LORD listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.
30:21And the sons of Israel who were present in Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy. And the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day with loud instruments before the LORD.
30:22And Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good understanding in the service of the LORD. And they ate the festival offerings for seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the LORD, the God of their fathers.
30:23Then all the assembly took counsel to keep the feast another seven days, and they kept it another seven days with joy.
30:24For Hezekiah king of Judah provided for the assembly one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep, and the rulers provided for the assembly one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep. And a great number of priests consecrated themselves.
30:25And all the assembly of Judah rejoiced, together with the priests, the Levites, all the assembly that came from Israel, and the resident foreigners who came from the land of Israel or dwelt in Judah.
30:26And there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.
30:27Then the Levitical priests rose and blessed the people. And their voice was heard, and their prayer came into His holy dwelling place in heaven.

Chapter 31

31:1And when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke the pillars in pieces, cut down the sacred poles, and broke down the high places and the altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the sons of Israel returned, each to his possession, to their cities.
31:2And Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and the Levites according to their divisions, each according to his service, both priests and Levites, for burnt offerings and peace offerings, to minister, give thanks, and give praise within the gates of the camps of the LORD.
31:3And the king’s portion from his possessions was for the burnt offerings: for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths, new moons, and appointed festivals, as written in the Law of the LORD.
31:4And he commanded the people dwelling in Jerusalem to give the portion due to the priests and the Levites, so that they might devote themselves to the Law of the LORD.
31:5And as soon as the command spread, the sons of Israel gave in abundance the firstfruits of grain, new wine, oil, honey, and all the produce of the field; and they brought in the tithe of everything in abundance.
31:6And the sons of Israel and Judah who dwelt in the cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of cattle and sheep, and the tithe of the sacred things consecrated to the LORD their God, and laid them in heaps.
31:7In the third month they began to form the heaps, and in the seventh month they finished them.
31:8And when Hezekiah and the rulers came and saw the heaps, they blessed the LORD and His people Israel.
31:9Then Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps.
31:10And Azariah the chief priest, of the house of Zadok, said to him, “Since the contributions began to be brought into the house of the LORD, we have eaten and had enough, with plenty left over; for the LORD has blessed His people, and this great store remains.”
31:11Then Hezekiah commanded them to prepare storerooms in the house of the LORD, and they prepared them.
31:12And they faithfully brought in the contributions, the tithes, and the sacred things. Conaniah the Levite was overseer of them, and Shimei his brother was second.
31:13And Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah were supervisors under the authority of Conaniah and Shimei his brother, by the appointment of King Hezekiah and Azariah, ruler of the house of God.
31:14And Kore son of Imnah the Levite, the gatekeeper at the east, was over the willing offerings to God, to distribute the contribution of the LORD and the most holy things.
31:15And under his authority were Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, who faithfully distributed shares to their brothers in the cities of the priests, according to their divisions, to the great and small alike,
31:16besides those enrolled by genealogy, every male from three years old and upward—everyone who entered the house of the LORD to perform the daily service according to his duties and his division;
31:17and the priests enrolled by genealogy according to their fathers’ houses, and the Levites from twenty years old and upward according to their duties and their divisions;
31:18and those enrolled by genealogy with all their children, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, throughout the whole assembly; for in their faithfulness they consecrated themselves as holy.
31:19And for the sons of Aaron, the priests, who were in the fields of the pasture lands belonging to their cities, in each and every city there were men designated by name to distribute portions to every male among the priests and to everyone enrolled by genealogy among the Levites.
31:20Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good, right, and faithful before the LORD his God.
31:21And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the Law, and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart and prospered.

Chapter 32

32:1After these things and this faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came into Judah. He encamped against the fortified cities, intending to break into them for himself.
32:2And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that his purpose was to wage war against Jerusalem,
32:3he took counsel with his officials and his mighty men about stopping the waters of the springs that were outside the city; and they helped him.
32:4And a great many people gathered, and they stopped all the springs and the brook that flowed through the midst of the land, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find abundant water?”
32:5And he strengthened himself and rebuilt all the wall that had been broken down, raised towers upon it, and built another wall outside. He strengthened the Millo in the City of David and made weapons and shields in abundance.
32:6Then he appointed military commanders over the people, gathered them to himself in the city square at the gate, and spoke to their heart, saying,
32:7“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria or before all the multitude that is with him, for there are more with us than with him.
32:8With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
32:9After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem—while he was at Lachish with all his army—against Hezekiah king of Judah and against all Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying,
32:10“Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria: In what do you trust, that you remain in Jerusalem under siege?
32:11Is not Hezekiah misleading you, giving you over to die by famine and thirst, saying, ‘The LORD our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria’?
32:12Has not this same Hezekiah removed His high places and His altars and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall bow yourselves before one altar and burn incense upon it’?
32:13Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of the lands at all able to deliver their lands from my hand?
32:14Who among all the gods of these nations that my fathers devoted to destruction was able to deliver his people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand?
32:15And now, do not let Hezekiah deceive or mislead you in this way, and do not believe him; for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand!”
32:16And his servants spoke still more against the LORD God and against His servant Hezekiah.
32:17He also wrote letters to reproach the LORD, God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, “As the gods of the nations of the lands did not deliver their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand.”
32:18Then they called out with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, that they might capture the city.
32:19And they spoke against the God of Jerusalem as they did against the gods of the peoples of the earth—the work of human hands.
32:20Then Hezekiah the king and Isaiah son of Amoz the prophet prayed concerning this and cried out to heaven.
32:21And the LORD sent an angel, who cut down every mighty warrior, commander, and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with open shame to his own land; and when he entered the house of his god, some of his own sons struck him down there with the sword.
32:22Thus the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and He guided them on every side.
32:23And many brought gifts to the LORD at Jerusalem and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah; and he was exalted in the sight of all the nations after this.
32:24In those days Hezekiah became sick to the point of death. And he prayed to the LORD, and He spoke to him and gave him a sign.
32:25But Hezekiah did not return according to the benefit shown him, for his heart became proud. Therefore wrath came upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem.
32:26Then Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart—he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem—and the wrath of the LORD did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.
32:27And Hezekiah had very great riches and honor. He made treasuries for himself for silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and all kinds of desirable articles;
32:28storehouses also for the produce of grain, new wine, and oil; stalls for every kind of livestock; and folds for the flocks.
32:29He also made cities for himself and acquired flocks and herds in abundance, for God had given him very great possessions.
32:30And Hezekiah himself stopped the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them downward to the west side of the City of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his work.
32:31Yet in the matter of the envoys of the rulers of Babylon, who were sent to him to inquire about the sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.
32:32And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his faithful deeds, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah son of Amoz the prophet, in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
32:33Then Hezekiah lay with his fathers, and they buried him in the upper part of the tombs of the sons of David. And all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at his death. And his son Manasseh reigned in his place.

Chapter 33

33:1Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.
33:2And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD dispossessed before the sons of Israel.
33:3For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had broken down, erected altars to the Baals, made sacred poles, and bowed himself to all the host of the heavens and served them.
33:4And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem My Name shall be forever.”
33:5And he built altars for all the host of the heavens in the two courts of the house of the LORD.
33:6And he caused his sons to pass through fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, practiced sorcery, interpreted omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He multiplied evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
33:7Then he placed the carved image of the idol that he had made in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My Name forever.
33:8And I will never again remove the foot of Israel from the land that I appointed for your fathers, provided only that they are careful to do all that I have commanded them—all the Law, the statutes, and the ordinances given through Moses.”
33:9But Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations that the LORD had destroyed before the sons of Israel.
33:10And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they would not listen.
33:11Therefore the LORD brought against them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria. They captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze chains, and took him to Babylon.
33:12And when he was in distress, he sought the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself exceedingly before the God of his fathers.
33:13And he prayed to Him, and He was moved by his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem, to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God.
33:14And after this he built an outer wall for the City of David, west of Gihon, in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate. It encircled the Ophel, and he made it exceedingly high. And he placed military commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.
33:15And he removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the LORD, along with all the altars that he had built on the mountain of the house of the LORD and in Jerusalem, and cast them outside the city.
33:16And he restored the altar of the LORD and sacrificed upon it peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings; and he commanded Judah to serve the LORD, God of Israel.
33:17Nevertheless, the people still sacrificed at the high places, but only to the LORD their God.
33:18And the rest of the acts of Manasseh, his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the Name of the LORD, God of Israel, behold, they are in the records of the kings of Israel.
33:19And his prayer, and how God was moved by his entreaty, and all his sin and unfaithfulness, and the places where he built high places and set up sacred poles and carved images before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the records of the seers.
33:20Then Manasseh lay with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. And his son Amon reigned in his place.
33:21Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem.
33:22And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done. Amon sacrificed to all the carved images that his father Manasseh had made and served them.
33:23And he did not humble himself before the LORD, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but Amon multiplied guilt.
33:24Then his servants conspired against him and put him to death in his own house.
33:25But the people of the land struck down all who had conspired against King Amon; and the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.

Chapter 34

34:1Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.
34:2And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD and walked in the ways of David his father; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.
34:3In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of David his father; and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, the sacred poles, the carved images, and the cast-metal images.
34:4And they tore down the altars of the Baals before him, and he cut down the incense altars that stood above them. He broke the sacred poles, the carved images, and the cast-metal images, crushed them to powder, and scattered the dust over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
34:5And he burned the bones of the priests upon their altars and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.
34:6And in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, amid their ruins all around,
34:7he tore down the altars and the sacred poles, crushed the carved images to powder, and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
34:8And in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had cleansed the land and the house, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah governor of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.
34:9And they came to Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that had been brought into the house of God, which the Levites who kept the threshold had gathered from Manasseh and Ephraim, from all the remnant of Israel, from all Judah and Benjamin, and from the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
34:10Then they placed it into the hands of those appointed over the work in the house of the LORD, and they gave it to the workmen who labored in the house of the LORD, to repair and restore the house.
34:11They gave it to the craftsmen and builders to buy hewn stones and timber for couplings and beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to fall into ruin.
34:12And the men did the work faithfully. Their overseers were Jahath and Obadiah, Levites of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites; and the Levites, all who were skilled with instruments of music,
34:13were over the burden-bearers and directed all who did work in every kind of service; and some of the Levites were scribes, officers, and gatekeepers.
34:14And while they were bringing out the money that had been brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the LORD given through Moses.
34:15Then Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan.
34:16And Shaphan brought the book to the king and reported to the king, saying, “Everything committed to the hand of your servants, they are doing.
34:17They have emptied out the money found in the house of the LORD and placed it into the hands of the overseers and into the hands of those who do the work.”
34:18Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it before the king.
34:19And when the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his garments.
34:20Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah servant of the king, saying,
34:21“Go, inquire of the LORD for me and for those who remain in Israel and Judah concerning the words of the book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out upon us, because our fathers did not keep the word of the LORD, to do according to all that is written in this book.”
34:22Then Hilkiah and those whom the king had sent went to Huldah the prophetess, wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the garments. She dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter. And they spoke to her concerning this.
34:23And she said to them, “Thus says the LORD, God of Israel: Say to the man who sent you to Me,
34:24Thus says the LORD: Behold, I am bringing calamity upon this place and upon its inhabitants—all the curses written in the book that they have read before the king of Judah—
34:25because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, provoking Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath will be poured out upon this place and will not be quenched.
34:26But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, thus you shall say to him: Thus says the LORD, God of Israel, concerning the words that you have heard:
34:27Because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, tore your garments, and wept before Me, I also have heard you—an utterance of the LORD.
34:28Behold, I am gathering you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your tombs in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity that I am bringing upon this place and upon its inhabitants.” And they brought word back to the king.
34:29Then the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
34:30And the king went up to the house of the LORD, with every man of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the Levites, and all the people, from great to small. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD.
34:31Then the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the LORD: to walk after the LORD and to keep His commandments, His testimonies, and His statutes with all his heart and with all his soul, and to perform the words of the covenant written in this book.
34:32And he caused everyone found in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand by it; and the inhabitants of Jerusalem acted according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.
34:33And Josiah removed all the abominations from all the lands belonging to the sons of Israel and made everyone found in Israel serve the LORD their God. All his days they did not turn away from following the LORD, God of their fathers.

Chapter 35

35:1Then Josiah kept a Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered the Passover sacrifice on the fourteenth day of the first month.
35:2And he appointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them in the service of the house of the LORD.
35:3Then he said to the Levites who taught all Israel and were holy to the LORD, “Put the holy Ark in the house that Solomon son of David, king of Israel, built. You need not carry it on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and His people Israel.
35:4Prepare yourselves by your fathers’ houses according to your divisions, following the written directions of David king of Israel and the written directions of Solomon his son.
35:5And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the fathers’ houses of your brothers, the sons of the people, and according to the division of each Levitical fathers’ house.
35:6Slaughter the Passover sacrifice, consecrate yourselves, and prepare it for your brothers, to do according to the word of the LORD given through Moses.”
35:7And Josiah contributed to the sons of the people thirty thousand lambs and young goats from the flock, all for Passover sacrifices, for everyone present, and three thousand bulls. These were from the king’s possessions.
35:8And his officials contributed a freewill gift to the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, leaders in the house of God, gave to the priests two thousand six hundred animals for Passover sacrifices and three hundred bulls.
35:9And Conaniah, with his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, leaders of the Levites, contributed to the Levites five thousand animals for Passover sacrifices and five hundred bulls.
35:10So the service was prepared, and the priests stood at their posts and the Levites according to their divisions, according to the commandment of the king.
35:11Then they slaughtered the Passover sacrifice, and the priests sprinkled the blood handed to them, while the Levites skinned the animals.
35:12And they set aside the burnt offerings to distribute them according to the divisions of the fathers’ houses of the sons of the people, to present them to the LORD, as it is written in the Book of Moses; and they did the same with the bulls.
35:13And they roasted the Passover sacrifice with fire according to the ordinance, but they boiled the sacred offerings in pots, kettles, and pans, and distributed them quickly to all the sons of the people.
35:14And afterward they prepared portions for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, sons of Aaron, were occupied in offering the burnt offerings and the fat portions until night. So the Levites prepared portions for themselves and for the priests, sons of Aaron.
35:15And the singers, sons of Asaph, were at their stations according to the commandment of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer; and the gatekeepers were at every gate. They did not need to depart from their service, for their brothers the Levites prepared portions for them.
35:16Thus all the service of the LORD was prepared that day, to keep the Passover and to offer burnt offerings upon the altar of the LORD, according to the commandment of King Josiah.
35:17And the sons of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days.
35:18And no Passover like it had been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet; nor had any of the kings of Israel kept such a Passover as Josiah kept, with the priests, the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
35:19In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was kept.
35:20After all this, when Josiah had set the house in order, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight at Carchemish by the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to meet him.
35:21But he sent messengers to him, saying, “What have I to do with you, O king of Judah? I am not coming against you today, but against the house with which I am at war; and God has commanded me to hurry. Cease opposing God, who is with me, lest He destroy you.”
35:22But Josiah would not turn away from him; instead, he disguised himself to fight against him. He did not listen to the words of Necho from the mouth of God, but came to fight in the Valley of Megiddo.
35:23And the archers shot King Josiah; and the king said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly wounded.”
35:24So his servants took him from the chariot, placed him in the second chariot that he had, and brought him to Jerusalem. And he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.
35:25And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah; and all the male and female singers have spoken of Josiah in their lamentations to this day and established them as a custom in Israel. And behold, they are written in the Lamentations.
35:26And the rest of the acts of Josiah and his faithful deeds, according to what is written in the Law of the LORD,
35:27and his deeds, first and last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

Chapter 36

36:1Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in place of his father in Jerusalem.
36:2Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
36:3And the king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem and imposed upon the land a fine of one hundred talents of silver and one talent of gold.
36:4And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Then Necho took Jehoahaz his brother and brought him to Egypt.
36:5Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God.
36:6Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him and bound him with bronze chains to take him to Babylon.
36:7And Nebuchadnezzar brought some of the articles of the house of the LORD to Babylon and put them in his temple in Babylon.
36:8And the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, the abominations that he committed, and what was found against him, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And his son Jehoiachin reigned in his place.
36:9Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD.
36:10And at the turn of the year King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, with the precious articles of the house of the LORD; and he made his kinsman Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.
36:11Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.
36:12And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the LORD.
36:13He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD, God of Israel.
36:14All the leaders of the priests and the people were also exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations; and they defiled the house of the LORD that He had sanctified in Jerusalem.
36:15And the LORD, God of their fathers, sent word to them by His messengers again and again, for He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place.
36:16But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the fury of the LORD rose against His people, until there was no healing.
36:17Therefore He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged. He gave them all into his hand.
36:18And all the articles of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and his officials—he brought them all to Babylon.
36:19Then they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious articles.
36:20And those who escaped the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they became servants to him and to his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power,
36:21to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept Sabbath, until seventy years were fulfilled.
36:22And in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia; and he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing, saying,
36:23“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The LORD, God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has charged me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever among you is of all His people—may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up!”