3
He set his heart upon the Lord; in the days of wicked men he strengthened godliness.
4
Except David and Hezekiah and Josiah they all sinned greatly, for they forsook the law of the Most High; the kings of Judah came to an end;
5
for they gave their power to others, and their glory to a foreign nation,
6
who set fire to the chosen city of the sanctuary, and made her streets desolate, according to the word of Jeremiah.
7
For they had afflicted him; yet he had been consecrated in the womb as prophet, to pluck up and afflict and destroy, and likewise to build and to plant.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.