BibleStudyTools.com

1 And when Solomon finished praying, the fire came down from the heavens and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house.

2 And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’s house.

3 And when all the sons of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they fell to the ground upon the pavement upon their faces and worshipped and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good, for his mercy endures for ever.

4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD.

5 And King Solomon offered in sacrifice twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep; and so the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.

6 And the priests were upon their watches, and the Levites with the instruments of music of the LORD, which David the king had made to praise the LORD, because his mercy endures for ever, when David praised by their hand. Likewise, the priests sounded trumpets before them, and all Israel was on their feet.

7 Solomon also sanctified the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD, for there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings because the brasen altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offerings and the present and the fat.

8 Then Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt.

9 And in the eighth day they made a solemn assembly, for they had made the dedication of the altar in seven days, and they had celebrated the solemn feast for seven days.

10 And on the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away into their tents, glad and merry in heart for the goodness that the LORD had showed unto David and to Solomon and to Israel his people.

11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD, and the king’s house; and all that came into Solomon’s heart to make in the house of the LORD and in his own house was prospered.

12 And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and have chosen this place for myself for a house of sacrifice.

13 If I shut up the heavens that there be no rain or if I command the locusts to devour the land or if I send pestilence among my people;

14 if my people, upon whom my name is invoked, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from the heavens and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

15 Now my eyes shall be open and my ears attentive unto the prayer that is made in this place;

16 so that now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be in her for ever; and my eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.

17 And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee and keep my statutes and my rights,

18 I will confirm the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David, thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.

19 But if ye turn away and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods and worship them,

20 I will pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, I will cast out of my presence, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

21 And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passes by it, so that they shall say, Why has the LORD done thus unto this land and unto this house?

22 And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and worshipped them and served them; therefore, he has brought all this evil upon them.

1 And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own house,

2 that Solomon rebuilt the cities which Hiram had given him and caused the sons of Israel to dwell there.

3 Then Solomon went to Hamathzobah and prevailed against it.

4 And he built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the store cities, which he built in the wilderness.

5 Likewise, he rebuilt Bethhoron the upper and Bethhoron the lower, fenced cities with walls, gates, and bars;

6 and Baalath and all the store cities that Solomon had and all the chariot cities and the cities of the horsemen and all that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and throughout all the land of his dominion.

7 As for all the people that were left of the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, which were not of Israel,

8 but of their sons, who were left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel, did not consume, Solomon made them pay tribute until this day.

9 But of the sons of Israel Solomon did not make slaves for his work, for they were men of war, and his princes and his captains, and princes of his chariots and horsemen.

10 And King Solomon had two hundred and fifty princes of the governors, who presided over the people.

11 And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David unto 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 are holy, unto which the ark of the LORD has come.

12 Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the LORD on the altar of the LORD, which he had built before the porch,

13 that each thing might be offered in its day, according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths and on the new moons and on the feasts three times in the year, that is in the feast of unleavened bread and in the feast of weeks and in the feast of the tabernacles.

14 And he appointed, according to the order of David his father, the courses of the priests to their service and the Levites to their charges, to praise and minister before the priests, each thing in its day; the porters also by their courses at each gate, for so had David, the man of God, commanded.

15 And they departed not from the commandment of the king unto the priests and Levites concerning any matter or concerning the treasures.

16 Now all the work of Solomon was prepared from the day of the foundation of the house of the LORD and until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was perfected.

17 Then Solomon went to Eziongeber and to Eloth, at the sea side in the land of Edom.

18 For Hiram had sent him ships by the hands of his slaves and slaves that had knowledge of the sea, and they had gone with the slaves of Solomon to Ophir and had taken from there four hundred and fifty talents of gold and brought them to King Solomon.

1 And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with enigmas at Jerusalem, with a very great host and camels that bore spices and gold in abundance and precious stones. And when she was come to Solomon, she spoke with him of all that was in her heart.

2 But Solomon told her all her questions, and nothing remained that Solomon did not declare unto her.

3 And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon and the house that he had built

4 and the food of his table and the seat of his slaves and the attendance of his ministers and their apparel, his butlers also and their apparel, and his sacrifices which he sacrificed in the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her.

5 And she said to the king, It was a true report which I heard in my own land of thy word and of thy wisdom,

6 but I did not believe their words until I came, and my eyes had seen it, and, behold, not even the half of the greatness of thy wisdom was told me, for thou dost exceed the fame that I heard.

7 Blessed are thy men and blessed are these thy slaves, who stand continually before thee and hear thy wisdom.

8 The LORD thy God be blessed, who delighted in thee to set thee on his throne, to be king for the LORD thy God because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore, he made thee king over them, to do judgment and righteousness.

9 And she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold and of spices great abundance and precious stones; never had there been any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.

10 Also the slaves of Hiram and the slaves of Solomon, who had brought gold from Ophir, brought brazil wood and precious stones.

11 And the king made of the brazil wood stairs to the house of the LORD and to the king’s palace and harps and psalteries for the singers, and such wood had never been seen before in the land of Judah.

12 And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, more than what she had brought unto the king. Then she turned and went away to her own land with her slaves.

13 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,

14 besides that which the traders and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land brought gold and silver to Solomon.

15 And King Solomon made two hundred bucklers of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to each buckler.

16 And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three hundred shekels of gold went to each shield. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

17 Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold.

18 And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on each side of the seat, and two lions standing by the stays.

19 There were also twelve lions standing on one side and on the other upon the six steps. There was not the like made in any kingdom.

20 And all the drinking vessels of King Solomon were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. In the days of Solomon silver was not esteemed.

21 For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the slaves of Hiram, and every three years the ships came from Tarshish bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

22 And King Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

23 And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, that God had put in his heart.

24 And of these, each his present, vessels of silver and vessels of gold and raiment, arms, spices, horses, and mules, every year.

25 And Solomon also had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.

26 And he reigned over all the kings from the river even unto the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt.

27 And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees as the sycamore trees that are in the low plains in abundance.

28 And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt and out of all lands.

29 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the books of Nathan, the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah, the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo, the seer against Jeroboam, the son of Nebat?

30 And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.

31 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David, his father; and Rehoboam, his son, reigned in his stead.

1 And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come together in Shechem to make him king.

2 And when Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, heard it, who was in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of Solomon, the king, Jeroboam returned out of Egypt.

3 And they sent and called him. So Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,

4 Thy father made our yoke grievous; now, therefore, ease thou somewhat the grievous servitude of thy father and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee.

5 And he said unto them, Come again unto me after three days. And the people departed.

6 Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men that had stood before Solomon, his father, while he yet lived, saying, What do you counsel to reply to this people?

7 And they spoke unto him, saying, If thou wilt seek the good of this people and please them and speak good words to them, they will be thy slaves for ever.

8 But he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men that were brought up with him, that stood before him.

9 And he said unto them, What do you counsel us to reply to this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Ease somewhat the yoke that thy father did put upon us?

10 Then the young men that were brought up with him spoke unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou answer the people that spoke unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make it somewhat lighter for us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins.

11 For whereas my father put a heavy yoke upon you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had commanded, saying, Come again to me on the third day.

13 And the king answered them roughly, for King Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men

14 and answered them after the advice of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

15 So the king did not hearken unto the people, for the cause was of God, that the LORD might perform his word, which he spoke by the hand of Ahijah, the Shilonite, unto Jeroboam, the son of Nebat.

16 And when all Israel saw that the king would not hearken unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David or inheritance in the son of Jesse? Every man to your tents, O Israel! Now, David, see to thine own house! So all Israel went to their tents.

17 But Rehoboam reigned over the sons of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah.

18 Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the tribute and the sons of Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. So King Rehoboam made speed to get into a chariot and fled to Jerusalem.

19 Thus Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.

1 And when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he gathered of the house of Judah and Benjamin one hundred and eighty thousand chosen men, who were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.

2 But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, the man of God, saying,

3 Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,

4 Thus hath the LORD said, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren; return each man to his house; for this thing is done of me. And they heard the word of the LORD and returned and did not go against Jeroboam.

5 And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem and built cities for defence in Judah.

6 He built Bethlehem and Etam and Tekoa

7 and Bethzur and Shoco and Adullam

8 and Gath and Mareshah and Ziph

9 and Adoraim and Lachish and Azekah

10 and Zorah and Aijalon and Hebron which are in Judah and in Benjamin, fenced cities.

11 And he fortified the strong holds, and put captains in them and provisions and wine and oil;

12 and in all the cities he put shields and spears. He fortified them greatly, having Judah and Benjamin on his side.

13 And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel gathered unto him out of all their borders.

14 For the Levites left their suburbs and their possessions and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest’s office unto the LORD.

15 And he ordained himself priests for the high places and for the demons and for the calves which he had made.

16 And from after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem to sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers.

17 So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and made Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, strong for three years because they walked three years in the way of David and of Solomon.

18 And Rehoboam took Mahalath, the daughter of Jerimoth, the son of David, to wife, and Abihail, the daughter of Eliab, the son of Jesse;

19 who bore him sons: Jeush and Shamariah and Zaham.

20 And after her he took Maachah, the daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah and Attai and Ziza and Shelomith.

21 But Rehoboam loved Maachah, the daughter of Absalom, above all his wives and his concubines (for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines and begat twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.)

22 And Rehoboam made Abijah, the son of Maachah, as head and prince among his brethren, for he thought to make him king.

23 And he caused him to be instructed and dispersed of all his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, unto every fenced city; and he gave them provisions in abundance. And he desired many wives.

1 And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had confirmed the kingdom and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him.

2 And it came to pass that in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak, king of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem, because they had rebelled against the LORD,

3 with twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen; and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt: the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians.

4 And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Judah and came to Jerusalem.

5 Then Shemaiah, the prophet, went to Rehoboam and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus hath the LORD said, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore, I have also left you in the hand of Shishak.

6 And the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, The LORD is righteous.

7 And when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore, I will not destroy them, but I will deliver them shortly; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.

8 Nevertheless, they shall be his slaves that they may know what it is to serve me and to serve the kingdoms of the nations.

9 So Shishak, king of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house; he took it all; he also carried away the shields of gold which Solomon had made.

10 And in their place King Rehoboam made shields of brass and committed them to the hands of the princes of the guard that kept the entrance of the king’s house.

11 And when the king entered into the house of the LORD, the guard came and brought them, and afterward they returned them again into the guard chamber.

12 And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him that he would not destroy him altogether; and also in Judah things went well.

13 So King Rehoboam was strengthened and reigned in Jerusalem; and Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess.

14 And he did evil because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD.

15 Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the book of Shemaiah, the prophet, and of Iddo, the seer concerning genealogies? And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.

16 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David, and Abijah, his son, reigned in his stead.

1 Now in the year eighteen of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah.

2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

3 And Abijah set the battle in order with an army of valiant men of war, four hundred thousand chosen men; and Jeroboam set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, being mighty men of valour.

4 And Abijah stood up upon Mount Zemaraim, which is in the mountains of Ephraim, and said, Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel;

5 do ye not know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, unto him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?

6 Yet Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, the slave of Solomon the son of David, is risen up and has rebelled against his lord.

7 And there are gathered unto him vain men, the sons of Belial, and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted and could not withstand them.

8 And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David because ye are a great multitude, and ye have with you the golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods.

9 Have ye not cast out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and have made you priests after the manner of the peoples of other lands, so that whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may become a priest of those that are not gods.

10 But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and the priests, which minister unto the LORD, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business;

11 and they burn unto the LORD every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and aromatic incense, and they place the showbread upon the clean table, and the lampstand of gold with its lamps, to burn every evening; for we keep the charge of the LORD our God, but ye have forsaken him.

12 And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the LORD God of your fathers, for ye shall not prosper.

13 But Jeroboam caused an ambush to come about behind them; so they were before Judah, and the ambush was behind them.

14 So when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind; and they cried unto the LORD, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.

15 Then the men of Judah gave a shout, and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

16 And the sons of Israel fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hand.

17 And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter; so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.

18 Thus the sons of Israel were humbled at that time, and the sons of Judah prevailed because they relied upon the LORD God of their fathers.

19 And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam and took cities from him, Bethel with its towns and Jeshanah with its towns and Ephron with its towns.

20 Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah; and the LORD struck him, and he died.

21 But Abijah waxed mighty and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

22 And the rest of the acts of Abijah and his ways and his words are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.

1 So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David, and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land had rest ten years.

2 And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God,

3 for he took away the altars of the strange gods and the high places and broke down the images and cut down the groves

4 and commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and they fulfilled the law and the commandments.

5 Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images, and the kingdom had rest before him.

6 And he built fenced cities in Judah, for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years because the LORD had given him rest.

7 Therefore, he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities and make about them walls and towers, gates, and bars, now that the land is ours; 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 were prospered.

8 And Asa had an army of men that bore shields and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand and out of Benjamin, that bore shields and drew bows, two hundred and eighty thousand; all these were mighty men of valour.

9 And there came out against them Zerah, the Ethiopian, with a host of a thousand thousand and three hundred chariots and came unto Mareshah.

10 Then Asa went out against him, and they ordered the battle in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.

11 And Asa cried unto the LORD his God and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many or with those that have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; do not let man prevail against thee.

12 So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.

13 And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar, and the Ethiopians were overthrown until there were none left alive, for they were destroyed before the LORD and before his host, and they carried away very much spoil.

14 And they smote all the cities round about Gerar, for the fear of the LORD came upon them; and they spoiled all the cities, for there was exceeding much spoil in them.

15 They smote also the booths of livestock and carried away sheep and camels in abundance and returned to Jerusalem.

1 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah, the son of Oded;

2 and he went out to meet Asa and said unto him, Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you, while ye are with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.

3 For many days Israel has been without the true God, and without a priest and without a teacher and without law,

4 but when they in their trouble turned unto the LORD God of Israel and sought him, he was found of them.

5 And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great destruction upon all the inhabitants of the lands.

6 And one Gentile destroyed the other, and one city the other; for God discomforted them with all adversity.

7 Be ye strong, therefore, and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.

8 And when Asa heard the words and prophecy of Oded, the prophet, he was comforted and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin and out of the cities which he had taken in Mount Ephraim and repaired the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD.

9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon, for many of Israel had gone over to him, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.

10 So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

11 And they offered unto the LORD the same day, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.

12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;

13 that whoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

14 And they swore unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting and with trumpets and with shofar.

15 And all those of Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them; and the LORD gave them rest round about.

16 And also concerning Maachah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa cut down her idol and stamped it and burnt it at the brook Kidron.

17 But with all this the high places were not taken away out of Israel; nevertheless, the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.

18 And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated and that he himself had dedicated, silver and gold and vessels.

19 And there was no more war until the year thirty-five of the reign of Asa.

1 In the year thirty-six of the reign of Asa, Baasha, king of Israel, came up against Judah and built Ramah, to the intent that he might let no one go out or come in to Asa, king of Judah.

2 Then Asa brought out the silver and the gold out of the treasuries of the house of the LORD and of the king’s house, and sent unto Benhadad, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,

3 There is a covenant between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father; behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha, king of Israel, that he may depart from me.

4 And Benhadad hearkened unto King Asa and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they smote Ijon and Dan and Abelmaim and all the store cities of Naphtali.

5 And when Baasha heard it, he left off building of Ramah and let his work cease.

6 Then Asa, the king, took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timber thereof, with which Baasha was building, and he built Geba and Mizpah with it.

7 And at that time Hanani, the seer, came to Asa, king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore, the host of the king of Syria has escaped out of thy hands.

8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thy hand.

9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly, for from now on thou shalt have wars.

10 Then Asa was wroth with the seer and put him in the prison house, for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa killed some of the people at the same time.

11 And, behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

12 And Asa in the year thirty-nine of his reign was diseased from his feet up; yet in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians.

13 And Asa slept with his fathers and died in the year forty-one of his reign.

14 And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and aromas prepared by the apothecaries’ art; and they made a very great burning for him.

1 And Jehoshaphat, his son, reigned in his stead and prevailed against Israel.

2 And he placed forces in all the fenced cities of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah and likewise in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa, his father had taken.

3 And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the first ways of his father David and sought not unto the Baalim

4 but sought the LORD God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel.

5 Therefore, the LORD confirmed the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought Jehoshaphat presents, and he had riches and glory in abundance.

6 And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD, and he took away the high places and groves out of Judah.

7 Also in the third year of his reign he sent his princes, Benhail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethaneel, and Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah.

8 And with them he sent the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, Levites, and with them Elishama and Jehoram, priests.

9 And they taught in Judah and had the book of the law of the LORD with them and went about throughout all the cities of Judah and taught the people.

10 And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they did not dare to make war against Jehoshaphat.

11 And the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and tribute of silver; and the Arabians brought him flocks, seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred he goats.

12 And Jehoshaphat waxed great exceedingly; and he built in Judah castles and cities of store.

13 And he had many works in the cities of Judah and men of war, mighty men of valour, in Jerusalem.

14 And these are the numbers of them according to the houses of their fathers: In Judah, princes of thousands; the prince Adnah and with him three hundred thousand mighty men of valour;

15 and after him, Prince Jehohanan and with him two hundred and eighty thousand;

16 after him, Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself unto the LORD and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valour;

17 of Benjamin, Eliada, a mighty man of valour, and with him two hundred thousand armed with bow and shield;

18 after him, Jehozabad and with him one hundred and eighty thousand ready and prepared for the war.

19 These were servants of the king, besides those whom the king had put in the fenced cities throughout all Judah.

1 Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and married into the family of Ahab.

2 And after a few years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance and for the people that he had with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramothgilead.

3 And Ahab, king of Israel, said unto Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramothgilead? And he answered him, I am as thou art and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war.

4 And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the LORD today.

5 Therefore, the king of Israel gathered together of prophets four hundred men and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up, for God will deliver it into the king’s hand.

6 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there yet here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire by him?

7 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man here, by whom we may enquire of the LORD, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good unto me, but always evil; the same is Micaiah, the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.

8 So the king of Israel called for a eunuch and said, Bring quickly Micaiah, the son of Imla.

9 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, were each sitting on their thrones, clothed in their robes, and they sat in the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.

10 And Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, had made himself horns of iron and said, Thus hath the LORD said, With these thou shalt push Syria until they are consumed.

11 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead and be prospered, for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.

12 And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one assent; let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good.

13 And Micaiah said, As the LORD lives, that what my God says, that will I speak.

14 And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramothgilead to battle or shall I forbear? And he said, Go up, and ye shall be prospered; they shall be delivered into your hands.

15 And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou say nothing but the truth to me in the name of the LORD?

16 Then he said, I did see all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd; and the LORD said, These have no master; let each one return to his house in peace.

17 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good unto me, but evil?

18 So he said, Therefore, hear the word of the LORD; I saw the LORD sitting upon his throne, and all the host of the heavens standing on his right hand and on his left.

19 And the LORD said, Who shall entice Ahab, king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one spoke saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner.

20 Then a spirit came out and stood before the LORD and said, I will entice him. And the LORD said unto him, In what manner?

21 And he said, I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the LORD said, Thou shalt entice him, and thou shalt also prevail; go out and do even so.

22 Now, therefore, behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets, and the LORD has decreed evil concerning thee.

23 Then Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, came near and smote Micaiah upon the cheek and said, Which way did the Spirit of the LORD depart from me to speak unto thee?

24 And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see on that day when thou shalt go from chamber to chamber to hide thyself.

25 Then the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah and carry him back to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king’s son

26 and say, Thus hath the king said, Put this fellow in the prison and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction until I return in peace.

27 And Micaiah said, If thou certainly return in peace, then the LORD has not spoken by me. And he said, Hearken, all ye peoples.

28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up to Ramothgilead.

29 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself to enter into the battle, but put thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself and entered into the battle.

30 Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the chariots that were with him, saying, Fight not with small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.

31 And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore, they compassed about him to fight; but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God separated them from him.

32 And when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, they withdrew from pursuing him.

33 But a certain man drew a bow in all his perfection and smote the king of Israel between the joints of his coat of mail; therefore, he said to his chariot man, Turn thy hand, and carry me out of the camp, for I am wounded.

34 And the battle increased that day; howbeit, the king of Israel stayed himself up in his chariot against the Syrians until the evening, and about the time of the sun going down he died.

1 And Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem.

2 And Jehu, the son of Hanani, the seer, went out to meet him and said to king Jehoshaphat, Should thou help the ungodly and love those that hate the LORD? Therefore, the wrath of the presence of the LORD shall be upon thee.

3 Nevertheless, good things have been found in thee, in that thou hast burned down the groves of the land and hast prepared thy heart to seek God.

4 And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem, and he went out again through the people from Beersheba to Mount Ephraim and brought them back unto the LORD God of their fathers.

5 And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city,

6 and said to the judges, Take heed what ye do, for ye do not judge for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the word of judgment.

7 Therefore, now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it, for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of bribes.

8 Moreover, in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat placed some of the Levites and of the priests and of the heads of the fathers of Israel for the judgment of the LORD and for controversies. And they returned to Jerusalem.

9 And he charged them, saying, Ye shall proceed thus in the fear of the LORD, in truth and with a perfect heart.

10 In whatever case that shall come to you of your brethren that dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes or rights, ye shall warn them lest they become guilty against the LORD so that wrath will not come upon you and upon your brethren. Doing thus, ye shall not be guilty.

11 Behold, Amariah, the high priest, who shall be over you in all matters of the LORD; and Zebadiah, the son of Ishmael, prince of the house of Judah, for all the king’s matters; and the Levites who shall be teachers before you. Take courage and do, for the LORD shall be with the good.

1 It came to pass after this also that the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon and with them others besides the Ammonites came against Jehoshaphat to battle.

2 Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, There comes a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea, and from Syria; and, behold, they are in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi.

3 Then Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to seek the LORD and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

4 And Judah gathered themselves together, to consult the LORD; and out of all the cities of Judah they came to consult the LORD.

5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,

6 and said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in the heavens and dost thou not rule in all the kingdoms of the Gentiles? Is there not power and might in thy hand so that no one is able to withstand thee?

7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel and didst give it to the seed of Abraham, thy friend, for ever?

8 And they have dwelt in it and have built thee a sanctuary in it for thy name, saying,

9 If evil comes upon us or the sword of judgment or pestilence or famine, we shall stand before this house and in thy presence (for thy name is in this house) and cry unto thee out of our tribulations, and thou wilt hear us and save us.

10 And now, behold, the sons of Ammon and of Moab and those of Mount Seir, whose land thou would not let Israel enter when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them;

11 behold they reward us by coming to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.

12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that comes against us; we do not know what to do; but our eyes are fixed upon thee.

13 And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

14 Then upon Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation;

15 and he said, Hearken, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou King Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Do not be afraid nor dismayed before this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

16 Tomorrow ye shall go down against them; behold, they shall come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them next to the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle; set yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you. O Judah and Jerusalem; fear not, neither be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD shall be with you.

18 Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and likewise all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.

19 And the Levites, of the sons of the Kohath and of the sons of the Korah, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

20 And when they arose early in the morning and while they were going forth into the wilderness of Tekoa, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe the LORD your God, and ye shall be secure; believe his prophets, and ye shall be prospered.

21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed some to sing unto the LORD and to praise in the beauty of holiness, while the army went out and to say, Praise the LORD, for his mercy endures for ever.

22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set the sons of Moab and those of Mount Seir to ambush the sons of Ammon, who were coming against Judah; and they smote one another.

23 And the sons of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them; and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, each one helped his companion to kill himself.

24 And when Judah came to the watch tower of the wilderness, they looked for the multitude, and, behold, they were fallen to the earth dead, for none had escaped.

25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to spoil them, they found among them an abundance of riches and of dead bodies and clothing and precious vessels which they took for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering in the spoil, it was so much.

26 And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah {Heb. of Blessing}; for there they blessed the LORD; therefore, they called the name of that place, The valley of Berachah, unto this day.

27 Then they returned, those of Judah and those of Jerusalem with Jehoshaphat at their head, to go again to Jerusalem with joy, for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies.

28 And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the LORD.

29 And the fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the land when they heard how the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel.

30 So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat had rest, for his God gave him rest round about.

31 Thus Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah; he was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.

32 And he walked in the way of Asa, his father, and did not depart from it, doing that which was right in the sight of the LORD.

33 With all this the high places were not taken away, for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers.

34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Jehu, the son of Hanani, who is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel.

35 After these things, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, joined himself with Ahaziah, king of Israel, who was given over to wickedness;

36 he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Eziongeber.

37 Then Eliezer, the son of Dodavah of Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD shall destroy thy works. And the ships were broken, and they were not able to go to Tarshish.

1 Now Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And Jehoram, his son, reigned in his stead.

2 And he had brethren, sons of Jehoshaphat, Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel.

3 And their father had given them great gifts of silver and of gold and of precious things, with fenced cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.

4 Now Jehoram rose up against the kingdom of his father, and he strengthened himself and slew all his brethren with the sword and likewise some of the princes of Israel.

5 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

6 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, like as did the house of Ahab, for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife; and he wrought that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD.

7 However, the LORD would not destroy the house of David because of the covenant that he had made with David and as he promised to give a light to him and to his sons for ever.

8 In his days Edom rebelled from under the dominion of Judah and made themselves a king.

9 Then Jehoram went forth with his princes and all his chariots with him, and he rose up by night and smote Edom who had compassed him in and all the captains of the chariots.

10 With all this Edom remained in rebellion, out from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Libnah also rebelled at the same time to not be under his hand because he had forsaken the LORD God of his fathers.

11 Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication and compelled Judah unto this.

12 And a writing came to him from Elijah, the prophet, that said this: Thus hath the LORD, the God of David, thy father, said, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father nor in the ways of Asa, king of Judah,

13 but hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fornicate, like unto the fornication of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father’s house, who were better than thyself,

14 behold, the LORD shall smite thy people with a great plague, and thy sons and thy wives and all thy goods;

15 and thou shalt have great sickness, with disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day.

16 Then the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and of the Arabians, that were near the Ethiopians;

17 and they came up against Judah and invaded the land and carried away all the substance that was found in the king’s house, and his sons also and his wives so that none of his sons remained except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.

18 And after all this the LORD smote him in his bowels with an incurable disease.

19 And it came to pass, that in process of time, after the end of two years, his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness; so he died of sore diseases. And his people made no burning for him, like they had done for his fathers.

20 He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years and departed without being desired. And they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings.

1 And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his stead; for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp had slain all the elder sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah reigned.

2 Ahaziah was forty-two years old {another text: twenty-two} when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri.

3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly.

4 Therefore, he did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab, for they were his counsellors, after the death of his father, to his destruction.

5 And He walked after their counsel and went with Jehoram, the son of Ahab, king of Israel, to war against Hazael, king of Syria at Ramothgilead, where the Syrians smote Joram.

6 And he returned to be healed in Jezreel because of the wounds which were given him at Ramah, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria. And Azariah, the son of Jehoram, king of Judah went down to see Jehoram, the son of Ahab, at Jezreel, because he was there sick.

7 But this was of God so that Ahaziah would be tread under foot by coming to Joram; for when he was come, he went out with Jehoram to encounter Jehu, the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.

8 And it came to pass that when Jehu was executing judgment upon the house of Ahab and found the princes of Judah and the sons of the brethren of Ahaziah, that ministered to Ahaziah, he slew them.

9 And he sought Ahaziah, and they caught him (for he had hid himself in Samaria) and brought him to Jehu; and when they had slain him, they buried him, Because, they said, He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart. So the house of Ahaziah had no strength to be able to retain the kingdom.

10 So when Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal seed of the house of Judah.

11 But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash, the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons that were being slain, and kept him and his nurse in the bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada, the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah) hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not.

12 And he was with them hid in the house of God six years; and Athaliah reigned over the land.

1 And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah, the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael, the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah, the son of Obed, and Maaseiah, the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat, the son of Zichri, into covenant with him.

2 And they went about in Judah and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah and the heads of the fathers of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.

3 And all the congregation made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said unto them, Behold, the king’s son who shall reign, as the LORD has said of the sons of David.

4 This is the thing that ye must do: A third part of you, those who enter on the sabbath, shall be porters at the doors with the priests and the Levites;

5 and a third part shall be at the king’s house; and a third part at the gate of the foundation; and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the LORD.

6 But let no one come into the house of the LORD, except the priests and the Levites that minister; they shall go in, for they are holy; but all the people shall keep the watch of the LORD.

7 And the Levites shall compass the king round about, each one shall have his weapons in his hand; and whoever else comes into the house shall be put to death; and ye shall be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.

8 So the Levites and all Judah did according to all the things that Jehoiada, the priest, had commanded, and each one took his men, those that were to come in on the sabbath with those that were to go out on the sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss the courses.

9 Moreover, Jehoiada, the priest, delivered to the captains of hundreds spears and bucklers and shields, that had been king David’s, which were in the house of God.

10 And he set all the people in order, each one having his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, along by the altar and the house, by the king round about.

11 Then they brought out the king’s son and put the crown upon him and gave him the testimony and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, Long live the king.

12 Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the people running of those that were praising the king, she came to the people into the house of the LORD:

13 And she looked and, behold, the king stood at his pillar at the entrance and the princes and the trumpets by the king; and all the people of the land rejoiced and sounded with trumpets, and those that knew how to praise sang with instruments of music. Then Athaliah rent her clothes and said, Treason, Treason.

14 Then Jehoiada, the priest, brought out the captains of hundreds that were set over the host and said unto them, Remove her from the order of the house, and whoever follows her, let them be slain with the sword. For the priest had commanded, Slay her not in the house of the LORD.

15 So they laid hands on her, and she entered into the entrance of the horse gate of the king’s house, and they slew her there.

16 And Jehoiada made a covenant between him and between all the people and between the king that they should be the LORD’s people.

17 Then all the people went to the house of Baal and broke it down and broke in pieces his altars and his images and slew Mattan, the priest of Baal, before the altars.

18 Also Jehoiada ordered the offices of the house of the LORD under the hand of the priests, the Levites, whom David had distributed in the house of the LORD to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as it was ordained by David.

19 He also set the porters at the gates of the house of the LORD so that there should be no way for anyone who was unclean to enter in.

20 Then he took the captains of hundreds and the nobles and those that governed the people and all the people of the land and brought down the king from the house of the LORD; and they came through the high gate into the king’s house and set the king upon the throne of the kingdom.

21 And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was at rest after they had slain Athaliah with the sword.

1 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba.

2 And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada, the priest.

3 And Jehoiada took for him two wives, and he begat sons and daughters.

4 And it came to pass after this that Joash desired to repair the house of the LORD.

5 And he gathered together the priests and the Levites and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and be diligent in this matter. However the Levites were not diligent.

6 Therefore the king called for Jehoiada, the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem unto the tabernacle of the testimony the collection, according to the commandment of Moses, the slave of the LORD and of the congregation of Israel?

7 For the wicked woman, Athaliah, and her sons had broken up the house of God, and they had also bestowed all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD upon Baalim.

8 And at the king’s commandment they made an ark and set it outside at the gate of the house of the LORD.

9 And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem to bring in to the LORD the collection that Moses the slave of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness.

10 And all the princes and all the people rejoiced and brought in and cast into the ark until they had fulfilled their duty.

11 Now it came to pass, that at what time the ark was brought unto the king’s office by the hand of the Levites and when they saw that there was much money, the king’s scribe and the high priest’s officer came and emptied the ark and took it and returned it to its place. Thus they did day by day and gathered money in abundance.

12 And the king and Jehoiada gave it to those that did the work of the service of the house of the LORD and hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the LORD and also those that wrought iron and brass to mend the house of the LORD.

13 So the workmen wrought, and by their hands the work was done, and they restored the house of God and strengthened it.

14 And when they had finished it, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, of which they made vessels for the house of the LORD, vessels to minister and to offer with, and spoons and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoiada.

15 But Jehoiada waxed old and was full of days when he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old when he died.

16 And they buried him in the city of David among the kings because he had done good in Israel, both toward God and toward his house.

17 Now after the death of Jehoiada, the princes of Judah came and worshipped the king. Then the king hearkened unto them.

18 And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers and served groves and idols, and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for their guilt.

19 Yet he sent prophets to them to bring them again unto the LORD, and they testified against them, but they would not give ear.

20 And the Spirit of God clothed himself in Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, the priest, who being over the people, said unto them, Thus hath God said, Why do ye transgress the commandments of the LORD? Ye shall not prosper in this; for because ye have forsaken the LORD, he shall also forsake you.

21 And they conspired against him and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD.

22 Thus Joash, the king, did not remember the mercy which Jehoiada, his father, had done to him but slew his son; who said when he died, The LORD look upon it and require it.

23 And at the end of the year, the host of Syria came up against him, and they came to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus.

24 For even though the army of the Syrians had come with a small company of men, the LORD delivered a very great host into their hand because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. So they executed judgments against Joash.

25 And when they were departed from him (for they left him in great diseases), his own slaves conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada, the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died; and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the sepulchres of the kings.

26 Those that conspired against him were Zabad, the son of Shimeath, an Ammonitess, and Jehozabad, the son of Shimrith, a Moabitess.

27 Now concerning his sons, and of the multiplication that he did of the taxes and the repairing of the house of God, behold, they are written in the story of the book of the kings. And Amaziah, his son, reigned in his stead.

1 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.

2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart.

3 For when he was confirmed in the kingdom, he slew his slaves that had killed the king, his father.

4 But he slew not their children, but did as it is written in the law in the book of Moses where the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers, but each one shall die for his own sin.

5 Moreover, Amaziah gathered Judah together and made them captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, according to the houses of their fathers, throughout all Judah and Benjamin; and he numbered them from twenty years old and above and found them three hundred thousand choice men, able to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield.

6 He also hired one hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel for one hundred talents of silver.

7 But a man of God came unto him, saying, O king, do not let not the army of Israel go with thee, for the LORD is not with Israel nor with all the sons of Ephraim.

8 But if thou wilt go, if thou wilt do it, and strengthen thyself for the battle, God shall make thee fall before the enemy; for in God is the strength, to help or to cast down.

9 Then Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The LORD is able to give thee much more than this.

10 Then Amaziah separated the army of those that had come to him out of Ephraim, to go home again; therefore, their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in great anger.

11 And Amaziah strengthened himself and led forth his people and went to the valley of salt and smote of the sons of Seir, ten thousand.

12 And the sons of Judah took another ten thousand alive, whom they took unto the top of the rock and cast them down from the top of the rock, and they were all broken in pieces.

13 But the soldiers of the army which Amaziah sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, fell upon the cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Bethhoron, and smote three thousand of them and took much spoil.

14 Now after Amaziah came back from the slaughter of the Edomites, he brought the gods of the sons of Seir and set them up to be his gods and bowed down before them and burned incense unto them.

15 Therefore, the anger of the LORD was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent him a prophet who said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of a people who could not deliver their own people out of thy hand?

16 And as the prophet was speaking these things unto him, he said unto him, Art thou appointed as the king’s counsel? Forbear; why should thou be smitten? Then the prophet forbare and said, I know that God has determined to destroy thee because thou hast done this and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.

17 Then Amaziah, king of Judah, took advice and sent to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us see one another face to face.

18 And Joash, king of Israel, sent to Amaziah, king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife. And behold, the wild beasts that were in Lebanon, passed by, and trode down the thistle.

19 Thou sayest, Behold, I have smitten Edom; and with this thy heart lifts thee up to boast; abide now at home; why should thou meddle to thy hurt, that thou should fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?

20 But Amaziah would not hear; for it came of God, that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought after the gods of Edom.

21 So Joash the king of Israel went up; and they saw one another face to face, both he and Amaziah king of Judah, at Bethshemesh, which is of Judah.

22 But Judah fell before Israel, and they fled each man to his tent.

23 And Joash, the king of Israel, took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Bethshemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.

24 And he took all the gold and the silver and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obededom and the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.

25 And Amaziah, the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, fifteen years.

26 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, first and last, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel?

27 From the time that Amaziah turned away from following the LORD, they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish, but they sent to Lachish after him, and slew him there.

28 And they brought him upon horses and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.

1 Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah.

2 He built Eloth and restored it to Judah, after the king slept with his fathers.

3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.

4 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did.

5 And he persisted in seeking God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and in those days that he sought the LORD, God prospered him.

6 For he went forth and warred against the Philistines and broke down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod and built cities about Ashdod and among the Philistines.

7 And God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gurbaal and against the Mehunims.

8 And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah; and his name spread abroad even to the entrance of Egypt, for he strengthened himself exceedingly.

9 Moreover, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate and at the valley gate and at the corners and fortified them.

10 He also built towers in the desert and dug many wells, for he had much livestock, both in the low country and in the plains, husbandmen also and vine dressers in the mountains and in Carmel, for he loved agriculture.

11 Moreover Uzziah had an army of fighting men that went out to war in companies, according to the number of their account by the hand of Jeiel, the scribe, and Maaseiah, the governor, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king’s princes.

12 The whole number of the chief of the fathers of the mighty men of valour were two thousand six hundred.

13 And under their hand was an army, a host of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy.

14 And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields and spears and helmets and coats of mail and bows and slings to cast stones.

15 And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks to shoot arrows and great stones with. And his name spread far abroad, for he was marvelously helped until he was strong.

16 But when he was strengthened, his heart lifted itself up unto corruption, for he rebelled against the LORD his God, entering into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.

17 And Azariah, the priest, went in after him, and with him eighty priests of the LORD, that were valiant men.

18 And they withstood Uzziah, the king, and said unto him, It does not pertain unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests, the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense; go out of the sanctuary, for thou hast rebelled; neither shall it be for thy glory before the LORD God.

19 Then Uzziah was angry and had a censer in his hand to burn incense; and in this his anger with the priests, the leprosy rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, next to the altar of incense.

20 And Azariah, the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from there, and he also hastened to go out because the LORD had smitten him.

21 And Uzziah, the king, was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a separate house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD; and Jotham, his son, was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.

22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last were written by Isaiah, the prophet, the son of Amoz.

23 So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the royal burial field, for they said, He is a leper. And Jotham, his son, reigned in his stead.

1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok.

2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah did; however, he did not enter into the temple of the LORD. But the people corrupted themselves yet.

3 He built the high gate of the house of the LORD, and on the wall of Ophel he built much.

4 Moreover, he built cities in the mountains of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers.

5 He fought also with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed against them. And the sons of Ammon gave him the same year one hundred talents of silver and ten thousand measures of wheat and ten thousand of barley. So much did the sons of Ammon pay unto him, both the second year and the third.

6 So Jotham became mighty because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God.

7 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham and all his wars and his ways, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

8 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.

9 And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and Ahaz, his son, reigned in his stead.

1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; but he did not do that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David, his father.

2 To the contrary he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and also made molten images unto Baalim.

3 Moreover, he burnt incense in the valley of the sons of Hinnom and burnt his sons in the fire, after the abominations of the Gentiles whom the LORD had cast out before the sons of Israel.

4 He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills and under every green tree.

5 Therefore, the LORD his God delivered him into the hands of the king of Syria, and they smote him and carried away a great multitude of them captives and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hands of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter.

6 For Pekah, the son of Remaliah, slew in Judah one hundred and twenty thousand in one day, who were all valiant men, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers.

7 And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah, the king’s son, and Azrikam, the governor of the house, and Elkanah, second after the king.

8 And the sons of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, in addition to taking much spoil from them, which they brought to Samaria.

9 But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded; and he went out before the host that came to Samaria and said unto them, Behold, because the LORD God of your fathers was angry with Judah, he has delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage. This reaches up unto heaven.

10 And now ye purpose to keep subject the sons of Judah and Jerusalem for menslaves and womenslaves unto you, but are ye not guilty against the LORD your God?

11 Now hear me therefore, and deliver the captives again, which ye have taken captive of your brethren; for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you.

12 Then certain of the heads of the sons of Ephraim, Azariah, the son of Johanan, Berechiah, the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah, the son of Shallum, and Amasa, the son of Hadlai, stood up against those that came from the war

13 and said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives here, for the sin against the LORD shall be upon us. Ye intend to add more to our sins and to our guilt, for our guilt is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.

14 So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the congregation.

15 And the men which were expressed by name rose up and took the captives, and, with the spoil, clothed all that were naked among them and arrayed them and shod them and gave them to eat and to drink and anointed them and carried all the feeble of them upon asses and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brethren; then they returned to Samaria.

16 At that time King Ahaz sent unto the kings of Assyria to help him.

17 For in addition to this, the Edomites had come and smitten Judah and carried away captives.

18 The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country and towards the Negev of Judah and had taken Bethshemesh and Ajalon and Gederoth and Shocho with its villages and Timnah with its villages, Gimzo also and its villages, and they dwelt in them.

19 For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had made Judah naked and had completely rebelled against the LORD.

20 And Tilgathpilneser, king of Assyria, came unto him, and distressed him but did not strengthen him.

21 For even though Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of the LORD and out of the house of the king and of the princes and gave it unto the king of Assyria, he did not help him.

22 Furthermore, king Ahaz in the time of his distress trespassed even more against the LORD,

23 for he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, who had smitten him, and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them; therefore, I will also sacrifice to them that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.

24 And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God and shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and he made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem.

25 And in all the cities of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the LORD God of his fathers.

26 Now the rest of his acts and of all his ways, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

27 And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of Jerusalem, but they did not bring him into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel; and Hezekiah, his son, reigned in his stead.

1 Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.

2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David, his father, had done.

3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them.

4 And he brought in the priests and the Levites and gathered them together into the east plaza

5 and said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and ye shall sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers and carry forth the filthiness out of the sanctuary.

6 For our fathers have rebelled and done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God, for they have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD and turned their backs.

7 They even shut up the doors of the porch and put out the lamps and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the sanctuary unto the God of Israel.

8 Therefore, the wrath of the LORD has come upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he has delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes.

9 For, behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this.

10 Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel that his fierce wrath may turn away from us.

11 My sons, do not deceive yourselves, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should be his ministers and burn incense unto him.

12 Then the Levites arose, Mahath, the son of Amasai, and Joel, the son of Azariah, of the sons of Kohath; and of the sons of Merari, Kish, the son of Abdi, and Azariah, the son of Jehalelel; and of the sons of Gershon; Joah, the son of Zimmah, and Eden, the son of Joah;

13 and of the sons of Elizaphan; Shimri and Jeiel; and of the sons of Asaph; Zechariah and Mattaniah;

14 and of the sons of Heman; Jehiel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun; Shemaiah and Uzziel.

15 And they gathered their brethren and sanctified themselves and entered in, according to the commandment of the king, by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD.

16 And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad into the Brook Kidron.

17 Now they began to sanctify on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the porch of the LORD; and they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days; and in the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.

18 Then they went in to Hezekiah, the king, and said, We have cleansed all the house of the LORD and the altar of burnt offering, with all its vessels, and the showbread table with all its vessels.

19 Likewise we have prepared and sanctified all the vessels, which King Ahaz in his reign cast away in his transgression, and, behold, they are before the altar of the LORD.

20 Then Hezekiah, the king, rose early and gathered the rulers of the city and went up to the house of the LORD.

21 And they offered seven bullocks and seven rams and seven lambs and seven he goats, for the sin of the kingdom and of the sanctuary and of Judah. And he commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the LORD.

22 So they killed the bullocks, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar; likewise, when they had killed the rams, they sprinkled the blood upon the altar; they also killed the lambs, and they sprinkled the blood upon the altar.

23 And they brought forth the he goats of the sin before the king and the congregation, and they laid their hands upon them;

24 and the priests killed them, and they removed the sin with their blood upon the altar, to reconcile all Israel, for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the atonement for sin should be offered for all Israel.

25 And he set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad, the king’s seer, and of Nathan, the prophet, for that commandment was by the hand of the LORD, by the hand of his prophets.

26 And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.

27 Then Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD began also with the trumpets and with the instruments of David, king of Israel.

28 And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpets sounded; and all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.

29 And when they had finished offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves and worshipped.

30 Moreover, Hezekiah, the king, and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the LORD with the words of David and of Asaph, the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and worshipped.

31 Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto the LORD, come near and bring sacrifices and praises in the house of the LORD. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and praises, and as many as were of a free heart burnt offerings.

32 And the number of the burnt offerings, which the congregation brought, was seventy bullocks, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all these were for the burnt offering of the LORD.

33 And the consecrated things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep.

34 But the priests were too few so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings; therefore, their brethren, the Levites, helped them until the work was ended and until the other priests had sanctified themselves, for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests.

35 And also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace offerings and the drink offerings for every burnt offering. So the service of the house of the LORD was set in order.

36 And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people, for the thing was done suddenly.

1 And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto the LORD God of Israel.

2 For the king had taken counsel with his princes and with all the congregation in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in the second month.

3 For they could not keep it at that time, because there were not enough priests sanctified, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem.

4 And the thing pleased the king and all the congregation.

5 So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the passover unto the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem because for a long time they had not done it as it is written.

6 So the posts went with the letters from the hand of the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye sons of Israel, return unto the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.

7 Do not be like your fathers, and like your brethren, who rebelled against the LORD God of their fathers and he gave them over to desolation, as ye see.

8 Therefore, do not be stiffnecked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the LORD and enter into his sanctuary, which he has sanctified for ever and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you.

9 For if ye return unto the LORD, your brethren and your children shall find mercy before those that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land, for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you if ye return unto him.

10 So the posts passed from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh even unto Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them.

11 Nevertheless, some men of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.

12 Also in Judah the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the commandment of the king and of the princes, according to the word of the LORD.

13 And many people assembled at Jerusalem to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great congregation.

14 And they arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and they also took away all the altars for incense and cast them into the brook Kidron.

15 Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the second month, and the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves with shame and brought in the burnt offerings into the house of the LORD.

16 And they put themselves in order according to the ordinance, according to the law of Moses, the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood, which they received of the hands of the Levites.

17 For there were yet many in the congregation that were not sanctified; therefore, the Levites had the charge of the killing of the passovers for each one that was not clean, to sanctify them unto the LORD.

18 For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, and they ate the passover not as it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon each one

19 that has prepared his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, even though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.

20 And the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah and healed the people.

21 Thus, the sons of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the solemnity of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness, and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD, day by day, with instruments of strength unto the LORD.

22 And Hezekiah spoke unto the heart of all the Levites that had good understanding to serve the LORD, and they ate the sacrifices of the feast for seven days, offering sacrifices of peace and giving thanks unto the LORD God of their fathers.

23 And the whole assembly took counsel to keep another seven days, and they kept another seven days with gladness.

24 For Hezekiah, king of Judah, had given to the congregation a thousand bullocks and seven thousand sheep, and the princes gave to the congregation a thousand bullocks and ten thousand sheep, and a great number of priests sanctified themselves.

25 And all the congregation of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the congregation that came out of Israel, and the strangers that came out of the land of Israel, and that dwelt in Judah, rejoiced.

26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel there was not the like in Jerusalem.

27 Then the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to the dwelling place of his sanctuary, unto heaven.

1 Now when all this was finished, all Israel went out, those that were present, to the cities of Judah and broke the images in pieces and cut down the groves and threw down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the sons of Israel returned, each man to his possession, into their own cities.

2 And Hezekiah appointed the courses of the priests and the Levites after their courses, each man according to his service, the priests and Levites for burnt offerings and for peace offerings, to minister and to give thanks and to praise in the gates of the tents of the LORD.

3 The king’s portion of his substance for the burnt offerings was the morning and evening burnt offerings and the burnt offerings for the sabbaths and for the new moons and for the solemn feasts, as it is written in the law of the LORD.

4 Moreover, he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in the law of the LORD.

5 And as soon as the commandment burst forth and multiplied, an abundance of firstfruits of grain, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field was multiplied unto the sons of Israel; and likewise, they brought in the tithe, of all things in abundance.

6 Also the sons of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the cities of Judah, gave in the same manner the tithe of the cows and the sheep, and the tithe of that which was sanctified of the things which had been promised unto the LORD their God, and laid them in heaps.

7 In the third month they began to found those heaps, and they finished them in the seventh month.

8 And when Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the LORD and his people Israel.

9 Then Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps.

10 And Azariah, the high priest of the house of Zadok, answered him and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have eaten and been satisfied and have had an abundance left over; for the LORD has blessed his people, and that which is left is this great store.

11 Then Hezekiah commanded that they prepare chambers in the house of the LORD, and they prepared them

12 and brought in the offerings and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully, over which Cononiah, the Levite, was ruler and Shimei, his brother, was second.

13 And Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah were overseers under the hand of Cononiah and Shimei his brother, at the commandment of Hezekiah, the king, and Azariah the ruler of the house of God.

14 And Kore, the son of Imnah, the Levite, the porter toward the east, was over the freewill offerings of God, to distribute the offerings of the LORD and the most holy things.

15 And at his hand were Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah in the cities of the priests, to faithfully give their brethren their parts according to their courses, to the great the same as to the small.

16 Besides that which is counted for the males from three years old and upward, unto all that entered into the house of the LORD, his daily portion for their ministry in their charges according to their courses;

17 both to those numbered among the priests by the house of their fathers and among the Levites from twenty years old and upward, in their charges by their courses;

18 and likewise unto those of their generation with all their little ones, their wives, and their sons and daughters, through all the congregation, for in their faithfulness they sanctified themselves in holiness.

19 Likewise, to the sons of Aaron, the priests, who were in the fields of the suburbs of their cities, in all the cities, the men that were expressed by name, gave portions to all the males among the priests and to all the lineage of the Levites.

20 And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah and wrought that which was good and right and true before the LORD his God.

21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God and in the law and in the commandments, he sought God and he did it with all his heart and was prospered.

1 After these things and after this faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came, and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fenced cities and thought to break them up.

2 And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem,

3 he took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were outside the city, and they helped him.

4 So many people gathered together, and they stopped up all the fountains and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?

5 Also he strengthened himself and built up all the wall that was broken and caused the towers to be raised up, and another wall outside, and repaired Millo in the city of David, and made swords and shields in abundance.

6 And he set captains of war over the people and gathered them together to him in the plaza of the gate of the city and spoke unto their heart, saying,

7 Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria nor for all the multitude that is with him, for there are more with us than with him.

8 With 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 upheld by the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah.

9 After this Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent his slaves to Jerusalem (but he himself laid siege against Lachish, and all his power with him) unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem, saying,

10 Thus hath said Sennacherib, king of Assyria, In whom do ye trust that ye abide in the siege in Jerusalem?

11 Does not Hezekiah deceive you to give yourselves over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, The LORD our God shall deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

12 Has not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before one altar and burn incense upon it?

13 Have ye not known what I and my fathers have done unto all the people of other lands? Could peradventure the gods of the Gentiles of those lands deliver their lands out of my hand?

14 Who was there among all the gods of those Gentiles that my fathers utterly destroyed that could deliver his people out of my hands? Why should your God be able to deliver you out of my hand?

15 Now, therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you nor persuade you in this matter neither believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of my hands and out of the hands of my fathers; how much less shall your God deliver you out of my hand?

16 And his slaves spoke yet more against the LORD God and against his slave Hezekiah.

17 In addition to this, he wrote letters that blasphemed the LORD God of Israel and spoke against him, saying, As the gods of the Gentiles of other lands could not deliver their people out of my hand, neither shall the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of my hand.

18 Then they cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ speech unto the people of Jerusalem that were on the wall, to make them afraid and to trouble them, that they might take the city.

19 And they spoke against the God of Jerusalem as against the gods of the peoples of the earth, which were the work of the hands of man.

20 And for this cause Hezekiah, the king, and the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.

21 And the LORD sent an angel who cut off all the mighty men of valour and the captains and the princes in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And as he entered into the house of his god, those that had come forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword.

22 Thus, the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hands of Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, and from the hands of all others and guided them concerning everything.

23 And many brought a present unto the LORD to Jerusalem and precious gifts unto Hezekiah, king of Judah, so that he was magnified in the sight of all the Gentiles from then on.

24 In those days Hezekiah was sick unto the death and prayed to the LORD, who responded to him and gave him a sign.

25 But Hezekiah did not render again according to the benefit done unto him, for his heart lifted itself up; therefore there was wrath against him and against Judah and Jerusalem.

26 Notwithstanding, Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

27 And Hezekiah had exceedingly great riches and honour, and he made himself treasures of silver and of gold and of precious stones and of spices and of shields and of all manner of pleasant vessels,

28 storehouses also for the increase of grain and wine and oil and stalls for all manner of beasts and places for cattle.

29 Moreover, he made himself cities and possessions of sheep and cows in abundance, for God had given him great substance.

30 This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah was prospered in all that he did.

31 However, because of the ambassadors {Heb. scorners} of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.

32 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his mercy, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

33 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the chiefest of the sepulchres of the sons of David; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honour at his death. And Manasseh, his son, reigned in his stead.

Viewing Multiple Passages

2 Chronicles 7

2 Chronicles 8

2 Chronicles 9

2 Chronicles 10

2 Chronicles 11

2 Chronicles 12

2 Chronicles 13

2 Chronicles 14

2 Chronicles 15

2 Chronicles 16

2 Chronicles 17

2 Chronicles 18

2 Chronicles 19

2 Chronicles 20

2 Chronicles 21

2 Chronicles 22

2 Chronicles 23

2 Chronicles 24

2 Chronicles 25

2 Chronicles 26

2 Chronicles 27

2 Chronicles 28

2 Chronicles 29

2 Chronicles 30

2 Chronicles 31

2 Chronicles 32