\NormalFont\ShortTitle{2 CHRONICLES}
{\MTB This book contains the account of the reign of King Solomon and of the other kings of Judah until the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem. We call this book
\par }{\MT 2 Chronicles

\par }\ChapOne{1}{\SH Solomon prayed for wisdom
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}David’s
son
{\ADD{
King}}
Solomon
was
able
to
gain
complete
control
over
his
kingdom,
because
Yahweh
his
God
helped
him
and
enabled
him
to
become
very
powerful.
\par }{\PP \VS{2-5}{\ADD{
When}}
David
{\ADD{
was
king,
he
had
arranged
for
a
new}}
Sacred
Tent
{\ADD{
to
be}}
made
in
Jerusalem.
Then
David
{\ADD{
and
the Israeli
leaders}}
had
brought
God’s
Sacred
Chest
from
Kiriath-Jearim
{\ADD{
city}}
to
the
new
Sacred
Tent
in
Jerusalem
that
he
had
prepared
for
it.
But
{\ADD{
when
Solomon
became
the
king,}}
the
first
Sacred
Tent
was
still
at
Gibeon
{\ADD{
city}}.
That
was
the
tent
that
Moses,
the
man
who
served
God
{\ADD{
well}},
had
{\ADD{
arranged
to
be}}
made
in
the
desert.
And
the
bronze
altar
that
Bezalel,
the
son
of
Uri
and
grandson
of
Hur,
had
made
was
also
still
in
Gibeon,
in
front
of
the
first
Sacred
Tent.
\par }{\PP {\ADD{
One
day}}
Solomon
summoned
the
army
commanders
of 1,000
soldiers
and
the
commanders
of 100
soldiers
and
the
judges
and
all
the
other
leaders
in
Israel.
He
told
them
to
go
with
him
to
Gibeon.
So
they
all
went
to
a
hill
in
Gibeon
{\ADD{
where
the
Sacred
Tent
was}},
and
Solomon
and
all
the
others
with
him
worshiped
Yahweh
there.
\VS{6}Then
Solomon
went
up
to
the
bronze
altar
in
front
of
the
Sacred
Tent,
and
he
offered 1,000
animals
to
be
{\ADD{
killed
and}}
completely
burned
{\ADD{
on
the
altar}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{7}That
night
God
appeared
to
Solomon
{\ADD{
in
a
dream}}
and
said
to
him, “Request
whatever
you
want
me
to
give
to
you.”
\par }{\PP \VS{8}Solomon
replied, “You
were
very
kind
to
David
my
father,
and
now
you
have
appointed
me
to
be
the
king
to
succeed
him.
\VS{9}So
Yahweh
my
God,
you
have
caused
me
to
become
the
king
to
rule
people
who
are
as
many
as
the particles
of
dirt
on
the
earth.
So
do
what
you
promised
my
father
David.
\VS{10}Please
enable
me
to
be
wise
and
to
know
{\ADD{
what
I
should
do}},
in
order
that
I
may
rule
these
people
{\ADD{
well}},
because
there
is
no
one
who
can
rule
all
this
great
nation
of
yours
{\ADD{
without
your
help}}.”
\par }{\PP \VS{11}God
replied, “{\ADD{
I
am
pleased
with
what}}
you
desire;
you
have
not
requested
a
huge
amount
of
money
or
to
be
honored
or
that
your
enemies
be
killed.
And
you
have
not
requested
that
you
live
for
a
long
time.
Instead,
you
have
requested
that
{\ADD{
I
enable}}
you
{\ADD{
to}}
be
wise
and
{\ADD{
to}}
know
{\ADD{
what
you
should
do}}
in
order
that
you
may
govern
{\ADD{
well}}
my
people
whom
I
have
appointed
you
to
rule.
\VS{12}Therefore
I
will
enable
you
to
be
wise
and
to
know
{\ADD{
what
you
should
do
to
rule
my
people
well}}.
But
I
will
also
enable
you
to
have
a
huge
amount
of
money
and
to
be
honored,
more
than
anyone
who
was
previously
a
king
ever
was
honored,
more
than
anyone
who
later
becomes
king
will
be
honored.”
\VS{13}Then
Solomon
{\ADD{
and
the
people
who
were
with
him
all}}
left
from
being
in
front
of
he
Sacred
Tent
{\ADD{
on
the
hill
in
Gibeon}},
and
they
returned
to
Jerusalem.
From
there
he
ruled
the Israeli
people.
\par }{\SH Solomon’s
wealth
\par }{\PP \VS{14}Solomon
acquired 1,400
chariots
and 12,000
men
who
rode
{\ADD{
on
horses}}.
He
put
some
of
the
chariots
and
horses
in
Jerusalem,
and
put
some
of
them
in
various
other
cities.
\VS{15}During
the
years
that
Solomon
was
king,
silver
and
gold
were
as
common
in
Jerusalem
as
stones,
and
{\ADD{lumber
from}}
cedar
trees
were
as
plentiful
as
{\ADD{lumber
from}}
ordinary
sycamore
trees
in
the
foothills.
\VS{16}Solomon’s
horses
were
imported/brought
from
Egypt
and
from
{\ADD{
the}}
Kue
{\ADD{
region
in Turkey}}.
\VS{17}In
Egypt
his
men
paid 15
pounds
of
silver
for
each
chariot
and 3-3/4
pounds
of
silver
for
each
horse.
They
also
exported/sold
many
of
them
to
the
kings
of
the
Heth
and
Aram people-groups.

\par }\Chap{2}{\SH Preparations for building the temple
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}Solomon
ordered
that
a
temple
should
be
built
where
Yahweh
would
be
worshiped
and
also
that
a
palace
should
be
built
for
himself.
\VS{2}He
selected 70,000
men
to
carry
the
building
supplies
and 80,000
men
to
cut
stones
{\ADD{◄from
quarries/walls
of
rock►
in}}
the
hills.
He
also
chose 3,600
men
to
supervise
them.
\par }{\PP \VS{3}Solomon
sent
this
message
to
King
Hiram
of
Tyre
{\ADD{
city}}:
\par }{\PI “{\ADD{
Many
years
ago}}
when
my
father
David
was
building
his
palace,
you
sent
to
him
cedar
logs.
Will
you
send
me
cedar
logs,
too?
\par }{\PI \VS{4}“We
are
about
to
build
a
temple
where
we
will
worship
Yahweh
our
God.
We
want
to
dedicate
it
to
be
a
place
where
we
will
burn
fragrant
incense
to
{\ADD{
honor}}
him,
and
a
place
to
put
loaves
of
sacred
bread,
and
for
making
sacrifices
every
morning
and
every
evening
and
every
Sabbath
day,
and
to
celebrate
on
the
day
of
every
new
moon
and
at
other
special religious
festivals
to
{\ADD{
honor}}
Yahweh
our
God.
We
want
to
do
those
things
forever,
like
Yahweh
has
commanded.
\VS{5}{\ADD{
We
want}}
this
temple
{\ADD{
to}}
be
a
great
temple,
because
our
God
is
greater
than
all
other
gods.
\VS{6}But
no
one
can
really
build
a
temple
that
would
be
big
enough
for
God
{\ADD{
to
live
in}},
because
even
the
highest
heavens
are
not
big
enough
for
him.
And
I
am
worthy
only
to
build
a
place
where
we
can
burn
sacrifices
to
him.
\par }{\PI \VS{7}Therefore,
please
send
me
a
man
who
knows
well
how
to
make
things
from
gold
and
silver
and
bronze
and
iron,
and
to
make
things
from
purple
and
red
and
blue
cloth.
He
should
also
know
well
how
to
engrave
designs.
I
want
him
to
work
in
Jerusalem
and
in
other
places
in
Judah
with
my
skilled
craftsmen,
the
ones
whom
my
father
David
appointed.
\par }{\PI \VS{8}I
know
that
your
workers
are
skilled
in
cutting
timber,
so
also
please
send
me
cedar
logs,
pine
logs,
and
juniper
logs
from
the
Lebanon
mountains.
My
workers
will
work
with
your
workers.
\VS{9}In
that
way,
those
workers
will
provide
me
with
plenty
of lumber.
{\ADD{
We
will
need
plenty,}}
because
I
want
the
temple
that
we
will
build
to
be
large
and
beautiful.
\VS{10}I
will
pay
your
workers,
the
men
who
cut
the
logs, 100,000 bushels
of
ground
wheat, 100,000 bushels
of
barley, 110,000
gallons
of
wine,
and 110,000
gallons
of
olive
oil.”
\par }{\PP \VS{11}{\ADD{
When}}
Hiram
{\ADD{
received
that
message,
he}}
replied
by
sending
this
message
to
Solomon:
\par }{\PI “Because
Yahweh
loves
his
people,
he
has
appointed
you
to
be
their
king.”
\par }{\PP \VS{12}{\ADD{
And
Hiram
added,}}
\par }{\PI “Praise
Yahweh,
the
God
to
whom
the Israeli
people
belong,
the
one
who
created
the
sky
and
the
earth!
He
has
given
King
David
a
wise
son,
one
who
is
very
smart/intelligent
and
who
has
good
skill
and
understanding.
He
wants
to
build
a
temple
for
Yahweh
and
a
palace
for
himself.
\par }{\PI \VS{13}“I
will
be
sending
to
you
Huram-Abi,
a
man
who
is
very
skilled.
\VS{14}His
mother
was
from
the
tribe
of
Dan,
and
his
father
was
from
{\ADD{
here
in}}
Tyre.
He
is
very
able
to
make
things
from
gold
and
silver
and
bronze
and
iron
and
stone
and
wood,
but
he
also
makes
nice
things
from
purple
and
blue
and
red
cloth,
and
he
does
all
kinds
of engraving.
He
can
make
things
using
any
design/pattern
that
you
give
to
him.
He
will
work
with
your
craftsmen,
and
the
craftsmen
who
did
work
for
your
father,
King
David.
\par }{\PI \VS{15}“Now
please
send
us
the
wheat
and
barley
and
olive
oil
and
wine
that
you
promised
to
send
to
us.
\VS{16}When
you
do
that,
my
workers
will
cut
from
trees
in
the
Lebanon
mountains
all
the
logs
that
you
need
{\ADD{
and
bring
them
down
to
the
sea}}.
Then
we
will
{\ADD{
tie
the
logs
together
to}}
form
rafts
with
them,
and
float
them
in
the
sea
to
Joppa
{\ADD{
city}}.
From
there,
you
{\ADD{
can
arrange
for}}
them
{\ADD{
to
be}}
taken
up
to
Jerusalem.
\par }{\PP \VS{17}Solomon
told
his
workers
to
count
all
the
people
from
other
countries
who
were
living
in
Israel,
similar
to
what
his
father
David
had
done.
There
were 153,600
of
them.
\VS{18}Solomon
assigned 70,000
of
them
to
carry materials,
and 80,000
to
cut
stone
{\ADD{
from
quarries
in}}
the
hills,
and 3,600
of
them
to
supervise
the
others
and
be
sure
that
they
worked
steadily.

\par }\Chap{3}{\SH Solomon’s workers built the temple
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}Then
Solomon’s
workers
started
to
build
the
temple
for
Yahweh
in
Jerusalem.
They
built
it
on
Moriah
Hill,
where
{\ADD{
an
angel
from}}
Yahweh
had
appeared
to
his
father
David.
They
built
it
on
the
ground
that
Araunah,
a
descendant
of
the
Jebus people-group,
had
sold
to
David
and
where
David
said
that
it
should
be
built.
\VS{2}They
began
the
work
in April,
when
Solomon
had
been
ruling
almost
four
years.
\par }{\PP \VS{3}The
foundation
of
the
temple
was
about 90
feet
long
and 30
feet
wide.
\VS{4}The
entrance
room
across
the
front
of
the
temple
was 30
feet
wide
and 30
feet
high.
\par }{\PP \VS{5}Solomon’s
workers
used
{\ADD{panels/boards
of}}
pine
{\ADD{
wood}}
to
line
the
main
hall
of
the
temple.
Then
they
covered
those panels
with
{\ADD{
very
thin
sheets
of}}
pure
gold.
Then
they
decorated
the
walls
with
{\ADD{
carved
images
of}}
palm
trees
and
designs
that
resembled
chains.
\VS{6}They
decorated
the
temple
with
very
valuable
stones.
The
gold
that
they
used
was
from
{\ADD{
the
land
of}}
Parvaim.
\par }{\PP \VS{7}They
covered
the
ceiling
beams,
the
door
frames,
the
walls
and
the
doors
of
the
temple
with
{\ADD{
very
thin
sheets
of}}
gold.
They
also
carved
{\ADD{
statues
of}}
winged
creatures
on
the
walls.
\VS{8}They
also
built
the
Very
Holy
Place
{\ADD{
inside
the
temple}}.
It
was 30
feet
wide
and 30
feet
long.
They
covered
its
walls
with
sheets
of
pure
gold
that
altogether
weighed 23 tons.
\VS{9}They
used 1-1/4
pounds
of
gold
to
{\ADD{
cover
the
heads
of
}}
the
nails.
They
also
covered
the
walls
of
the
upper
rooms
with
sheets
of
gold.
\par }{\PP \VS{10}Solomon’s
workers
made
two
statues
of
creatures
with
wings
to
put
inside
the
Very
Holy
Place.
They
covered
those
statues
with
{\ADD{
very
thin
sheets
of}}
gold.
\VS{11-12}{\ADD{
Each
statue
had
two
long
wings}}.
One
wing
of
each
statue
touched
one
of
the
walls
of
the
Temple.
The
other
wing
of
each
statue
touched
a
wing
of
the
other
statue.
It
was 7-1/2
feet
from
the
outer
tip
of
one
wing
to
the
outer
tip
of
the
other
wing.
The
inner
wings
of
the
two
statues
touched
each
other.
\par }{\PP \VS{13}It
was 30
feet
from
the
outer
wing
of
the
one
statue
to
the
outer
wing
of
the
other
statue.
The
statues
faced
the
doorway
to
the
main
room.
\par }{\PP \VS{14}Solomon’s
workers
made
a
curtain
{\ADD{
to
separate
the
main
room
from
the
Very
Holy
Place}}.
It
was
made
of
blue,
purple,
and
red
thread
and
fine
linen.
There
were
figures
of
winged
creatures
that
were
embroidered
on
the
curtain.
\VS{15}They
made
two
{\ADD{
bronze}}
pillars
and
put
them
at
the
entrance
of
the
temple.
They
were
each 27
feet
high.
Each
had
a
top
over
it
that
was 7-1/2
feet
high.
\VS{16}The
workers
made
{\ADD{
carvings
that
resembled}}
chains
and
put
them
on
top
of
the
pillars.
They
made
{\ADD{
carvings
that
resembled}}
pomegranates
and
attached
them
to
the
chains.
\VS{17}They
set
up
the
pillars
in
front
of
the
temple,
one
on
the
south
side
{\ADD{
of
the
entrance}}
and
the
other
on
the
north
side.
The
one
on
the
south
side
was
named
Jakin
and
the
one
on
the
north
side
was
named
Boaz.

\par }\Chap{4}{\SH The furnishings for the temple
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}Solomon’s
workers
made
a
square
bronze
altar
that
was 10
yards
wide
on
each
side,
and
it
was 5
yards
high.
\VS{2}They
also
made
a
very
large
round tank
that
was
made
of
metal
and
cast
{\ADD{
in
a
clay
mold}}.
It
was 10
yards
wide/across,
and 5
yards
high.
It
was 15
yards
around
it.
\VS{3}Below
the
outer
rim
there
were
two
rows
of
{\ADD{
small
figures
of}}
bulls
that
were
part
of
the
metal
of
the
basin.
Each
row
had 300
figures
of
bulls.
\par }{\PP \VS{4}The
basin
was
set
on
twelve
{\ADD{
statues
of}}
bulls.
There
were
three
statues
that
faced
north,
three
that
faced
west,
three
that
faced
south,
and
three
that
faced
east.
\VS{5}The
sides
of
the tank
were 3
inches
thick,
and
its
rim
was
shaped
like
a
cup
that
curved
outward
like
the petals
of
flowers.
The
basin
held
about 16,500
gallons
{\ADD{
of
water}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{6}They
also
made
ten
basins
for
washing
the
{\ADD{
animals
that
were}}
to
be
sacrificed.
The
priests
used
the
very
large tank
for
washing
themselves.
\par }{\PP \VS{7}They
also
made
ten
gold
lampstands
according
to
what
Solomon
had
instructed
them.
They
put
them
in
the
temple,
five
on
the
south
side
and
five
on
the
north
side.
\par }{\PP \VS{8}They
made
ten
tables
and
put
them
in
the
temple,
five
on
the
south
side
and
five
on
the
north
side.
They
also
made 100
gold
bowls.
\par }{\PP \VS{9}They
also
constructed
one
courtyard
for
the
priests,
and
a
larger
courtyard
{\ADD{
for
the
other
people}}.
They
made
doors
for
the
courtyards
and
covered
them
with
{\ADD{
thin
sheets
of}}
bronze.
\VS{10}They
placed
the
very
large tank
{\ADD{
on
the
south
side
of
the
temple,}}
at
the
southeast
corner.
\par }{\PP \VS{11}They
also
made
pots
and
shovels
{\ADD{
for
the
ashes
of
the
altar}},
and
other
small
bowls.
\par }{\BB \par }{\PP So
Huram
{\ADD{
and
his
workers}}
finished
the
work
that
King
Solomon
had
given
him
to
do
at
the
temple
of
God.
\VS{12}{\ADD{
These
were
the
things
that
they
made:}}
\par }{\LI the
two
large
pillars,
\par }{\LI the
two
bowl-shaped
top
parts
on
top
of
the
pillars,
\par }{\LI the
two
sets
of
carvings
that
resembled
chains
to
decorate
the
tops
of
the
two
pillars,
\par }{\LI \VS{13}the 400
carvings
that
resembled
pomegranates
that
were
placed
in
two
rows,
that
decorated
the
bowl-shaped
tops
of
the
two
pillars,
\par }{\LI \VS{14}the
stands,
and
the
basins
that
were
placed
on
them,
\par }{\LI \VS{15}the
very
large tank,
and
the
{\ADD{
statues
of}}
twelve
bulls
underneath
it,
\par }{\LI \VS{16}the
pots,
shovels,
meat
forks,
and
all
the
other
things
{\ADD{
needed
for
the
work
at
the
altar}}.
\par }{\PP All
those
things
that
Huram
{\ADD{
and
his
workers}}
made
for
King
Solomon
were
made
of
polished
bronze.
\VS{17}They
made
them
by
pouring
melted
bronze
into
the
clay molds
that
Huram
had
set
up
near
the
Jordan
{\ADD{
river}}
between
Succoth
and
Zarethan
{\ADD{
cities}}.
\VS{18}All
of
those
things
that
Solomon
{\ADD{
told
them
to}}
make
used
a
very
large
amount
of
bronze;
no
one
tried
to
weigh
it
all.
\par }{\PP \VS{19}Solomon’s
workers
also
made
all
these
things
that
were
put
at
the
temple:
\par }{\LI the
golden
altar,
\par }{\LI the
tables
on
which
the
priests
put
the
sacred
bread,
\par }{\LI \VS{20}the
pure
gold
lampstands
and
the
pure
gold
lamps,
{\ADD{
in
which
the
priests
put
oil}}
to
burn
in
front
of
the
Most
Holy
Place
as
God
had
told
{\ADD{
Moses
that
the
priests
should
do}},
\par }{\LI \VS{21}the
pure
gold decorations
that
resembled
flowers,
and
the
lamps
and
tongs,
\par }{\LI \VS{22}the
pure
gold
wick trimmers
and
bowls
for sprinkling,
and
dishes
and
lamp
snuffers,
\par }{\LI the
gold
doors
of
the
temple
\par }{\LI and
the
doors
to
the
main
hall.

\par }\Chap{5}{\PP \VerseOne{1}After
Solomon’s
workers
had
finished
building
the
temple,
Solomon
put
in
the
temple
storage
rooms
everything
that
his
father
David
had
dedicated
to
Yahweh—all
the
silver
and
gold
and
all
the
other
things
that
were
used
at
the
temple.
\par }{\SH The
Sacred
Chest
was
brought
to
the
temple
\par }{\PP \VS{2}Then
King
Solomon
summoned
to
Jerusalem
all
the
elders
of
Israel,
all
the
leaders
of
the
tribes
and
of
the
families/clans.
He
wanted
them
to
help
to
bring
to
the
temple
Yahweh’s
Sacred
Chest
from
Zion
{\ADD{
Hill}},
where
it
was
in
{\ADD{
the
part
of
the
city
called}} ‘The
City
of David’.
\VS{3}So
all
the
leaders
of
Israel
gathered
together
along
with
the
king,
during
the
Festival
of
{\ADD{
Living
in
Temporary}}
Shelters,
in October.
\par }{\PP \VS{4}When
they
had
all
arrived,
the
descendants
of
Levi
lifted
up
the
Sacred
Chest,
\VS{5}and
they
carried
it
and
the
Sacred
Tent
and
the
sacred
things
that
were
inside
it.
The
priests,
who
were
also
descended
from
Levi,
carried
them.
\VS{6}King
Solomon
and
many
of
the
other
people
of
Israel
who
had
gathered
there
walked
in
front
of
the
Sacred
Chest.
And
they
sacrificed
a
huge
amount
of
sheep
and
cattle.
No
one
was
able
to
count
them
{\ADD{
because
there
were
very
many}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{7}The
priests
then
brought
the
Sacred
Chest
into
the
Most
Holy
Place,
the
inner
room
of
the
temple,
and
they
placed
it
under
the
wings
of
the
statues
of
winged
creatures.
\VS{8}The
wings
of
those
statues
spread
out
over
the
Sacred
Chest
and
over
the
poles
by
which
it
was
carried.
\VS{9}The
poles
were
very
long,
with
the
result
that
they
could
be
seen
by
{\ADD{
those
who
were
standing}}
at
the
entrance
to
the
Most
Holy
Place,
but
they
could
not
be
seen
by
anyone
standing
outside
the
temple.
Those
poles
are
still
there.
\VS{10}The
only
things
that
were
inside
the
Sacred
Chest
were
the
two
stone
tablets
that
Moses
had
put
there
at
Sinai
Mountain,
where
Yahweh
made
an
agreement
with
the Israeli
people
after
they
came
out
of
Egypt.
\par }{\PP \VS{11}Then
the
priests
left
the
Holy
Place.
All
the
priests
who
were
there,
from
every
group,
had
performed
the rituals
to
cause
them
to
be
acceptable
to
God.
\VS{12}All
the
descendants
of
Levi
who
were
musicians—Asaph,
Heman,
Jeduthun,
their
sons
and
their
other
relatives—stood
on
the
east
side
of
the
altar.
They
were
wearing
linen
clothes,
and
they
were
playing
cymbals,
harps,
and
lyres.
There
were 120
other
priests
who
were
blowing
trumpets.
\VS{13}The
men
blowing
trumpets,
those
playing
the
cymbals
and
other
musical
instruments,
and
the
singers,
made
music
together,
praising
Yahweh
and
singing
this
song:
\par }{\Q “Yahweh
is
good
{\ADD{
to
us}};
\par }{\QB he
faithfully
loves
us
forever.”
\par }{\PP Then
{\ADD{
suddenly}}
the
temple
was
filled
with
a
cloud.
\VS{14}The
glorious
radiance
of
Yahweh
filled
the
temple,
with
the
result
that
the
priests
were
not
able
to
continue
doing
their
work.

\par }\Chap{6}{\PP \VerseOne{1}Then
Solomon
said, “Yahweh,
you
said
that
you
would
live
in
a
dark
cloud.
\VS{2}But
now
I
have
built
a
glorious
temple
for
you
to
live
in
forever!”
\par }{\PP \VS{3}Then
while
all
the
people
stood
there,
Solomon
turned
toward
the
people
and
he
{\ADD{
asked
God
to}}
bless
them.
\VS{4}He
said
to
them,
\par }{\PI “Praise
Yahweh,
the
God
to
whom
we Israelis
belong,
who
has
caused
to
happen
what
he
promised
to
my
father
David.
What
he
said
to
David
was
this:
\par }{\PI \VS{5}‘From
the
time
that
I
brought
my
people
out
of
Egypt,
I
have
never
chosen
a
city
in
Israel
in
which
a
temple
should
be
built
for
people
to
{\ADD{
worship}}
me
there.
Nor
did
I
choose
anyone
to
be
the
leader
of
my Israeli
people.
\VS{6}But
now
I
have
chosen
Jerusalem
to
be
the
place
for
people
to
worship
me,
and
I
have
chosen
you
to
rule
my Israeli
people.’ ”
\par }{\PI \VS{7}{\ADD{
Then
Solomon
said}}, “My
father
David
wanted
to
build
a
temple
for
Yahweh,
the
God
to
whom
we Israelis
belong.
\VS{8}But
Yahweh
said
to
him, ‘You
have
wanted
to
build
a
temple
for
me,
and
what
you
wanted
to
do
was
good.
\VS{9}However,
you
are
not
the
one
who
I
want
to
build
the
temple;
it
is
one
of
your
own
sons
who
{\ADD{
I
want
to}}
build
a
temple
for
me.’
\par }{\PI \VS{10}“And
Yahweh
has
done
what
he
promised
to
do.
I
have
become
the
king
of
Israel
to
succeed
my
father,
and
I
am
ruling
the
people,
like
Yahweh
promised,
and
I
have
arranged
for
this
temple
to
be
built
for
us
to
worship
Yahweh,
the
God
to
whom
we Israelis
belong.
\VS{11}I
have
put
the
Sacred
Chest
in
the
temple,
in
which
are
the
stone
tablets
{\ADD{
on
which
are
engraved
the
Ten
Commandments
of}}
the
agreement
that
Yahweh
made
with
us Israeli
people.”
\par }{\SH Solomon’s
prayer
to
dedicate
the
temple
\par }{\PP \VS{12}Then
Solomon
stood
in
front
of
the
altar
which
was
in
front
of
the
people
of
Israel
who
had
gathered
there.
\VS{13}His
workers
had
built
a
bronze
platform
there
{\ADD{
for
him
to
stand
on}},
which
was 7-1/2
feet
long
and 7-1/2
feet
wide
and 4-1/2
feet
high.
They
put
it
in
the
outer
courtyard.
Solomon
stood
on
that
platform
and
then
knelt
down
in
front
of
all
the
people
of
Israel
who
had
gathered
there,
and
he
spread
out
his
arms
toward
heaven,
\VS{14}and
he
prayed,
\par }{\PI “Yahweh,
the
God
to
whom
we Israeli
people
belong,
there
is
no
God
like
you
in
heaven
or
on
the
earth.
You
solemnly
promised
that
you
would
faithfully
love
us,
and
that
is
what
you
have
done
for
us
who
earnestly
do
what
you
want
us
to
do.
\par }{\PI \VS{15}“You
have
done
the
things
that
you
promised
my
father
David,
who
served
you
{\ADD{
very
well}},
that
you
would
do.
Truly,
you
promised
to
do
those
things
for
him,
and
today
we
see
that
by
your
power
you
have
caused
it
all
to
happen.
\par }{\PI \VS{16}“So
now,
Yahweh,
the
God
we Israelis
belong
to,
please
do
the
things
that
you
promised
to
my
father
David
that
you
would
do.
You
said
that
there
would
always
be
some
of
his
descendants
to
rule
Israel,
if
they
faithfully
conduct
their
lives
as
he
did.
\VS{17}So
now,
God
of
us Israeli
people,
cause
what
you
promised
David,
who
served
you
{\ADD{
well}},
to
happen.
\par }{\PI \VS{18}“But,
my
God,
will
you
really
live
on
earth
among
people?
There
is
surely
not
enough
space
for
you
in
the
sky,
or
even
in
the
heaven!
So
there
is
surely
not
enough
space
for
you
to
live
in
this
temple
that
my
workers
have
built.
\VS{19}But
Yahweh,
my
God,
please
listen
to
my
prayer,
while
I
am
pleading
with
you
this
day
and
do
what
I
am requesting.
\VS{20}Please
protect
this
temple
day
and
night.
This
is
the
place
about
which
you
have
said, ‘I
will
always
be
there.’
Please
listen
to
my
prayer
about
this
place.
\VS{21}Listen
to
me
when
I
pray,
and
listen
to
your Israeli
people
when
they
pray.
Listen
from
heaven,
where
you
live;
and
when
you
hear
us
pray,
forgive
us.
\par }{\PI \VS{22}“If
someone
is
accused
of
doing
something
wrong
to
another
person,
and
they
bring
him
to
testify
in
front
of
your
altar
outside
this
holy
temple,
and
if
he
says, ‘I
did
not
do
that;
may
God
punish
me
if
I
am
not
telling
the
truth,’
\VS{23}then
you
listen
from
heaven,
and
you
decide
who
is
telling
the
truth.
Then
punish
the
person
who
is
guilty
as
he
deserves
to
be
punished,
and
declare
that
the
other
person
is
innocent.
\par }{\PI \VS{24}“And
when
your Israeli
people
are
defeated
by
their
enemies
because
they
sinned
against
you,
{\ADD{
and
forced
to
go
to
some
distant
country,}}
if
they
turn
away
from
their
sinful
behavior
and
turn
toward
this
temple
and
admit
{\ADD{
that}}
you
{\ADD{
have
justly
punished
them}},
and
plead
{\ADD{
that
you
will
forgive
them}},
\VS{25}listen
to
them
from
heaven
and
forgive
your Israeli
people
for
the
sins
that
they
{\ADD{
have
committed}},
and
bring
them
back
to
this
land
that
you
gave
to
our
ancestors.
\par }{\PI \VS{26}“When
you
do
not
allow
any
rain
to
fall
because
your
people
have
sinned
against
you,
if
they
turn
toward
this
temple
and
admit
{\ADD{
that}}
you
{\ADD{
have
justly
punished
them}},
and
turn
away
from
their
sinful
behavior
and
humbly
pray
to
you,
\VS{27}hear
from
heaven
and
forgive
the
sins
of
your Israeli
people.
Teach
them
the
right
way
to
conduct
their
lives.
Then
cause
it
to
rain
here
on
the
land
that
you
gave
to
your
people
to
belong
to
them
{\ADD{
permanently}}.
\par }{\PI \VS{28}“And
when
the
people
of
this
land
experience
famines
or
if
there
is
a
plague,
or
when
their
crops
are
destroyed
by
very
hot
winds
or
by
mildew
or
by
locusts
or
grasshoppers,
or
when
their
enemies
surround
any
of
their
cities
{\ADD{
in
order
to
attack
them}},
if
any
of
those
bad
things
happen
to
them,
\VS{29}when
your Israeli
people
earnestly
plead
with
you,
knowing
in
their
inner
beings
that
they
are
suffering
{\ADD{
because
they
have
sinned}},
if
they
stretch
out
their
hands
toward
this
temple
and
pray,
\VS{30}hear
from
your
home
in
heaven,
and
forgive
them.
You
alone
know
what
each
person
is
thinking,
so
reward
each
person
according
to
everything
that
he
does,
\VS{31}in
order
that
they
will
revere
you
and
conduct
their
lives
as
you
want
them
to,
all
the
time
that
they
live
in
this
land
that
you
gave
to
our
ancestors.
\par }{\PI \VS{32}“There
will
be
some
foreigners
who
do
not
belong
to
your Israeli
people
who
have
come
here
from
countries
far
away
because
they
have
heard
that
you
are
very
great
and
that
you
perform
great
miracles.
If
they
turn
toward
this
temple
and
pray,
\VS{33}from
your
home
in
heaven
listen
to
their
prayer,
and
do
for
them
what
they
request
you
to
do.
Do
that
in
order
that
all
the people-groups
in
the
world
will
know
about
you
and
revere
you,
like
we,
your
own Israeli
people
do.
And
then
they
will
know
that
this
is
the
temple
that
I
have
caused
to
be
built
for
you.
\par }{\PI \VS{34}“When
you
send
your
people
to
go
to
places
to
attack
their
enemies,
if
they
pray
to
you,
wherever
they
are,
if
they
turn
toward
this
city
that
you
have
chosen
and
toward
this
temple
that
I
have
caused
to
be
built
to
honor
you,
\VS{35}listen
in
heaven
to
their
prayers;
listen
to
what
they
plead
for
you
{\ADD{
to
do}},
and
assist
them.
\par }{\PI \VS{36}{\ADD{“It
is
true
that}}
everyone
sins.
So,
when
your
people
sin
against
you,
and
you
become
angry
with
them,
you
may
allow
their
enemies
to
capture
them
and
take
them
to
their
countries,
even
to
countries
that
are
far
away.
\VS{37}When
that
happens,
while
they
are
in
the
countries
to
which
they
were
forced
to
go,
if
they
are
sorry
for
having
sinned,
if
they
say, ‘We
have
sinned;
we
have
done
things
that
are
wrong
and
have
done
things
that
are
very
wicked,’
\VS{38}if
they
repent
very
sincerely,
and
if
they
turn
toward
this
land
that
you
gave
to
our
ancestors,
and
toward
this
city
that
you
have
chosen
{\ADD{
to
be
the
place
where
we
should
worship
you}},
and
toward
this
temple
that
I
have
caused
to
be
built
for
you
and
pray,
\VS{39}then
from
your
home
in
heaven
hear
their
prayer,
and
listen
to
them
while
they
plead
{\ADD{
for
your
help}},
and
do
what
they
ask
you
to
do,
and
forgive
your
people
who
have
sinned
against
you.
\par }{\PI \VS{40}“Now,
my
God,
look
at
us
and
listen
to
us
as
we
pray
to
you
in
this
place.
\par }{\Q \VS{41}Yahweh
our
God,
come
and
stay
in
this
place
with
the
Sacred
Chest,
\par }{\QB the
chest
that
shows
that
you
are
powerful.
\par }{\Q Yahweh
God,
cause
your
priests
to
know
clearly
that
you
have
blessed
them.
\par }{\QB Cause
us
your
people
to
rejoice
because
of
all
the
good
things
{\ADD{
that
you
do
for
us}}.
\par }{\Q \VS{42}Yahweh
God,
do
not
reject
me
{\ADD{
the
king}}
whom
you
have
appointed
{\ADD{
to
be
the
king
of
Israel}};
\par }{\QB do
not
forget
that
you
greatly
loved
David,
who
served
you
{\ADD{
very
well}}.”

\par }\Chap{7}{\SH Solomon dedicated the temple
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}When
Solomon
finished
praying,
fire
came
down
from
the
sky
and
burned
all
the
offerings
and
sacrifices
{\ADD{
that
were
on
the
altar}},
and
the
glorious
radiance
of
Yahweh
filled
the
temple.
\VS{2}The
radiance
{\ADD{
was
extremely
bright}},
with
the
result
that
the
priests
could
not
enter
the
temple
of
Yahweh.
\VS{3}When
all
the Israeli
people
{\ADD{
who
were
there}}
saw
the
fire
coming
down
and
the
glory
of
Yahweh
above
the
temple,
they
prostrated
themselves
with
their
faces
touching
the
ground.
They
worshiped
and
thanked
Yahweh,
singing,
\par }{\Q “Yahweh
is
always
good
to
us;
\par }{\QB he
faithfully
loves
us
forever.”
\par }{\MM \VS{4-5}Then
the
king
and
all
the
people
who
were
there
dedicated
the
temple
to
Yahweh
by
offering
more
sacrifices
to
him.
King
Solomon
gave 22,000
cattle
and 120,000
sheep
and
goats
to
be
sacrificed.
\VS{6}The
priests
stood
in
their
positions,
and
the
other
descendants
of
Levi
stood
in
their
positions
holding
the
musical
instruments
{\ADD{
to
praise}}
Yahweh,
instruments
that
King
David
had
caused
to
be
made
for
praising
Yahweh
and
thanking
him.
{\ADD{
They
sang}}, “He
faithfully
loves
us
forever.”
Facing
the
other
descendants
of
Levi
the
priests
stood,
blowing
their
trumpets,
while
all
the Israeli
people
were
standing
{\ADD{
and
listening}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{7}Solomon
dedicated
the
middle
part
of
the
courtyard
in
front
of
the
temple.
Then
he
gave
offerings
to
be
completely
burned
there
along
with
the
fat
of
the
animals
to
be
sacrificed
to
maintain
fellowship
with
Yahweh.
The
priests
burned
them
there
in
the
courtyard
because
in
addition
to
those
things
there
were
offerings
of
grain,
with
the
result
that
there
was
not
enough
space
on
the
bronze
altar
to
burn
all
those
sacrifices.
\par }{\PP \VS{8}Solomon
{\ADD{
and
the
other
people}}
celebrated
the
Festival
of
Living
in
Temporary
Shelters
for
seven
days.
There
was
a
huge
group
of
people
who
celebrated
with
him.
Some
of
them
came
from
{\ADD{
as
far
away
as}}
Lebo-Hamath
{\ADD{
in
the
far
north}}
and
the
border
of
Egypt
{\ADD{
in
the
far
south}}.
\VS{9}On
the
eighth/next
day
they
gathered
again
{\ADD{
to
worship
Yahweh}}.
They
had
celebrated
the
dedication
of
the
altar
for
seven
days
and
the
Festival
of
Living
in
Temporary
Shelters
for
seven
days.
\VS{10}Then
on
the
next
day
Solomon
sent
them
to
their
homes.
They
were
very
joyful
because
of
all
the
good
things
that
Yahweh
had
done
for
David
and
Solomon
and
for
all
his Israeli
people.
\par }{\SH Yahweh
appeared
to
Solomon
again
\par }{\PP \VS{11}Solomon’s
{\ADD{
workers}}
finished
building
the
temple
and
Solomon’s
palace.
And
Solomon
finished
doing
everything
else
that
he
had
planned
to
do.
\VS{12}Then
Yahweh
appeared
to
him
one
night
{\ADD{
in
a
dream}}
and
said
to
him,
\par }{\PI “I
have
heard
your
prayer,
and
I
have
chosen
this
temple
to
be
the
place
where
my
people
will
offer
sacrifices
to
me.
\par }{\PI \VS{13}“When
I
prevent
any
rain
from
falling,
or
when
I
command
locusts
to
eat
all
the
crops,
or
when
I
send
a
plague
among
my
people,
\VS{14}if
the
people
who
belong
to
me
humble
themselves
and
pray,
and
request
me
to
help
them,
and
if
they
turn
away
from
their
sinful
behavior,
then
I
will
hear
from
heaven.
I
will
forgive
them
for
having
sinned
and
I
will
cause
them
to
prosper
again.
\VS{15}I [SYN]
will
see
them
and
I [SYN]
will
hear
them
when
they
pray
to
me
in
this
place.
\VS{16}I
have
chosen
and
have ◄set
apart/dedicated►
this
temple
in
order
that
people
may
worship [MTY]
me
there
forever.
I
will
always
watch
over [MTY]
it
and
protect [IDM]
it.
\par }{\PI \VS{17}“And
as
for
you,
if
you
obey
me
as
David
your
father
did,
and
if
you
do
all
that
I
command
you
to
do,
and
obey
all
my
laws
and
decrees,
\VS{18}I
will
make
sure
that
your
descendants
will
always
be
kings,
which
is
what
I
promised
to
David
your
father,
saying, ‘Some
of
your
descendants
will
always
be
the
kings
of
Israel.’
\par }{\PI \VS{19}“But
if
you Israelis
turn
away
from
me
and
disobey
the
decrees
and
commands
that
I
have
given
to
you,
and
you
start
to
worship
other
gods,
\VS{20}I
will
cause
you
to
be
expelled
from
this
land
that
I
have
given
to
you,
and
I
will
abandon
this
temple
that
I
have
set
apart
to
be
the
place
where
people
should
worship
me.
I
will
cause
it
to
be
despised
and ridiculed
by
people
of
all
nations.
\VS{21}Although
this
temple
is
now
greatly
respected,
when
that
happens,
all
the
people
who
pass
by
will
be
appalled,
and
they
will
say, ‘Why
has
Yahweh
done
terrible
things
like
this
to
this
country
and
to
this
temple?’
\VS{22}And
others
will
reply, ‘It
happened
because
they
rejected
Yahweh,
the
God
to
whom
their
ancestors
belonged,
the
one
who
brought
their
ancestors
out
of
Egypt,
and
they
have
been
worshiping
other
gods
and
trying
to
please
them.
And
that
is
why
Yahweh
has
caused
them
to
experience
all
these
disasters.’ ”

\par }\Chap{8}{\SH Other things that Solomon did
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}Solomon’s
{\ADD{
workers}}
worked
for 20
years
to
build
the
temple
and
the
king’s
palace.
\VS{2}Then
his
{\ADD{
workers}}
rebuilt
the
cities
that
{\ADD{
King}}
Hiram
had
given
back
to
Solomon,
and
Solomon
sent Israelis
to
live
in
those
cities.
\VS{3}Solomon’s
{\ADD{
army}}
then
went
to
Hamath-Zobah
{\ADD{
town}}
and
captured
it.
\VS{4}His
workers
also
rebuilt
walls
around
Tadmor
{\ADD{
town}}
in
the
desert,
and
in
{\ADD{
the}}
Hamath
{\ADD{
region}}
in
all
the
towns
where
they
kept
supplies.
\VS{5}They
rebuilt
Upper
Beth-Horon
{\ADD{
town}}
and
Lower
Beth-Horon
{\ADD{
city}},
and
built
walls
around
them
with
gates
{\ADD{
in
the
walls}}
and
bars
{\ADD{
to
fasten
the
gates}}.
\VS{6}They
also
rebuilt
Baalath
{\ADD{
town}}
and
all
the
cities
where
supplies
were
kept
and
the
cities
where
Solomon’s
chariots
and
horses
were
kept.
Solomon’s
{\ADD{
workers}}
built
whatever
he
wanted
them
to
build,
in
Jerusalem
and
in
Lebanon,
and
in
other
places
in
the
area
that
he
ruled.
\par }{\PP \VS{7}Solomon
forced
people
from
many
other
groups
who
were
not Israelis
to
work
for
him
like
slaves.
They
were
people
from
the
Heth, Amor, Periz, Hiv,
and
Jebus people-groups.
\VS{8}They
were
descendants
of
groups
whom
the Israelis
had
not
completely
destroyed.
Solomon
forced
them
to
become
his
slaves,
and
they
are
still
slaves.
\VS{9}But
Solomon
did
not
force Israelis
to
work
for
him. Israelis
became
his
soldiers
and
commanders
of
his
chariots
and
his chariot-drivers.
\VS{10}They
were
also
King
Solomon’s
chief
officials.
There
were 250
of
them,
and
they
supervised
the
workers.
\par }{\PP \VS{11}Solomon
moved
his
wife,
who
was
the
daughter
of
the
king
of
Egypt,
from
{\ADD{
the
place
outside
Jerusalem
called}} ‘The
City
of David’
to
the
place
that
his
workers
had
built
for
her.
He
said, “I
do
not
want
my
wife
to
live
in
the
palace
that
{\ADD{
my
father}}
King
David’s
workers
built,
because
the
Sacred
Chest
{\ADD{
was
in
that
palace
for
a
while}},
and
any
place
where
the
Sacred
Chest
has
been
is
holy.”
\par }{\PP \VS{12}On
the
altar
that
Solomon’s
{\ADD{
workers}}
had
built
in
front
of
the
entrance
{\ADD{
to
the
temple}},
Solomon
sacrificed
many
offerings
that
were
to
be
completely
burned.
\VS{13}He
did
that
to
obey
the
rules
about
what
sacrifices
Moses
had
declared
should
be
made.
These
included
sacrifices
for
every
day
and
for
the
Sabbath
days
and
to
celebrate
each
day
on
which
there
was
a
new
moon
and
for
the
three
other
festivals
that
were
celebrated
each
year.
Those
festivals
were
the
Festival
of
Eating
Unleavened
Bread,
the
Harvest
Festival,
and
the
Festival
of
Living
in
Temporary
Shelters.
\VS{14}Obeying
what
his
father
David
had
commanded,
he
appointed
the
groups
of
priests
for
their
work,
and
he
appointed
the
descendants
of
Levi
to
lead
the
people
while
they
sang
to
praise
Yahweh
and
while
they
assisted
the
priests
in
their
daily
work.
He
also
appointed
groups
of
them
to
guard
all
the
gates,
because
that
was
also
what
David,
the
man
who
pleased
God
{\ADD{
very
well}},
had
commanded.
\VS{15}The
priests
and
other
descendants
of
Levi
obeyed
completely
everything
that
the
king
commanded,
including
{\ADD{
taking
care
of}}
the storerooms.
\par }{\PP \VS{16}They
did
all
the
work
{\ADD{
of
building
the
temple}}
that
Solomon
told
them
to
do,
until
it
was
all
completed.
So
they
finishing
building
the
temple.
\par }{\PP \VS{17}Then
some
of
Solomon’s
men
went
to
Ezion-Geber
and
Elath
{\ADD{
cities}}
on
the
coast
of
the
Red
Sea,
an
area
that
belonged
to
the
Edom people-group.
\VS{18}King
Hiram
sent
to
Solomon
from
{\ADD{
Tyre
city}}
some
ships
that
were
commanded
by
his
officers.
They
were
men
who
were
experienced
sailors.
These
men
went
in
the
ships
with
Solomon’s
men
to
{\ADD{
the}}
Ophir
{\ADD{
region}}
and
brought
back
about 17 tons
of
gold,
which
they
delivered
to
King
Solomon.

\par }\Chap{9}{\SH The queen of Sheba visited Solomon
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}The
queen
who
ruled
{\ADD{
the}}
Sheba
{\ADD{
area
in
Arabia}}
heard
that
Solomon
had
become
famous,
so
she
traveled
to
Jerusalem
to
ask
him
questions
that
were
difficult
{\ADD{
to
answer}}.
She
came
with
a
large
group
of
servants,
and
she
brought
camels
that
were
loaded
with
spices,
and
valuable
gems,
and
a
lot
of
gold.
When
she
met
Solomon,
she
asked
him
questions
about
all
the
things/topics
in
which
she
was interested.
\VS{2}Solomon
answered
all
her
questions.
He
explained
everything
that
she
asked
about,
even
things
that
were
very
difficult.
\par }{\PP \VS{3}The
queen
realized
that
Solomon
was
very
wise.
She
saw
his
palace,
\VS{4}she
saw
the
food
that
was
served
on
his
table
{\ADD{
every
day}};
she
saw
how
his
officials
were
seated
at
the
table,
their uniforms,
the
servants
who
served
the
food
and
wine,
and
the
sacrifices
that
he
took
to
the
temple
to
be
completely
burned
on
the
altar.
She
was
extremely
amazed.
\par }{\PP \VS{5}She
said
to
the
king, “Everything
that
I
heard
in
my
own
country
about
you
and
about
how
wise
you
are
is
true!
\VS{6}But
I
did
not
believe
it
was
true
until
I
came
here
and
saw
it
myself.
You
are
{\ADD{
extremely
wise
and
rich,}}
more
than
what
people
told
me.
\VS{7}The
men
who
work
for
you
are
very
fortunate!
Your
officials
who
are
constantly
standing
in
front
of
you
and
listening
to
the
wise
things
that
you
say
are
also
fortunate!
\VS{8}Praise
Yahweh
your
God,
who
has
shown
that
he
is
pleased
with
you
by appointing
you
to
be
the
king
of
Israel
for
him.
God
has
always
loved
the Israeli
people,
and
desires
to
assist
them
forever,
and
therefore
he
has
appointed
you
to
be
their
king,
in
order
that
you
will
rule
them
fairly
and
righteously.”
\par }{\PP \VS{9}Then
the
queen
gave
to
Solomon
about 4-1/2 tons
of
gold
and
a
large
amount
of
spices
and
gems.
Never
had
King
Solomon
received
more
spices
than
the
queen
gave
him
at
that
time.
\par }{\PP \VS{10-12}King
Solomon
gave
to
the
queen
of
Sheba
everything
that
she
wanted.
He
gave
her
more
than
she
had
given
to
him.
Then
she
and
those
who
came
with
her
returned
to
her
own
land.
\par }{\PP {\ADD{
In
the
ships
that
belonged
to ing
Hiram,}}
Hiram’s
workers
and
Solomon’s
workers
brought
gold
from
Ophir.
They
also
brought
a
large
amount
of
juniper
wood
and
gems.
King
Solomon
{\ADD{
told
his
workers}}
to
use
that
wood
to
make railings
in
the
temple
and
in
his
palace
and
also
to
make
harps
and
lyres
for
the
musicians.
That
wood
was
the
the
finest
wood
that
had
ever
been
seen
in
Israel.
\par }{\SH Solomon’s
wealth
\par }{\PP \VS{13}Each
year
there
was
brought
to
Solomon
a
total
of 25 tons
of
gold.
\VS{14}That
was
in
addition
to
the
{\ADD{
taxes}}
paid
to
him
by
the
merchants
and
traders.
Also,
the
kings
of
Arabia
and
the
governors
of
{\ADD{
the
districts
in}}
Israel
brought
gold
and
silver
to
Solomon.
\par }{\PP \VS{15}King
Solomon’s
{\ADD{
workers
took
this}}
gold
{\ADD{
and}}
hammered
{\ADD{
it}}
into
thin
sheets
and
covered 200
large
shields
with
those
thin
sheets
of
gold;
they
put
almost 7-1/2
pounds
of
gold
on
each
shield.
\VS{16}His
{\ADD{
workers}}
made 300
{\ADD{
smaller}}
shields.
They
covered
each
of
them
with
almost 4
pounds
of
gold.
Then
the
king
put
those
shields
in
the
Hall
of
the
Forest
of
Lebanon.
\par }{\PP \VS{17}His
{\ADD{
workers}}
also
made
for
him
a
large
throne.
{\ADD{
Part
of}}
it
was
covered
with
{\ADD{decorations
made
from}}
ivory
and
{\ADD{
part
of
it
was
covered}}
with
very
fine
gold.
\VS{18}There
were
six
steps
in
front
of
the
throne.
There
was
a
gold
footstool
that
was
attached
to
the
throne.
At
each
side
of
the
throne
there
was
an armrest,
and
alongside
each armrest
there
was
a
{\ADD{
small
statue
of
a}}
lion.
\VS{19}On
the
six
steps
there
were
twelve
statues
of
lions,
one
on
each
side.
No
throne
like
that
had
ever
existed
in
any
other
kingdom.
\VS{20}All
of
Solomon’s
cups
were
made
of
gold,
and
all
the
various
dishes
in
the
Hall
of
the
Forest
of
Lebanon
were
made
of
gold.
{\ADD{
They
did
not
make
things
from
silver}},
because
during
the
years
that
Solomon
{\ADD{
ruled}},
silver
was
not
considered
to
be
valuable.
\VS{21}The
king
had
a
fleet
of
ships
that
sailed
with
the
ships
that
King
Hiram
owned.
Every
three
years
the
ships
returned
{\ADD{
from
the
places
to
which
they
had
sailed}},
bringing
gold,
silver,
ivory, monkeys,
and baboons (OR,
peacocks).
\par }{\PP \VS{22}King
Solomon
became
richer
and
wiser
than
any
other
king
on
the
earth.
\VS{23}Kings
from
all
over
the
world
wanted
to
come
and
listen
to
the
wise
things
that
Solomon
said,
things
that
God
had
enabled
him
to
know.
\VS{24}All
the
people
who
came
to
him
brought
presents:
They
brought
things
made
from
silver
or
gold,
or
robes,
or
weapons,
or
spices,
or
horses,
or
mules.
The
people
continued
to
do
this
every
year.
\par }{\PP \VS{25}Solomon
had 4,000
stalls
for
his
horses
and
chariots,
and 12,000
horses.
Solomon
put
some
of
them
in
Jerusalem
and
some
of
them
in
other
cities
where
he
kept
his
chariots.
\VS{26}Solomon
ruled
over
all
the
kings
in
the
area
from
the
{\ADD{
Euphrates}}
River
{\ADD{
in
the northeast}}
to
the
Philistia
area
{\ADD{
in
the
west}}
to
the
border
of
Egypt
{\ADD{
in
the
south}}.
\VS{27}{\ADD{
During
the
years
that
Solomon
was}}
king,
{\ADD{
he}}
caused
silver
to
become
as
common
in
Jerusalem
as
stones;
and
he
caused
cedar
trees
in
the
foothills
of
Judah
to
become
as
plentiful
as
fig
trees.
\VS{28}Solomon’s agents
brought
horses
from
{\ADD{
the}} Musri
{\ADD{
area}}
and
other
places.
\par }{\SH Solomon’s
death
\par }{\PP \VS{29}Lists
of
all
the
other
things
that
Solomon
did
are
recorded
in
the scrolls
written
by
the
prophet
Nathan
and
by
the
prophet
Ahijah
from
Shiloh
{\ADD{
city}},
and
in
{\ADD{
the
scroll
in
which
were
written}}
the
visions
that
the
prophet
Iddo
saw
concerning
{\ADD{
King}}
Jeroboam.
\VS{30}Solomon
ruled
from
Jerusalem
all
of
Israel
for 40
years.
\VS{31}Then
Solomon
died
and
was
buried
in
{\ADD{
the
part
of
Jerusalem
called}} ‘The
City
of David’.
And
his
son
Rehoboam
became
the
king.

\par }\Chap{10}{\SH The people of Israel rebelled against Rehoboam
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}All
the
people
of
Israel
went
to
Shechem
{\ADD{
city}}
in
order
to
appoint
Rehoboam
to
be
their
king.
So
Rehoboam
also
went
there.
\VS{2}Jeroboam,
the
son
of
Nebat,
had
fled
to
Egypt
{\ADD{
to
escape}}
from
King
Solomon.
But
when
he
heard
{\ADD{
about
the
people
wanting
to
appoint
Rehoboam
to
be
their
king}},
he
returned
{\ADD{
to
Israel}}
from
Egypt
\VS{3}So
the
{\ADD{
leaders
of
the
northern
tribes}}
summoned
him,
and
he
went
with
them
{\ADD{
to
talk}}
to
Rehoboam.
They
said
to
Rehoboam,
\VS{4}“Your
father
{\ADD{
Solomon}}
forced
us
to
work
very
hard
for
him.
If
you
do
not
force
us
to
work
that
hard,
and
if
you
charge
us
less
taxes
than
we
were
paying
to
him,
we
will
serve
you
{\ADD{
faithfully}}.”
\par }{\PP \VS{5}He
replied, “Come
back
three
days
from
now
{\ADD{
and
I
will
give
you
my
answer}}.”
So
those
leaders
{\ADD{
and
Jeroboam}}
left.
\par }{\PP \VS{6}Then
King
Rehoboam
consulted
his
older
men
who
had
advised
his
father
Solomon
while
he
was
still
alive.
He
asked
them, “What
shall
I
say
to
answer
these
men?”
\par }{\PP \VS{7}They
replied, “If
you
will
be
kind
to
these
people
and
do
things
that
will
please
them,
and
if
you
say
kind
things
to
them
when
you
answer
them,
they
will
always
serve
you.”
\par }{\PP \VS{8}But
he
ignored
what
the
older
men
advised
him
to
do.
Instead,
he
consulted
the
younger
men
who
had
grown
up
with
him,
who
were
now
his advisors.
\VS{9}He
said
to
them, “How
should
I
answer
the
men
who
are
asking
me
to
reduce
the
{\ADD{
work
and
taxes}}
that
my
father
required
from
them?”
\par }{\PP \VS{10}The
young
men
who
had
grown
up
with
him
replied, “{\ADD{
Those
men}}
have
said
that
your
father
forced
them
to
work
very
hard
for
him,
so
they
want
you
to
reduce
the
{\ADD{
work
and
taxes}}
that
your
father
required
from
them.
But
this
is
what
you
should
tell
them: ‘My
little
finger
is
thicker
than
my
father’s
waist.
\VS{11}What
I
mean
is
that
my
father
required
you
to
{\ADD{
work
hard
and
pay
high
taxes}}.
But
I
will
make
those
loads
heavier.
{\ADD{
It
was
as
though}}
my
father whipped
you,
but
I
will
whip
you
with
whips
that
have
pieces
of
metal
in
them.’ ”
\par }{\PP \VS{12}Three
days
later,
Jeroboam
and
all
the
leaders
came
to
King
Rehoboam
again,
which
is
what
he
had
told
them
to
do.
\VS{13}The
king
ignored
the
advice
of
the
older
men
and
spoke
harshly
to
the Israeli
leaders.
\VS{14}{\ADD{
He
told
them
what
the
younger
men
had
advised.}}
He
said, “My
father
put
heavy
burdens
{\ADD{
of
work
and
taxes}}
on
you,
but
I
will
put
heavier
burdens
on
you.
{\ADD{
It
was
as
though}}
he
beat
you
with
whips,
but
I
will
beat
you
with
whips
that
have
pieces
of
metal
in
them!”
\VS{15}So
the
king
did
not
pay
any
attention
to
the Israeli
leaders.
But
this
happened
in
order
that
what
Yahweh
had
told
the
prophet
Ahijah
about
Jeroboam
would
happen.
\par }{\PP \VS{16}When
the Israeli
leaders
realized
that
the
king
did
not
pay
any
attention
to
what
they
said,
they
shouted,
\par }{\Q “We
do
not
want
anything
to
do
with
this
descendant
of
King
David!
\par }{\QB We
will
not
pay
attention
to
what
this
grandson
of
Jesse
says!
\par }{\Q You
people
of
Israel,
let’s
go
home!
\par }{\QB As
for
this
descendant
of
David,
he
can
rule
his
own
kingdom!”
\par }{\MM So
the Israeli
leaders
returned
to
their
homes.
\par }{\PP \VS{17}And
{\ADD{
after
that,
the
only Israeli}}
people
whom
Rehoboam
ruled
over
were
those
who
lived
in
the
territory
of
{\ADD{
the
tribes
of}}
Judah
{\ADD{
and
Benjamin}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{18}Then
King
Rehoboam
went
with
Adoniram
{\ADD{
to
talk
to
the Israeli
people}}.
Adoniram
was
the
man
who
supervised
{\ADD{
all
the
men
who
were}}
forced
to
work
{\ADD{
for
Rehoboam}}.
But
the Israeli
people
killed
him
by
throwing
stones
at
him.
When
that
happened,
King
Rehoboam
quickly
got
in
his
chariot
and
escaped
to
Jerusalem.
\VS{19}Ever
since
that
time,
{\ADD{
the
people
of
the
northern
tribes
of}}
Israel
have
been
rebelling
against
the
descendants
of
{\ADD{
King}}
David.

\par }\Chap{11}{\PP \VerseOne{1}When
Rehoboam
arrived
in
Jerusalem,
he
gathered 180,000
of
the
best
soldiers
from
the
tribes
of
Judah
and
Benjamin.
He
wanted
them
to
fight
against
{\ADD{
the
northern
tribes
of}}
Israel
{\ADD{
and
defeat
them}},
in
order
that
he
could
rule
{\ADD{
all
the
tribes
of}}
the
kingdom
again.
\par }{\PP \VS{2}But
Yahweh
spoke
to
the
prophet
Shemaiah
and
said
this
to
him:
\VS{3}“Go
and
tell
this
to
{\ADD{
Solomon’s
son}}
Rehoboam,
the
king
of
Judah,
and
to
all
the Israeli
people
of
the
tribes
of
Judah
and
Benjamin:
\VS{4}‘Yahweh
says
that
you
must
not
go
to
fight
against
{\ADD{
the
people
of
Israel;
they
are}}
your
distant
relatives.
All
of
you
must
go
home.
What
has
happened
is
what
Yahweh
wanted
to
happen.’ ”
{\ADD{
So
Shemaiah
went
and
told
that
to
them,}}
and
they
all
heeded
what
Yahweh
had
commanded
them
to
do,
and
they
did
not
attack
Jeroboam
{\ADD{
and
his
soldiers}}.
\par }{\SH Rehoboam
fortified
cities
in
Judah
\par }{\PP \VS{5}Rehoboam
lived
in
Jerusalem,
and
his
workers
built
walls
around
several
of
the
cities
and
towns
in
Judah
to
protect
them
{\ADD{
against
enemy
attacks}}.
\VS{6}In
{\ADD{
the
area
that
belonged
to}}
the
tribes
of
Judah
and
Benjamin
they
built
walls
around
Bethlehem,
Etam,
Tekoa,
\VS{7}Beth-Zur,
Soco,
Adullam,
\VS{8}Gath,
Mareshah,
\VS{9}Adoraim,
Lachish,
Azekah,
\VS{10}Zorah,
Aijalon,
and
Hebron.
\VS{11}He
also
appointed
an
army
commander
in
each
of
those
cities
and
towns,
and
gave
them
supplies
of
food,
olive
oil,
and
wine
{\ADD{
to
keep
in
storage}}.
\VS{12}He
put
shields
and
spears
in
all
the
cities
and
made
them well-protected.
So
he
continued
to
rule
the
tribes
of
Judah
and
Benjamin.
\par }{\PP \VS{13}The
priests
and
other
descendants
of
Levi
throughout
Israel
supported
Rehoboam.
\VS{14}The
descendants
of
Levi
{\ADD{
who
lived
outside
the
territory
of
Judah
and
Benjamin}}
abandoned
their
property
and
their pastureland,
and
they
came
to
Jerusalem
and
{\ADD{
to
other
places
in}}
Judah,
because
Jeroboam
and
his
sons
would
not
allow
them
to
do
the
work
of
priests
of
Yahweh.
\VS{15}Instead,
Jeroboam
appointed
the
priests
that
he
wanted
to
work
{\ADD{
at
the
altars
he
commanded
to
be
built}}
on
the hilltops,
{\ADD{
to
offer
sacrifices
to}}
the
idols
that
he
commanded
to
be
made
{\ADD{
that
resembled}}
goats
and
calves.
\VS{16}And
people
from
every
tribe
in
Israel
who
wanted
to
worship
Yahweh,
the
God
to
whom
the Israelis
belonged,
went
with
the
descendants
of
Levi
to
Jerusalem
to
live
there
and
to
offer
sacrifices
to
Yahweh,
the
God
whom
their
ancestors
{\ADD{
worshiped}}.
\VS{17}They
caused
the
kingdom
of
Judah
to
be
strong,
and
for
three
years
they
were
happy
that
Solomon’s
son
Rehoboam
was
the
king.
During
that
time
they
conducted
their
lives
{\ADD{
righteously}}
as
David
and
Solomon
had
done
previously.
\par }{\SH Rehoboam’s
family
\par }{\PP \VS{18}Rehoboam
married
Mahalath.
She
was
the
daughter
of
David’s
son
Jerimoth,
and
her
mother
was
Abihail,
the
daughter
of
Eliab
and
granddaughter
of
Jesse.
\VS{19}Rehoboam
and
Mahalath
had
three
sons:
Jeush,
Shemariah,
and
Zaham.
\VS{20}Later
Rehoboam
married
Maacah,
the
daughter
of
Absalom,
and
they
had
four
sons:
Abijah,
Attai,
Ziza,
and
Shelomith.
\VS{21}Rehoboam
loved
Maacah
more
than
he
loved
any
other
of
his
wives
and
slave
wives.
Altogether
he
had 18
wives
and 60
slave
wives,
and 28
sons
and 60
daughters.
\par }{\PP \VS{22}Rehoboam
appointed
his
son
Abijah
to
be
the
leader
of
his
{\ADD{
older
and
younger}}
brothers,
because
he
wanted
to
appoint
Abijah
to
be
the
next
king.
\VS{23}He
very
wisely
sent
some
of
his
other
sons
to
other
cities
in
the
areas
of
the
tribes
of
Judah
and
Benjamin,
and
to
all
the
other
cities
that
had
walls
around
them.
He
gave
them
plenty
of
supplies
and
many
wives.

\par }\Chap{12}{\SH The army of King Shishak of Egypt invaded Judah
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}After
Rehoboam
was
in
complete
control
of
his
kingdom,
he
and
all
{\ADD{
the
other
people
in}}
Judah
stopped
obeying
the
laws
of
Yahweh.
\VS{2}As
a
result,
after
Rehoboam
had
been
king
for
almost
five
years,
Yahweh
sent
Shishak,
the
king
of
Egypt,
{\ADD{
with
his
army}}
to
attack
Jerusalem.
\VS{3}Along
with
his
army
he
brought 1,200
chariots
and 60,000
soldiers
riding
horses
and
a
very
large
number
of
troops
from
two
regions
in
Libya,
and
from
Ethiopia.
\VS{4}They
captured
many
of
the
cities
in
Judah
that
had
walls
around
them,
and
they
came
as
far
as
Jerusalem.
\par }{\PP \VS{5}Then
the
prophet
Shemaiah
came
to
Rehoboam
and
the
other
leaders
of
Judah
who
had
gathered
in
Jerusalem
because
they
were
afraid
of
{\ADD{
the
army
of}}
Shishak.
Shemaiah
said
to
them, “Yahweh
says
this: ‘You
have
abandoned
me;
so
now
I
am abandoning
you,
to
{\ADD{
allow
you
to
be
captured
by
the
army
of}}
Shishak.’ ”
\par }{\PP \VS{6}Then
the
king
and
the
other Israeli
leaders
humbled
themselves
and
said, “What
Yahweh
is
doing
to
us
is
fair.”
\par }{\PP \VS{7}When
Yahweh
realized
that
they
had
humbled
themselves,
he
gave
this
message
to
Shemaiah: “Because
they
have
humbled
themselves,
I
will
not
allow
them
to
be
destroyed.
Instead,
I
will
soon
rescue
them.
I
will
not
use Shishak’s
army
to
completely
destroy
the
people
of
Jerusalem,
\VS{8}but
they
will
conquer
Jerusalem
and
force
the
people
there
to
do
what
Shishak
wants
them
to
do.
As
a
result,
the
people
of
Jerusalem
will
learn
{\ADD{
that
it
is
better}}
to
serve
me
than
to
serve
the
kings
of
other
countries.”
\par }{\PP \VS{9}When Shishak’s
{\ADD{
army}}
attacked
Jerusalem,
they
took/carried
away
the
valuable
things
that
were
in
the
temple
of
Yahweh
and
the
valuable
things
that
were
in
the
king’s
palace.
They
took
everything
{\ADD{
that
was
valuable}},
including
the
gold
shields
that
Solomon’s
{\ADD{
workers}}
had
made.
\VS{10}So
King
Rehoboam’s
workers
made
bronze
shields
to
be
used
instead
of
the
gold
ones
and
gave
the
bronze
shields
to
the
commanders
of
the
men
who
guarded
the
entrance
to
his
palace.
\VS{11}After
that,
whenever
the
king
went
to
the
temple,
the
guards
went
with
him,
carrying
those
bronze
shields.
Then
{\ADD{
when
the
king
left,}}
they
would
return
the
shields
to
the
guards’
room.
\par }{\PP \VS{12}Because
Rehoboam
humbled
himself,
Yahweh
stopped
being
angry
with
him
and
did
not
get
rid
of
him.
Instead,
he
caused
good
things
to
happen
in
Judah.
\par }{\PP \VS{13}King
Rehoboam
again
was
in
complete
control
in
Jerusalem
and
continued
to
be
the
king
{\ADD{
of
Judah}}.
He
was 41
years
old
when
he
became
the
king.
He
ruled
for 17
years
in
Jerusalem,
which
is
the
city
that
Yahweh
had
chosen
from
all
the
tribes
in
Israel
to
be
the
place
in
which
people
were
to
worship
him.
\VS{14}Rehoboam’s
mother’s
name
was
Naamah.
She
was
from
the
Ammon people-group.
Rehoboam
did
evil
things
because
he
did
not
try
to
find
out
what
Yahweh
wanted
him
to
do.
\par }{\PP \VS{15}An
account
of
all
the
things
that
Rehoboam
did
while
he
was
the
king,
and lists
of
the
members
of
his
family,
are
in
the scrolls
written
by
the
prophets
Shemaiah
and
Iddo.
The
armies
of
Rehoboam
and
Jeroboam
were
constantly
fighting
each
other.
\VS{16}When
Rehoboam
died,
he
was
buried
in
{\ADD{
the
part
of
Jerusalem
called}} ‘The
City
of David’.
Then
his
son
Abijah
became
the
king.

\par }\Chap{13}{\SH King Abijah’s rule in Judah
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}When
Jeroboam
had
been
ruling
{\ADD{
Israel}}
for
almost 18
years,
Abijah
became
the
king
of
Judah.
\VS{2}He
ruled
in
Jerusalem
for
three
years.
His
mother
was
Micaiah (OR,
Maacah),
the
daughter
of
Uriel
from
Gibeah
{\ADD{
town}}.
\par }{\PP There
was
a
war
between
{\ADD{
the
armies
of}}
Abijah
and
Jeroboam.
\VS{3}Abijah
went
into
the
battle,
taking 400,000
of
his
capable
soldiers,
and
Jeroboam
prepared
to
fight
them,
taking 800,000
of
his
capable
troops.
\par }{\PP \VS{4}Abijah
stood
on
the
top
of
Zemaraim
Mountain,
which
is
in
the hilly
area
that
belonged
to
the
tribe
of
Ephraim,
and
he
shouted, “Jeroboam
and
all
you
other
people
of
Israel,
listen
to
me!
\VS{5}You
should
know
that
Yahweh,
the
God
to
whom
all
we Israelis
belong,
has
appointed
David
and
his
descendants
to
be
the
kings
of
Israel
forever.
He
has
confirmed
that
by
making
a
permanent
agreement.
\VS{6}But
Jeroboam,
who
was
{\ADD{
only}}
an
official
of
David’s
son
King
Solomon,
rebelled
against
his
king.
\VS{7}And
when
Solomon’s
son
Rehoboam
became
king
and
was
still
young
and
inexperienced,
a
group
of
worthless
scoundrels
gathered
around
you,
Jeroboam,
and
rebelled
against
Rehoboam.
\par }{\PP \VS{8}“And
now
you
are
planning
to
fight
against
the
kingdom
that
Yahweh
established
to
be
governed
by
David’s
descendants.
It
is
true
that
you
have
a
huge
army,
and
you
and
your
soldiers
have
brought
with
you
the
golden
{\ADD{
statues
of}}
calves
that
Jeroboam’s
workers
made
to
be
gods
for
all
of
you.
\VS{9}But
you
expelled
the
priests
that
Yahweh
{\ADD{
appointed}},
men
who
are
descendants
of
Aaron
{\ADD{
the
first Supreme
Priest}},
and
you
expelled
the
descendants
of
Levi,
and
you
appointed
the
priests
that
you
wanted,
like
the
people
of
other
countries
do.
You
allow
anyone
to
become
a
priest
of
idols
that
are
not
gods
if
he
comes
to
dedicate
himself
to
be
a
priest
by
sacrificing
a
young
bull
and
seven
rams.
\par }{\PP \VS{10}“As
for
us,
Yahweh
is
our
God,
and
we
have
not
abandoned
him.
Our
priests
who
serve
Yahweh
are
descendants
of
Aaron,
and
the
descendants
of
Levi
assist
them.
\VS{11}Every
morning
and
every
evening
they
present
to
Yahweh
offerings
to
be
completely
burned
{\ADD{
on
the
altar}},
and
they
burn
fragrant
incense.
{\ADD{
Each
week}}
they
place
the
sacred
bread
on
the
sacred
table,
and
each
morning
they
light
the
lamps
that
are
on
the
gold
lampstand.
We
are
obeying
what
Yahweh
our
God
requires
us
to
do.
But
you
have
abandoned
him.
\VS{12}Yahweh
is
with
us;
he
is
our
leader.
The
priests
whom
he
has
appointed
will
blow
their
trumpets
to
signal
{\ADD{
that
we
are
ready}}
to
fight
a
battle
against
you.
You Israeli
men,
do
not
fight
against
Yahweh,
the
God
to
whom
your
ancestors
belonged,
because
you
will
not
be
successful
and
win
the
battle
against
him.”
\par }{\PP \VS{13}{\ADD{
While
he
was
speaking,}}
Jeroboam
sent
some
of
his
troops
around
the
army
of
Judah.
So
while
the
soldiers
who
were
with
Jeroboam
were
in
front
of
the
army
of
Judah,
the
other
soldiers
of
Israel
were
behind
the
army
of
Judah.
\VS{14}When
the
soldiers
of
Judah
turned
and
saw
that
they
were
going
to
be
attacked
from
the
front
and
from
the
rear,
they
cried
out
to
Yahweh.
The
priests
blew
their
trumpets,
\VS{15}and
the
men
of
Judah
shouted
a
loud battle-cry.
Then
Yahweh
{\ADD{
enabled
Abijah
and
the
army
of
Judah
to}}
defeat
Jeroboam
and
{\ADD{
the
army
of}}
Israel.
\VS{16}The
soldiers
of
Israel
fled
from
the
soldiers
of
Judah,
and
God
enabled
the
army
of
Judah
to
defeat
them.
\VS{17}Abijah
and
his
troops
struck
the
capable
soldiers
of
Israel
and
killed 500,000
of
them.
\par }{\PP \VS{18}So
the
soldiers
of
Israel
were
defeated,
and
the
soldiers
of
Judah
won
the
battle
because
they
trusted
in
Yahweh,
the
God
to
whom
their
ancestors
belonged.
\par }{\PP \VS{19}Abijah’s
army
pursued
the
army
of
Jeroboam,
and
they
captured
from
the
people
of
Israel
the
cities
of
Bethel,
Jeshanah,
and
Ephron,
and
the
surrounding
villages.
\VS{20}During
the
remaining
time
that
Abijah
ruled,
Jeroboam
did
not
become
powerful
again.
Then
Yahweh
caused
him
to
become
very
ill,
and
he
died.
\par }{\PP \VS{21}But
Abijah
became
more
powerful.
He
married 14
wives
and
had 22
sons
and 16
daughters.
\par }{\PP \VS{22}An
account
of
the
other
things
that
Abijah
did
while
he
was
the
king,
including
what
he
said
and
what
he
did,
is
in
the
scroll
written
by
the
prophet
Iddo.

\par }\Chap{14}{\PP \VerseOne{1}When
Abijah
died,
he
was
buried
in
{\ADD{
the
part
of
Jerusalem
called}} ‘The
City
of David’.
His
son
Asa
became
the
king.
While
Asa
was
ruling,
there
was
peace
in
Judah
for
ten
years.
\par }{\SH King
Asa’s
rule
in
Judah
\par }{\PP \VS{2}Asa
did
things
that
Yahweh
his
God
considers
to
be
right
and
good.
\VS{3}His
workers
got
rid
of
the
altars
to
worship
foreign
gods
that
were
on
the
high
hills.
They
smashed
the
sacred
stone
pillars
and
cut
down
the
poles
for
worshiping
{\ADD{
the
goddess}}
Asherah.
\VS{4}Asa
commanded
the
people
of
Judah
to
worship
{\ADD{
only}}
Yahweh,
the
God
whom
their
ancestors
worshiped,
and
to
obey
his
laws
and
commands.
\VS{5}His
workers
destroyed
all
the
shrines
on
the hilltops
and
the
altars
for
burning
incense
{\ADD{
to
idols}}
in
every
town
in
Judah.
As
a
result,
there
was
peace
while
Asa
ruled
the
kingdom
{\ADD{
of
Judah}}.
\VS{6}His
workers
built
cities
and
constructed
walls
around
them.
No
army
attacked
Judah
during
that
time,
because
Yahweh
enabled
them
to
have
peace.
\par }{\PP \VS{7}Asa
said
to
the
people
of
Judah, “We
should
protect
these
towns
by
building
walls
around
them,
with watchtowers
and
gates
that
have
bars.
This
country
still
belongs
to
us
because
we
have
requested
Yahweh
our
God
to
help
us.
We
requested
him
for
his
help,
and
he
has
given
us
peace
in
our
entire
country.”
So
they
built
buildings
and
prospered.
\par }{\PP \VS{8}Asa
had
an
army
of 300,000
men
from
Judah.
They
all
carried
large
shields
and
spears.
He
also
had 280,000
men
from
the
tribe
of
Benjamin
{\ADD{
in
his
army}}.
They
carried
{\ADD{
smaller}}
shields,
and
bows
{\ADD{
and
arrows}}.
They
were
all
brave
soldiers.
\par }{\PP \VS{9}Zerah,
a
man
from
Ethiopia/Sudan,
marched
with
a
huge
army
and 300
chariots
to
attack
{\ADD{
the
army
of
Judah
and
Benjamin}}.
They
went
as
far
as
{\ADD{
the
town
of}}
Mareshah
{\ADD{
about 25
miles/southwest
of
Jerusalem}}.
\VS{10}Asa
went
{\ADD{
with
his
army}}
to
fight
against
them,
and
both
armies
took
their
positions
in
the
Zephathah
Valley.
\par }{\PP \VS{11}Then
Asa
cried
out
to
Yahweh
his
God,
saying, “Yahweh,
there
is
no
one
like
you
who
can
help
those
who
have
very
little
power
to
resist
a
mighty
army.
Yahweh
our
God,
help
us,
because
we
are relying
on
you;
and
trusting
in
you
we
have
come
{\ADD{
to
fight}}
against
this
huge
army.
Yahweh,
you
are
our
God;
do
not
allow
anyone
to
defeat
you.”
\par }{\PP \VS{12}Then
Yahweh
enabled
Asa
and
the
army
of
Judah
to
defeat
the
army
from
Ethiopia.
They
fled,
\VS{13}and
Asa
and
his
army
pursued
them
{\ADD{
to
the southwest}}
as
far
as
Gerar.
A
huge
number
of
the
soldiers
from
Ethiopia
were
killed,
with
the
result
that
those
{\ADD{
who
were
not
killed}}
were
unable
to
fight
anymore.
They
were
greatly
defeated
by
Yahweh
and
his
army,
and
the
men
of
Judah
carried
away
a
great
amount
of
their
possessions.
\VS{14}The
men
of
Judah
were
able
to
destroy
the
people
in
villages
near
Gerar
because
Yahweh
had
caused
the
people
there
to
become
terrified
{\ADD{
and
unable
to
fight}}.
The
army
of
Judah
took
away
all
the
valuable
things
from
those
villages.
\VS{15}They
also
attacked
the
places
where
the local
people
who
took
care
of domestic
animals
had
set
up
their
tents,
and
they
took
away
big
herds
of
sheep
and
goats
and
camels.
Then
they
returned
to
Jerusalem.

\par }\Chap{15}{\SH The reforms that Asa introduced
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}The
Spirit
of
God
came
upon
Azariah,
the
son
of
Obed.
\VS{2}Azariah
went
to
talk
with
Asa,
and
said
to
him, “Asa
and
all
{\ADD{
you
men
of
the
tribes
of}}
Judah
and
Benjamin,
listen
to
me.
Yahweh
is
with
you
whenever
you
are
trusting
in
him.
If
you
request
him
{\ADD{
to
help
you}},
he
will
help
you,
but
if
you
abandon
him,
he
will
abandon
you.
\VS{3}For
many
years
the Israeli
people
did
not
know
the
true
God,
and
they
did
not
have
priests
or
God’s
laws.
\VS{4}But
when
they
experienced
trouble,
they
turned
to
Yahweh
our
God,
and
requested
him
to
help
them.
And
he
helped
them.
\VS{5}At
that
time,
people
were
not
safe
when
they
traveled,
because
all
the
people
who
lived
in
the
nearby
countries
were
experiencing
many difficulties.
\VS{6}The
people
of
various
nations
were
thoroughly
defeated
by
{\ADD{
armies
of}}
other
nations,
and
people
in
some
cities
were
crushed
by
{\ADD{
armies
from}}
other
cities,
because
God
was allowing
them
to
experience
many difficulties.
\VS{7}But
you
people,
you
must
be
strong
and
do
not
become
discouraged,
because
{\ADD{
God}}
will
reward
you
for
what
you
do
{\ADD{
to
please
him.”}}
\par }{\PP \VS{8}When
Asa
heard
what
the
prophet
Azariah
said,
he
was
encouraged.
He
{\ADD{
commanded
his
workers
to}}
remove
all
the
detestable
idols
from
everywhere
in
the
land
of
the
tribes
of
Judah
and
Benjamin,
and
from
the
towns
that
{\ADD{
his
soldiers}}
had
captured
in
the
hills
of
the
tribe
of
Ephraim.
Asa’s
workers
repaired
the
altar
{\ADD{
where
people
offered
sacrifices
}}
to
Yahweh
that
was
in
front
of
the
entrance
to
the
temple
{\ADD{
in
Jerusalem}}.
\VS{9}Then
he
gathered
all
{\ADD{
the
people
of
the
tribes
of}}
Judah
and
Benjamin
and
many
people
from
the
tribes
of
Ephraim,
Manasseh,
and
Simeon
who
were
living
among
them.
{\ADD{
He
was
able
to
do
that}}
because
many
people
from
{\ADD{
those
tribes
in}}
Israel
had c toome
to
Judah
when
they
realized
that
Yahweh,
the
God
that
Asa
{\ADD{
worshiped}},
was
helping
him.
\par }{\PP \VS{10}After
Asa
had
been
ruling
for
almost 15
years,
in
May
of
that
year,
those
people
gathered
in
Jerusalem.
\VS{11}At
that
time
they
sacrificed
to
Yahweh 700
bulls
and 7,000
sheep
and
goats,
from
the
animals
that
they
had
captured
{\ADD{
when
they
defeated
the
army
of
Ethiopia/Sudan}}.
\VS{12}They
solemnly
made
an
agreement
to
very
sincerely
worship
Yahweh,
the
God
whom
their
ancestors
{\ADD{
worshiped}}.
\VS{13}They
promised
to
execute
all
those
who
would
not
worship
Yahweh,
including
those
who
were
important
and
those
who
were
not
important,
both
men
and
women.
\VS{14}They
shouted
and
blew
trumpets
and
other
horns
while
they
solemnly
promised
to
do
that.
\VS{15}All
the
people
who
were
living
in
Judah
were
happy
with
the
agreement
because
they
had
solemnly
and
very
sincerely
promised
to
keep
it.
They
eagerly
requested
help
from
Yahweh,
and
he
helped
them.
So
he
enabled
them
to
have
peace
throughout
their
country.
\par }{\PP \VS{16}King
Asa’s grandmother
Maacah
had
made
a
disgusting
pole
for
{\ADD{
worshiping
the
goddess}}
Asherah.
So
Asa
{\ADD{
commanded
his
workers
to}}
cut
down
that
pole
and
chop
it
into
pieces
and
burn
it
in
the
Kidron
Valley.
He
then
did
not
allow
Maacah
to
continue
{\ADD{
to
influence
the
people
because
of
her
}}
being
the
mother
of
the
previous
king.
\VS{17}Although
Asa’s
{\ADD{
workers}}
did
not
get
rid
of
the
shrines
on
the hilltops
in
Israel,
he
was
very
determined
to
{\ADD{
do
what
}}
pleased
Yahweh
all
his
life.
\VS{18}He
{\ADD{
ordered
his
workers
to}}
bring
into
God’s
temple
all
the
silver
and
gold
and
other
valuable
items
that
he
and
his
father
had
dedicated
{\ADD{
to
God}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{19}There
were
no
more
wars
{\ADD{
in
Judah}}
until
Asa
had
been
ruling
Judah
almost 35
years.

\par }\Chap{16}{\SH The final years that Asa ruled Judah
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}When
Asa
had
been
ruling
{\ADD{
Judah}}
for
almost 36
years,
King
Baasha
of
Israel
went
{\ADD{
with
his
army}}
to
attack
Judah.
They
{\ADD{
captured
the
town
of}}
Ramah
{\ADD{
north
of
Jerusalem}}
and
started
to
build
a
wall
around
{\ADD{
it}},
in
order
to
prevent
any
people
from
entering
or
leaving
the
area
in
Judah
that
was
ruled
by
King
Asa
{\ADD{
because
the
only
road
into
Judah
from
Israel
went
through
Ramah}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{2}So
Asa
told
his
workers
to
take
all
the
silver
and
gold
that
was
in
the storerooms
of
the
temple
and
in
his
own
palace,
and
take
and
give
it
to
Ben-Hadad,
the
king
of
Syria,
who
was
ruling
in
Damascus.
{\ADD{
He
sent
him
a
message,}}
saying
\VS{3}“I
want
there
to
be
a
peace
treaty
between
me
and
you,
like
there
was
between
my
father
and
your
father.
Look,
I
am
sending
you
{\ADD{
a
lot
of}}
silver
and
gold.
So
please cancel
the
treaty
that
you
have
made
with
Baasha,
the
king
of
Israel,
in
order
that
he
will
take
his
soldiers
away
from
attacking
mine,
{\ADD{
because
he
will
be
afraid
of
your
army}}.”
\par }{\PP \VS{4}Ben-Hadad
agreed
to
do
what
King
Asa
{\ADD{
suggested}}.
He
sent
the
commanders
of
his
armies
{\ADD{
with
their
soldiers}}
to
attack
some
of
the
towns
in
Israel.
They
captured
Ijon,
Dan,
Abel-Beth-Maacah
and
all
the
cities
in
the
area belonging
to
the
tribe
of
Naphtali
where
supplies
were
kept.
\VS{5}When
Baasha
heard
about
that,
he
{\ADD{
commanded
his
troops
to}}
stop
fortifying
Ramah
and
doing
other
work
there.
\VS{6}Then
King
Asa
gathered
all
the
men
of
Judah,
and
they
took
away
from
Ramah
all
the
stones
and
timber
that
Baasha’s
men
had
been
using
{\ADD{
to
build
the
wall
around
that
town}}.
They
took
those materials
to
{\ADD{
the
town
of}}
Geba
and
{\ADD{
the
city
of}}
Mizpah
{\ADD{
north
of
Jerusalem}}
and
built
walls
around
them.
\par }{\PP \VS{7}At
that
time
the
prophet
Hanani
went
to
King
Asa
and
said
to
him, “Because
you
relied
on
the
king
of
Syria
and
not
on
Yahweh
our
God,
you
missed
your opportunity
to
destroy
the
army
of
the
king
of
Syria.
\VS{8}The
huge
armies
from
Ethiopia
and
Libya
with
all
their
chariots
and
soldiers
{\ADD{
riding}}
on
horses
{\ADD{
were
certainly
very
powerful.
But
}}
when
you
relied
on
Yahweh,
he
enabled
your
army
to
defeat
them.
\VS{9}That
happened
because
Yahweh
sees
{\ADD{
what
is happening}}
all
over
the
earth,
and
he
strengthens
those
who
completely
trust
him.
You
have
done
a
very
foolish
thing,
so
from
now
on
other
armies
will
be
fighting
your
army.”
\par }{\PP \VS{10}Asa
was
very
angry
with
the
prophet
because
of
what
the
prophet
had
said.
So
he
{\ADD{
commanded
his
officials
to}}
put
Hanani
in
prison.
At
that
same
time,
he
started
to
treat
some
of
his
people
very
cruelly.
\par }{\PP \VS{11}All
the
things
that
Asa
did
while
he
was
ruling,
from
the
time
he
started
to
rule
until
he
died,
are
written
in
the
scroll
containing
the
record
of
the
{\ADD{
activities
of
the}}
kings
of
Judah
and
Israel.
\VS{12}When
Asa
had
been
ruling
for
almost 39
years,
he
was
afflicted
with
a
disease
in
his
feet.
The
disease
was
very
severe,
but
in
spite
of
that,
he
did
not
request
help
from
Yahweh.
Instead
he
sought
help
only
from doctors.
\VS{13}When
he
had
been
ruling
for
almost 40
years,
he
died.
\VS{14}He
was
buried
in
the
tomb
that
his
workers
had
made
for
him
in
{\ADD{
the
part
of
Jerusalem
called}} ‘The
City
of David’.
They
laid
his
corpse
on
a
bed
covered
with
spices
and
various
perfumes
that
had
been
mixed
together.
They
also
lit
a
huge
fire
to
honor
him.

\par }\Chap{17}{\SH King Jehoshaphat’s rule in Judah
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}Asa’s
son
Jehoshaphat
became
the
king
{\ADD{
of
Judah}},
and
he
enabled
his
army
to
become
very
strong,
with
the
result
that
they
could
resist
attacks
from
{\ADD{
the
army
of}}
Israel.
\VS{2}He
put
soldiers
in
all
the
cities
in
Judah
around
which
they
had
built
walls,
and
he
put
soldiers
in
other
places
in
Judah
and
in
the
towns
in
the
area belonging
to
the
tribe
of
Ephraim
that
{\ADD{
soldiers
of}}
his
father
Asa
had
captured.
\par }{\PP \VS{3}Yahweh
helped
Jehoshaphat
because
when
he
started
{\ADD{
to
rule
Judah}},
he
did
the
things
that
pleased
Yahweh
like
his ancestor
{\ADD{
King}}
David
had
done.
He
did
not
worship
the
idols
of
Baal.
\VS{4}Instead,
he
sought
advice
from
the
God
whom
his
father
{\ADD{
had
worshiped}},
and
he
obeyed
God’s
commands,
and
did
not
do
the
{\ADD{
evil
things
that
the
kings
of}}
Israel
continually
did.
\VS{5}Yahweh
enabled
him
to
completely
control
his
kingdom.
All
{\ADD{
the
people
of}}
Judah
brought
gifts
to
him,
with
the
result
that
he
became
very
rich
and
was
greatly
honored.
\VS{6}He
was
completely
devoted
to
doing
what
pleased
Yahweh.
His
workers
got
rid
of
the
shrines
on
the hilltops
and
the
poles
for
{\ADD{
worshiping
the
goddess}}
Asherah
throughout
Judah.
\par }{\PP \VS{7}When
he
had
been
ruling
{\ADD{
Judah}}
for
almost
three
years,
he
sent
some
of
his
officials—Ben-Hail,
Obadiah,
Zechariah,
Nethanel,
and
Micaiah—to
teach
the
people
in
various
towns
in
Judah.
\VS{8}With
them
he
sent
several
descendants
of
Levi—Shemaiah,
Nethaniah,
Zebadiah,
Asahel,
Shemiramoth,
Jehonathan,
Adonijah,
Tobijah,
and
Tob-Adonijah—and
two
priests,
Elishama
and
Jehoram.
\VS{9}They
took
with
them
a
scroll
on
which
were
written
the
laws
of
Yahweh
and
taught
them
to
the
people
in
all
the
towns
throughout
Judah,
\par }{\PP \VS{10}The
people
in
all
the
kingdoms
surrounding
Judah
became
very
afraid
of
{\ADD{
what
Yahweh
might
do
to
punish
them
if
they
fought
against
Judah}},
so
they
did
not
start
wars
with
Jehoshaphat’s
army.
\VS{11}Some
people
from
Philistia
brought
gifts
to
Jehoshaphat,
and
they
also
brought
to
him
the
silver
that
he
demanded
that
they
pay
to
him.
Some
Arabs
brought
to
him 7,700
rams
and 7,700
goats.
\par }{\PP \VS{12}Jehoshaphat
continued
to
become
more
powerful/influential.
His
workers
built
forts
and
places
to
store
supplies
in
various
towns
in
Judah.
\VS{13}Then
they
put
large
amounts
of
supplies
in
those
storehouses.
\par }{\PP Jehoshaphat
also
placed
in
Jerusalem
soldiers
who
were
experienced.
\VS{14}The
leaders
and
numbers
from
each
tribe
were
as
follows:
\par }{\BB \par }{\LI From
the
tribe
of
Judah,
\par }{\LIB Adnah
was
the
leader
of
the
soldiers,
and
he
commanded 300,000
soldiers.
\par }{\LIB \VS{15}His
assistant
was
Jehohanan,
who
commanded 280,000
soldiers.
\par }{\LIB \VS{16}Next
was Zicri’s
son
Amasiah,
who
volunteered
to
serve
Yahweh
in
this
way;
he
commanded 200,000
soldiers.
\par }{\LI \VS{17}From
the
tribe
of
Benjamin,
\par }{\LIB Eliada,
who
was
a
brave
soldier,
was
the
leader
of
the
soldiers;
he
commanded 200,000
men
who
had
bows
{\ADD{
and
arrows}}
and
shields.
\par }{\LIB \VS{18}Next
was
Jehozabad,
who
commanded 180,000
men
who
had
weapons
for
fighting
battles.
\par }{\MM \VS{19}Those
were
the
soldiers
who
served
the
king
{\ADD{
in
Jerusalem}},
in
addition
to
the
men
whom
the
king
had
placed
in
the
other
cities
in
Judah
that
had
walls
around
them.

\par }\Chap{18}{\SH The prophet Micaiah warned King Ahab of Israel
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}Jehoshaphat
became
very
wealthy
and
was
greatly
honored.
But
then
he
arranged
for
one
of
his
family
to
marry
someone
from
the
family
of
King
Ahab
{\ADD{
of
Israel}}.
\VS{2}Several
years
later,
he
went
down
{\ADD{
from
Jerusalem}}
to
Samaria
to
visit
Ahab.
Ahab
welcomed
him
and
the
people
who
had
come
with
him
by
slaughtering
many
sheep
and
cattle
{\ADD{
for
a
feast}}.
\VS{3}Then
he
asked
Jehoshaphat, “Will
you
{\ADD{
and
your
army}}
go
with
my
army
to
attack
Ramoth
{\ADD{
city}}
in
{\ADD{
the}}
Gilead
{\ADD{
region}}?”
Jehoshaphat
replied, “My
soldiers
and
I
will
go
to
the
battle
when
you
tell
us
to
go.”
\VS{4}Then
he
added, “But
we
should
ask
Yahweh
first,
to
find
out
what
he
wants
us
to
do.”
\par }{\PP \VS{5}So
the
king
of
Israel
gathered
all
his 400
prophets
and
asked
them, “Should
we
go
to
attack
the
people
of
Ramoth
{\ADD{
city}},
or
should
we
not
do
that?”
\par }{\PP They
replied, “Yes,
go
{\ADD{
and
attack
them}}
because
God
will
enable
your
army
to
defeat
them.”
\par }{\PP \VS{6}But
Jehoshaphat
asked, “Is
there
no
prophet
of
Yahweh
here
whom
we
can
ask?”
\par }{\PP \VS{7}The
king
of
Israel
replied, “There
is
still
one
man
here,
whom
we
can
ask
to
find
out
what
Yahweh
wants,
his
name
is
Micaiah,
the
son
of
Imlah.
But
I
hate
him
because
he
never
says
anything
good
about
me.
He
always predicts
{\ADD{
that}}
bad
{\ADD{
things
will
happen
to
me}}.”
\par }{\PP Jehoshaphat
replied, “King
Ahab,
you
should
not
say
that!”
\par }{\PP \VS{8}So
the
king
of
Israel
told
one
of
his
officials
to
summon
Micaiah
immediately.
\par }{\PP \VS{9}The
king
of
Israel
and
the
king
of
Judah
were
sitting
there
on
their
thrones,
wearing
their
royal
robes.
They
were
at
the
place
where
people
threshed
grain,
near
the
gate
of
Samaria
{\ADD{
city}}.
All
of
{\ADD{
Ahab’s}}
prophets
were
standing
in
front
of
them,
predicting
what
was
going
to
happen.
\par }{\PP \VS{10}{\ADD{
One
of
them
whose
name
was}}
Zedekiah,
the
son
of
Kenaanah,
had
made
from
iron
something
that
resembled
the
horns
of
a
bull.
He
proclaimed
to
Ahab, “This
is
what
Yahweh
says: ‘With
horns
{\ADD{
like
these}},
your
{\ADD{
army}}
will
keep
attacking
the
army
of
Syria
{\ADD{
like
a
bull
attacks
another
animal}},
until
you
completely
destroy
them.’ ”
\VS{11}All
the
other
prophets
{\ADD{
of
Ahab}}
agreed.
They
said, “Yes!
If
you
attack
Ramoth
{\ADD{
city}}
in
{\ADD{
the}}
Gilead
{\ADD{
region}},
you
will
be
successful,
because
Yahweh
will
enable
you
to
defeat
them.”
\par }{\PP \VS{12}The
messenger
who
went
to
summon
Micaiah
said
to
him, “Listen
to
me!
All
the
other
prophets
are unitedly
predicting
that
the
king
will
be
successful
{\ADD{
in
the
battle}}.
So
be
sure
to
agree
with
them
and
say
that
the
king’s
army
will
be
successful!”
\par }{\PP \VS{13}But
Micaiah
said, “As
surely
as
Yahweh
lives,
I
will
tell
the
king
only
what
Yahweh
tells
me
to
say.”
\par }{\PP \VS{14}When
Micaiah
arrived,
the
king
{\ADD{
of
Israel}}
asked
him, “Should
we
go
to
attack
Ramoth,
or
not?”
\par }{\PP Micaiah
replied, “Sure,
go!
Yahweh
will
enable
your
army
to
defeat
them!”
\par }{\PP \VS{15}But
King
Ahab
{\ADD{
realized
that
Micaiah
was
lying,
so
he}}
said
to
Micaiah, “I
have
told
you
many
times
that
you
must
always
tell
only
the
truth
when
you
say
what
Yahweh
{\ADD{
has
revealed
to
you}}!”
\par }{\PP \VS{16}Then
Micaiah
replied, “{\ADD{
The
truth
is
that
in
a
vision}}
I
saw
all
the
troops
of
Israel
scattered
on
the
mountains.
They
seemed
to
be
like
sheep
that
did
not
have
a
shepherd.
And
Yahweh
said, ‘Their
master
has
been
killed.
So
tell
them
all
to
go
home
peacefully.’ ”
\par }{\PP \VS{17}Ahab
said
to
Jehoshaphat, “I
told
you
that
he
never predicts
that
anything
good
will
happen
to
me!
He
{\ADD{
always}} predicts
that
bad
things
will
happen
to
me.”
\par }{\PP \VS{18}But
Micaiah
continued,
saying, “Listen
to
what
Yahweh
showed
to
me!
{\ADD{
In
a
vision}}
I
saw
Yahweh
sitting
on
his
throne,
with
all
the
armies
of
heaven
{\ADD{
standing
around
him}},
on
his
right
side
and
on
his
left
side.
\VS{19}And
Yahweh
said, ‘Who
can
persuade
Ahab,
the
king
of
Israel,
to
go
to
fight
against
the
people
of
Ramoth,
in
order
that
he
may
be
killed
there?’
\par }{\PP “Some
suggested
one
thing,
and
others
suggested
something
else.
\par }{\PP \VS{20}“Finally
one
spirit,
{\ADD{
having
received
a
message
from
Satan}},
came
to
Yahweh
and
said, ‘I
can
do
it!’
\par }{\PP “Yahweh
asked
him, ‘How
will
you
do
it?’
\par }{\PP \VS{21}“The
spirit
replied, ‘I
will
go
and inspire
all
of
Ahab’s
prophets
to
tell
lies.’
Yahweh
said, ‘You
will
be
successful;
go
and
do
it!’
\par }{\PP \VS{22}“So
now
{\ADD{
I
tell
you
that}}
Yahweh
has
caused
your
prophets
to
lie
to
you.
Yahweh
has
decided
that
something
terrible
will
happen
to
you.”
\par }{\PP \VS{23}Then
Zedekiah
son
of
Kenaanah
walked
over
to
Micaiah
and
slapped
him
on
his
face.
He
said, “Do
you
think
that
Yahweh’s
Spirit
left
me
in
order
to
speak
to
you?”
\par }{\PP \VS{24}Micaiah
replied, “You
will
find
out
for
yourself
{\ADD{
to
which
of
us
Yahweh’s
Spirit
has
truly
spoken}}
on
the
day
when
you
go
into
a
room
of
some
house
to
hide
{\ADD{
from
the
Syrian
soldiers}}!”
\par }{\PP \VS{25}King
Ahab
commanded
{\ADD{
his
soldiers}}, “Seize
Micaiah
and
take
him
to
Amon,
the
governor
of
this
city,
and
to
my
son
Joash.
\VS{26}Tell
them
that
I
have
commanded
that
they
should
put
this
man
in
prison
and
give
him
only
bread
and
water.
Do
not
give
him
anything
else
to
eat
until
I
return
safely
{\ADD{
from
the
battle}}!”
\par }{\PP \VS{27}Micaiah
replied, “If
you
return
safely,
{\ADD{
it
will
be
clear
that}}
it
was
not
Yahweh
who
told
me
what
to
say
to
you!”
Then
he
said
{\ADD{
to
all
those
who
were
standing
there}}, “Do
not
forget
what
I
have
said
{\ADD{
to
King
Ahab}}!”
\par }{\SH Ahab
died
in
the
battle
at
Ramoth-Gilead
\par }{\PP \VS{28}So
the
king
of
Israel
and
the
king
of
Judah
{\ADD{
led
their
armies}}
to
Ramoth,
in
{\ADD{
the}}
Gilead
{\ADD{
region}}.
\VS{29}King
Ahab
said
to
Jehoshaphat, “I
will
put
on
different
clothes,
{\ADD{
in
order
that
no
one
will
recognize
that
I
am
the
king.}}
But
you
should
wear
your
royal
robe.”
So
the
king
of
Israel
disguised
himself,
and
they
both
went
into
the
battle.
\par }{\PP \VS{30}The
King
of
Syria
told
his
soldiers
who
were
driving
the
chariots, “Attack
only
the
king
of
Israel!”
\VS{31}So
when
the
soldiers
who
were
driving
the
Syrian
chariots
saw
Jehoshaphat
{\ADD{
wearing
the
royal
robes}},
they
thought “He
must
be
the
king
of
Israel!”
\VS{32}So
they
turned
to
attack
him.
But
when
Jehoshaphat
cried
out,
Yahweh
helped
him,
and
they
realized
that
he
was
not
the
king
of
Israel.
And
God
caused
them
to
stop
pursuing
him.
\par }{\PP \VS{33}But
one
{\ADD{
Syrian}}
soldier
shot
an
arrow
at
Ahab,
without
knowing
that
it
was
Ahab.
The
arrow
struck
Ahab
between
the
places
where
the
parts
of
his
armor
joined
together.
Ahab
told
the
driver
of
his
chariot, “Turn
the
chariot
around
and
take
me
out
of
here!
I
have
been
{\ADD{
severely}}
wounded!”
\VS{34}The
battle
continued
all
that
day.
Ahab
was
sitting
propped
up
in
his
chariot,
facing
the
Syrian
soldiers.
And
late
in
the
afternoon,
when
the
sun
was
setting,
he
died.

\par }\Chap{19}{\PP \VerseOne{1}When
King
Jehoshaphat
was
returning
safely
to
his
palace
in
Jerusalem,
\VS{2}the
prophet
Jehu,
the
son
of
{\ADD{
the
prophet}}
Hanani,
went
out
of
the
city
to
meet
the
king,
and
said
to
him, “It
was
not
right
for
you
to
help
a
wicked
man
and
to
love
those
who
hate
Yahweh.
Because
of
what
you
have
done,
Yahweh
is
angry
with
you.
\VS{3}But
you
have
done
some
good
things;
you
got
rid
of
the
poles
in
this
country
for
{\ADD{
worshiping
the
goddess}}
Asherah,
and
you
have
strongly
determined
to
do
what
pleases
God.”
\par }{\SH Jehoshaphat
appointed
men
to
settle
disputes
\par }{\PP \VS{4}Jehoshaphat
lived
in
Jerusalem.
But
{\ADD{
one
time}},
like
he
had
done
once
previously,
he
went
out
among
all
the
people
in
the
country,
from
Beersheba
{\ADD{
city
in
the
far
south}}
to
the hilly
area
of
{\ADD{
the
tribe
of}}
Ephraim
{\ADD{
in
the
far
north}},
and
he
convinced
them
to
return
to
{\ADD{
worshiping}}
Yahweh,
the
God
whom
their
ancestors
{\ADD{
worshiped}}.
\VS{5}He
appointed
judges
throughout
Judah,
in
each
of
the
cities
that
had
walls
around
them.
\VS{6}He
told
them, “Make
your
decisions
carefully,
because
you
are
judging
cases
not
{\ADD{
in
order}}
to
{\ADD{
please}}
people
but
to
{\ADD{
please}}
Yahweh.
And
he
will
be
watching
you
whenever
you
make
a
decision.
\VS{7}So
now
revere
Yahweh,
and
judge
cases
carefully,
{\ADD{
and
do
not
forget
that}}
Yahweh
our
God
never
acts
unjustly,
and
he
never
does
what
people
want
because
of
their
offering
him
money;
he
never
accepts
bribes.”
\par }{\PP \VS{8}In
Jerusalem
also,
Jehoshaphat
appointed
some
priests
and
other
descendants
of
Levi
and
some
leaders
of Israeli
families
{\ADD{
to
be
judges}}.
He
told
them
to
do
what
Yahweh’s
laws
said
was
right
when
they
settled
disputes.
Those
men
lived
in
Jerusalem.
\VS{9}He
told
them
this: “You
must
always
do
your
work
faithfully, revering
Yahweh.
\VS{10}In
every
dispute
that
your
fellow Israelis
who
live
in
the
cities
want
you
to
settle,
you
must
warn
them
to
not
sin
against
Yahweh
{\ADD{
by
telling
lies
during
the
trial}}.
If
you
do
not
warn
them,
God
will
punish
both
you
and
your
fellow Israelis.
If
you
warn
them,
you
will
not
be
sinning.
You
must
warn
them
whether
{\ADD{
someone
has
accused
them}}
of murdering
someone,
or
of disobeying
some
other
law
or
command
or
decree
{\ADD{
of
Yahweh}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{11}Amariah
the Supreme
Priest
will
supervise
you
in
any
matter
that
Yahweh
is
concerned
about,
and
Zebadiah
the
son
of
Ishmael,
the
leader
of
the
tribe
of
Judah,
will
supervise
you
in
any
matter
that
I
am
responsible
for.
And
the
descendants
of
Levi
will
assist
you.
Act
courageously,
and
I
pray
that
Yahweh
will
help
those
who
do
their
work
well.”

\par }\Chap{20}{\SH Jehoshaphat’s army defeated armies from Moab and Ammon
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}Later
{\ADD{
armies
from}}
Moab
and
Ammon
and
some
soldiers
from
{\ADD{
the}} Meun
{\ADD{
area
in
Edom}}
came
{\ADD{
to
fight}}
against
Jehoshaphat’s
{\ADD{
army}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{2}Some
men
came
and
told
Jehoshaphat, “A
huge
army
is
coming
to
attack
your
army.
They
are
coming
from
{\ADD{
the}}
Edom
{\ADD{
region}},
from
the
eastern
side
of
the
{\ADD{
Dead}}
Sea.
They
have
already
come
to
Hazazon-Tamar!”
Another
name
for
that
place
is
En-Gedi.
\VS{3}Jehoshaphat
became
very
afraid,
so
he
decided
to
ask
Yahweh
{\ADD{
what
he
should
do}}.
He
also
proclaimed
that
all
{\ADD{
the
people
of}}
Judah
should
fast.
\VS{4}The
people
of
Judah
gathered
together
to
request
Yahweh
to
help
them.
They
came
{\ADD{
to
Jerusalem}}
from
every
town
in
Judah
to
seek
help
from
Yahweh.
\par }{\PP \VS{5}Then
Jehoshaphat
stood
up
in
front
of
the
people
of
Judah
in
front
of
the
new
courtyard
of
the
temple,
\VS{6}and
he
prayed
this:
\par }{\PI “Yahweh,
the
God
whom
our
ancestors
belonged
to,
you
are
surely
the
God
who
{\ADD{
rules
from}}
heaven.
You
rule
over
all
the
kingdoms
of
the
nations.
You
have
great
power,
and
no
one
can
successfully
oppose
you.
\VS{7}Our
God,
you
expelled
the
people
who
lived
in
this
land
while
your Israeli
people
advanced,
and
you
certainly
gave
it
to
us
who
are
descendants
of
your
friend
Abraham,
to
belong
to
us
forever.
\VS{8}We
have
lived
here
and
have
built
a
temple
where
we,
your
people,
worship
you.
We
said,
\VS{9}'If
we
experience
disasters,
either
from
our
enemies
attacking
us
or
from
you
punishing
us,
or
if
we
experience
a
plague
or
a
famine,
we
will
stand
in
your
presence
in
front
of
this
temple
that
is
built
to
honor
you,
and
we
will
cry
out
to
you
when
we
are
distressed/suffering,
and
you
will
hear
us
and
will
rescue
us.'
\par }{\PI \VS{10}You
would
not
allow
our Israeli
ancestors
to
enter
the
countries
of
Ammon
and
Moab
and
Edom
when
they
were
traveling
from
Egypt
{\ADD{
to
Canaan}}.
So
our
ancestors
turned
away
from
those
areas
and
did
not
attack
the
people
there
and
did
not
destroy
them.
But
now
they
are
coming
here
{\ADD{
to
attack
us}}.
\VS{11}{\ADD{
We
did
not
destroy
them.
But
now}}
look
at
how
they
are repaying
us
by
trying
to
expel
us
from
the
land
that
you
gave
to
our
ancestors
to
belong
to
them
{\ADD{
and
their
descendants
forever}}
\VS{12}So,
our
God,
please
punish
them,
because
we
do
not
have
enough
power
to
resist/defeat
this
huge
army
that
is
coming
to
attack
us.
We
do
not
know
what
to
do.
But
we
are
pleading
for
you
to
help
us.”
\par }{\PP \VS{13}All
the
men
of
Judah
and
their
wives
and
children
and
babies
were
standing
there
in
the
presence
of
Yahweh
{\ADD{
while
Jehoshaphat
prayed}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{14}Then
the
Spirit
of
Yahweh
came
upon
Jahaziel,
who
was
the
son
of
Zechariah,
who
was
the
son
of
Benaiah,
who
was
the
son
of
Jeiel,
who
was
the
son
of
Mattaniah.
He
was
a
descendant
of
Levi
and
a
descendant
of
Asaph.
He
stood
up
in
front
of
the
whole
group
that
was
gathered
there,
\VS{15}and
said, “King
Jehoshaphat
and
all
you
who
live
in
Jerusalem
and
in
other
places
in
Judah,
listen!
This
is
what
Yahweh
says
to
you: ‘Do
not
be
afraid
or
discouraged
because
of
this
huge
army
{\ADD{
that
is
coming
to
attack
you}},
because
it
is
not
you
who
{\ADD{
will
win}}
this
battle.
It
is
God
{\ADD{
who
will
win
it}}.
\VS{16}Tomorrow
march
down
toward
them.
They
will
be
climbing
up
through
Ziz
Pass
{\ADD{
north
of
En-Gedi}}.
You
will
meet
them
at
the
end
of
the gorge
near
the
Jeruel
Desert.
\VS{17}But
you
will
not
need
to
fight
this
battle.
You
soldiers
from
Jerusalem
and
other
places
in
Judah,
just
take
your
positions,
and
then
stand
still
and
watch
{\ADD{
what
will
happen}}.
You
will
see
Yahweh
rescue
you.
Do
not
be
afraid
or
discouraged.
March
toward
them
tomorrow,
and
Yahweh
will
be
with
you.’ ”
\par }{\PP \VS{18}Jehoshaphat
prostrated
himself
with
his
face
touching
the
ground,
and
all
the
people
of
Jerusalem
and
other
places
in
Judah
{\ADD{
who
were
there}}
knelt
down
to
worship
Yahweh.
\VS{19}Then
some
descendants
of
Levi
who
were
descendants
of
both
Kohath
and
Korah
stood
up
and
loudly
praised
Yahweh,
the
God
whom
the Israelis
{\ADD{
belonged
to}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{20}Early
the
next
morning
the
army
left
to
go
to
the
desert
near
Tekoa
{\ADD{
town}}.
While
they
were
leaving,
Jehoshaphat
stood
up
and
said
to
the
people, “You
people
of
Jerusalem
and
other
places
in
Judah,
listen
to
me!
Trust
in
Yahweh
our
God;
if
you
do
that,
you
will
be
strong.
Trust
in
{\ADD{
what
}}
his
prophets
{\ADD{
have
said}};
if
you
do
that,
you
will
be
successful.”
\VS{21}Then,
after
consulting
with
some
of
the
people,
he
appointed
some
men
to
go
in
front
of
the
army,
singing
to
Yahweh
and
praising
him
because
of
his
being
holy
and
wonderful.
They
were
singing,
\par }{\Q “Thank
Yahweh,
\par }{\QB because
he
faithfully
loves
us
forever.”
\par }{\PP \VS{22}When
they
began
to
sing
and
praise
Yahweh,
Yahweh
caused
the
soldiers
from
Ammon
and
Moab
and
Edom
who
were invading
Judah
to
panic,
with
the
result
that
they
were
defeated.
\VS{23}The
soldiers
from
Ammon
and
Moab
started
to
fight
against
the
soldiers
from
Edom,
and
they
completely
annihilated
the
soldiers
from
Edom.
After
they
finished
slaughtering
the
men
from
Edom,
they
started
to
attack
each
other.
\par }{\PP \VS{24}When
the
soldiers
from
Judah
came
to
the
place
where
they
could
look
down
over
the
desert,
they
looked
toward
that
huge
army
{\ADD{
of
their
enemies}},
and
they
saw
only
corpses
lying
on
the
ground.
No
one
had
survived.
\par }{\PP \VS{25}So
Jehoshaphat
and
his
soldiers
went
to
take
the
possessions
of
their
enemies,
and
they
saw
that
there
was
a
lot
of
equipment
and
clothing
and
other
valuable
things;
there
was
more
than
they
could
carry
away.
There
were
very
many
things,
with
the
result
that
it
took
three
days
for
them
to
collect
it
all.
\VS{26}The
following
day
they
gathered
in
Beracah
Valley
and
praised
Yahweh
there.
That
is
why
that
valley
is
still
called
Beracah,
{\ADD{
which
means
praise.}}
\par }{\PP \VS{27}Then
while
Jehoshaphat
led
them,
all
the
soldiers
who
were
from
Jerusalem
and
other
places
in
Judah
returned
to
Jerusalem.
They
were
happy
because
Yahweh
had
enabled
them
to
defeat
their
enemies.
\VS{28}When
they
arrived
at
Jerusalem,
they
went
to
the
temple,
{\ADD{
playing}}
harps
and lutes
and
trumpets.
\par }{\PP \VS{29}People
in
the
kingdoms
of
the
nearby
countries
became
very
afraid
when
they
heard
how
Yahweh
had
fought
against
the
enemies
of
the Israelis.
\VS{30}Then
there
was
peace
in
the
kingdom
that
was
ruled
by
Jehoshaphat,
because
God
had
caused
the
surrounding
nations
not
to
attack
it.
\par }{\SH The
final
years
that
Jehoshaphat
ruled
\par }{\PP \VS{31}Jehoshaphat
continued
to
rule
Judah.
He
was 35
years
old
when
he
became
king
of
Judah,
and
he
ruled
in
Jerusalem
for 25
years.
His
mother’s
name
was
Azubah,
the
daughter
of
Shilhi.
\VS{32}He
did
things
that
were
pleasing
to
Yahweh,
like
his
father
Asa
had
done,
and
he
did
not
stop
doing
those
things.
\VS{33}But
he
did
not
get
rid
of
the
shrines
on
the hilltops,
and
many
of
the
people
still
did
not
faithfully
do
what
the
God
whom
their
ancestors
belonged
to
wanted.
\par }{\PP \VS{34}A
record
of
the
other
things
that
Jehoshaphat
did
while
he
ruled,
from
when
he
began
to
rule
until
he
died,
is
in
the scrolls
written
by
{\ADD{
the
prophet}}
Jehu,
the
son
of
Hanani.
They
are
also
in
the
scroll
called ‘The
History
of
the
Kings
of
Israel.
\par }{\PP \VS{35}During
his
reign,
Jehoshaphat
made
a
treaty
with
Ahaziah,
the
king
of
Israel,
who
was
a
very
wicked
king.
\VS{36}They
agreed
that
their
workers
would
build
a
fleet
of
ships
to
use
to
buy
and
sell
{\ADD{
things
with
other
countries}}.
After
those
ships
were
built
at
Ezion-Geber
{\ADD{
on
the Gulf
of Aqaba}},
\VS{37}Eliezer
the
son
of
Dodavahu
from
Mareshah
{\ADD{
city}}
warned
Jehoshaphat.
He
said, “You
have
made
an
alliance
with
Ahaziah,
{\ADD{
who
is
a
wicked
king}}.
Therefore,
Yahweh
will
destroy
the
ships
that
your
workers
have
made.”
And
the
ships
were wrecked,
and
were
not
able
to
sail
to
other
countries.

\par }\Chap{21}{\PP \VerseOne{1}Then
Jehoshaphat
died,
and
was
buried
where
his
ancestors
were
buried
in
{\ADD{
the
part
of
Jerusalem
called}} ‘The
City
of David’.
Then
his
son
Jehoram
became
the
king
{\ADD{
of
Judah}}.
\VS{2}His
{\ADD{
younger}}
brothers
were
Azariah,
Jehiel,
Zechariah,
Azariah,
Michael,
and
Shephatiah.
\VS{3}Before
Jehoshaphat
died,
he
gave
them
gifts
of
silver
and
gold
and
other
valuable
things.
He
also
appointed
them
to
rule
various
cities
in
Judah
that
had
walls
around
them.
But
he
appointed
Jehoram
to
be
the
king
of
Judah,
because
Jehoram
was
his
oldest
son.
\par }{\SH King
Jehoram
of
Judah
\par }{\PP \VS{4}After
Jehoram
was
completely
in
control
of
his
father’s
kingdom,
he
had
all
of
his
{\ADD{
younger}}
brothers
executed,
along
with
some
of
the
leaders
of
the
nation.
\VS{5}Jehoram
was 32
years
old
when
he
became
the
king,
and
he
ruled
in
Jerusalem
for
eight
years.
\VS{6}But
he
did
many
of
the
{\ADD{
evil}}
things
that
the
kings
of
Israel
had
done.
He
did
many
things
that
Yahweh
considers
to
be
evil,
things
that
the
family
of
Ahab
had
done,
because
he
married
one
of
Ahab’s
daughters.
\VS{7}However,
because
of
the
agreement
that
Yahweh
had
made
with
King
David,
Yahweh
did
not
want
to
get
rid
of
the
descendants
of
David.
He
had
promised
that
David’s
descendants
would
always
be
the
ones
who
ruled
Judah.
\par }{\PP \VS{8}While
Jehoram
was
ruling,
the
people
of
{\ADD{
the}}
Edom
{\ADD{
region}}
rebelled
against
{\ADD{
the
king
of}}
Judah
and
appointed
their
own
king.
\VS{9}So
Jehoram
and
his
officers
and
his
men
in
chariots
went
to
Edom.
There,
the
army
of
Edom
surrounded
them.
Jehoram
escaped
during
the
night.
\VS{10}But
the
king
of
Judah
was
never
able
to
regain
control
of
Edom,
and
Edom
is
still
not
controlled
by
Judah.
{\ADD{
The
people
in}}
Libnah
{\ADD{
city
between
Judah
and
Philistia}}
also
rebelled
against
Judah.
Those
things
happened
because
Jehoram
turned
away
from
{\ADD{
obeying}}
Yahweh,
the
God
whom
his
ancestors
{\ADD{
belonged
to}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{11}On
the hilltops
in
Judah
he
had
also
built
shrines
{\ADD{
to
worship
idols}},
and
had
caused
the
people
of
Judah
to
stray
away
from
Yahweh
by
worshiping
foreign
gods.
\par }{\PP \VS{12}One
day,
Jehoram
received
a
letter
from
the
prophet
Elijah.
Elijah
had
written
this
in
the
letter:
\par }{\PI “This
is
what
Yahweh,
the
God
whom
your ancestor
{\ADD{
King}}
David
{\ADD{
worshiped}},
says: 'You
have
not
done
things
that
please
me
like
your
father
Jehoshaphat
did
or
what
King
Asa
did.
\VS{13}Instead,
you
have
continually
done
the
{\ADD{
evil
things}}
that
the
kings
of
Israel
have
done.
You
have
encouraged
the
people
in
Jerusalem
and
other
places
in
Judah
to
stop
worshiping
Yahweh,
like
the
descendants
of
Ahab
did.
You
have
also
murdered
your
own
brothers,
who
were
more
righteous
men
than
you
are.
\par }{\PI \VS{14}So
now
Yahweh
is
about
to
very
severely
punish
the
people
in
your
kingdom
and
even
your
own
children
and
your
wives
and
everything
that
you
own.
\VS{15}And
you
yourself
will
have
an
intestinal
disease
that
will
continue
to
become
worse,
and
you
will
suffer
from
it
until
you
die.' ”
\par }{\PP \VS{16}Then
Yahweh
caused
some
men
from
the
Philistia people-group
and
some
Arabs
who
lived
near
the
coast
{\ADD{
of
the Mediterranean
Sea}},
where
people
from
Ethiopia
had
settled,
to
become
angry
with
Jehoram.
\VS{17}Their
army
invaded
Judah
and
took
away
{\ADD{
from
Jerusalem}}
all
the
valuable
things
that
they
found
in
the
king’s
palace,
and
even
his
sons
and
wives.
His
youngest
son,
Ahaziah,
was
the
only
one
of
his
sons
whom
they
did
not
take
away.
\par }{\PP \VS{18}After
that
happened,
Yahweh
caused
Jehoram
to
be
afflicted
with
an
intestinal
disease
that
no
one
could
cure.
\VS{19}About
two
years
later,
while
he
was
in
great
pain,
he
died
because
of
that
disease.
The
people
of
Judah
had
made bonfires
to
honor
his
ancestors
when
they
died,
but
they
did
not
make
a bonfire
for
Jehoram.
\par }{\PP \VS{20}Jehoram
was 32
years
old
when
he
became
the
king,
and
he
ruled
in
Jerusalem
for
eight
years.
No
one
was
sorry
when
he
died.
His
corpse
was
buried
in
{\ADD{
the
part
of
Jerusalem
called}} ‘The
City
of David’,
but
he
was
not
buried
where
the
other
kings
{\ADD{
of
Judah}}
had
been
buried.

\par }\Chap{22}{\SH King Ahaziah of Judah
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}The
people
of
Jerusalem
appointed
Jehoram’s
youngest
son
Ahaziah
as
their
king,
because
the
men
{\ADD{
from
Philistia}}
who
had
invaded
Judah
with
some
Arabs
had
killed
all
of
Jehoram’s
other
sons.
So
Ahaziah
started
to
rule
Judah.
\par }{\PP \VS{2}Ahaziah
was 22
years
old
when
he
became
king.
He
ruled
in
Jerusalem
for
one
year.
His
mother’s
name
was
Athaliah,
a
granddaughter
of
{\ADD{
King}}
Omri
{\ADD{
of
Israel}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{3}King
Ahaziah
conducted
his
life
just
like
the
members
of
Ahab’s
family
had
done,
because
his
mother
encouraged
him
to
do
things
that
are
evil.
\VS{4}He
did
things
that
Yahweh
considers
to
be
evil,
like
the
descendants
of
Ahab
had
done,
because
after
Ahaziah’s
father
died,
they
became
his advisors.
And
Ahaziah
died
as
a
result
of heeding
their
bad
advice.
\VS{5}He
also
did
what
they
advised
when
he
went
with
Joram,
the
son
of
King
Ahab
of
Israel,
to
fight
against
the
army
of
Hazael,
the
king
of
Syria,
at
Ramoth-Gilead.
\par }{\PP \VS{6}Then
King
Ahaziah
went
down
to
Jezreel
{\ADD{
city}}
to
see
Joram,
the
son
of
{\ADD{
King}}
Ahab,
because
he
had
been
wounded.
\VS{7}It
was
during
that
visit
that
God
caused
Ahaziah
to
die.
When
Ahaziah
arrived,
he
went
with
Joram
to
meet
Jehu,
the
son
of
Nimshi,
whom
Yahweh
had
appointed
to
kill
all
the
descendants
of
Ahab.
\VS{8}While
Jehu
{\ADD{
and
the
men
who
were
with
him}}
were
killing
the
descendants
of
Ahab,
they
found
the
leaders
of
Judah
and
the
sons
of
Ahaziah’s
relatives
who
had
been
working
for
Ahaziah,
and
they
killed
all
of
them.
\VS{9}Then
Jehu
went
to
find
Ahaziah,
and
his
soldiers
found
Ahaziah
while
he
was
hiding
in
Samaria
{\ADD{
city}}.
They
brought
him
to
Jehu
and
executed
him.
Then
they
buried
his
corpse,
because
they
said, “{\ADD{
He
deserves
to
be
buried,
because}}
he
was
a
descendant
of
Jehoshaphat,
who
tried
hard
to
please
Yahweh.”
There
were
no
descendants
of
Ahaziah
who
were
powerful
enough
to
become
the
kings
of
Judah.
\par }{\SH Athaliah
and
Joash
\par }{\PP \VS{10}When
Athaliah,
the
mother
of
Ahaziah,
saw
that
her
son
had
been
killed,
she
commanded
that
all
the
members
of
Ahaziah’s
family
{\ADD{
who
might
become
king}}
must
be
executed.
\VS{11}But
Jehosheba,
the
daughter
of
King
Jehoram,
took
Joash,
Ahaziah’s
very
young
son,
away
from
the
other
sons
of
the
king
who
were
about
to
be
murdered,
and
she
hid
him
and
his nursemaid
in
a
bedroom
in
the
temple.
Because
Jehosheba,
who
was
the
daughter
of
King
Jehoram
and
the
wife
of
the Supreme
Priest
Jehoiada,
was
Ahaziah’s
sister,
she
hid
the
child,
with
the
result
that
Athaliah
could
not
kill
him.
\VS{12}He
remained
hidden
there
for
six
years
while
Athaliah
ruled
{\ADD{
Judah}}.

\par }\Chap{23}{\SH The revolt against Athaliah
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}After
Joash
had
been
hidden
in
the
temple
for
six
years,
Jehoiada
the
priest
decided
that
it
was
necessary
to
do
something.
So
he
made
an
agreement
with
the
army
commanders
of
groups
of 100
soldiers:
Azariah
the
son
of
Jeroham,
Ishmael
the
son
of
Jehohanan,
Azariah
the
son
of
Obed,
Maaseiah
the
son
of
Adaiah,
and
Elishaphat
the
son
of
Zicri.
\VS{2}They
went
throughout
Judah
and
gathered
the
descendants
of
Levi
and
the
leaders
of Israeli
families
from
all
the
towns.
When
they
came
to
Jerusalem,
\VS{3}the
whole
group
went
to
the
temple
and
made
an
agreement
with
the
young
king
there.
Jehoiada
said
to
them, “This
is
the
son
of
the
previous
king
of
Judah.
So
he
is
the
one
who
must
rule,
like
Yahweh
promised
that
the
descendants
of
King
David
must
do.
\par }{\PP \VS{4}“So
this
is
what
you
must
do:
One-third
of
you
priests
and
other
descendants
of
Levi
who
are
starting
their
work
on
the
Sabbath
day
must
guard
the
doors
{\ADD{
of
the
temple}}.
\VS{5}One-third
of
you
must
guard
the
king’s
palace,
and
one-third
of
you
must
guard
the
Foundation
Gate.
All
the
other
people
will
be
in
the
courtyards
outside
the
temple.
\VS{6}Only
the
priests
and
the
descendants
of
Levi
who
work
there
will
enter
the
temple.
They
will
be
allowed
to
enter
the
temple
because
they
are
set
apart
{\ADD{
for
that
work}}.
All
the
others
must
remain
in
the
courtyards,
obeying
what
Yahweh
has
commanded.
\VS{7}You
descendants
of
Levi
must
stand
around
the
young
king,
each
of
you
with
your
weapon
in
your
hand.
Anyone
else
who
tries
to
enter
the
temple
you
must
kill.
And
stay
close
to
the
young
king,
wherever
he
goes.”
\par }{\PP \VS{8}So
the
descendants
of
Levi
and
all
{\ADD{
the
men
of}}
Judah
did
what
Jehoiada
had
told
them.
He
did
not
allow
anyone
to
go
home
after
having
finished
his
work
on
that
Sabbath
day.
Each
commander
took
charge
of
his
men,
the
ones
who
were
finishing
their
work
on
that
day
and
those
who
were
starting
their
work
on
that
day.
\VS{9}Then
Jehoiada
gave
each
of
the
commanders
the
spears
and
the
large
and
small
shields
that
had
been
put
there
in
the
temple
by
King
David.
\VS{10}He
commanded
all
the
guards
to
stand
in
their
positions,
each
with
his
sword
in
his
hand,
all
around
the
king—around
the
altar
and
the
temple,
from
the
north
side
to
the
south
side.
\par }{\PP \VS{11}Then
Jehoiada
and
his
sons
brought
Joash
out.
They
put
a
crown
on
his
head
and
gave
him
{\ADD{
a
scroll}}
on
which
were
written
the
rules
{\ADD{
that
the
kings
needed
to
obey}},
and
proclaimed
that
he
was
now
the
king.
They
anointed
him
with
olive
oil
and
shouted, “We
hope
that
the
king
will
live
for
many
years!”
\par }{\PP \VS{12}When
Athaliah
heard
the
noise
being
made
by
the
people
running
{\ADD{
toward
the
king}}
and cheering,
she
ran
to
the
temple.
\VS{13}She
saw
the
young
king
there,
standing
alongside
the
pillar
at
the
entrance
of
the
temple,
{\ADD{
which
is
the
place
at
the
temple}}
where
the
kings
usually
stood.
The
army
commanders
and
trumpet
players
were
standing
beside
the
king,
and
all
the
people
of
Judah
were
rejoicing
and
blowing
trumpets,
and
singers
with
their
musical
instruments
were
leading
the
people
while
they
praised
God.
Then
Athaliah
tore
her
robes
and
started screaming, “You
are
committing
treason!”
\par }{\PP \VS{14}Jehoiada
the Supreme
Priest
said
to
the
army
commanders, “Kill
her,
but
do
not
kill
her
at
the
temple
of
Yahweh!”
Then
he
said
to
them, “Bring
Athaliah
out
in
front
of
the
troops
and
kill
anyone
who
tries
to
follow
her!”
\VS{15}{\ADD{
She
tried
to
flee,
but}}
they
seized
her
as
she
reached
the
gate
where
horses
enter
the
palace
area,
and
they
killed
her
there.
\VS{16}Then
Jehoiada
made
an
agreement
that
he
and
the
king
and
all
the
other
people
would
be
Yahweh’s
people.
\VS{17}Then
all
the
people
who
were
there
went
to
the
temple
of
Baal
and
tore
it
down.
They
smashed
the
altars
{\ADD{
of
Baal}}.
They
also
killed
Mattan,
the
priest
of
Baal,
in
front
of
those
altars.
\par }{\PP \VS{18}Then
Jehoiada
appointed
the
priests,
who
were
also
descended
from
Levi,
to
work
at
the
temple.
They
were
part
of
the
group
to
whom
King
David
had
given
various jobs
at
the
temple,
to
sacrifice
the
animals
that
were
to
be
completely
burned
on
the
altar,
doing
what
was
written
in
the
laws
that
Moses
had
given
to
them.
He
also
told
them
to
rejoice
and
sing,
which
was
also
what
David
had
commanded.
\VS{19}He
also
put
guards
at
the
gates
of
the
temple
in
order
that
anyone
who
was
unacceptable
to
God
would
not
be
allowed
to
enter.
\par }{\PP \VS{20}Jehoiada
took
with
him
the
army
commanders,
the
important
men,
the
leaders
and
many
others,
and
brought
the
king
down
from
the
temple.
They
went
into
the
palace
through
the
Upper
Gate,
and
put
the
king
on
his
throne.
\VS{21}Then
all
the
people
of
Judah
rejoiced.
And
there
was
calm
throughout
the
city,
because
Athaliah
had
been
killed.

\par }\Chap{24}{\SH King Joash of Judah
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}Joash
was
seven
years
old
when
he
became
the
king
{\ADD{
of
Judah}},
and
he
ruled
in
Jerusalem
for 40
years.
His
mother’s
name
was
Zibiah;
she
was
from
Beersheba
{\ADD{
city}}.
\VS{2}Joash
did
what
pleased
Yahweh
as
long
as
Jehoiada
was
{\ADD{
the Supreme}}
Priest.
\VS{3}Jehoiada
chose
two
women
to
be
Joash’s
wives.
And
they
bore
Joash
sons
and
daughters.
\par }{\PP \VS{4}Some
years
later,
Joash
decided
that
the
temple
should
be
repaired.
\VS{5}He
summoned
the
priests
and
other
descendants
of
Levi
and
said
to
them, “Go
to
the
towns
in
Judah
and
collect
from
the
people
the
tax
money
that
they
are
required
to
pay
each
year,
and
use
that
money
to
pay
for
repairing
the
temple.
Do
it
immediately.”
But
the
descendants
of
Levi
did
not
do
it
immediately.
\par }{\PP \VS{6}So
the
king
summoned
Jehoiada
and
said
to
him, “Why
have
you
not
required
the
descendants
of
Levi
to
bring
to
Jerusalem
from
various
places
in
Judah
the
annual/yearly
tax
that
Moses
said
that
the
people
of
Judah
must
pay,
for
taking
care
of
the
Sacred
Tent?”
\par }{\PP \VS{7}{\ADD{
The
temple
needed
to
be
repaired}}
because
the
sons
of
that
wicked
woman
Athaliah
had
entered
into
the
temple
{\ADD{
and
had wrecked
some
of
the
things}},
and
had
also
used
some
of
the
sacred
items
that
were
in
it
for
{\ADD{
the
worship
of}}
Baal.
\par }{\PP \VS{8}So,
obeying
what
the
king
commanded,
the
descendants
of
Levi
made
a
chest
and
placed
it
outside
the
temple,
at
one
of
the
entrances.
\VS{9}Then
the
king
sent
letters
everywhere
in
Judah, requesting
everyone
to
bring
their
tax
money
to
the
temple,
like
Moses
had
required
the Israeli
people
to
do
{\ADD{
when
they
were}}
in
the
desert.
\VS{10}All
the
officials
and
the
other
people
{\ADD{
agreed,
and
they}}
brought
their
contributions
gladly.
They
put
the
money
into
the
chest
until
it
was
full.
\VS{11}Whenever
the
descendants
of
Levi
brought
the
chest
to
the
king’s
officials,
and
they
saw
that
there
was
a
lot
of
money
in
it,
the
king’s
secretary
and
the
assistant
to
the
{\ADD{Supreme}}
Priest
would
take
all
the
money
from
the
chest,
and
then
put
the
chest
back
in
its
place.
They
did
this frequently,
and
they
collected
a
huge
amount
of
money.
\VS{12}The
king
and
Jehoiada
gave
the
money
to
the
men
who
were supervising
the
work
of
repairing
the
temple.
Those
men
hired stoneworkers
and
carpenters
to
repair
the
temple.
They
also
hired
men
who
worked
with
iron
and
bronze
to
repair
things
in
the
temple
{\ADD{
that
were
broken}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{13}The
men
who
did
the
repair
work
worked
hard,
and
the
work
of
repairing
the
temple
progressed.
They
rebuilt
the
temple
so
that
it
was
like
it
was originally,
and
they
even
made
it
stronger.
\VS{14}When
they
had
finished
the
repair
work,
they
brought
to
the
king
and
to
Jehoiada
the
money
that
they
had
not
used
for
the
repairs.
That
money
was
used
to
make
things
to
use
for
offering
the
sacrifices
that
were
completely
burned
{\ADD{
on
the
altar}},
and
to
make
bowls
and
other
gold
and
silver
things
for
the
temple.
As
long
as
Joash
lived,
the
people
continually
brought
to
the
temple
sacrifices
that
were
to
be
completely
burned
on
the
altar.
\par }{\PP \VS{15}Jehoiada
lived
to
become
very
old.
He
died
when
he
was 130
years
old.
\VS{16}He
was
buried
where
the
kings
had
been
buried,
in
{\ADD{
the
part
of
Jerusalem
called}} ‘The
City
of David’.
{\ADD{
He
was
buried
there}}
because
of
the
good
things
that
he
had
done
in
Judah
for
God
and
for
God’s
temple.
\par }{\SH Joash
and
the
people
of
Judah
turned
away
from
Yahweh
\par }{\PP \VS{17}After
Jehoiada
died,
the
leaders
of
Judah
went
to
Joash,
bowed
in
front
of
him,
and
persuaded
him
to
do
what
they
wanted.
\VS{18}So
they
and
the
other
people
stopped
worshiping
at
the
temple,
and
they
started
worshiping
the
poles
dedicated
to
{\ADD{
the
goddess}}
Asherah
and
other
idols.
Because
of
their
doing
those
sinful
things,
God
was
very
angry
with
the
people
of
Jerusalem
and
{\ADD{
with
the
people
in
other
places
in}}
Judah.
\VS{19}Although
Yahweh
sent
prophets
to
persuade
them
to
return
to
him,
and
although
the
prophets tod
them
about
the
evil
things
that
they
had
done,
the
people
would
not
pay
attention.
\par }{\PP \VS{20}Then
God’s
Spirit
came
upon
Zechariah,
the
son
of
Jehoiada
the
{\ADD{Supreme}}
Priest.
He
stood
up
front
of
the
people
and
said, “This
is
what
God
says: ‘Why
are
you disobeying
what
I,
Yahweh,
have
commanded?
You
have
abandoned
me,
so
I
will
abandon
you.’ ”
\par }{\PP \VS{21}But
the
people
planned
to
kill
Zechariah.
And
the
king
joined
them
in
doing
it.
The
people
killed
Zechariah
by
throwing
stones
at
him
in
the
temple
courtyard.
\VS{22}King
Joash
had
forgotten
about
how Zechariah’s
father
Jehoiada
had
been
kind
to
him.
That’s
why
he
gave
orders
for
the
people
to
kill
Jehoiada’s
son
Zechariah,
who
said
as
he
was
dying, “I
hope
that
Yahweh
will
see
{\ADD{
what
you
are
doing
to
me}}
and
punish
{\ADD{
you
for
doing
it}}.”
\par }{\PP \VS{23}Near
the
end
of
that
year (OR,
early
in
the
following
year),
the
army
of
Syria
marched
to
attack
{\ADD{
the
army
of}}
Joash.
They
invaded
Judah
and
attacked
Jerusalem
and
killed
all
the
leaders
of
the
people.
They
{\ADD{
seized
many
valuable
things
and}}
sent
them
to
their
king
in
Damascus,
{\ADD{
their
capital
city.}}
\VS{24}The
army
of
Syria
{\ADD{
that
came
to
Judah}}
was
very
small,
but
Yahweh
allowed
them
to
defeat
the
large
army
of
Judah,
because
he
was
punishing
Joash
and
the
other
people
of
Judah
for
having
abandoned
him,
the
God
whom
their
ancestors
worshiped.
\VS{25}Before
the
battle
ended,
Joash
was
severely
wounded.
Then
his
officials
decided
to
kill
him
for murdering
Zechariah,
the
son
of
Jehoiada
the
{\ADD{Supreme}}
Priest.
They
killed
him
while
he
was
in
his
bed.
He
was
buried
in
{\ADD{
the
part
of
Jerusalem
called}} ‘The
City
of David’,
but
they
did
not
bury
him
in
the
place
where
the
other
kings
had
been
buried.
\par }{\PP \VS{26}Those
who
conspired
to
kill
him
were
Zabad
the
son
of
Shimeath,
who
was
a
woman
from
the
Ammon
{\ADD{people-group}},
and
Jehozabad
the
son
of
Shimrith,
who
was
a
woman
from
the
Moab
{\ADD{people-group}}.
\VS{27}An
account
of
the
things
that
were
done
by
the
sons
of
Joash
and
the
many
prophecies
about
Joash
and
what
he
did
to
repair
the
temple
are
written
in
the
scroll
called ‘the
History
of
the
Kings
{\ADD{
of
Judah
and
Israel}}’.
Then
after
Joash
died,
Amaziah
his
son
became
the
king.

\par }\Chap{25}{\SH King Amaziah of Judah
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}Amaziah
was 25
years
old
when
he
became
the
king
{\ADD{
of
Judah}},
and
he
ruled
from
Jerusalem
for 29
years.
His
mother
was
Jehoaddin;
she
was
from
Jerusalem.
\VS{2}Amaziah
did
many
things
that
pleased
Yahweh,
but
he
did
not
do
them enthusiastically.
\VS{3}As
soon
as
he
was
in
complete
control
of
his
kingdom,
he
caused
to
be
executed
the
officials
who
had
murdered
his
father.
\VS{4}But
he
did
not
command
their
sons
to
be
executed;
he
obeyed
what
was
in
the
laws
that
Moses
had
written.
In
those
laws
Yahweh
had
commanded, “People
must
not
be
executed
because
of
{\ADD{
what}}
their
children
{\ADD{
have
done}},
and
children
must
not
be
executed
for
{\ADD{
what}}
their
parents
{\ADD{
have
done}}.
People
must
be
executed
only
for
the
sins
that
they
themselves
have
committed.”
\par }{\PP \VS{5}Amaziah
summoned
the
men
of
{\ADD{
the
tribes
of}}
Judah
and
Benjamin
to
come
to
Jerusalem,
and
there
he
put
them
in
groups,
each
clan
in
a
group
by
themselves.
Then
he
appointed
officers
to
command
each
group.
Some
officers
commanded 100
men
and
some
commanded 1,000
men.
They
counted
the
men
who
were
at
least 20
years
old;
altogether
there
were 300,000
men.
They
were
all
men
who
were
prepared
to
be
in
the
army,
and
able
to
{\ADD{
fight
well,}}
using
spears
and
shields.
\VS{6}Amaziah
also
hired 100,000
capable
soldiers
from
Israel
and
paid
almost
four tons
of
silver
for
them.
\par }{\PP \VS{7}But
a
prophet
came
to
him
and
said, “Your
majesty,
you
must
not
allow
those
soldiers
from
Israel
to
march
with
your
soldiers,
because
Yahweh
does
not
help
the
people
of
the
tribe
of
Ephraim
or
from
{\ADD{
anywhere
else
in}}
Israel.
\VS{8}Even
if
your
soldiers
go
and
fight
courageously
in
battles,
God
will
cause
your
enemies
to
defeat
you;
do
not
forget
that
God
has
the
power
to
help
armies
or
to
cause
them
to
be
defeated.”
\par }{\PP \VS{9}Amaziah
asked
that
prophet, “If
I
do
that,
what
about
the
huge
amount
of
silver
that
I
paid
to
hire
those
soldiers
from
Israel?”
\par }{\PP The
prophet
replied, “Yahweh
is
able
to
pay
you
back
more
money
than
you
paid
{\ADD{
to
hire
those
soldiers}}.”
\par }{\PP \VS{10}So
Amaziah
told
those
soldiers
from
Israel
to
return
home.
They
left
to
go
home,
but
they
were
very
angry
with
the
king
of
Judah
{\ADD{
for
not allowing
them
to
stay
and
fight}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{11}Then
Amaziah
became
brave,
and
he
led
his
army
to
the
Salt
Valley.
There
they
killed 10,000
men
from
the
Edom people-group.
\VS{12}The
army
of
Judah
also
captured 10,000
others,
and
took
them
to
the
top
of
a
cliff
and
threw
them
all
down
over
the
cliff,
with
the
result
that
their
corpses
were
all
smashed
to
pieces.
\par }{\PP \VS{13}While
that
was happening,
the
soldiers
from
Israel
whom
Amaziah
had
sent
home
after
not allowing
them
to
fight
along
with
his
soldiers,
raided
cities
and
towns
in
Judea,
from
Samaria
{\ADD{
city}}
to
Beth-Horon
{\ADD{
town}}.
They
killed 3,000
people
and
took
away
a
great
amount
of
valuable
things.
\par }{\PP \VS{14}When
Amaziah
returned
{\ADD{
to
Jerusalem}}
after
his
army
had
slaughtered
the
soldiers
from
Edom,
he
brought
the
idols
that
were
worshiped
by
the
people
of
Edom.
He
set
them
up
to
be
his
own
gods.
Then
he
bowed
down
to
{\ADD{
worship}}
them
and
offered
sacrifices
to
them.
\VS{15}Because
of
that,
Yahweh
was
very
angry
with
Amaziah.
He
sent
a
prophet
to
him,
who
said, “Why
do
you
worship
these
foreign
gods
that
were
not
even
able
to
save
their
own
people
when
your
army
attacked
them?”
\par }{\PP \VS{16}While
he
was
still
speaking,
the
king
said
to
him, “We
certainly
did
not
appoint
you
to
be
one
of
my advisors.
So
stop
{\ADD{
talking}}!
If
you
say
anything
more,
{\ADD{
I
will
tell
my
soldiers
to}}
kill
you!”
\par }{\PP So
the
prophet
said, “I
know
that
God
has
determined
to
get
rid
of
you,
because
you
have
{\ADD{
begun
to}}
worship
idols,
and
have
not
heeded
my
advice.”
Then
the
prophet
said
nothing
more.
\par }{\PP \VS{17}Some
time
later
Amaziah,
the
king
of
Judah,
consulted
his advisors.
Then
he
sent
a
message
to
Jehoash,
the
king
of
Israel.
He
wrote, “Come
here
and
let’s
talk
together.”
\par }{\PP \VS{18}But
Jehoash
replied
to
King
Amaziah, “One
time
a
thistle
growing
{\ADD{
in
the
mountains}}
in
Lebanon
sent
a
message
to
a
cedar
tree
saying, ‘Let
your
daughter
marry
my
son.’
But
a
wild
animal
in
Lebanon
came
along
and
trampled
the
thistle
under
its
feet.
\VS{19}{\ADD{
The
meaning
of
what
I
am
saying
is
that}}
you
are
saying
to
yourself
that
your
army
has
defeated
the
army
of
Edom,
so
you
have
become
very
proud.
But
you
should
stay
at
your
home.
It
would
not
be
good
for
you
to
cause
trouble,
which
would
result
in
you
and
your
kingdom
of
Judah
being
destroyed.”
\par }{\PP \VS{20}But
Amaziah
refused
to
heed
Jehoash’s
message.
That
happened
because
God
wanted
Jehoash’s
army
to
defeat
them,
because
they
were
worshiping
the
gods
of
Edom.
\VS{21}So
Jehoash’s
army
attacked.
Their
two
armies
faced
each
other
at
Beth-Shemesh
{\ADD{
city}}
in
Judah.
\VS{22}The
army
of
Judah
was
badly
defeated
by
the
army
of
Israel,
and
all
the
soldiers
of
Judah
fled
to
their
homes.
\VS{23}King
Jehoash’s
army
also
captured
King
Amaziah
there.
Then
he
brought
Amaziah
to
Jerusalem,
and
his
soldiers
tore
down
the
wall
{\ADD{
that
was
around
the
city}},
from
the
Ephraim
Gate
to
the
Corner
Gate.
That
was
a
section
that
was
about 600
feet
long.
\VS{24}His
soldiers
also
carried
away
the
gold
and
silver
and
other
valuable
furnishings
from
the
temple
which
the
descendants
of
Obed-Edom
had
previously
been
guarding.
They
also
took
away
the
valuable
things
in
the
palace,
and
they
took
to
Samaria
some
prisoners
whom
they
had
captured.
\par }{\PP \VS{25}King
Jehoash
of
Israel
died,
and
King
Amaziah
of
Judah
lived
for 15
years
after
that.
\VS{26}An
account
of
all
the
other
things
that
Amaziah
did
while
he
was
the
king
{\ADD{
of
Judah}}
is
written
in
the
scroll
called ‘The
History
of
the
Kings
of
Judah
and Israel’.
\VS{27}From
the
time
that
Amaziah
started
to
disobey
Yahweh,
some
men
in
Jerusalem
planned
to
kill
him.
He
was
able
to
escape
to
Lachish
{\ADD{
city}},
but
those
who
wanted
to
kill
him
sent
another
group
of
people
to
Lachish
and
killed
him
there.
\VS{28}They
put
his
corpse
on
a
horse
and
brought
it
back
to
Jerusalem
and
buried
it
where
his
ancestors
{\ADD{
had
been
buried}}
in
the
part
of
Jerusalem
called ‘The
City
of David’.

\par }\Chap{26}{\SH King Uzziah of Judah
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1-2}After
King
Amaziah
died,
all
the
people
of
Judah
appointed
his
son
Uzziah,
who
then
was 16
years
old,
as
their
king.
{\ADD{
One
of
the
things
that
happened}}
while
he
was
the
king
{\ADD{
was
that}}
his
men
captured
Elath
{\ADD{
town
on
the Gulf
of Aqaba}}
and
rebuilt
it.
\par }{\PP \VS{3}Uzziah
ruled
in
Jerusalem
for 52
years.
His
mother
was
Jecoliah;
she
was
from
Jerusalem.
\VS{4}Uzziah
did
things
that
Yahweh consdered
to
be
good,
like
his
father
Amaziah
had
done.
\VS{5}He
tried
to
please
God
while
{\ADD{
the
priest}}
Zechariah
was
living,
because
Zechariah
taught
him
to
revere
God.
As
long
as
Uzziah
tried
to
please
God,
God
enabled
him
to
be
successful.
\par }{\PP \VS{6}Uzziah
and
his
army
started
to
fight
against
the
army
of
Philistia.
They
tore
down
the
walls
of
Gath,
Jabneh,
and
Ashdod
{\ADD{
cities}}.
Then
they
rebuilt
the
towns
near
Ashdod
and
in
other
places
in
Philistia.
\VS{7}God
helped
them
to
fight
the
army
of
Philistia
and
the
Arabs
who
lived
in
{\ADD{
the
town
of}}
Gur-Baal
and
the
descendants
of Meun
who
had
come
to
that
area
from
Edom.
\VS{8}Even
the
Ammon
{\ADD{people-group}}
paid
taxes
to
Uzziah
each
year.
So
Uzziah
became
famous
as
far
as
the
border
of
Egypt,
because
he
had
become
very
powerful.
\par }{\PP \VS{9}Uzziah’s
{\ADD{
workers}}
built watchtowers
in
Jerusalem
at
the
Corner
Gate,
at
the
Valley
Gate,
and
at
the
place
where
the
wall
turns,
and
they
placed
weapons
in
them.
\VS{10}They
also
built watchtowers
in
the
desert
and
dug
many
wells.
They
did
that
{\ADD{
to
provide
water}}
for
a
lot
of
the
king’s
cattle
that
were
in
the
foothills
and
in
the
plains.
Uzziah
liked
farming,
so
he
also
stationed
workers
{\ADD{
to
take
care
of}}
his
fields
and
vineyards
in
the
hills
and
in
the
fertile
areas.
\par }{\PP \VS{11}Uzziah’s
army
was
trained
for
fighting
battles.
They
were
in
groups
that
were
always
ready
to
go
into
battle.
Jeiel,
the
king’s
secretary,
and
Maaseiah,
one
of
the
army
officers,
counted
the
men
and
placed
them
in
groups.
Hananiah,
one
of
the
king’s
officials,
was
their
commander.
\VS{12}There
were 2,600
leaders
of
those
groups
of
soldiers.
\VS{13}In
the
groups
that
those
leaders
commanded
there
were
a
total
of 307,500
well-trained
soldiers.
It
was
a
very
powerful
army
which
was
ready
to
help
the
king
fight
against
his
enemies.
\VS{14}Uzziah
gave
to
each
soldier
a
shield,
a
spear,
a
helmet,
a vest
made
of
iron
plates,
a
bow
{\ADD{
and
arrows}},
and
a slingshot.
\VS{15}In
Jerusalem
his
skilled
workers
made machines
to
put
on
the watchtowers
and
on
the
corners
{\ADD{
of
the
walls}},
to
shoot
arrows
and
to
hurl
large
stones.
He
became
very
famous
even
in
distant
places,
because
God
helped
him
very
much
and
enabled
him
to
become
very
powerful.
\par }{\PP \VS{16}But
because
Uzziah
was
very
powerful,
he
became
very
proud,
and
that
led
to
his
being
punished.
He
disobeyed
what
Yahweh
his
God
had
commanded.
He
went
into
the
temple
to
burn
incense
on
the
altar
{\ADD{
where
God
had
said
that
only
the
priests
should
burn}}
incense.
\VS{17}Azariah
the
{\ADD{Supreme}}
Priest
and 80
other
brave
priests
followed
him
into
the
temple.
\VS{18}They
rebuked
him
and
said
to
him, “Uzziah,
it
is
not
right
for
you
to
burn
incense
to
{\ADD{
honor}}
Yahweh.
That
duty
is
only
for
the
priests,
those
who
are
descendants
of
Aaron
{\ADD{
our
first Supreme
Priest}}!
You
must
leave
{\ADD{
immediately}},
because
you
have
disobeyed
Yahweh
our
God,
and
he
will
not
honor
you
{\ADD{
for
what
you
have
done}}!”
\par }{\PP \VS{19}Uzziah
had
in
his
hand
a
pan
for
burning
incense.
He
became
very
angry
with
the
priests,
but
suddenly
there
was
leprosy
on
his
forehead.
\VS{20}When
Azariah
the
{\ADD{Supreme}}
Priest
and
all
the
other
priests
{\ADD{
who
were
there}}
looked
at
him,
they
saw
the
leprosy
on
his
forehead,
so
they
quickly
took
him
outside.
And
truly
the
king
was
eager
to
leave
the
temple,
because
he
knew
that
it
was
Yahweh
who
had
caused
him
to
have
that
leprosy,
{\ADD{
and
he
did
not
want
it
to
become
worse.}}
\par }{\PP \VS{21}King
Uzziah
had
leprosy
until
he
died.
And
because
he
had
leprosy,
he
lived
in
a
house
that
was
not
near
other
houses,
and
he
was
not
allowed
to
enter
{\ADD{
the
courtyard
of}}
the
temple.
His
son
Jotham
supervised
the
palace
and
ruled
the
people
of
Judah.
\par }{\PP \VS{22}A
record
of
all
the
other
things
that
Uzziah
did
while
he
was
the
king
{\ADD{
of
Judah}}
was
written
by
the
prophet
Isaiah,
the
son
of
Amoz.
\VS{23}Because
Uzziah
was
a
leper,
{\ADD{
when
he
died,}}
they
would
not
bury
him
in
the
tombs
where
the
other
kings
were
buried.
Instead,
he
was
buried
in
a
nearby cemetery
that
the
kings
owned.
Then
his
son
Jotham
became
the
king
{\ADD{
of
Judah}}.

\par }\Chap{27}{\SH King Jotham of Judah
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}Jotham
was 25
years
old
when
he
became
the
king
of
Judah.
He
ruled
from
Jerusalem
for 16
years.
His
mother
was
Jerushah,
the
daughter
of
{\ADD{
the
priest}}
Zadok.
\VS{2}Jotham
did
many
things
that
pleased
Yahweh
like
his
father
Uzziah
did.
He
obeyed
Yahweh
and
did
things
that
are
right.
He
did
many
things
that
his
father
Uzziah
had
done,
but
he
did
not
burn
incense
in
the
temple,
like
his
father
had
done.
However,
the
people
of
Judah
continued
to
sin
against
Yahweh.
\par }{\PP \VS{3}Jotham’s
{\ADD{
workers}}
rebuilt
the
Upper
Gate
of
the
temple,
and
they
did
a
lot
of
work
to
repair
the
wall
near
Ophel
{\ADD{
Hill}}.
\VS{4}They
built
towns
in
the
hills
of
Judah,
and
they
built
forts
and
defense
towers
in
the
forests.
\par }{\PP \VS{5}During
the
time
that
Jotham
was
the
king
of
Judah,
his
army
attacked
and
defeated
the
army
of
the
Ammon people-group.
Then,
every
year
during
the
next
three
years,
he
required
the Anmon people-group
to
pay
to
him
four tons
of
silver, 60,000 bushels
of
wheat,
and 60,000 bushels
of
barley.
\par }{\PP \VS{6}Jotham
faithfully
obeyed
Yahweh
his
God,
and
as
a
result
he
became
a
very
powerful
king.
\par }{\PP \VS{7}A
record
of
everything
else
that
Jotham
did
during
the
time
that
he
was
the
king,
including
the
wars
that
his
army
fought,
is
written
in
the
scroll
called ‘{\ADD{
the
History
of}}
the
Kings
of
Israel
and Judah’.
\VS{8}After
Jotham
had
ruled
Judah
for 16
years,
he
died
when
he
was 41
years
old.
\VS{9}He
was
buried
in
Jerusalem,
and
his
son
Ahaz
became
the
king
{\ADD{
of
Judah}}.

\par }\Chap{28}{\SH King Ahaz of Judah
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}Ahaz
was 20
years
old
when
he
became
the
king
{\ADD{
of
Judah}}.
He
ruled
from
Jerusalem
for 16
years.
His ancestor
King
David
was
a
good
king,
but
Ahaz
was
not
like
David.
He
constantly
disobeyed
Yahweh
\VS{2}and
was
as
sinful
as
the
kings
of
Israel
had
been.
He
made
idols
of
the
god
Baal.
\VS{3}He
burned
incense
in
Hinnom
Valley.
He
even
{\ADD{
killed
some
of}}
his
own
sons
{\ADD{
and}}
offered
{\ADD{
them}}
as
sacrifices
to
be
completely
burned.
That imitated
the
disgusting
customs
of
the people-groups
who
previously
lived
there,
people
whom
Yahweh
had
expelled
as
the Israelis
advanced
through
the
land.
\VS{4}Ahaz
offered
sacrifices
{\ADD{
to
idols}}
at
shrines
on hilltops
and
under
every
big
green
tree.
\par }{\PP \VS{5}Therefore
Yahweh
his
God
allowed
his
army
to
be
defeated
by
the
army
of
the
king
of
Syria.
They
captured
many
soldiers
of
Judah
and
took
them
as
prisoners
to
Damascus.
\par }{\PP The
army
of
the
king
of
Israel
also
defeated
the
army
of
Judah
and
killed
very
many
of
their
soldiers.
\VS{6}In
one
day
the
army
of
Remaliah’s
son,
King
Pekah
{\ADD{
of
Israel}},
killed 120,000
soldiers
in
Judah.
That
happened
because
{\ADD{
the
people
of}}
Judah
had
abandoned
Yahweh,
the
God
whom
their
ancestors
{\ADD{
worshiped}}.
\VS{7}Zicri,
a
warrior
from
the
tribe
of
Ephraim,
killed
king
Ahaz’s
son
Maaseiah,
Azrikam
the
officer
in
charge
of
the
palace,
and
Elkanah,
the
king’s
assistant.
\VS{8}The
soldiers
of
Israel
captured 200,000
of
the
people
of
Judah,
including
many
wives
and
sons
and
daughters
{\ADD{
of
the
soldiers
of
Judah}}.
They
also
seized
and
took
back
to
Samaria
many
valuable
things.
\par }{\PP \VS{9}But
a
prophet
of
Yahweh
whose
name
was
Obed
was
there
{\ADD{
in
Samaria}}.
He
went
out
of
the
city
to
meet
the
army
when
it
returned
to
Samaria.
He
said
to
them, “Because
Yahweh,
the
God
whom
your
ancestors
{\ADD{
belonged
to}},
was
angry
with
{\ADD{
the
people
of}}
Judah,
he
allowed
you
to
defeat
them.
But
God
has
seen
the
cruel
way
that
you
slaughtered
them.
\VS{10}And
now
you
want
to
{\ADD{
sin
by}}
causing
men
and
women
from
Judah
to
become
your
slaves,
but
you
have
certainly
also
sinned
against
Yahweh
our
God!
\VS{11}So
listen
to
me!
Send
back
{\ADD{
to
Judah}}
your fellow-countrymen
whom
you
have
captured,
because
Yahweh
is
extremely
angry
with
you
{\ADD{
for
what
you
did
to
them}}.”
\par }{\PP \VS{12}Then
some
of
the
leaders
of
{\ADD{
the
tribe
of}}
Ephraim—Azariah
the
son
of
Jehohanan, Berekiah
the
son
of
Meshillemoth,
Jehizkiah
the
son
of
Shallum,
and
Amasa
the
son
of
Hadlai—rebuked
those
who
were
returning
from
the
battle.
\VS{13}They
said
to
them, “You
must
not
bring
those
prisoners
here!
If
you
do
that,
Yahweh
will
consider
that
we
are
guilty
of
sinning.
We
are
already
guilty
of
committing
many
sins;
do
you
want
to
cause
us
to
be
even
more
guilty
by
committing
another
sin?
God
is
already
very
angry
with
{\ADD{
us
people
of}}
Israel!”
\par }{\PP \VS{14}So,
while
their
leaders
and
others
were
watching,
the
soldiers
released
the
prisoners,
and
also
gave
back
to
them
the
valuable
things
that
they
had
captured.
\VS{15}The
leaders
who
were
selected
took
some
of
the
clothes
that
the
soldiers
had
taken
from
the
prisoners
and
gave
those
clothes
back
to
the
people
who
were
naked.
They
also
gave
to
the
prisoners
sandals
and
other
clothes
and
things
to
eat
and
drink,
and
they
gave
them
olive
oil
to rub
on
their
wounds.
They
gave
donkeys
to
those
who
were
very
weak,
in
order
that
they
could
ride
on
them.
Then
they
led
them
all
to
Jericho,
the
city
that
had
many
palm
trees.
Then
those
leaders
{\ADD{
of
Israel}}
returned
to
Samaria.
\par }{\PP \VS{16}About
that
time,
King
Ahaz
sent
{\ADD{
a
message}}
to
the
king
of
Assyria requesting
help.
\VS{17}{\ADD{
He
did
that
because
the
army
from}}
the
Edom people-group
had
come
again
and
attacked
Judah
and
taken
away
many
of
the
people
of
Judah
as
prisoners.
\VS{18}At
the
same
time,
men
from
Philistia
had
raided/attacked
towns
in
the
foothills
and
in
the
southern
desert
of
Judah.
They
had
captured
Beth-Shemesh,
Aijalon,
and
Gederoth
{\ADD{
cities}},
as
well
as
Soco,
Timnah
and
Gimzo
{\ADD{
towns}}
and
the
nearby
villages.
\VS{19}Yahweh
{\ADD{
allowed
those
things
to
happen
in
order
to}}
humble
king
Ahaz,
because
he
had
encouraged
the
people
of
Judah
to
do
wicked
things
and
had
disobeyed
Yahweh
very
much.
\VS{20}Tiglath-Pileser,
the
king
of
Assyria,
sent
{\ADD{
his
army
saying
that
they
would}}
help
Ahaz,
but
instead
of
helping
him,
they
caused
him
to
experience
trouble.
\VS{21}Ahaz’s
{\ADD{
soldiers}}
took
some
of
the
{\ADD{
valuable}}
things
from
the
temple
and
from
the
king’s
palace
and
from
other
leaders
of
Judah
and
sent
them
to
the
king
of
Assyria
{\ADD{
to
pay
him
to
help
them}},
but
the
king
of
Assyria
refused
to
help
Ahaz.
\par }{\PP \VS{22}While
King
Ahaz
was
experiencing
those
troubles,
he
disobeyed
Yahweh
even
more.
\VS{23}He
offered
sacrifices
to
the
gods
that
were
worshiped
in
Damascus,
whose
{\ADD{
army}}
had
defeated
his
{\ADD{
army}}.
He
thought, “The
gods
that
are
worshiped
by
the
kings
of
Syria
have
helped
them,
so
I
will
offer
sacrifices
to
those
gods
in
order
that
they
will
help
me.”
But
worshiping
those
gods
caused
Ahaz
and
all
of
Israel
to
be
ruined.
\par }{\PP \VS{24}Ahaz
gathered
all
the
furnishings
{\ADD{
that
were
used}}
in
the
temple
and
broke
them
into
pieces.
He
locked
the
doors
of
the
temple
and
set
up
altars
{\ADD{
for
worshiping
idols}}
at
every
street
corner
in
Jerusalem.
\VS{25}In
every
town
in
Judah,
his
workers
built
shrines
to
burn
sacrifices
to
other
gods,
and
that
caused
Yahweh,
the
God
whom
their
ancestors
{\ADD{
worshiped}},
to
be
very
angry.
\par }{\PP \VS{26}A
record
of
the
other
things
that
Ahaz
did
while
he
was
the
king,
from
when
he
started
to
rule
until
he
died,
is
written
in
the
scroll
called ‘The
History
of
the
Kings
of
Judah
and Israel’.
\VS{27}Ahaz
died
and
was
buried
in
Jerusalem,
but
he
was
not
buried
in
the
tombs
where
the
other
kings
{\ADD{
had
been
buried}}.
Then
his
son
Hezekiah
became
the
king.

\par }\Chap{29}{\SH King Hezekiah of Judah
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}Hezekiah
was 25
years
old
when
he
became
the
king
{\ADD{
of
Judah}}.
He
ruled
from
Jerusalem
for 29
years.
His
mother
was
Abijah,
the
daughter
of
{\ADD{
a
man
whose
name
was}}
Zechariah.
\VS{2}Hezekiah
did
things
that
Yahweh
considered
to
be
right,
like
his ancestor
King
David
had
done.
\par }{\SH Hezekiah
purified
the
temple
\par }{\PP \VS{3}During
March
of
the
first
year
that
Hezekiah
was
ruling
Judah,
he unlocked
the
doors
of
the
temple,
and
his
workers
repaired
them.
\VS{4}Then
he
gathered
the
priests
and
other
descendants
of
Levi
in
the
area
on
the
east
side
of
the
temple,
\VS{5}and
he
said
to
them, “You
descendants
of
Levi,
listen
to
me!
Consecrate
yourselves.
And
then
consecrate
the
temple
of
Yahweh,
the
God
whom
our
ancestors
{\ADD{
worshiped/belonged
to}}.
Remove
from
the
temple
all
the
things
that
are
not
pleasing
to
God.
\VS{6}Our
ancestors
disobeyed
God;
they
did
many
things
that
he
considered
to beevil,
things
that werre
not
pleasing
to
him.
They
abandoned
this
place
where
Yahweh
lives,
and
they
have
turned
away
from
him.
\VS{7}They
locked
the
doors
of
the
temple
and
extinguished
the
lamps.
They
did
not
burn
any
incense,
and
they
did
not
offer
any
sacrifices
that
were
to
be
completely
burned
{\ADD{
on
the
altar}}.
\VS{8}Therefore,
Yahweh
has
become
very
angry
with
us
people
of
Jerusalem
and
{\ADD{
other
places
in}}
Judah,
and
he
has
caused
other
people
to
become
frightened
and
horrified
{\ADD{
when
they
hear
what
Yahweh
did
to
punish
us}}.
And
they
ridicule
us.
You
know
this
very
well.
\VS{9}That
is
why
our
fathers
have
been
killed
in
battles,
and
our
sons
and
daughters
and
our
wives
have
been
captured
and
taken
{\ADD{
to
other
countries}}.
\VS{10}But
now
I
intend
to
make
an
agreement
with
Yahweh,
our
God,
in
order
that
he
will
no
longer
be
angry
with
us.
\VS{11}{\ADD{
You
who
are
like}}
my
sons,
do
not
waste
any
time.
{\ADD{
Do
immediately
what
Yahweh
wants
you
to
do.}}
Yahweh
has
chosen
you
to
stand
in
his
presence
and
offer
sacrifices
and
burn
incense.”
\par }{\PP \VS{12}Then
these
descendants
of
Levi
started
to
work
{\ADD{
in
the
temple}}:
\par }{\LI From
the
descendants
of
Kohath
there
were
Mahath
the
son
of
Amasai,
and
Joel
the
son
of
Azariah.
\par }{\LI From
the
descendants
of
Merari
there
were
Kish
the
son
of
Abdi,
and
Azariah
the
son
of
Jehallelel.
\par }{\LI From
the
descendants
of
Gershon
there
were
Joah
the
son
of
Zimmah,
and
Eden
the
son
of
Joah.
\par }{\LI \VS{13}From
the
descendants
of
Elizaphan
there
were
Shimri
and
Jeiel.
\par }{\LI From
the
descendants
of
Asaph
there
were
Zechariah
and
Mattaniah.
\par }{\LI \VS{14}From
the
descendants
of
Heman
there
were
Jehiel
and
Shimei.
\par }{\LI From
the
descendants
of
Jeduthun
there
were
Shemaiah
and
Uzziel.
\par }{\PP \VS{15}When
those
men
had
gathered
their
fellow
descendants
of
Levi
and
had
consecrated
themselves,
they
entered
the
temple
in
order
to
consecrate
it.
That
was
what
the
king
had
commanded
them
to
do,
and
they
were
also
obeying
what
Yahweh
had
commanded.
\VS{16}The
priests
entered
the
temple
to
consecrate
it.
They
brought
out
into
the
courtyard
of
the
temple
everything
that
they
had
found
in
the
temple
that
was
not
pleasing
to
Yahweh.
Then
the
descendants
of
Levi
took
those
things
down
to
the
Kidron
Valley
{\ADD{
and
burned
them
there}}.
\VS{17}The
priests
and
other
descendants
of
Levi
started
this
work
on
the
first
day
of
March
and
finished
purifying
the
courtyard
{\ADD{
of
the
temple}}
on
the
eighth
day
of
that
month,
and
they
finished
purifying
the
temple
one
week
later.
\par }{\PP \VS{18}Then
they
went
to
King
Hezekiah
and
reported, “We
have
purified
all
parts
of
the
temple,
and
the
altar
where
sacrifices
are
completely
burned,
and
all
the
items
used
at
the
altar,
the
table
on
which
the
priests
place
the
sacred
bread,
and
the
things
{\ADD{
used
at
that
table}}.
\VS{19}While
Ahaz
was
our
king,
he
disobeyed
what
Yahweh
had
commanded,
and
he
removed
from
the
temple
many
things
{\ADD{
that
should
be
there}},
but
now
we
have
brought
them
back
and
placed
them
in
front
of
the
sacred
altar.”
\par }{\PP \VS{20}Early
the
next
morning,
King
Hezekiah
gathered
together
the
city
officials,
and
they
went
to
the
{\ADD{
courtyard
of
the}}
temple.
\VS{21}They
took
with
them
seven
bulls,
seven
rams,
seven
male
lambs,
and
seven
male
goats
to
be
an
offering
in
order
that
Yahweh
would
forgive
the
sins
of
all
the
people
in
the
kingdom
of
Judah,
and
in
order
to
purify
the
temple.
The
king
commanded
that
the
priests,
who
were
descendants
of
Aaron,
should
offer
those
animals
to
be
sacrificed
to
Yahweh
on
the
altar.
\VS{22}So
first
the
priests
slaughtered
those
bulls,
and
took
their
blood
and
sprinkled
it
on
the
altar.
Then
they
slaughtered
the
rams
and
sprinkled
their
blood
on
the
altar.
Then
they
slaughtered
the
lambs
and
sprinkled
their
blood
on
the
altar.
\VS{23}The
goats
that
were
slaughtered
to
be
an
offering
in
order
that
Yahweh
would
forgive
the
sins
of
the
people
were
brought
to
the
king
and
the
others
who
were
there.
Then
the
king
and
those
who
were
present
laid
their
hands
on
those
goats.
\VS{24}Then
the
priests
slaughtered
those
goats
and
splashed
their
blood
on
the
altar
in
order
that
Yahweh
would
forgive
the
sins
that
all
the Israeli
people
had
committed.
The
priests
did
that
because
the
king
had
commanded
that
offerings
that
would
be
completely
burned
{\ADD{
on
the
altar}}
and
other
sacrifices
should
be
made
for
all
the
people
of
Israel.
\par }{\PP \VS{25}The
king
then
told
the
descendants
of
Levi
to
stand
in
the
temple
with
their
cymbals
and
harps
and
lyres,
obeying
what
David
and
his
prophets
Gad
and
Nathan
had
commanded.
Those
were
things
that
Yahweh
had
told
his
prophets
that
the
descendants
of
Levi
should
do.
\VS{26}So
the
descendants
of
Levi
{\ADD{
went
and}}
stood
in
the
temple,
ready
to
play
the
musical
instruments
that
King
David
had
given
to
them.
And
the
priests
were
ready
to
blow
their
trumpets.
\par }{\PP \VS{27}Then
Hezekiah
told
some
of
the
priests
to
burn
the
animals
that
would
be
sacrificed
on
the
altar.
When
they
started
to
burn
the
animals,
the
people
started
to
sing
to
{\ADD{
praise}}
Yahweh,
while
the
other
descendants
of
Levi
were
playing
their
instruments.
\VS{28}All
the
people
who
were
there
bowed
to
worship
Yahweh,
while
the
singers
sang
and
the
trumpeters
blew
their
trumpets.
They
continued
to
do
this
until
they
had
finished
slaughtering
all
the
animals
that
would
be
completely
burned.
\par }{\PP \VS{29}When
they
finished
making
those
offerings,
the
king
and
all
those
who
were
there
knelt
down
and
worshiped
Yahweh.
\VS{30}Then
King
Hezekiah
and
his
officials
commanded
the
descendants
of
Levi
to
praise
Yahweh,
singing
the
songs
{\ADD{
composed/written}}
by
David
and
Asaph
the
prophet.
So
they
sang
songs
joyfully
and
bowed
their
heads
to
worship.
\par }{\PP \VS{31}Then
Hezekiah
said, “You
have
now
dedicated
yourselves
to
Yahweh.
So
come
close
to
the
temple
and
bring
animals
to
be
sacrificed
and
other
offerings
to
thank
{\ADD{
Yahweh
for
what
he
has
done
for
you}}.”
And
those
who
wanted
to
bring
animals
to
be
completely
burned
{\ADD{
on
the
altar}}
brought
them.
\par }{\PP \VS{32}Altogether
they
brought 70
bulls, 100
rams,
and 200
male
lambs
to
be
completely
burned
on
the
altar.
\VS{33}The
other
animals
that
they
brought
were 600
bulls
and 3,000
sheep
and
goats
that
were
set
apart
to
be
sacrifices.
\VS{34}But
there
were
not
enough
priests
to
remove
the
skins
from
the
animals
that
would
be
completely
burned
{\ADD{
on
the
altar}}.
So
their
fellow
descendants
of
Levi
helped
them
until
that
work
was
finished,
and
until
other
priests
had
purified/consecrated
themselves
to
do
that
work.
It
was
necessary
for
them
to
do
that
because
many
of
the
priests
had
not
yet
performed
the rituals
to
consecrate
themselves
for
that
work,
like
the
descendants
of
Levi
had
done.
\par }{\PP \VS{35}In
addition
to
the
all
the
offerings
that
were
completely
burned
{\ADD{
on
the
altar}},
the
priests
also
burned
the
fat
of
the
other
animals
that
were
sacrificed
to
maintain
good
fellowship
with
Yahweh,
and
the
usual
wine
offerings.
\par }{\PP So
the
worship
at
the
temple
began
again.
\VS{36}And
Hezekiah
and
all
the
other
people
of
Judah
celebrated,
because
God
had
enabled
them
to
do
all
those
things
very
quickly.

\par }\Chap{30}{\SH Preparations to celebrate the Passover Festival
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1-3}The
king
and
his
officials
and
all
the
other
people
who
had
gathered
in
Jerusalem
wanted
to
celebrate
the
Passover
Festival.
But
they
were
not
able
to
celebrate
it
at
the
usual
time,
because
many
of
the
priests
had
still
not
performed
the rituals
to
purify
themselves;
therefore
they
were
not
allowed
to
do
serve
in
the
festival.
Also,
everyone
had
still
not
come
to
Jerusalem
{\ADD{
to
celebrate
the
Passover}}.
So
they
decided
to
celebrate
it
one
month
later
than
usual.
\VS{4}The
king
and
all
the
other
people
who
had
gathered
thought
that
was
a
good
plan.
\VS{5}So
they
decided
to
send
messages
to
all
the
towns
in
Judah
and
in
Israel,
from
Beersheba
{\ADD{
in
the
far
south}}
to
Dan
{\ADD{
in
the
far
north}},
including
towns
in
the
tribes
of
Ephraim
and
Manasseh,
to
invite
people
to
come
to
the
temple
in
Jerusalem
to
celebrate
the
Passover
{\ADD{
Festival}}
to
{\ADD{
honor}}
Yahweh,
the
God
whom
the Israeli
people
{\ADD{
worshiped/belonged
to}}.
Many
of
the
people
had
not
previously
celebrated
that
festival,
even
though
it
had
been
written
{\ADD{
in
the
laws
of
Moses
that
they
should
do
that}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{6}Obeying
what
the
king
commanded,
messengers
went
throughout
Judah
and
Israel,
taking
messages
that
had
been
written
by
the
king
and
his
officials.
This
is
what
they
wrote:
\par }{\PI “You Israeli
people,
you
who
survived
after
being
slaves
of
the
kings
of
Assyria,
return
to
Yahweh,
the
God
whom
{\ADD{
our
great
ancestors}}
Abraham,
Isaac,
and
Jacob
{\ADD{
worshiped/belonged
to}},
in
order
that
he
may
return
to
you.
Your
fathers
and
brothers
did
not
faithfully
obey
Yahweh,
the
God
whom
our
ancestors
{\ADD{
worshiped}}.
\VS{7}Do
not
act
like
they
did,
because
what
they
did
caused
other
people
to
become
disgusted
with
them.
\VS{8}Do
not
be
stubborn
as
our
ancestors
were.
Do
what
Yahweh
desires.
Come
{\ADD{
to
Jerusalem}}
to
the
temple,
which
he
has
set
apart
forever.
Do
what
pleases
Yahweh
our
God,
in
order
that
he
will
no
longer
be
angry
with
you.
\VS{9}If
you
return
to
Yahweh,
the
people
who
have
captured
our
brothers
{\ADD{
and
sisters}}
and
our
children
will
be
kind
to
them,
and
allow
them
to
return
to
this
land.
Do
not
forget
that
Yahweh
our
God
is
kind
and
merciful.
If
you
return
to
him,
he
will
no
longer
reject
you.”
\par }{\PP \VS{10}The
messengers
went
to
all
the
towns
in
the
tribes
of
Ephraim
and
Manasseh,
as
far
{\ADD{
north}}
as
the
tribe
of
Zebulun,
{\ADD{
and
gave
them
this
message,}}
but
most
of
the
people
there
scorned
them
and ridiculed
them.
\VS{11}But
some
of
the
people
of
{\ADD{
the
tribes
of}}
Asher,
Manasseh,
and
Zebulun
humbled
themselves
and
went
to
Jerusalem.
\VS{12}Also
in
Judah
God
motivated
the
people
to
be
united
in
wanting
to
do
what
Yahweh
wanted
them
to
do,
which
is
what
the
king
and
his
officials
had
told
them
to
do
in
the
message
that
they
sent.
\par }{\SH They
celebrated
the
Passover
Festival
\par }{\PP \VS{13}So
a
huge
crowd
of
people
gathered
in
Jerusalem
in
May,
to
celebrate
the
Festival
of
Eating
Unleavened
Bread.
\VS{14}They
removed
the
altars
{\ADD{
of
Baal}}
in
Jerusalem
and
took
away
the
altars
for
burning
incense
{\ADD{
to
honor
other
gods,
and
burned
them}}
in
Kidron
Valley.
\par }{\PP \VS{15}They
slaughtered
the
Passover
lambs
on
the
fourteenth
day
of
that
month.
Some
of
the
priests
and
the
other
descendants
of
Levi
were
ashamed
{\ADD{
because
they
had
not
performed
the rituals
to
cause
them
to
be
acceptable
to
work
for
Yahweh}}.
So
they
performed
those rituals,
and
brought
to
the
temple
animals
to
be
completely
burned
{\ADD{
on
the
altar}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{16}Then
they
stood
at
the
places
where
Moses
had
written
in
his
laws
that
they
should
stand.
Then
the
descendants
of
Levi
gave
to
the
priests
{\ADD{
bowls
containing
blood
of
the
animals
that
were
being
sacrificed}},
and
the
priests
sprinkled
{\ADD{
the
altar}}
with
some
of
the
blood.
\VS{17}Many
people
in
the
crowd
had
not
purified
themselves,
and
therefore
they
were
not
able
to
kill
the
lambs
{\ADD{
and
dedicate
them}}
to
Yahweh.
So
it
was
necessary
for
the
descendants
of
Levi
to
kill
the
lambs
for
them.
\VS{18}Although
most
of
the
people
who
had
come
from
{\ADD{
the
tribes
of}}
Ephraim,
Manasseh,
and
Issachar
had
not
purified
themselves,
they
ate
the
food
of
the
Passover
Festival anyway, ignoring
the
rules
written
{\ADD{
by
Moses}}.
But
Hezekiah
prayed
for
them,
saying “Yahweh,
you
always
do
what
is
good;
I
pray
that
you
will
forgive
everyone
\VS{19}who
sincerely
wants
to
honor
you,
the
God
whom
our
ancestors
{\ADD{
worshiped}},
even
if
they
have
not
purified
themselves
by
obeying
the
sacred
laws
that
you
gave
to
us.”
\VS{20}And
Yahweh
heard
what
Hezekiah
prayed;
he
forgave
the
people,
{\ADD{
and
did
not
punish
them}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{21}The Israeli
people
who
were
there
in
Jerusalem
celebrated
the
Festival
of
Eating
Unleavened
Bread
for
seven
days.
They
rejoiced
greatly
as
they
celebrated,
while
the
priests
and
other
descendants
of
Levi
sang
to
Yahweh
every
day,
and
played
musical
instruments
to
{\ADD{
praise}}
God.
\par }{\PP \VS{22}Hezekiah
thanked
all
the
descendants
of
Levi
for
doing
this
work
for
Yahweh,
and
for
very
skillfully
leading
the
people
who
were
worshiping.
For
those
seven
days
the
people
ate
the
Passover
food
and
brought
offerings
to
maintain
fellowship
with
Yahweh
and
praised
Yahweh,
the
God
whom
their
ancestors
{\ADD{
belonged
to/had
worshiped}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{23}Then
the
whole
group
decided
to
celebrate
for
seven
more
days,
so
they
did:
They
celebrated
joyfully
for
seven
more
days.
\VS{24}King
Hezekiah
provided 1,000
bulls
and 7,000
sheep
to
be
slaughtered
for
the
people
{\ADD{
to
eat
during
the
festival}},
and
the
officials
also
gave
them 1,000
bulls
and 10,000
sheep
and
goats.
Many
priests
consecrated
themselves.
\VS{25}All
the
people
of
Judah
rejoiced,
including
the
priests
and
other
descendants
of
Levi
and
all
the
people
from
Israel
who
had
come,
and
including
some
from
other
countries
who
were
living
in
Israel
and
some
from
other
countries
who
were
living
in
Judah.
\VS{26}Everyone
in
Jerusalem
was
very
joyful,
because
nothing
like
this
had
happened
in
Jerusalem
since
the
time
when
David’s
son
Solomon
was
the
king
of
Israel.
\VS{27}The
priests
and
the
other
descendants
of
Levi
stood
up
to
bless
the
people,
and
God
heard
them
in
heaven,
the
holy
place
where
he
lives.

\par }\Chap{31}{\PP \VerseOne{1}After
the
festival
ended,
the Israelis
who
were
there
went
to
all
the
towns
in
Judah
and
smashed
the
stones/pillars
{\ADD{
for
worshiping
idols}},
and
cut
down
the
poles
{\ADD{
for
worshiping
the
goddess}}
Asherah.
They
destroyed
the
shrines
on
the hilltops
and
the
altars
{\ADD{
of
Baal}}
throughout
the
areas
where
the
tribes
of
Judah
and
Benjamin
lived,
and
also
in
the
areas
of
the
tribes
of
Ephraim
and
Manasseh.
After
destroying
all
of
them,
they
returned
to
their
own
towns.
\par }{\SH The
offerings
for
the
priests
and
Levites
\par }{\PP \VS{2}Hezekiah
divided
the
priests
and
{\ADD{
other}}
descendants
of
Levi
into
groups.
He
appointed
some
of
the
groups
to
offer
sacrifices
that
would
be
completely
burned
{\ADD{
on
the
altar}}
and
offerings
to
maintain
fellowship
{\ADD{
with
Yahweh}}.
He
appointed
some
groups
to
do
other
work
at
the
temple:
some
to
lead
the
people
in
their
worship,
some
to
thank
Yahweh,
and
some
to
sing
songs
to
praise
to
Yahweh
at
the
gates
of
the
temple.
\VS{3}The
king
contributed
some
of
his
own funds
to
buy
animals
that
would
be
sacrificed
in
the
morning
and
in
the
evening
of
each
day,
and
on
the
Sabbath
days,
to
celebrate
the
new
moons,
and
during
the
other
feasts,
according
to
what
was
written
in
the
laws
{\ADD{
that
Yahweh
gave
to
Moses}}.
\VS{4}Hezekiah
told
the
people
living
in
Jerusalem
to
give
to
the
priests
and
the
other
descendants
of
Levi
the
portions
{\ADD{
of
meat}}
that
should
be
given
to
them,
in
order
that
they
could
devote
all
their
time
to
obeying
the
laws
of
Yahweh.
\VS{5}As
soon
as
he
told
that
to
the
people,
they
generously
gave
the
first
part
of
their
harvest
of
grain,
and
the
first
part
of
the
new
wine
{\ADD{
that
they
produced}},
and
{\ADD{
olive}}
oil
and
honey,
and
of
the
crops
that
grew
in
their
fields.
They
brought
{\ADD{
to
the
temple}}
a
tenth
of
all
their
crops.
\VS{6}The
men
of
Israel
and
Judah
who
were
living
in
various
towns
in
Judah
also
brought
a
tenth
of
their
cattle
and
sheep
and
goats,
and
a
tenth
of
other
things
that
they
had
dedicated
to
Yahweh
their
God,
and
they
piled
all
those
things
in
heaps.
\VS{7}They
started
to
do
that
in
May
and
finished
doing
it
in September.
\VS{8}When
Hezekiah
and
his
officials
saw
the
heaps,
they
praised
Yahweh
and
{\ADD{
requested
God
to}}
bless
the
people.
\par }{\PP \VS{9}But
Hezekiah
asked
the
priests
and
other
descendants
of
Levi, “Why
are
these
heaps
of
things
here?”
\VS{10}Then
Azariah
the
{\ADD{Supreme}}
Priest,
a
descendant
of
Zadok,
replied, “Since
the
time
that
the
people
started
to
bring
their
offerings
to
the
temple,
we
have
had
even
more
food
than
we
need.
This
has
happened
because
Yahweh
has
greatly
blessed
our
fellow Israelis,
with
the
result
that
all
this
is
left
over
{\ADD{
after
we
priests
and
other
descendants
of
Levi
took
all
that
we
need}}!”
\par }{\PP \VS{11}Then
Hezekiah
ordered
that
they
should
prepare storerooms
in
the
temple.
So
they
did
that.
\VS{12}Then
they
brought
into
the storerooms
all
the
tithes
and
offerings
and
the
things
dedicated
to
Yahweh
{\ADD{
which
the
people
had
brought}}.
One
of
the
descendants
of
Levi
whose
name
was
Conaniah
was
in
charge
of
those
things,
and
his
{\ADD{
younger}}
brother
Shimei
was
his
assistant.
\VS{13}Those
two
men
supervised
Jehiel,
Azaziah,
Nahath,
Asahel,
Jerimoth,
Jozabad,
Eliel,
Ismakiah,
Mahath
and
Benaiah
while
they
did
the
work.
They
were
appointed
by
King
Hezekiah;
Azariah
was
in
charge
of
{\ADD{
everything
that
was
done
in}}
the
temple.
\par }{\PP \VS{14}Kore
the
son
of
Imnah,
another
descendant
of
Levi,
who
guarded
the
east
gate
of
the
temple,
was
in
charge
of
the
offerings
to
God
that
were
made
voluntarily.
He
distributed
to
the
priests
and
{\ADD{
other}}
descendants
of
Levi
the
offerings
and
other
things
that
were
dedicated
to
Yahweh.
\VS{15}Eden,
Miniamin,
Jeshua,
Shemaiah,
Amariah
and
Shecaniah
faithfully
assisted
him
in
the
towns
where
the
priests
lived.
They
distributed
those
things
to
the
groups
of
their
fellow
priests;
they
distributed
them
to
everyone, ifrom
the
youngest
to
the
oldest.
\par }{\PP \VS{16}They
also
distributed
things
to
the
males
who
were
at
least 30
years
old,
those
whose
names
were
written
on
the scrolls
where lists
of
family
names
were
written.
They
were
males
who
{\ADD{
were
allowed
to}}
enter
the
temple
to
perform
their
tasks/work
each
day,
the
tasks
that
each
group
had
been
assigned
to
do.
\VS{17}The
names
of
the
priests
were
on
the scrolls
where
their clans’
names
were
written.
They
also
distributed
things
to
groups
of
{\ADD{
other}}
descendants
of
Levi,
those
who
were
at
least 20
years
old.
\VS{18}They
included
all
their
little
children
and
wives
and
other
sons
and
daughters
whose
names
were
on
the scrolls
where
their clans’
names
were
written,
because
they
also
faithfully
had
dedicated
themselves
to
Yahweh.
\par }{\PP \VS{19}{\ADD{
Hezekiah}}
also
appointed
other
men
to
distribute
portions
of
those
offerings
to
the
priests
and
other
descendants
of
Levi
who
were
living
in
the
pasturelands
around
the
towns
in
Judah.
But
they
gave
things
only
to
those
who
were
descendants
of
Aaron
{\ADD{
the
first Supreme
Priest}},
whose
names
were
on
the scrolls
containing
the
names
of
their
clans.
\par }{\PP \VS{20}That
is
what
Hezekiah
did
throughout
Judah.
He
always
faithfully
did
things
that
Yahweh
his
God
considered
to
be
right
and
good.
\VS{21}In
everything
that
he
did
for
the
worship
in
the
temple,
and
as
he
obeyed
God’s
laws
and
commands,
he
tried
to
find
out
what
his
God
wanted,
and
he
worked
energetically.
So
he
was
successful.

\par }\Chap{32}{\SH The army of King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}After
King
Hezekiah
had
obeyed
Yahweh’s
instructions
and
had
done
all
those
things,
King
Sennacherib
of
Assyria
came
{\ADD{
with
his
army}}
and
invaded
Judah.
He
commanded
his
soldiers
to
surround
the
cities
that
had
walls
around
them,
thinking
that
they
would
{\ADD{
break
through
those
walls
and}}
conquer
those
cities.
\VS{2}When
Hezekiah
saw
that
Sennacherib
had
come
{\ADD{
with
his
army}}
and
that
they
intended
to
attack
Jerusalem,
\VS{3-4}he
consulted
with
his
officials
and
army
leaders.
They
said
among
themselves, “Why
should
we
allow
the
king
of
Assyria
{\ADD{
and
his
army}}
to
come
and
find
plenty
of
water
to
drink?”
So
they
decided
to
stop
the
water
from
flowing
outside
the
city.
So
a
large
group
of
men
gathered
together
and
blocked
all
the
springs
and
the
stream
that
flowed
through
that
area.
\VS{5}Then
they
worked
hard
to
repair
all
the
sections
of
the
city
wall
that
had
been
broken,
and
they
built watchtowers
on
the
walls.
They
built
another
wall
outside/around
the
wall
that
was
already
outside
the
city,
and
they
strengthened
the
defenses
on
the sloping
terraces
{\ADD{
on
the
east
side
of
the
area
called ‘The
City
of David’}}.
They
also
made
a
large
number
of
weapons
and
shields.
\par }{\PP \VS{6}Hezekiah
appointed
army
commanders,
and
he
gathered
them
in
front
of
him
in
the
square
at
one
of
the
city
gates,
and
he
encouraged
them
by
saying
this
to
them:
\VS{7}“Be
strong
and
courageous.
Do
not
be
afraid
or
discouraged
on
account
of
the
king
of
Assyria
and
the
huge
army
that
is
with
him,
because
{\ADD{
Yahweh}}
is
with
us,
and
his
{\ADD{
power}}
is
greater
than
their
{\ADD{
power}}.
\VS{8}They
have
to
rely
on
the
power
of humans,
but
we
have
Yahweh
our
God
to
help
us
and
to
fight
battles
for
us.”
So
the
people
became
more
confident
because
of
what
Hezekiah,
the
king
of
Judah,
said.
\par }{\PP \VS{9}Later,
when
Sennacherib
and
all
his
soldiers
were
surrounding
Lachish
{\ADD{
city}},
he
sent
some
officers
to
Jerusalem
to
give
this
message
to
King
Hezekiah
and
to
all
the
people
of
Judah
who
were
there:
\par }{\PI \VS{10}“{\ADD{
I
am}}
Sennacherib,
the
{\ADD{
great}}
king
of
Assyria,
{\ADD{
and}}
this
is
what
I
say: 'While
you
are
staying
in
Jerusalem,
my
soldiers
are
surrounding
the
city.
So
why [RHQ]
are
you
so
confident?
\VS{11}Hezekiah
says
to
you, “Yahweh
our
God
will
save
us
from
{\ADD{
being
defeated
by
the
army
of}}
the
king
of
Assyria,”
but
he
is
misleading
you.
He
wants
you
to
die
from
having
no
food
or
water.
\VS{12}Isn’t
Hezekiah
the
one
who
told
his
men
to
get
rid
of
your
god
Yahweh’s
shrines
and
altars
on
the hilltops,
saying
to
{\ADD{
you
people
of}}
Jerusalem
and
other
places
in
Judah, “You
must
worship
at
only
one
altar
and
burn
sacrifices
on
only
that
altar”?
\par }{\PI \VS{13-14}'Do
you
people
not
know
what
I
and
my
ancestors
have
done
to
all
the people-groups
in
other
countries?
{\ADD{
We
destroyed
them
all,
and}}
none
of
the
gods
of
those
nations
were
ever
able
to
prevent
my
{\ADD{
troops}}
from
conquering
them!
So
how
can
your
god
prevent
my
soldiers
from
conquering
you?
\VS{15}So
do
not
allow
Hezekiah
to
deceive
you
like
this.
Do
not
believe
what
he
says,
because
no
god
of
any
nation
or
kingdom
has
ever
been
able
to
rescue
his
people
from
being
conquered
by
my
army
and
the
armies
of
my
ancestors.
So
certainly
your
god
will
not
be
able
to
rescue
you
from
my power' .”
\par }{\PP \VS{16}Sennacherib’s
officers
said
more
things
to belittle
Yahweh
the
God
of
the Israelis
and
Hezekiah,
who
served
God
{\ADD{
well}}.
\VS{17}King
Sennacherib
wrote
more
letters insulting
Yahweh,
the
God
whom
the Israelis
{\ADD{
belonged
to/worshiped}}.
He
said
things
like
this: “The
gods
{\ADD{
worshiped
by}}
the people-groups
in
other
countries
did
not
rescue
their
people
from
my
power.
Similarly,
the
god
of
Hezekiah
will
not
rescue
his
people
from
my
power.”
\VS{18}Then
King Sennachereb’s
officers
shouted
in
the
Hebrew
language
to
the
people
who
were
on
the
wall,
in
order
to
cause
them
to
be
terrified,
thinking
that
as
a
result
the
army
of
Assyria
could
capture
the
city
{\ADD{
without
a
battle}}.
\VS{19}They belittled
the
God
{\ADD{
worshiped
by
the
people}}
of
Jerusalem
as
they belittled
the
gods
of
the
other people-groups
of
the
world—saying
that
they
were
only
{\ADD{
idols}}
made
by humans.
\par }{\PP \VS{20}Then
King
Hezekiah
and
the
prophet
Isaiah
cried
out
to
God,
praying
about
this.
\VS{21}And
{\ADD{
that
night}}
Yahweh
sent
an
angel
who
killed
all
the
soldiers
of
Assyria
and
their
leaders
and
their
officers
in
the
place
where
the
king
of
Assyria
and
his
army
had
set
up
their
tents.
So
the
king
of
Assyria
left
and
returned
to
his
own
country,
very
disgraced.
And
one
day
when
he
went
into
the
temple
of
his
god,
some
of
his
sons
struck
him
with
their
swords
and
killed
him.
\par }{\PP \VS{22}That
is
how
Yahweh
rescued
Hezekiah
and
the
people
of
Jerusalem
from
the
power
of
Sennacherib,
the
king
of
Assyria,
and
from
their
other
enemies.
Yahweh
took
care
of
them (OR,
gave
them
peace)
everywhere
in
the
country.
\VS{23}Many
people
brought
offerings
for
Yahweh
to
Jerusalem,
and
also
brought
valuable
gifts
for
King
Hezekiah.
And
from
that
time,
Hezekiah
was
highly
respected/honored
by
the
people
of
all
the
other
nations.
\par }{\SH Hezekiah
became
proud
\par }{\PP \VS{24}About
that
time,
Hezekiah
became
very
ill.
He
was
about
to
die.
But
he
prayed
to
Yahweh,
and
Yahweh
answered
his
prayer.
He
performed
a
miracle
{\ADD{
and
healed
Hezekiah}}.
\VS{25}But
Hezekiah [SYN]
was
very
proud,
and
he
did
not
thank
Yahweh
for
being
kind
to
him.
Therefore
Yahweh
was
angry
with
him
and
{\ADD{
and
punished
him}}
and
{\ADD{
the
people
of}}
Jerusalem
and
other
places
in
Judah.
\VS{26}Then
Hezekiah
said
that
he
was
sorry
for
being
proud,
and
the
people
of
Jerusalem
also
said
that
they
were
sorry
{\ADD{
for
their
sins}}.
So
Yahweh
did
not
punish
them
during
the
remaining
years
that
Hezekiah
{\ADD{
was
their
king}}.
\par }{\SH Hezekiah
became
very
rich
\par }{\PP \VS{27}Hezekiah
became
very
rich
and
was
greatly
honored.
His
{\ADD{
workers}}
made storerooms
for
his
silver
and
gold,
and
for
his
very
valuable
stones,
and
for
spices
and
shields
and
other
valuable
things.
\VS{28}{\ADD{
His
workers}}
also
built
buildings
to
store
the
grain
and
wine
and
{\ADD{
olive}}
oil
{\ADD{
that
people
produced
and
brought
to
him}}.
They
also
made
stalls
for
various
kinds
of
cattle
and
pens
for
his
flocks
{\ADD{
of
sheep
and
goats}}.
\VS{29}They
built
towns
and
acquired
for
the
king
many
flocks
{\ADD{
of
sheep
and
goats}}
and
herds
{\ADD{
of
cattle}},
because
God
had
enabled
him
to
become
very
rich.
\par }{\PP \VS{30}Hezekiah
was
the
one
who
told
his
workers
to
block
the
place
where
the
water
flows
out
of
the
Gihon
Spring,
and
to
build
a
tunnel
through
which
the
water
flowed
to
the
west
side
of
the
area
called ‘The
City
of David’.
He
was
able
to
do
everything
that
he
wanted
to
do.
\VS{31}But
when
messengers
who
were
sent
by
the
rulers
of
Babylon
came
and
asked
about
the
miracle
that
God
had
performed
for
him,
God
allowed
Hezekiah
to
say
what
he
himself
wanted
to
say,
in
order
to
test
{\ADD{
whether
or
not
Hezekiah
would
admit
that
God
had
performed
a
miracle}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{32}A
record
of
the
other
things
that
happened
while
Hezekiah
was
ruling,
and
the
things
that
he
did
to
please
God,
is
on
the
scroll
in
which
is
written
the
vision
that
{\ADD{
Yahweh
gave
to}}
the
prophet
Isaiah.
It
is
also
written
in
the
scroll
called ‘The
History
of
the
Kings
of
Judah
and Israel’.
\VS{33}When
Hezekiah
died,
he
was
buried
in
the
tombs
where
the
most
respected
kings
{\ADD{
of
Judah}}
were
buried.
Everyone
in
Jerusalem
and
other
places
in
Judah
honored
him.
Then
his
son
Manasseh
became
the
king.

\par }\Chap{33}{\SH King Manasseh of Judah
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}Manasseh
was 12
years
old
when
he
became
the
king
{\ADD{
of
Judah}},
and
he
ruled
from
Jerusalem
for 55
years.
\VS{2}He
did
many
things
that
Yahweh
considered
to
be
evil.
He imitated
the
disgusting
things
that
were
formerly
done
by
the people-groups
that
Yahweh
had
expelled
from
Israel
as
his
people
advanced
{\ADD{
though
the
land}}.
\VS{3}He
commanded
his
workers
to
rebuild
the
shrines
{\ADD{
for
worshiping
idols}}
that
his
father
Hezekiah
had
destroyed.
He
told
them
to
set
up
altars
to
{\ADD{
honor}}
the
statues
of
Baal,
and
to
make
altars
to
{\ADD{
honor
the
goddess}}
Asherah.
He
bowed
down
to
{\ADD{
worship}}
all
the
stars.
\VS{4}He
directed
his
workers
to
build
altars
{\ADD{
for
foreign
gods}}
in
the
temple,
about
which
Yahweh
had
said, “It
is
here
in
Jerusalem
that
I
want
people
to
worship
me,
forever.”
\VS{5}He
directed
that
altars
for
{\ADD{
worshiping}}
all
the
stars
be
built
in
both
of
the
courtyards
outside
the
temple.
\VS{6}He
even
sacrificed
{\ADD{
some
of}}
his
own
sons
and
burned
them
in
a
fire
in
Hinnom
Valley.
He
performed rituals
to
practice
sorcery.
He
asked
fortune-tellers
for
advice.
He
performed
witchcraft.
He
talked
to
people
who
consulted
the
spirits
of
people
who
had
died
to
find
out
what
would
happen
in
the
future.
He
did
many
things
that
Yahweh conidered
o
be
very
evil,
things
that
caused
Yahweh
to
become
very
angry.
\par }{\PP \VS{7}Manasseh
took
a
carved
idol
{\ADD{
that
his
workers
had
made}}
and
put
it
in
the
temple.
That
is
the
temple
concerning
which
God
had
said
to
David
and
to
his
son
Solomon, “My
temple
will
be
here
in
Jerusalem,
the
city
that
I
have
chosen
{\ADD{
where
I
want
people
to}}
worship
me,
forever.
\VS{8}If
they
will
obey
all
the
laws
and
decrees
and
regulations
that
I
told
Moses
to
give
to
them,
I
will
not
again
force
the Israeli
people
to
leave
this
land
that
I
gave
to
their
ancestors.”
\VS{9}But
Manasseh
led
the
people
of
Jerusalem
and
other
places
in
Judah
to
do
things
that
are
wrong,
with
the
result
that
they
did
more
evil
than
was
done
by
the
people
in
the people-groups
that
Yahweh
had
expelled
as
the Israeli
people
advanced
{\ADD{
through
the
land}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{10}Yahweh
spoke
to
Manasseh
and
the
people
of
Judah,
but
they
paid
no
attention.
\VS{11}So
Yahweh
caused
the
army
commanders
of
Assyria
{\ADD{
and
their
soldiers}}
to
{\ADD{
come
to
Jerusalem,
and
they}}
captured
Manasseh.
They
put
a
hook
in
his
nose
and
put
bronze
chains
on
his
{\ADD{
feet}}
and
took
him
to
Babylon.
\VS{12}There,
while
he
was
suffering,
he
humbled
himself
greatly
in
the
presence
of
Yahweh,
the
God
whom
his
ancestors
{\ADD{
worshiped}},
and
pleaded
with
Yahweh
to
help
him.
\VS{13}When
he
prayed,
Yahweh
heard
him
and
pitied
him.
So
he
{\ADD{
allowed
him
to}}
return
to
Jerusalem
and
{\ADD{
to}}
rule
his
kingdom
again.
Then
Manasseh
realized
that
Yahweh
is
{\ADD{
an all-powerful}}
God.
\par }{\PP \VS{14}Later,
Manasseh’s
{\ADD{
workers}}
rebuilt
the
eastern
section
of
the
outer
wall
around
Jerusalem,
and
{\ADD{
they}}
made
it
higher.
That
section
extended
from
Gihon
Spring
{\ADD{
north}}
to
the
Fish
Gate,
and
around
the
part
of
the
city
that
they
called
Ophel
{\ADD{
Hill}}.
Manasseh
also
appointed
army
officers
to
guard
each
of
the
cities
in
Judah
that
had
walls
around
them.
\VS{15}Manasseh’s
{\ADD{
workers}}
removed
from
the
temple
the
idols
and
the
stone
statues
of
gods
of
other
nations.
Manasseh
also
{\ADD{
told
them
to}}
remove
the
altars
that
they
had
previously
built
on
Zion
Hill
and
in
{\ADD{
other
places
in}}
Jerusalem.
He
had
all
those
things
thrown
out
of
the
city.
\VS{16}Then
he
{\ADD{
told
them
to}}
repair
the
altar
of
Yahweh,
and
he
offered
sacrifices
to
restore
fellowship
with
Yahweh
and
to
thank
him.
And
he
told
{\ADD{
the
people
of}}
Judah
that
they
must
worship
{\ADD{
only}}
Yahweh.
\VS{17}The
people
continued
to
offer
sacrifices
on
the hilltops,
but
only
to
Yahweh
their
God.
\par }{\PP \VS{18}The
other
things
that
happened
while
Manasseh
was
ruling,
including
his
prayer
to
God
and
the
messages
from
Yahweh
that
the
prophets
gave
to
him,
are
written
in
the
scroll
called ‘The
History
of
the
Kings
of Israel’.
\VS{19}What
Manasseh
prayed
and
how
God
pitied
him
because
he
pleaded
to
God,
and
also
his
sins
and
ways
in
which
he
disobeyed
God,
and
the
{\ADD{
list
of}}
places
where
he
built
shrines
and
set
up
poles
to
{\ADD{
honor
the
goddess}}
Asherah
and
other
idols
{\ADD{
before
he
humbled
himself}},
are
written
in
what
the
prophets
wrote.
\VS{20}Manasseh
died
and
was
buried
in
his
palace.
Then
his
son
Amon
became
the
king
{\ADD{
of
Judah}}.
\par }{\SH King
Amon
of
Judah
\par }{\PP \VS{21}Amon
was 22
years
old
when
he
became
king,
and
he
ruled
in
Jerusalem
for
two
years.
\VS{22}He
did
things
that
Yahweh
considered
to
be
evil,
like
his
father
Manasseh
had
done.
Amon
worshiped
all
the
idols
that
Manasseh’s
{\ADD{
workers}}
had
made.
\VS{23}But
he
did
not
humble
himself
and
turn
to
Yahweh
like
his
father
did.
So
he
became
more
sinful
than
his
father
had
been.
\par }{\PP \VS{24}Then
Amon’s
officials
made
plans
to
kill
him.
They
assassinated
him
in
his
palace.
\VS{25}But
then
the
people
of
Judah
killed
all
those
who
had
assassinated
Amon,
and
they
appointed
his
son
Josiah
to
be
their
king.

\par }\Chap{34}{\SH King Josiah of Judah
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}Josiah
was
eight
years
old
when
he
became
the
king
{\ADD{
of
Judah}}.
He
ruled
from
Jerusalem
for 31
years.
\VS{2}He
did
things
that
were
pleasing
to
Yahweh
and
conducted
his
life
like
his ancestor
King
David
had
done.
He
fully
obeyed [IDM]
all
the
laws
of
God.
\par }{\PP \VS{3}When
he
had
been
ruling
for
almost
eight
years,
while
he
was
still
a
young
man,
he
began
to
worship
God
like
his ancestor
{\ADD{
King}}
David
had
done.
Four
years
later,
he
began
to
get
rid
of
all
the
pagan
shrines
on hilltops
in
Jerusalem
and
in
{\ADD{
other
places
in}}
Judah,
and
the
poles
to
{\ADD{
honor
the
goddess}}
Asherah,
and
the
carved
idols
and
statues
of
gods.
\VS{4}While
he
directed
them,
his
workers
tore
down
the
altars
where
people
worshiped
Baal.
They
smashed
the
altars
that
were
near
those
altars,
where
people
burned
incense.
They
smashed
the
poles
to{\ADD{
honor
the
goddess}}
Asherah
and
the
idols
and
statues.
They
smashed
them
to
bits
and
scattered
the
bits
over
the
graves
of
those
who
had
offered
sacrifices
to
them.
\VS{5}They
burned
the
bones
of
the
priests
{\ADD{
who
had
offered
sacrifices}};
they
burned
them
on
their
own
altars.
In
that
way
Josiah
caused
Jerusalem
and
other
places
in
Judah
to
be
acceptable
places
to
worship
Yahweh
again.
\VS{6}In
the
towns
in
{\ADD{
the
tribes
of}}
Manasseh,
Ephraim,
and
Simeon,
and
as
far
{\ADD{
north}}
as
{\ADD{
the
tribe
of}}
Naphtali
and
in
the
ruins
around
all
those
towns,
\VS{7}Josiah’s
{\ADD{
workers}}
tore
down
the
pagan
altars
and
the
poles
to
{\ADD{
honor
the
goddess}}
Asherah,
and
crushed
the
idols
to
powder.
They
also
smashed
to
pieces
all
the
altars
for
burning
incense
throughout
Israel.
Then
Josiah
returned
to
Jerusalem.
\par }{\PP \VS{8}When
Josiah
had
been
ruling
for
almost 18
years,
he
{\ADD{
did
something
else
to}}
cause
the
land
and
the
temple
to
be
acceptable
places
to
worship
Yahweh.
He
sent
Shaphan
the
son
of
Azaliah
and
Maaseiah
the
governor
of
the
city
and
Joah
the
son
of
Joahaz,
who
wrote
on
a
scroll
what
happened
in
the
city,
to
repair
the
temple
of
Yahweh.
\par }{\PP \VS{9}They
went
to
Hilkiah
the Supreme
Priest
and
gave
him
the
money
that
had
been
brought
to
the
temple.
That
was
the
money
that
the
descendants
of
Levi
who
guarded
the
doors
of
the
temple
had
collected
from
the
people
of
{\ADD{
the
tribes
of}}
Manasseh
and
Ephraim
and
{\ADD{
other
places
in
northern}}
Israel,
and
also
from
all
the
people
in
Jerusalem
and
other
places
in
the
tribes
of
Judah
and
Benjamin.
\par }{\PP \VS{10}Then
Hilkiah
gave
some
of
the
money
to
the
men
who
had
been
appointed
to
supervise
the
work
of
repairing
the
temple.
The
supervisors
paid
the
men
who
did
the
repair
work.
\VS{11}They
also
gave
some
of
the
money
to
the
carpenters
and
builders
to
buy
the
cut
stones
and
the
timber
for
the joists
and
the
beams
for
the
buildings
that
the
kings
of
Judah
had
allowed
to
decay.
\par }{\PP \VS{12}The
workers
did
their
work
faithfully.
Their
supervisors
were
Jahath
and
Obadiah,
who
were
descendants
of
{\ADD{
Levi’s
son}}
Merari,
and
Zechariah
and
Meshullam,
who
were
descendants
of
{\ADD{
Levi’s
son}}
Kohath.
All
the
other
descendants
of
Levi,
those
who
played
musical
instruments
well,
\VS{13}supervised
all
the
workers
as
they
did
their
various jobs.
Some
of
the
descendants
of
Levi
were
secretaries
and
some
kept
records
and
some
guarded
the
gates
{\ADD{
of
the
temple}}.
\par }{\SH The
scroll
containing
God’s
laws
was
found
\par }{\PP \VS{14}While
they
were
giving
to
the
supervisors
the
money
that
had
been
taken
to
the
temple,
Hilkiah
the
{\ADD{Supreme}}
Priest
found
a
scroll
on
which
were
written
the
laws
that
Yahweh
had
told
Moses
to
give
to
the
people.
\VS{15}So
Hilkiah
said
to
Shaphan, “I
have
found
in
the
temple
a
scroll
on
which
are
written
the
laws
{\ADD{
that
God
gave
to
Moses}}!”
Then
Hilkiah
gave
the
scroll
to
Shaphan.
\par }{\PP \VS{16}Shaphan
{\ADD{
took
the
scroll}}
to
the
king
and
said
to
him, “Your
officials
are
doing
everything
that
you
told
them
to
do.
\VS{17}They
have
taken
the
money
that
was
in
the
temple,
and
they
have
given
it
to
the
men
who
will
supervise
the
workers
who
will
repair
the
temple.”
\VS{18}Then
Shaphan
said
to
the
king, “{\ADD{
I
have
brought
to
you}}
a
scroll
{\ADD{
that
}}
Hilkiah
gave
to
me.”
And
Shaphan
started
to
read
it
to
the
king.
\par }{\PP \VS{19}When
the
king
heard
the
laws
{\ADD{
that
were
written
in
the
scroll}},
he
tore
his
clothes
{\ADD{
because
he
was
very
dismayed/worried}}.
\VS{20}Then
he
gave
these
instructions
to
Hilkiah,
to Shaphan’s
son
Ahikam,
to
Micah’s
son
Abdon,
to
Shaphan,
and
to
Asaiah
the
king’s
special advisor:
\VS{21}“Go
and
ask
Yahweh
for
me,
and
for
all
his
people
who
are
still
alive
in
Judah
and
Israel,
about
what
is
written
in
this
scroll
that
has
been
found.
Because
{\ADD{
it
is
clear
that}}
Yahweh
is
very
angry
with
us
because
our
ancestors
disobeyed
what
Yahweh
said;
they
did
not
obey
the
laws
that
are
written
on
this
scroll.”
\par }{\PP \VS{22}So
Hilkiah
and
the
others
went
to
talk
with
a
woman
whose
name
was
Huldah,
who
was
a
prophetess
who
lived
in
the newer
part
of
Jerusalem.
Her
husband
Shallum
who
was
the
son
of
Tikvah,
took
care
of
the
robes
that
were
worn
{\ADD{
in
the
temple}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{23}{\ADD{
When
they
told
her
what
the
king
had
said,}}
she
said
to
them, “This
is
what
Yahweh,
the
God
whom
we Israelis
{\ADD{
worship}},
says: ‘Go
back
and
tell
the
king
who
sent
you
\VS{24}that
this
is
what
Yahweh
says: “Listen
to
this
carefully.
I
am
going
to
cause
a
disaster
to
strike
Jerusalem
and
all
the
people
who
live
here.
I
will
cause
them
to
experience
the
curses
that
were
written
in
the
scroll
that
was
read
to
the
king
of
Judah.
\VS{25}I
will
do
that
because
they
have
rejected
me,
and
they
burn
incense
to
{\ADD{
honor}}
other
gods.
They
have
caused
me
to
become
very
angry
because
of
all
the
idols
that
they
have
made (OR,
because
of
all
the
wicked
things
that
they
have
done),
{\ADD{
and
my
anger
is
like}}
a
fire
that
will
not
be
extinguished.
\VS{26}The
king
of
Judah
sent
you
to
ask
what
I,
Yahweh,
want.
Go
and
tell
him
that
this
is
what
I,
Yahweh,
the
God
whom
you Israelis
worship,
say
about
what
you
read:
\VS{27}“Because
you
heeded
{\ADD{
what
was
written
in
the
scroll}},
and
you
humbled
yourself
when
you
heard
what
I
said
to
warn
{\ADD{
about
what
would
happen
to}}
this
city
and
the
people
who
live
here,
and
because
you
tore
your
robes
and
wept
in
my
presence,
I
have
heard
you.
\VS{28}So
I
will
allow
you
to
die
and
be
buried
peacefully.
I
will
cause
a
great
disaster
to
strike
this
place
and
the
people
who
live
here,
but
you
will
not
{\ADD{
be
alive
to}}
see
it.” ’ ”
\par }{\PP So
they
reported
her
reply
to
the
king.
\VS{29}Then
the
king
summoned
all
the
elders
of
Jerusalem
and
{\ADD{
other
places
in}}
Judea.
\VS{30}They
went
up
together
to
the
temple
with
the
leaders
of
Judah
and
many
other
people
of
Jerusalem
and
the
priests
and
other
descendants
of
Levi,
from
the
least
important
to
the
most
important
ones.
And
while
they
listened,
the
king
read
to
them
everything
that
was
in
the
scroll
containing
God’s
laws
that
had
been
found
in
the
temple.
\par }{\PP \VS{31}Then
the
king
stood
next
to
the
pillar
{\ADD{
at
the
entrance
to
the
temple,
where
kings
stood
when
they
announced
something
important}},
and
while
Yahweh
was
listening,
he
repeated
his
promise
to
very
sincerely
and
completely
obey
Yahweh
and
all
his
commands
and
regulations
and
decrees
that
were
written
on
the
scroll.
\par }{\PP \VS{32}Then
the
king
said
that
everyone
who
lived
in
Jerusalem
and
from
{\ADD{
the
tribe
of}}
Benjamin
should
promise
that
they
also
would
obey
those
laws.
And
they
did
that, agreeing
that
they
would
keep
the
agreement
that
God,
whom
their
ancestors
had
worshiped,
had
made
with
them.
\par }{\PP \VS{33}Josiah
{\ADD{
instructed
his
workers
to}}
remove
all
the
detestable
idols
from
everywhere
in
the
land
of
the Israeli
people,
and
he
commanded
that
all
the
people
from
Israel
who
were
there
should
worship
{\ADD{
only}}
Yahweh
their
God.
And
as
long
as
Josiah
was
alive,
the
people
did
what
was
pleasing
to
Yahweh,
the
God
whom
their
ancestors
{\ADD{
worshiped}}.

\par }\Chap{35}{\SH Josiah led them in celebrating the Passover Festival
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}Josiah
{\ADD{
commanded
that
the
people
should}}
celebrate
the
Passover
Festival
to
honor
Yahweh
in
Jerusalem.
So
they
slaughtered
the
lambs
for
the
Passover
{\ADD{
Festival}}
at
the
end
of
March.
\VS{2}Josiah
assigned
to
the
priests
the
tasks
that
they
should
perform
at
the
temple
and
encouraged
them
to
do
their
work
well.
\VS{3}The
{\ADD{
other}}
descendants
of
Levi
were
the
ones
who
taught
all
the Israeli
people;
they
had
been
dedicated
to
serve
Yahweh.
Josiah
said
to
them, “Put
the
Sacred
Chest
in
the
temple
that
{\ADD{
the
workers
of}}
David’s
son
{\ADD{
King}}
Solomon
of
Israel
built.
But
{\ADD{
carry
it
on
poles;}}
do
not
carry
it
on
your
shoulders.
And
do
your
your
work
well
for
Yahweh
your
God
and
for
his Israeli
people.
\VS{4}Divide
yourselves
into
clans,
obeying
the
instructions
that
King
David
and
his
son
Solomon
wrote.
\par }{\PP \VS{5}Then
stand
in
the
temple,
with
one
group
of
the
descendants
of
Levi
to
help
each
clan
of
the
people
{\ADD{
when
they
bring
their
offerings
to
the
temple}}.
\VS{6}Slaughter
the
lambs
for
the
Passover
{\ADD{
Festival}}.
Perform
the rituals
to
cause
yourselves
to
be
acceptable
to
Yahweh
for
doing
this
work.
Prepare
the
sacrifices,
doing
what
Yahweh
told
Moses
to
tell
you
that
you
should
do.”
\par }{\PP \VS{7}Josiah
provided
{\ADD{
from
his
own
flocks
and
herds}} 30,000
sheep
and
goats
for
the
Passover
sacrifices.
\par }{\PP \VS{8}His
officials
also
voluntarily
contributed
animals
for
the
people
and
the
priests
and
the
{\ADD{
other}}
descendants
of
Levi.
Hilkiah,
Zechariah,
and
Jehiel,
the
officials
who
were
in
charge
of
the
temple,
gave
to
the
priests 2,600
lambs
and 300
cattle
to
be
sacrifices
for
the
Passover.
\VS{9}And
Conaniah
along
with
his
{\ADD{
younger}}
brothers
Shemaiah
and
Nethanel,
and
Hashabiah,
Jeiel,
and
Jozabad,
the
leaders
of
the
{\ADD{
other}}
descendants
of
Levi,
provided 5,000
lambs
and 500
cattle
for
the
other
descendants
of
Levi,
to
be
sacrifices
for
the
Passover.
\par }{\PP \VS{10}Everything
{\ADD{
for
the
Passover}}
was
arranged:
The
priests
and
the
other
descendants
of
Levi
stood
in
their
places
in
their
groups,
like
the
king
had
commanded.
\VS{11}Then
they
slaughtered
the
Passover
lambs.
The
priests
sprinkled
the
blood
{\ADD{
from
the
bowls}}
that
were
handed
to
them,
while
the
{\ADD{
other}}
descendants
of
Levi
removed
the
skins
from
the
animals.
\VS{12}They
set
aside
the
animals
to
be
completely
burned
on
the
altar,
in
order
to
give
them
to
the
various
family
groups
to
offer
to
Yahweh,
obeying
the
instructions
that
were
written
in
the
laws
God
gave
Moses.
They
did
the
same
thing
with
the
cattle.
\VS{13}Obeying
those
regulations,
they
roasted
the
lambs
for
the
Passover
over
the
fire.
And
they
boiled
the
{\ADD{
meat
of
the}}
sacred
offerings
in
pots
and
kettles
and
pans,
and
served
the
meat
immediately
to
all
the
people
{\ADD{
who
were
there}}.
\VS{14}After
that,
they
prepared
meat
for
themselves
and
for
the
priests,
because
the
priests
were
busy
until nighttime,
sacrificing
the
offerings
to
be
completely
burned
and
burning
the
fat
parts
of
the
offerings.
So
the
{\ADD{
other}}
descendants
of
Levi
prepared
meat
for
themselves
and
for
the
priests,
who
were
descendants
of
Aaron,
{\ADD{
the
first Supreme
Priest}}.
\par }{\PP \VS{15}The
musicians,
who
were
descendants
of
Asaph,
stood
in
their
places,
as
King
David,
Asaph,
Heman,
and
Jeduthun
the
king’s
prophet
had
commanded.
The
men
who
guarded
the
gates
{\ADD{
of
the
temple}}
did
not
need
to
leave
their
places,
because
their
fellow
descendants
of
Levi
prepared
food
for
them
to
eat.
\par }{\PP \VS{16}So
on
that
day
everything
that
needed
to
done
for
worshiping
Yahweh
was
done.
They
celebrated
the
Passover
{\ADD{
Festival}},
and
they
presented
offerings
to
be
completely
burned
on
the
altar,
which
was
what
Josiah
had
commanded.
\VS{17}The Israelis
who
were
there
celebrated
the
Passover
{\ADD{
Festival}}
on
that
day,
and
for
seven
days
they
celebrated
the
Festival
of
{\ADD{
Eating}}
Unleavened
Bread.
\VS{18}The
Passover
{\ADD{
Festival}}
had
not
been
celebrated
like
that
in
Israel
since
the
time
that
the
prophet
Samuel
lived.
None
of
the
other
kings
of
Israel
had
ever
celebrated
the
Passover
like
Josiah
did,
along
with
the
priests,
the
other
descendants
of
Levi,
and
all
{\ADD{
the
other
people
of}}
Judah
and
Israel
who
were
there
with
the
people
who
lived
in
Jerusalem.
\VS{19}They
celebrated
this
Passover
Festival
when
Josiah
had
been
ruling
for
almost 18
years.
\par }{\SH The
end
of
Josiah’s
life
\par }{\PP \VS{20}After
Josiah
had
done
all
those
things
to
{\ADD{
restore
the
worship
at}}
the
temple,
King
Neco
of
Egypt
went
{\ADD{
with
his
army}}
to
attack
Carchemish
{\ADD{
city}}
alongside
the
Euphrates
{\ADD{
River}},
and
Josiah
marched
{\ADD{
with
his
army}}
to
fight
against
them.
\VS{21}Neco
sent
some
messengers
to
Josiah,
to
tell
him, “You
are
the
king
of
Judah,
and
there
is
certainly
no
quarrel
between
you
and
me.
My
army
is
not
attacking
you
people;
we
are
attacking
another
army,
{\ADD{
the
army
of
Babylonia}}.
God
has
told
me
to
hurry.
So
stop opposing
God,
who
is
for
me.
If
you
do
not
stop,
God
will
get
rid
of
you.”
\par }{\PP \VS{22}But
Josiah
would
not
pay
attention
to
him.
Instead,
he
disguised
himself
in
order
to
be
able
to
attack
{\ADD{
the
army
of
Egypt
without
anyone recognizing
him}}.
He
did
not
pay
any
attention
to
what
God
had
told
Neco
to
say.
Instead,
he
{\ADD{
and
his
army}}
went
to
fight Neco’s
army
at
the
plain
of
Megiddo.
\par }{\PP \VS{23}Some
Egyptian
archers
shot
King
Josiah.
He
told
his
officers, “Take
me
away
from
here
because
I
am
badly
wounded.”
\VS{24}So
they
took
him
out
of
his
chariot
and
put
him
in
another
chariot
that
he
had
brought
with
him,
and
they
took
him
to
Jerusalem,
where
he
died.
He
was
buried
in
the
tombs
where
his
ancestors
{\ADD{
had
been
buried}},
and
all
{\ADD{
the
people
of}}
Jerusalem
and
{\ADD{
other
places
in}}
Judah
mourned
for
him.
\par }{\PP \VS{25}{\ADD{
The
prophet}}
Jeremiah
composed
a
song
to
mourn
for
Josiah,
and
all
the
men
and
women
singers
in
Israel
still
mourn
for
Josiah
by
singing
that
song.
That
became
a
custom
in
Israel;
the
words
of
that
song
are
written
in
a
scroll
of funeral
songs.
\par }{\PP \VS{26-27}A
record
of
the
other
things
that
happened
while
Josiah
ruled,
from
the
time
he
started
to
rule
until
he
died,
including
how
he
faithfully
honored
God
by
obeying
everything
that
was
written
in
the
laws
of
Yahweh,
is
in
the
scroll
called ‘The
History
of
the
Kings
of
Israel
and Judah’.

\par }\Chap{36}{\SH King Jehoahaz of Judah
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}Then
the
people
of
Judah
chose
Josiah’s
son
Jehoahaz
and
appointed
him
as
the
king
in
Jerusalem.
\par }{\PP \VS{2}Jehoahaz
was 23
years
old
when
he
became
the
king,
but
he
ruled
from
Jerusalem
for
{\ADD{
only}}
three
months.
\VS{3}King
Neco
of
Egypt
{\ADD{
captured
him
and}}
prevented
him
from
ruling
any
longer.
He
also
forced
the
people
of
Judah
to
pay
him
a
tax
of
almost
four tons
of
silver
and
about 75
pounds
of
gold.
\VS{4}The
king
of
Egypt
appointed
Jehoahaz’s
{\ADD{
younger}}
brother
Eliakim
to
be
the
king
of
Judah.
He
changed Eliakim’s
name
to
Jehoiakim.
After
Neco
captured
Jehoahaz,
he
took
him
to
Egypt.
\par }{\SH King
Jehoiakim
of
Judah
\par }{\PP \VS{5}Jehoiakim
was 25
years
old
when
he
became
the
king
{\ADD{
of
Judah}},
and
he
ruled
from
Jerusalem
for 11
years.
He
did
things
that
Yahweh
his
God
considers
to
be
evil.
\VS{6}Then
the
army
of
King
Nebuchadnezzar
of
Babylon
attacked
Jehoiakim’s
army.
They
{\ADD{
captured
Jehoiakim
and}}
bound
him
with
bronze
chains
and
took
him
to
Babylon.
\VS{7}Nebuchadnezzar’s
soldiers
also
took
valuable
things
from
the
temple;
they
took
them
to
Babylon
and
put
them
in
king
{\ADD{Nebuchadnezzar’s}}
palace
there.
\par }{\PP \VS{8}A
record
of
the
other
things
that
happened
while
Jehoiakim
was
ruling,
the
detestable
things
that
he
did,
including
the
evil
things
that
people
said
that
he
did,
is
written
in
the
scroll
called ‘The
History
of
the
Kings
of
Israel
and Judah’.
After
{\ADD{
he
was
taken
to
Babylon}},
his
son
Jehoiachin
became
the
king
{\ADD{
of
Judah}}.
\par }{\SH King
Jehoiachin
of
Judah
\par }{\PP \VS{9}Jehoiachin
was 18
years
old
when
he
became
the
king
{\ADD{
of
Judah}},
and
he
ruled
from
Jerusalem
for
{\ADD{
only}}
three
months
and
ten
days.
He
did
things
that
Yahweh
considers
to
be
evil.
\VS{10}During
the
spring
of
the
next
year,
King
Nebuchadnezzar
sent
{\ADD{
soldiers}}
to
bring
him
to
Babylon.
They
also
took
to
Babylon
many
valuable
things
from
the
temple
of
Yahweh.
Then
Nebuchadnezzar
appointed
Jehoiachin’s
uncle,
Zedekiah,
to
be
the
king
of
Judah.
\par }{\SH King
Zedekiah
of
Judah
\par }{\PP \VS{11}Zedekiah
was 21
years
old
when
he
became
the
king,
and
he
ruled
in
Jerusalem
for 11
years.
\VS{12}He
did
many
things
that
Yahweh
his
God consideredto
be
evil.
And
he
did
not
humble
himself
when
the
prophet
Jeremiah
gave
him
a
message
from
Yahweh
{\ADD{
to
warn
him}}.
\VS{13}He
would
not
return
to
Yahweh,
the
God
that
the
people
of
Israel
{\ADD{
said
that
they
worshiped}}.
Zedekiah
also
rebelled
against
King
Nebuchadnezzar,
who
had
forced
him
to
solemnly
promise
using
God’s
name
{\ADD{
to
be
loyal
to
him}}.
Zedekiah
became
very
stubborn.
\VS{14}Furthermore,
all
the
leaders
of
the
priests
and
also
the
people
{\ADD{
of
Judah}}
became
more
wicked
again,
doing
all
the
detestable
things
that
the
people
of
the
other
nations
did,
and
causing
the
temple
in
Jerusalem
that
Yahweh
had
caused
to
be
holy
to
become
{\ADD{
an}}
unacceptable
{\ADD{
place
to
worship
him}}.
\par }{\SH Jerusalem
was
ruined
\par }{\PP \VS{15}Yahweh,
the
God
whom
the
ancestors
{\ADD{
of
the
people
of
Judah
belonged
to/worshiped}},
gave
messages
to
his
prophets
many
times,
and
the
prophets
told
those
messages
to
the
people
of
Judah.
Yahweh
did
that
because
he
pitied
his
people
and
did
not
want
his
temple
to
be
destroyed.
\VS{16}But
the
people
continually
made fun
of
God’s
messengers.
They
despised
God’s
messages.
They ridiculed
his
prophets,
until
finally
God
became
extremely
angry
with
his
people,
with
the
result
that
nothing
could
stop
him
{\ADD{
from
destroying
Judah}}.
\VS{17}He
incited
the
king
of
Babylonia
to
attack
{\ADD{
Judah
with
his
army}}.
They
killed
the
young
men
with
their
swords,
even
in
the
temple.
They
did
not
spare/pity
anyone,
young
men
or
young
women
or
old
people.
God
enabled
the
army
of
Nebuchadnezzar
to
kill
all
of
them.
\VS{18}His
soldiers
took
to
Babylon
all
the
things
that
were
used
in
God’s
temple—big
things
and
little
things,
all
the
valuable
things,
and
the
valuable
things
that
belonged
to
the
king
and
his
officials.
\VS{19}They
burned
the
temple,
and
they
broke
down
the
wall
surrounding
Jerusalem.
They
burned
all
the
palaces
{\ADD{
in
Jerusalem}}
and
destroyed
all
the
remaining
valuable
things
there.
\par }{\PP \VS{20}Nebuchadnezzar’s
soldiers
took
to
Babylon
the
remaining
people
who
had
not
been
killed
with
their
swords.
Then
those
people
became
the
king’s
slaves
and
his
son’s
slaves,
until
the
{\ADD{
army
of
the}}
king
of
Persia
conquered
{\ADD{
the
army
of
Babylonia}}.
\VS{21}{\ADD{
Moses
had
said
that
every
seventh
year
the
people
must
not
plant
their
fields;
they
must
allow
the
soil
to
rest.
But
the
people
had
not
done
that.
So
after
the
army
of
Babylonia
destroyed
Judah,}}
the
soil
was
allowed
to
rest.
That
continued
for 70
years,
fulfilling
what
Yahweh
told
Jeremiah
and
what
Jeremiah
had
predicted/prophesied
would
happen.
\par }{\PP \VS{22}During
the
first
year
that
Cyrus
was
the
king
of
Persia,
in
order
that
what
Yahweh
told
Jeremiah
would
happen
would
occur,
Yahweh
motivated
Cyrus
to
write
this
and
proclaim
it
throughout
his
kingdom:
\par }{\PP \VS{23}“I,
Cyrus,
the
king
of
Persia,
declare
that
Yahweh,
the
God
{\ADD{
who
rules}}
in
heaven,
has
enabled
me
to
become
the
ruler
of
all
the
kingdoms
of
this
world.
And
he
wants
me
to
{\ADD{
command
that
my
workers}}
build
a
temple $\{$a
temple
be
built$\}$
for
him
in
Jerusalem,
which
is
in
Judah.
Any
of
his
people
living
among
you
people
of
Persia
are
allowed
to
go
to
Jerusalem.
And
I
will
pray
that
Yahweh
will
be
with
them.”
\par }