Bible in 90 Days Plan

¹Jehoshaphat his son then became king [of Judah] in Asa's place, and strengthened his position over Israel.

²He placed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which his father Asa had captured.

³The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father (ancestor) David. He did not seek [to follow] the Baals [the false gods],

⁴but sought the God of his father, and walked in (obeyed) His commandments, and did not act as Israel did.

⁵Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great wealth and honor.

⁶His heart was encouraged and he took great pride in the ways of the LORD; moreover, he again removed the high places [of pagan worship] and the Asherim from Judah.

⁷Then in the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah;

⁸and with them were the Levites—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; and with them the priests Elishama and Jehoram.

⁹They taught in Judah having the Book of the Law of the LORD with them; they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

¹⁰Now the dread of the LORD was on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.

¹¹Some of the Philistines brought gifts and silver as tribute to Jehoshaphat; the Arabians also brought him flocks: 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats.

¹²So Jehoshaphat became greater and greater. He built fortresses and storage cities in Judah.

¹³He had large supplies in the cities of Judah, and soldiers, courageous men, in Jerusalem.

¹⁴This was the number of them by their fathers' (ancestors') households: of Judah, the commanders of thousands, Adnah the commander, and with him 300,000 courageous men;

¹⁵and next to him was Jehohanan the commander, and with him 280,000;

¹⁶and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, who volunteered for the LORD, and with him 200,000 courageous men;

¹⁷and of Benjamin: Eliada, a brave man, and with him 200,000 men armed with bow and shield;

¹⁸and next to him was Jehozabad, and with him 180,000 armed and ready for military service.

¹⁹These are the ones who were in the service of the king, besides those he had placed in fortified cities throughout Judah.

¹Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and was allied by marriage with Ahab.

²Some years later he went down to [visit] Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab slaughtered many sheep and oxen for him and the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead.

³Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, "Will you go with me to [fight against] Ramoth-gilead?" He answered, "I am as you are, and my people as your people [your hopes and concerns are ours]; we will be with you in the battle."

⁴Further, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire first for the word of the LORD."

⁵Then the king of Israel assembled the prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?" And they said, "Go up, for God will hand it over to the king."

⁶But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there no prophet of the LORD still here by whom we may inquire?"

⁷The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, but I hate him, for he never prophesies [anything] good for me, but always evil. He is Micaiah the son of Imla" And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say so [perhaps this time it will be different]."

⁸Then the king of Israel called for an officer and said, "Bring Micaiah the son of Imla quickly."

⁹Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting, each on his throne, arrayed in their robes; they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.

¹⁰Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made horns of iron for himself; and said, "Thus says the LORD: 'With these you shall gore the Arameans (Syrians) until they are destroyed.'"

¹¹All the prophets prophesied this, saying, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed; the LORD will hand it over to the king."

¹²The messenger who went to call Micaiah said to him, "Listen, the words of the prophets are of one accord, foretelling a favorable outcome for the king. So just let your word be like one of them and speak favorably."

¹³But Micaiah said, "As the LORD lives, I will [only] speak what my God says."

¹⁴When he came to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?" And he said, "Go up and succeed, for they will be handed over to you."

¹⁵Then the king said to him, "How many times must I warn you (make you swear an oath) to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?"

¹⁶Then Micaiah said, "I saw all [the people of] Israel Scattered on the mountains, As sheep that have no shepherd; And the LORD said, 'These have no master. Let each one return to his house in peace.'"

¹⁷Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good in regard to me, but [only] evil?"

¹⁸So Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host (army) of heaven standing on His right and on His left.

¹⁹Then the LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and fall [defeated] at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said this and another said that.

²⁰Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice him.' The LORD said to him, 'By what means?'

²¹He said, 'I will go out and be a deceptive spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Then the LORD said, 'You are to entice him and also succeed. Go and do so.'

²²Now, you see, the LORD put a deceptive spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours; and the LORD has [actually] proclaimed disaster against you."

²³Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came up and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, "Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go [when he departed] from me to speak to you?"

²⁴Micaiah said, "Behold, you will see on that day when you go into an inner room [desperately trying] to hide yourself."

²⁵Then the king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son,

²⁶and say, 'Thus says the king: "Put this man in prison and feed him just enough bread and water to survive until I return in peace (safely)."'"

²⁷But Micaiah said, "If you actually return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me." And he added, "Listen [to what I have said], you people, all of you."

²⁸So [Ahab] the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead.

²⁹The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, " I will disguise myself and will go into battle, but you put on your [royal] robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into the battle.

³⁰Now the king of Aram (Syria) had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, "Do not fight with the small or the great, but only with the king of Israel."

³¹So when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat [of Judah], they said, "It is the king of Israel!" So they turned to fight against him, but Jehoshaphat called out [for God's help], and the LORD helped him; and God diverted them away from him.

³²When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

³³Then a certain man drew his bow at random and struck [Ahab] the king of Israel between the scales of his armor. So Ahab said to his chariot driver, "Turn around and take me out of the battle, because I am seriously wounded."

³⁴The battle raged that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot in front of the Arameans (Syrians) until the evening, and at sunset he died.

¹Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned safely to his house (palace) in Jerusalem.

²Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, "Should you help the ungodly and love those who hate the LORD and in doing so bring wrath from the LORD on yourself?

³But there are some good things found in you, for you have removed the Asherim (idols) from the land and you have set your heart to seek God [with all your soul's desire]."

⁴So Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and brought them back to the LORD, the God of their fathers.

⁵He appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,

⁶and he said to the judges, "Be careful what you do, for you do not judge for man, but for the LORD who is with you in the matter of judgment.

⁷So now let the fear (reverent awe) of the LORD be on you [to keep you from making unjust decisions]; be careful in what you do, for there is no injustice with the LORD our God, or partiality, or acceptance of a bribe."

⁸In Jerusalem also Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites, priests, and heads of the fathers' households of Israel to render the judgment of the LORD and to judge disputes among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

⁹Then the king commanded them, "Do this in the fear of the LORD, faithfully and wholeheartedly.

¹⁰Whenever any dispute comes to you from your brothers (relatives) who live in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, or between statutes and judgments, you are to warn [and instruct] them so that they may not be guilty before the LORD; otherwise [God's] wrath will come on you and your brothers. Do this and you will not be guilty.

¹¹Behold, Amariah the chief priest will be over you in all matters of the LORD, and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the governor of the house of Judah, in all the king's matters; and the Levites will serve you as officers. Deal courageously, and may the LORD be with the upright."

¹Now it happened after this that the Moabites and the Ammonites, together with some of the Meunites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat.

²Then it was reported to Jehoshaphat, "A great multitude has come against you from beyond the [Dead] Sea, out of Aram (Syria); and behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar (that is, Engedi)."

³Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set himself [determinedly, as his vital need] to seek the LORD; and he proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

⁴So [the people of] Judah gathered together to seek help from the LORD; indeed they came from all the cities of Judah to seek the LORD [longing for Him with all their heart].

⁵Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD in front of the new courtyard,

⁶and said, "O LORD, God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven? And do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand, there is no one able to take a stand against You.

⁷O our God, did You not drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Your friend Abraham?

⁸They have lived in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your Name, saying,

⁹'If evil comes on us, or the sword of judgment, or plague, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your Name and Your Presence is in this house) and we will cry out to You in our distress, and You will hear and save us.'

¹⁰Now behold, the sons of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom You would not allow Israel to invade when they came from the land of Egypt (for they turned away from them and did not destroy them),

¹¹here they are, rewarding us by coming to drive us out of Your possession which You have given us as an inheritance.

¹²O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless against this great multitude which is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You."

¹³So all Judah stood before the LORD, with their infants, their wives, and their children.

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

¹⁵He said, "Listen carefully, all [you people of] Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. The LORD says this to you: 'Be not afraid or dismayed at this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.

¹⁶Go down against them tomorrow. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the river valley, in front of the Wilderness of Jeruel.

¹⁷You need not fight in this battle; take your positions, stand and witness the salvation of the LORD who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.'"

¹⁸Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping Him.

¹⁹The Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

²⁰So they got up early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, O Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe and trust in the LORD your God and you will be established (secure). Believe and trust in His prophets and succeed."

²¹When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the LORD and those who praised Him in their holy (priestly) attire, as they went out before the army and said, "Praise and give thanks to the LORD, for His mercy and lovingkindness endure forever."

²²When they began singing and praising, the LORD set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were struck down [in defeat].

²³For the sons of Ammon and Moab [suspecting betrayal] rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, completely destroying them; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

²⁴When [the men of] Judah came to the lookout tower of the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude, and behold, they were dead bodies lying on the ground, and no one had escaped.

²⁵When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found much among them, including equipment, garments, and valuable things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry away; so much that they spent three days gathering the spoil.

²⁶Then on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, for it was there that they blessed the LORD. For that reason they named that place "The Valley of Beracah (blessing)" until today.

²⁷Then they returned to Jerusalem with joy, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, led by Jehoshaphat, for the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies.

²⁸They came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets to the house (temple) of the LORD.

²⁹And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel.

³⁰So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest on all sides.

³¹Now Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-five-years. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

³²He walked in the way of his father Asa and did not depart from it, doing what was right in the sight of the LORD.

³³Only the high places [for pagan sacrifices] were not removed, for the people had not yet set their hearts firmly on the God of their fathers.

³⁴Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the records of Jehu the son of Hanani, which are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.

³⁵After [all] this Jehoshaphat king of Judah made an alliance with Ahaziah king of Israel, and he acted wickedly in doing so.

³⁶He joined him in building ships to go to Tarshish [for trade], and they built them in Ezion-geber.

³⁷Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, "Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has broken down what you have built." So the ships were wrecked and were unable to go to Tarshish.

¹Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers [in death] and was buried with them in the City of David; and his son Jehoram became king in his place.

²He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azaryahu, Michael, and Shephatiah. All of these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.

³Their father gave them many gifts of silver, gold, and valuable things, in addition to fortified cities in Judah; but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.

⁴When Jehoram had ascended over the kingdom of his father and made himself secure, he killed all his brothers with the sword [to eliminate any rivals], and some of the leaders of Israel as well.

⁵Jehoram was thirty-two years of age when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

⁶He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done (for he married the daughter of Ahab), and he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.

⁷Yet the LORD would not destroy the house of David because of the covenant which He had made with David, and because He had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever.

⁸In the days of Jehoram Edom revolted against the rule of Judah and set up a king over themselves.

⁹Then Jehoram crossed over [the Jordan River] with his commanders and all his chariots, and rose up by night and struck down the Edomites who were surrounding him and the commanders of the chariots.

¹⁰So Edom revolted against the rule of Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time against Jehoram's rule, because he had abandoned (turned away from) the LORD God of his fathers.

¹¹Moreover, he made [idolatrous] high places in the hill country of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to be unfaithful [to God], and he led Judah astray [compelling the people's cooperation].

¹²Then a letter came to Jehoram from Elijah the prophet, saying, "Thus says the LORD God of David your father (ancestor): 'Because you have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,

¹³but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to be unfaithful [to God] as the house of Ahab was unfaithful, and you have also murdered your brothers, your father's house (your own family), who were better than you,

¹⁴behold, the LORD is going to strike your people, your sons, your wives, and all your possessions with a great disaster;

¹⁵and you will suffer a severe illness, an intestinal disease, until your intestines come out because of the sickness, day after day.'"

¹⁶Then the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit (anger) of the Philistines and of the Arabs who bordered the Ethiopians.

¹⁷They came against Judah and invaded it, and carried away all the possessions found in the king's house (palace), together with his sons and his wives; so there was not a son left to him except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.

¹⁸After all this, the LORD struck Jehoram with an incurable intestinal disease.

¹⁹Now it came about in the course of time, at the end of two years, that his intestines came out because of his disease and he died in excruciating pain. And his people did not make a funeral fire to honor him, like the fire for his fathers.

²⁰Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years; and he departed with no one's regret (sorrow). They buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

¹Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, because the band of men (raiders) who came with the Arabs to the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign.

²Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri.

³He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his adviser [and she encouraged him] to act wickedly.

⁴So he did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab, for they were his advisers after the death of his father, resulting in his destruction.

⁵He also walked in accordance with their advice, and he went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to wage war against Hazael king of Aram (Syria) at Ramoth-gilead. And the Arameans wounded Joram (Jehoram).

⁶Then he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds they had inflicted on him at Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. And Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

⁷But the downfall of Ahaziah was ordained by God, in that he went to Joram (Jehoram). For when he arrived there he went out [as an ally] with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.

⁸It came about that when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the leaders of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's [murdered] brothers ministering to Ahaziah, and he killed them.

⁹Jehu also searched for Ahaziah, who was hiding in Samaria; he was captured, brought to Jehu, and put to death. They buried him, for they said, "After all, he is the grandson of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart." So the house of Ahaziah had no one left to retain the power to rule over the kingdom.

¹⁰Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she rose and destroyed all the royal family of the house of Judah.

¹¹But Jehoshabeath, the king's daughter, took Joash the [infant] son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king's sons who were being put to death, and she placed him and his nurse in the bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram [of Judah] and wife of Jehoiada the priest, hid Joash from [his grandmother] Athaliah so that she did not murder him (for Jehoshabeath was the sister of Ahaziah).

¹²Joash was hidden with them in the house (temple) of God for six years, and Athaliah reigned over the land.

¹In the seventh year Jehoiada [the priest] summoned his courage and took the captains of hundreds: Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Johanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, and they entered into a covenant with him.

²They went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the heads of the households of the fathers (ancestors) in Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.

³Then all the assembly made a covenant in the house of God with the king [that is, with the child Joash, to overthrow Athaliah by proclaiming his sovereignty]. And Jehoiada [the priest] said to them, "Behold, the king's son [Joash] shall reign, as the LORD has said in regard to the sons of David.

⁴This is what you shall do: a third of you, of the priests and Levites who are resuming service on the Sabbath, shall be gatekeepers,

⁵a [second] third shall be at the king's house (palace), and a [final] third at the Gate of the Foundation; and all the people shall be in the courtyards of the house of the LORD.

⁶But let no one enter the house (temple) of the LORD except the priests and the Levites who minister; they may enter, for they are holy. And let all the people carefully observe the law of the LORD.

⁷The Levites shall surround the [young] king, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes into the temple [breaking through the ranks of the guard to get near Joash] is to be killed. You are to be with the king when he comes in [from the temple chamber where he is hiding] and when he goes out."

⁸So the Levites and all Judah acted in accordance with everything that Jehoiada the priest had commanded; and every man took his men who were to resume duty on the Sabbath, with those who were to go off duty on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss [any of] the divisions [from their duties].

⁹Then Jehoiada the priest gave to the captains of hundreds the spears and the large and small shields which had been King David's, which were in the house of God.

¹⁰He stationed all the people around the king [as guards for him], every man with his weapon in his hand, from the right side to the left side of the house (temple), by the altar and by the house.

¹¹Then they brought out the king's son and put the crown on him, and gave him the testimony [a copy of the Mosaic Law] and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, "Long live the king!"

¹²When Athaliah heard the sound of the people running and praising the king, she went into the house of the LORD to [see what] the people [were doing].

¹³She looked, and there was the [young] king, standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the trumpeters were beside him. And all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and the singers with their musical instruments were directing the [singing of] praise. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, "Treason! Treason!"

¹⁴So Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds who were appointed over the army and said to them, "Bring her out between the ranks [of soldiers]; and whoever follows her shall be put to death with the sword." For the priest had said, "Do not let her be put to death in the temple of the LORD."

¹⁵So they seized Athaliah, and when she arrived at the entrance of the Horse Gate of the king's house (palace), they put her to death there.

¹⁶Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, all the people, and the king, that they would be the Lord's people.

¹⁷Then all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down, and they smashed its altars and its images to pieces, and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars.

¹⁸Also Jehoiada placed the offices and officers of the house of the LORD under the authority of the Levitical priests, whom David had [previously] assigned over the house of the LORD, to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD, as it is written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and singing in accordance with the order of David.

¹⁹Jehoiada stationed the gatekeepers [at the gates] of the house of the LORD, so that no one would enter who was in any way unclean.

²⁰He took the captains of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought the king down from the house of the LORD; and they came through the upper gate to the king's house (palace) and set the king on the throne of the kingdom.

²¹So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athaliah had been put to death with the sword.

¹Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah from Beersheba.

²Joash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest [his uncle].

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

⁴Now it came about after this that Joash decided to restore the house (temple) of the LORD.

⁵He gathered the priests and the Levites and said to them, "Go out to the cities of Judah and collect money from all Israel to repair the house of your God from year to year; and see that you do it quickly." But the Levites did not act quickly.

⁶So the king called for Jehoiada the high priest and said to him, "Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax for the tent of the testimony which was authorized by Moses, the servant of the LORD and the servant of the assembly of Israel?"

⁷For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God and also had used all the holy and dedicated things of the house of the LORD for the Baals.

⁸So at the king's command they made a chest and set it outside by the gate of the house of the LORD.

⁹Then they made a proclamation in Judah and Jerusalem to bring in for the LORD the tax that Moses the servant of God imposed on Israel in the wilderness.

¹⁰All the officers and all the people rejoiced and brought their tax and dropped it into the chest until they had finished [and the chest was full].

¹¹It came about that whenever the Levites brought the chest to the king's official, and whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money, the king's secretary and the chief priest's representative would come and empty the chest, and take it, and return it to its place. They did this day after day and collected a large amount of money.

¹²The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of the LORD; and they would hire masons and carpenters (craftsmen) and also those who worked in iron and bronze to repair and restore the house of the LORD.

¹³So the workmen labored, and the repair work progressed in their hands; and they restored and organized the house of God in accordance with its specifications and strengthened it.

¹⁴When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; and it was [melted down and] made into utensils for the house of the LORD, utensils for ministering and for burnt offerings, and bowls and utensils of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoiada.

¹⁵Now when Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, he died. He was a hundred and thirty years old at his death.

¹⁶They buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had done good [things] in Israel and toward God and His house.

¹⁷Now after the death of Jehoiada [the priest, who had hidden Joash], the officials of Judah came and bowed down to King Joash; then the king listened to them.

¹⁸They abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols; so [God's] wrath came on Judah and Jerusalem for their sin and guilt.

¹⁹Yet God sent prophets among them to bring them back to the LORD; these prophets testified against them, but they would not listen.

²⁰Then the Spirit of God came over Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people and said to them, "This is what God has said: 'Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD so that you cannot prosper? Because you have abandoned (turned away from) the LORD, He has also abandoned (turned away from) you.'"

²¹So they conspired against Zechariah and stoned him [to death] at the command of the king, in the courtyard of the house of the LORD.

²²Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had shown him, but he murdered his son. And when Zechariah was dying, he said, "May the LORD see this and require an accounting!"

²³Now it happened at the end of the year, that the army of Aram (Syria) went up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the leaders among the people and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus.

²⁴Though the army of the Arameans came with a small company of men, the LORD handed over a very large army into their hands, because Joash and Judah had abandoned (turned away from) the LORD, the God of their fathers. So the Arameans executed judgment against Joash.

²⁵When they left Joash (for they left him very ill), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they murdered him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the City of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.

²⁶The conspirators against Joash were Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess.

²⁷Now as to his sons and the many prophecies uttered against him and the rebuilding of the house of God, they are written in the commentary on the Book of Kings. Then his son Amaziah became king in his place.

¹Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.

²He did right in the sight of the LORD, yet not wholeheartedly.

³When his kingdom was firmly established, he killed his servants who had struck down his father the king.

⁴But he did not kill their children; for he did as it is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the LORD commanded, "The fathers shall not die for the children, nor the children die for the fathers, but each shall be put to death for his own sin."

⁵Amaziah assembled [the men of] Judah and appointed them in accordance with their fathers' (ancestors') households under commanders of thousands and of hundreds throughout Judah and Benjamin. He numbered them from twenty years old and above and found there to be 300,000 choice men fit for war and able to handle spear and shield.

⁶He also hired 100,000 brave warriors from Israel for a hundred talents of silver.

⁷But a man of God came to him, saying, "O king, do not let this army of Israel go with you, for the LORD is not with Israel nor with any of the sons of Ephraim.

⁸But if you do go [in spite of this warning], be strong and courageous for battle; yet God will cause you to stumble and fall before the enemy, for God has power to help and to cause people to stumble."

⁹Amaziah said to the man of God, "But what shall we do about the hundred talents which I gave to the troops of Israel?" The man of God answered, "The LORD is able to give you much more than this."

¹⁰So Amaziah dismissed the troops that came to him from Ephraim, to go home. So their anger was kindled and burned greatly against Judah, and they returned home in the heat of anger.

¹¹Now Amaziah took courage and led his people out to the Valley of Salt, and he struck down 10,000 of the men of Seir (Edom).

¹²The sons of Judah also captured 10,000 alive and brought them to the top of the cliff. They threw them down from the top of the cliff and they were all crushed to pieces.

¹³But the troops whom Amaziah sent back, those not allowed to go with him to battle, attacked and raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck down 3,000 men and took a large amount of spoil.

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

¹⁵So the anger of the LORD burned against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, "Why have you desired the gods of the people who did not save their own people from your hand?"

¹⁶As he was talking, the king said to him, "Have we made you the king's counselor? Stop! Why should you be put to death?" Then the prophet stopped and said, "I know that God has decided to destroy you because you have done this and have ignored my advice."

¹⁷Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent word to Joash the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come [to battle], let us face each other."

¹⁸Then Joash king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, "The [little] thorn bush in Lebanon sent word to the [great] cedar in Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son in marriage.' But a wild beast in Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thorn bush.

¹⁹You say, 'See, I have struck down and defeated Edom.' Your heart lifts you up to boast [about your victory]. Now stay at home; why should you meddle and court disaster so that you, even you, will fall and Judah with you?"

²⁰But Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God, so that He might hand Judah over to Joash because they had desired the gods of Edom.

²¹So Joash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another at Beth-shemesh, which belonged to Judah.

²²And Judah was defeated by Israel, and they fled, every man to his tent.

²³Then Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash the son of Jehoahaz (Ahaziah), at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate, 400 cubits.

²⁴He took all the gold and silver and all the utensils which were found in the house of God with [the doorkeeper] Obed-edom, and the treasures of the king's house (palace), and the hostages, and returned to Samaria.

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

²⁶Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from the first to the last, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel?

²⁷Now from the time that Amaziah turned away from following the LORD, they conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there.

²⁸Then they brought him on horses and buried him with his fathers in the City of [David in] Judah.

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

²He built Eloth and restored it to Judah after the king [Amaziah] slept with his fathers [in death].

³Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jechiliah of Jerusalem.

⁴He did right in the sight of the LORD, in accordance with everything that his father Amaziah had done.

⁵He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought (inquired of, longing for) the LORD, God caused him to prosper.

⁶He went out and made war against the Philistines, and broke through the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities near Ashdod and [elsewhere] among the Philistines.

⁷God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabs who lived in Gur-baal, and the Meunites.

⁸The Ammonites paid tribute (money) to Uzziah, and his fame spread abroad, even as far as the border of Egypt, for he became very strong.

⁹Uzziah also built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, the Valley Gate, and at the corner buttress [of the wall], and fortified them.

¹⁰He also built towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, for he had a great deal of livestock, both in the lowlands and in the plain. He also had farmers and vinedressers in the hill country and in the fertile fields, for he loved the soil.

¹¹Moreover, Uzziah had an army ready for battle, which went into combat by divisions according to the number of their muster as recorded by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the official, under the direction of Hananiah, one of the king's commanders.

¹²The total number of the heads of the fathers' households, of valiant men, was 2,600.

¹³Under their command was an army of 307,500, who could wage war with great power, to help the king against the enemy.

¹⁴Moreover, Uzziah prepared shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows, and sling stones for the entire army.

¹⁵In Jerusalem he made machines of war invented by skillful men to be put on the towers and on the [corner] battlements for the purpose of shooting arrows and large stones. And his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped until he was strong.

¹⁶But when Uzziah became strong, he became so proud [of himself and his accomplishments] that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful and sinned against the LORD his God, for he went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.

¹⁷Then Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him eighty priests of the LORD, men of courage.

¹⁸They opposed King Uzziah and said to him, "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron who have been consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful and will have no honor from the LORD God."

¹⁹Then Uzziah, with a censer in his hand to burn incense, was enraged; and while he was enraged with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, beside the incense altar.

²⁰As Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked toward him, behold, he was leprous on his forehead; and they hurried him out of there, and he also hurried to get out because the LORD had stricken him.

²¹King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death; and, being a leper, he lived in a separate house, for he was excluded from the house of the LORD. And his son Jotham took charge of the king's household, judging and governing the people of the land.

²²Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, from the first to the last, Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, has written.

²³So Uzziah slept with his fathers [in death], and they buried him with his fathers in the burial field of the kings [outside the royal tombs], for they said, "He is a leper." And his son Jotham became king in his place.

¹Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok.

²He did right in the sight of the LORD, in accordance with everything that his father Uzziah had done; however, he did not enter the temple of the LORD. But the people continued behaving corruptly.

³He built the upper gate of the house of the LORD, and did extensive building on the wall of Ophel.

⁴Moreover, he built cities in the hill country of Judah, and in the forests he built fortresses and towers.

⁵He also fought with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed over them. As a result the Ammonites gave him during that year a hundred talents of silver and ten thousand measures each of wheat and of barley. The Ammonites also paid him that much in the second year and third year.

⁶So Jotham grew powerful, because he directed his ways before the LORD his God.

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

⁸He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem.

⁹And Jotham slept with his fathers [in death], and they buried him in the City of David. Ahaz his son became king in his place.

¹Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do right in the sight of the LORD, as his father (forefather) David had done.

²Instead he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and even made cast images for the Baals.

³And he burned incense in the Valley of Ben-hinnom and burned his sons [as an offering], in accordance with the repulsive acts of the [pagan] nations whom the LORD had driven out before the sons (descendants) of Israel.

⁴He also sacrificed and burned incense on the high places [of pagan worship], on the hills and under every green tree.

⁵Therefore the LORD his God handed over Ahaz to the king of Aram (Syria), who defeated him and led away a great number [of the people] as captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also handed over to the king of Israel, who struck Judah with a great slaughter.

⁶For Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 in Judah in one day, all courageous men, because they had abandoned (turned away from) the LORD God of their fathers.

⁷And Zichri, a warrior of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son, and Azrikam the governor of the house, and Elkanah, who was second [in power] to the king.

⁸And the sons of Israel led away captive 200,000 of their kinsmen [of Judah]—women, sons, and daughters—and they also took a great quantity of spoil from them and brought it to Samaria.

⁹But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded; and he went out to meet the army that was returning to Samaria and said to them, "Behold, because the LORD, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, He handed them over to you; but you have killed them in a rage that has reached as far as heaven.

¹⁰And now you intend to subjugate the people of Judah and Jerusalem as male and female slaves for yourselves. But are you yourselves not guilty of transgressions against the LORD your God?

¹¹Now therefore, hear me and return the captives whom you have captured from your brothers (fellow descendants of Israel, i.e. Jacob), for the burning anger of the LORD is against you."

¹²Then some of the heads of the Ephraimites (Israel)—Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai—took a stand against those who were returning from the battle,

¹³and said to them, "You must not bring the captives in here; for we are guilty before the LORD already, and what you intend to do will add more to our sins and our guilt. For our guilt is so great that His burning anger is against Israel."

¹⁴So the armed men [of Israel] left the captives and the spoil [of Judah] before the officers and all the assembly.

¹⁵Then the men who were designated by name rose up and took the captives, and from the spoil they clothed all those who were naked; they clothed them and gave them sandals, and fed them and gave them [something to] drink, anointed them [with oil, as was a host's duty], and led all the feeble ones on donkeys, and they brought them to Jericho, the City of Palm Trees, to their brothers (fellow descendants of Israel, i.e. Jacob). Then they returned to Samaria.

¹⁶At that time King Ahaz sent word to the king of Assyria [to ask him] for help.

¹⁷For the Edomites had come again and attacked Judah and led away captives.

¹⁸The Philistines had also invaded the cities of the low country and of the Negev (the South country) of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, and Soco with their villages, and also Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages, and they settled there.

¹⁹For the LORD humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for Ahaz had allowed unrestrained and undisciplined behavior in Judah and had been very unfaithful to the LORD.

²⁰So Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came against him and harassed him instead of strengthening and supporting him.

²¹Although Ahaz took a portion [of treasure] from the house of the LORD and from the house (palace) of the king and from the leaders, and gave it [as tribute] to the king of Assyria, it did not help Ahaz.

²²In the time of his distress, this same King Ahaz became yet more unfaithful to the LORD.

²³For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, which had defeated him, and he said, "Since the gods of the kings of Aram (Syria) helped them, I will sacrifice to them so that they may help me." But they became the ruin and downfall of him and all of Israel.

²⁴Then Ahaz collected the utensils of the house of God and he cut them in pieces; and he shut the doors of the house of the LORD and made altars for himself in every corner of Jerusalem.

²⁵In every city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, provoking to anger the LORD, the God of his fathers.

²⁶Now the rest of his acts and of all his ways, from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

²⁷And Ahaz slept with his fathers [in death], and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. And his son Hezekiah reigned in his place.

¹Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah.

²He did right in the sight of the LORD, in accordance with everything that David his father (forefather) had done.

³In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the LORD [which his father had closed] and repaired them [and replaced the gold overlay].

⁴He brought in the priests and Levites and gathered them into the square on the east.

⁵Then he said to them, "Levites, listen to me! Now consecrate (dedicate) yourselves and consecrate the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers, and get the filth [of idol worship] out of the Holy Place.

⁶For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done evil in the sight of the LORD our God, and they have abandoned Him and have turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the LORD, and have turned their backs [toward Him].

⁷They have also closed the doors of the [temple] porch and put out the lamps, and they have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the Holy Place to the God of Israel.

⁸Therefore the wrath of the LORD has been against Judah and Jerusalem, and He has made them an object of terror, of horror, and of hissing, just as you see with your own eyes.

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

¹⁰Now it is in my heart to make a covenant (solemn agreement) with the LORD God of Israel, so that His burning anger will turn away from us.

¹¹My sons, do not be negligent and careless now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand in His presence, to attend to His service, and to be His ministers and burn incense."

¹²Then the Levites arose: Mahath the son of Amasai and Joel the son of Azariah, from the sons of the Kohathites; from the sons of Merari: Kish the son of Abdi, Azariah the son of Jehallelel; from the Gershonites: Joah the son of Zimmah and Eden the son of Joah;

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

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

¹⁵They gathered their brothers (fellow Levites) together, consecrated themselves, and went in to cleanse the house of the LORD, as the king had commanded by the words of the LORD.

¹⁶The priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD to cleanse it, and every unclean thing they found in the temple of the LORD they brought out to the courtyard of the Lord's house. Then the Levites received it to take out to the Kidron Valley [for disposal].

¹⁷Now they began the consecration on the first [day] of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the porch of the LORD. Then for eight days they consecrated the house of the LORD, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.

¹⁸Then they went inside to King Hezekiah and said, "We have cleansed the entire house (temple) of the LORD, the altar of burnt offering with all of its utensils, and the table of showbread with all its utensils.

¹⁹Moreover, we have prepared and consecrated all the utensils which King Ahaz had discarded during his reign in his unfaithfulness; and behold, they are in front of the altar of the LORD."

²⁰Then King Hezekiah arose early and assembled the officials of the city, and went up to the house of the LORD.

²¹They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. He commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the LORD.

²²So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. They also slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar; then they slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar.

²³Then they brought the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them [to symbolize the transference of their sin].

²⁴The priests slaughtered them and cleansed the altar from sin with their blood to atone for all Israel, because the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering be made for all Israel.

²⁵Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with harps, and with lyres, in accordance with the command of David [his ancestor] and of Gad the king's seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for the command was from the LORD through His prophets.

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

²⁷Then Hezekiah gave the order to offer the burnt offering on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song to the LORD also began with the trumpets accompanied by the instruments of David, king of Israel.

²⁸The entire congregation worshiped, the singers also sang, and the trumpets sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.

²⁹When the burnt offerings were completed, the king and all who were present with him bowed down and worshiped [God].

³⁰Also King Hezekiah and the officials ordered the Levites to exclaim praises to the LORD with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. And they exclaimed praises with joy, and bowed down and worshiped.

³¹Then Hezekiah said, "Now you have consecrated yourselves to the LORD; approach and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the LORD." And the assembly brought in sacrifices and thank offerings, and all those who were willing brought burnt offerings.

³²The number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs. All these were for a burnt offering to the LORD.

³³The consecrated things were 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep.

³⁴But there were too few priests and they were unable to skin all the burnt offerings; so until the other priests had consecrated themselves, their brothers, the Levites, helped them until the work was done. For the Levites were more upright in heart and more conscientious than the priests in consecrating themselves.

³⁵There were also many burnt offerings with the fat of the peace offerings and with the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. So the service of the house of the LORD was established again.

³⁶Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because of what God had prepared for the people, for the thing came about suddenly.