The Second Book of the
CHRONICLES
Author
Since 1 and 2 Chronicles were originally one book (see “Content” below), they are to be considered together in the matter of authorship. The fact that the identity of the author of this united work is not stated in either 1 or 2 Chronicles has led many to refer to this unknown author simply as “the chronicler.” However, Ezra is the most likely candidate for the authorship of 1 and 2 Chronicles. The early Jewish tradition of the Talmud affirms that Ezra wrote 1 and 2 Chronicles. Also, the closing verses of Chronicles (2 Chr. 36:22, 23) are repeated as the opening verses of Ezra (see Ezra 1:1–3). Not only does this add to the case for Ezra’s authorship of 1 and 2 Chronicles, it also may be an indication that 1 and 2 Chronicles and Ezra were once a consecutive work. In addition, 1 and 2 Chronicles and Ezra have similar style, vocabulary, and contents. Ezra was a scribe as well as a priest, and played a significant role in the community of exiles who returned to Jerusalem. Though we cannot be certain, it is reasonable to assume that “the chronicler” was Ezra.
Date
Though the precise date of 1 and 2 Chronicles cannot be established, this unified work probably came into its final form sometime toward the end of the fifth century B.C. The last event recorded in the closing verses of 2 Chronicles is the decree of the Persian king Cyrus to allow the Jews to return to Judah. This is dated at 538 B.C. and gives the impression that 1 and 2 Chronicles would have been composed shortly after this time. However, the latest person mentioned in 1 and 2 Chronicles is actually Anani of the eighth generation of King Jehoiachin (see 1 Chr. 3:24). Jehoiachin was deported to Babylon in 597 B.C. Depending on how these generations are measured (approximately twenty-five years), Anani’s birth would have been sometime between 425 and 400 B.C. Therefore, the date for 1 and 2 Chronicles is between 425 and 400 B.C.
Background
The Book of 2 Chronicles covers the period from the beginning of the reign of Solomon in 971 B.C. to the end of the Exile around 538 B.C. However, the specific background of 1 and 2 Chronicles is the period after the Exile. During this time, the ancient world was under the control of the powerful Persian Empire. All that remained of the glorious kingdom of David and Solomon was the tiny province of Judah. The Persians had replaced the monarchy with a provincial governor. Though God’s people had been allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple, their situation was far removed from the golden days of David and Solomon.
Occasion and Purpose
The return of the exiles from Babylon necessitated the recording of the history of God’s people, especially Judah. Second Chronicles was written for the dual purpose of providing encouragement and exhortation to those who had returned to Jerusalem. The remnant that was left needed encouragement to keep their faith alive in the midst of difficulty, and they needed hope for the future. The emphasis of 2 Chronicles on their spiritual heritage of David, Solomon, the temple, and the priesthood was a refreshing reminder that God was faithful and He would not forget His promises to David and to His people. Yet Chronicles also served as a strong exhortation to motivate God’s people to adhere to the Mosaic covenant and ritual, so that the tragedy of the past would not be repeated.
Comparison with Kings
One may question the need for the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles, since the material has already been covered in 1 and 2 Kings and other Old Testament books. However, though the books are similar, they are by no means identical. In the same way that there are four accounts of the life of Christ in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, there are two accounts of the history of God’s people. Though 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles are alike in content, they offer two different historical perspectives. While the Books of Kings were written to those in exile, the Books of Chronicles address the postexilic community. They were written for two different purposes. Compare the Introductions to 1 and 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles: Occasion and Purpose. Also, Kings and Chronicles have different political perspectives. While Kings embraces both kingdoms, Israel and Judah, Chronicles focuses only on Judah. Finally, Kings and Chronicles differ in their theological perspectives. Kings presents a prophetic outlook, while Chronicles operates from a priestly vantage point. However, Chronicles is like Kings in that it is not mere history, but rather theology in the form of a historical narrative. See Introductions to 1 and 2 Kings: Content.
Content
In the original Hebrew Scriptures, 1 and 2 Chronicles formed one book, entitled “Events of the Days.” It was divided and renamed “Things Passed Over” by the translators of the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint, or LXX). The title “Chronicles” derives from Jerome. It is not a continuation of the history of God’s people, but a duplication of and a supplement to 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings.
Second Chronicles can be divided into two main sections. The first part of 2 Chronicles (chs. 1—9) outlines the reign of King Solomon. The account accents the construction of the temple (chs. 2—7), and the wealth and wisdom of this extraordinary king (chs. 8; 9). However, the narrative ends abruptly and makes no mention of Solomon’s failure as is recorded in 1 Kings 11.
The second section of 2 Chronicles consists of chapters 10—36. After the division of the kingdom, 2 Chronicles concentrates almost exclusively on the southern kingdom of Judah and treats the history of the northern kingdom of Israel as incidental. Second Chronicles traces the reigns of Judah’s twenty rulers down to Babylon’s captivity of Judah in 586 B.C. The book concludes with Cyrus’s decree for Judah’s release and return (36:22, 23).
Personal Application
While 1 and 2 Kings draw out the fact of human responsibility, showing that sin leads to defeat, 2 Chronicles accentuates the sovereign deliverance of God. The twin themes of encouragement and exhortation still ring true today. God has been faithful throughout all of history to deliver those who cry out to Him. Second Chronicles skillfully tells the story of how God was true to His word and kept the promises He had made to His people. This is a great source of encouragement for believers of all ages. God is a promise-making and promise-keeping God who is worthy to be trusted. He is still a God of hope, and His purposes will prevail in the lives of His people. However, 2 Chronicles also exhorts us to learn from the failure of God’s people in the past, in order that we might not make the same mistakes (1 Cor. 10:11; Heb. 4:11).
Christ Revealed
Christ is foreshadowed in 2 Chronicles in much the same way as He is in 2 Kings (see Introduction to 2 Kings: Christ Revealed). However, in 2 Chronicles, many have seen an allusion to Christ in reference to the temple. First Chronicles 21 (see also 2 Sam. 24) explains that as a consequence for sin, a death plague had broken out against Israel. David buys a piece of property from Ornan on which to make a sacrifice that stops the plague. This site on Mount Moriah was the very place where Solomon would build the temple (3:1). It is possible that this was the very mountain where Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac (Gen. 22:2). In the New Testament, three times Paul refers to believers as the “temple of God” (1 Cor. 3:16, 17; 6:19; Eph. 2:19–22). It is Christ who has purchased the ground for this spiritual temple. It was His sacrifice that delivered us from death (Rom. 5:12–18; 7:24, 25; 1 John 3:14).
The Holy Spirit at Work
There are three clear references to the Holy Spirit in 2 Chronicles. He is referred to as the “Spirit of God” (15:1; 24:20) and the “Spirit of the LORD” (20:14). In these references, the Holy Spirit was active to give inspired utterances through Azariah (15:1), Jahaziel (20:14), and Zechariah (24:20). This work of the Holy Spirit to inspire people to prophesy is similar to His activity in 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings. See Introductions to 1 and 2 Kings: The Holy Spirit at Work.
Besides these references, many see a picture of the Holy Spirit in 2 Chronicles 5:13, 14 (cf. also 1 Kin. 8:10, 11) at the dedication of the temple. This temple, which was built on a place that was purchased, a place where sacrifice was made for sin, is now filled with the presence of God. In the New Testament, Paul explains that believers are the temple of God, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19).
Finally, there is a possible reference to the Holy Spirit in 18:23. This is a parallel reference to 1 Kings 22:24. See note on 1 Kings 22:24.
Outline of 2 Chronicles
I. The reign of King Solomon 1:1—9:31
A. The accession of Solomon as king 1:1–17
B. The achievement of building the temple 2:1—7:22
C. The affluence of Solomon 8:1—9:31
II. The reigns of the kings of Judah 10:1—36:16
A. The reign of Rehoboam 10:1—12:16
B. The reign of Abijah 13:1–22
C. The reign of Asa 14:1—16:14
D. The reign of Jehoshaphat 17:1—20:37
E. The reign of Jehoram 21:1–20
F. The reign of Ahaziah 22:1–9
G. The reign of Queen Athaliah 22:10—23:15
H. The reign of Joash 23:16—24:27
I. The reign of Amaziah 25:1–28
J. The reign of Uzziah 26:1–23
K. The reign of Jotham 27:1–9
L. The reign of Ahaz 28:1–27
M. The reign of Hezekiah 29:1—32:33
N. The reign of Manasseh 33:1–20
O. The reign of Amon 33:21–25
P. The reign of Josiah 34:1—35:27
Q. The reign of Jehoahaz 36:1–3
R. The reign of Jehoiakim 36:4–8
S. The reign of Jehoiachin 36:9, 10
T. The reign of Zedekiah 36:11–16
III. Judah’s captivity and return 36:17–23
A. Babylon’s captivity of Judah 36:17–21
B. The decree by Cyrus for Judah’s return 36:22, 23
Solomon Requests Wisdom
1
1 NOW aSolomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and bthe LORD his God was with him and cexalted him exceedingly.
2 And Solomon spoke to all Israel, to athe captains of thousands and of hundreds, to the *judges, and to every leader in all Israel, the heads of the fathers’ houses.
3 Then Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to 1the high place that was at aGibeon; for the tabernacle of meeting with God was there, which Moses the servant of the LORD had bmade in the wilderness.
4 aBut David had brought up the ark of God from Kirjath Jearim to the place David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem.
5 Now athe bronze altar that bBezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, 1he put before the tabernacle of the LORD; Solomon and the assembly sought Him there.
6 And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the LORD, which was at the tabernacle of meeting, and aoffered a thousand burnt offerings on it.
7 aOn that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
8 And Solomon said to God: “You have shown great amercy to David my father, and have made me bking in his place.
9 “Now, O LORD God, let Your promise to David my father be established, afor You have made me king over a people like the bdust of the earth in multitude.
10 a“Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may bgo out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?”
11 aThen God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king—
12 “wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as anone of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.”
Solomon’s Military and Economic Power
13 So Solomon came to Jerusalem from 1the high place that was at Gibeon, from before the tabernacle of meeting, and reigned over Israel.
14 aAnd Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.
15 aAlso the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland.
16 aAnd Solomon had horses imported from Egypt and Keveh; the king’s merchants bought them in Keveh at the current price.
17 They also acquired and imported from Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred and fifty; thus, 1through their agents, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.
Solomon Prepares to Build the Temple
2
1 Then Solomon adetermined to *build a temple for the name of the LORD, and a royal house for himself.
2 aSolomon selected seventy thousand men to bear burdens, eighty thousand to quarry stone in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.
3 Then Solomon sent to 1Hiram king of Tyre, saying:
aAs you have dealt with David my father, and sent him cedars to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me.
4 Behold, aI am building a temple for the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to Him, bto burn before Him 1sweet incense, for cthe continual showbread, for dthe burnt offerings morning and evening, on the eSabbaths, on the New Moons, and on the 2set feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel.
5 And the temple which I build will be great, for aour God is greater than all gods.
6 aBut who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him?
7 Therefore send me at once a man skillful to work in gold and silver, in bronze and iron, in purple and crimson and blue, who has skill to engrave with the skillful men who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, awhom David my father provided.
8 aAlso send me cedar and cypress and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants have skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and indeed my servants will be with your servants,
9 to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the 1temple which I am about to build shall be great and wonderful.
10 aAnd indeed I will give to your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, twenty thousand kors of ground wheat, twenty thousand kors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.
11 Then Hiram king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon:
aBecause the LORD loves His people, He has made you king over them.
12 1Hiram also said:
aBlessed be the LORD God of Israel, bwho made heaven and earth, for He has given King David a wise son, endowed with prudence and understanding, who will build a temple for the LORD and a royal house for himself!
13 And now I have sent a skillful man, endowed with understanding, 1Huram my 2master craftsman
14 a(the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre), skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, purple and blue, fine linen and crimson, and to make any engraving and to accomplish any plan which may be given to him, with your skillful men and with the skillful men of my lord David your father.
15 Now therefore, the wheat, the barley, the oil, and the wine which amy lord has spoken of, let him send to his servants.
16 aAnd we will cut wood from Lebanon, as much as you need; we will bring it to you in rafts by sea to 1Joppa, and you will carry it up to Jerusalem.
17 aThen Solomon numbered all the aliens who were in the land of Israel, after the census in which bDavid his father had numbered them; and there were found to be one hundred and fifty-three thousand six hundred.
18 And he made aseventy thousand of them bearers of burdens, eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountain, and three thousand six hundred overseers to make the people work.
Solomon Builds the Temple
3
1 Now aSolomon began to build the house of the LORD at bJerusalem on Mount Moriah, where 1the LORD had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of cOrnan2 the Jebusite.
2 And he began to build on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.
3 This is the foundation awhich Solomon laid for building the house of God: The length was sixty cubits (by cubits according to the former measure) and the width twenty cubits.
4 And the avestibule that was in front of 1the sanctuary was twenty cubits long across the width of the house, and the height was 2one hundred and twenty. He overlaid the inside with pure gold.
5 aThe larger 1room he bpaneled with cypress which he overlaid with fine gold, and he carved palm trees and chainwork on it.
6 And he decorated the house with precious stones for beauty, and the gold was gold from Parvaim.
7 He also overlaid the house—the beams and doorposts, its walls and doors—with gold; and he carved *cherubim on the walls.
8 And he made the aMost Holy Place. Its length was according to the width of the house, twenty cubits, and its width twenty cubits. He overlaid it with six hundred talents of fine gold.
9 The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold; and he overlaid the upper aarea with gold.
10 aIn the Most Holy Place he made two cherubim, fashioned by carving, and overlaid them with gold.
11 The wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits in overall length: one wing of the one cherub was five cubits, touching the wall of the room, and the other wing was five cubits, touching the wing of the other cherub;
12 one wing of the other cherub was five cubits, touching the wall of the room, and the other wing also was five cubits, touching the wing of the other cherub.
13 The wings of these cherubim spanned twenty cubits overall. They stood on their feet, and they faced inward.
14 And he made the aveil of blue, purple, crimson, and fine linen, and wove cherubim into it.
15 Also he made in front of the 1temple atwo pillars 2thirty-five cubits 3high, and the capital that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.
16 He made wreaths of chainwork, as in the inner sanctuary, and put them on top of the pillars; and he made aone hundred pomegranates, and put them on the wreaths of chainwork.
17 Then he aset up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand and the other on the left; he called the name of the one on the right hand 1Jachin, and the name of the one on the left 2Boaz.
Furnishings of the Temple
4
1 Moreover he made aa bronze altar: twenty cubits was its length, twenty cubits its width, and ten cubits its height.
2 aThen he made the 1Sea of cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was completely round. Its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference.
3 aAnd under it was the likeness of oxen encircling it all around, ten to a cubit, all the way around the Sea. The oxen were cast in two rows, when it was cast.
4 It stood on twelve aoxen: three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; the Sea was set upon them, and all their back parts pointed inward.
5 It was a handbreadth thick; and its brim was shaped like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It contained 1three thousand baths.
6 He also made aten lavers, and put five on the right side and five on the left, to wash in them; such things as they offered for the burnt offering they would wash in them, but the 1Sea was for the bpriests to wash in.
7 aAnd he made ten lampstands of gold baccording to their design, and set them in the temple, five on the right side and five on the left.
8 aHe also made ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side and five on the left. And he made one hundred bbowls of gold.
9 Furthermore ahe made the court of the priests, and the bgreat court and doors for the court; and he overlaid these doors with bronze.
10 aHe set the Sea on the right side, toward the southeast.
11 Then aHuram made the pots and the shovels and the bowls. So Huram finished doing the work that he was to do for King Solomon for the house of God:
12 the two pillars and athe bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the two pillars; the two networks covering the two bowl-shaped capitals which were on top of the pillars;
13 afour hundred pomegranates for the two networks (two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on the pillars);
14 he also made acarts and the lavers on the carts;
15 one Sea and twelve oxen under it;
16 also the pots, the shovels, the forks—and all their articles aHuram his 1master craftsman made of burnished bronze for King Solomon for the house of the LORD.
17 In the plain of Jordan the king had them cast in clay molds, between Succoth and 1Zeredah.
18 aAnd Solomon had all these articles made in such great abundance that the weight of the bronze was not determined.
19 Thus aSolomon had all the furnishings made for the house of God: the altar of gold and the tables on which was bthe showbread;
20 the lampstands with their lamps of pure gold, to burn ain the prescribed manner in front of the inner sanctuary,
21 with athe flowers and the lamps and the wick-trimmers of gold, of purest gold;
22 the trimmers, the bowls, the ladles, and the censers of pure gold. As for the entry of the 1sanctuary, its inner doors to the Most Holy Place, and the doors of the main hall of the temple, were gold.
5
1 So aall the work that Solomon had done for the house of the LORD was finished; and Solomon brought in the things which his father David had dedicated: the silver and the gold and all the furnishings. And he put them in the treasuries of the house of God.
The Ark Brought into the Temple
2 aNow Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the *tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, in Jerusalem, that they might bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD up bfrom the City of David, which is Zion.
3 aTherefore all the men of Israel assembled with the king bat the feast, which was in the seventh month.
4 So all the elders of Israel came, and the aLevites took up the ark.
5 Then they brought up the ark, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up.
6 Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him before the ark, were sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude.
7 Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the ainner sanctuary of the 1temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim.
8 For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles.
9 The poles extended so that the ends of the apoles of the ark could be seen from the holy place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And 1they are there to this day.
10 Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets which Moses aput there at Horeb, 1when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they had come out of Egypt.
11 And it came to pass when the priests came out of the Most Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had 1sanctified themselves, without keeping to their adivisions),
12 aand the Levites who were the singers, all those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments and harps, band with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets—
13 indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in *praising and thanking the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying:
a“For He is good,
For His mercy endures forever,”
that the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud,
14 so that the priests could not 1continue ministering because of the cloud; afor the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.
6
1 Then aSolomon spoke:
“The LORD said He would dwell in the bdark cloud.
2 I have surely built You an exalted house,
And aa place for You to dwell in forever.”
Solomon’s Speech upon Completion of the Work
3 Then the king turned around and ablessed the whole assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing.
4 And he said: “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who has fulfilled with His hands what He spoke with His mouth to my father David, asaying,
5 ‘Since the day that I brought My people out of the land of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house, that My name might be there, nor did I choose any man to be a ruler over My people Israel.
6 a‘Yet I have chosen Jerusalem, that My name may be there, and I bhave chosen David to be over My people Israel.’
7 “Now ait was in the heart of my father David to build a 1temple for the name of the LORD God of Israel.
8 “But the LORD said to my father David, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well in that it was in your heart.
9 ‘Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for My aname.’
10 “So the LORD has fulfilled His word which He spoke, and I have filled the position of my father David, and asit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised; and I have built the temple for the name of the LORD God of Israel.
11 “And there I have put the ark, ain which is the covenant of the LORD which He made with the children of Israel.”
Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication
12 aThen 1Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands
13 (for Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court; and he stood on it, knelt down on his knees before all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven);
14 and he said: “LORD God of Israel, athere is no God in heaven or on earth like You, who keep Your bcovenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.
15 a“You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth and fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day.
16 “Therefore, LORD God of Israel, now keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, a‘You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, bonly if your sons take heed to their way, that they walk in My law as you have walked before Me.’
17 “And now, O LORD God of Israel, let Your word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David.
18 “But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? aBehold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this 1temple which I have built!
19 “Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O LORD my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You:
20 “that Your eyes may be aopen toward this temple day and night, toward the place where You said You would put Your name, that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes btoward this place.
21 “And may You hear the supplications of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and when You hear, aforgive.
22 “If anyone sins against his neighbor, and is forced to take an aoath, and comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this temple,
23 “then hear from heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, bringing retribution on the *wicked by bringing his way on his own head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his arighteousness.
24 “Or if Your people Israel are defeated before an aenemy because they have sinned against You, and return and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication before You in this temple,
25 “then hear from heaven and *forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to them and their fathers.
26 “When the aheavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin because You afflict them,
27 “then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.
28 “When there ais famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whatever bsickness there is;
29 “whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows his own burden and his own grief, and spreads out his hands to this temple:
30 “then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone aknow the bhearts of the sons of men),
31 “that they may fear You, to walk in Your ways as long as they live in the land which You gave to our fathers.
32 “Moreover, concerning a foreigner, awho is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for the sake of Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm, when they come and pray in this temple;
33 “then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that 1this temple which I have built is called by Your name.
34 “When Your people go out to battle against their enemies, wherever You send them, and when they pray to You toward this city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name,
35 “then hear from heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.
36 “When they sin against You (for there is ano one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them bcaptive to a land far or near;
37 “yet when they 1come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, and have committed wickedness’;
38 “and when they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been carried captive, and pray toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the acity which You have chosen, and toward the temple which I have built for Your name:
39 “then hear from heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You.
40 “Now, my God, I pray, let Your eyes be aopen and let Your ears be attentive to the prayer made in this place.
41 “Nowa therefore,
Arise, O LORD God, to Your bresting place,
You and the ark of Your *strength.
Let Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation,
And let Your saints crejoice in goodness.
42 “O LORD God, do not turn away the face of Your Anointed;
aRemember the mercies of Your servant David.”
Solomon Dedicates the Temple
7
1 When aSolomon had finished praying, bfire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and cthe glory of the LORD filled the 1temple.
2 aAnd the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’s house.
3 When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying:
a“For He is good,
bFor His mercy endures forever.”
4 aThen the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD.
5 King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.
6 aAnd the priests attended to their services; the Levites also with instruments of the music of the LORD, which King David had made to praise the LORD, saying, “For His mercy endures forever,” whenever David offered praise by their 1ministry. bThe priests sounded trumpets opposite them, while all Israel stood.
7 Furthermore aSolomon consecrated the middle of the court that was in front of the house of the LORD; for there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not able to *receive the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat.
8 aAt that time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly bfrom the entrance of Hamath to cthe1 Brook of Egypt.
9 And on the eighth day they held a asacred assembly, for they observed the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days.
10 aOn the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their tents, joyful and glad of heart for the good that the LORD had done for David, for Solomon, and for His people Israel.
11 Thus aSolomon finished the house of the LORD and the king’s house; and Solomon successfully accomplished all that came into his heart to make in the house of the LORD and in his own house.
God’s Second Appearance to Solomon
12 Then the LORD aappeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, band have chosen this cplace for Myself as a house of sacrifice.
13 a“When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people,
14 “if My people who are acalled by My name will bhumble themselves, and *pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, cthen I will hear from heaven, and will *forgive their sin and *heal their land.
15 “Now aMy eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.
16 “For now aI have chosen and 1sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and 2My eyes and 3My heart will be there perpetually.
17 a“As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments,
18 “then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, a‘You shall not fail to have a man as ruler in Israel.’
19 a“But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them,
20 a“then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have 1sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a *proverb and a bbyword among all peoples.
21 “And as for athis 1house, which 2is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be bastonished and say, c‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and this house?’
22 “Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this calamity on them.’ ”
Solomon’s Additional Achievements
8
1 It acame to pass at the end of btwenty years, when Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own house,
2 that the cities which 1Hiram had given to Solomon, Solomon built them; and he settled the children of Israel there.
3 And Solomon went to Hamath Zobah and seized it.
4 aHe also built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the storage cities which he built in bHamath.
5 He built Upper Beth Horon and aLower Beth Horon, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars,
6 also Baalath and all the storage cities that Solomon had, and all the chariot cities and the cities of the cavalry, and all that Solomon adesired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.
7 aAll the people who were left of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not of Israel—
8 that is, their descendants who were left in the land after them, whom the children of Israel did not destroy—from these Solomon raised forced labor, as it is to this day.
9 But Solomon did not make the children of Israel 1servants for his work. Some were men of war, captains of his officers, captains of his chariots, and his cavalry.
10 And others were chiefs of the officials of King Solomon: atwo hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people.
11 Now Solomon abrought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the house he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places to which the ark of the LORD has come are holy.”
12 Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of the LORD which he had built before the vestibule,
13 according to the adaily rate, offering according to the commandment of Moses, for the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the bthree appointed yearly cfeasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles.
14 And, according to the 1order of David his father, he appointed the adivisions of the priests for their service, bthe Levites for their duties (to praise and serve before the priests) as the duty of each day required, and the cgatekeepers by their divisions at each gate; for so David the man of God had commanded.
15 They did not depart from the command of the king to the priests and Levites concerning any matter or concerning the atreasuries.
16 Now all the work of Solomon was well-ordered 1from the day of the foundation of the house of the LORD until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was completed.
17 Then Solomon went to aEzion Geber and 1Elath on the seacoast, in the land of Edom.
18 aAnd Hiram sent him ships by the hand of his servants, and servants who knew the sea. They went with the servants of Solomon to bOphir, and acquired four hundred and fifty talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.
The Queen of Sheba’s Praise of Solomon
9
1 Now awhen the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with hard questions, having a very great retinue, camels that bore spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart.
2 So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for Solomon that he could not explain it to her.
3 And when the queen of Sheba had seen the *wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built,
4 the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his acupbearers and their apparel, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her.
5 Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom.
6 “However I did not *believe their words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You exceed the fame of which I heard.
7 “Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!
8 “Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on His throne to be king for the LORD your God! Because your God has aloved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.”
9 And she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great abundance, and precious stones; there never were any spices such as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
10 Also, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, awho brought gold from Ophir, brought 1algum wood and precious stones.
11 And the king made walkways of the 1algum wood for the house of the LORD and for the king’s house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers; and there were none such as these seen before in the land of Judah.
12 Now King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, much more than she had brought to the king. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.
Solomon’s Great Wealth
13 aThe weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,
14 besides what the traveling merchants and traders brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15 And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of hammered gold went into each shield.
16 He also made three hundred shields of hammered gold; 1three hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the aHouse of the Forest of Lebanon.
17 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.
18 The throne had six *steps, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne; there were 1armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests.
19 Twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.
20 All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Not one was silver, for this was *accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon.
21 For the king’s ships went to aTarshish with the servants of 1Hiram. Once every three years the 2merchant ships came, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and 3monkeys.
22 So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
23 And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
24 Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, aarmor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year.
25 Solomon ahad four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem.
26 aSo he reigned over all the kings bfrom 1the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.
27 aThe king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees bas abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland.
28 aAnd they brought horses to Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.
Death of Solomon
29 aNow the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of bAhijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of cIddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat?
30 aSolomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.
31 Then Solomon 1rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.
The Revolt Against Rehoboam
10
1 And aRehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king.
2 So it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (he was in Egypt, awhere he had fled from the presence of King Solomon), that Jeroboam returned from Egypt.
3 Then they sent for him and called him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,
4 “Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.”
5 So he said to them, “Come back to me after three days.” And the people departed.
6 Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, saying, “How do you advise me to answer these people?”
7 And they spoke to him, saying, “If you are kind to these people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever.”
8 aBut he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.
9 And he said to them, “What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?”
10 Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you should speak to the people who have spoken to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us’—thus you shall say to them: ‘My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist!
11 ‘And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with 1scourges!’ ”
12 So aJeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had directed, saying, “Come back to me the third day.”
13 Then the king answered them roughly. King Rehoboam rejected the 14013001advice of the elders,
14 and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, 1“My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with 2scourges!”
15 So the king did not listen to the people; afor the turn of events was from God, that the LORD might fulfill His bword, which He had spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16 Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying:
“What share have we in David?
We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse.
Every man to your tents, O Israel!
Now see to your own house, O David!”
So all Israel departed to their tents.
17 But Rehoboam reigned over the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah.
18 Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was in charge of revenue; but the children of Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. Therefore King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste to flee to Jerusalem.
19 aSo Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
11
1 Now awhen Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled from the house of Judah and Benjamin one hundred and eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.
2 But the word of the LORD came ato Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
3 “Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,
4 ‘Thus says the LORD: “You shall not go up or fight against your brethren! Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me.” ’ ” Therefore they obeyed the words of the LORD, and turned back from attacking Jeroboam.
Rehoboam Fortifies the Cities
5 So Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah.
6 And he built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
7 Beth Zur, Sochoh, Adullam,
8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,
9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and Benjamin, fortified cities.
11 And he fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of food, oil, and wine.
12 Also in every city he put shields and spears, and made them very strong, having Judah and Benjamin on his side.
Priests and Levites Move to Judah
13 And from all their territories the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel took their stand with him.
14 For the Levites left atheir common-lands and their possessions and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for bJeroboam and his sons had rejected them from serving as priests to the LORD.
15 aThen he appointed for himself priests for the 1high places, for bthe demons, and cthe calf idols which he had made.
16 aAnd 1after the Levites left, those from all the tribes of Israel, such as set their heart to seek the LORD God of Israel, bcame to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD God of their fathers.
17 So they astrengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong for three years, because they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.
The Family of Rehoboam
18 Then Rehoboam took for himself as wife Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of aEliah the son of Jesse.
19 And she bore him children: Jeush, Shamariah, and Zaham.
20 After her he took aMaachah the 1granddaughter of bAbsalom; and she bore him cAbijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.
21 Now Rehoboam loved Maachah the granddaughter of Absalom more than all his awives and his concubines; for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and begot twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
22 And Rehoboam aappointed bAbijah the son of Maachah as chief, to be leader among his brothers; for he intended to make him king.
23 He dealt wisely, and 1dispersed some of his sons throughout all the territories of Judah and Benjamin, to every afortified city; and he gave them provisions in abundance. He also 14013001sought many wives for them.
Egypt Attacks Judah
12
1 Now ait came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, that bhe forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel along with him.
2 aAnd it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the LORD,
3 with twelve hundred chariots, sixty thousand horsemen, and people without number who came with him out of Egypt—athe Lubim and the Sukkiim and the Ethiopians.
4 And he took the fortified cities of Judah and came to Jerusalem.
5 Then aShemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah, who were gathered together in Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, “Thus says the LORD: ‘You have forsaken Me, and therefore I also have left you in the hand of Shishak.’ ”
6 So the leaders of Israel and the king ahumbled themselves; and they said, b“The LORD is righteous.”
7 Now when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, athe word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance. My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.
8 “Nevertheless athey will be his servants, that they may distinguish bMy service from the service of the kingdoms of the nations.”
9 aSo Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house; he took everything. He also carried away the gold shields which Solomon had bmade.
10 Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them ato the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king’s house.
11 And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guard would go and bring them out; then they would take them back into the guardroom.
12 When he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him, so as not to destroy him completely; and things also went well in Judah.
The End of Rehoboam’s Reign
13 Thus King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned. Now aRehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king; and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, bthe city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. His mother’s name was Naamah, an cAmmonitess.
14 And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD.
15 The acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the book of Shemaiah the prophet, aand of Iddo the seer concerning genealogies? bAnd there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.
16 So Rehoboam 1rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David. Then aAbijah2 his son reigned in his place.
Abijah Reigns in Judah
13
1 In athe eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over bJudah.
2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was 1Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
3 Abijah set the battle in order with an army of valiant warriors, four hundred thousand choice men. Jeroboam also drew up in battle formation against him with eight hundred thousand choice men, mighty men of valor.
4 Then Abijah stood on Mount aZemaraim, which is in the mountains of Ephraim, and said, “Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel:
5 “Should you not know that the LORD God of Israel agave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, bby a covenant of salt?
6 “Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and arebelled against his lord.
7 “Then aworthless rogues gathered to him, and strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was byoung and inexperienced and could not withstand them.
8 “And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD, which is in the hand of the sons of David; and you are a great multitude, and with you are the gold calves which Jeroboam amade for you as gods.
9 a“Have you not cast out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests, like the peoples of other lands, bso that whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may be a priest of cthings that are not gods?
10 “But as for us, the LORD is our aGod, and we have not forsaken Him; and the priests who minister to the LORD are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites attend to their duties.
11 a“And they burn to the LORD every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense; they also set the bshowbread in order on the pure gold table, and the lampstand of gold with its lamps cto burn every evening; for we keep the command of the LORD our God, but you have forsaken Him.
12 “Now look, God Himself is with us as our ahead, band His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the LORD God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper!”
13 But Jeroboam caused an ambush to go around behind them; so they were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them.
14 And when Judah looked around, to their surprise the battle line was at both front and rear; and they acried out to the LORD, and the priests sounded the trumpets.
15 Then the men of Judah gave a shout; and as the men of Judah shouted, it happened that God astruck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
16 And the children of Israel fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hand.
17 Then Abijah and his people struck them with a great slaughter; so five hundred thousand choice men of Israel fell slain.
18 Thus the children of Israel were subdued at that time; and the children of Judah prevailed, abecause they relied on the LORD God of their fathers.
19 And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him: Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and aEphrain1 with its villages.
20 So Jeroboam did not recover strength again in the days of Abijah; and the LORD astruck him, and bhe died.
21 But Abijah grew mighty, married fourteen wives, and begot twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22 Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways, and his sayings are written in athe 1annals of the prophet Iddo.
14
1 So Abijah rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. Then aAsa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land was quiet for ten years.
Asa Reigns in Judah
2 Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God,
3 for he removed the altars of the foreign gods and athe 1high places, and bbroke down the sacred pillars cand cut down the wooden images.
4 He commanded Judah to aseek the LORD God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment.
5 He also removed the 1high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom was quiet under him.
6 And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest; he had no war in those years, because the LORD had given him arest.
7 Therefore he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and make walls around them, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us, because we have sought the LORD our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered.
8 And Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah who carried 1shields and spears, and from Benjamin two hundred and eighty thousand men who carried shields and drew abows; all these were mighty men of bvalor.
9 aThen Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and he came to bMareshah.
10 So Asa went out against him, and they set the troops in battle array in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
11 And Asa acried out to the LORD his God, and said, “LORD, it is bnothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and cin Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!”
12 So the LORD astruck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.
13 And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to aGerar. So the Ethiopians were overthrown, and they could not recover, for they were broken before the LORD and His army. And they carried away very much 1spoil.
14 Then they defeated all the cities around Gerar, for athe fear of the LORD came upon them; and they plundered all the cities, for there was exceedingly much 1spoil in them.
15 They also 1attacked the livestock enclosures, and carried off sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.
The Reforms of Asa
15
1 Now athe Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded.
2 And he went out 1to meet Asa, and said to him: “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. aThe LORD is with you while you are with Him. bIf you seek Him, He will be found by you; but cif you forsake Him, He will forsake you.
3 a“For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a bteaching priest, and without claw;
4 “but awhen in their trouble they turned to the LORD God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them.
5 “And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands.
6 a“So nation was 1destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity.
7 “But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!”
8 And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of 1Oded the prophet, he took courage, and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities awhich he had taken in the mountains of Ephraim; and he restored the altar of the LORD that was before the vestibule of the LORD.
9 Then he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and athose who dwelt with them from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, for they came over to him in great numbers from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.
10 So they gathered together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.
11 aAnd they offered to the LORD 1at that time seven hundred bulls and seven thousand sheep from the 2spoil they had brought.
12 Then they aentered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;
13 aand whoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel bwas to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.
14 Then they took an oath before the LORD with a loud voice, with shouting and trumpets and rams’ horns.
15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and asought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and the LORD gave them brest all around.
16 Also he removed aMaachah, the 1mother of Asa the king, from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of 2Asherah; and Asa cut down her obscene image, then crushed and burned it by the Brook Kidron.
17 But athe 1high places were not removed from Israel. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was loyal all his days.
18 He also brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated and that he himself had dedicated: silver and gold and utensils.
19 And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.
Asa’s Treaty with Syria
16
1 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, aBaasha king of Israel came up against Judah and built Ramah, bthat he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.
2 Then Asa brought silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and of the king’s house, and sent to Ben-Hadad king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying,
3 “Let there be a treaty between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. See, I have sent you silver and gold; come, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”
4 So Ben-Hadad heeded King Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel. They attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali.
5 Now it happened, when Baasha heard it, that he stopped building Ramah and ceased his work.
6 Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones and timber of Ramah, which Baasha had used for building; and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.
Hanani’s Message to Asa
7 And at that time aHanani the *seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: b“Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand.
8 “Were athe Ethiopians and bthe Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your chand.
9 a“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this byou have done foolishly; therefore from now on cyou shall have wars.”
10 Then Asa was angry with the seer, and aput him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.
Illness and Death of Asa
11 aNote that the acts of Asa, first and last, are indeed written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
12 And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he adid not seek the LORD, but the physicians.
13 aSo Asa 1rested with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign.
14 They buried him in his own tomb, which he had 1made for himself in the City of David; and they laid him in the bed which was filled awith spices and various ingredients prepared in a mixture of ointments. They made ba very great burning for him.
Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah
17
1 Then aJehoshaphat his son reigned in his place, and strengthened himself against Israel.
2 And he placed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of aJudah and in the cities of Ephraim bwhich Asa his father had taken.
3 Now the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals,
4 but sought 1the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to athe acts of Israel.
5 Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah agave presents to Jehoshaphat, band he had riches and honor in abundance.
6 And his heart took delight in the ways of the LORD; moreover ahe removed the 1high* places and wooden images from Judah.
7 Also in the third year of his reign he sent his leaders, Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Michaiah, ato teach in the cities of Judah.
8 And with them he sent Levites: Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah—the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests.
9 aSo they taught in Judah, and had the Book of the Law of the LORD with them; they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught the people.
10 And athe fear of the LORD fell on all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.
11 Also some of the Philistines abrought Jehoshaphat presents and silver as tribute; and the Arabians brought him flocks, seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred male goats.
12 So Jehoshaphat became increasingly powerful, and he built fortresses and storage cities in Judah.
13 He had much property in the cities of Judah; and the men of war, mighty men of valor, were in Jerusalem.
14 These are their numbers, according to their fathers’ houses. Of Judah, the captains of thousands: Adnah the captain, and with him three hundred thousand mighty men of valor;
15 and next to him was Jehohanan the captain, and with him two hundred and eighty thousand;
16 and next to him was Amasiah the son of Zichri, awho willingly offered himself to the LORD, and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valor.
17 Of Benjamin: Eliada a mighty man of valor, and with him two hundred thousand men armed with bow and shield;
18 and next to him was Jehozabad, and with him one hundred and eighty thousand prepared for war.
19 These *served the king, besides athose the king put in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.
Micaiah Warns Ahab
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1 Jehoshaphat ahad riches and honor in abundance; and by marriage he ballied himself with cAhab.
2 aAfter some years he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria; and Ahab killed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and the people who were with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramoth Gilead.
3 So Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?” And he answered him, “I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will be with you in the war.”
4 Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, a“Please inquire for the word of the LORD today.”
5 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?” So they said, “Go up, for God will deliver it into the king’s hand.”
6 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of aHim?”1
7 So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD; but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil. He is Micaiah the son of Imla.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say such things!”
8 Then the king of Israel called one of his officers and said, “Bring Micaiah the son of Imla quickly!”
9 The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, clothed in their robes, sat each on his throne; and they sat at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.
10 Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made ahorns of iron for himself; and he said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘With these you shall gore the Syrians until they are destroyed.’ ”
11 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the king’s hand.”
12 Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “Now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Therefore please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak encouragement.”
13 And Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, awhatever my God says, that I will speak.”
14 Then he came to the king; and the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?” And he said, “Go and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand!”
15 So the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?”
16 Then he said, “I saw all Israel ascattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no bshepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.’ ”
17 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”
18 Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His athrone, and all the *host of heaven standing on His right hand and His left.
19 “And the LORD said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab king of Israel to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner.
20 “Then a aspirit came forward and stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ The LORD said to him, ‘In what way?’
21 “So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the LORD said, ‘You shall persuade him and also prevail; go out and do so.’
22 “Therefore look! aThe LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and the LORD has declared disaster against you.”
23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near and astruck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, “Which way did the spirit from the LORD go from me to speak to you?”
24 And Micaiah said, “Indeed you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide!”
25 Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son;
26 “and say, ‘Thus says the king: a“Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I return in peace.” ’ ”
27 But Micaiah said, “If you ever return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by ame.” And he said, “Take heed, all you people!”
Ahab Dies in Battle
28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead.
29 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will adisguise myself and go into battle; but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.
30 Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the chariots who were with him, saying, “Fight with no one small or great, but only with the king of Israel.”
31 So it was, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, “It is the king of Israel!” Therefore they surrounded him to attack; but Jehoshaphat acried out, and the LORD helped him, and God diverted them from him.
32 For so it was, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him.
33 Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the 1joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded.”
34 The battle increased that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Syrians until evening; and about the time of sunset he died.
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1 Then Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned safely to his house in Jerusalem.
2 And Jehu the son of Hanani athe seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and blove those who hate the LORD? Therefore the cwrath of the LORD is upon you.
3 “Nevertheless agood things are found in you, in that you have removed the 1wooden images from the land, and have bprepared your heart to seek God.”
The Reforms of Jehoshaphat
4 So Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem; and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the mountains of Ephraim, and brought them back to the LORD God of their afathers.
5 Then he set ajudges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,
6 and said to the judges, “Take heed to what you are doing, for ayou do not judge for man but for the LORD, bwho is with you 1in the judgment.
7 “Now therefore, let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take care and do it, for athere is no iniquity with the LORD our God, no bpartiality, nor taking of bribes.”
8 Moreover in Jerusalem, for the judgment of the LORD and for controversies, Jehoshaphat aappointed some of the Levites and priests, and some of the chief fathers of Israel, 1when they returned to Jerusalem.
9 And he commanded them, saying, “Thus you shall act ain the fear of the LORD, *faithfully and with a loyal heart:
10 a“Whatever case comes to you from your brethren who dwell in their cities, whether of bloodshed or offenses against law or commandment, against statutes or ordinances, you shall warn them, lest they trespass against the LORD and bwrath come upon cyou and your brethren. Do this, and you will not be guilty.
11 “And take notice: aAmariah the chief priest is over you bin all matters of the LORD; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, for all the king’s matters; also the Levites will be officials before you. Behave courageously, and the LORD will be cwith the good.”
Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir Defeated
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1 It happened after this that the people of aMoab with the people of bAmmon, and others with them besides the cAmmonites,1 came to battle against Jehoshaphat.
2 Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from 1Syria; and they are ain Hazazon Tamar” (which is bEn Gedi).
3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set 1himself to aseek the LORD, and bproclaimed a *fast throughout all Judah.
4 So Judah gathered together to ask ahelp from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.
5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,
6 and said: “O LORD God of our fathers, are You not aGod in heaven, and bdo You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and cin Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?
7 “Are You not aour God, who bdrove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham cYour friend forever?
8 “And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying,
9 a‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your bname is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’
10 “And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir—whom You awould not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but bthey turned from them and did not destroy them—
11 “here they are, rewarding us aby coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit.
12 “O our God, will You not ajudge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but bour eyes are upon You.”
13 Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the LORD.
14 Then athe 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, in the midst of the assembly.
15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: a‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, bfor the battle is not yours, but God’s.
16 ‘Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the 1brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel.
17 a‘You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not *fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, bfor the LORD is with you.”
18 And Jehoshaphat abowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the LORD, worshiping the LORD.
19 Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with voices loud and high.
20 So they rose 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: aBelieve in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”
21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, aand who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:
b“Praise the LORD,
cFor His mercy endures forever.”
22 Now when they began to *sing and to *praise, athe LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.
23 For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they 1had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, athey helped to destroy one another.
24 So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.
25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them an abundance of valuables on the 1dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much.
