2 Chronicles 1-18

Legacy Standard Bible

Solomon Goes Before Yahweh

1 Now ^(A)Solomon the son of David strengthened himself over his kingdom, and ^[a]Yahweh his God was with him and highly ^(B)exalted him.

² And Solomon spoke to all Israel, ^(C)to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and to the judges and to every leader in all Israel, the heads of the fathers’ households. ³ Then Solomon and all the assembly with him went to ^(D)the high place which was at Gibeon, ^(E)for God’s tent of meeting was there, which Moses the servant of Yahweh had made in the wilderness. ⁴ However, David had brought up ^(F)the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim ^[b]to ^(G)the place he had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. ⁵ Now ^(H)the bronze altar, which Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, ^[c]was there before the tabernacle of Yahweh, and Solomon and the assembly sought it out. ⁶ And Solomon went up there before Yahweh to the bronze altar which was at the tent of meeting, and ^(I)offered one thousand burnt offerings on it.

^7 (J)In that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what I should give to you.”

God Gives Wisdom to Solomon

⁸ Then Solomon said to God, “You have shown great lovingkindness to my father David, and ^(K)have made me king in his place. ⁹ Now, O Yahweh God, ^(L)let Your ^[d]promise to my father David ^[e]endure, for You have made me king over ^(M)a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. ^10 (N)Give me now wisdom and knowledge, ^(O)that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can do justice for this great people of Yours?” ^11 (P)And God said to Solomon, “Because ^[f]you had this in your heart, and did not ask for riches, wealth, or glory, or the life of those who hate you, nor have you even asked for long life, but you have asked for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may do justice for My people over whom I have made you king, ¹² wisdom and knowledge have been given to you. And ^(Q)I will give you riches and wealth and glory, ^[g]such as none of the kings who were before you had nor those who will ^[h]come after you.” ^13 (R)So Solomon went ^[i]from the high place which was at Gibeon, from the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem, and he reigned over Israel.

Solomon’s Chariots and Horsemen

^14 (S)And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen. ^(T)And he had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he stationed them in ^(U)the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. ^15 (V)The king also made ^(W)silver and gold as plentiful as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the ^[j]Shephelah. ¹⁶ Solomon’s import of ^(X)horses was from Egypt and from Kue; the king’s merchants procured them from Kue for a price. ¹⁷ And they ^[k]imported a chariot from Egypt for ^[l]600 shekels of silver and a horse for ^[m]150; and ^[n]by the same means they ^[o]exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.

Yahweh’s House Will Be Great

2 ^[p](Y)Then Solomon ^[q]decided to build a house for the name of Yahweh and a ^[r]royal palace for himself. ^2 [s]So ^(Z)Solomon numbered 70,000 men to carry loads and 80,000 men to hew stone in the mountains and 3,600 to direct them.

^3 (AA)Then Solomon sent word to ^[t]Huram the king of Tyre, saying, “^(AB)As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedars to build him a house to live in, so do for me. ⁴ Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God, setting it apart to Him as holy, ^(AC)to burn fragrant incense before Him and to set out ^(AD)the showbread continually, and to offer ^(AE)burnt offerings morning and evening, ^(AF)on sabbaths and on new moons and on the appointed feasts of Yahweh our God, this being required forever in Israel. ⁵ Now the house which I am about to build will be great, for ^(AG)greater is our God than all the gods. ⁶ But ^(AH)who is able to build a house for Him, for the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain Him? So who am I, that I should build a house for Him, except to ^[u]burn incense before Him? ⁷ So now, ^(AI)send me a wise man to work in gold, silver, brass, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, and who knows how to make engravings, to work with the wise men ^[v](AJ)whom I have in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father prepared. ^8 (AK)Send me also cedar, cypress and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber of Lebanon; and behold, ^(AL)my servants will work with your servants, ⁹ to prepare timber in abundance for me, for the house which I am about to build will be great and wonderful. ¹⁰ And behold, ^(AM)I will give to your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, ^[w]20,000 kors of crushed wheat and 20,000 kors of barley, and ^[x]20,000 baths of wine and 20,000 baths of oil.”

Covenant with Huram King of Tyre

¹¹ Then Huram king of Tyre said in a letter ^[y]sent to Solomon: “^(AN)Because Yahweh loves His people, He has given you to be king over them.” ¹² Then Huram said, “Blessed be ^(AO)Yahweh, the God of Israel, who has made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, knowledgeable in insight and understanding, ^(AP)who will build a house for Yahweh and a ^[z]royal palace for himself.

¹³ “So now, I am sending Huram-abi, a wise man, who is knowledgeable in understanding, ^14 (AQ)the son of a ^[aa]Danite woman and ^[ab]a Tyrian father, who knows how to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, blue, linen, and crimson fabrics, and who knows how to make all kinds of engravings and to devise any design which may be given to him, to work with your wise men and with the wise men of my lord David your father. ¹⁵ So now, let my lord send to his servants wheat and barley, oil and wine, of ^(AR)which he has spoken. ^16 (AS)And we will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you on rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may carry it up to Jerusalem.”

¹⁷ Then Solomon numbered all the sojourners who were in the land of Israel, ^(AT)following the ^[ac]census which his father David had ^[ad]taken; and 153,600 were found. ^18 (AU)And he made 70,000 of them to carry loads and 80,000 as hewers of stone in the mountains and 3,600 directors to make the people work.

Solomon Builds Yahweh’s House

3 ^(AV)Then Solomon began to build the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where Yahweh had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared ^(AW)on the threshing floor of ^[ae]Ornan the Jebusite. ² Then he began to build on the second day in the second month ^[af]of the fourth year of his reign. ³ Now these are the ^[ag]foundations which ^(AX)Solomon laid for building the house of God. The length in cubits, according to the old standard was ^[ah]sixty cubits, and the width twenty cubits. ⁴ And the porch which was in front of the house ^(AY)was as long as the width of the house, ^[ai]20 cubits, and the height 120; and inside he overlaid it with pure gold. ⁵ Now he overlaid ^(AZ)the ^[aj]main room with cypress wood and overlaid it with fine gold, and ^[ak]ornamented it with palm trees and chains. ⁶ Further, he overlaid the house with precious stones for beauty; and the gold was gold from ^[al]Parvaim. ^7 (BA)He also covered the house with gold—the beams, the thresholds and its walls and its doors; and he ^(BB)carved cherubim on the walls.

⁸ And he made ^(BC)the ^[am]room of the Holy of Holies: its length across the width of the house was twenty cubits, and its width was twenty cubits; and he covered it with fine gold, amounting to ^[an]600 talents. ⁹ Now the weight of the nails was ^[ao]fifty shekels of gold. He also covered ^(BD)the upper rooms with gold.

^10 (BE)Then in the room of the Holy of Holies he made two cherubim of fashioned work and overlaid them with gold. ¹¹ Now the wingspan of the cherubim was twenty cubits; the wing of one, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and its other wing, of five cubits, touched the wing of the other cherub. ¹² And the wing of the other cherub, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house; and its other wing of five cubits was attached to the wing of the ^[ap]first cherub. ¹³ The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits, and they stood on their feet ^[aq]facing the main room. ^14 (BF)And he made the veil of blue, purple, crimson, and fine linen, and he ornamented cherubim on it.

^15 (BG)He also made two pillars for the front of the house, ^[ar]thirty-five cubits ^[as]high, and the capital on the top of each was five cubits. ¹⁶ And he made chains in the inner sanctuary and put them on the top of the pillars; and he made one hundred pomegranates and put them on the chains. ^17 (BH)Thus he set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the right and one on the left, and named the one on the right Jachin and the one on the left Boaz.

The Furnishings of the House of Yahweh

4 Then ^(BI)he made a bronze altar, ^[at]twenty cubits in length and twenty cubits in width and ten cubits in height. ^2 (BJ)And he made the sea of cast metal ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, and its height was five cubits, and ^[au]thirty cubits in ^[av]its circumference. ³ Now figures like oxen were under it and encircling it, ten cubits, entirely encircling the sea. The oxen were in two rows, cast ^[aw]in one piece. ⁴ It stood on twelve oxen, three facing the north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east; and the sea was set on top of them, and all their rear parts turned inward. ⁵ And it was a ^[ax]handbreadth thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, as a lily blossom; it ^(BK)could hold 3,000 baths. ^6 (BL)He also made ten lavers and set five on the right side and five on the left, in which to wash things, that is, in which they would rinse things for the burnt offering; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.

⁷ Then ^(BM)he made the ten golden lampstands ^[ay]in the way prescribed for them and he put them in the temple, five on the right side and five on the left. ⁸ He also made ^(BN)ten tables and placed them in the temple, five on the right side and five on the left. And he made one hundred golden bowls. ⁹ Then he made ^(BO)the court of the priests and ^(BP)the great court and doors for the court, and overlaid their doors with bronze. ^10 (BQ)And he put the sea on the right ^[az]side of the house toward the southeast.

^11 (BR)And Huram made the pots and the shovels and the bowls. So Huram completed doing the work which he did for King Solomon in the house of God: ¹² the two pillars and the two bowls and the two capitals on top of the pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on top of the pillars, ¹³ and ^(BS)the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each network to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the pillars. ^14 (BT)He also made the stands and he made the lavers on the stands, ¹⁵ and the one sea with the twelve oxen under it. ¹⁶ And the pots and the shovels and the flesh hooks and all its utensils, ^(BU)Huram-abi made of polished bronze for King Solomon for the house of Yahweh. ¹⁷ On the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah. ^18 (BV)Thus Solomon made all these utensils in great quantities, for the weight of the bronze could not be found out.

¹⁹ Solomon also made all the furniture which was in the house of God: even the golden altar and ^(BW)the tables with the bread of the Presence on them, ²⁰ and the lampstands with their lamps of pure gold, ^(BX)to burn in front of the inner sanctuary ^[ba]in the way prescribed; ²¹ and the flowers and the lamps and the tongs of gold, of purest gold; ²² and the snuffers and the bowls and the spoons and the firepans, of pure gold; and the entrance of the house, its inner doors for the Holy of Holies and the doors of the house, that is, of the nave, of gold.

The Ark Brought into the House of Yahweh

5 ^(BY)Thus all the work that Solomon did for the house of Yahweh was finished. And Solomon brought in the ^[bb](BZ)things set apart as holy by his father David, even the silver and the gold and all the utensils, and he put them in the treasuries of the house of God.

^2 (CA)Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel to Jerusalem, ^(CB)to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the city of David, which is Zion. ^3 (CC)And all the men of Israel assembled themselves to the king at ^(CD)the feast, that is in the seventh month. ⁴ Then all the elders of Israel came, and ^(CE)the Levites carried the ark. ⁵ And they brought up the ark and the tent of meeting and all the holy utensils which were in the tent; the Levitical priests brought them up. ⁶ And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel who congregated with him before the ark, were sacrificing ^[bc]so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. ⁷ Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the Holy of Holies, under the wings of the cherubim. ⁸ And the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim made a covering over the ark and its poles from above. ⁹ But the poles were so long that ^(CF)the ends of the poles of the ark could be seen before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen outside; and ^[bd]they are there to this day. ^10 (CG)There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets which Moses put there at Horeb, where Yahweh cut a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.

The Glory of Yahweh Fills His House

¹¹ Now it happened that when the priests came out of the holy place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without regard ^(CH)to divisions), ¹² and all the Levitical singers, ^(CI)Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and relatives, clothed in fine linen, ^(CJ)with cymbals, harps, and lyres, standing east of the altar, and with them 120 priests ^(CK)blowing trumpets ¹³ in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to give thanks to Yahweh, and when they lifted up their voice ^(CL)accompanied by trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and when they praised Yahweh saying, “^(CM)He indeed is good for His lovingkindness endures forever,” then the house, the house of Yahweh, was filled with a cloud, ¹⁴ so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for ^(CN)the glory of Yahweh filled the house of God.

Solomon Blesses the People

6 ^(CO)Then Solomon said,

³ Then the king turned his face around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. ⁴ And he said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David and has fulfilled it by His hands, saying, ⁵ ‘Since the day that I brought My people from the land of Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house that My name might be there, nor did I choose any man for a ruler over My people Israel; ⁶ but ^(CP)I have chosen Jerusalem that My name might be there, and I ^(CQ)have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’ ^7 (CR)And it was ^[be]in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. ⁸ But Yahweh said to my father David, ‘Because it was ^[bf]in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was ^[bg]in your heart. ⁹ Nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who will ^(CS)come forth from your loins, he shall build the house for My name.’ ¹⁰ And Yahweh has established His word which He spoke; and I have been established in place of my father David and sit on the throne of Israel, as Yahweh ^[bh]promised, and have built the house for the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. ¹¹ And there I have set the ark ^(CT)in which is the covenant of Yahweh, which He cut with the sons of Israel.”

Solomon’s Prayer for Israel

¹² Then he stood before the altar of Yahweh before all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. ^13 (CU)Now Solomon had made a bronze platform, five cubits long, five cubits wide and three cubits high, and had put it in the midst of the court; and he stood on it, ^(CV)knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven. ¹⁴ And he said, “O Yahweh, the God of Israel, ^(CW)there is no god like You in heaven or on earth, ^(CX)keeping covenant and lovingkindness to Your slaves who walk before You with all their heart; ^15 (CY)who have kept with Your ^[bi]servant David, my father, that which You have ^[bj]promised him; indeed You have promised with Your mouth and have fulfilled it by Your hand, as it is this day. ¹⁶ So now, O Yahweh, the God of Israel, keep with Your servant David my father, that which You have promised him, saying, ‘^(CZ)You shall not have a man cut off from before Me who is to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons keep their way to walk in My law as you have walked before Me.’ ¹⁷ So now, O Yahweh, the God of Israel, let Your word truly ^[bk]endure which You have spoken to Your servant David.

¹⁸ “But ^(DA)will God truly dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, ^(DB)heaven and the ^[bl]highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built. ¹⁹ Yet have regard to the prayer of Your slave and to his supplication, O Yahweh my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your slave prays before You; ²⁰ that Your ^(DC)eyes may be open toward this house day and night, toward ^(DD)the place of which You have said that You would place Your name there, to listen to the prayer which Your slave shall pray toward this place. ²¹ And listen to the supplications of Your slave and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place; listen from Your dwelling place, from heaven; ^(DE)listen and forgive.

²² “If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and he comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this house, ²³ then listen from heaven and act and judge Your slaves, ^[bm](DF)punishing the wicked by ^[bn]bringing his way on his own head and justifying the righteous by ^[bo]bringing him reward according to his righteousness.

²⁴ “And if Your people Israel are ^[bp]defeated before an enemy because ^(DG)they have sinned against You, and they turn to You and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication before You in this house, ²⁵ then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You have given to them and to their fathers.

²⁶ “When the ^(DH)heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin when You afflict them; ²⁷ then listen in heaven and forgive the sin of Your slaves and of Your people Israel; indeed, ^(DI)teach them the good way in which they should walk. And give rain on Your land, which You have given to Your people for an inheritance.

²⁸ “If there is ^(DJ)famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is scorching wind or mildew, if there is locust or grasshopper, if their enemies besiege them in the land of their ^[bq]cities, whatever plague or whatever sickness there is, ²⁹ whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Your people Israel, who know his own affliction and his own pain, and spread his hands toward this house, ³⁰ then listen from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and give to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know, ^(DK)for You alone know the hearts of the sons of men, ³¹ that they may ^[br]fear You, to walk in Your ways all the days they live upon the face of the land which You have given to our fathers.

³² “Also concerning ^(DL)the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel, if he comes from a far country for Your great name’s sake and Your strong hand and Your outstretched arm, so if they come and pray toward this house, ³³ then listen from heaven, from Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name even to ^[bs]fear You, as do Your people Israel, and to know that Your name is ^(DM)called upon this house which I have built.

³⁴ “When Your people go out to battle against their enemies, by whatever way You shall send them, and they pray to You toward this city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name, ³⁵ then listen from heaven to their prayer and their supplication, and do justice.

³⁶ “When they sin against You (^(DN)for there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and give them over to an enemy, so that ^[bt]they take them away captive to a land far off or near, ³⁷ and if they ^(DO)cause these things to return to their heart in the land where they have been taken captive, and ^[bu]return and make supplication to You in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned, we have committed iniquity and have acted wickedly’; ^38 (DP)and if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been taken captive, and pray toward their land which You have given to their fathers and the city which You have chosen, and toward the house which I have built for Your name, ³⁹ then listen from heaven, from Your dwelling place, to their prayer and supplications, and do justice for them and forgive Your people who have sinned against You.

⁴⁰ “Now, O my God, I pray, ^(DQ)let Your eyes be open and ^(DR)Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.

⁴¹ “^(DS)So now, arise, O Yahweh God, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength; let Your priests, O Yahweh God, be clothed with salvation and let Your holy ones be glad in what is good.

⁴² “O Yahweh God, do not turn away the face of Your anointed; ^(DT)remember Your lovingkindness to Your servant David.”

The Glory of Yahweh Fills His House

7 ^(DU)Now when Solomon had ^[bv]finished praying, ^(DV)fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of Yahweh filled the house. ^2 (DW)And the priests could not enter into the house of Yahweh because the glory of Yahweh filled the house of Yahweh. ³ And all the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of Yahweh upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave praise to Yahweh, saying, “^(DX)For He is good, for His lovingkindness endures forever.”

Offerings for the House of Yahweh

^4 (DY)Now the king and all the people were offering sacrifices before Yahweh. ⁵ And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. ⁶ And the priests stood at their posts, and ^(DZ)the Levites also, with the instruments of music to Yahweh, which King David had made for giving thanks to Yahweh—“for His lovingkindness endures forever”—whenever ^[bw]he gave praise by their hand, while ^(EA)the priests on the other side blew trumpets; and all Israel was standing.

^7 (EB)Then Solomon set apart as holy the middle of the court that was before the house of Yahweh, because there he offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings; for the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not able to hold the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat.

⁸ So ^(EC)Solomon celebrated the feast at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly from ^[bx]Lebo-hamath to the ^(ED)brook of Egypt. ⁹ And on the eighth day they celebrated ^(EE)a solemn assembly; for the dedication of the altar they celebrated seven days and the feast seven days. ¹⁰ And on the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their tents, with gladness and goodness of heart because of the goodness that Yahweh had shown to David and to Solomon and to Israel His people.

Yahweh Appears to Solomon

^11 (EF)Thus Solomon completed the house of Yahweh and the king’s house; and all that had come into Solomon’s heart to do in the house of Yahweh and in his house, he did successfully.

¹² Then Yahweh appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer and ^(EG)have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. ^13 (EH)If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, ^14 (EI)and My people ^[by]who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their evil ways, then I will listen from heaven, I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land. ^15 (EJ)Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the ^[bz]prayer offered in this place. ¹⁶ So ^(EK)now I have chosen and set this house apart as holy that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. ¹⁷ As for you, if you will walk before Me as your father David walked, even to do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep My statutes and My judgments, ¹⁸ then I will establish your royal throne as I cut a covenant with your father David, saying, ‘^[ca](EL)You shall not have a man cut off as ruler in Israel.’

¹⁹ “^(EM)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 (EN)then I will uproot you from My land which I have given ^[cb]you, and this house which I have set apart as holy for My name I will cast out of My presence and I will make it ^(EO)a proverb and a byword among all peoples. ²¹ As for this house, which was exalted, everyone who passes by it will feel desolate and say, ‘^(EP)Why has Yahweh done thus to this land and to this house?’ ²² And they will say, ‘Because ^(EQ)they forsook Yahweh, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt and took hold of other gods and worshiped them and served them, therefore He has brought all this calamity on them.’”

Solomon Builds Cities

8 ^(ER)Now it happened at the end of the twenty years in which Solomon had built the house of Yahweh and his own house ² that he built the cities which Huram had given to ^[cc]him, and settled the sons of Israel there.

³ Then Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and overpowered it. ⁴ And he built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the storage cities which he had built in Hamath. ⁵ He also built upper ^(ES)Beth-horon and lower Beth-horon, ^(ET)fortified cities with walls, gates and bars; ⁶ and Baalath and all the storage cities which Solomon had, and all the cities for ^[cd]his chariots, and the cities for ^[ce]his horsemen, and all that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land ^[cf]under his rule.

^7 (EU)As for all the people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel, ⁸ namely, from their sons who were left after them in the land whom the sons of Israel had not consumed, ^(EV)from them Solomon raised up forced laborers to this day. ⁹ But Solomon did not make slaves for his work from the sons of Israel; for they were men of war, his chief captains and his chariot commanders and his horsemen. ¹⁰ These were the chief ^[cg]deputies of King Solomon, 250 who ruled over the people.

^11 (EW)Then Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the city of David to the house which he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not live in the house of David king of Israel, because ^[ch]the places are holy where the ark of Yahweh has entered.”

¹² Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to Yahweh on ^(EX)the altar of Yahweh which he had built before the porch; ¹³ and ^(EY)did so according to the daily rule, offering them up ^(EZ)according to the commandment of Moses, for ^(FA)the sabbaths, ^(FB)the new moons and the ^(FC)three annual feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Booths.

¹⁴ And according to the judgment of his father David, he caused ^(FD)the divisions of the priests to stand for their service, and ^(FE)the Levites for their responsibilities to praise and minister before the priests according to the daily rule, and ^(FF)the gatekeepers by their divisions at every gate; for ^(FG)David the man of God had so commanded. ¹⁵ And they did not turn away from the commandment of the king to the priests and Levites in any manner or concerning the treasuries.

¹⁶ Thus all the work of Solomon was carried out ^[ci]from the day of the foundation of the house of Yahweh, and until it was completed. So the house of Yahweh was finished.

¹⁷ Then Solomon went to ^(FH)Ezion-geber and to ^(FI)Eloth on the shore of the sea in the land of Edom. ¹⁸ And Huram by the hand of his servants sent him ships and servants who knew the sea; and they went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir, and ^(FJ)took from there ^[cj]450 talents of gold and brought them to King Solomon.

The Queen of Sheba

9 ^(FK)Now the queen of Sheba heard the report about Solomon. So she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with riddles. She had a very glorious retinue, with camels carrying spices and a large amount of gold and precious stones. And she came to Solomon and spoke with him about all that was in her heart. ² And Solomon declared to her the answer to all her matters; and not a matter was hidden from Solomon which he did not declare to her. ³ Then the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, the house which he had built, ⁴ the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the disposition of his attendants and their attire, his cupbearers and their attire, and ^[ck]his stairway by which he went up to the house of Yahweh, so that there was no more spirit in her. ⁵ Then she said to the king, “The word is true which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. ⁶ Nevertheless I did not believe their words until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not declared to me. You exceed the report which I heard. ⁷ How ^[cl]blessed are your men, how ^[cm]blessed are these your servants who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom. ⁸ Blessed be Yahweh your God who delighted in you, ^(FL)to set you on His throne as king for Yahweh your God; ^(FM)because your God loved Israel to cause them to stand forever, therefore He gave you as king over them, to do justice and righteousness.” ⁹ Then she gave the king ^[cn]120 talents of gold and a very great amount of spices and precious stones. There had never been spice like that which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

¹⁰ Also, the servants of Huram and the servants of Solomon, ^(FN)who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum trees and precious stones. ¹¹ And the king made of the algum trees steps for the house of Yahweh and for the king’s house, and lyres and harps for the singers; and none like that was seen before in the land of Judah.

¹² Thus King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire which she asked, besides a return for what she had brought to the king. Then she turned around and went to her own land together with her servants.

Solomon’s Riches and Wisdom

^13 (FO)Now the weight of gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, ¹⁴ besides that which the traders and merchants brought; and all ^(FP)the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. ¹⁵ And King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold, ^[co]using ^[cp]600 shekels of beaten gold on each large shield. ¹⁶ And he made 300 shields of beaten gold, ^[cq]using ^[cr]300 shekels of gold on each shield, and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

¹⁷ Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. ¹⁸ And there were six steps to the throne and a footstool in gold attached to the throne, and ^[cs]arms ^[ct]on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the ^[cu]arms. ¹⁹ Twelve lions were also standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for any other kingdom. ²⁰ Now all King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; silver was not considered ^[cv]valuable in the days of Solomon. ^21 (FQ)For the king had ships which went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came carrying gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks.

^22 (FR)So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. ²³ And all the kings of the earth were seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. ^24 (FS)And they brought every man his present, articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses and mules, a set amount year by year.

²⁵ And Solomon had ^(FT)4,000 stalls for horses and chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. ^26 (FU)And he was the ruler over all the kings from the ^[cw]River even to the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt. ^27 (FV)The king also made silver as plentiful as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the ^[cx]Shephelah. ^28 (FW)And they were importing horses for Solomon from Egypt and from all countries.

The Death of Solomon

^29 (FX)Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, ^(FY)are they not written in the ^[cy]chronicles of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of ^[cz]Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? ^30 (FZ)Thus Solomon reigned forty years in Jerusalem over all Israel. ³¹ And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in ^(GA)the city of his father David; and his son Rehoboam became king in his place.

Rehoboam’s Foolish Reign

10 ^(GB)Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. ² And it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for ^(GC)he was in Egypt where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon), Jeroboam returned from Egypt. ³ Then they sent and called for him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, ⁴ “Your father made our ^(GD)yoke harsh; but now, lighten the harsh service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” ⁵ Then he said to them, “Return to me again in three days.” So the people went away.

⁶ Then King Rehoboam ^(GE)took counsel with the elders who had ^[da]stood before his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, “How do you counsel me to respond to this people?” ⁷ And they spoke to him, saying, “If you will be good to this people and please them and ^(GF)speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” ⁸ But he ^(GG)forsook the counsel of the elders which they had counseled him, and took counsel with the young men who grew up with him and ^[db]stood before him. ⁹ So he said to them, “What counsel do you give that we may respond to this people, who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?” ¹⁰ Then the young men who grew up with him spoke with him, saying, “Thus you shall say to the people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter for us.’ Thus you shall say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins! ¹¹ So now my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’”

¹² So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day as the king had spoken, saying, “Return to me on the third day.” ¹³ And the king answered them harshly, and King Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the elders, ¹⁴ and he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “^[dc]My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” ¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people, ^(GH)for it was a turn of events from God, ^(GI)that Yahweh might establish His word, which He spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

¹⁶ Now all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them. So the people responded to the king, saying,

^(GK)So all Israel went to their tents. ¹⁷ But as for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. ¹⁸ Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was ^(GL)over the forced labor, and the sons of Israel ^[dd]stoned him and he died. And King Rehoboam made haste to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. ¹⁹ So ^(GM)Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

Rehoboam Builds Cities for Fortification

11 ^(GN)Then Rehoboam came to Jerusalem and assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men who could wage war, to fight against Israel to return the kingdom to Rehoboam. ² But the word of Yahweh came to ^(GO)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 Yahweh, “You shall not go up and fight against ^(GP)your brothers; return every man to his house, ^(GQ)for this thing is from Me.”’” So they listened to the words of Yahweh and returned from going against Jeroboam.

⁵ Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and ^(GR)built cities for fortifications in Judah. ⁶ Thus he built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, ⁷ Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, ⁸ Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, ⁹ Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, ¹⁰ Zorah, Aijalon and Hebron, which are fortified cities in Judah and in Benjamin. ¹¹ He also strengthened the fortresses and put officers in them and stores of food, oil and wine. ¹² And he put large shields and spears in every city and strengthened them greatly. So he held Judah and Benjamin.

¹³ Moreover, the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel took their stand with him from all their territories.

Jeroboam Sets Up His Own Priests

¹⁴ For ^(GS)the Levites left their pasture lands and their possession of land and went to Judah and Jerusalem, for ^(GT)Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them from ministering as priests to Yahweh— ^15 (GU)And he set up priests of his own for the high places, for the goat demons and for the calves which he had made— ^16 (GV)Now those from all the tribes of Israel who gave their hearts to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, ^[de]followed them to Jerusalem, to sacrifice to Yahweh, the God of their fathers. ^17 (GW)They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and gave courage to Rehoboam the son of Solomon for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.

Rehoboam’s Family

¹⁸ Then Rehoboam took as a wife Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David and of Abihail the daughter of ^(GX)Eliab the son of Jesse, ¹⁹ and she bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. ²⁰ And after her he took ^(GY)Maacah the daughter of ^[df]Absalom, and she bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. ²¹ And Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom more than all his other wives and concubines. For ^(GZ)he had taken eighteen wives and sixty concubines and became the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters. ^22 (HA)And Rehoboam set up Abijah the son of Maacah to be head and ruler among his brothers, for he intended to make him king. ²³ And he acted with discernment and distributed ^[dg]some of his sons through all the lands of Judah and Benjamin to all the fortified cities, and he gave them sustenance in abundance. And he sought a multitude of wives for them.

Shishak of Egypt Comes Against Judah

12 ^(HB)Now it happened that when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and strong, ^(HC)he and all Israel with him forsook the law of Yahweh. ^2 (HD)Now it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, because they had been unfaithful to Yahweh, that ^(HE)Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem ³ with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen. And the people who came with him from Egypt were without number: ^(HF)the Lubim, the Sukkiim and the Ethiopians. ⁴ And he captured ^(HG)the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. ⁵ Now ^(HH)Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the princes of Judah who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and he said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘^(HI)You have forsaken Me, so I also have forsaken you ^[dh]to Shishak.’” ⁶ So the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “^(HJ)Yahweh is righteous.”

⁷ When Yahweh saw that they humbled themselves, the word of Yahweh came to Shemaiah, saying, “^(HK)They have humbled themselves so I will not bring them to ruin, but I will grant them some measure of escape, and ^(HL)My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. ⁸ But they will become his slaves so ^(HM)that they may know the difference between My slavery and the slavery of the kingdoms of the countries.”

Shishak Takes from Yahweh’s House

^9 (HN)So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took the treasures of the house of Yahweh and the treasures of the king’s house. He took everything; ^(HO)he even took the shields of gold which Solomon had made. ¹⁰ Then King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place and committed them to the hand of the commanders of the ^[di]guard who kept the door of the king’s house. ¹¹ Now it happened that as often as the king entered the house of Yahweh, the ^[dj]guards would come and carry them and then bring them back into the ^[dk]guards’ room. ¹² And ^(HP)when he humbled himself, the anger of Yahweh turned away from him, so as not to ruin him completely; and also conditions ^(HQ)were good in Judah.

^13 (HR)So King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned. Now Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which Yahweh had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put His name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. ¹⁴ And he did evil ^(HS)because he did not set his heart to seek Yahweh.

^15 (HT)Now the acts of Rehoboam, from first to last, are they not written in the ^[dl]records of ^(HU)Shemaiah the prophet and of ^(HV)Iddo the seer, according to genealogical record? Now there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days. ¹⁶ And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David; and ^(HW)Abijah his son became king in his place.

Abijah Reigns over Judah

13 ^(HX)In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. ² He reigned three years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.

^(HY)Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. ³ And Abijah began the battle with a military force of mighty men, 400,000 chosen men, while Jeroboam arranged them all for battle against him with 800,000 chosen men who were mighty men of valor.

God Smites Israel Before Judah

⁴ Then Abijah rose up on Mount ^(HZ)Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel: ⁵ Do you not know that ^(IA)Yahweh, the God of Israel, gave the rule over Israel forever to David ^[dm]and his sons by ^(IB)a covenant of salt? ⁶ Yet ^(IC)Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his ^[dn]master, ⁷ and worthless men gathered about him, vile men, who proved too strong for Rehoboam, the son of Solomon; ^[do](ID)he was young and timid and could not exert his strength before them.

⁸ “So now you ^[dp]intend to exert your strength before the kingdom of Yahweh by the hand of the sons of David, ^[dq]being a great multitude and having with you ^(IE)the golden calves which Jeroboam made for gods for you. ^9 (IF)Have you not driven out the priests of Yahweh, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes ^(IG)to ordain himself with a bull from the herd and seven rams, even he may become a priest of what are ^(IH)no gods. ¹⁰ But as for us, Yahweh is our God, and we have not forsaken Him; and the sons of Aaron are ministering to Yahweh as priests, and the Levites are in their work. ¹¹ And every morning and evening ^(II)they ^[dr]burn to Yahweh burnt offerings and fragrant incense, and ^(IJ)the showbread is set on the clean table, and the golden lampstand with its lamps is ready to light every evening; for we keep the responsibility given by Yahweh our God, but you have forsaken Him. ¹² And behold, God is with us at our head and ^(IK)His priests with the signal trumpets to raise the shout of war against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against Yahweh, the God of your fathers, for you will not succeed.”

¹³ But Jeroboam ^(IL)had encircled an ambush to come from the rear, so that Israel was in front of Judah and the ambush was behind them. ¹⁴ So Judah turned around, and behold, ^[ds]they were attacked both front and rear; so ^(IM)they cried to Yahweh, and the priests blew the trumpets. ¹⁵ Then the men of Judah raised a shout of war, and when the men of Judah raised the shout of war, then it was that God ^(IN)smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. ¹⁶ So the sons of Israel fled before Judah, and ^(IO)God gave them into their hand. ¹⁷ And Abijah and his people struck them down with a great slaughter, and 500,000 chosen men of Israel fell slain. ¹⁸ Thus the sons of Israel were subdued at that time, and the sons of Judah were strong ^(IP)because they leaned upon Yahweh, the God of their fathers. ¹⁹ And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured from him several cities, Bethel with its towns, Jeshanah with its towns, and ^[dt]Ephron with its towns.

Death of Jeroboam

²⁰ Now Jeroboam did not again recover power in the days of Abijah; and ^(IQ)Yahweh smote him and ^(IR)he died.

²¹ But Abijah became stronger; and he took fourteen wives to himself, and became the father of twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. ²² Now the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways and his words are written in ^(IS)the ^[du]treatise of ^(IT)the prophet Iddo.

Asa Reigns over Judah

14 ^[dv](IU)So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and Asa his son became king in his place. The land was quiet for ten years during his days.

^2 [dw]And Asa did what was good and right in the sight of Yahweh his God, ³ for he removed ^(IV)the foreign altars and ^(IW)high places, shattered the sacred pillars, cut the ^[dx](IX)Asherim in pieces, ⁴ and said for Judah to seek Yahweh, the God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. ⁵ He also ^[dy]removed the high places and the ^(IY)incense altars from all the cities of Judah. And the kingdom was quiet before him. ^6 (IZ)And he built fortified cities in Judah, since the land was quiet, and ^[dz]there was no one at war with him during those years, ^(JA)because Yahweh had given him rest. ⁷ And he said to Judah, “^(JB)Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ^[ea]ours because we have sought Yahweh our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side.” So they built and succeeded. ⁸ Now Asa had a military force of ^(JC)300,000 from Judah, bearing large shields and spears, and 280,000 from Benjamin, bearing shields and wielding bows; all of them were mighty men of valor.

⁹ Then Zerah the Ethiopian ^(JD)went out against them with a military force of one million men and 300 chariots, and he came to ^(JE)Mareshah. ¹⁰ So Asa went out ^[eb]to meet him, and they arranged themselves for battle in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. ¹¹ Then Asa ^(JF)called to Yahweh his God and said, “Yahweh, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between those of abundant power and those who have no power; so help us, O Yahweh our God, ^(JG)for we lean on You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O Yahweh, You are our God; let not mortal man prevail against You.” ¹² So ^(JH)Yahweh smote the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. ¹³ And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as ^(JI)Gerar; and so many Ethiopians fell that ^[ec]they could not recover, for they were shattered before Yahweh and before His ^[ed]army. And they carried away very much spoil. ¹⁴ And they struck down all the cities around Gerar, ^(JJ)for the dread of Yahweh had fallen on them; and they plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. ¹⁵ They also struck down ^[ee]those who owned livestock, and they carried away large numbers of sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

The Spirit of God Comes on Azariah

15 Now ^(JK)the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded, ² and he went out ^[ef]to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: ^(JL)Yahweh is with you when you are with Him. And ^(JM)if you seek Him, He will be found; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. ^3 (JN)Now for many days Israel was without the true God and without ^(JO)a teaching priest and without law. ⁴ But ^(JP)in their distress they turned to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and they searched for Him, and He was found by them. ^5 (JQ)Now in those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for much confusion was upon all the inhabitants of the lands. ^6 (JR)And nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God threw them into confusion with every kind of distress. ⁷ But you, ^(JS)be strong and do not let your hands fall limp, for there is ^(JT)reward for your work.”

Asa Takes Away Detestable Idols

⁸ Now when Asa heard these words and the ^[eg]prophecy which Azariah the son of Oded the prophet spoke, he strengthened himself and took away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from ^(JU)the cities which he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. ^(JV)He then renewed the altar of Yahweh which was in front of the porch of Yahweh. ⁹ And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin and those from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon ^(JW)who sojourned with them, for many defected to him from Israel when they saw that Yahweh his God was with him. ¹⁰ So they assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. ^11 (JX)And they sacrificed to Yahweh that day 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep from the spoil they had brought. ^12 (JY)They entered into the covenant to seek Yahweh, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul; ¹³ and whoever would not seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, ^(JZ)should be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman. ¹⁴ Moreover, they swore an oath to Yahweh with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets and with horns. ¹⁵ All Judah was glad concerning the oath, for they had sworn with their whole heart and had searched for Him with all their desire, and He was found by them. So ^(KA)Yahweh gave them rest on every side.

^16 (KB)He also removed Maacah, the mother of King Asa, from being queen mother, because she had made a horrid image ^[eh]as ^(KC)an Asherah; and ^(KD)Asa cut down her horrid image, crushed it and burned it at the brook Kidron. ¹⁷ But the high places were not ^[ei]removed from Israel; nevertheless Asa’s heart was wholly devoted all his days. ¹⁸ And he brought into the house of God the holy things of his father and his own holy things: silver and gold and utensils. ¹⁹ And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

Asa Wars Against Baasha

16 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign ^(KE)Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built up Ramah in order to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah. ² Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of Yahweh and the king’s house, and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying, ³ “Let there be a covenant between ^[ej]you and me, as between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you silver and gold; go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me.” ⁴ So Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his military forces against the cities of Israel, and they struck down Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all ^(KF)the ^[ek]store cities of Naphtali. ⁵ Now it happened that when Baasha heard of it, he ceased building up Ramah and stopped his work. ⁶ Then King Asa brought all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had been building, and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.

Asa Imprisons a Seer

⁷ Now at that time ^(KG)Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “^(KH)Because you have leaned on the king of Aram and have not leaned on Yahweh your God, therefore the military force of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand. ⁸ Were not ^(KI)the Ethiopians and the Lubim ^(KJ)a vast military force with an exceedingly vast number of chariots and horsemen? Yet ^(KK)because you leaned on Yahweh, He gave them into your hand. ⁹ For ^(KL)the eyes of Yahweh move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those ^(KM)whose heart is wholly devoted to Him. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars.” ¹⁰ Then Asa was vexed with the seer and put him in ^[el]prison, for he was enraged at him for this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.

^11 (KN)Now behold, the acts of Asa from first to last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. ¹² And Asa became diseased in his feet in the thirty-ninth year of his reign. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he ^(KO)did not seek Yahweh, but the physicians. ¹³ So Asa slept with his fathers. And he died in the forty-first year of his reign. ¹⁴ And they buried him in his own tomb which he had ^[em]cut out for himself in the city of David, and they laid him in the resting place which he had filled ^(KP)with spices of various kinds blended by the perfumers’ art; and ^(KQ)they made a very great fire for him.

Jehoshaphat Reigns over Judah

17 ^(KR)Jehoshaphat his son then became king in his place, and strengthened himself over Israel. ² And he put military forces in all ^(KS)the fortified cities of Judah, and put garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim ^(KT)which Asa his father had captured.

Jehoshaphat’s Kingdom Established

³ And Yahweh was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the ways of his father David’s earlier days and did not seek the Baals, ⁴ but sought the God of his father, walked in His commandments, ^(KU)and did not act as Israel did. ⁵ So Yahweh established the kingdom in his hand, and all Judah brought presents to Jehoshaphat, and ^(KV)he had great riches and honor. ⁶ And ^[en]his heart took great pride in the ways of Yahweh, and again he ^(KW)took away the high places and the ^[eo]Asherim from Judah.

⁷ Then in the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah, ^(KX)to teach in the cities of Judah; ⁸ and with them ^(KY)the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests. ⁹ And they taught in Judah, having ^(KZ)the book of the law of Yahweh with them; and they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

¹⁰ Now ^(LA)the dread of Yahweh was on all the kingdoms of the lands which were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. ¹¹ Indeed, some of the Philistines ^(LB)brought presents and silver as their tax burden to Jehoshaphat; the Arabians also brought him flocks, 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats. ¹² So Jehoshaphat grew greater and greater, and he built fortresses and store cities in Judah. ¹³ And he had large supplies in the cities of Judah, and men of war, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ This was their muster according to their fathers’ households:

¹⁹ These are they who attended on the king, apart from ^(LD)those whom the king put in the fortified cities through all Judah.

Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab

18 Now ^(LE)Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and he allied himself by marriage with Ahab. ^2 (LF)And some years later he went down to Ahab at Samaria. And Ahab sacrificed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and the people who were with him, and incited him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. ³ And Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?” And he said to him, “I am as you are, and my people as your people, and we will be with you in the battle.”

⁴ Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire ^[ep]first for the word of Yahweh.” ⁵ Then the king of Israel gathered 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 give it into the hand of the king.” ⁶ But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not yet a prophet of Yahweh here that we may inquire of him?” ⁷ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Yahweh, but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me but always evil. He is Micaiah, son of Imla.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.”

Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab

⁸ Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Hasten to bring Micaiah son of Imla.” ⁹ Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, clothed in their royal garments, and they were sitting ^(LG)at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹⁰ And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are consumed.’” ¹¹ All the prophets were also prophesying thus, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, and Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king.”

¹² Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold, the words of the prophets, as if from one mouth, are good to the king. So please let your word be like one of them and speak that which is good.” ¹³ But Micaiah said, “As Yahweh lives, ^(LH)what my God says, that I shall speak.”

¹⁴ Then he came to the king, and 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, and they will be given into your hand.” ¹⁵ Then the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of Yahweh?” ¹⁶ So he said,

¹⁷ So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not say to you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

¹⁸ Then Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of Yahweh. ^(LJ)I saw Yahweh sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right and on His left. ¹⁹ And Yahweh said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel so that he will go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that. ²⁰ Then a ^(LK)spirit came forward and stood before Yahweh and said, ‘I will entice him.’ And Yahweh said to him, ‘How?’ ²¹ And he said, ‘I will go out and be ^(LL)a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You shall entice him and also prevail. Go out and do so.’ ²² So now, behold, ^(LM)Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets, but Yahweh has spoken calamity against you.”

²³ Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah approached and ^(LN)struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “^[eq]How did the Spirit of Yahweh pass from me to speak to you?” ²⁴ And Micaiah said, “Behold, you will see on that day when you enter an inner room to hide.” ²⁵ Then the king of Israel said, “^(LO)Take Micaiah and return him to Amon ^(LP)the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son; ²⁶ and say, ‘Thus says the king, “^(LQ)Put this man in prison and feed him ^[er]sparingly with bread and water until I return safely.”’” ²⁷ And Micaiah said, “If you indeed return safely, Yahweh has not spoken by me.” And he said, “^(LR)Listen, all you people.”

The Death of Ahab

²⁸ So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead. ²⁹ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you put on your garments.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. ³⁰ Now the king of Aram had commanded the commanders of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with small or great, but with the king of Israel alone.” ³¹ Now it happened that when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel,” and they turned to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat ^(LS)cried out, and Yahweh helped him, and God incited them away from him. ³² So it happened that when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. ³³ Now a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel ^[es]in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of the chariot, “Turn ^[et]around and take me out of the ^[eu]fight, for I am severely wounded.” ³⁴ Now the battle raged that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot in front of the Arameans until the evening; and at sunset he died.