Fire from Heaven

(A)As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, (B)fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, (C)and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord's house. When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, (D)for his steadfast love endures forever.”

The Dedication of the Temple

(E)Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the Lord. King Solomon offered as a sacrifice 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. The priests stood at their posts; (F)the Levites also, with the instruments for music to the Lord that King David had made for giving thanks to the Lord(G)for his steadfast love endures forever—whenever David offered praises by their ministry;[a] (H)opposite them the priests sounded trumpets, and all Israel stood.

(I)And Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord, for there he offered the burnt offering and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar Solomon had made could not hold the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat.

At that time Solomon held the feast for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from (J)Lebo-hamath to the (K)Brook of Egypt. And on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for they had kept the dedication of the altar seven days and the feast seven days. 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their homes, joyful and glad of heart for the prosperity[b] that the Lord had granted to David and to Solomon and to Israel his people.

If My People Pray

11 (L)Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king's house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house he successfully accomplished. 12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer (M)and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 (N)When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name (O)humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 (P)Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. 16 (Q)For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. 17 And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, 18 then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, (R)‘You shall not lack a man to rule Israel.’

19 (S)“But if you[c] turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, 20 (T)then I will pluck you[d] up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it (U)a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 21 And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, (V)‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ 22 Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore he has brought all this disaster on them.’”

Solomon's Accomplishments

(W)At the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the house of the Lord and his own house, Solomon rebuilt the cities that Hiram had given to him, and settled the people of Israel in them.

And Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and took it. He built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the store cities that he built in Hamath. He also built (X)Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon, (Y)fortified cities (Z)with walls, gates, and bars, and Baalath, and all the store cities that Solomon had and all the cities for his chariots and the cities for his horsemen, and whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. (AA)All the people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel, from their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the people of Israel had not destroyed—these Solomon drafted (AB)as forced labor, and so they are to this day. But of the people of Israel Solomon made no slaves for his work; they were soldiers, and his officers, the commanders of his chariots, and his horsemen. 10 And these were the chief officers of King Solomon, 250, who exercised authority over the people.

11 (AC)Solomon brought Pharaoh's daughter up from the city of David to the house that he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not live in the house of David king of Israel, for the places to which the ark of the Lord has come are holy.”

12 Then Solomon offered up burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of the Lord (AD)that he had built before the vestibule, 13 (AE)as the duty of each day required, offering (AF)according to the commandment of Moses for the Sabbaths, the new moons, and the (AG)three annual feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths. 14 According to the ruling of David his father, he appointed (AH)the divisions of the priests for their service, (AI)and the Levites for their offices of praise and (AJ)ministry before the priests (AK)as the duty of each day required, and (AL)the gatekeepers in their divisions at each gate, for so David (AM)the man of God had commanded. 15 And they did not turn aside from what the king had commanded the priests and Levites concerning any matter and concerning the treasuries.

16 Thus was accomplished all the work of Solomon from[e] the day the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid until it was finished. So the house of the Lord was completed.

17 Then Solomon went to (AN)Ezion-geber and (AO)Eloth on the shore of the sea, in the land of Edom. 18 And Hiram sent to him by the hand of his servants ships and servants familiar with the sea, and they went to Ophir together with the servants of Solomon and brought from there (AP)450 talents[f] of gold and brought it to King Solomon.

The Queen of Sheba

(AQ)Now when (AR)the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions, having a very great retinue and camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. And Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing hidden from Solomon that he could not explain to her. And when (AS)the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, and their clothing, his cupbearers, and their clothing, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her.

And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, but I did not believe the[g] reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, half the greatness of your wisdom was not told me; you surpass the report that I heard. Happy are your wives![h] Happy are these your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you (AT)and set you on his throne as king for the Lord your God! (AU)Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness.” Then she gave the king 120 talents[i] of gold, and a very great quantity of spices, and precious stones. There were no spices such as those that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

10 Moreover, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, (AV)who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum wood and precious stones. 11 And the king made from the algum wood (AW)supports for the house of the Lord and for the king's house, lyres also and harps for the singers. There never was seen the like of them before in the land of Judah.

12 And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked (AX)besides what she had brought to the king. So she turned and went back to her own land with her servants.

Solomon's Wealth

13 (AY)Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, 14 besides that which the explorers and merchants brought. (AZ)And all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15 King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold; 600 shekels[j] of beaten gold went into each shield. 16 And he made 300 shields of beaten gold; (BA)300 shekels of gold went into each shield; and the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. 17 The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold. 18 The throne had six steps and a footstool of gold, which were attached to the throne, and on each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrests, 19 while twelve lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps. Nothing like it was ever made for any kingdom. 20 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 as anything in the days of Solomon. 21 For the king's ships went to (BB)Tarshish with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.[k]

22 Thus King Solomon (BC)excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. 23 And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. 24 Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and of gold, garments, myrrh,[l] spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year. 25 And Solomon had (BD)4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 26 (BE)And he ruled over all the kings (BF)from the Euphrates[m] to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. 27 (BG)And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah. 28 (BH)And horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.

Solomon's Death

29 (BI)Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from (BJ)first to last, are they not written in the history of (BK)Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of (BL)Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of (BM)Iddo (BN)the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? 30 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 31 And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in (BO)the city of David his father, and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

The Revolt Against Rehoboam

10 (BP)Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. And as soon as Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was in Egypt, (BQ)where he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboam returned from Egypt. And they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and said to Rehoboam, (BR)“Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.” He said to them, “Come to me again in three days.” So the people went away.

Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men,[n] who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” And they said to him, (BS)“If you will be good to this people and please them and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him. And he said to them, “What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father put on us’?” 10 And the young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus shall you speak to the people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us’; thus shall you say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's thighs. 11 And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, 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 the third day, as the king said, “Come to me again the third day.” 13 And the king answered them harshly; and forsaking the counsel of the old men, 14 King Rehoboam spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “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, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by God that the Lord might fulfill his word, (BT)which he spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

16 And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, “What portion have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. (BU)Each of you to your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David.” So all Israel went to their tents. 17 But Rehoboam reigned over the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah. 18 Then King Rehoboam sent (BV)Hadoram,[o] who was taskmaster over the forced labor, and the people of Israel stoned him to death with stones. And King Rehoboam quickly mounted his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

Rehoboam Secures His Kingdom

11 (BW)When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. But the word of the Lord came to (BX)Shemaiah the man of God: “Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, ‘Thus says the Lord, You shall not go up or fight against (BY)your relatives. Return every man to his home, for this thing is from me.’” So they listened to the word of the Lord and returned and did not go against Jeroboam.

Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and he built (BZ)cities for defense in Judah. He built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, Gath, (CA)Mareshah, Ziph, Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, fortified cities that are in Judah and in Benjamin. 11 He made the fortresses strong, and put commanders in them, and stores of food, oil, and wine. 12 And he put shields and spears in all the cities and made them very strong. So he held Judah and Benjamin.

Priests and Levites Come to Jerusalem

13 And the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel presented themselves to him from all places where they lived. 14 For the Levites left (CB)their common lands and their holdings and came to Judah and Jerusalem, (CC)because Jeroboam and his sons cast them out from serving as priests of the Lord, 15 and he appointed his own (CD)priests for the high places and for the goat idols and for (CE)the calves that he had made. 16 (CF)And those who had set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their fathers. 17 (CG)They strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they made Rehoboam the son of Solomon secure, for they walked for three years in the way of David and Solomon.

Rehoboam's Family

18 Rehoboam took as wife Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of (CH)Eliab the son of Jesse, 19 and she bore him sons, Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. 20 After her he took (CI)Maacah the daughter of Absalom, who bore him (CJ)Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. 21 Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and concubines (he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters). 22 (CK)And Rehoboam appointed (CL)Abijah the son of Maacah as chief prince among his brothers, for he intended to make him king. 23 And he dealt wisely and distributed some of his sons through all the districts of Judah and Benjamin, in all the fortified cities, and he gave them abundant provisions and procured wives for them.[p]

Egypt Plunders Jerusalem

12 (CM)When the rule of Rehoboam was established (CN)and he was strong, (CO)he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him. (CP)In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, (CQ)Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen. And the people were without number who came with him from Egypt—(CR)Libyans, Sukkiim, and Ethiopians. And he took (CS)the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. Then (CT)Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the princes of Judah, who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, “Thus says the Lord, (CU)‘You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak.’” Then the princes of (CV)Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, (CW)“The Lord is righteous.” When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah: (CX)“They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, (CY)and my wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. Nevertheless, they shall be servants to him, (CZ)that they may know my service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.”

(DA)So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house. He took away everything. He also took away (DB)the shields of gold that Solomon had made, 10 and King Rehoboam made in their place shields of bronze and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the door of the king's house. 11 And as often as the king went into the house of the Lord, the guard came and carried them and brought them back to the guardroom. 12 And when (DC)he humbled himself the wrath of the Lord turned from him, so as not to make a complete destruction. Moreover, (DD)conditions were good[q] in Judah.

13 (DE)So King Rehoboam grew strong in Jerusalem and reigned. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put his name there. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite. 14 And he did evil, (DF)for he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.

15 (DG)Now the acts of Rehoboam, (DH)from first to last, are they not written in the chronicles of (DI)Shemaiah the prophet and of (DJ)Iddo (DK)the seer?[r] There were continual wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. 16 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David, and (DL)Abijah[s] his son reigned in his place.

Abijah Reigns in Judah

13 (DM)In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, (DN)Abijah began to reign over Judah. He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was (DO)Micaiah[t] the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.

(DP)Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. Abijah went out to battle, having an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men. And Jeroboam (DQ)drew up his line of battle against him with 800,000 chosen mighty warriors. Then Abijah stood up on Mount (DR)Zemaraim that is in (DS)the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel! Ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel (DT)gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by (DU)a covenant of salt? Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up (DV)and rebelled against his lord, and certain (DW)worthless scoundrels[u] gathered about him and defied Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was (DX)young and irresolute[v] and could not withstand them.

“And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and have with you (DY)the golden calves that Jeroboam made you for gods. (DZ)Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes (EA)for ordination[w] with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are (EB)not gods. 10 But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests ministering to the Lord who are sons of Aaron, and Levites for their service. 11 They offer to the Lord (EC)every morning and every evening burnt offerings and incense of sweet spices, set out (ED)the showbread on the table of pure gold, (EE)and care for the golden lampstand that its lamps may (EF)burn every evening. For we (EG)keep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken him. 12 Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests (EH)with their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O sons of Israel, (EI)do not fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for you cannot succeed.”

13 Jeroboam had sent (EJ)an ambush around to come upon them from behind. Thus his troops[x] were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. 14 And when Judah looked, behold, the battle was in front of and behind them. (EK)And they cried to the Lord, and the priests (EL)blew the trumpets. 15 Then the men of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the men of Judah shouted, (EM)God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 The men of Israel fled before Judah, (EN)and God gave them into their hand. 17 Abijah and his people struck them with great force, so there fell slain of Israel 500,000 chosen men. 18 Thus the men of Israel were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed, (EO)because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers. 19 And Abijah pursued Jeroboam (EP)and took cities from him, Bethel with its villages and Jeshanah with its villages and (EQ)Ephron[y] with its villages. 20 Jeroboam did not recover his power in the days of Abijah. (ER)And the Lord struck him down, (ES)and he died. 21 But Abijah grew mighty. And he took fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 The rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways and his sayings, are written in the (ET)story of the prophet (EU)Iddo.

Asa Reigns in Judah

14 [z] (EV)Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years. [aa] And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He took away the foreign altars (EW)and the high places and broke down (EX)the pillars and cut down the (EY)Asherim and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. He also took out of all the cities of Judah (EZ)the high places and the (FA)incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him. He built (FB)fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, (FC)for the Lord gave him peace. And he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with (FD)walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God. We have sought him, (FE)and he has given us peace on every side.” So they built and prospered. And Asa had an army of (FF)300,000 from Judah, armed with large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin that carried shields and drew bows. All these were mighty men of valor.

Zerah (FG)the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as (FH)Mareshah. 10 And Asa went out to meet him, and (FI)they drew up their lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at (FJ)Mareshah. 11 And Asa (FK)cried to the Lord his God, “O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, (FL)for we rely on you, (FM)and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.” 12 (FN)So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. 13 Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as (FO)Gerar, and the Ethiopians fell until none remained alive, for they were broken before the Lord and his army. The men of Judah[ab] carried away very much spoil. 14 And they attacked all the cities around (FP)Gerar, (FQ)for the fear of the Lord was upon them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. 15 And they struck down the tents of those who had livestock and carried away sheep in abundance and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

Asa's Religious Reforms

15 (FR)The Spirit of God came[ac] upon Azariah the son of Oded, and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: (FS)The Lord is with you while you are with him. (FT)If you seek him, he will be found by you, (FU)but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. (FV)For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, (FW)but when in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. In those times there was no peace (FX)to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. (FY)But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, (FZ)for your work shall be rewarded.”

As soon as Asa heard these words, (GA)the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from (GB)the cities that he had taken in (GC)the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of the Lord (GD)that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the Lord.[ad] And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, (GE)and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. 10 They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. 11 They sacrificed to the Lord on that day (GF)from the spoil that they had brought 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep. 12 (GG)And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul, 13 but that whoever would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, (GH)should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman. 14 They swore an oath to the Lord with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns. 15 And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, (GI)and the Lord gave them rest all around.

16 (GJ)Even Maacah, (GK)his mother, King Asa removed from being queen mother because she had made a detestable image (GL)for Asherah. Asa cut down her image, (GM)crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron. 17 (GN)But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true all his days. 18 And he brought into the house of God the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels. 19 And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.

Asa's Last Years

16 (GO)In the (GP)thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, (GQ)that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the Lord and the king's house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, “There is a covenant[ae] between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the (GR)store cities of Naphtali. And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and let his work cease. Then King Asa took 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.

At that time (GS)Hanani (GT)the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, (GU)“Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. Were not (GV)the Ethiopians and (GW)the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet (GX)because you relied on the Lord, he gave them into your hand. (GY)For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those (GZ)whose heart is blameless[af] toward him. (HA)You have done foolishly in this, for from now on (HB)you will have wars.” 10 Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him (HC)in the stocks in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time.

11 (HD)The acts of Asa, from first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but sought help from physicians. 13 And Asa slept with his fathers, dying in the forty-first year of his reign. 14 They buried him in the tomb that he had cut for himself in the city of David. They laid him on a bier (HE)that had been filled with various kinds of spices prepared by the perfumer's art, (HF)and they made a very great fire in his honor.

Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah

17 Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place and strengthened himself against Israel. He placed forces in all the (HG)fortified cities of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim (HH)that Asa his father had captured. The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, (HI)and not according to the practices of Israel. Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah (HJ)brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, (HK)and he had great riches and honor. His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord. And furthermore, (HL)he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.

In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, (HM)to teach in the cities of Judah; (HN)and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; and with these Levites, the priests Elishama and Jehoram. And (HO)they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the Lord with them. They went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

10 (HP)And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat. 11 Some of the Philistines (HQ)brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver for tribute, and the Arabians also brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats. 12 And Jehoshaphat grew steadily greater. He built in Judah fortresses and store cities, 13 and he had large supplies in the cities of Judah. He had soldiers, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem. 14 This was the muster of them by fathers' houses: Of Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah the commander, with 300,000 mighty men of valor; 15 and next to him Jehohanan the commander, with 280,000; 16 and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, (HR)a volunteer for the service of the Lord, with 200,000 mighty men of valor. 17 Of Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty man of valor, with 200,000 men (HS)armed with bow and shield; 18 and next to him Jehozabad with 180,000 armed for war. 19 These were in the service of the king, besides (HT)those whom the king had placed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.

Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab

18 Now Jehoshaphat (HU)had great riches and honor, (HV)and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. (HW)After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?” He answered him, “I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war.”

And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.” Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?” And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.” Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes. And they were sitting at the threshing floor (HX)at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 10 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.’” 11 And all the prophets prophesied so and said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph. The Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”

12 And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” 13 But Micaiah said, (HY)“As the Lord lives, (HZ)what my God says, that I will speak.” 14 And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And he answered, “Go up and triumph; they will be given into your hand.” 15 But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” 16 And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, (IA)as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’” 17 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” 18 And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: (IB)I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. 19 And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another. 20 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’ 21 And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be (IC)a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’ 22 Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets. The Lord has declared disaster concerning you.”

23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near (ID)and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?” 24 And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” 25 And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon (IE)the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son, 26 and say, ‘Thus says the king, (IF)Put this fellow in prison and feed him with meager rations of bread and water until I return in peace.’” 27 And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, (IG)“Hear, all you peoples!”

The Defeat and Death of Ahab

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 disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. 30 Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.” 31 As soon as the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; God drew them away from him. 32 For as soon as the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 7:6 Hebrew by their hand
  2. 2 Chronicles 7:10 Or good
  3. 2 Chronicles 7:19 The Hebrew for you is plural here
  4. 2 Chronicles 7:20 Hebrew them; twice in this verse
  5. 2 Chronicles 8:16 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew to
  6. 2 Chronicles 8:18 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
  7. 2 Chronicles 9:6 Hebrew their
  8. 2 Chronicles 9:7 Septuagint (compare 1 Kings 10:8); Hebrew men
  9. 2 Chronicles 9:9 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
  10. 2 Chronicles 9:15 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
  11. 2 Chronicles 9:21 Or baboons
  12. 2 Chronicles 9:24 Or armor
  13. 2 Chronicles 9:26 Hebrew the River
  14. 2 Chronicles 10:6 Or the elders; also verses 8, 13
  15. 2 Chronicles 10:18 Spelled Adoram in 1 Kings 12:18
  16. 2 Chronicles 11:23 Hebrew and sought a multitude of wives
  17. 2 Chronicles 12:12 Hebrew good things were found
  18. 2 Chronicles 12:15 After seer, Hebrew adds according to genealogy
  19. 2 Chronicles 12:16 Spelled Abijam in 1 Kings 14:31
  20. 2 Chronicles 13:2 Spelled Maacah in 1 Kings 15:2
  21. 2 Chronicles 13:7 Hebrew worthless men, sons of Belial
  22. 2 Chronicles 13:7 Hebrew soft of heart
  23. 2 Chronicles 13:9 Hebrew to fill his hand
  24. 2 Chronicles 13:13 Hebrew they
  25. 2 Chronicles 13:19 Or Ephrain
  26. 2 Chronicles 14:1 Ch 13:23 in Hebrew
  27. 2 Chronicles 14:2 Ch 14:1 in Hebrew
  28. 2 Chronicles 14:13 Hebrew They
  29. 2 Chronicles 15:1 Or was
  30. 2 Chronicles 15:8 Hebrew the vestibule of the Lord
  31. 2 Chronicles 16:3 Or treaty; twice in this verse
  32. 2 Chronicles 16:9 Or whole

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