Bible in 90 Days

¹¹ And Solomon finished the house of Yahweh and the house of the king. And all that came into the heart of Solomon to do with respect to the house of Yahweh and his own house he accomplished.

God’s Charge to Solomon

¹² Then Yahweh appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. ¹³ When I hold back the heavens so that there is not rain, and when I command the locust to devour the earth, and if I send disease among my people, ¹⁴ then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and will pray and will seek my face and will turn from their evil ways, then I myself shall hear from the heavens and will forgive their sins and heal their land. ¹⁵ Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer of this place. ¹⁶ And now I have chosen and consecrated this house for my name to be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time.^{[a] 17} Now as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked and do according to all that I have commanded you and will keep my ordinances and judgments, ¹⁸ then I will establish the throne of your kingdom as I promised^[b] to David your father, saying, ‘A man shall not be cut off for you from ruling over Israel.’

¹⁹ “But if you turn yourselves away and forsake my ordinances and my commandments which I have given before you all and will go and serve other gods and bow down to them, ²⁰ then I will uproot them from upon my land that I have given to them, and this house that I have consecrated for my name I will send away from before my face, and I will make it a proverb and a taunt among all the nations. ²¹ And as for this house, which was exalted, all who pass by it will be appalled and will say, ‘Why has Yahweh done thus to this land and to this house?’ ²² Then they will say, ‘Because they forsook Yahweh, the God of their ancestors,^[c] who brought them out from the land of Egypt, and they laid hold of other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore he has brought upon them all this evil.’”

Solomon’s Accomplishments and Deeds

8 And it happened that at the end of twenty years in which Solomon had built the house of Yahweh and his own house, ² Solomon also built the cities that Huram^[d] had given to him, and he settled the Israelites^[e] in them. ³ And Solomon went to Hamath-Zobah and laid siege upon it. ⁴ And he built Tadmor in the desert, and he built all the storage cities in Hamath. ⁵ He also built Upper Beth-Horon and Lower Beth-Horon, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars; ⁶ Baalath and all the storage cities that belonged to Solomon; all the cities for chariots^[f] and cities for horses; and any desire of Solomon that he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. ⁷ All the people who remained from the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites who were not from Israel, ⁸ from the descendants^[g] who were left over after them in the land, whom the Israelites had not destroyed, Solomon conscripted them as forced labor until this day. ⁹ But from the Israelites^[h] Solomon did not give as servants for his work, but they were men of war, his commanders of his officers, and commanders of his chariots^[i] and his horses. ¹⁰ And these were the commanders of the garrisons that belonged to King Solomon, two hundred and fifty who exercised authority over the people.

¹¹ And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh from the city of David to the house that he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not dwell in the house of David, king of Israel, for those places to which the ark of Yahweh has come are holy. ¹² Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to Yahweh on the altar of Yahweh that he had built before the portico, ¹³ as was the daily requirement,^[j] to offer up according to the commandments of Moses for Sabbaths, new moon festivals, and the three annual^[k] feasts: the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths. ¹⁴ And in accord with the ordinance of David his father he appointed working groups of priests for their service, Levites for their responsibilities for praise and cultic service before the priests according to the daily requirement,^[l] and the gatekeepers in their working groups, gate by gate. For thus David the man of God had commanded. ¹⁵ And they did not turn aside from the commandment of the king concerning the priests and the Levites concerning anything, and concerning the treasury rooms. ¹⁶ And Solomon accomplished all the work from the day the foundation stone was laid for the house of Yahweh until its completion, and the house of Yahweh was finished. ¹⁷ Then Solomon went to Ezion-Geber, and to Elath, on the edge of the sea in the land of Edom. ¹⁸ And Huram^[m] sent to him, by the hand of his servants, ships and servants knowledgeable of the sea. And they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and from there they collected four hundred and fifty talents of gold and brought it to King Solomon.

Solomon and the Queen of Sheba

9 Now the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, and she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with hard questions, with much wealth and camels, bearing spices and much gold and precious stones. And she came to Solomon and told him all that was on her mind.^{[n] 2} And Solomon answered all her questions.^[o] Not a word was hidden from Solomon that he did not answer for her. ³ When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon and the house he had built, ⁴ and the food of his table, and the position of his officers, the duty of his servants and their clothing, his cupbearers and their clothing, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of Yahweh, there was no longer any breath^[p] in her. ⁵ And she said to the king, “The word which I heard in my land concerning your words and your wisdom is true, ⁶ but I did not believe their words until I came and saw with my own eyes. And behold, half the greatness of your wisdom was not reported to me; you surpass the rumors that I had heard. ⁷ Blessed are your men, and blessed are these your servants who stand before you regularly and hear your wisdom! ⁸ Blessed be Yahweh your God who took delight in you, to put you on his throne as king for Yahweh your God! Because your God loved Israel, he established him forever and has put you over them as king to do justice and righteousness!” ⁹ And she gave to the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold and a very great amount of spices and precious stones. And 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 who brought gold from Ophir brought algum wood and precious stones. ¹¹ And the king made steps for the house of Yahweh and the house of the king, and lyres and harps for the singers from the algum wood. And there was not seen anything like them before in the land of Judah. ¹² Now King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba every desired thing she asked, besides what she had brought to the king. Then she turned and went to her land, she and her servants.

Solomon’s Great Wealth

¹³ And it happened that the weight of the gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, ¹⁴ besides the gold and silver the traders and merchants brought, and all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land brought. ¹⁵ And King Solomon made two hundred shields of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of beaten gold went into each shield. ¹⁶ And he made three hundred small shields of beaten gold; three hundred shekels went into each small shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. ¹⁷ And the king made a large ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold. ¹⁸ And the throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to the throne. And there were armrests on each side.^[q] And by the seat^[r] were two lions standing beside the armrests. ¹⁹ And twelve lions were standing there on each of the six steps on each end.^[s] And there was nothing like it made in all the kingdom. ²⁰ And all the drinking vessels of King Solomon were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. Silver was not valued as anything in the days of Solomon. ²¹ For the ships of the king went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram.^[t] Once every three years^[u] the ships of Tarshish came carrying gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

²² Thus King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth in wealth and wisdom. ²³ And all the kings of the earth sought the face of Solomon to hear his wisdom that God put in his heart. ²⁴ And each of them brought his gifts, objects of silver, objects of gold, cloaks, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules, as an amount year by year. ²⁵ And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. And he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. ²⁶ And he ruled over all the kings from the River^[v] to the land of the Philistines, to the boundary of Egypt. ²⁷ And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar as the sycamore trees that are in the Shephelah for abundance. ²⁸ And the horses were imported from Egypt and from all lands for Solomon.

The Death of Solomon

²⁹ As for the remainder of the words of Solomon from the first to the last, are they not written in the chronicles^[w] of Nathan the prophet and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer, concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? ³⁰ And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. ³¹ And Solomon slept with his ancestors,^[x] and they buried him in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

Rehoboam’s Debacle

10 Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. ² And it happened that when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it—now he was in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon—Jeroboam returned from Egypt. ³ And they sent and called him. Then Jeroboam and all Israel went, and they spoke to Rehoboam, saying, ⁴ “Your father made our yoke heavy. Now, therefore, lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, and we will serve you.” ⁵ And he said to them, “In three days return to me again.” And the people went away.

⁶ Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the elders who had been serving^[y] before Solomon his father when he was alive, saying, “What word do you advise to answer this people?” ⁷ And they said to him, “If you will be good to this people and please them, then speak good words to them. Then they will be your servants forever.”^{[z] 8} But he forsook the advice of the elders that advised him and took counsel of the young men who had grown up with him who were serving^[aa] before him. ⁹ And he said to them, “What do you advise that we should say in return to this people, who said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father has put upon us’?” ¹⁰ Then the young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus you should say to this people who have said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, so you yourself should lighten it for us.’ Thus you should say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than the loins of my father. ¹¹ So now, my father laid upon you a heavy yoke, but I myself will add to the yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I myself will do so with scorpions.’”

¹² Then 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 advice of the elders. ¹⁴ And he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “I will make your yoke heavy, and I myself will add to it. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will do so with scorpions.” ¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turning of events from God, so that Yahweh might fulfill his word that he had spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat. ¹⁶ So all Israel saw that the king would not listen to them, and the people answered the king, saying, “What portion is there for us in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Each to your tents, O Israel! Now look to your own house, David!” And all Israel went to their own tents. ¹⁷ But as for the Israelites^[ab] who were living in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam ruled over them. ¹⁸ Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was in charge of^[ac] the forced labor, but the Israelites^[ad] stoned him with stones, and he died. Then King Rehoboam hastily went up into the chariot to flee to Jerusalem. ¹⁹ So Israel has rebelled against the house of David until this day.

Rehoboam’s Kingdom

11 When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, one hundred and eighty thousand chosen warriors,^[ae] to fight against Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. ² But the word of Yahweh came to Shemaiah, the man of God, saying, ³ “Say to Rehoboam, son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, ⁴ ‘Thus says Yahweh: “Do not go up, and do not fight against your brothers. Return, each man to his house, for this matter has come from me.”’” So they obeyed the words of Yahweh and turned back from going against Jeroboam.

⁵ And Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and he built cities as strongholds in Judah. ⁶ He built Bethlehem, Etah, Tekoa, ⁷ Beth-Zur, Socoh, Adullam, ⁸ Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, ⁹ Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, ¹⁰ Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, fortified cities that are in Judah and in Benjamin. ¹¹ And he strengthened the fortifications and put commanders in them, along with stores of food, olive oil, and wine. ¹² And in all the cities he put shields and spears, and he greatly strengthened them. So he had Judah and Benjamin.

The Priests and Levites Come to Jerusalem

¹³ Now the priests and the Levites who were throughout all Israel took their stand with him^[af] from all their territories. ¹⁴ For the Levites left their pasturelands and their property and came to Judah and to Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them from serving as priests to Yahweh. ¹⁵ And he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat idols and for the bull calves that he had made. ¹⁶ Then after them, from all the tribes of Israel, those who set their heart to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to offer to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.^{[ag] 17} And they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and made Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, secure for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.

Rehoboam’s Harem and Family

¹⁸ Then Rehoboam took to himself as a wife Mahalath, the daughter^[ah] of Yerimot son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse. ¹⁹ And she bore to him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. ²⁰ And after her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom, who bore to him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. ²¹ And Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom more than all his wives and concubines (for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters). ²² And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah as chief and crown prince over his brothers, in order to make him king. ²³ And he dealt wisely and distributed some of his sons throughout all the land of Judah and Benjamin, through all the fortified cities, and gave abundant provisions to them and obtained many wives for them.

Shishak of Egypt Invades Jerusalem

12 And when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and when he was strengthened, he forsook the law of Yahweh, and all Israel with him. ² And it happened that in the fifth year of King Rehoboam (for they had acted unfaithfully against Yahweh), Shishak the king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem ³ with one thousand two hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen. And there was no number to the people who came up with him from Egypt—Libyans, Sukkites, and Cushites. ⁴ And he took the fortified cities that belonged to Judah, and he came up to Jerusalem.

⁵ Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the princes of Judah who had gathered at Jerusalem from before Shishak. And he said to them, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘You yourselves have abandoned me, and I myself have surely abandoned you into the hand of Shishak.’” ⁶ Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “Yahweh is righteous.” ⁷ And when Yahweh saw that they humbled themselves, the word of Yahweh came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy. I will give to them some way of escape, that my anger not be poured out against Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. ⁸ However, they shall be his servants, that they might know my service and the service of the kingdoms of other countries.”

⁹ Then Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and he took the treasures out of the house of Yahweh and the treasures out of the king’s house. He took everything. He also took the small shields of gold that Solomon had made. ¹⁰ And King Rehoboam made small shields of bronze in their place and committed them into the hand of the commanders of the guards who were keeping the entrance of the house of the king. ¹¹ And whenever the king went into the house of Yahweh, the guards came and carried them, and then they returned them to the alcove of the guards. ¹² And when he humbled himself, the anger of Yahweh was turned away from him, so that he did not destroy the city completely. Moreover, matters were well in Judah.

The Death of Rehoboam

¹³ So King Rehoboam was strengthened in Jerusalem, and he reigned there. Now, Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city where Yahweh had chosen to put his name out of all the tribes of Israel. And the name of his mother was Naamah the Ammonite. ¹⁴ And he did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek Yahweh.

¹⁵ Now the words of Rehoboam from the first to the last, are they not written in the chronicles^[ai] of Shemaiah the prophet and Iddo the seer as a record? And there were battles between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their^[aj] days. ¹⁶ And Rehoboam slept with his ancestors,^[ak] and he was buried in the city of David, and Abijah his son reigned in his place.

Abijah and Civil War

13 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah reigned over Judah. ² He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah.

Now there was war between Abijah and between Jeroboam. ³ And Abijah joined in the battle with an army of four hundred thousand battle-hardened warriors,^[al] chosen men, and Jeroboam put the battle in order against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, an army of mighty warriors.

⁴ Then Abijah stood up on top of Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel! ⁵ Do you not all know that Yahweh the God of Israel gave the kingdom to David over Israel forever, to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt? ⁶ But Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his master, ⁷ and worthless men, sons of wickedness,^[am] were gathered about him and became hostile against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was a boy and gentle of heart and was not strong enough to stand before them. ⁸ So now you yourselves are considering that you are strong before the kingdom of Yahweh which is in the hand the sons of David, since you yourselves are a great multitude and you have bull calves of gold that Jeroboam has made for idols. ⁹ Did you not drive out the priests of Yahweh, the sons of Aaron, the Levites? Have you not made for yourselves priests like all the peoples of the lands? All who come to be consecrated for priestly service^[an] with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what is not a god. ¹⁰ But as for us, Yahweh is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests serving Yahweh are the sons of Aaron, the Levites, according to their service. ¹¹ They offer burnt offerings to Yahweh every morning^[ao] and every evening,^[ap] sweet spices of incense, and the rows of bread upon the pure table. And the golden lampstand with its lamps they keep kindled every evening,^[aq] for we are keeping the requirement of Yahweh our God, but you yourselves have forsaken him. ¹² And look, God is with us at the head, and his priests have the trumpets for sounding blasts against you, O sons of Israel. Do not fight against Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,^[ar] for you will not succeed.”

¹³ Then Jeroboam sent around an ambush to come behind them. So they were in front of Judah, but the ambush was behind them. ¹⁴ When Judah turned, then behold, the battle against them was in front and behind, and they cried to Yahweh, and the priests blew on the trumpets. ¹⁵ Then the men of Judah shouted, and it happened that when the men of Judah were shouting, then God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. ¹⁶ And the Israelites^[as] fled from before Judah, and God gave them into their hand. ¹⁷ And Abijah and his people struck a great blow against them, and the dead from Israel that fell were five hundred thousand chosen men. ¹⁸ And the Israelites^[at] were subdued at that time, and the people^[au] of Judah were victorious, for they relied upon Yahweh the God of their ancestors.^[av]

¹⁹ And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam and took cities from him: Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephron with its villages. ²⁰ And Jeroboam did not regain strength again in the days of Abijah. And Yahweh plagued him and he died. ²¹ But Abijah became strong, and he took to himself fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. ²² Now the rest of the words of Abijah and his ways and his words are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.

The Reign of Asa in Judah

14 ^[aw] And Abijah slept with his ancestors,^[ax] and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son became king in his place. In his days the land was at rest ten years. ² Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of Yahweh his God. ³ He removed the foreign altars and high places, broke down the stone pillars, and cut down the Asherahs. ⁴ And he commanded Judah to seek Yahweh, the God of their ancestors,^[ay] and to keep the law and the commandment. ⁵ And he removed the high places and the incense stands from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom had rest under^[az] him. ⁶ And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land was at rest. Under^[ba] him there was no war in those years, for Yahweh had given rest to him. ⁷ And he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls, towers, gates, and bars while the land is before us, because we have sought Yahweh our God. We have sought and he has given rest to us on every side.” So they built and had success. ⁸ And Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah, bearing shields and spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin who carried shields and drew bows. All of these were mighty warriors of strength.

⁹ Zerah the Cushite came out against them with an army of a thousand thousands and three hundred chariots. And he came to Mareshah. ¹⁰ And Asa went out before him, and a battle was put in order in the valley of Zepah at Mareshah.

¹¹ Then Asa cried out to Yahweh his God. And he said, “O Yahweh, there is none with you to help between the great and the powerless. Help us, O Yahweh our God, for we rely upon you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Yahweh, you are our God! Let no man prevail against you!”

¹² So Yahweh defeated the Cushites before Asa and before Judah, and the Cushites fled. ¹³ Then Asa and the army^[bb] with him pursued them to Gerar. And many from the Cushites fell, for they had no deliverance, for they were shattered before Yahweh and before his army. And they carried away much war booty. ¹⁴ And they struck all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of Yahweh was upon them. And they plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. ¹⁵ And they also struck the tents of the herdsmen and carried away many sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

Asa’s Religious Reforms

15 Now Azariah the son of Oded—the Spirit of God came upon him. ² And he went out before Asa and said to him, “Hear me, O Asa and all of Judah and Benjamin! Yahweh is with you while you are with him. And if you will seek him he will be found by you. But if you forsake him he will forsake you. ³ Now Israel has been without the true God many days, and without a teaching priest, and without law, ⁴ but at its trouble he returned to Yahweh, the God of Israel. They sought him, and he was found by them. ⁵ And in those times there was no peace for the one going out and the one coming in, for great tumults were upon all the inhabitants of the lands. ⁶ Nation was crushed by nation, and city was against city, for God threw them into confusion by all sorts of trouble. ⁷ But as for you, be strong and let not your hands be weak, for there is reward for your labor.”

⁸ And when Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage and removed the vile idols from all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of Yahweh that was in front of the portico of Yahweh.

⁹ And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin and those sojourning with them, from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, for many had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that Yahweh his God was with him. ¹⁰ And they were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. ¹¹ And they sacrificed to Yahweh on that day from the war booty they brought back: seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep. ¹² And they entered into a covenant to seek Yahweh, the God of their ancestors,^[bc] with all their heart and with all their inmost being,^{[bd] 13} but all who will not seek Yahweh the God of Israel should be killed, from young to old, from men to women. ¹⁴ And they took an oath to Yahweh with a great voice, with shouting, with trumpets, and with horns. ¹⁵ And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they swore with all their heart. And they sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and Yahweh gave rest to them all around.

¹⁶ And also Maacah, the mother of Asa, the king removed her from being queen, because she had made a repulsive image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her repulsive image, and he crushed and burned it at the Wadi^[be] Kidron. ¹⁷ But the high places were not removed from Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was fully devoted all his days. ¹⁸ And he brought the holy objects of his father and his own holy objects into the house of God—silver and gold and vessels. ¹⁹ And there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.

The End of Asa’s Reign

16 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha the king of Israel went up against Judah. And he built Ramah in order not to allow anyone to go out or come in to Asa, king of Judah. ² Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the storehouses of the house of Yahweh and the house of the king, and he sent them to Ben-Hadad, king of Aram,^[bf] who lived in Damascus, saying, ³ “There is a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Look, I am sending you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha, king of Israel, that he might withdraw from me.”

⁴ And Ben-Hadad listened to King Asa, and he sent commanders of his troops that were with him against the cities of Israel. And they struck Ijon, Dan, Abel-Maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali. ⁵ And it happened that when Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and ceased his work. ⁶ Then King Asa took all of Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had been building, and he built Geba and Mizpah with them.

⁷ And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “On account of your reliance upon the king of Aram,^[bg] and since you did not rely on Yahweh your God, therefore the troops of the king of Aram^[bh] escaped from your hand. ⁸ Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with very abundant chariots and horsemen? And because of your reliance on Yahweh he gave them into your hand. ⁹ For the eyes of Yahweh roam throughout all the earth to strengthen those whose heart is fully devoted to him. You have been foolish in this, for from now on you will have wars.”

¹⁰ Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the prison,^[bi] for he was enraged with him concerning this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.

¹¹ Now behold, the words of Asa from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the scroll of the kings of Judah and Israel. ¹² And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, he fell severely^[bj] ill in his feet. But even in his illness he did not seek Yahweh, but only among the healers. ¹³ And Asa slept with his ancestors.^[bk] And he died in the forty-first year of his reign. ¹⁴ And they buried him in his burial site, which had been cut out for him in the city of David. And they laid him on the bier which they had filled with all kinds of spices made by the perfumers as a fragment ointment. And they made a great fire in his honor.

Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah

17 And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place, and he strengthened himself against Israel. ² And he put troops in all the fortified cities of Judah, and put garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had taken. ³ And Yahweh was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of David his father and did not seek after the Baals, ⁴ but he sought after the God of his ancestors^[bl] and walked in his commandments and not according to the works of Israel. ⁵ So Yahweh established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah gave tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had much wealth and honor. ⁶ And his heart was courageous in the ways of Yahweh. Moreover, he removed the high places and the Asherahs from Judah.

⁷ In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; ⁸ and with them the Levites Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah; and with them the priests Elisham and Joram. ⁹ And they taught in Judah, and the scroll of the law of Yahweh was with them when they went around in all the cities of Judah, and they taught the people.

¹⁰ And the fear of Yahweh was upon all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, and they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. ¹¹ And some of the Philistines brought a gift and silver to Jehoshaphat as tribute. The Arabians also brought him seven thousand seven hundred sheep and seven thousand seven hundred goats.

¹² And Jehoshaphat grew greater and greater,^[bm] and he built fortresses and storage cities in Judah. ¹³ And he had many supplies in the cities of Judah and mighty warriors for battle in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ Now these were their enrollment by the house of their ancestors:^[bn] of Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah, the commander, and with him were three hundred thousand mighty armed warriors; ¹⁵ and at his side,^[bo] Jehohanan the commander, and with him were two hundred and eighty thousand; ¹⁶ and at his side,^[bp] Amasiah the son of Zicri, who had made a freewill offering to Yahweh, and with him were two hundred thousand mighty armed warriors. ¹⁷ And from Benjamin: Eliada, a powerful mighty warrior, and with him were two hundred thousand armed with bow and shield; ¹⁸ and at his side,^[bq] Jehozabad, and with him were one hundred and eighty thousand armed for war. ¹⁹ These were serving the king, besides those whom the king had placed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.

Jehoshaphat’s Alliance with Ahab

18 Now Jehoshaphat had much wealth and honor, and he became son-in-law to Ahab. ² And after some years^[br] he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle for him and for the people who were with him, and urged him to go up against Ramoth-Gilead. ³ And Ahab the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, “Will you go up with me to Ramoth-Gilead?” And he answered him, “I am as you are, and my people are as your people with you in war.”

⁴ Then Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Seek first of all^[bs] the word of Yahweh.” ⁵ Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets, four hundred men. And he said to them, “Shall we go to Ramoth-Gilead to battle, or shall we cease?” And they said, “Go up, since God will give it into the hand of the king.” ⁶ Then Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of Yahweh that we might inquire of him?” ⁷ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom to seek Yahweh, but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always^[bt] disaster. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah.” Then Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say thus.” ⁸ Then the king of Israel called to a eunuch and said, “Quickly bring Micaiah the son of Imlah.”

⁹ Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were each sitting on his throne, clothed in robes. And they were sitting 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 Kenaanah made for himself horns of iron, and he said, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘With these you will gore Aram^[bu] to their destruction.’” ¹¹ And all the prophets prophesied thus, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-Gilead and triumph! Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king.”

¹² Then the messenger who went to call Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets are good with one voice to the king. Please let your word be as one with them and speak good.” ¹³ But Micaiah said, “As Yahweh lives, only what my God has said, that will I speak.”

¹⁴ And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-Gilead to war or shall I cease?” And he said, “Go up and triumph! They shall be given into your hand.” ¹⁵ But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak nothing except the truth in the name of Yahweh?” ¹⁶ Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains like sheep that had no shepherd. And Yahweh said, ‘These have no masters; let them return to his own house in peace.’” ¹⁷ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not say to you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but only disaster?” ¹⁸ Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of Yahweh: I saw Yahweh sitting upon his throne with all the host of heaven standing on his right and on his left. ¹⁹ And Yahweh said, ‘Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel that he would go up and fall at Ramoth-Gilead?’ And one said this, and another said that. ²⁰ Then a spirit came forth and stood before Yahweh and said, ‘I will entice him.’ Then Yahweh said to him, ‘By what means?’ ²¹ Then he said, ‘I will go forth and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You will entice him and will also succeed. Go out and do so.’ ²² So now, behold, Yahweh has put a spirit of deception into the mouths of these your prophets. Yahweh has spoken disaster against you.”

²³ Then Zedekiah the son of Kenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way^[bv] did the Spirit of Yahweh come from me to speak to you?” ²⁴ Then Micaiah said, “Behold, you will see on that day when you go into a private room to hide yourself.” ²⁵ Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the commander of the city and to Jehoash the son of the king, ²⁶ and say, ‘Thus says the king: “Put this one into the prison house, and let him eat a meager ration of bread and water^[bw] until I return in peace.”’” ²⁷ And Micaiah said, “If you surely return in peace Yahweh has not spoken with me.” Then he said, “Hear, peoples, all of them!”

The Death of Ahab

²⁸ Then the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat 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 garments.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went to war. ³⁰ Now the king of Aram^[bx] had commanded the commanders of his chariots,^[by] saying, “Do not fight with the small or the great, but only with the king of Israel.” ³¹ And it happened that when the commanders of the chariots^[bz] saw Jehoshaphat, then they said, “It is the king of Israel!” And they turned against him to fight. Then Jehoshaphat cried out and Yahweh helped him. God drove them away from him. ³² And it happened that when the commanders of the chariots^[ca] saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from following him. ³³ Now a certain man drew the bow at random^[cb] and struck the king of Israel between the soldering of his breastplate armor. Then he said to the chariot driver, “Turn around;^[cc] get me away from the war camp, for I am wounded.” ³⁴ And the battle went on that day, and the king of Israel was propped up in the chariot facing Aram^[cd] until the evening. And he died at the time of the going down of the sun.

Jehoshaphat’s Reforms

19 Then Jehoshaphat king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. ² And Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him. And he said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you be a help to the wicked and love those who hate Yahweh? On account of this, wrath has come against you from Yahweh. ³ Nevertheless some good things have been found in regard to you, for you burned the Asherahs out of the land and set your heart to seek God.”

⁴ And Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem and returned and went out among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and brought them back to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.^{[ce] 5} And he appointed judges in the land and in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city. ⁶ And he said to the judges, “Consider what you are doing, for you are not judging for a man but for Yahweh. Now he is with you in speaking justice. ⁷ So now, let the fear of Yahweh be upon you all. Be careful what you do,^[cf] for there is neither wickedness nor showing partiality^[cg] and taking bribes with Yahweh our God.”

⁸ Moreover, Jehoshaphat appointed in Jerusalem some of the Levites and the priests and heads of the families^[ch] of Israel as judges and to decide legal disputes for Yahweh. And they sat^[ci] in Jerusalem. ⁹ And he commanded them, saying, “Thus you must do in the fear of Yahweh in faithfulness and with a whole heart. ¹⁰ Any legal dispute that comes before you from your brothers who live in their cities concerning bloodguilt, law, commandment, statutes, and justice, you must warn them, so that they do not incur guilt before Yahweh, and that wrath may not come upon you and your brothers. Thus you must do that you do not incur guilt. ¹¹ And behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the word of Yahweh, and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the governor of the house of Judah, in all matters of the king, and the Levites shall be before you as officials. Be strong and do well! May Yahweh be with the upright.”

The Prayer of Jehoshaphat

20 And it happened that afterward, the Moabites,^[cj] the Ammonites,^[ck] and some of the Meunites^[cl] came against Jehoshaphat for war. ² And they came and reported it to Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude from beyond the sea, from Aram,^[cm] is coming against you. Now behold, they are in Hazazon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi). ³ Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek Yahweh. And he called for a fast through all Judah. ⁴ And Judah assembled to seek after Yahweh; even from all the cities of Judah they came to seek Yahweh.

⁵ Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of Yahweh before the new courtyard. ⁶ And he said, “O Yahweh, God of our ancestors,^[cn] are you not God in heaven? Now you rule in all the kingdoms of the nations, and in your hand are power and might, and there is none who can resist against you. ⁷ O, our God, did you yourself not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it to the descendants^[co] of Abraham your friend forever? ⁸ And they lived in it and built for you a sanctuary for your name in it, saying, ⁹ ‘If disaster, a sword, punishment, disease, or famine come upon us, we shall stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you out of our trouble, then you will hear and save us.’ ¹⁰ And now, look, the people^[cp] of Moab and Ammon and Mount Seir whom you did not allow Israel to come against when they came from Egypt, from whom they turned aside and did not destroy, ¹¹ now behold, they are rewarding us by coming to dispossess us from your possession which you gave us as an inheritance. ¹² O our God, will you not judge them, for there is no power in us before this great multitude that is coming against us. Now we do not know what we shall do, for our eyes are upon you.”

¹³ And all Judah was standing before Yahweh, and also their little children, their wives, and their children. ¹⁴ Then the Spirit of Yahweh came upon Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite from the descendants^[cq] of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. ¹⁵ And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat, thus says Yahweh to you: ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed before this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. ¹⁶ Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they are coming up the ascent of Ziz. And you will find them at the end of the valley facing the desert of Jeruel. ¹⁷ There will be no need for you to fight in this battle. Take your stand! Stand and see the deliverance of Yahweh among you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out before them and Yahweh will be with you.’” ¹⁸ Then Jehoshaphat bowed his face^[cr] down to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before Yahweh to worship Yahweh. ¹⁹ Then the Levites, from the Kohathites^[cs] and from the Korahites^[ct] stood up to praise Yahweh the God of Israel with an exceedingly^[cu] loud voice.

God Delivers Judah and Jerusalem

²⁰ And they rose up early in the morning and went out to the desert of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in Yahweh your God, and you shall be established! Believe in his prophets, and you shall succeed!” ²¹ And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed singers to Yahweh who were giving praise to the splendor of his holiness when they went out before the army. And they said, “Give thanks to Yahweh, for his loyal love is everlasting!”

²² And when^[cv] they began with singing and praise, Yahweh set ambushes against the people^[cw] of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who were coming against Judah. And they were defeated ²³ when the people^[cx] of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to destroy and demolish them. And when the inhabitants of Seir had made an end of them, each helped to destroy his comrade.

²⁴ And Judah came against the watchtower of the wilderness. And they looked at the crowd, and behold, corpses were lying on the ground. There was none who had escaped. ²⁵ When Jehoshaphat came with his people to plunder their booty, they found among them in abundance possessions, corpses, and precious items. And they took plunder for themselves until they could carry no more.^[cy] And they were three days in plundering the booty, for it was abundant. ²⁶ And on the fourth day, they assembled in the Valley of Berakah, for there they blessed Yahweh. Therefore the name of that place is called the Valley of Berakah up to this day. ²⁷ And all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned, and Jehoshaphat was at their head in returning to Jerusalem with joy, for Yahweh caused them to rejoice over their enemies. ²⁸ And they came to Jerusalem with harps, stringed instruments, and trumpets to the house of Yahweh. ²⁹ And the fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the earth when they heard that Yahweh had fought against the enemies of Israel. ³⁰ So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at rest, since his God gave rest to him all around.

The End of Jehoshaphat’s Reign

³¹ So Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he began to reign. And he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. ³² And he walked in the way of his father Asa and did not turn aside from it, to do what was right in the eyes of Yahweh. ³³ Only the high places were not removed. The people still had not yet set their heart on the God of their ancestors.^{[cz] 34} Now the rest of the words of Jehoshaphat, from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the chronicles^[da] of Jehu the son of Hanani, which are recorded in the scroll of the kings of Israel.

³⁵ And afterward Jehoshaphat the king of Judah joined with Ahaziah the king of Israel, who acted wickedly. ³⁶ He joined with him to build ships to go to Tarshish. And they built the ships in Ezion Geber. ³⁷ Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because of your joining with Ahaziah, Yahweh will break down your works.” And the ships were destroyed and were not able to go to Tarshish.

The Reign of Jehoram

21 And Jehoshaphat slept with his ancestors^[db] and was buried with his ancestors^[dc] in the city of David, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place. ² Now he had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel. ³ And their father gave to them many gifts of silver, gold, and valuables, with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, for he was the firstborn. ⁴ When Jehoram ascended to the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself and murdered all his brothers with the sword, and even some of the princes of Israel.

⁵ Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. ⁶ And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did evil in the sight of Yahweh. ⁷ But Yahweh was not willing to destroy the house of David on account of the covenant that he had made^[dd] with David and since he had promised^[de] to give a lamp to him and to his descendants^[df] forever.^[dg]

⁸ In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and they set up a king of their own. ⁹ Then Jehoram passed over with his commanders and all the chariots with him, and when night came he struck Edom who was all around him and the commanders of his chariots. ¹⁰ So Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah until this day. Then Libnah also revolted at that time from under his hand, because he had forsaken Yahweh, the God of his ancestors.^[dh]

¹¹ Moreover, he made high places in the hill country of Judah, and he enticed the inhabitants of Jerusalem to be unfaithful, and he led Judah astray. ¹² And a letter from Elijah the prophet came to him, saying, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of David your father: ‘Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father or in the ways of Asa, the king of Judah, ¹³ but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel and have enticed Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to be unfaithful like the unfaithfulness of the house of Ahab, and have also murdered your brothers of the house of your father who were better than you, ¹⁴ behold, Yahweh is inflicting a great plague on your people, your children, your wives, and all your possessions, ¹⁵ and you yourself will be afflicted with great illness, with sickness in your bowels, until your bowels come out on account of the illness, day by day.’”

¹⁶ And Yahweh stirred up the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabs who were near^[di] the Cushites against Jehoram. ¹⁷ And they came up against Judah and invaded it and carried away all the possessions found in the house of the king, and also his sons and his wives, so that no son was left to him except Jehoahaz his youngest son.

¹⁸ And after all this Yahweh afflicted him in his bowels with an illness for which there was no cure. ¹⁹ And it happened that after many days, at the end of two years,^[dj] his bowels came out because of his illness, and he died in terrible agony. And his people did not make a fire for him like the fire for his ancestors.^{[dk] 20} He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed^[dl] with no one’s regret. And they buried him in the city of David, but not in the burial sites of the kings.

The Reign of Ahaziah

22 And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his place, for the band of men who had come with the Arabs to the camp had murdered all the older sons. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, the king of Judah, reigned. ² Ahaziah was forty-two^[dm] years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Athaliah, the daughter^[dn] of Omri. ³ He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor for doing wickedness. ⁴ And he did evil in the eyes of Yahweh as the house of Ahab had done, for they were his counselors to his destruction after the death of his father. ⁵ He also walked in their counsel and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, to war against Hazael king of Aram^[do] at Ramoth-Gilead. And the Arameans wounded Joram. ⁶ And he returned to be healed in Jezreel because of the wounds he had suffered at Ramah, when he made war against Hazael king of Aram.^[dp] And Azariah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram son of Ahab in Jezreel for he was sick.

⁷ But the downfall of Ahaziah was from God, and intended to come to Joram. And when he came, he went out with Jehoram to Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom Yahweh had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab. ⁸ And it happened that when Jehu was judging the house of Ahab, he found the princes of Judah and the sons of the brothers of Ahaziah who ministered to Ahaziah, and he killed them. ⁹ And he searched for Ahaziah and captured him. And he was hiding in Samaria. And they brought him to Jehu and put him to death. And they buried him, for they said, “He is the descendant^[dq] of Jehoshaphat, who sought Yahweh with his whole heart.” And the house of Ahab had no one to exercise power over the kingdom.

The Reign of Athaliah

¹⁰ Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and murdered all the royal descendants^[dr] of the house of Judah. ¹¹ But Jehosheba the daughter of the king took Joash, the son of Ahaziah, and kidnapped him away from the sons of the king who were to be put to death. And she put him and his nurse in a private bedroom. So Jehosheba the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, because she was a sister of Ahaziah, hid him from before Athaliah so that she did not put him to death. ¹² And he was hidden with them in the house of God six years, but Athaliah reigned over the land.

Joash Is Made King

23 And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself and took with him into a covenant relationship the commanders of hundreds: Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zicri. ² And they went around in Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the heads of the families^[ds] of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. ³ And all the assembly made^[dt] a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said to them, “Behold, the son of the king shall reign as Yahweh has spoken concerning the sons of David. ⁴ This is the thing that you must do: one third of you priests and Levites coming off duty on the Sabbath^[du] shall be gatekeepers at the entrances, ⁵ and one third at the house of the king, and one third at the Gate of the Foundation. And all the people shall be in the courtyards of the house of Yahweh. ⁶ Let no one enter into the house of Yahweh except the priests and the ministering Levites. They themselves may enter, for they are holy, but all the people shall keep the requirements of Yahweh. ⁷ And the Levites shall surround the king all around, each with his weapons in his hand. And whoever comes into the house shall be put to death. You shall be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.”

⁸ And the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And they each took his men who were coming off duty on the Sabbath^[dv] with the ones going out to duty on the Sabbath,^[dw] for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss the working groups. ⁹ And Jehoiada the priest gave the spears and small shields that had belonged to King David that were in the house of God to the commanders of hundreds. ¹⁰ And he appointed all the people, each with his weapon in his hand from the south side of the house to the north side of the house around the altar and the house. ¹¹ Then they brought out the son of the king and set upon him the crown and gave him the statute and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, “Long live the king!”^[dx]

¹² When Athaliah heard the sound of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people at the house of Yahweh. ¹³ And she looked and, behold, the king was standing by his column at the entrance, and the commanders and trumpeters beside the king, along with all the people of the land, rejoicing and blowing with trumpets, and the singers with the instruments of song leading the praise. And Athaliah tore her garments and cried, “Conspiracy! Conspiracy!” ¹⁴ Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the commanders of the hundreds appointed over the troops, and he said to them, “Bring her out between the ranks, and whoever goes after her shall be put to death with the sword.” For the priest had said, “You must not kill her in the house of Yahweh.” ¹⁵ And they laid hands on her, and she went into the entrance of the Horse Gate of the house of the king, and they killed her there.