Bible in 90 Days
11 Thus Solomon finished the Lord’s house and the king’s house; all that [he] had planned to do in the Lord’s house and his own house he accomplished successfully.
12 And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night and said to him: I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.
13 If I shut up heaven so no rain falls, or if I command locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people,
14 If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer offered in this place.
16 For I have chosen and sanctified (set apart for holy use) this house, that My Name may be here forever, and My eyes and My heart will be here perpetually.
17 As for you [Solomon], if you will walk before me as David your father walked, and do all I have commanded you, and observe My statutes and My ordinances,(A)
18 Then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, There shall not fail you a man to be ruler in Israel.
19 But if you [people] turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you and go and serve other gods and worship them,
20 Then will I pluck [Israel] up by the roots out of My land which I have given [them]; and this house which I have hallowed for My Name will I cast out of My sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.(B)
21 And this house, which was so high, shall be an astonishment to everyone passing it, and they will say, Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?
22 Then men will say, Because they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, Who brought them out of Egypt, and they laid hold of other gods and worshiped and served them; therefore has He brought all this evil upon them.
8 At the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the house of the Lord and his own house,
2 The cities which Huram had given to [him] Solomon rebuilt and fortified, and caused the Israelites to dwell there.
3 And Solomon took Hamath-zobah.
4 He built Tadmor in the wilderness and all his store cities in Hamath.
5 Also he built Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars,
6 And Baalath and all the store cities [he] had, and all the cities for his chariots and the cities for his horsemen, and all that Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all his dominion.
7 All the people who were left of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not of Israel,
8 But descendants of those who were left in the land, whom the Israelites had not destroyed—of them Solomon made a levy for forced labor to this day.
9 But of the Israelites Solomon made no slaves for his work; but they were men of war, chiefs of his captains, and captains of his chariots and horsemen.
10 These were the chiefs of King Solomon’s officers, 250 in authority over the people.
11 Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh out of the City of David into the house he had built for her, for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places are holy to which the ark of the Lord has come.
12 Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the Lord’s altar which he had built before the [temple] porch or vestibule,
13 A certain number every day, offering as Moses commanded for the Sabbaths, the New Moons, and the solemn feast days three times in the year—the Feasts of Unleavened Bread, of Weeks, and of Tabernacles.
14 And he appointed, as ordered by David his father, the divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites to their offices to praise and to serve before the priests as the duty of every day required, and the gatekeepers also by their divisions at every gate; for so had David the man of God commanded.
15 And they did not turn from the command of the king to the priests and Levites in any respect or concerning the treasuries.
16 Thus all the work of Solomon was prepared from the day the foundation of the Lord’s house was laid until it was finished. So the house of the Lord was completed.
17 Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and to Eloth on the shore of the [Red] Sea in the land of Edom.
18 And Huram sent him by his servants ships and servants familiar with the sea; and they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir and took from there 450 talents of gold and brought them to King Solomon.
9 When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions, accompanied by very many attendants and camels bearing spices, much gold, and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she talked with him of all that was on her mind.
2 And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from [him] which he was unable to make clear to her.
3 And when the queen of Sheba had seen Solomon’s wisdom, the house he had built,
4 The food of his table, the seating of his officials, the [standing at] attention of his servants, their apparel, his cupbearers also and their apparel, and his burnt offerings which he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her.
5 She said to the king, The report which I heard in my own land of your acts and sayings and of your wisdom was true,
6 But I did not believe their words until I came and my eyes had seen it. Behold, the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me; you surpass the fame that I heard of you.
7 Happy are your wives and men, and happy are these your servants who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!
8 Blessed be the Lord your God, Who delighted in you and set you on His throne to be king for the Lord your God! Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.
9 She gave the king 120 talents of gold, a very large quantity of spices, and precious stones; such spice was not anywhere as that which the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.
10 The servants of Huram and [those] of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, also brought algum trees and precious stones.
11 The king made of the algum trees terraces or walks to the house of the Lord and to the king’s palace, and lyres and harps for the singers; none such had ever been seen before in the land of Judah.
12 And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, besides what she had brought to the king. So she with her servants returned to her own land.
13 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents,
14 Besides what traders and merchants brought; and all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.
15 And King Solomon made 200 large shields or bucklers of beaten gold; 600 shekels of beaten gold went into each shield.
16 And he made 300 shields of beaten gold, with 300 shekels of gold spread on each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
17 Moreover, [he] made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold.
18 There were six steps to the throne and a gold footstool attached to the throne, and arms on each side of the seat, with two lions standing beside the arms.
19 And twelve lions stood there one on either end of each of the six steps. The like of it was never made in any kingdom before.
20 King Solomon’s drinking vessels were all of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; silver was not counted as anything in the days of Solomon.
21 For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with Huram’s servants; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
22 King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
23 And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had put into his mind.
24 And every man brought his tribute: silver and gold articles, robes, armor, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.
25 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horsemen, stationed in chariot cities or at Jerusalem with the king.(C)
26 And he ruled over [a]all the kings from the [Euphrates] River to the land of Philistia and to the frontier of Egypt.
27 The king made silver in Jerusalem as common as stones, and cedar wood as plentiful as sycamore trees in the lowlands.
28 And they imported horses for Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.
29 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, are they not written in the history 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 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.
31 Then Solomon slept with his fathers; he was buried in the city of David his father. Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.
10 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king.
2 Jeroboam the son of Nebat was in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon, when he heard about the new king; so Jeroboam returned from Egypt.
3 And the people sent for him. So Jeroboam and all Israel came to Rehoboam, saying,
4 Your father [King Solomon] made our yoke grievous. So now make lighter the grievous service of your father and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve you.
5 Rehoboam replied, Come again to me after three days. And the people departed.
6 King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men who stood before Solomon his father while he was alive, saying, What counsel do you give me in reply to the people?
7 And they answered him, If you are kind to [these] people and please them and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever.
8 But the king forsook the counsel which the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who were brought up with him and stood before him.
9 And he said to them, What answer do you advise that we give to the demand of [these] people, Make the yoke your father put upon us lighter?
10 The young men who were brought up with him said to him, Tell the people who said to you, Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter: My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins.
11 For whereas my father put a heavy yoke upon you, I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
12 The third day Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam as he had said.
13 And the king answered them harshly, forsaking the counsel of the old men,
14 And answered them after the advice of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
15 So the king did not heed the people, for it was [b]brought about of God, that the Lord might perform His word which He spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.(D)
16 And when all Israel saw that the king would not listen to and heed them, they answered [him], What portion have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to your tents, O Israel! Now, David [tribe of Judah], see to your own house [under your tyrant King Rehoboam]! So all Israel went to their homes.
17 But as for the Israelites who dwelt in Judah’s cities, Rehoboam ruled over them.
18 Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the forced labor, and the Israelites stoned him and he died. But King Rehoboam hastened to get up to his royal chariot to flee to Jerusalem.
19 And Israel has rebelled against the house of David to this day.
11 And when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled of the house of Judah and Benjamin 180,000 chosen warriors to fight against [the ten rebellious tribes of] Israel to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.
2 But the word of the Lord 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 the Lord: You shall not go up or fight against your brethren. Return every man to his house, for this thing is from Me. And they obeyed the Lord and returned from going against Jeroboam.
5 Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem and built cities for defense in Judah.
6 He built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
7 Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam,
8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,
9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, which are fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin.
11 He fortified the strongholds and put captains in them, with stores of food, oil, and vintage fruits.
12 And in each city he put shields and spears, and made them very strong. So he held Judah and Benjamin.
13 And the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel came over to Rehoboam from wherever they lived.
14 For the Levites left their suburbs and their possessions and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them out from executing the priest’s office to the Lord.
15 And he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the [idols of demon] he-goats, and calves he had made.(E)
16 And after them out of all the tribes of Israel there came to Jerusalem those who set their hearts to seek and inquire of the Lord, the God of Israel, to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their fathers.
17 So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and upheld Rehoboam son of Solomon for three years; for they walked in the ways of David and Solomon for three years.
18 Rehoboam took as wife Mahalath, whose father was Jerimoth son of David; her mother was Abihail daughter of Eliab son of Jesse.
19 She bore him sons: Jeush, Shamariah, and Zaham.
20 And after her he took Maacah daughter [granddaughter] of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.
21 And Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter [granddaughter] of Absalom more than all his wives and concubines—for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he had twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
22 And Rehoboam made Abijah son of Maacah the chief prince among his brethren, for he intended to make him king.
23 And he dealt understandingly and dispersed his children throughout all Judah and Benjamin to every fortified city. He gave them abundant supplies, and he sought many wives for them.
12 When Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.
2 And in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, because they had transgressed and been unfaithful to the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem
3 With 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen, and the people were without number who came with him from Egypt—the Libyans, Sukkiim, and Ethiopians.
4 And he took the fortified cities of Judah and came on to Jerusalem.
5 Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the princes of Judah who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, Thus says the Lord: You have forsaken Me, so I have abandoned you into the hands of Shishak.
6 Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, The Lord is righteous.
7 And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves, so I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance; and My wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.
8 Nevertheless, they shall be his servants, that they may know [the difference between] My service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.
9 So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem; he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house. He took everything. He took away also the shields of gold Solomon had made.
10 Instead of them King Rehoboam made 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 whenever the king entered the Lord’s house, the guards came and got the shields of bronze and brought them again into the guard chamber.
12 When Rehoboam humbled himself, the wrath of the Lord turned from him, so as not to destroy him entirely; also in Judah conditions were good.
13 So King Rehoboam established and strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city in which the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put His Name [and the symbol of His presence]. His mother was Naamah an Ammonitess.
14 And he did evil because he did not set his heart to seek (inquire of, yearn for) the Lord with all his desire.
15 Now the acts of Rehoboam, from first to last, are they not written in the histories of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer regarding genealogies? There were wars between Rehoboam of Judah and Jeroboam of Israel continually.
16 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried in the City of David; and Abijah his son reigned in his stead.
13 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah.
2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Micaiah daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam of Israel.
3 And Abijah prepared for battle with an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men. Jeroboam set the battle in array against him with 800,000 chosen men, mighty men of valor.
4 And Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel!
5 Ought you not to know that the Lord, the God of Israel, gave the kingship over Israel to David forever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?
6 Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord [the king].
7 And there gathered to him worthless men, base fellows, who strengthened themselves against Rehoboam son of Solomon when Rehoboam was young [as king], irresolute, and inexperienced and did not withstand them with firmness and strength.
8 And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord which is in the hands of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and you have with you the golden calves which Jeroboam made for you for gods.
9 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? So whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may be a priest of idols that are 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 every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and incense of sweet spices; they set in order the showbread on the table of pure gold and attend to the golden lampstand, that its lamps may be lighted every evening. For we keep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken Him.
12 Behold, God Himself is with us at our head, and His priests with their battle trumpets to sound an alarm against you. O Israelites, fight not against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for you cannot prosper.
13 But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come around them from behind, so his troops were before Judah and the ambush behind.
14 When Judah looked, behold, the battle was before and behind; and they cried to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets.
15 Then the men of Judah gave a shout; and as they shouted, God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
16 And the Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hands.
17 And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter, so there fell of Israel 500,000 chosen men.
18 Thus the Israelites were brought low at that time, and the people of Judah prevailed because they relied upon the Lord, the God of their fathers.
19 And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took some cities from him, Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephraim (Ephron), with their towns.
20 Jeroboam did not recover strength again in the days of Abijah. And the Lord smote him and he died.
21 But Abijah became mighty. He married fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
22 And the rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.
14 So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David; and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was at rest for ten years.
2 And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.
3 He took away the foreign altars and high places and broke down the idol pillars or obelisks and cut down the Asherim [symbols of the goddess Asherah]
4 And commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers [to inquire of and for Him and crave Him as a vital necessity], and to obey the law and the commandment.
5 Also Asa took out of all the cities of Judah the idolatrous high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under his reign.
6 And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the Lord gave him peace.
7 Therefore he said to Judah, Let us build these cities and surround them with walls, towers, gates, and bars. The land is still ours, because we sought the Lord our God; we have sought Him [yearning for Him with all our desire] and He has given us rest and peace on every side. So they built and prospered.
8 Asa had an army of 300,000 men out of Judah, who bore bucklers and spears, and 280,000 out of Benjamin, who bore shields and drew bows, all mighty men of courage.
9 There came out against Judah Zerah the Ethiopian with a host of a million [that is, too many to be numbered] and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.
10 Then Asa went out against him, and they set up their lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
11 Asa cried to the Lord his God, O Lord, there is none besides You to help, and it makes no difference to You whether the one You help is mighty or powerless. Help us, O Lord our God! For we rely on You, and we go against this multitude in Your name. O Lord, You are our God; let no man prevail against You!
12 So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.
13 Asa and the people with him pursued them to Gerar; and the Ethiopians were overthrown, so that none remained alive; for they were destroyed before the Lord and His host, who carried away very much booty.
14 And they smote all the cities round about Gerar, for the fear of the Lord came upon them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them.
15 They smote also the cattle encampments and carried away sheep in abundance and camels; and they returned to Jerusalem.
15 The Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded.
2 And he went out to meet Asa and said to him, Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him [inquiring for and of Him, craving Him as your soul’s first necessity], He will be found by you; but if you [become indifferent and] forsake Him, He will forsake you.
3 Now for a long time Israel was without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law.
4 But when they in their trouble turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and [in desperation earnestly] sought Him, He was found by them.
5 And in those times there was no peace to him who went out nor to him who came in, but great and vexing afflictions and disturbances were upon all the inhabitants of the countries.
6 Nation was broke in pieces against nation, and city against city, for God vexed and troubled them with all sorts of adversity.
7 Be strong, therefore, and let not your hands be weak and slack, for your work shall be rewarded.
8 And when Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage and put away the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim; and he repaired the altar [of burnt offering] of the Lord which was in front of the porch or vestibule [of the house] of the Lord.
9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin and the strangers with them out of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, for they came over to Asa out of Israel in large numbers when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.
10 So they gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.
11 And they sacrificed to the Lord on that day from the spoil which they had brought—700 oxen and 7,000 sheep.
12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to yearn for Him with all their heart’s desire and with all their soul;
13 And that whoever would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.
14 They took an oath to the Lord with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets, and with cornets.
15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him [yearning for Him] with their whole desire, and He was found by them. And the Lord gave them rest and peace round about.
16 Also Maacah, King Asa’s mother, he removed from being queen mother, because she had made an abominable image for [the goddess] Asherah. Asa cut down her idol, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron.
17 But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was blameless all his days.
18 And he brought into the house of God the things that his father [Abijah] had dedicated and those he himself had dedicated—silver and gold and vessels.
19 And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.
16 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built (fortified) Ramah intending to intercept anyone going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.
2 Then Asa brought silver and gold out of the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who dwelt at Damascus, saying,
3 Let there be a league between me and you, as was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending you silver and gold; go, break your league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.
4 And Ben-hadad hearkened to King Asa and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali.
5 And when Baasha heard it, he stopped building Ramah and let his work cease.
6 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.
7 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, Because you relied on the king of Syria and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you.
8 Were not the Ethiopians and Libyans a huge host with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied then on the Lord, He gave them into your hand.
9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him. You have done foolishly in this; therefore, from now on you shall have wars.
10 Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in prison [in the stocks], for he was enraged with him because of this. Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.
11 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—until his disease became very severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but relied on the physicians.
13 And Asa slept with his fathers, dying in the forty-first year of his reign.
14 And they buried him in his own tomb which he had hewn out for himself in the City of David, and they laid him on a bier which was filled with sweet odors and various kinds [of spices] prepared by the perfumers’ art; and they made a very great burning [of spices] in his honor.
17 Jehoshaphat his son reigned in Asa’s stead and strengthened himself against Israel.
2 And he placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which Asa his father had taken.
3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the first ways of his father [David]. He did not seek the Baals
4 But sought and yearned with all his desire for the Lord, the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not after the ways of Israel.
5 Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor.
6 His heart was cheered and his courage was high in the ways of the Lord; moreover, he took away the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.
7 Also in the third year of his reign he sent his princes Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in the cities of Judah;
8 And with them were the Levites—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah; and with these Levites were the priests Elishama and Jehoram.
9 And they taught in Judah, and had the Book of the Law of the Lord with them; they went about throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.
10 And a terror from the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat.
11 And some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and tribute silver, and the Arabs brought him flocks: 7,700 each of rams and of he-goats.
12 And Jehoshaphat became very great. He built in Judah fortresses and store cities,
13 And he had many works in the cities of Judah, and soldiers, mighty men of courage, in Jerusalem.
14 This was the number of them by their fathers’ houses: Of Judah, the captains of thousands: Adnah the chief, with 300,000 mighty men of valor;
15 Next to him was Jehohanan the captain, with 280,000;
16 And next to him Amasiah son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself to the Lord, with 200,000 mighty men of valor.
17 Of Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty man of valor, with 200,000 men armed with bow and shield;
18 Next to him was Jehozabad with 180,000 armed for war.
19 These were in the king’s service, besides those [he] had placed in fortified cities throughout all Judah.
18 Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, but was allied [by marriage] with Ahab.
2 After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance and for the people with him and persuaded him to go up with him against Ramoth-gilead.
3 Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead? He answered, I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will be with you in the war.
4 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, Inquire first, I pray you, for the word of the Lord today.
5 So King [Ahab] of Israel gathered together the prophets, 400 men, and said to them, Shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up, for God will deliver it into the king’s hand.
6 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not another prophet of the Lord here by whom we may inquire?
7 King [Ahab] of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is another man, Micaiah son of Imla, by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, for he never has prophesied good for me, but always evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.
8 And King [Ahab] of Israel called for one of his officers and said, Bring quickly Micaiah son of Imla.
9 The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah sat each on his throne, arrayed in their robes; they were sitting in an open place [at the threshing floor] at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; all the prophets were prophesying before them.
10 And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah had made himself horns of iron, and said, Thus says the Lord: With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.
11 All the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper; the Lord will deliver it into the king’s hand.
12 The messenger who went to call Micaiah said to him, Behold, the words of the prophets foretell good to the king with one accord. So let your word be like one of them, and speak favorably.
13 But Micaiah said, As the Lord lives, what my God says, that will I speak.
14 And when he had come to the king, King [Ahab] said to him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go up and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand.
15 And the king said to him, How many times shall I warn you to tell nothing but the truth to me in the name of the Lord?
16 Then Micaiah said, I did see all Israel scattered upon the mountains as sheep that have no shepherd, and the Lord said, These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.
17 And King [Ahab] of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good to me, but evil?
18 [Micaiah] said, Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing at His right hand and His left.
19 And the Lord said, Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said this thing, and another that.
20 Then there came a spirit and stood before the Lord and said, I will entice him. The Lord said to him, By what means?
21 And he said, I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets. And the Lord said, You shall entice him and also succeed. Go forth and do so.
22 Now, you see, the Lord put a lying spirit in the mouths of your prophets; and the Lord has spoken evil concerning you.
23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and smote Micaiah upon the cheek and said, Which way went the Spirit of the Lord from me to speak to you?
24 And Micaiah said, Behold, you shall see on that day when you shall go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.
25 Then King [Ahab] of Israel said, Take Micaiah back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son,
26 And say, Thus says the king: Put this fellow in prison and feed him with bread and water of affliction until I return in peace.
27 Micaiah said, If you return at all in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me. And he [added], Hear it, you people, all of you!
28 So Ahab king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.
29 And [Ahab] king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself and will go to the battle, but you put on your royal robes. So King Ahab of Israel disguised himself, and they went into the battle.
30 Now Syria’s king had commanded his chariot captains, Fight not with small or great, but only with the king of Israel.
31 And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat [of Judah], they said, It is the king of Israel. So they turned to fight against him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; and God moved them to depart from him.
32 For when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.
33 A certain man drew his bow at a venture and smote King [Ahab] of Israel between the lower armor and the breastplate. So Ahab said to his chariot driver, Turn, carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.
34 And the battle increased that day; however, King [Ahab] of Israel propped himself up in his chariot opposite the Syrians until evening, and about sunset he died.
19 Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned safely to his house in Jerusalem.
2 Jehu son of Hanani, the seer, went out to meet him and said to Jehoshaphat, Should you help the ungodly and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the Lord.
3 But there are good things found in you, for you have destroyed the Asherim out of the land and have set your heart to seek God [with all your soul’s desire].
4 Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and brought them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers.
5 He appointed judges throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,
6 And said to the judges, Be careful what you do, for you judge not for man but for the Lord, and He is with you in the matter of judgment.
7 So now let the reverence and fear of the Lord be upon you; take heed what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality or taking of bribes.
8 Also in Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat set certain Levites, priests, and heads of families of Israel to give judgment for the Lord and decide controversies. When they [of the commission] returned to Jerusalem,
9 The king charged them, Do this in the fear of the Lord, faithfully, with integrity and a blameless heart.
10 Whenever any controversy shall come to you from your brethren who dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and judgments, you shall warn and instruct them that they may not be guilty before the Lord; otherwise wrath will come upon you and your brethren. Do this and you will not be guilty.
11 And behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the Lord, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the governor of the house of Judah, in all the king’s matters; also the Levites will serve you as officers. Deal courageously [be strong and do], and may the Lord be with the good!
20 After this, the Moabites, the Ammonites, and with them the Meunites came against Jehoshaphat to battle.
2 It was told Jehoshaphat, A great multitude has come against you from beyond the [Dead] Sea, from Edom; and behold they are in Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi.
3 Then Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself [determinedly, as his vital need] to seek the Lord; he proclaimed a fast in all Judah.
4 And Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord [yearning for Him with all their desire].
5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the Lord before the new court
6 And said, O Lord, God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven? And do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? In Your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand You.
7 Did not You, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham Your friend?
8 They dwelt in it and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your Name, saying,
9 If evil comes upon us, the sword of judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You—for Your Name [and the symbol of Your presence] is in this house—and cry to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.
10 And now behold, the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whom You would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt, and whom they turned from and did not destroy—(F)
11 Behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit.
12 O our God, will You not exercise judgment upon them? For we have no might to stand against this great company that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.
13 And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their children and their wives.
14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.
15 He said, Hearken, all Judah, you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you King Jehoshaphat. The Lord says this to you: Be not afraid or dismayed at this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
16 Tomorrow go down to them. Behold, they will come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the ravine before the Wilderness of Jeruel.
17 You shall not need to fight in this battle; take your positions, stand still, and see the deliverance of the Lord [Who is] with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Fear not nor be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.
18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping Him.
19 And some Levites of the Kohathites and Korahites stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
20 And they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God and you shall be established; believe and remain steadfast to His prophets and you shall prosper.
21 When he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers to sing to the Lord and praise Him in their holy [priestly] garments as they went out before the army, saying, Give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!
22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were [self-] slaughtered;
23 For [suspecting betrayal] the men of Ammon and Moab rose against those of Mount Seir, utterly destroying them. And when they had made an end of the men of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another.
24 And when Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked at the multitude, and behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none had escaped!
25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take the spoil, they found among them much cattle, goods, garments, and precious things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry away, so much they were three days in gathering the spoil.
26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah. There they blessed the Lord. So the name of the place is still called the Valley of Beracah [blessing].
27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat leading them, to Jerusalem with joy, for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies.
28 They came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets to the house of the Lord.
29 And the fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.
30 So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest round about.
31 Thus Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he began his twenty-five-year reign in Jerusalem. His mother was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.
32 And he walked in the ways of Asa his father and departed not from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord.
33 But the high places [of idolatry] were not taken away, for the people had not yet set their hearts on their fathers’ God.
34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from first to last, they are written in the records of Jehu son of Hanani, which are in the Book of the Kings of Israel.
35 After this, Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly.
36 He joined him in building ships to go to Tarshish, building them in Ezion-geber.
37 Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because you have joined Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy your works. So the ships were wrecked and unable to go to Tarshish.
21 Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with [them] in the City of David. Jehoram his son reigned in his stead.
2 He had brothers: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah, all the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.
3 Their father gave them great gifts of silver, gold, and precious things, together with fortified cities in Judah, but the kingdom he gave to Jehoram, the firstborn.
4 When Jehoram had ascended to the kingship of his father, he strengthened himself and slew all his brethren with the sword and also some of Israel’s princes.
5 Jehoram at thirty-two years of age began his eight-year reign in Jerusalem.
6 He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab, for he married the daughter of Ahab and did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord.
7 But the Lord would not destroy the house of David, because He had made a covenant with David and promised to give a light to him and to his sons forever.
8 In Jehoram’s days, the Edomites revolted from the rule of Judah and set up for themselves a king.
9 Then Jehoram passed over [the Jordan] with his captains and all his chariots, and rose up by night and smote the Edomites who had surrounded him and his chariot captains.
10 So Edom revolted from the rule of Judah to this day. Then Libnah also revolted from Jehoram’s rule, because he had forsaken the Lord, the God of his fathers.
11 Moreover, he made idolatrous high places in the hill country of Judah and debauched spiritually the inhabitants of Jerusalem and led Judah astray [compelling the people’s cooperation].
12 And there came a letter to Jehoram from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father [forefather]: Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,
13 But have walked in the ways of Israel’s kings, and made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem play the harlot like the [spiritual] harlotry of Ahab’s house, and also have slain your brothers of your father’s house, who were better than you,
14 Behold, the Lord will smite your people, and your children, your wives, and all your possessions with a great plague.
15 And you yourself shall have a severe illness because of an intestinal disease, until your bowels fall out because of the sickness, day after day.
16 And the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the anger of the Philistines and of the Arabs who were near the Ethiopians.
17 They came against Judah, invaded it, and carried away all the possessions found in and around the king’s house, together with his sons and his wives; so there was not a son left to him except Jehoahaz, the youngest.
18 And after all this, the Lord smote [Jehoram] with an incurable intestinal disease.
19 In process of time, after two years, his bowels fell out because of his disease. So he died in severe distress. And his people made no funeral fire to honor him, like the fires for his fathers.
20 Thirty-two years old was Jehoram when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years, and departed without being wanted. Yet they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
22 The people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his stead, for the troop that came with the Arabs to the camp had slain all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned.
2 Forty-two years old was Ahaziah when he began his one-year reign in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri.(G)
3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly.
4 So he did evil in the sight of the Lord like the house of Ahab, for they were his counselors after his father’s death, to his destruction.
5 He followed their counsel and even went with [c]Joram son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead. And the Syrians wounded Joram;(H)
6 And he returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds given him at Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. Azariah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel because he was sick.
7 But the destruction of Ahaziah was ordained of God in his coming to visit Joram. For when he got there he went out with Joram against Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.
8 And when Jehu was executing judgment upon the house of Ahab, he met the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s slain brothers, who attended Ahaziah, and he slew them.
9 And [Jehu] sought Ahaziah, who was hiding in Samaria; he was captured, brought to Jehu, and slain. They buried him, for they said, After all, he is the grandson of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with all his heart. So the house of Ahaziah had no one left able to rule the kingdom.
10 But when Athaliah mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family of Judah.
11 But Jehosheba, the daughter of the king, took Joash [infant] son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were to be slain, and she put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehosheba daughter of King Jehoram, sister of Ahaziah, and wife of Jehoiada the priest, hid [Joash] from [his grandmother] Athaliah, so that she did not slay him.
12 And Joash was with them hidden in the house of God six years, and Athaliah reigned over the land.
23 In the seventh year Jehoiada [the priest] took strength and courage and made a covenant with the captains of hundreds: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri.
2 And they went about in Judah and gathered the Levites out of all the cities, and the chiefs of the fathers’ houses of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.
3 And all the assembly made a covenant in the house of God with the king [little Joash, to suddenly proclaim his sovereignty and overthrow Athaliah’s tyranny]. And Jehoiada the priest said to them, Behold, the king’s son shall reign, as the Lord has said of the offspring of David.
4 This is what you shall do: a third of you priests and Levites who are resuming service on the Sabbath shall be doorkeepers,
5 A [second] third shall be at the king’s house, and [the final] third at the Foundation Gate; and all the people shall be in the courts [only] of the house of the Lord.
6 But let none come into the [main] house of the Lord except the priests and those of the Levites who minister; they may go in, for they are holy, but let all the rest of the people carefully observe the law against entering the holy place of the Lord.
7 And the Levites shall surround the young king, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes into the house [breaking through the ranks of the guard to get near Joash] shall be put to death. But you be with the king when he comes in [from the temple chamber where he is hiding] and when he goes out.
8 So the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest had commanded; and took every man his men who were to resume duty on the Sabbath, with those who were to go out on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss the divisions [of priests and Levites].
9 Also Jehoiada the priest gave the captains of hundreds spears, bucklers, and shields that had been King David’s, which were in the house of God.
10 And he set all the people as a guard for the king, every man having his weapon (missile) in his hand, from the right side to the left side of the temple, around the altar and the temple.
11 Then they brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him and gave him the testimony or law and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, Long live the king!
12 When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she went into the Lord’s house to the people.
13 And behold, there the king stood by his pillar at the entrance, the captains and the trumpeters beside him; and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and the singers with musical instruments led in singing of praise. Athaliah rent her clothes and cried, Treason! Treason!
14 Then Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds who were over the army, Bring her out between the ranks, and whoever follows her, let him be slain with the sword. For the priest said, Do not slay her in the Lord’s house.
15 So they made way for Athaliah, and she went into the entrance of the Horse Gate of the king’s house; there they slew her.
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation