# verses

text:
But (the king of Assyria) heard (this report) about Tirhakah. (Tirhakah) was the king of Ethiopia. (The report) said, ‘He has come out (from Ethiopia) to fight against you.’ So again he sent people (to Jerusalem) with a message. They had this message for Hezekiah. 


text:
‘Say this to King Hezekiah of Judah. Say, “You are hoping that your God will help you. But do not let him tell you what is not true. (Your God) says that the king of Assyria will not destroy Jerusalem. 


text:
But you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the (other) countries. They destroyed them completely. And (your God) will not save you. 


text:
The gods of (these other) countries did not save them. My fathers destroyed Gozan, Haran and Rezeph. And (they have killed) the people of Eden (that lived) in Tel Assar. 


text:
The kings of Hamath and Arpad have gone. The king of the city called Sepharvaim has gone. The kings of Hena and Ivvah have gone.” ’


text:
And Hezekiah received the letter from the people that brought the message. And he read it and then he went up to the house of the <i>LORD</i>. He opened the letter in front of the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
And Hezekiah prayed to the <i>LORD</i>. He said, ‘<i>LORD</i>, (you are) the God of Israel. You sit on a seat between the special <i>angels</i>. Only you are the God of all the countries in the world. You have made the skies and the earth. 


text:
<i>LORD</i>, turn your ears to me and hear (me). <i>LORD</i>, open your eyes and look (at this letter). Listen to the words of Sennacherib. He sent them to laugh in a bad way at the God who really is alive. 


text:
It is true, <i>LORD</i>, that the kings of Assyria have made empty places of many countries and their lands. 


text:
They threw their gods into the fire. They destroyed them because they are not really God. Human hands made them from wood and stone. 


text:
So now, our <i>LORD</i> and our God, save us from the power of (the king of Assyria)! Then all the people and all the kings in the world will know that only you are the <i>LORD</i>.’


text:
Then Isaiah, (who was) the son of Amoz, sent a message to Hezekiah. ‘The <i>LORD</i>, (who is) the God of Israel, says, “I heard when you prayed to me about Sennacherib, the king of Assyria.” So,


text:
this is what the <i>LORD</i> says about him. <n>“(The) people who live in <i>Zion</i> <n>do not like you. <n>They <i>laugh at</i> you. <n>(The) people who live in Jerusalem <n>move the head about behind you.


text:
Whom have you said bad things about? <n>They were not true! <n>Who is it that you have shouted at? <n>Who is it that you have looked at <i>proudly</i>? <n>(The answer is) the<i>Holy</i> (God) of Israel!


text:
You have used your servants to say bad things about the <i>Lord</i>. <n>You have said, ‘With many of my <i>chariots</i> <n>I have gone up very high mountains, <n>the highest (mountains) in Lebanon. <n>I have cut its tallest <i>cedars</i> down, <n>and the best of its <i>pine</i> trees. <n>I went to its highest places and to its best forests.


text:
I dug wells and I drank (the) water (from them). <n>I made all the rivers in Egypt dry with my feet.’


text:
Surely, you have heard (this)! <n>I decided what to do a long time ago! <n>I decided what to do in past (times)! <n>Now it has happened. <n>You have caused strong cities to become mountains of stones.


text:
The people in them are not strong. <n>They are not happy. And they are confused. <n>They are like plants in a field. <n>(They are like) the new parts of young green plants. <n>(They are like) grass on the roof (of a house). <n>(The hot winds burn them) before they can grow.


text:
I know (everything about you). <n>(I know) when you sit down. <n>And (I know) when you go out. <n>And (I know) when you come in. <n>And (I know) when you shout <i>proudly</i> at me.


text:
You have shouted <i>proudly</i> at me <n>and you have said bad things about me. <n>So I will put my <i>hook</i> in your nose <n>and my <i>bit</i> in your mouth. <n>And I will cause you to return home by the same way that you came.”


text:
And this will show it to you, (Hezekiah). <n>“This year, you will eat what grows from its own (seeds). <n>And in the second year, (you will eat) what grows from (the first year’s seeds). <n>But in the third year you will plant (seeds). And you will pick (what grows from them). <n>And you will plant again the <i>vineyards</i> and you will enjoy their fruit.


text:
And this will happen also to the people that remain in Judah. <n>(They will be like plants.) <n>They put <i>roots</i> down below (the ground) and they grow fruit above (it). <n>(The people will be like that.)


text:
(That will happen) because a <i>remnant</i> will come out from Jerusalem. <n>And the people that remain will come out from <i>Zion</i> Hill. <n>The great love that the <i>LORD of Everything</i> has (for his people) will cause that to happen!”


text:
This is what the <i>LORD</i> says about the king of Assyria. <n>“He will not come into this city, <n>and he will not shoot an <i>arrow</i> here. <n>He will not stand in front of it with a <i>shield</i>. <n>He will not build mountains of earth against it.


text:
He will return (to Assyria) by the way that he came, <n>and he will not come into this city.” <n>(This is) the promise of the <i>LORD</i>.


text:
“So I will make this city safe and I will save it. <n>(I will do this to keep) my good name. <n>I promised my servant David (that I would do it). (That is why I will do it.)” ’


text:
That night, the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>angel</i> went and he killed 185 000 men in the army from Assyria. When people got up in the morning, they saw all those dead bodies! 


text:
So Sennacherib, (who was) the king of Assyria, took his army away. He returned to (Assyria) and he stayed there in Nineveh. 


text:
(After that time) he was <i>worshipping</i> his god Nisroch in the house (of Nisroch). (Two of) his sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, killed him with (their) <i>swords</i>. Then, they ran away into the country called Ararat. (So) Esarhaddon, (who was another of) his sons, ruled instead of (Sennacherib). <n>Notes about chapter 19</n> <n>This chapter is almost the same as Isaiah chapter 37. <n>Verse 37 Students think that this happened about 20 years after verse 36. 


text:
At that time, Hezekiah was very ill. He nearly died. And Isaiah the <i>prophet</i>, (who was) the son of Amoz, went to (Hezekiah). And (Isaiah) said to (Hezekiah), ‘This is what the <i>LORD</i> says. “Make everything ready (for your son), because you will die. You will not get well again.” ’ 


text:
And he said, ‘Remember, <i>LORD</i>, that I have been your good servant. I have always loved you very much. You have seen that I always did good things.’ And Hezekiah wept very much. 


text:
Then the <i>LORD</i> told Isaiah (again what) to say. This happened before he left the middle (of the king’s house). 


text:
‘Go back! Say to Hezekiah, (who is) the leader of my people, “This is what the <i>LORD</i> says. (The <i>LORD</i>) is the God of your <i>ancestor</i> David. I have heard what you prayed. I have seen that you have cried. I will make you well again. On the third day from now you will go to the house of the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
I will let you live for 15 more years. I will save you and this city from the power of the king of Assyria. Also, I will keep this city safe, because of my servant David.” ’ 


text:
And (Isaiah said), ‘Make some medicine with <i>figs</i> in it.’ So (the king’s servants) did. They put the medicine on the bad place on (Hezekiah’s) skin that made him ill. And he was soon well again.


text:
Hezekiah had asked, ‘How will I know that the <i>LORD</i> will make me well again? (How will I know that) I will go up to the house of the <i>LORD</i> on the third day from now?’ 


text:
Isaiah answered, ‘This is a like a sign to you from the <i>LORD</i>. It will show you (that my words are true). (It is a message to you) that (tells you this). The <i>LORD</i> will do what he has promised (to do). Do you want the shadow (on these stairs) to go down 10 stairs? Or do you want it to go back up 10 stairs?’ 


text:
‘It is easy to cause the shadow to go down 10 stairs’, said Hezekiah. ‘So, cause it to go back 10 stairs.’ 


text:
Then the <i>prophet</i> prayed to the <i>LORD</i>. And the <i>LORD</i> caused the shadow to go back 10 stairs. It had already gone down 10 stairs on the stairs that Ahaz had made.


text:
When this happened, Merodach-Baladan was the king of Babylon. (He was) the son of Baladan. (Merodach-Baladan) sent Hezekiah letters and a gift. He had heard that (Hezekiah) was ill. 


text:
Hezekiah met the people with the messages (that the king of Babylon) had sent. (Hezekiah) showed to them everything that he had stored. (He showed them) <i>silver</i> and gold, <i>spices</i> and very good <i>oil</i>. (He showed them) all his <i>weapons</i> and everything else that was valuable. There was nothing in his <i>palace</i> or in his whole country that Hezekiah did not show them. 


text:
Then Isaiah the <i>prophet</i> went to King Hezekiah and (Isaiah) asked him, ‘What did these men say? And from where did they come to you?’ Then Hezekiah replied, ‘They came to me from the far country called Babylon.’ 


text:
The <i>prophet</i> asked, ‘What did they see in your <i>palace</i>?’ ‘They saw everything (that is) in my palace’, Hezekiah replied. ‘There is nothing among my valuable things that I did not show to them.’


text:
“This is what will surely happen. (Soldiers from Babylon) will take everything (that is) in your <i>palace</i> to Babylon. They will take everything that your <i>ancestors</i> have stored here until now. They will not leave anything (here)”, says the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
“And (soldiers from Babylon) will take away some of your own <i>descendants</i>, your sons that will be born to you. And they will become <i>eunuchs</i> in the <i>palace</i> of the king of Babylon.” ’ 


text:
And Hezekiah replied, ‘You have spoken good words from the <i>LORD</i>.’ But what he thought was, ‘There will be no war. It will be safe while I am alive.’


text:
All the other events while Hezekiah ruled (Judah) are in a book. It is called ‘the reports about the kings of Judah’. Everything that he did is in the book. It includes the (story of) the pool and the <i>aqueduct</i>, through which he brought water into the city (Jerusalem). 


text:
Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 55 years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. 


text:
Manasseh did very bad things in the sight of the LORD</i>. He did all the bad things that the people before him (in <i>Canaan</i>) had done. The <i>LORD</i> had sent those people away before Israel’s people (had come into the country). 


text:
He built again the <i>high places</i> that his father Hezekiah had destroyed. He made <i>altars</i> for (the false god) <i>Baal</i>. And he made an <i>Asherah pole</i>, as King Ahab of Israel had done. He fell on to his knees in front of all the stars and he <i>worshipped</i> them. 


text:
He built <i>altars</i> in the house of the <i>LORD</i>. But the <i>LORD</i> had said (about his house), ‘I will put my Name in Jerusalem.’ 


text:
He built <i>altars</i> to all the stars in both <i>courts</i> which were outside the house of the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
He burnt his own son in a fire (for one of the false gods). He used bad spirits (to do strange things). He used false gods to try to discover what would happen. He visited bad people to talk to dead people. He visited bad people who used <i>magic</i>. He did very, very bad things in the sight of the LORD</i>. This made (the <i>LORD</i>) very, very angry. 


text:
He had cut a piece of wood into an <i>Asherah pole</i>. He put it in the house (of the <i>LORD</i>). But the <i>LORD</i> had said to both David and to his son, Solomon, ‘I have chosen Jerusalem out of all the <i>tribes</i> of Israel. I will put my Name in this house for all time. 


text:
I will never cause the feet of the people in Israel go away from this country again. I gave (this country) to their <i>ancestors</i>. But they must do everything that I asked them to do. They must obey all the <i>Law</i> that my servant Moses gave to them.’ 


text:
But the people did not listen (to the <i>LORD</i>). Manasseh caused them not to obey (the <i>Law</i>). Then, the people in Israel did more bad things than the people that the <i>LORD</i> had killed before them.


text:
‘Manasseh (is) the king of Judah. He has done these really bad <i>sins</i>. He has done more bad things than the people called Amorites. They lived (in Canaan) before him. His false gods have caused (the people in) Judah to do many sins. 


text:
So the <i>LORD</i>, (who is) the God of Israel, says, “I will cause very, very bad things to happen to Jerusalem and to Judah. Those things will be a bad surprise to everybody who hears about them! 


text:
I will put a line that measures over Jerusalem. It is the line that I used against Samaria. And it is the <i>plumbline</i> that I used against Ahab’s family. I will clean Jerusalem as someone washes a dish. I will clean it and turn it. Its top will be under (the dish)!


text:
I will leave the <i>remnant</i> of my people and I will give them to their enemies. All their enemies will rob them. Then they will kill them, 


text:
because they have done very bad things <i>in my sight</i>. They have made me very, very angry. (They have done that) since their <i>ancestors</i> came out from Egypt until today.” ’


text:
Also, Manasseh poured out so much blood that he filled Jerusalem from one end to the other (with blood). (The blood was from) people who had not done anything wrong. And there were the <i>sins</i> that he had caused (the people in) Judah to do. They did very bad things in the sight of the LORD</i>.


text:
All the other events while Manasseh ruled are in a book. It is called ‘the reports about the kings of Judah’. It contains everything that he did. And it includes all his <i>sins</i>. 


text:
So Manasseh died like his <i>ancestors</i>. People buried him in the garden of the <i>palace</i>. It is called the garden of Uzza. And Amon, (who was) his son, became king after him. <n>Amon becomes the king of Judah</n>


text:
Amon was 22 years old when he became king. And he ruled in Jerusalem for two years. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth, (who was) the daughter of Haruz. (Haruz) was from Jotbah. 


text:
He did all the (bad) things that his father had done. He <i>worshipped</i> the false gods that his father had worshipped. He went down on his knees to them. 


text:
He left the <i>LORD</i>, (who was) the God of his <i>ancestors</i>. He did not do the things that the <i>LORD</i> wanted him to do. 


text:
Then the people (who lived in) the country of Judah killed them. They killed all Amon’s killers. They made Josiah, (who was Amon’s) son, king instead. 


text:
The other events while Amon was king are in a book. It is called ‘the reports about the kings of Judah’. Everything that he did is in (that book). 


text:
People buried him in his <i>grave</i> in the garden of Uzza. Josiah, (who was) his son, became king after him. <n>Notes about chapter 21</n> <n>Verses 4 and 7-8 Name has a capital N because it means God! God meant that they should not <i>worship</i> any other god in his house. <n>Verse 13 These are tools that a builder uses. The line measures if a wall is flat. Also, it measures how long it is. The metal is on the end of a line. It measures whether a wall is straight up. A builder measures his building. So God measures what his people have done. Read Amos 7:7-8 and Isaiah 28:17. <n>Verse 14 The word for ‘people’ really means ‘inheritance’. This means a man’s gift to his children when he dies. 


text:
Josiah was 8 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 31 years. His mother’s name was Jedidah (who was) the daughter of Adaiah. (Adaiah) came from (a town called) Bozkath. 


text:
(Josiah) did what was right in the sight of the LORD</i>. He lived like his <i>ancestor</i> David did. He did not fail to obey the <i>LORD</i> in any way. <n>Hilkiah finds the <i>Law</i> Book</n>


text:
When Josiah had been king for nearly 18 years, he sent Shaphan to the house of the <i>LORD</i>. (Shaphan was) the son of Azaliah, (who was) the son of Meshullam. (Josiah) said, 


text:
‘Go up to Hilkiah, (who is) the leader of the <i>priests</i>. Ask him to get ready the money that people have brought into the house of the <i>LORD</i>. The people gave it to the men by the doors (of the house of the <i>LORD</i>). 


text:
(The <i>priests</i>) must give (the money) to the men who will be leaders for the work in the house (of the <i>LORD</i>). These leaders must pay the men who will mend the house of the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
These men will work with wood, and they will build with stones. So they must buy wood. And they must buy stones that people have cut. They must buy them to mend the house (of the <i>LORD</i>). 


text:
But (the <i>priests</i>) do not need to ask how (the workers) used the money. The (workers) will use the money that (the priests) gave them in the right way.’


text:
Hilkiah, (who was) the leader of the <i>priests</i>, said this to Shaphan. (Shaphan) wrote everything (for the king). ‘I have found the <i>Law</i> Book in the house of the <i>LORD</i>.’ He gave (the book) to Shaphan, who read it. 


text:
Then Shaphan, who wrote everything (for the king), went to the king, He said to him, ‘Your officers have paid all the money that was in the house of the <i>LORD</i>. They have given it to the workers and their leaders in the house (of the <i>LORD</i>).’ 


text:
Then Shaphan, who wrote everything (for the king), said to the king, ‘Hilkiah the <i>priest</i> has given me a book.’ And Shaphan read from (the book) in front of the king.


text:
He said that Hilkiah, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan and Asaiah must do this. Hilkiah (was) the <i>priest</i> and Ahikam (was) the son of Shaphan. Acbor (was) the son of Micaiah and Shaphan wrote everything (for the king). Asaiah was the king’s helper. 


text:
‘Go. And ask the <i>LORD</i> about what is in this book. (Ask) on my behalf, on behalf of the people (in Jerusalem) and on behalf of all (the people in Judah). Ask about this book that (Hilkiah) found. The <i>LORD</i> is very, very angry with us. He is so angry that it is like a fire! (This is because) our <i>ancestors</i> have not obeyed the words in this book. They have not done everything that is in the book. And (it is the same) for us.’


text:
So Hilkiah, (who was) the <i>priest</i>, and Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to Huldah. (Huldah) was a <i>prophetess</i>. She was the wife of Shallum (who was) the son of Tikvah. (Tikvah was) the son of Harhas, who kept the king’s clothes. Huldah lived in the north part of Jerusalem. 


text:
She said to them, ‘(The <i>LORD</i> is) the God of Israel. This is what the <i>LORD</i> says. “Tell this to the man who sent you to me.” 


text:
This is what the <i>LORD</i> is saying. “I will bring much trouble to this place and to its people. It is all in the book that the king of Judah has read. 


text:
(This is because) they have gone away from me. They have burned <i>incense</i> to other (false) gods. All the false gods that they made with their hands have made me very, very angry. I am so angry with this place that it is like a fire. Nobody will put out (the fire).” 


text:
The king of Judah sent you to ask for (an answer) from the <i>LORD</i>. Give this answer (to the king). “The <i>LORD</i>, (who is) the God of Israel, says this. (He says it) about the words that you heard (from the <i>Law</i> Book).


text:
I heard you (when you prayed to me),” says the <i>LORD</i>. “(I heard you) for these reasons: <br/>· You knew that you needed to do something. <br/>· You made yourself <i>humble</i> in front of the <i>LORD</i>. <br/>· You tore your clothes and you wept in front of me. <n>(You did all that) when you heard (my words). I spoke against this place and its people. I said that bad things would happen to them. (An enemy) will destroy them.


text:
So I will bring you to your <i>ancestors</i>. And they will bury you in your <i>grave in peace</i>. You yourself will never see all the bad things that I will cause to happen to this place.” ’ That was the answer that they took back to the king.


text:
He went up to the house of the <i>LORD</i>. All the people, from the least to the greatest, went with him. These people went: <br/>· the men from Judah <br/>· the people in Jerusalem <br/>· the <i>priests</i> and the <i>prophets</i>. <n>He read to them, while they listened, all the words in the Book of the <i>Covenant</i>. They had found this (book) in the house of the <i>LORD</i>.


text:
The king stood in his place (in the house of the <i>LORD</i>). He promised, in front of the <i>LORD</i>, that he would obey the <i>covenant</i>. He promised these things: <br/>· He would work for the <i>LORD</i> and he would obey him. <br/>· He would try as much as he could to obey the <i>LORD</i>’s words, his rules and his <i>laws</i>. <n>So (Josiah) agreed with all the words that were in the Book of the <i>Covenant</i>. Then all the people also promised to obey the covenant.


text:
Then the king spoke to Hilkiah and to the other <i>priests</i>. And he spoke to the men who watched at the door (of God’s house). He told them what they must do. Hilkiah (was) the leader of the priests. They must take out from the house of the <i>LORD</i> everything that people had made for <i>Baal</i>. And they must take out everything that people had made for <i>Asherah</i> and for all the stars (in the sky). He burned them outside Jerusalem, in a field in the Kidron Valley. Then he took the ashes to Bethel. 


text:
He sent away the <i>priests</i> of the false gods. The kings of Judah had them to burn <i>incense</i> on the <i>high places</i>. (These were in) the towns of Judah and (the hills) round Jerusalem. (These priests) burned incense to <i>Baal</i>, to the sun and to the moon. They also burned incense to all the stars and to the groups of stars. 


text:
He took the <i>Asherah pole</i> away from the house of the <i>LORD</i> to the Kidron Valley. (This valley was) outside Jerusalem. He burned the (Asherah pole) there. He made it into a powder and he threw the dirt (from it) over the <i>graves</i> of the people. 


text:
He also destroyed the houses where the male <i>prostitutes</i> from the house (of the <i>LORD</i>) lived. They were in the house of the <i>LORD</i>. Also, the women made cloth there for <i>Asherah</i>. 


text:
Josiah brought out all the <i>priests</i> (of false gods) from the towns in Judah. He destroyed the <i>high places</i>, where the priests had burned <i>incense</i>, from Geba to Beersheba. He destroyed the high places at (one of) the gates of the city (Jerusalem). It was called the Gate of Joshua, who was the ruler of the city. It is on the left side of the most important gate (of the city). 


text:
The <i>priests</i> from the <i>high places</i> did not work at the <i>altar</i> of the <i>LORD</i> in Jerusalem. But they did eat the <i>unleavened bread</i> with the other priests. 


text:
(Josiah) destroyed Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. After this, nobody could use it to burn his son or his daughter in the fire to (the false god) Molech. 


text:
The kings of Judah had made (copies of) horses for the sun (god). (Josiah) removed them from near the door of the house of the <i>LORD</i>. (The horses) were in a <i>court</i> (outside the house). (It was) near the room of an officer called Nathan Melech. Josiah then burned the <i>chariots</i> that they had made for the sun (god). 


text:
The kings of Judah had built <i>altars</i> on the roof (of the house of the <i>LORD</i>). (They were) near the high room of Ahaz. (Josiah) knocked them down. Manasseh had built altars in the two <i>courts</i> of the house of the <i>LORD</i>. (Josiah) took them away from there and he broke them into pieces. He threw the bits into the Kidron Valley.


text:
King (Josiah) also destroyed the <i>high places</i> that were on the east (side) of Jerusalem. They were on the south side of the hill called the Hill of Offence. King Solomon had built some of these (high places) for (these false gods): <br/>· Ashtoreth. (She was) a very, very bad female god. The people in Sidon (<i>worshipped</i> her). <br/>· Chemosh. (He was) a very, bad god. (The people in) Moab (worshipped him). <br/>· Molech. (He was) the very, very bad god of the people in Ammon.


text:
(Josiah) broke the special stones into small pieces. He cut down the <i>Asherah poles</i>. He covered the places where they had been with human bones.


text:
(Josiah) even destroyed the <i>altar</i> at Bethel. It was a <i>high place</i> that Jeroboam had made. (He was) the son of Nebat, who had caused the people of Israel to <i>sin</i>. He even destroyed that altar and high place! He burned the high place and he broke (the ash) into powder. He also burned the <i>Asherah pole</i>. 


text:
Then Josiah looked (at everything that was) round him. When he saw <i>graves</i> in the sides of hills, he sent (someone) to take the bones from them. They burned them on the <i>altar</i>, (so that people would not use it again). He had made it dirty. God had said that this would happen. He had said it by a <i>man of God</i>. 


text:
Then (the king) asked, ‘I can see a (large) stone. What is it?’ The men from the city said to him, ‘It is the <i>grave</i> of the <i>man of God</i>. He came from Judah. He said things against the <i>altar</i> in Bethel. He said what you would do to it.’ 


text:
‘Do not move (his stone)’, he said. ‘Do not let anyone move his bones.’ So they did not move his bones, or the bones of the <i>prophet</i> who had come from Samaria. 


text:
And Josiah did to all the towns in Samaria what he had done in Bethel. The kings of Israel had built <i>altars</i> (in) the <i>high places</i>, which had made (the <i>LORD</i>) angry. (Josiah) took away all these things. He made them dirty (so that people would not use them again). 


text:
And he killed all the <i>priests</i> (of the false gods) at the <i>high places</i>. (He killed them) on their own <i>altars</i>. He burned human bones on (the altars). Then he went back to Jerusalem.


text:
Then the king said what all the people must do. ‘Have a special meal (called) the <i>Passover</i>. (Have it) for the <i>LORD</i>, (who is) your God. Obey the rules that are in Book of the <i>Covenant</i>.’ 


text:
There was never a <i>Passover</i> like it, since the days (in the Book of) Judges. There was nothing like it, all the times when there were kings in Judah and Israel. 


text:
Josiah did all these things to obey the rules in the <i>Law</i> (Book). This was the book that Hilkiah the <i>priest</i> had found in the house of the <i>LORD</i>. <br/>· (Josiah) sent away the people that tried to speak to dead people. <br/>· (He sent away) the men that did <i>magic</i>. <br/>· (He destroyed) the false gods that were in people’s houses. <br/>· (He destroyed) all the other really bad things that were in Judah and in Jerusalem.


text:
There was never a king like (Josiah). He turned to the <i>LORD</i> like (no other king), either before him or after him. (He obeyed the <i>LORD</i>) with all his mind and with all his <i>soul</i> and with all his <i>strength</i>. He obeyed all the <i>Law</i> of Moses.


text:
But the <i>LORD</i> was still very angry with Judah. He was angry because of everything that Manasseh had done to make him angry. He was so angry that it was like a hot fire. 


text:
So the <i>LORD</i> said, ‘I will also send Judah away from where I am. (I will send them) as I sent Israel away. And I will go away from Jerusalem, the city which I chose for my house. I said about (my house), “My Name will always be there.” ’


text:
Other things happened while Josiah ruled (Judah). Everything that he did is in a book. It is called ‘the reports about the kings of Judah’. <n>King Josiah dies</n>


text:
While Josiah was king, Pharaoh Neco (was) the king of Egypt. (Pharaoh Neco) went up to the River Euphrates, to help the king of Assyria. King Josiah marched out to meet (Pharaoh Neco). There was a war between them, and Neco killed (Josiah) at Megiddo. 


text:
Josiah’s servants brought his dead body from Megiddo to Jerusalem in a <i>chariot</i>. People buried him in his own <i>grave</i>. And the people in the country (Judah) poured oil on Jehoahaz. They made him king after his father. (Jehoahaz was) the son of Josiah. <n>Jehoahaz becomes the king of Judah</n>


text:
Jehoahaz was 23 years old when he became king. He ruled in Jerusalem for three months. His mother’s name was Hamutal, (who was) the daughter of Jeremiah. She came from Libnah. 


text:
Pharaoh Neco tied him (in a prison) at Riblah, so (Jehoahaz) could not rule in Jerusalem. (Riblah is) in the country called Hamath. (Neco) caused Judah to pay him 100 <i>talents</i> of <i>silver</i> and one <i>talent</i> of gold. <n>Jehoiakim becomes the king of Judah</n>


text:
And then Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim, (who was Josiah’s) son, king (of Judah). (He became king) after his father Josiah. (Neco) changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. Then he took Jehoahaz away with him to Egypt. (Jehoahaz) died in Egypt. 


text:
Jehoiakim paid Pharaoh Neco (all) the <i>silver</i> and gold that he asked for. The people in Judah had to pay money to the government so that he could do this. (They gave) the silver and gold that he asked for.


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Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he became king. He ruled for 11 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebidah. (She was) the daughter of Pedaiah. (Pedaiah) came from Rumah. 


text:
And (Jehoiakim) did bad things in the sight of the LORD</i>, as his <i>ancestors</i> had done. <n>Notes about chapter 23</n> <n>Verse 2 ‘He went up’ because the house of the <i>LORD</i> was on a hill. The hill was called Zion. <n>Verse 4 He took the ashes to Bethel because of what he would do there in verses 15-18. <n>Verse 6 They buried people outside the city in the Kidron Valley. It was the place where the people in Jerusalem buried dead bodies. <n>Verse 7 ‘In the house’ means that they were by the walls of the house of the <i>LORD</i>. ‘They’ maybe means both the houses and the <i>prostitutes</i>. <n>Verse 10 Topheth may mean ‘a place where there is a fire’. The Valley of Ben Hinnom was to the south and west of Jerusalem. <n>Verse 11 They used the horses and <i>chariots</i> when they <i>worshipped</i> the sun. Bible students do not know how. Kathleen Kenyon had found small copies of horses near this part of Jerusalem. <n>Verse 13 The hill called the Hill of Offence was maybe on the Hill of <i>Olives</i>, to the east of Jerusalem. Here, ‘offence’ means ‘something that makes very bad or destroys’. This was because there were many <i>altars</i> for false gods there. <n>Verse 14 The special stones helped people to <i>worship</i> their false gods. People would not go where there were dead bodies, Numbers 5:2. <n>Verse 15 Bible students do not know how you can burn a hill! Maybe it means everything that was with the false god and the <i>Asherah pole</i>. <n>Verse 16 The story of the <i>man of God</i> is in 1 Kings 13:1-3, 29-32. <n>Verse 30 The <i>Jews</i> always poured oil (from <i>olives</i>) on to people when they made them into kings. The <i>Hebrew</i> words for ‘poured oil on’ mean ‘they messiahed him’. ‘Messiah’ is a <i>Hebrew</i> word for ‘leader’. 


text:
While Jehoiakim was king, Nebuchadnezzar attacked the country (Judah). (Nebuchadnezzar) was the king of Babylon. Jehoiakim had to be his servant for three years. But then, Jehoiakim changed his mind. He decided not to be (Nebuchadnezzar’s) servant. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> sent armies against (Jehoiakim). They came from Babylon, Aram, Moab and Ammon. (The <i>LORD</i>) sent them to destroy Judah. He had said that he would do that. He had said it by his <i>prophets</i>. (His prophets) were his servants. 


text:
It is sure that these things should happen to Judah. The <i>LORD</i> had said that they must happen. That is why they happened. (They had to happen) to remove Judah from where the <i>LORD</i> was. That was because of the <i>sins</i> of Manasseh and because of everything that he had done. 


text:
(Manasseh) had poured out blood from people who had not done anything wrong. He had filled Jerusalem with the blood of those people. The <i>LORD</i> did not want to excuse him. 


text:
The other things that King Jehoiakim did are in a book. It is called ‘the reports about the kings of Judah’. Everything that he did (is in that book). 


text:
Jehoiakim died like his <i>ancestors</i>. And Jehoiachin, (who was) his son, became king after him. 


text:
The king of Egypt did not march out (with his army) from his own country again. (That was because) the king of Babylon had taken a lot of his ground. He had taken all the ground from the Valley of Egypt to the River Euphrates.


text:
Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became king. And he ruled in Jerusalem for three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta. (She was) the daughter of Elnathan and she came from Jerusalem. 


text:
The leaders of Nebuchadnezzar’s (army) marched to Jerusalem. They stayed all round it. And Nebuchadnezzar, (who was) the king of Babylon, himself came up to the city (Jerusalem). (He came) while his army leaders were there.


text:
All these people went out to the king of Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar): <br/>· Jehoiachin, the king of Judah <br/>· his mother (Nehushta) <br/>· (Jehoiachin’s) servants, his leaders and his <i>eunuchs</i>. <n>And the king of Babylon took Jehoiachin away when Nebuchadnezzar had ruled for less than 8 years.


text:
Nebuchadnezzar took all the valuable things from the house of the <i>LORD</i> and from the king’s <i>palace</i>. He took away all the things that Solomon had made out of gold, for the house of the <i>LORD</i>. The <i>LORD</i> had said that this would happen. 


text:
Nebuchadnezzar took away all the people from Jerusalem into <i>exile</i>. He took 10 000 people. They were officers, soldiers and people that could make beautiful things. He left only the very poor people in the country. 


text:
Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin to (a place like) a prison in Babylon. He also took from Jerusalem the king’s mother, his wives, his officers and the important men in the country (Judah). 


text:
The king of Babylon also took away to Babylon the whole army of 7000 men. They were strong men and ready for war. He also took 1000 people that could make beautiful things. 


text:
Jehoiachin’s father’s brother (was called) Mattaniah. (Nebuchadnezzar) made him king instead of Jehoiachin. (Nebuchadnezzar) changed (Mattaniah’s) name to Zedekiah.


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Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king. And he ruled in Jerusalem for 11 years. His mother’s name was Hamutal. (She was) the daughter of Jeremiah and she came from Libnah. 


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All this happened to Jerusalem and to Judah because the <i>LORD</i> was so angry (with them). In the end, (the <i>LORD</i>) sent them away from where he was. Then Zedekiah began to fight against the king of Babylon. <n>Notes about chapter 24</n> <n>Verses 3 and 20 At this time, many people believed that a god was only powerful in his own country. But the <i>LORD</i> God is powerful everywhere! He left Jerusalem when Nebuchadnezzar took the people into <i>exile</i>. Isaiah tells us something very important. Before the people would return to Judah, God would return to Jerusalem. (See Isaiah 40:9-11.) 


text:
Nebuchadnezzar, (who was) the king of Babylon, marched against Jerusalem, with all his army. He did that when Zedekiah had ruled for nearly 9 years, on the 10th day of the 10th month. (The army) stayed outside the city. They built walls all round (the city), which were higher than the walls (of Jerusalem). 


text:
By the 9th day of the month, the <i>famine</i> was very bad. There was no food for the people to eat. 


text:
Then the army (from Babylon) broke the city wall. (They did it) on a road near the two walls by the king’s garden. The army from Babylon was all round (the city). So the king (of Judah) ran away along (another) road to Arabah. The king (and his servants) went in the night. 


text:
But the soldiers from Babylon followed the king. They reached him on some flat land near Jericho. All his soldiers became separate from him and they ran away to different places. 


text:
But (the soldiers from Babylon) caught the king (Zedekiah) and they took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah. There (the king of Babylon) said what would happen to (Zedekiah). 


text:
They killed all Zedekiah’s sons, while (Zedekiah) watched. Then they destroyed Zedekiah’s eyes. They tied him with a line of metal pieces that joined together. And they took him to Babylon.


text:
When Nebuchadnezzar had been the king of Babylon for nearly 19 years, Nebuzaradan came to Jerusalem. It was on the 7th day of the 5th month. (Nebuzaradan) was an officer (of the king of Babylon). He was the leader of the soldiers that made the king safe. 


text:
(Nebuzaradan) burned the house of the <i>LORD</i>, the king’s <i>palace</i> and all the other houses in Jerusalem. He burned every important building (that was in Jerusalem). 


text:
All the army from Babylon knocked down the walls round Jerusalem. Their leader was the leader of the soldiers that made king (Nebuchadnezzar) safe. 


text:
Nebuzaradan was the leader of the soldiers (that made the king of Babylon safe). He sent into <i>exile</i> all the people who remained in the city (Jerusalem). He did the same to all the people (in the country called Judah). He included those who had joined the king of Babylon(’s army). 


text:
But (Nebuzaradan) let some of the poorest people stay behind. They had to work in the <i>vineyards</i> and in the fields.


text:
The army from Babylon broke the <i>bronze pillars</i> that were in the house of the <i>LORD</i>. They also took everything that they could move. And (they took) the large <i>bronze bowl</i> for water. They carried all the <i>bronze</i> away to Babylon. 


text:
They also took away the pots, the spades, the tools for the lights and the spoons. And (they took away) everything else that people had used in the work (of the house of the <i>LORD</i>). 


text:
The leader of the soldiers that made (the king of Babylon) safe also took away things. He took away the things in which they had put fire or water. (He took away) everything that (Solomon had) made out of gold or <i>silver</i>. 


text:
Solomon had made the two <i>bronze pillars</i> and the large <i>bowl</i> for water. And (he had made) the things that people could move, for the house of the <i>LORD</i>. The <i>bronze</i> in all this was more than they could weigh! 


text:
Each <i>pillar</i> was 8 metres (8 yards) high. The <i>bronze</i> piece on the top of one pillar was more than a metre (1 yard) high. There were fruits called pomegranates at the top, (that Solomon had) made out of <i>bronze</i>. The other pillar, with its pomegranates, was the same.


text:
The leader of the soldiers (that kept Nebuchadnezzar safe) caught some people. These were the people: <br/>· Seraiah, who was the leader of the <i>priests</i> <br/>· Zephaniah, who was the next most important priest <br/>· three people who stood by the door (of the house of the <i>LORD</i>).


text:
He also caught some of the people that were still in the city (Jerusalem): <br/>· the leader of the soldiers <br/>· 5 of the men that had told the king (of Judah) what he should do <br/>· the leader of the men who had caused the men in the country to join the army <br/>· 60 of his helpers whom they found in the city (Jerusalem).


text:
Nebuzaradan was the leader of the soldiers that kept Nebuchadnezzar safe. He took all those people and he brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 


text:
There, at Riblah, in the country of Hamath, the (soldiers of the) king killed them all. So Judah’s people went into <i>exile</i>, away from their own country.


text:
Nebuchadnezzar (was) the king of Babylon. He made Gedaliah the leader of the people that were still in Jerusalem. (Gedaliah was) the son of Ahikam, (who was) the son of Shaphan.


text:
The leaders (of Zedekiah’s) army and their men heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah leader (of Jerusalem). So these people came to Gedaliah at Mizpah: <br/>· Ishmael, (who was) the son of Nethaniah <br/>· Johanan, (who was) the son of Kareah <br/>· Seraiah, (who was) the son of Tanhumeth, (who came from) Netophah <br/>· Jaazaniah, (who was) the son of a <i>descendant</i> of Maachah <br/>· all their men.


text:
Gedaliah promised that all these men would be safe. ‘Do not be afraid of the leaders from Babylon’, he said. ‘Live in the country (Judah), but be servants of the king of Babylon. Then you will not have any problems.’ 


text:
But in the 7th month, Ishmael, (who was) the son of Nethaniah, came with 10 men. They killed Gedaliah, the men from Judah and the men from Babylon who were with him in Mizpah. (Nethaniah was) the son of Elishama, who belonged to the king’s (Zedekiah’s) family. 


text:
When that happened, everybody ran away to Egypt. That included the leaders of the army, the poor people and the important people. They were all afraid of the people from Babylon.


text:
When King Jehoiachin of Judah had been in <i>exile</i> for nearly 37 years, Evil Merodach became the king of Babylon. On the 27th day of the 12th month, he took Jehoiachin out from the prison. 


text:
(Evil Merodach) spoke kindly to (Jehoiachin). He gave him a seat that was more important than (the seats) of the other kings with him in Babylon. 


text:
So Jehoiachin took off the clothes that he had worn in the prison. Until he died, he always ate (his food) at the king’s table (in Babylon). 


text:
Every day, the king (of Babylon) supplied Jehoiachin regularly with everything (that he needed). That happened for as long as (Jehoiachin) was alive. <n>Notes about chapter 25</n> <n>Verse 1 The army from Babylon could stand on their new walls. Then they could shoot <i>arrows</i> from their bows into Jerusalem. <n>Verse 3 Jeremiah 52:6 says that it was the 4th month. <n>Verse 4 Different translations say that Zedekiah ran away near the two walls by the king’s garden. Our translation is like the translation of T. R. Hobbs in the Word Biblical Commentary. <n>Verses 13, 16 The large <i>bronze bowl</i> for water was something special in the house of the <i>LORD</i>. It contained a lot of water. They called the bronze <i>pillars</i> Jachin and Boaz. They were pieces of <i>bronze</i> about 8 metres (9 yards) high.


text:
Kenan was the father of Mahalalel and Mahalalel was the father of Jared. Jared was the father of Enoch. 


text:
Enoch was the father of Methuselah. Methuselah was the father of Lamech and Lamech was the father of Noah. <n>Noah’s <i>descendants</i></n>


text:
Mizraim was the <i>ancestor</i> of the people called Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, Casluhim and Caphtorim. The <i>Philistines</i> came from the people called Casluhim. <n>


text:
Canaan’s first child was the father of Sidon who was born first and of Heth. And Canaan was also the <i>ancestor</i> of many <i>nations</i>. They included the people called Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites.


text:
Shem’s <i>descendants</i> included Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshech. 


text:
Eber had two sons. The name of one son was Peleg. He had that name because God made the world’s <i>nations</i> separate during his life. God sent people away from each other. Peleg’s brother’s name was Joktan. 


text:
Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Ebal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. All those men were Joktan’s sons. <n>Shem to Abraham</n> <n>


text:
Abram’s <i>ancestors</i> included Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor and Terah. 


text:
These were the sons of Isaac and Ishmael: <n>Ishmael’s first son was Nebaioth. His other sons were Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. Those men were Ishmael’s sons.


text:
Keturah was another woman who also lived with Abraham. He had sex with her too. And her sons were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. Jokshan’s sons were Sheba and Dedan. 


text:
Midian’s sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida and Eldaah. All those men were <i>descendants</i> of Keturah.


text:
And Abraham was the father of Isaac. And Isaac’s sons were Esau and Israel. <n>The <i>descendants</i> of Esau and the rulers of Edom</n>


text:
These kings ruled in Edom before there were kings in Israel: Bela son of Beor was king of Edom. His city was called Dinhabah. 


text:
When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad ruled them instead. Hadad won the war against Midian. That happened in the country called Moab. His city was called Avith. 


text:
When Baal-Hanan died, Hadad ruled them instead. His city was called Pai. Hadad’s wife was Mehetabel and she was Matred’s daughter. Matred was the daughter of Me-Zahab. 


text:
Hadad died. The leaders of the <i>clans</i> of Edom were Timna, Aliah, Jetheth, Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel and Iram. Those men were the leaders of Edom.


text:
Judah’s sons were Er, Onan and Shelah. Their mother was Shua’s daughter. She was from Canaan. Judah’s first son was Er. Er did wrong things. The <i>LORD</i> said that those things were wrong. So, the <i>LORD</i> killed him. 


text:
Judah had sex with Tamar, who had been Er’s wife. Judah and Tamar had two sons, Perez and Zerah. So, Judah was the father of 5 sons. 


text:
Carmi’s son was Achar. Achar caused a lot of trouble for Israel. He did not obey God’s rules because he took things for himself. Those things were God’s. 


text:
Hezron’s sons were Jerahmeel, Ram and Chelubai. <n>Verse 7 God had said that nobody should take those things. God would cause very bad things to happen to anyone who took those things. <n>Verse 8 Chelubai is usually called Caleb. <n>The <i>descendants</i> of Ram</n>


text:
Ram was Amminadab’s father. And Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the leader of the <i>tribe</i> called Judah. 


text:
Abigail was the mother of Amasa and his father was Jether, a <i>descendant</i> of Ishmael. <n>The <i>descendants</i> of Caleb</n>


text:
Caleb, the son of Hezron, had children by his wife Azubah and by Jerioth. And her sons were Jesher, Shobab and Ardon. 


text:
After some time, when Hezron was 60 years old, he married the daughter of Machir. Machir was Gilead’s father. Hezron had sex with Machir’s daughter. And she had a son called Segub. 


text:
But Geshur and Aram won Havvoth-Jair. Also, they won Kenath and the small towns round it. So then they ruled 60 towns. All those people were <i>descendants</i> of Machir, the father of Gilead.


text:
Hezron died in Caleb-Ephrathah. Then his wife Abijah had his son, called Ashhur. Ashhur was the father of Tekoa. <n>The <i>descendants</i> of Jerahmeel</n>


text:
Hezron’s first son was Jerahmeel and Jerahmeel’s sons were Ram, Bunah, Oren, Ozem and Ahijah. Ram was Jerahmeel’s first son. 


text:
Jada was Shammai’s brother. Jada’s sons were Jether and Jonathan. And Jether had no sons before he died. 


text:
Sheshan did not have any sons but he did have daughters. And he had a servant from Egypt called Jarha. 


text:
Shallum was the father of Jekamiah and Jekamiah was the father of Elishama. <n>More <i>descendants</i> of Caleb</n>


text:
Caleb was Jerahmeel’s brother. Caleb’s first son was Mesha and Mesha was the father of Ziph. And Ziph’s son Mareshah was the father of Hebron. 


text:
Caleb had another woman called Ephah. And she lived with him too. She was the mother of Haran, Moza and Gazez. And Haran was the father of Gazez. 


text:
Maacah was another woman who also lived with Caleb. She was the mother of Sheber, Tirhanah, Shaaph and Sheva. Shaaph was the father of Madmannah. Sheva was the father of Machbenah and Gibea. Caleb’s daughter was Achsah. <n>


text:
Those people were Caleb’s <i>descendants</i>. Caleb’s son Hur was the first son of his mother Ephrathah. Hur’s sons were Shobal, Salma and Hareph. Shobal was the father of Kiriath-Jearim. Salma was the father of Bethlehem and Hareph was the father of Beth-Gader. 


text:
Shobal, the father of Kiriath-Jearim had other sons. Shobal’s <i>descendants</i> were Haroeh and half the people called Manahathites. 


text:
And Kiriath-Jearim was the <i>ancestor</i> of the people called Ithrites, Puthites, Shumathites and Mishraites. And from them came the people called Zorathites and Eshtaolites. 


text:
These people were Salma’s <i>descendants</i>: Bethlehem, the people called Netophathites, Atroth-Beth-Joab, half the people called Manahathites and the Zorites. 


text:
Also, he was the <i>ancestor</i> of those people who lived at Jabez. They were writers. Those people were called the Tirathites, Shimeathites and Sucathites. These <i>clans</i> were from the people called Kenites. The <i>ancestor</i> of the Kenites was Hammath. Hammath was the <i>ancestor</i> of the people who came from Rechab.


text:
These sons of David were born in Hebron. The first son was Amnon. His mother was Ahinoam. She was from Jezreel. The second son was Daniel. His mother was Abigail. She was from Carmel. 


text:
The third son was Absalom. His mother was Maacah. She was the daughter of Talmai, the king of Geshur. The 4th son was Adonijah. His mother was Haggith. 


text:
The 5th son was Shephatiah. His mother was Abital. The 6th son was Ithream. His mother was David’s wife Eglah. 


text:
Those 6 sons of David were born to him in Hebron. David ruled in Hebron for 7 years and 6 months. And David ruled in Jerusalem for 33 years. 


text:
Many sons of David were born in Jerusalem. They included Shimea, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon, who were the 4 sons of David and Bath-Sheba. Bath-Sheba was Ammiel’s daughter. 


text:
Also born in Jerusalem were 9 other sons. They were Ibhar, Elishama, Eliphelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet. 


text:
Those were all the sons of David’s wives and Tamar was their sister. But he also had some sons by other women who lived with him. <n>The kings of Judah</n>


text:
Solomon’s son was Rehoboam and Rehoboam’s son was Abijah. Abijah’s son was Asa and Asa’s son was Jehoshaphat. 


text:
Josiah had 4 sons. His first son was Johanan. His second son was Jehoiakim. His third son was Zedekiah and his 4th son was Shallum. 


text:
Jehoiakim’s son was Jeconiah and his son was Zedekiah. <n>The king’s <i>descendants</i> after the <i>exile</i> of Judah’s people</n> <n>


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Jeconiah’s enemies put him in a prison. His sons were Shealtiel, Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama and Nedabiah. 


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Pedaiah’s sons were Zerubbabel and Shimei. Zerubbabel’s sons were Meshullam and Hananiah, and their sister was Shelomith. 


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The <i>descendants</i> of Hananiah were Pelatiah, Jeshaiah and the sons of Rephaiah. The <i>descendants</i> of Hananiah also included the sons of these men: Arnan, Obadiah and Shecaniah. 


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Shecaniah’s son was Shemaiah. And Shemaiah’s sons were Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah and Shaphat. So there were 6 men. 


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Reaiah was Shobal’s son and Reaiah was the father of Jahath. Jahath was the father of Ahumai and Lahad. Those were the <i>clans</i> of the people called Zorathites. 


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And these are the sons of the leader of Etam: They were Jezreel, Ishma and Idbash. And they had a sister called Hazzelelponi. 


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And Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah. Those were the sons of Hur, who was the oldest son of Ephrathah. And Hur was the leader of Bethlehem. 


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The sons of Ashhur and Naarah were Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni and Haahashtari. They were the sons of Naarah. 


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Helah’s sons were Zereth, Izhar and Ethnan. Koz was the father of Anub, Zobebah and the <i>clans</i> of Aharhel. Aharhel was the son of Harum.


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There was a man called Jabez. He was a great man and he was better than his brothers. His mother called him Jabez, which means ‘pain’. She said, ‘I had a lot of pain at his birth.’ That is why she chose that name. 


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Jabez prayed to Israel’s God. He said, ‘Please do very good things for me. Make my borders larger and help me. Save me from danger and do not let anything hurt me.’ And God did what Jabez had asked.


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Eshton was the father of Beth-Rapha, Paseah and Tehinnah. Tehinnah was the father of Irnahash. Those people lived at Recah.


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Meonothai was the father of Ophrah and Seraiah was the father of Joab. Joab was the <i>ancestor</i> of the people from Ge-Harashim. That name means, ‘The valley where people make things.’ The valley had that name because of the jobs of the people there. They made things. 


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Ezrah’s sons were Jether, Mered, Epher and Jalon. Mered married Bithiah. Her father was the king of Egypt. The children of Mered and Bithiah were Miriam, Shammai and Ishbah. Ishbah was the father of Eshtemoa. Mered also had a wife who was an <i>Israelite</i>. Her sons were Jered, Heber and Jekuthiel. Jered became the father of Gedor. Heber became the father of Soco. And Jekuthiel became the father of Zanoah. 


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Hodiah’s wife was Naham’s sister. The sons of Hodiah’s wife were the fathers of Keilah and Eshtemoa. Keilah’s <i>descendants</i> were called Garmites and Eshtemoa’s <i>descendants</i> were called Maacathites. 


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Shelah was the son of Judah. Shelah’s sons were Er, Laadah, Jokim, Joash, Saraph who ruled Moab and Jashubi-Lehem. Er was the father of Lecah and Laadah was the father of Mareshah. Other <i>clans</i> that were <i>descendants</i> of Shelah worked with good cloth at Beth-Ashbea. And other <i>descendants</i> of Shelah lived in Cozeba. (These lists are from old books.) 


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Those people made pots. They lived in Netaim and Gederah. They lived there with the king and they worked for him. <n>The <i>tribe</i> of Simeon</n>


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Shimei had 16 sons and 6 daughters. But his brothers did not have many children. So, their <i>clan</i> did not become as large as Judah’s <i>clan</i> did. 


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Shimei’s <i>descendants</i> lived in cities called Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar-Shual, Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, Beth-Marcaboth, Hazar-Susim, Beth-Biri and Shaaraim. They lived in them until David became king. 


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There were also other villages round the same cities all the way to Baal. That is where they lived. And they wrote down the names of their <i>ancestors</i>. <n>


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Each <i>clan</i> had a leader. The leaders were Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah, Joel, Jehu, Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah and Ziza. Joshah was a son of Amaziah and Jehu was a son of Joshibiah. Joshibiah was the son of Seraiah and Seraiah was the son of Asiel. Ziza was the son of Shiphi and Shiphi was the son of Allon. Allon was the son of Jedaiah and Jedaiah was the son of Shimri. Shimri was the son of Shemaiah. And these <i>clans</i> became very large. 


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They travelled to the east side of the valley. They went as far as Gedor. They wanted land so that their sheep would have grass to eat. 


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They found good fields that had plenty of grass. The place was large and there were no troubles in that place. Some people had lived there before these <i>clans</i> came. The people who were living there were <i>descendants</i> of Ham.


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These <i>clans</i> came to Gedor when Hezekiah was the king of Judah. Then they attacked the people who lived there. Those people were the <i>descendants</i> of the people called Meunites. The men in these <i>clans</i> destroyed their <i>tents</i> and they killed all the people. So now there are none of those people there. Then they lived there instead because there was good grass there for their animals. 


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Then 500 men from Simeon’s <i>clan</i> went to the mountain called Seir. Their leaders were Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah and Uzziel. They were Ishi’s sons. 


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They killed all the <i>descendants</i> of Amalek who were still there. They lived there instead and they still live there now.


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Reuben was Israel’s first son. That is, Reuben was born first. But Reuben had sex with a woman who lived with his father like a wife. So, his father did not let him have the benefits of the first son. Instead, his father gave those benefits to Joseph’s sons. Joseph was a son of Israel. So, Reuben does not have the first place in the list of Israel’s sons. 


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Judah became stronger than his brothers. And the ruler was from his <i>tribe</i>. But Joseph’s sons received the benefits that the oldest son should receive. 


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These were the <i>descendants</i> of Joel: Shemaiah was Joel’s son. Gog was Shemaiah’s son and Shimei was Gog’s son. 


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Beerah was Baal’s son. Beerah was a leader of the <i>tribe</i> of Reuben. Tilgath-Pilneser, king of Assyria took him away. So Beerah had to live in a foreign country. 


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The books of <i>ancestors</i> show Beerah’s <i>relatives</i>. The books record these people by their <i>clans</i>. Jeiel was the first, then Zechariah and Bela. Bela was the son of Azaz. Azaz was the son of Shema and Shema was the son of Joel. These people lived in the land between Aroer and Nebo and in the land near Baal-Meon. 


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Their east border was the <i>desert</i>. This is the <i>desert</i> that is next to the Euphrates River. They had too many animals for the place called Gilead. So they had to live in all those other places too.


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When Saul was king, Bela’s people fought a war. The war was against the people called Hagrites. Bela’s people beat the Hagrites in that war. Then Bela’s people lived in the <i>tents</i> that the Hagrites had used. They lived in all the land that was east of Gilead. <n>The <i>tribe</i> of Gad</n>


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The <i>descendants</i> of Gad lived in the place called Bashan. Their border was Salecah. So they lived near Bela’s people. 


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Joel was the most important leader and Shapham was the second leader. Janai and Shaphat were leaders in Bashan. 


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Their <i>relatives</i> in their <i>clans</i> were Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia and Eber. So there were 7 <i>clans</i>. 


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Abihail was their <i>ancestor</i>. Abihail was Huri’s son and Huri was Jaroah’s son. Jaroah was Gilead’s son and Gilead was Michael’s son. Michael was Jeshishai’s son. Jeshishai was Jahdo’s son and Jahdo was the son of Buz. 


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The <i>descendants</i> of Gad lived in Gilead and Bashan. And they lived in the small towns near there. They lived in the place called Sharon. Sharon had a lot of fields of grass. And that land was theirs as far as the borders. 


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Gad’s <i>descendants</i> wrote down the list of all those names. They wrote it when Jotham was king of Judah. That was when Jeroboam was king of Israel.


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The <i>tribes</i> of Reuben, Gad and half of the <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh had a large army. They had 44 760 brave soldiers. The soldiers carried <i>shields</i>, <i>swords</i> and bows and they were very good fighters. 


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They started a war against the people called Hagrites. They also fought the people in Jetur, Naphish and Nodab. 


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The soldiers of Manasseh, Reuben and Gad believed God. They prayed to God while they fought. So God helped them. So they won the war against the Hagrites and against all the other people who were helping the Hagrites. 


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And they took all their enemies’ animals. They took 50 000 <i>camels</i>, 250 000 sheep and 2000 <i>donkeys</i>. Also they took 100 000 people. 


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Many people died in the fight because it was God’s war. Reuben, Gad and half of the <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh lived in the land of the people called Hagrites. They lived there until the <i>exile</i> of Judah’s people. <n>The half <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh in the east</n>


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There were many people in the half <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh. They lived in the place called Bashan. Their borders were Baal-Hermon, Senir and the mountain called Hermon. 


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These men were the leaders of their <i>clans</i>: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah and Jahdiel. They were brave soldiers and famous men. And they were leaders of their <i>clans</i>.


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But the <i>clans sinned</i> against God. He was their <i>ancestors</i>’ God. But they did not obey him. He had won the war against the people who were living there before them. They had seen that. But they <i>worshipped</i> the gods of those people. 


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So, Israel’s God caused Pul, king of Assyria, to attack their country. And he caused Tilgath-Pilneser, king of Assyria, to attack their country. And he took away the people from the <i>tribes</i> of Reuben, Gad and the half <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh. He sent them into <i>exile</i>. Tilgath-Pilneser brought them to Halah, to Habor and to Hara. And he sent them near to the River Gozan. They are still there today.


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Amram’s children were Aaron, Moses and Miriam. Aaron’s sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 


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Johanan was the father of Azariah. Azariah worked as a <i>priest</i> in the <i>temple</i> that Solomon built in Jerusalem. 


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Jehozadak went into <i>exile</i>. That happened when the <i>LORD</i> sent the people from Judah and from Jerusalem into <i>exile</i>. The <i>LORD</i> used Nebuchadnezzar to do it. <n>The three <i>clans</i> of Levi</n>


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Merari’s sons were Mahli and Mushi. These are the <i>clans</i> of the <i>Levites</i>. And their <i>ancestors</i> are in this list.


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Assir’s son was Tahath and Tahath’s son was Uriel. Uriel’s son was Uzziah and Uzziah’s son was Shaul. 


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Merari’s son was Mahli and Mahli’s son was Libni. Libni’s son was Shimei and Shimei’s son was Uzzah. 


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Uzzah’s son was Shimea. Shimea’s son was Haggiah and Haggiah’s son was Asaiah. <n>The men who would make music</n>


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David brought God’s <i>Covenant Box</i> into the <i>LORD</i>’s house. Then he chose some leaders as the men who would make the music in that house. 


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They <i>worshipped</i> the <i>LORD</i> while they sang at the <i>holy tent</i>. That <i>tent</i> was where the <i>LORD</i> met with the people. They used that <i>tent</i> until Solomon built the <i>LORD</i>’s house in Jerusalem. They obeyed the rules for their work.


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These are the leaders of the music and their sons: From Kohath’s <i>clan</i>, there was Heman the singer. Heman was Joel’s son and Joel was Samuel’s son. 


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Samuel was Elkanah’s son and Elkanah was Jeroham’s son. Jeroham was Eliel’s son and Eliel was Toah’s son. 


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Toah was Zuph’s son and Zuph was Elkanah’s son. Elkanah was Mahath’s son and Mahath was Amasai’s son. 


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Amasai was Elkanah’s son and Elkanah was Joel’s son. Joel was Azariah’s son and Azariah was Zephaniah’s son. 


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Zephaniah was Tahath’s son and Tahath was Assir’s son. Assir was Ebiasaph’s son and Ebiasaph was Korah’s son. 


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Heman worked with Asaph, who belonged to the same <i>tribe</i> as Heman. Asaph stood at Heman’s right side. Asaph was Berechiah’s son and Berechiah was Shimea’s son. 


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Other <i>relatives</i> of Heman and Asaph worked with them. These men belonged to Merari’s <i>clan</i> and they stood on the left side. Ethan the son of Kishi belonged to this group. Kishi was Abdi’s son and Abdi was Malluch’s son. 


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And all the other <i>Levites</i> did everything else that was necessary for the <i>holy tent</i>. The <i>holy tent</i> was the house of God. <n>Aaron’s <i>descendants</i></n>


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But Aaron and his <i>descendants</i> gave the gifts to God. They burned the <i>sacrifices</i> on the <i>altar</i> that was for that. And they burned oils with sweet smells on the <i>altar</i> that was for oils with sweet smells. They gave the <i>sacrifices</i> to God so that he would remove the <i>Israelites</i>’ <i>sins</i>. They did all the work in the most <i>holy</i> place. They obeyed all the rules that God’s servant Moses had told them about. 


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These were Aaron’s <i>descendants</i>. Eleazar was Aaron’s son. Phinehas was Eleazar’s son and Abishua was Phinehas’s son. 


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These are the places where the <i>descendants</i> of Levi, Aaron’s son, lived. The Kohath <i>clan</i> were first when the leaders used the <i>lot</i>. So they received the first part of the land. (Aaron was from the Kohath <i>clan</i>.) 


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But Caleb had the fields round the city. Caleb also had the villages near Hebron. (Caleb was the son of Jephunneh.) 


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So the people gave safe cities to the <i>descendants</i> of Aaron. Those cities included Hebron, Libnah with the fields round it, Jattir and Eshtemoa with the fields round it. They also included Hilen with the fields round it and Debir with the fields round it. 


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Also, the <i>tribe</i> of Benjamin gave towns and fields to them. Those towns were Geba with its fields, Alemeth with its fields and Anathoth with its fields. So there were 13 towns for all their <i>descendants</i> to live in.


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And the <i>clans</i> of half of Manasseh gave 10 towns to the other people who belonged to Kohath’s <i>clan</i>. They used <i>lots</i> to choose the towns. 


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The <i>tribes</i> of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and Manasseh chose 13 towns. (That was the part of Manasseh in Bashan.) They gave those towns to the Gershon <i>clan</i>. 


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The <i>tribes</i> of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun chose 12 towns. They used <i>lots</i> to choose the towns. They gave those towns to the Merari <i>clan</i>. 


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And the <i>tribe</i> of Ephraim chose some towns from their land. They gave those towns to some of Kohath’s <i>clan</i>. 


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And they gave safe cities to Kohath’s <i>clan</i>. One city was Shechem with its fields. Shechem is in the hills in Ephraim. The other cities included Gezer with its fields, Jokmeam with its fields and Beth-Horon with its fields. They also included Aijalon with its fields and Gath-Rimmon with its fields. 


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And the half <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh chose Aner with its fields and Bileam with its fields. They gave those towns to the other families that belonged to Kohath’s <i>clan</i>.


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The other half of the <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh chose towns and they gave them to the Gershon <i>clan</i>. They gave Golan in Bashan with its fields. And they gave Ashtaroth with its fields. 


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The <i>tribe</i> of Issachar gave towns to the Gershon <i>clan</i>. Those towns were Kedesh with its fields, Daberath with its fields, Ramoth with its fields and Anem with its fields. 


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The <i>tribe</i> of Asher gave towns to the Gershon <i>clan</i>. Those towns were Mashal with its fields, Abdon with its fields, Hukok with its fields and Rehob with its fields. 


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The <i>tribe</i> of Naphtali also gave towns to the Gershon <i>clan</i>. The towns were Kedesh in Galilee with its fields, Hammon with its fields and Kiriathaim with its fields. 


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The <i>tribe</i> of Zebulun chose some towns. They gave those towns to the other people who belonged to the Merari <i>clan</i>. The towns were Rimmono with its fields and Tabor with its fields. 


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The <i>tribe</i> of Reuben also gave towns to the Merari <i>clan</i>. Those towns included Bezer in the <i>desert</i> with its fields. They also included Jahzah with its fields, Kedemoth with its fields and Mephaath with its fields. The <i>tribe</i> of Reuben lived east of the River Jordan, that is, across from Jericho. 


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The <i>tribe</i> of Gad also gave towns to the Merari <i>clan</i>. Those towns included Ramoth in Gilead with its fields and Mahanaim with its fields. They also included Heshbon with its fields and Jazer with its fields.


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Tola’s sons were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam and Samuel. They were leaders of their <i>clans</i>. Among Tola’s <i>descendants</i> there were 22 600 brave soldiers when David was king. 


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Uzzi’s son was Izrahiah. Izrahiah’s sons were Michael, Obadiah, Joel and Isshiah. All those five men in Uzzi’s family were leaders. 


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The books of their <i>clans</i> show that they had many wives and sons. So, they had 36 000 men who were ready to fight in the army. 


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The books of the <i>clans</i> of Issachar show that they had 87 000 brave soldiers. <n>The <i>tribe</i> of Benjamin</n>


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Bela had 5 sons. They were Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth and Iri. They were leaders of their <i>clans</i>. The books of their <i>ancestors</i> show that they had 22 034 brave soldiers. 


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Becher’s sons were Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth and Alemeth. All those men were sons of Becher. 


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The books of their <i>ancestors</i> include a list of those <i>clan</i> leaders. Also the books show that they had 22 200 brave soldiers. 


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Jediael’s son was Bilhan. Bilhan’s sons were Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish and Ahishahar. 


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All those sons of Jediael were leaders of their <i>clans</i>. They had 17 200 brave soldiers who were ready to fight in the army. 


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Shuppim and Huppim were <i>descendants</i> of Ir. The people called the Hushim were <i>descendants</i> of Aher. <n>The <i>tribe</i> of Naphtali</n>


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Naphtali’s sons were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shallum. They were Bilhah’s grandsons. <n>The half <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh in the west</n>


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These are Manasseh’s <i>descendants</i>. Manasseh had a woman that he lived with. She was from the country called Syria. She was the mother of Asriel and Machir and Machir was Gilead’s father. 


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Machir’s wife was from a sister of Huppim and Shuppim. His wife’s name was Maacah. Zelophehad was another <i>descendant</i> of Machir. Zelophehad had only daughters. 


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Machir’s wife Maacah had a son and she called him Peresh. Peresh’s brother was Sheresh and Sheresh’s sons were Ulam and Rekem. 


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Ulam’s son was Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead. Gilead was the son of Machir and Machir was Manasseh’s son. 


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These are the names of Ephraim’s <i>descendants</i>. Ephraim’s son was Shuthelah. Shuthelah’s son was Bered and Bered’s son was Tahath. Tahath’s son was Eleadah and Eleadah’s son was Tahath. 


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Tahath’s son was Zabad and Zabad’s son was Shuthelah. <n>Ezer and Elead were also sons of Ephraim. They went to Gath and they tried to take some cows and sheep from there. So some men who were born in that city killed them. 


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Then Ephraim had sex with his wife and they had another son. Ephraim called him Beriah. That name means ‘trouble’. Ephraim chose that name because of his family’s troubles. 


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And Beriah’s son was Rephah. And Rephah’s son was Resheph. Resheph’s son was Telah and Telah’s son was Tahan. 


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Ephraim’s <i>descendants</i> lived in Bethel and in the villages near it. And they had land there. Also they lived in Naaran in the east. And they lived in Gezer and in the villages near it. Those places were in the west. Also, they lived in Shechem and in the villages near it. And they lived in Ayyah and in the villages near it. 


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Along the borders of Manasseh’s <i>descendants</i>’ land were other towns. They included Beth-Shean and the villages near it and Taanach and its villages. They also included Megiddo and its villages and Dor and its villages. The <i>descendants</i> of Joseph (son of Israel) lived in those towns and villages. <n>The <i>tribe</i> of Asher</n>


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Zophah’s sons were Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran and Beera. 


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All those men were <i>descendants</i> of Asher. They were leaders of their <i>clans</i>. They were great and brave soldiers and great leaders. They had 26 000 men ready to fight in the army. There were lists that showed those men’s names with their <i>clans</i>.


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Benjamin was the father of Bela, his first son. Ashbel was his second son and Aharah was his third son. 


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Here is a list of the <i>descendants</i> of Ehud. They were the leaders of their <i>clans</i>. But they were still in Geba. They had to leave Geba. They had to go to Manahath. 


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Ehud’s <i>descendants</i> were Naaman, Ahijah and Gera. Gera caused them to leave. He was the father of Uzza and Ahihud. <n>


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Shaharaim and his wife Hushim had sons called Abitub and Elpaal. In Moab, Shaharaim sent away his wives Hushim and Baara. After that, Shaharaim and his wife Hodesh had sons who were called Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, Jeuz, Sachia and Mirmah. They were leaders of their <i>clans</i>. <n>


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Elpaal’s sons were Eber, Misham, Shemed, Beriah and Shema. Shemed built the towns called Ono and Lod. He also built villages round them. Beriah and Shema were leaders of the <i>clans</i> who lived in Aijalon. They caused the people in Gath to leave their city. 


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Other sons of Elpaal were Ahio, Shashak and Jeremoth. And Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, Michael, Ishpah and Joha were sons of Beriah. 


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Shashak’s sons were Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, Abdon, Zichri, Hanan, Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah, Iphdeiah and Penuel. 


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The books show that all those men were leaders of their <i>clans</i>. They lived in Jerusalem. <n>Saul</n>


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His first son was Abdon. His other sons were Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab, Gedor, Ahio, Zecher and Mikloth. Mikloth was the father of Shimeah. They lived with their <i>relatives</i> in Jerusalem, near other <i>relatives</i>. 


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Ner was the father of Kish and Kish was the father of Saul. And Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab and Esh-Baal. 


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Ahaz was the father of Jehoaddah. Jehoaddah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth and Zimri. And Zimri was the father of Moza. 


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Moza was the father of Binea and Binea’s son was Raphah. Raphah’s son was Eleasah and Eleasah’s son was Azel. 


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Azel had 6 sons. Those sons were called Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah and Hanan. All those were Azel’s sons. 


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Azel’s brother was Eshek. Eshek’s first son was Ulam. His second son was Jeush and Eliphelet was his third son. 


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Ulam’s sons were brave soldiers and they used their bows well. They had many sons and grandsons. There were 150 of them. All those men were <i>descendants</i> of Benjamin.


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All the <i>Israelites</i> were in the lists of <i>ancestors</i>. And those lists are in the Book about Israel’s Kings. The people in Judah had to leave it. Their enemies took them away to Babylon. That happened because they did not continue to obey God. 


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The first people who returned after that were <i>Israelites</i>, <i>priests</i>, <i>Levites</i>, and servants in the <i>temple</i>. They lived on their own land, in their own towns. <n>


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And people were living in Jerusalem again. They were from the <i>tribes</i> of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh. This is a list of those people. There was Uthai son of Ammihud. Ammihud was Omri’s son. Omri was Imri’s son and Imri was Bani’s son. Bani was a <i>descendant</i> of Perez and Perez was Judah’s son. 


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From Shelah’s <i>clan</i>, there were Asaiah and his sons. Asaiah was the oldest son in his family. 


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From the <i>tribe</i> of Benjamin, there was Sallu. Sallu was the son of Meshullam. Meshullam was Hodaviah’s son and Hodaviah was Hassenuah’s son. 


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There was also Ibneiah son of Jeroham. And there was Elah son of Uzzi. Uzzi was Michri’s son. And there was Meshullam son of Shephatiah. Shephatiah was Reuel’s son and Reuel was Ibnijah’s son. 


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There were 956 people from Benjamin’s <i>tribe</i>. There are lists in their books of <i>ancestors</i>. All those men were leaders of their <i>clans</i>. <n>The <i>priests</i>’ <i>clans</i></n> <n>


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From the <i>priests</i>, there were Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, Jachin and Azariah. Azariah was a son of Hilkiah and Hilkiah was Meshullam’s son. Meshullam was Zadok’s son and Zadok was Meraioth’s son. Meraioth was Ahitub’s son and Ahitub was the most important officer in God’s house. 


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Also there was Adaiah son of Jeroham. Jeroham was Pashhur’s son and Pashhur was Malchijah’s son. And there was Maasai son of Adiel. Adiel was Jahzerah’s son and Jahzerah was Meshullam’s son. Meshullam was Meshillemith’s son and Meshillemith was Immer’s son. 


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There were 1760 <i>priests</i>. They were leaders of their <i>clans</i>. They were men who could work very well. And they worked in the house of God. <n>The <i>Levites</i>’ <i>clans</i></n>


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From the <i>Levites</i>, there was Shemaiah. Shemaiah was the son of Hasshub and Hasshub was Azrikam’s son. Azrikam was Hashabiah’s son and Hashabiah was from Merari’s <i>clan</i>. 


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There were also Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal and Mattaniah. Mattaniah was a son of Mica. Mica was Zichri’s son and Zichri was Asaph’s son. 


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Also there was Obadiah, son of Shemaiah. Shemaiah was Galal’s son and Galal was Jeduthun’s son. And there was Berechiah, son of Asa. Asa was the son of Elkanah. Elkanah lived in the villages of the people called Netophathites. <n>Some <i>Levites</i> were <i>guards</i></n>


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Some men were <i>guards</i> of the <i>temple</i>’s gates. Among them, there were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon and Ahiman. Their <i>relatives</i> were with them and Shallum was their leader. 


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All those <i>guards</i> were from Levi’s <i>tribe</i>. And they stood next to the King’s Gate. That gate is on the east side. 


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Shallum was Kore’s son and Kore was Ebiasaph’s son. Ebiasaph was Korah’s son. Other men from Korah’s <i>clan</i> helped Shallum. They were <i>guards</i> at the gates of the <i>tent</i>. That was their work. Their <i>ancestors</i> were also <i>guards</i> at the door of the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>tent</i>. 


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Their <i>ancestors</i> included Phinehas. Phinehas was the leader of the <i>guards</i>. He was Eleazar’s son. The <i>LORD</i> was with Phinehas. 


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Zechariah, son of Meshelemiah worked outside the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>tent</i>. He was the <i>guard</i>. And the <i>LORD</i> met the people there.


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There were 212 <i>guards</i> for the gates. The books include a list of their names. And the books show their villages. David and the <i>prophet</i> Samuel chose those men to be <i>guards</i>. They were men that they could <i>trust</i>. And that is why they chose them. 


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Those men and their <i>descendants</i> had to work at the gates. They were the <i>guards</i> of the <i>LORD</i>’s house. The <i>LORD</i>’s house was called the <i>holy tent</i>. 


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The <i>guards</i> were on the 4 sides of the <i>LORD</i>’s house. They were on the east, west, south and north sides. 


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Their <i>relatives</i> still lived in their villages. They had to come and help the <i>guards</i>. Each time they came, they worked for seven days. 


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But there were four <i>guards</i> who were more important than the other <i>guards</i>. That was because the leaders <i>trusted</i> them. They kept safe the rooms and the valuable things in God’s house. All those men were <i>Levites</i>. 


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They stayed round God’s house during the night because they had to keep it safe. And they had to open it each morning.


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The <i>priests</i> used valuable tools in the <i>temple</i>. And some <i>guards</i> kept those things safe. The <i>priests</i> brought those things in and then the <i>guards</i> counted them. And the <i>guards</i> counted them again when the <i>priests</i> took them out. 


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There were many valuable things in the <i>holy</i> place. Also some <i>guards</i> kept the flour, <i>wine</i>, oil, oils with sweet smells and the <i>spices</i> safe. 


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Mattithiah was a <i>Levite</i>. He was the first son of Shallum. Shallum was from Korah’s <i>clan</i>. Mattithiah was the baker who made the flat bread. 


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Other men who belonged to the Kohath <i>clan</i> prepared the special bread. The <i>priests</i> put this bread on the <i>holy</i> table. They did that each <i>Sabbath</i> day. <n>Other <i>Levites</i> made music</n>


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There were <i>clans</i> of <i>Levites</i> who made music in the <i>temple</i>. The leaders of those <i>clans</i> lived in the <i>temple</i> and they had their own rooms there. They had duties during the day. Also, they had duties at night. So they did not do other work in the <i>temple</i>. 


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Those men were the leaders of those <i>Levite clans</i>. Their names were in their <i>clans</i>’ books. And they lived in Jerusalem. <n>Saul</n>


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The leader of Gibeon lived in the town called Gibeon. He was called Jeiel and his wife’s name was Maacah. 


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His first son was Abdon. His other sons were Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah and Mikloth. 


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Mikloth was the father of Shimeam. They lived with their <i>relatives</i> in Jerusalem, near other <i>relatives</i>. 


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Ahaz was the father of Jarah. Jarah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza. 


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Moza was the father of Binea and Binea’s son was Rephaiah. Rephaiah’s son was Eleasah and Eleasah’s son was Azel. 


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Azel had 6 sons. Those sons were called Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah and Hanan. That is the list of Azel’s sons.


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The <i>Philistines</i> fought against Israel. But the <i>Israelites</i> ran from the <i>Philistines</i>. The <i>Philistines</i> killed many <i>Israelites</i> on the mountain called Gilboa. 


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The <i>Philistines</i> fought well against Saul and his sons. They killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malchishua. 


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The fight was difficult round Saul. The soldiers with bows shot Saul and they hurt him badly. <n>Saul kills himself and his sons die</n>


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Then Saul said to the soldier who carried his <i>shield</i>, ‘Kill me with your <i>sword</i>. If you do not kill me, these <i>Philistines</i> will be cruel to me. Then they will kill me. They are not like us because nobody has <i>circumcised</i> them.’ But the soldier would not do it because he was very afraid. So, Saul got his own <i>sword</i> and he fell on it. 


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So, Saul died with his three sons. Saul and his whole family died together. <n><i>Philistines</i> come to live in Israel</n>


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All the <i>Israelites</i> in the valley saw that their army had run away. And they saw that Saul and his sons were dead. So, they left their towns and they ran away. Then the <i>Philistines</i> came to live in those towns. <n>The <i>Philistines</i> put Saul’s head in their <i>temple</i></n>


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On the next day, the <i>Philistines</i> came to take clothes and things from the dead soldiers. They found the dead bodies of Saul and his sons on the mountain called Gilboa. 


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The <i>Philistines</i> stripped Saul’s dead body. They took his head and his <i>armour</i>. Then they sent men through all their country. They went to tell the news about Saul’s death. They told the news in front of their false gods. And then those men told the news to all the people. 


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The <i>Philistines</i> had a <i>temple</i> for their false gods. They put Saul’s <i>armour</i> there. And they had another <i>temple</i> for their false god called Dagon. They hung Saul’s head there. <n>The men from Jabesh-Gilead bury the dead bodies of Saul and his sons</n>


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So, all the brave men from Jabesh went. They took the dead bodies of Saul and his sons. They brought the bodies to Jabesh and they buried the bones under the large tree there. Then the people in Jabesh refused food. They did not eat for 7 days. <n>Why Saul died</n>


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Saul died because of his <i>sin</i> against the <i>LORD</i>. He did not obey the <i>LORD</i>. Saul wanted to speak to a dead person. He even visited a woman who used bad <i>spirits</i>. He wanted to know what he should do. 


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He should have asked the <i>LORD</i> but he did not ask the <i>LORD</i>. So, the <i>LORD</i> caused his death and the <i>LORD</i> gave the <i>kingdom</i> to Jesse’s son, David.


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Then all the <i>Israelites</i> came to David in the town called Hebron. They said to him, ‘We are like your own family. 


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And you are our leader. Even while Saul was still our king, you were the captain of Israel’s army. And the <i>LORD</i> your God said to you, “You will be the ruler of my people, that is, Israel. You will lead them like a man who leads sheep.” ’


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So, all the leaders of Israel came to King David. They met him at Hebron. There in Hebron, they promised David that he would be king of Israel. The <i>LORD</i> saw what they did. Then they poured oil on David to show that he was king over all Israel. The <i>LORD</i> had promised by Samuel that this would happen. <n>David and his men win the fight at Jerusalem</n>


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David and all the <i>Israelites</i> went to the city called Jerusalem. At that time, the name of Jerusalem was Jebus. And the people who lived there were called the Jebusites. They had lived in the country before the <i>Israelites</i> came. 


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The people who were living in Jebus said to David, ‘You cannot come into our city.’ But David fought them. He won the very strong building in <i>Zion</i>. And Jerusalem became David’s city.


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David had said to his soldiers, ‘The man who attacks the <i>Jebusites</i> first will become the leader and captain of my army.’ Joab, the son of Zeruiah, went first. So, he became the captain of the army.


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David built the city round the strong building. He built it from the small hill called the Millo. He started from there and he built the walls all round the city. Joab built the other buildings in the city again. 


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The <i>LORD</i>, who is most powerful, was with him. And so David became stronger and stronger. <n>David’s bravest soldiers</n>


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Here is a list of the leaders of David’s greatest soldiers. They helped to make David’s <i>kingdom</i> strong. And with all the <i>Israelites</i>, they made him king. He ruled the whole country. And that is what the <i>LORD</i> had promised. 


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This is the list. These men were David’s greatest soldiers. <n>Jashobeam was from Hachmoni’s <i>clan</i>. He was the leader of David’s officers. He fought 300 men on one day. He used his <i>spear</i> against them and he killed all those men.


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Then there was Eleazar. He was among the three greatest soldiers. Eleazar was Dodo’s son. He was from Ahoah’s <i>clan</i>. 


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Eleazar was at Pas-Dammim. He was with David there. Then many <i>Philistines</i> came there to fight them. There was a field there with a lot of <i>barley</i>. The <i>Israelites</i> ran from the <i>Philistines</i>. 


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But David and Eleazar did not run away. They stood in the middle of that field and they fought to keep that field. They killed the <i>Philistines</i>. The <i>LORD</i> saved them. Because he helped them, they won the fight in a great way. <n>Three brave soldiers fetch water for David from the well at Bethlehem</n>


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There were 30 captains among David’s soldiers. David was living in Adullam’s hole in the rock. So three captains went to the rock there. The <i>Philistine</i> army were living there in <i>tents</i>. They were in the Rephaim Valley. 


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David wanted some water very much. He said, ‘Oh, I want water! There is a well in Bethlehem. It is near the gate. I would be very happy if someone would fetch me a drink from that well!’ 


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The three famous captains attacked the <i>Philistines</i> and so the three captains passed their <i>tents</i>. Those three captains went into Bethlehem. They found the well that is near the gate. They took water from there and they brought it to David. But David refused to drink that water. He poured it out as a gift to the <i>LORD</i>. 


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He said. ‘God knows that I cannot drink this water. This water is like the blood of these men. They might have died when they fetched this water. I would not accept the gift of their blood. And so I will not drink this water.’ So, David refused to drink the water. Those three brave men did other things like that too. <n>David’s soldiers do many brave things</n>


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Abishai was Joab’s brother. Abishai was the leader of the soldiers that were called the three brave soldiers. Abishai fought 300 soldiers with his <i>spear</i> and he killed them. He became as famous as those three soldiers were. 


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The other two soldiers <i>honoured</i> him and he became their leader. But he was not as important as the first three great soldiers.


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Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada. Benaiah was a brave soldier from Kabzeel. He did great things. He killed two great soldiers from Moab. Also, he went down into a hole and he killed a <i>lion</i>. There was snow on that day. 


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Benaiah also killed a man from Egypt who was 2.3 metres (7.5 feet) tall. The man had a very large <i>spear</i>. It was as large as the piece of wood that people use to make cloth. Benaiah only had a heavy stick. But Benaiah took the <i>spear</i> from the man’s hand. And Benaiah killed the man with the man’s own <i>spear</i>. 


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Those were the things that Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did. He was as famous as the three brave soldiers. 


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He was more famous than the 30 bravest soldiers. But he did not belong to the three brave soldiers. David made him the leader of his own <i>guards</i>. <n>


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These men were also great soldiers: <n>Asahel. He was the brother of Joab. <n>Elhanan. He was the son of Dodo from Bethlehem. <n>Shammoth. He was from the town called Harod. <n>Helez. He was from the people called Pelonites. <n>Ira. He was the son of Ikkesh from Tekoa. <n>Abiezer. He was from the town called Anathoth. <n>Sibbecai. He was from the place called Hushah. <n>Ilai. He was a <i>descendant</i> of Ahoah. <n>Maharai. He was from the town called Netophah. <n>Heled. He was the son of Baanah. Baanah was also from the town called Netophah. <n>Ithai. He was the son of Ribai. Ribai was from Gibeah. Gibeah is in Benjamin. <n>Benaiah. He was from the town called Pirathon. <n>Hurai. He was from the valleys near Gaash. <n>Abiel. He was from the place called the Arabah. <n>Azmaveth. He was from the town called Bahurum. <n>Eliahba. He was from the town called Shaalbon. <n>Also there were the sons of Hashem. They belonged to the people called Gizonites. <n>Jonathan. He was the son of Shagee, who was from among the hills in Judah. <n>Ahiam. He was the son of Sachar, who was also from among the hills in Judah. <n>Eliphal. He was the son of Ur. <n>Hepher. He was from the town called Mecherath. <n>Ahijah. He was from the people called Pelonites. <n>Hezro. He was from the town called Carmel. <n>Naarai. He was the son of Ezbai. <n>Joel. He was the brother of Nathan. <n>Mibhar. He was the son of Hagri. <n>Zelek. He was from the country called Ammon. <n>Naharai. He was from the city called Beeroth. Naharai carried Joab’s <i>sword</i> and <i>shield</i>. (Joab was the son of Zeruiah.) <n>Ira. He was from the <i>clan</i> called the Ithrites. <n>Gareb. He was also from the <i>clan</i> called the Ithrites. <n>Uriah. He was from the people called Hittites. <n>Zabad. He was the son of Ahlai. <n>Adina. He was the son of Shiza. Adina belonged to Reuben’s <i>tribe</i>. He was the leader of the men from that <i>tribe</i> of Reuben. And he was the leader of 30 brave soldiers. <n>Hanan. He was the son of Maacah. <n>Joshaphat. He belonged to the people called Mithnites. <n>Uzzia. He was from the town called Ashtaroth. <n>Shama and Jeiel. They were the sons of Hotham. Hotham was from the town called Aroer. <n>Jediael. He was the son of Shimri. <n>Joha. He was Jediael’s brother. Joha belonged to the people called Tizites. <n>Eliel. He belonged to the people called Mahavites. <n>Jeribai and Joshaviah. They were Elnaam’s sons. <n>Ithmah. He was from the country called Moab. <n>Eliel, Obed and Jaasiel. Jaasiel was from the people called Mezobaites.


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David went to the town called Ziklag. He could not move about much because of Saul, the son of Kish. Many men came to David there. They were among the brave soldiers who helped David to fight in war. 


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They came with their bows. They could shoot <i>arrows</i>. And they could use a <i>weapon</i> that throws stones. They could use either their right hand or their left hand to do those things. They were from Benjamin’s <i>tribe</i>. (Saul was also from Benjamin’s <i>tribe</i>.)


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Ahiezer was their leader and Joash was his brother. Ahiezer and Joash were sons of Shemaah. (Shemaah was from the town called Gibeah.) There were also Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth. And there were Beracah and Jehu. They were from the town called Anathoth. 


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And there was Ishmaiah. He was from the town called Gibeon. He belonged to the special group of 30 brave soldiers. He was a leader of that group. There were Jeremiah, Jahaziel and Johanan. There was Jozabad, who was from Gederah. 


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And there were Joelah and Zebadiah. They were the sons of Jeroham. He was from the town called Gedor. <n>The soldiers who joined David’s army while he was living in the <i>desert</i></n>


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Many soldiers from Gad’s <i>tribe</i> joined David’s army in the <i>desert</i>, where David had found a safe place. These men were very brave soldiers in his army and they were ready to fight. They could use <i>shields</i> and <i>spears</i>. They were brave like <i>lions</i>. And they were fast, like the wild animals that run across the mountains. 


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Ezer was the most important officer. The second leader among these soldiers was Obadiah and the third was Eliab. 


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These <i>descendants</i> of Gad were the leaders of the army. The least important leader among these men had 100 soldiers. And the greatest leader had 1000 soldiers. 


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These were the men who crossed the River Jordan during the first month of the year. The river was a lot wider than it is at other times. And the water was a lot deeper. But they crossed it. And then they fought the people in the valleys and those people had to run away. They ran to the east and to the west.


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Some other men came to David in his safe place. They were from the <i>tribes</i> called Benjamin and Judah. 


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David went out to meet them. He said to them, ‘Perhaps you have come here to be my friends. And you want to help me. If you have come to help me, we can be friends. But perhaps you are here to help the people who want to kill me. Perhaps you want to tell them where I am. But I have not done anything wrong. So I pray that God will be your <i>judge</i>. He is the God of our <i>ancestors</i>. And he will know what you are doing.’


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Then the Spirit came on Amasai, who was the leader of the 30 bravest soldiers. And he said, ‘We are yours, David and we are with you, Jesse’s son. Do well! Do well, David! We want you to have <i>peace</i>. And we want everyone who helps you to have <i>peace</i>. Your God will help you.’ So, David accepted them. And he caused them to be officers in his army. <n>Soldiers from Manasseh join David’s army at Ziklag</n>


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Some men from the <i>tribe</i> called Manasseh joined David’s army. The <i>Philistines</i> were fighting Saul and David was with the <i>Philistines</i>. But David and his men did not help the <i>Philistines</i>. That was because the leaders of the <i>Philistines</i> decided to send David away. They would not let him fight against Saul. They said, ‘David may return to Saul, because Saul is his master. And if David returns to Saul, they might kill us.’ 


text:
So David returned to Ziklag. And these men from Manasseh joined David’s army then. These men were Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu and Zillethai. Each man was the leader of 1000 soldiers. Those soldiers belonged to the <i>tribe</i> called Manasseh. 


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All those men were brave soldiers. So they helped David to fight against other armies. And they became officers in David’s army. 


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Day after day, more men came to help David. And his army became large. It became a large and powerful army like an army of God. <n>The soldiers who joined David’s army at Hebron</n>


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These are the numbers of the soldiers who joined David’s army. They came to him at Hebron. These soldiers were ready to fight. They came to give Saul’s <i>kingdom</i> to David. The <i>LORD</i> had promised that this would happen. 


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There were 6800 men from Judah who carried <i>shields</i> and <i>spears</i>. And they were ready to fight. 


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There were 7100 men from Simeon’s <i>descendants</i>. They were brave soldiers and they were ready for war. 


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Jehoiada was in that group. He was a leader from Aaron’s <i>descendants</i>. And there were 3700 men with him. 


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Zadok was also in that group. He was a brave young soldier. And 22 leaders came with him. They were from his <i>clan</i>. 


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There were 3000 men who were from the same <i>tribe</i> as Saul. They were Benjamin’s <i>descendants</i>. Lots of them had been in Saul’s army and they had obeyed him well. 


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And there were 20 800 men who were <i>descendants</i> of Ephraim. They were brave soldiers and they were famous men in their own <i>clans</i>. 


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And there were 18 000 men who came from the half <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh. Their <i>clans</i> chose those men. And they sent those men to make David king. 


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And there were 200 leaders who were <i>descendants</i> of Issachar. They knew what Israel should do. And they knew the right time to do it. Their <i>relatives</i> were with them and they obeyed those men. 


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There were 50 000 men who came from Zebulun. They were good soldiers in the army. They were ready to fight. And they knew how to use every kind of <i>weapon</i> of war. They would obey David completely. 


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And there were 1000 officers who came from Naphtali. They had 37 000 soldiers with them who carried <i>shields</i> and <i>spears</i>. 


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And there were 120 000 soldiers who crossed the River Jordan. They were from the east side of the river. They came from Reuben, Gad and the half <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh. They had every kind of <i>weapon</i> for war.


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All those men were soldiers. And their leaders had taught them to fight together. So they were ready to go to war. They came to Hebron because they really wanted to make David king over all Israel. All the other <i>Israelites</i> also wanted to make David king. They agreed about that. 


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The men stayed there with David for three days. Their <i>relatives</i> had supplied food for them. So they ate and they drank with him. 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> were very happy. So, people also came from as far as Issachar, Zebulun and Naphtali. They brought food on <i>donkeys</i>, <i>camels</i>, <i>mules</i> and <i>oxen</i>. So David and his soldiers had plenty of flour, <i>fig</i> cakes, <i>raisins</i>, <i>wine</i>, oil, cows and sheep.


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David talked with all his officers. They were the leaders of his army. Some officers were the leaders of 1000 men. Other officers were the leaders of 100 men. 


text:
Then David spoke to all the <i>Israelites</i> who were present. ‘I want to suggest something. Perhaps you will agree. And perhaps the <i>LORD</i> our God wants us to do this. I think that we should send a message to all the other <i>Israelites</i>. That should include the <i>priests</i> and the <i>Levites</i> who live in their towns and on their land. We should send the message across the whole country. We should ask all those people to come here to meet us. 


text:
Then we should bring back the <i>Covenant Box</i> of our God. We did not use it to ask God about things while Saul was king.’ 


text:
They all thought that it was the right thing to do. So all the people agreed that they should do that.


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So, David told all the <i>Israelites</i> that they should come. They came from the River Shihor in Egypt. They came from Lebo-Hamath. And they came from everywhere between those two places. They came to bring God’s <i>Covenant Box</i>. It was in the town called Kiriath-Jearim. 


text:
David and all the <i>Israelites</i> with him went there. They went to Baalah in Judah. (Baalah is also called Kiriath-Jearim.) They went to fetch the <i>LORD</i> God’s <i>Covenant Box</i>. The <i>LORD</i> has his <i>throne</i> between the <i>cherubs</i>. They are on the Box, which has his name.


text:
The people took God’s <i>Covenant Box</i> from Abinadab’s house. They put it on a new <i>cart</i>. Uzzah and Ahio were leading the <i>cart</i>. 


text:
David and all the <i>Israelites</i> were very happy in front of God. They danced. They could not have danced any better. They sang songs. And they used <i>lyres</i>, <i>harps</i>, <i>tambourines</i>, <i>cymbals</i> and <i>trumpets</i> to make music.


text:
They reached a certain place. That place was Chidon’s <i>threshing-floor</i>. <i>Oxen</i> were pulling the <i>cart</i>. But the <i>oxen</i> had difficulty there, because the yard was not flat. Uzzah thought that the <i>Covenant Box</i> might fall. So he put his hand on it. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> was angry with Uzzah because he had touched the <i>Covenant Box</i>. So the <i>LORD</i> hit Uzzah and Uzzah died there in front of God.


text:
David was angry because the <i>LORD punished</i> Uzzah. And David called that place Perez-Uzzah. Even today, people still call that place Perez-Uzzah. <n>Perez-Uzzah means ‘<i>punished</i> Uzzah’. 


text:
David was afraid of God that day. He said, ‘I do not know how I can bring God’s <i>Covenant Box</i> to me.’ 


text:
So, David did not bring the <i>Covenant Box</i> to where he was. He did not bring it into David’s city. Instead, he took it to Obed-Edom’s house. Obed-Edom lived in the town called Gath. 


text:
God’s <i>Covenant Box</i> stayed there. Obed-Edom’s family had it in their house and it stayed there for three months. During that time, the <i>LORD</i> was kind to Obed-Edom’s family. And the <i>LORD</i> did good things for everything that Obed-Edom had.


text:
Huram was the king of Tyre. He sent men to David. Also, he sent some wood from <i>cedar</i> trees. And he sent some workers who could work with stone and with wood. They came to build a house for David. 


text:
Now David knew that the <i>LORD</i> had made him safe as king over Israel. The <i>LORD</i> had made David’s <i>kingdom</i> great. The <i>LORD</i> did that to help his people, that is, Israel.


text:
These children were born in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Beeliada and Eliphelet. <n>David fights the <i>Philistines</i></n>


text:
People told the <i>Philistines</i> that the <i>Israelites</i> had <i>anointed</i> David as king of all Israel. They all came to attack him. But people told David about it so he went out to fight them. 


text:
David asked God, ‘Should I attack the <i>Philistines</i>? Will you help me to beat them?’ The <i>LORD</i> answered him, ‘Yes, attack. I will help you to beat them.’


text:
So David and his men went to the town called Baal-Perazim. There they won the fight against the <i>Philistines</i>. David said, ‘God has used me to stop my enemies. He attacked them, like a river that has too much water.’ So, they called that place Baal-Perazim. 


text:
The <i>Philistines</i> did not take their false gods when they left. David told his men what they should do. And so they burned those things.


text:
David prayed to God again. This time God said, ‘Do not go by the straight way to attack them. Instead, go round them. Attack them near the trees called balsams. 


text:
Wait there until you hear a sound. You will hear that sound from the tops of the trees called balsams. It will be like the sound when soldiers march. Then attack because I will march in front of you. I will win the fight against the <i>Philistine</i>’s army.’ 


text:
David obeyed God. So he and his men fought the army of the <i>Philistines</i>. And David’s men killed <i>Philistines</i> all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.


text:
So, David became famous in every country. And the <i>LORD</i> made the people in all the countries afraid of David.


text:
David built houses for himself in David’s city. And he prepared a place for God’s <i>Covenant Box</i>. He put its <i>tent</i> there. 


text:
Then David said, ‘Only <i>Levites</i> can carry God’s <i>Covenant Box</i>. That is because the <i>LORD</i> chose them to carry God’s <i>Covenant Box</i>. He chose them to work for him for all time.’ 


text:
David told all the <i>Israelites</i> that they should come to Jerusalem. They should bring the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>Covenant Box</i> to the place that David had prepared for it. 


text:
Then David told the <i>descendants</i> of Aaron and the <i>Levites</i> that they must come together. 


text:
Then David asked the <i>priests</i> Zadok and Abiathar to come to him. Also he asked certain <i>Levites</i> to come. They were Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab. 


text:
David said to them, ‘You are the leaders of the <i>Levites</i>’ <i>clans</i>. You and the other <i>Levites</i> must make yourselves <i>holy</i>. Then bring the <i>Covenant Box</i> of the <i>LORD</i>, Israel’s God, to the place that I have prepared for it. 


text:
You did not carry it the first time. And, because of that, the <i>LORD</i> our God was angry with us. We did not ask him how we should move it. So we did not do it in the way that he has said.’ 


text:
Then the <i>priests</i> and the <i>Levites</i> made themselves <i>holy</i> so that they could carry the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>Covenant Box</i>. The <i>LORD</i> is Israel’s God. 


text:
The <i>Levites</i> carried God’s <i>Covenant Box</i> on their shoulders. And they used the long sticks, as Moses had told the <i>Levites</i>. The <i>LORD</i> had said that this was how to carry it. <n>Leaders choose some <i>Levites</i> to sing and to make music</n>


text:
David told the leaders of the <i>Levites</i> that they must choose some Levites. The men that they chose would sing. And they would make music. They would use <i>lyres</i>, <i>harps</i> and <i>cymbals</i>. And their songs would make people happy.


text:
The <i>Levites</i> chose Joel’s son Heman. They also chose Asaph and Ethan. Those men were also <i>Levites</i>. Asaph was Berechiah’s son. Ethan was from the Merari <i>clan</i> and he was Kushaiah’s son. 


text:
With them, there was a second group of <i>Levites</i>. These were Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. All those men were <i>guards</i> at the gates.


text:
Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah had <i>harps</i>. They made the music called Alamoth.


text:
Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel and Azaziah had <i>lyres</i>. They were leaders for the music called Sheminith. 


text:
Chenaniah was the leader of the singers. He taught singers how to sing. He did that because he was very good at it. He was the leader of the <i>Levites</i>. <n><i>Priests</i> walk in front of the <i>Covenant Box</i> and they make sounds with <i>trumpets</i></n>


text:
The <i>priests</i> Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer used <i>trumpets</i> in front of God’s <i>Covenant Box</i>. Obed-Edom and Jehiah were also <i>guards</i> for the <i>Covenant Box</i>. <n>The <i>Levites</i> carry the <i>Covenant Box</i> to Jerusalem</n>


text:
So David, the leaders of Israel and the captains over 1000 soldiers went to fetch the <i>Covenant Box</i>. They all went to bring the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>Covenant Box</i> from Obed-Edom’s house. And they were very happy. 


text:
And God helped the <i>Levites</i> who were carrying the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>Covenant Box</i>. So, they <i>sacrificed</i> 7 male cows and 7 male sheep. 


text:
David wore clothes of good <i>linen</i>. All the <i>Levites</i> who were carrying the <i>Covenant Box</i> wore clothes of good <i>linen</i>. The singers and Chenaniah, their leader, also wore clothes of good <i>linen</i>. David also wore a special <i>linen</i> shirt. 


text:
So, all the <i>Israelites</i> brought the <i>Covenant Box</i> of the <i>LORD</i>. They shouted. They used different kinds of <i>trumpets</i>. And they made loud music with <i>cymbals</i>, <i>lyres</i> and <i>harps</i>. <n>Michal is angry with David</n>


text:
The Box of the <i>LORD</i>’s special <i>covenant</i> reached David’s city. While it was coming into the city, Saul’s daughter Michal was watching. She was at a window and she saw King David. He was dancing and he was very happy. She thought that he should not do that. So, in her mind, she thought that he was silly.


text:
The <i>Levites</i> brought God’s <i>Covenant Box</i> and they put it in the <i>tent</i>. So it was in the <i>tent</i> that David had prepared for it. Then they gave <i>sacrifices</i> to God. They gave <i>sacrifices</i> by fire and they gave <i>friendship-offerings</i>. 


text:
When David had finished the <i>sacrifices</i> by fire and the <i>friendship-offerings</i>, he prayed. He prayed that the <i>LORD</i> would be kind to the people. 


text:
And he gave food to every <i>Israelite</i> man and woman. He gave a loaf of bread, a piece of meat and a cake of <i>raisins</i> to each person. <n>David chooses <i>Levites</i> to <i>worship</i> the <i>LORD</i></n>


text:
Then David chose some <i>Levites</i>. Those men would work in front of the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>Covenant Box</i>. They would pray and they would thank God. And they would <i>praise</i> the <i>LORD</i>, the God of Israel. 


text:
Asaph was the leader and Zechariah was the second leader. Then there were Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. Those men made music with <i>harps</i> and <i>lyres</i>. And Asaph used the <i>cymbals</i>. 


text:
Regularly, the <i>priests</i> Benaiah and Jahaziel would use <i>trumpets</i> in front of God’s <i>Covenant Box</i>.


text:
On that day, David first told Asaph and the other <i>Levites</i> that they should thank the <i>LORD</i> with this song. <n>A song to <i>praise</i> God</n>


text:
Give thanks to the <i>LORD</i>. Shout to him. <n>Tell the people among the <i>nations</i> what he has done.


text:
<i>Praise</i> his <i>holy</i> name. <n>All the people who want to know the <i>LORD</i> should be happy.


text:
Remember the great things that he has done. <n>He has done things that we cannot understand. <n>Remember them too. <n>He has spoken about things that are right. <n>Remember what he has said about those things.


text:
You are the <i>descendants</i> of his servant, Israel. <n>He has chosen Jacob’s <i>descendants</i> to be his people.


text:
Always remember his <i>covenant</i>. <n>He said that after more than 30 000 years from now, his people should still remember it.


text:
He made that <i>covenant</i> with Abraham. <n>He will do everything that was in his special promise to Isaac.


text:
He gave that special promise for a rule for Jacob’s people. <n>It is a <i>covenant</i> with Israel that will always continue.


text:
He said, ‘I will give the country called Canaan to you. <n>It will be for you and for your <i>descendants</i>.’


text:
At one time, God’s people were only a few people. <n>They were a few people and they were strangers in that country.


text:
They left one country and they went to another country. <n>They left one <i>kingdom</i> and they went to another <i>nation</i>.


text:
He said, ‘Do not even touch my people that I have <i>anointed</i> as mine. <n>And do not hurt my <i>prophets</i>.’


text:
Sing to the <i>LORD</i>. All the people on earth must sing to him. <n>Say that the <i>LORD</i> saves us, day after day.


text:
Speak about his <i>glory</i>. Tell the people in other countries. <n>Tell everyone about the great things that he has done.


text:
The <i>LORD</i> is great. Everyone should <i>praise</i> him very much. <n>All people should be afraid to make him angry. He is greater than all other gods.


text:
His <i>glory</i> shines all round him. And anyone can see that he is very great. <n>Those in his <i>temple</i> are happy and powerful.


text:
<i>Praise</i> the <i>LORD</i> you <i>nations</i> on earth. <n><i>Praise</i> him for his <i>glory</i> and because he is very strong.


text:
Always remember that he and his name are both very great. <n>Come to him with an <i>offering</i>. <n>Put on <i>holy</i> clothes and then <i>worship</i> him.


text:
Be afraid in front of him, everyone who lives on earth. <n>The world is very safe. Nobody can move it.


text:
The stars in the sky should be happy and the earth should be happy. <n>All the people in the world should say, ‘The <i>LORD</i> rules as king!’


text:
The sea and all the things in it should make a loud noise. <n>The fields will be happy and everything in them will be happy too.


text:
Then all the trees in the forest will sing. <n>They will sing to the <i>LORD</i> because they are happy. <n>They will be happy because he has come to be the <i>judge</i> of all the people on the earth.


text:
Say to him, ‘Our God, you always save us! <n>Save us now and bring us to our own country out of all the <i>nations</i>.’ <n>We want to thank you for your <i>holy</i> name. <n>We want to be happy and we want to <i>praise</i> you.


text:
<i>Praise</i> the <i>LORD</i>, the God of Israel <n>from the beginning to the end of time. <n>Then all the people said, ‘<i>Amen</i>!’ and they <i>praised</i> the <i>LORD</i>. <n>How the people should <i>worship</i> the <i>LORD</i></n>


text:
King David said, ‘Asaph and his <i>relatives</i> should always be leaders of the <i>worship</i> there in front of the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>Covenant Box</i>. They must do that each day as the rules describe.’ 


text:
He told Obed-Edom and 68 men from his <i>clan</i> that they must help them. Jeduthun’s son, Obed-Edom and Hosah were <i>guards</i> at the doors.


text:
Zadok the <i>priest</i> and the other priests stayed with the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>tent</i>. That was at Gibeon, at the high place there. 


text:
Their job was to burn <i>sacrifices</i> to the <i>LORD</i> on the <i>altar</i> for <i>sacrifices</i> by fire. They did that every morning and every evening as Moses had written in the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>Law</i>. The <i>LORD</i> had given the <i>Law</i> to Israel’s people and they had to obey it. 


text:
Heman and Jeduthun were with them. David had chosen some other men’s names and they were there too. They had to give thanks to the <i>LORD</i> for his kind love that would have no end. 


text:
Heman and Jeduthun also kept the <i>trumpets</i>, <i>cymbals</i> and other things to make music. They made music with them when they were singing to <i>praise</i> God. And Jeduthun’s sons stood at the gate.


text:
Then all the people left and they all went to their houses. And David went to his house to pray for everyone who lived in his house.


text:
David’s king’s house was now his home. Then he spoke to Nathan the <i>prophet</i>. ‘Now I am living in a house that men have made from the wood of <i>cedar</i> trees. But the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>Covenant Box</i> is in a <i>tent</i>’, he said.


text:
Nathan replied to David, ‘The <i>LORD</i> is with you. So do anything that you want to do about that.’ <n>God speaks to Nathan</n>


text:
‘Go and speak to my servant David. This is what I say. “You are not the right man to build a house for me to live in. 


text:
I have not lived in a house since I brought the <i>Israelites</i> up out of Egypt. I have moved from one place to another and I have lived in different <i>tents</i>. 


text:
I told the <i>Israelites</i>’ leaders that they must be like <i>shepherds</i> to my people. But I did not say in any of those places, ‘You should have built a house of <i>cedar</i> for me.’ ”


text:
Now tell David my servant that the most powerful <i>LORD</i> is saying to him, “I took you when you were in the fields with your father’s sheep. And I made you the ruler over my people Israel. 


text:
I have been with you in all the places that you have gone. And I have killed all your enemies before they reached you. Now I will make your name great. It will be as great as the names of earth’s greatest men. 


text:
And I will give to my people Israel a place to stay and to grow. Then they can have their own land and other people will not be able to send them away. <i>Wicked</i> people have attacked them and they have hurt them. But they will not continue to do that. 


text:
They have done that all the time. They have done it since I chose leaders over my people Israel. But I will cause your enemies to be quiet. I am telling you that the <i>LORD</i> will build a house for you. 


text:
When it is the right time, you will die. And people will bury you where they buried your <i>ancestors</i>. Then I will cause a man from among your sons to be king instead. I will make his <i>kingdom</i> strong and safe and I will keep it strong and safe. 


text:
I will be like a father to him and he will be like my son. I will not take my kind love away from him as I took it away from the king before you. 


text:
He will rule my people and my <i>kingdom</i> for all time. His <i>kingdom</i> will be safe for all time.” ’


text:
Nathan told David all the words that the <i>LORD</i> had said to him. He told him everything that God had shown to him. <n>The <i>LORD</i> promised to build a ‘house’ for David (verse 10). That meant that he would give to David a family with many <i>descendants</i>. They would be an important <i>clan</i>. <n>David prays to the <i>LORD</i></n>


text:
Then King David went in and he sat down in front of the <i>LORD</i>. Then he said, ‘I am not great or important and my <i>clan</i> is not great or important. But you have already done very many good things for me, <i>LORD</i> God. 


text:
But you are my God and you have decided to do many more things for me. You have promised things to me about my future <i>descendants</i>. You, <i>LORD</i> God, have caused me to seem like a very great man. 


text:
You know your servant. You have promised to make me very great. And I cannot say any more about that.


text:
You have decided to promise these great things to me, <i>LORD</i>. And you are telling me that I will become very great. 


text:
There is nobody like you, <i>LORD</i>. And you are the only God. Our <i>ancestors</i> have always told us that. 


text:
Israel is a very special <i>nation</i>. There is no other <i>nation</i> on earth like it. We were slaves in Egypt and you chose to save us for yourself. You did great things and you pushed out our enemies. So the people in all the <i>nations</i> knew that you are very great. And it made them all afraid of you. 


text:
You chose Israel to be your own people for all time. And you, <i>LORD</i> have become the God of Israel.


text:
Now, <i>LORD</i> please do the things that you have promised to me, your servant, about my <i>descendants</i>. Please do not let anyone change those things. 


text:
Do that so that your name will always be great. So then people will say, “The great and powerful <i>LORD</i> is Israel’s God.” And David’s <i>descendants</i> will always be your servants.


text:
You have told me, your servant, that you will build a house for me. So I was not afraid to pray to you. 


text:
Now it has given you pleasure to <i>bless</i> your servant. You have said that I will continue to have <i>descendants</i> for all time. You have <i>blessed</i> my <i>descendants</i>, <i>LORD</i> and so you certainly will do good things for them for all time.’


text:
After some time, David had won all his fights with the <i>Philistines</i>. They became quiet and they did not fight him after that. He won Gath and the villages round it from the <i>Philistines</i>.


text:
David also fought the <i>Moabites</i> and he beat them. He ruled them and they had to bring gifts to him.


text:
David also beat Hadadezer, king of Zobah. He won land as far as Hamath and he ruled the land up to the River Euphrates. 


text:
David took from Hadadezer 1000 <i>chariots</i>, 7000 men who drove them and 20 000 walking soldiers. David kept 100 horses for his <i>chariots</i>. But he hurt the other horses so that they could not walk well.


text:
Men from Damascus in Syria came to help Hadadezer, the king of Zobah. And David killed 22 000 men from Syria. 


text:
David put some of his soldiers in Damascus in Syria to keep it for him. Then he ruled over the people in Syria and they had to bring gifts to him. The <i>LORD</i> helped David to win his fights everywhere that he went.


text:
David took the gold <i>shields</i> that Hadadezer’s soldiers carried. And he brought them to Jerusalem. 


text:
David also took a lot of <i>bronze</i> from Tibhath and Cun. Those towns had been Hadadezer’s towns. Solomon used that <i>bronze</i> to make the big <i>bowl</i> in the <i>temple</i>. It seemed like a small sea. He also used that <i>bronze</i> to make <i>pillars</i> that held up the <i>temple</i>’s roof. And he made the smaller <i>bronze bowls</i> out of that <i>bronze</i> too.


text:
Hadadezer had often fought against Tou. So Tou sent his son Hadoram to ask King David if he was well. And he wanted Hadoram to tell David that he had done well against Hadadezer. He also sent many kinds of things of gold, <i>silver</i> and <i>bronze</i> to David.


text:
King David saved all those things for the <i>LORD</i>. He had done that with all the <i>silver</i> and gold that he had taken from other <i>nations</i>. Those <i>nations</i> were Edom, Moab, Ammon, Philistia and Amalek.


text:
He put groups of soldiers in Edom. Then David ruled over all Edom. The <i>LORD</i> caused David to win all the fights that he had in every place. <n>David’s officers</n>


text:
Zeruiah’s son Joab was over the army. And Ahilud’s son Jehoshaphat recorded the things that happened. 


text:
Ahitub’s son Zadok and Abiathar’s son Ahimelech were <i>priests</i> and Shavsha wrote things for the king. 


text:
Jehoiada’s son Benaiah was over the <i>Cherethites</i> and over the <i>Pelethites</i>. And David’s sons were important officers who helped the king.


text:
David said, ‘Nahash was kind to me. So I will be kind to his son Hanun.’ So David sent some officers to Hanun. He wanted to say that he was sorry about the death of Hanun’s father. David’s servants came to Ammon to tell Hanun that David was sorry about it. 


text:
But the leaders of the people in Ammon said to Hanun, ‘David has sent these men to you. So perhaps you think that he really wants to <i>honour</i> your father. But really his men have come to look at our country so that he can beat you. He wants to rule our country. That is what we think.’ <n>Hanun makes David’s men ashamed</n>


text:
So Hanun took David’s servants and he cut off all their hair. His men cut off the lower half of their long clothes to the top of their legs. Then they sent them away.


text:
Some people came and they told David about the men. So he sent men to meet them because they were very ashamed. The king said, ‘Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown again. Then return.’ <n>The people in Ammon fetch help to fight David</n>


text:
Then the people in Ammon knew that they had caused David to be very angry. So Hanun and the people in Ammon sent about 1000 <i>talents</i> of <i>silver</i> to Aram-Naharaim, Aram-Maacah and Zobah. That was to buy <i>chariots</i> and their drivers from them. 


text:
So they bought 32 000 <i>chariots</i>. They also bought the help of the king of Maacah and his army. These men put their <i>tents</i> near Medeba. At the same time the people from Ammon had come together out of their cities. And they were ready to fight.


text:
People told David about it so he sent out Joab with all the <i>Israelite</i> army of good soldiers. 


text:
So the people from Ammon came out. And they stood ready to fight in front of their city’s gate. The other kings who had come were outside in the fields. <n>Joab wins the fight with the two armies</n>


text:
Joab saw that there were armies in front of him and behind him too. So he took some of Israel’s best soldiers. And he was their leader against the men from Syria. 


text:
He told his brother Abishai that he must be leader of all the other soldiers against the men from Ammon. 


text:
Joab said, ‘If the army from Syria is too strong for me, you must come to me. And you must help me. But if the army from Ammon is too strong for you, I will help you. 


text:
We must be strong and brave. We are fighting for our people and for our God’s cities. The <i>LORD</i> will do what seems good and right to him.’


text:
The men from Ammon saw that the men from Syria had run away. And so they ran from his brother Abishai’s men and they went into the city. So Joab returned to Jerusalem. <n>The men from Syria run away from the <i>Israelites</i></n>


text:
The men from Syria saw that Israel’s men had beaten them. So they sent men with a message to fetch more soldiers. More of their men came across the river, from Syria. Shophach, Hadadezer’s most important officer, was at the front of those men.


text:
Someone told David about it. Then he took all Israel’s soldiers and he crossed the River Jordan. They stood in front of the men from Syria, ready to fight. And the men from Syria fought against David. 


text:
The men from Syria ran away from Israel’s men. And David killed 7000 men who drove <i>chariots</i> and 40 000 other soldiers. And he killed Shophach, the leader of their army. <n>All the kings who had fought him agree to be David’s servants</n>


text:
The other kings saw that Israel had won the fight against Hadadezer. So they made <i>peace</i> with David. They agreed to be his servants. After that, the people from Syria did not want to help the men from Ammon again.


text:
Joab and the army went out in the spring. It was the time of the year when kings go out to fight. Joab destroyed the land of the <i>Ammonites</i> and he came to Rabbah. He put his soldiers all round it. But David stayed in Jerusalem. Joab knocked down the buildings in Rabbah and he broke them. 


text:
David took the <i>crown</i> from the head of Rabbah’s king. It was heavy and its weight was about 34 kilos (75 pounds). It was a <i>crown</i> of gold and there was a valuable stone in it. David’s men put it on his head. He also took very many good things from the city. 


text:
He took out the people who were there. And they had to work for him with tools to cut wood and with iron tools and with axes. That is what David did to all the cities in Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem. <n>The army fights the <i>Philistines</i></n>


text:
Some time after that, they fought the <i>Philistines</i> at Gezer. Sibbecai from Hushah killed a man called Sippai. Sippai was a <i>descendant</i> of the very large people. So Israel beat the <i>Philistines</i>.


text:
In another fight with the <i>Philistines</i>, Jair’s son Elhanan killed Lahmi. Lahmi was the brother of Goliath from Gath. And he had a very heavy <i>spear</i>. Its handle was as large as the piece of wood that people use to make cloth.


text:
And there was again war at Gath. A very tall man in Gath had 24 fingers and toes. He had 6 fingers on each hand and 6 toes on each foot. He too was a <i>descendant</i> of the very large people. 


text:
So David said to Joab and to all his officers, ‘Go and count the people in Israel from Beersheba to Dan. And then come and tell me. Then I will know how many there are.’


text:
But Joab replied, ‘They are all your servants, my <i>lord</i> and my king. I pray that the <i>LORD</i> will make them 100 times more. But it would be better not to do this. You will cause God to be angry with all Israel.’


text:
But Joab had to do what the king had said. So Joab left. And he went through all Israel and then he returned to Jerusalem. 


text:
He told David the number of men who could fight. It was 1 100 000 men in all Israel. All those men knew how to use a <i>sword</i>. And 470 000 men who could use a <i>sword</i> came from Judah. <n>God is angry with David and God <i>punishes</i> Israel</n>


text:
But what the king had said seemed <i>disgusting</i> to Joab. So he did not include the men from Levi’s and Benjamin’s <i>tribes</i>. 


text:
Then David said to God, ‘I have <i>sinned</i> because I have done this thing. Please <i>forgive</i> me. I have done a very silly thing.’ <n>David chooses how God should <i>punish</i> him</n>


text:
‘Go and say this to David: “You may choose one out of these three things for me to <i>punish</i> you. That is what the <i>LORD</i> says.” ’


text:
So Gad went to David and he said to him, ‘This is what the <i>LORD</i> says: “You must choose one out of these things: 


text:
I might cause three years with very little food for your country. Or I might cause you to run from your enemies’ <i>swords</i> for three months while they are killing many people. Or I might cause a very bad illness among your people for three days. The <i>angel</i> of the <i>LORD</i> would kill many people in every part of Israel.” Now tell me an answer to take to him who sent me.’


text:
David said to Gad, ‘I am in great trouble. The <i>LORD</i> is kind and he <i>forgives</i> people. So it is best if he <i>punishes</i> me. I do not want men to <i>punish</i> me.’ <n>The <i>LORD</i> kills many <i>Israelites</i> with a bad illness</n>


text:
God sent an <i>angel</i> to destroy Jerusalem. But then he saw the <i>angel</i> start to kill people. And the <i>LORD</i> was sorry. He said to the <i>angel</i> who was killing them, ‘It is enough. Now stop killing them.’ The <i>LORD</i>’S <i>angel</i> was standing by the <i>threshing-floor</i> of Ornan the <i>Jebusite</i> at that time. <n>God stops the <i>angel</i> killing people in Jerusalem</n>


text:
David looked up and he saw the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>angel</i>. The <i>angel</i> was standing between the earth and <i>heaven</i>. He had a <i>sword</i> in his hand and it was pointing towards Jerusalem. David and the leaders fell down on their faces. They were wearing clothes that were not comfortable.


text:
David said to God, ‘It was I who caused Joab to count the people. I am the man who has done the bad thing. It was I who <i>sinned</i>. These people are like sheep. They have not done anything that was wrong. <i>LORD</i> God, please <i>punish</i> me and my family. But please take away this illness from your people.’ <n>David buys ground from Ornan and David builds an <i>altar</i> there</n>


text:
Then the <i>angel</i> of the <i>LORD</i> spoke to Gad. ‘Tell David that he must build an <i>altar</i> to the <i>LORD</i> on the <i>threshing-floor</i> of Ornan the <i>Jebusite</i>’, he said. 


text:
Ornan and his 4 sons were hitting their food plants until the seeds fell out. They turned and they saw the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>angel</i>. So his sons hid themselves. 


text:
Then David came near to Ornan. He looked and he saw David. He left the <i>threshing-floor</i> and he bent his head to the ground in front of David. 


text:
David said to Ornan, ‘Let me buy this ground so that I can build an <i>altar</i> to the <i>LORD</i> here. Then God will stop the illness that is killing people. I will pay the whole price for the land.’


text:
Ornan replied, ‘Take it. My <i>lord</i> the king may do what he wants to do. Look, I will give the male cows for the <i>sacrifices</i> by fire. And I will give the tools of wood for the fire and the <i>grain</i> for the <i>offering</i> of <i>grain</i> to you. I give everything to you.’


text:
But King David said to Ornan, ‘No, I must pay the whole price. I must pay for your things. I cannot <i>sacrifice</i> to the <i>LORD</i> an <i>offering</i> by fire that costs me nothing.’


text:
David built an <i>altar</i> there to the <i>LORD</i>. On it he gave <i>sacrifices</i> by fire and <i>friendship-offerings</i>. He shouted to the <i>LORD</i> and the <i>LORD</i> answered him with fire from <i>heaven</i>. It burnt David’s <i>offering</i> that was on the <i>altar</i> for <i>sacrifices</i> by fire. <n>The <i>LORD</i> stops <i>punishing</i> the people</n>


text:
Then the <i>LORD</i> spoke to the <i>angel</i>. And the <i>angel</i> put his <i>sword</i> away into its case. 


text:
David saw that the <i>LORD</i> had answered him at the <i>threshing-floor</i> of Ornan the <i>Jebusite</i>. So he burnt <i>sacrifices</i> to God there. 


text:
At that time the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>tent</i> was on the high place at Gibeon. That was the <i>tent</i> that Moses had made in the <i>desert</i>. And the <i>altar</i> for <i>sacrifices</i> by fire was also at Gibeon. 


text:
But David was afraid of the <i>sword</i> of the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>angel</i>. So he could not go to the <i>altar</i> there to meet with God


text:
And then David said, ‘We will build the house of the <i>LORD</i> God here. Also, the <i>altar</i> for <i>sacrifices</i> by fire for Israel will be here.’ 


text:
So he told his officers that they must bring together all the foreign men in Israel. From them he chose men to cut the stones so that the people could build the <i>LORD</i>’s house. 


text:
He supplied a lot of iron. That was for things that would hold together its doors and gates and other things. He also gave them more <i>bronze</i> than they could weigh. 


text:
The people from Tyre and Sidon had brought a lot of <i>cedar</i> wood to David. So David also supplied more pieces of <i>cedar</i> wood than anyone could count.


text:
David said, ‘The house for the <i>LORD</i> must be great and beautiful. The people in every country must know about it. My son Solomon is young and he has not made anything like this before. I must make things ready for him.’ So David prepared a lot of everything for the building before he died. <n>David tells Solomon why he must build the <i>temple</i></n>


text:
Then David sent someone to fetch Solomon. He told him that he must build a house for the <i>LORD</i>, the God of Israel. 


text:
He said to Solomon, ‘My son, I really wanted to build a house for the name of the <i>LORD</i> my God. 


text:
But the <i>LORD</i> spoke to me. He said, “You have caused many men to die and you have fought great fights. I know that you have killed many men. So you must not build a house for my name. 


text:
But you will have a son who will be a quiet man, a man of <i>peace</i>. I will cause all his enemies round this country to give <i>peace</i> to him. His name will be Solomon. I will cause <i>peace</i> for Israel while he is its king. And there will not be any trouble for the country. 


text:
He will build a house for my name. He will be my son and I will be his father. I will make it sure that he and his <i>descendants</i> will be kings of Israel for all time.”


text:
Now, my son, I pray that the <i>LORD</i> will be with you. And I pray that he will help you to finish this building. And so you will build the house of the <i>LORD</i> your God as he said about you. 


text:
But I pray that the <i>LORD</i> will make you <i>wise</i>. I want him to give <i>wisdom</i> to you when he causes you to rule over Israel. So you will obey the <i>Law</i> of the <i>LORD</i>, your God. 


text:
Then everything that you do will go well. But you must be careful to obey the <i>laws</i> and the rules that the <i>LORD</i> gave to Moses for Israel. Be strong and brave. Do not be afraid. And do not think that this is too difficult for you to do.’ <n>The things that David has saved to build the <i>temple</i></n>


text:
‘I have been very careful to make many things ready for you to build the <i>LORD</i>’s house. I have for you 100 000 <i>talents</i> of gold and 1 000 000 <i>talents</i> of <i>silver</i>. And I have more <i>bronze</i> and iron than you can weigh. And I have wood and stone and you must prepare even more. 


text:
You have many men with you who can cut stone. And you have many men who can work with stone. You have many men who can work with wood. And you have many men who can do any kind of difficult work. 


text:
And nobody knows how much gold, <i>silver</i>, <i>bronze</i> and iron there is. So now stand up and begin to build. And I pray that the <i>LORD</i> will be with you.’ <n>David tells the leaders that they must help Solomon to build the <i>LORD</i>’s house</n>


text:
Then David sent messages to all the leaders in Israel. He said that they must help his son Solomon. 


text:
He said to them, ‘The <i>LORD</i> your God is with you and he has let me win fights with all the <i>nations</i> round Israel. Now the <i>LORD</i> and his people rule over all those <i>nations</i>. So he has given you <i>peace</i> everywhere. 


text:
So you should do only things that will give the <i>LORD</i> your God pleasure. And you should only think things like that. Stand up. Begin to build the <i>LORD</i> God’s <i>holy</i> place, the <i>temple</i>, so that you can put the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>Covenant Box</i> there. You can also put God’s <i>holy</i> things into the house that you will build for the name of the <i>LORD</i>.’


text:
His men counted all the <i>Levites</i> who were 30 years old or older. Their number was 38 000 men. 


text:
David said, ‘Now 24 000 men from among these <i>Levites</i> must be over the work of the <i>LORD</i>’s house. And 6000 will be officers and <i>judges</i>. 


text:
And 4000 men will keep the gates safe. And 4000 men will <i>praise</i> the <i>LORD</i> with music. They will use the things that I have made to <i>praise</i> him with.’


text:
David made the <i>Levites</i> into groups. Each group came from a son of Levi. Those sons were Gershon, Kohath and Merari. <n>The Gershon <i>clans</i></n>


text:
The three sons of another Shimei were Shelomoth, Haziel and Haran. Those were the leaders of Ladan’s <i>clans</i>.


text:
Jahath was the oldest and Zizah the second. But because Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons the officers counted them as one <i>clan</i>. <n>The Kohath <i>clans</i></n>


text:
Amram’s sons were Aaron and Moses. The <i>LORD</i> chose Aaron and his <i>descendants</i> for special work for all time. He chose them to make things <i>holy</i> for him and to burn oils with sweet smells to him. He said that they would work for him. And they would <i>bless</i> the people on his behalf. That would be their work for all time. 


text:
The <i>tribe</i> of Levi included the sons of Moses, God’s servant. <n>Moses was a <i>Levite</i> but his wife was not an <i>Israelite</i>. 


text:
From Eliezer’s family, Rehabiah was the leader. Eliezer had no other sons but Rehabiah had very many sons.


text:
From Hebron’s sons, Jeriah was the leader and Amariah was second. Jahaziel was third and Jekameam was fourth.


text:
Those were the leaders of the <i>Levites</i>’ <i>clans</i> with their <i>descendants</i>. The <i>Israelites</i> recorded the names of all the men who were 20 years old or older. Those men were servants in the <i>LORD</i>’s house. 


text:
David had said, ‘Now the <i>LORD</i>, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people. And he lives in Jerusalem for all time. 


text:
So the <i>Levites</i> do not need to carry his <i>tent</i> and the other things to work for him in it.’ 


text:
David had told them that they should count the <i>Levites</i>. But they should only include the <i>Levites</i> who were 20 years old or older. Those were the last words that he said about the <i>Levites</i>. <n>The work of the <i>Levites</i></n>


text:
The <i>Levites</i>’ work was to help Aaron’s <i>descendants</i> to be servants in the <i>LORD</i>’s house. They kept the yards and the side rooms and the <i>holy</i> things <i>clean</i>. And they helped in God’s house in other ways. 


text:
They kept the special bread that the <i>priests</i> put on the table in the <i>holy</i> place. They kept the good flour for the <i>offering</i> of <i>grain</i> and for the bread that they made without <i>yeast</i>. They mixed the bread for the <i>sacrifices</i> and they baked it. They also helped with the <i>offering</i> that the <i>priests</i> mixed with oil. And they weighed everything and they measured everything. 


text:
They had to stand every morning to thank and to <i>praise</i> the <i>LORD</i>. And they had to do the same in the evening. 


text:
They also had to sing when the <i>priests</i> gave <i>sacrifices</i> by fire to the <i>LORD</i> on special days. That included the <i>Sabbaths</i> and the New Moon <i>sacrifices</i>. The correct number of <i>Levites</i> must do everything in the proper way. They must always work in a regular way and at the correct times in front of the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
So the <i>Levites</i> had special work. They had to keep the place where people met God and its <i>holy</i> place <i>clean</i>. And they had to help their cousins, Aaron’s <i>descendants</i> with their work in the <i>LORD</i>’s house. <n>Aaron and Moses were both from Levi’s <i>tribe</i>. But God chose only Aaron and his <i>descendants</i> to give <i>sacrifices</i> to him. 


text:
But Nadab and Abihu died before their father died. And they had no sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar were the <i>priests</i>. 


text:
Zadok and Ahimelech helped David to put them into groups. Zadok was a <i>descendant</i> of Eleazar and Ahimelech was a <i>descendant</i> of Ithamar. They gave to each group special jobs and regular times to work. 


text:
They found more leaders among Eleazar’s <i>descendants</i> than among Ithamar’s <i>descendants</i>. They put 16 leaders of <i>clans</i> from Eleazar’s <i>descendants</i> and 8 leaders of <i>clans</i> from Ithamar’s <i>descendants</i> over them. 


text:
They chose in a way that was fair to every group. The <i>descendants</i> of Eleazar and the <i>descendants</i> of Ithamar included officers for the <i>holy</i> place. And both groups included officers to work for God.


text:
Nethanel’s son Shemaiah the <i>Levite</i> was a writer. He recorded their names in front of the king and the other rulers. So Zadok the <i>priest</i>, Abiathar’s son Ahimelech and the leaders of the <i>priests</i>’ <i>clans</i> and of the <i>Levites</i>’ <i>clans</i> were watching. They chose one group from Eleazar’s <i>clan</i> then one group from Ithamar’s <i>clan</i>. <n>


text:
This is the list of the group leaders as they chose them. <n>1 Jehoiarib <n>2 Jedaiah <n>3 Harim <n>4 Seorim <n>5 Malchijah <n>6 Mijamin <n>7 Hakkoz <n>8 Abijah <n>9 Jeshua <n>10 Shecaniah <n>11 Eliashib <n>12 Jakim <n>13 Huppah <n>14 Jeshebeab <n>15 Bilgah <n>16 Immer <n>17 Hezir <n>18 Happizzez <n>19 Pethahiah <n>20 Jehezkel <n>21 Jachin <n>22 Gamul <n>23 Delaiah <n>24 Maaziah


text:
Each group followed the group before it to work in the <i>LORD</i>’s house. That was the rule that their <i>ancestor</i>, Aaron gave to them. The <i>LORD</i>, the God of Israel had told him how they must do it. <n>The other <i>Levites</i></n>


text:
These are the other <i>Levites</i>: Shubael was a <i>descendant</i> of Amram and Jehdeiah was a <i>descendant</i> of Shubael.


text:
There were Hebron’s first son Jeriah and his second son Amariah. Then there were his third son Jahaziel and his fourth son Jekameam.


text:
There were Merari’s sons Mahli and Mushi. And the <i>descendants</i> of Merari by his son, Jaaziah were Shoham, Zaccur and Ibri. <n>Some Bible translations seem to include another son called Beno. But the word ‘Beno’ is not really a name. It is a word that means ‘his son’. 


text:
And there were Mushi’s sons, Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth. <n>That is the list of all the <i>Levites</i>’ <i>clans</i>.


text:
They, like their brothers, Aaron’s <i>descendants</i>, also asked God to choose which jobs each man should do. King David, Zadok and Ahimelech watched them. The leaders of the <i>priests</i>’ <i>clans</i> and the leaders of the <i>Levites</i>’ <i>clans</i> also did that. They did not give the <i>clans</i> of the oldest brother special places.


text:
David, with some of his most important army officers, chose some <i>Levites</i> to <i>prophesy</i> with <i>harps</i>, <i>lyres</i> and <i>cymbals</i>. They were from the families of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun. Here is a list of these men:


text:
From Asaph’s sons were Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah and Asarelah. Asaph was over them. He <i>prophesied</i> when the king wanted him to prophesy.


text:
From Jeduthun’s sons, there were 6 <i>prophets</i>, who were Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah and Mattithiah. Their father, the <i>prophet</i> Jeduthun was over them. He used a <i>harp</i> to thank and to <i>praise</i> the <i>LORD</i>.


text:
From Heman’s sons, there were Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani and Eliathah. And there were Giddalti and Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir and Mahazioth. 


text:
All those men were sons of Heman, the king’s <i>prophet</i>. God had promised them to him to <i>honour</i> him. God gave Heman 14 sons and three daughters.


text:
Their father was over all those men to make music for the <i>LORD</i>’s house. They used <i>cymbals</i>, <i>harps</i> and <i>lyres</i> for <i>worship</i> in God’s house. The king told Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman how they should be leaders in this music. 


text:
All those men knew how to make music in a very good way. Other <i>Levites</i> also made music. So, there were 288 <i>Levites</i> who made music for the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
They included young men and older men, teachers and students. They chose in a fair way the groups in which they must work.


text:
The first group that they chose was a group of the <i>relatives</i> of Asaph’s son, Joseph. The second group was 12 men. They were Gedaliah with his brothers and his sons. 


text:
These are the groups of <i>guards</i> of the <i>temple</i>’s gates. Kore’s son Meshelemiah was a <i>descendant</i> of Asaph, who was from the <i>clan</i> of Korah. 


text:
And Meshelemiah had 7 sons. These were their names: Zechariah was born first and Jediael was his second son. Zebadiah was his third son and Jathniel was his 4th son. 


text:
Obed-Edom was another <i>guard</i>. God had <i>blessed</i> him with 8 sons. These were their names: Shemaiah was born first. Jehozabad was his second son and Joah was his third son. Sachar was his 4th son and Nethanel was his 5th son. 


text:
Also, his son, Shemaiah had 4 sons. They were called Othni, Rephael, Obed and Elzabad. They were rulers in their <i>clan</i>. They were very brave and their <i>relatives</i>, Elihu and Semachiah were also strong men.


text:
All those men were sons of Obed-Edom. They and their sons and their <i>relatives</i> were men who could work well. All those men could work well because they were strong. There were 62 of these men who belonged to Obed-Edom’s <i>clan</i>.


text:
And Meshelemiah had 18 sons and men from among his <i>relatives</i> who could work well. <n>Merari’s family</n>


text:
Also, Merari’s son Hosah had 4 sons. Shimri was the most important son. Shimri was not born first but his father made him the most important son among his sons. 


text:
Hilkiah was second. Tebaliah was third and Zechariah was the 4th son. There were 13 men from Hosah’s <i>clan</i> who worked as <i>guards</i>.


text:
The leaders of the <i>clans</i> agreed how and when each group should work as <i>guards</i> in the <i>LORD</i>’s house. 


text:
They chose their jobs in the same fair way as they had chosen the work for the other <i>Levites</i>. They did that for each gate. They were fair to the large <i>clans</i> but they were also fair to the small ones.


text:
They chose Shelemiah for the East gate. They chose his son Zechariah for the North gate and he gave good <i>advice</i>. 


text:
They chose Obed-Edom to be a <i>guard</i> at the South gate. They chose his sons to be <i>guards</i> at the place where the <i>Levites</i> kept things for their work. 


text:
Shuppim and Hosah kept the West gate safe and the Shallecheth Gate on the higher road. They chose the times for a group to work each day. 


text:
Six <i>Levites</i> kept safe the east, four the north and four the south each day. Two worked together each day to be <i>guards</i> at the place where they kept their things. 


text:
On the west side, there were 4 <i>guards</i> on the road near the yard. And there were two <i>guards</i> on the west side at the yard.


text:
That is how they gave their jobs as <i>guards</i> to each group among the <i>clans</i> of Korah and Merari. <n>The work of other <i>Levite</i> families</n>


text:
From the other <i>Levites</i>, Ahijah kept the valuable things safe. That included the valuable things that the <i>priests</i> used in God’s house. And it included the valuable things that people had given to God.


text:
Ladan was a <i>descendant</i> of Gershon and he was the <i>ancestor</i> of several <i>clans</i>. Jehieli was a leader of one <i>clan</i>. 


text:
The sons of Jehieli, Zetham and his brother Joel, kept safe the valuable things in the <i>LORD</i>’s house.


text:
Gershom’s <i>descendant</i>, Shebuel was the most important officer over the valuable things. Gershom was a son of Moses. 


text:
Gershom’s brother, Eliezer was the father of Rehabiah. Jeshaiah was his son and he was the father of Joram. Joram’s son, Zichri, was the father of Shelomoth. 


text:
Shelomoth and his <i>relatives</i> kept safe all the <i>holy</i> things that King David had given to God. The leaders of <i>clans</i> and army officers had also given things to God. Some officers were over groups of 1000 soldiers and some officers were over groups of 100 soldiers. Shelomoth and his <i>relatives</i> kept those <i>holy</i> things safe too. 


text:
When the <i>Israelites</i> won a fight, they won things from their enemies. Then they took a part of the good things that they had won. Then they gave them to pay for repairs to the <i>LORD</i>’s house. 


text:
That included all the things that Samuel the <i>prophet</i> and Saul the son of Kish had given. And it included the things that Ner’s son, Abner had given. And it included the things that Zeruiah’s son Joab had given. Shelomoth and his <i>relatives</i> kept those things safe too.


text:
Chenaniah and his sons were <i>descendants</i> of Izhar. They did not work in the <i>temple</i>. They were <i>judges</i> and officers over Israel.


text:
Hashabiah, Hebron’s <i>descendant</i>, had 1700 good workers in his <i>clan</i>. They were over the people to the west of the River Jordan. They made it sure that they worked for the <i>LORD</i> and for the king in a proper way. 


text:
Jerijah was the most important man among Hebron’s <i>descendants</i>. When David had been king for 40 years, people looked in the records of their <i>ancestors</i> and of their <i>descendants</i>. They read there that great soldiers of the Hebron <i>clan</i> were living at Jazer in Gilead. 


text:
There were 2700 men from Jerijah’s <i>clan</i> who were good leaders. King David told them that they must be leaders of Reuben’s <i>tribe</i>, Gad’s tribe and the half tribe of Manasseh. They were over them for everything that was important to God or to the king.


text:
Each month, a group of 24 000 men were the king’s servants. They worked for him in everything that was about the army. Among these men were leaders of <i>clans</i>, officers over groups of 1000 or 100 men. Among them, there were also other men who worked for the king. Each group worked for one month each year. This is a list of their names.


text:
Dodai was from the town called Ahoah. He was the leader of the group of 24 000 men for the second month. Mikloth was his most important helper.


text:
Benaiah, the son of the <i>priest</i> Jehoiada, was the leader of the third group for the third month. He was the most important officer and there were 24 000 men in his group. 


text:
This Benaiah was a great soldier. He was the leader of the special soldiers who were called ‘The 30’. His son Ammizabad was the leader of his group.


text:
Asahel, Joab’s brother, was the leader of the 4th group of 24 000 men for the 4th month. His son Zebadiah was the leader of the group after him.


text:
Ira was the leader of the 6th group of 24 000 men for the 6th month. He was the son of Ikkesh from Tekoa.


text:
Helez was the leader of the 7th group of 24 000 men for the 7th month. He was from the people called Pelonites in Ephraim


text:
Sibbecai from Hushah was the leader of the 8th group of 24 000 men for the 8th month. He was from Zerah’s <i>clan</i>.


text:
Maharai from Netophah was the leader of the 10th group of 24 000 men for the 10th month. He was from Zerah’s <i>clan</i>.


text:
Heldai from Netophah was the leader of the 12th group of 24 000 men for the 12th month. He was from Othniel’s <i>clan</i>. <n>Officers over the <i>tribes</i> of Israel</n>


text:
And over the <i>tribes</i> of Israel, the ruler of the tribe of Reuben was Eliezer, the son of Zichri. Over Simeon was Maacah’s son, Shephatiah.


text:
Over Levi was Kemuel’s son, Hashabiah. Zadok was over Aaron’s <i>clan</i>. <n>Aaron was a <i>Levite</i>, but his family were <i>priests</i>. 


text:
Over Ephraim was Hoshea’s son, Azaziah. Over half the <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh was Pedaiah’s son, Joel.


text:
Over the half <i>tribe</i> of Manasseh in Gilead was Zechariah’s son, Iddo. Over Benjamin was Abner’s son, Jaasiel.


text:
Over Dan was Jeroham’s son, Azarel. Those were the officers over the <i>tribes</i> of Israel. <n>David counts the number of men in Israel</n>


text:
The <i>LORD</i> had promised to make Israel a <i>nation</i> with as many people as there are stars in the sky. So David did not count the men who were only 20 years old or less. 


text:
Zeruiah’s son, Joab had begun to count the men but he did not finish. The <i>LORD</i> was angry with Israel because David had started to count them. So nobody wrote the number in the book about King David’s life. <n>Men who kept the king’s things safe</n>


text:
Adiel’s son, Azmaveth was over all the places where the king stored his valuable things. He stored some valuable things outside the city. Uzziah’s son, Jonathan was over those things. They were in towns, villages and strong buildings where soldiers watched for enemies.


text:
Shimei from Ramah was over the men who worked in the <i>vineyards</i>. Zabdi from Shepham was over the men who stored <i>wine</i> from the <i>vineyards</i>.


text:
Baal-Hanan from Geder was over the trees in the lower hills in the west. They were <i>olive</i> and <i>sycamore</i>-fig trees. Joash kept the <i>olive</i> oil.


text:
Shitrai from Sharon was over the men who kept the king’s animals in Sharon. Adlai’s son, Shaphat was over the men who kept his animals in the valleys.


text:
Obil, a <i>descendant</i> of Ishmael, kept the <i>camels</i>. Jehdeiah from Meronoth kept the <i>donkeys</i>.


text:
Jaziz kept the sheep and goats. He belonged to the people called Hagrites. All those men kept King David’s things safe.


text:
David’s <i>uncle</i>, Jonathan had a good mind. And he helped David to decide what he should do. And he was a writer. Hachmoni’s son, Jehiel stayed with the king’s sons. 


text:
Ahithophel helped the king to decide the best things to do. And Hushai, who was born at Archi, was the king’s friend. 


text:
After Ahithophel died, Abiathar and Benaiah’s son, Jehoiada helped the king. They helped him to decide what he should do. And Joab was the leader of the king’s army.


text:
David asked all the leaders of Israel to come to him at Jerusalem. The leaders of the <i>tribes</i> had to come with the officers over the king’s work. That included the officers over the king’s things and his animals or his sons’ things and their animals. It also included the officers over groups of 1000 or 100 men. All the officers in the king’s house and all his brave army officers had to come too.


text:
King David stood up and he said, ‘Listen to me, my <i>relatives</i> and my people. I wanted very much to build a house for the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>Covenant Box</i> to stay. And I wanted it to be a place for our God to put his feet. And I prepared the things that I would need to do it. 


text:
But God said to me, “You are a fighter and you have killed people. So you must not build a house for my name.” ’ <n>God has chosen Solomon to be king after David</n>


text:
‘But the <i>LORD</i>, the God of Israel chose me from all my <i>clan</i>. He chose me to be king over Israel for all time. He chose Judah to rule over the people and he chose my family from the <i>tribe</i> of Judah. And he chose me from my father’s sons to be king over all Israel. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> has given me many sons and he has chosen Solomon from among them. He has chosen him to sit on the king’s seat and to rule over the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>kingdom</i>. That <i>kingdom</i> is Israel. 


text:
He said to me, “Solomon your son will build my house and the buildings round it. That is because I have chosen him to be like my son. And I will be like his father. 


text:
But he must always do the things that give me pleasure. And he must obey my <i>laws</i>. He must obey me as he is doing now. If he does that, I will make his <i>kingdom</i> strong for all time.”


text:
Now I am telling you this in front of all the <i>LORD</i>’s people, Israel. And God can hear what I am saying. You must be careful to obey all the <i>laws</i> of the <i>LORD</i> your God. You must carefully read about all his rules and you must obey them. Then you will have this good country. And after you die it will be for your <i>descendants</i> to keep for all time.’ <n>Solomon will build God’s house</n>


text:
‘And you, Solomon my son, know your father’s God. Be his <i>faithful</i> servant in every way with your whole mind. The <i>LORD</i> knows what you are thinking. And he understands all your thoughts. If you look for him, you will find him. But if you leave him, he will turn away from you for all time. 


text:
Think now how the <i>LORD</i> has chosen you. He has chosen you to build a house that will be his <i>temple</i>. Be strong and do this work.’ <n>Solomon learns how to build the <i>temple</i></n>


text:
Then David showed to his son Solomon everything that he had prepared for him to do. He showed him how to build the way into the <i>temple</i>. He showed him how its buildings should be. He showed him how to build the rooms to store valuable things. He described the upstairs rooms and the inside rooms. And he described the room where the <i>Covenant Box</i> with its special lid would be. 


text:
He gave to him pictures of the house of the <i>LORD</i>. And he gave to him pictures of every room that God’s Spirit had shown to him. He included the yards and the rooms where they would keep valuable things safe. And he showed to him the rooms to store all the things that people would give to God.


text:
David gave to him lists of all the things that they would need for the work in the <i>LORD</i>’s house. And he gave to him the lists of the groups of <i>priests</i> and <i>Levites</i>. And he gave to him the rules about how each group should work in the <i>LORD</i>’s house. 


text:
He said how much gold he should use to make those things. He also said how much <i>silver</i> Solomon should use for all the things for the work in the <i>temple</i>. 


text:
He said how much gold was for the <i>lampstands</i> and for their <i>lamps</i>. He told him the weight of <i>silver</i> for the <i>silver lampstands</i> and for their <i>lamps</i>. And he told him where they would put each <i>lampstand</i>. 


text:
He told him the weight of gold for each table on which the <i>priests</i> would put the special bread. And he told him the weight of the <i>silver</i> for the <i>silver</i> tables. 


text:
He told him the weight of gold to use for the forks, dishes and cups. He told him what the weight of each gold dish should be. And he told him the weight of <i>silver</i> for each <i>silver</i> dish. 


text:
He told him the weight of best gold for the <i>altar</i> to burn oils with sweet smells. And he showed him how they must make the <i>models</i> of <i>cherubs</i> out of gold. They would be like a <i>chariot</i> to stand over the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>Covenant Box</i>. And they would cover it with their <i>wings</i>.


text:
David said, ‘I have written this as the <i>LORD</i> told me. And he helped me to understand how to do all the work.’


text:
David said to Solomon his son, ‘Be strong and very brave and do this work. The <i>LORD</i> God, my God is with you. He will not leave you but he will help you. He will stay with you until you have finished all the work. So do not be afraid. And do not think that it will be too difficult for you. Then the <i>LORD</i>’s house will be ready for him. 


text:
Look! The groups of <i>priests</i> and <i>Levites</i> are ready to start work in God’s house. The men who are good at any kind of work will be happy to help. And the officers and all the people will do everything that you want them to do.’


text:
Then King David spoke to all the people who were there. ‘God has chosen my son Solomon. But he is young and he has never done anything like this great work. This building must be very beautiful because it is not for man, but for the <i>LORD</i> God. 


text:
I have given a lot of the valuable things that I had stored for my God’s house. They include gold for the gold work. I have given <i>silver</i> for the things that you will make out of silver. I have given <i>bronze</i> for the things that you will make out of <i>bronze</i>. I have given iron for the things that you will make out of iron. I have given wood for the things that you will make out of wood. I have given a large quantity of all kinds of valuable stones. That includes the valuable stones called onyx, antimony, stones of many colours and also a lot of <i>marble</i>. 


text:
I want very much that we should build this house for my God. So I have also given a lot of my own gold and <i>silver</i>. I am giving that with all the other things that I have prepared for the <i>holy</i> house of my God. 


text:
I have given 3000 <i>talents</i> of gold from Ophir. And I have given 7000 <i>talents</i> of best <i>silver</i> to put over the walls of the buildings. 


text:
And good workers can use that gold and <i>silver</i> to make other things out of gold and <i>silver</i>. Now I want to know who else wants to give to the <i>LORD</i> today.’


text:
Then the leaders of the<i>clans</i> and the leaders of the <i>tribes</i> of Israel were happy to give gifts. The officers over groups of 1000 men and over groups of 100 men gave their gifts. And the officers who were over the king’s work gave their gifts. 


text:
They gave 5000 <i>talents</i> and 10 000 <i>darics</i> of gold and 10 000 <i>talents</i> of <i>silver</i>. And they gave 18 000 <i>talents</i> of <i>bronze</i> and 100 000 <i>talents</i> of iron. They gave this for the work on God’s house. 


text:
People who had valuable stones gave them to the <i>LORD</i>’s house. Jehiel from the Gershon <i>clan</i> stored these in a safe place in the <i>LORD</i>’s house. 


text:
So the people were very happy because it gave their leaders pleasure to give. They were very happy to give to the <i>LORD</i>. David the king was also very happy.


text:
David <i>praised</i> the <i>LORD</i> in front of all the people who were present there. He said, <n>‘We <i>praise</i> you <i>LORD</i>. <n>You are the God of our <i>ancestor</i>, Israel (Jacob). <n>We <i>praise</i> you now and we should praise you for all time.


text:
You, <i>LORD</i>, are greater and more beautiful than anyone else is. <n>You can do anything and you can beat anyone. <n>You are the king and everything in <i>heaven</i> and on earth is yours, <i>LORD</i>. <n>You have a great <i>kingdom</i> and you are over everyone and over everything.


text:
All valuable things come from you and only you can make someone great or important. <n>You are the ruler over all things. <n>You are able to make people strong and to make them powerful. <n>You can make them great and you can make everybody strong.


text:
But I am not a great person and my people are like nothing. But we are able to give all these things to you. You gave to us everything that we have. We have only given back to you some of your own things. 


text:
We are like strangers and like foreign people to you, as all our <i>ancestors</i> were. We are only here for a short time. We live for a short time and then we go away like shadows. And nobody lives for a very long time. 


text:
All these things that we have given have come from you, the <i>LORD</i>, our God. Everything that we have given to build a house for your <i>holy</i> name is yours. And it came from you. 


text:
You are my God. And you can see what we are really like. I know that. And when we do good things it gives pleasure to you. I am happy that I have given these things to you. That is what I really wanted. And now I have seen that your people here have been happy to give to you. And that has made me happy too. 


text:
You, <i>LORD</i>, are the God of our <i>ancestors</i> Abraham, Isaac and Israel. I pray that your people will always want to do things like this. I pray that you will help your people always to think like this. And I pray that they will always want to be your servants. 


text:
I ask that you will cause my son Solomon to obey all your <i>commandments</i>, rules and <i>laws</i>. Please let him build your great house. I have given to him all the things that he will need for that.’ <n>David and the people <i>praise</i> the <i>LORD</i></n>


text:
Then David spoke to all the people who were there together. ‘Now <i>praise</i> the <i>LORD</i>, your God’, he said. So all the people <i>praised</i> the <i>LORD</i>, the God of their <i>ancestors</i>. They bent down their heads and they <i>worshipped</i> the <i>LORD</i>. And they fell flat in front of the king. <n>All the people <i>worship</i> the <i>LORD</i></n>


text:
On the next day, they gave <i>sacrifices</i> to the <i>LORD</i>. They burnt 1000 male cows, 1000 male sheep and 1000 young sheep as gifts to the <i>LORD</i>. They also gave the proper <i>offerings</i> of <i>wine</i> with them. And there were many more <i>sacrifices</i> for the <i>Israelites</i>. <n>The people <i>anoint</i> Solomon as king</n>


text:
They were happy on that day. And they ate and they drank there in front of the <i>LORD</i>. <n>Then, in front of the <i>LORD</i>, they poured oil on the head of David’s son Solomon for the second time. That made him their king. And they poured oil on Zadok’s head as <i>priest</i>. 


text:
Solomon’s father David had sat on the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>throne</i> as king. But now Solomon sat there instead. Everything went well for him and all the people in Israel obeyed him. 


text:
All King David’s officers and all his soldiers promised to obey King Solomon. And even David’s other sons promised to obey King Solomon.


text:
The <i>LORD</i> caused all the people in Israel to think that Solomon was very great. And they <i>honoured</i> him. The <i>LORD</i> had not made any king of Israel before him so great. <n>David dies</n>


text:
He had ruled over Israel for 40 years. He ruled them from Hebron for 7 years and for 33 years he ruled in Jerusalem. 


text:
He lived for a long time. And he was a good age when he died. God gave many valuable things to him and God made him very great. And his son Solomon ruled instead.


text:
The <i>prophets</i> Samuel, Nathan and Gad wrote books about all the things that King David did. They wrote about everything that he did from the beginning to the end. 


text:
They tell us about the way that he ruled and about his great power. They tell us everything about his life and about what happened in Israel and in all the <i>kingdoms</i> round it.


text:
David’s son Solomon made himself strong over his <i>kingdom</i>. The <i>LORD</i> his God was with him. And the <i>LORD</i> made him very great.


text:
Solomon spoke to all the people in Israel. He spoke to the officers who were over groups of 1000 men. And he spoke to the officers who were over groups of 100 men. He spoke to the <i>judges</i> and to all the leaders in Israel. And he spoke to the leaders of the families. 


text:
Then Solomon and all those people went to the town called Gibeon. They went to the place for <i>worship</i> there. The <i>tent</i> where God met with his people was there. Moses, the <i>LORD</i>’s servant, had made it in the <i>desert</i>. 


text:
But David had brought God’s <i>Covenant Box</i> from Kiriath-Jearim to Jerusalem. David had made a place for it and he had made a <i>tent</i> for it in Jerusalem. 


text:
But David put the <i>bronze altar</i> that Bezalel had made in Gibeon in front of the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>tent</i>. (Bezalel was the son of Uri, who was the son of Hur.) So Solomon and the people went to meet <i>LORD</i> there. 


text:
Solomon went up to the <i>bronze altar</i> in front of the <i>LORD</i>. The <i>altar</i> was in front of the <i>holy tent</i> for the people. And he burnt 1000 <i>sacrifices</i> on the <i>altar</i>. <n>God asks Solomon what he wants</n>


text:
That night, God appeared to Solomon and he said to him, ‘Ask for anything that you want me to give to you.’ <n>Solomon asks God to make him <i>wise</i></n>


text:
Solomon answered God, ‘You have been very kind to my father David. And you have caused me to be king instead. 


text:
Now, <i>LORD</i> God, do as you promised to my father David. You have caused me to rule over people who seem as many as the <i>dust</i> of the ground. 


text:
So now please give to me <i>wisdom</i> and <i>knowledge</i> so that I can be the leader of these people. Nobody can rule this big <i>nation</i> without your help, because these people are yours.’ <n>God’s answer</n>


text:
God said to Solomon, ‘You have not asked to become rich or for valuable things. You have not asked for <i>honour</i> or for the death of your enemies. You have not asked for a long life. But you asked for <i>wisdom</i> and <i>knowledge</i> to rule over my people, because I have caused you to rule. And that is what you wanted. 


text:
So I will give to you <i>wisdom</i> and <i>knowledge</i>. Also, I will make you rich. And I will give to you valuable things. You will have more of those than any king who has lived before you. And you will have more of those than any king who will live after you. And I will cause people to give <i>honour</i> to you. They will give more <i>honour</i> to you than people have given to any king before you or after you.’


text:
So, Solomon left the place for <i>worship</i> at Gibeon. He went from the <i>tent</i> where God met with his people. And he returned to Jerusalem. There he ruled over Israel. <n>Solomon buys horses and <i>chariots</i></n>


text:
Solomon bought many <i>chariots</i> and men to ride horses. He had 1400 <i>chariots</i> and 12 000 men to ride horses. He kept them in special cities for <i>chariots</i> and some with him in Jerusalem. 


text:
There was a lot of <i>silver</i> and gold in Jerusalem while he was king. People had so much <i>silver</i> and gold that they were like stones in Jerusalem. And they had as much wood from <i>cedar</i> trees as from the common trees that grew in the low hills. 


text:
The <i>chariots</i> came from Egypt. A <i>chariot</i> cost 7 kilos of <i>silver</i> (15 pounds weight) and a horse cost 1.7 kilos of silver (3.25 pounds). Also they sold horses and <i>chariots</i> to all the kings of the people called Hittites and the people from Syria.


text:
So Solomon chose 70 000 men to carry all the heavy things that he needed. And he had 80 000 men who cut big stones in the hills. And he chose 3600 men to be over those workers. <n>Solomon asks Huram for help</n> 


text:
Solomon wrote a letter to Huram, king of Tyre. It said, ‘Send to me the wood of <i>cedar</i> trees as you did for my father David. You sent it for him to build a house to live in. 


text:
Now I will build a house to <i>honour</i> the <i>LORD</i> my God. It will be a <i>holy</i> place for him. The people and I will burn oils with sweet smells for him. There we will offer special bread to him each day. And we will burn <i>sacrifices</i> to the <i>LORD</i> our God. We will do that every morning, every evening and on <i>Sabbaths</i> and New Moon days and on other <i>holy</i> days. This is a rule for Israel for all time.


text:
The house that I will build for our God will be great. It will be great because he is greater than all gods. 


text:
But nobody can really build a house for our God because he is too great. The <i>heavens</i>, even the highest <i>heavens</i>, cannot contain him. I can only build for him a place to offer oils with sweet smells to him.


text:
Now send to me a good worker who is able to make pictures on metal. He must be a man who can work with gold, <i>silver</i>, <i>bronze</i> and iron. And he must be able to work with dark red, <i>purple</i> and blue materials. He will work in Judah and in Jerusalem. He will work with the good workers that my father David chose for me.


text:
And send to me also the wood of <i>cedar</i>, <i>cypress</i> and <i>algum</i> trees from Lebanon. I know that your servants know how to cut wood from there. And my servants will work with your servants. 


text:
I will pay your servants, the men who cut the wood. I will pay them 4400 kilolitres (1 150 000 gallons) of <i>wheat</i> and 4400 kilolitres of <i>barley</i>. Also, I will give to them 440 kilolitres (115 000 gallons) of <i>wine</i> and 440 kilolitres of <i>olive</i> oil.’ <n>Huram replies to Solomon’s letter</n> 


text:
Huram, king of Tyre replied to Solomon with this letter. ‘Because the <i>LORD</i> loves his people, he has chosen you to be their king.’ 


text:
Huram also said, ‘<i>Praise</i> the <i>LORD</i>, the God of Israel who made <i>heaven</i> and earth. He has given a <i>wise</i> son to King David. This son is clever and he understands things well. And he will build a house for the <i>LORD</i> and a king’s house for himself.


text:
His mother came from Dan and his father came from Tyre. He has learnt to work with gold and <i>silver</i>, <i>bronze</i>, iron, stone and wood. He can also work with <i>purple</i>, blue and dark red materials and with <i>linen</i> cloth. He is able to make pictures on metal of any kind that you want. He will work with your good workers and with those of my <i>lord</i> David, your father.


text:
Then we will cut the wood from Lebanon that you need. We will tie the trees together and we will send them like boats on the sea to Joppa. You can take them from there to Jerusalem.’ <n>Solomon decides which men should build the <i>temple</i></n>


text:
Solomon counted all the men in Israel from foreign countries as his father David had done. There were 153 600 of them. 


text:
And he chose 70 000 foreign men to carry things and 80 000 men to cut big stones in the hills. He chose 3600 foreign men to be over the other men and to cause them to work well.


text:
Then Solomon began to build the <i>LORD</i>’s house in Jerusalem on the mountain called Moriah. That is where the <i>LORD</i> appeared to his father David. David had bought that place and he had prepared it. Before that, it was the place where Ornan made his <i>wheat</i> seeds separate from their hard coat. (Ornan belonged to the people called Jebusites.) 


text:
Solomon began to build in the 4th year after he began to rule Israel. It was the 2nd day of the 2nd month.


text:
Solomon put the strong stones for the floor of God’s house in the ground. He made it about 27 metres (90 feet) long and 9 metres (30 feet) wide. (He measured it with the old thing called a cubit.)


text:
The large <i>entrance</i> at the front of the <i>temple</i> was about 9 metres (30 feet) long and 54 metres (180 feet) high. It went across the whole front of the <i>temple</i>. He covered it inside with the best gold. <n>Some students think that the <i>entrance</i> was only 9 metres (30 feet) high. <n>Inside the <i>temple</i></n>


text:
He covered the walls inside the biggest room with <i>pine</i> wood. Then he covered that with good gold. Then his workers drew pictures of <i>palm</i> trees and <i>chains</i> in the gold. 


text:
He used valuable stones to make the <i>temple</i> beautiful. The gold that he used came from Parvaim. 


text:
He covered the <i>temple</i> with gold. He covered the beams in the <i>temple</i>’s ceiling with gold. And he put gold under the doors. And he covered the walls and doors with gold. He cut pictures of <i>cherubs</i> on the walls. <n>The Most <i>Holy</i> Place</n>


text:
He built the Most <i>Holy</i> Place. It measured 9 metres (30 feet) long and 9 metres wide. It was as long as the <i>temple</i> was wide. He covered the walls inside with about 20 000 kilos (45 000 pounds) of the best gold. 


text:
The gold for the <i>nails</i> had a weight of about 0.6 kilos (1.25 pounds). Also, he covered the walls of the rooms above with gold.


text:
In the Most <i>Holy</i> Place, he made <i>models</i> of two <i>cherubs</i> and he covered them with gold. 


text:
They stood side by side in the Most <i>Holy</i> Place with their faces towards the biggest room. Each <i>cherub</i> had 2 <i>wings</i> about 2.3 metres (7.5 feet) long. They held their <i>wings</i> out at their sides. One <i>wing</i> of a <i>cherub</i> touched a <i>wing</i> of the other <i>cherub</i>. The other <i>wing</i> of each <i>cherub</i> touched a wall of the Most <i>Holy</i> Place. Both pairs of <i>wings</i> measured 9 metres (30 feet) together.


text:
He made a blue, <i>purple</i> and dark red <i>linen</i> curtain with pictures of <i>cherubs</i> on it. <n>The two <i>bronze pillars</i></n> 


text:
He made two <i>pillars</i> at the front of the <i>temple</i>. They were about 16 metres (52 feet) long. Each <i>pillar</i> had a top part about 2.3 metres (7.5 feet) long.


text:
He made <i>chains</i> and he put them on the top parts of the <i>pillars</i>. And he made 100 <i>models</i> of fruits called pomegranates. And he put them on the <i>chains</i>. 


text:
Then he put the <i>pillars</i> up on each side of the <i>temple</i>’s <i>entrance</i>. He put one <i>pillar</i> on the right side and he put the other <i>pillar</i> on the left side. The <i>pillar</i> on the right side he called Jachin, and the <i>pillar</i> on the left side he called Boaz.


text:
He made a <i>bronze altar</i>. It was about 9 metres (30 feet) long and 9 metres (30 feet) wide and 4.5 metres (15 feet) high. 


text:
He made a round metal thing like a sea. It was about 4.5 metres (15 feet) across and 2.3 metres (7.5 feet) high. And it was about 13.5 metres (45 feet) round its edge. 


text:
He made shapes of things like male cows below the edge. He put 5 of these to each 0.5 metres (1.5 feet) and 5 more cows below them. And they were part of the same piece of metal as the metal sea.


text:
He put the sea on <i>models</i> of 12 male cows. Three cows looked out towards the north, three towards the west, three towards the south and three towards the east. He put the sea on top of them and their tails were in the centre. 


text:
The edge of the sea was as wide as a hand. And it was like a cup, the shape of a flower called a lily. It contained about 66 000 litres (17 500 gallons) of water.


text:
Then he made 10 <i>bowls</i> to wash in. He put 5 <i>bowls</i> on the right side and 5 <i>bowls</i> on the left side. The <i>priests</i> washed in them all the things that they used for the <i>sacrifices</i> by fire. But the <i>priests</i> washed themselves in the water from the <i>bronze</i> sea.


text:
He made 10 <i>lampstands</i> out of gold. And he did it as the rules about them said. He put them in the <i>temple</i>, 5 on the right side and 5 on the left side. <n>See 1 Chronicles 28:15. 


text:
He also made 10 tables and he put them in the <i>temple</i>. He put 5 tables on the right side and he put 5 tables on the left side. He also made 100 <i>bowls</i> out of gold.


text:
He made the yard for the <i>priests</i> and the big yard outside. He made the doors for the yard and he covered the doors with <i>bronze</i>. 


text:
Huram also made more pots and spades and <i>bowls</i>. So Huram finished the work that he had promised to do for King Solomon for the house of God. <n>Outside the <i>temple</i></n> 


text:
He made the two <i>pillars</i> with their top parts. The top parts were in the shape of <i>bowls</i>. He made the two sets of <i>chains</i> to cover the top parts of the <i>pillars</i>.


text:
And he made 400 <i>models</i> of fruits called pomegranates for the two sets of <i>chains</i>. There were two groups of these fruits for each set of <i>chains</i>. They were to cover the two <i>bowls</i> on the top parts of the <i>pillars</i>. One group was below the other group.


text:
He made the very large <i>bowl</i> that was like a sea. And he made the <i>models</i> of 12 male cows under it.


text:
He made the pots, spades and forks for meat. Huram, the good worker, made all the things for the house of the <i>LORD</i>. He made them from <i>bronze</i> that he caused to shine. King Solomon had told him that he should do that. 


text:
The king caused him to make them in the <i>clay</i> at the Jordan valley between Succoth and Zeredah. He made the shapes of these things out of <i>clay</i>. Then he poured the hot metal into the shapes. 


text:
Solomon made very many things. So nobody knew the weight of the <i>bronze</i> that he used. <n>Inside the <i>temple</i></n>


text:
And Solomon made all the things that were inside God’s house. And he made the <i>altar</i> that he covered with gold. And he made the tables where the <i>priests</i> put the special bread.


text:
He made the <i>lampstands</i> and their <i>lamps</i> out of <i>pure</i> gold. The <i>lamps</i> had to burn in front of the Most <i>Holy</i> Place. That was the rule.


text:
He made the tools to help the <i>lamps</i> to burn well. He made the <i>bowls</i>, the spoons and the pots to contain burning fire. He made all those things out of the best gold. He made the gate of the <i>temple</i> out of gold. And he made the doors to the Most <i>Holy</i> Place inside the <i>temple</i> out of gold. He made the doors of the biggest room in the <i>temple</i> out of gold too.


text:
So Solomon finished all his work for the house of the <i>LORD</i>. Then Solomon brought into it all the things that his father David had saved for the <i>temple</i>. He brought the <i>silver</i> and the gold and all the other things. And he stored them in rooms of God’s house. <n>Solomon brings the <i>Covenant Box</i> to the <i>temple</i></n>


text:
Then Solomon brought all the leaders of the <i>Israelites</i> and of their <i>tribes</i> and <i>clans</i> to Jerusalem. He wanted to bring up the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>Covenant Box</i> from Zion, which is David’s city. 


text:
All the men in Israel came together to the king. It was the time of the <i>feast</i> of the seventh month.


text:
They took the <i>Covenant Box</i>. And they took the <i>Tent</i> where God met with his people. And they took all the <i>holy</i> things that were in the <i>Tent</i>. And the <i>priests</i> and the <i>Levites</i> carried them up to Jerusalem. 


text:
King Solomon and all the <i>Israelites</i> came together in front of the <i>Covenant Box</i>. They <i>sacrificed</i> more sheep and cows than anyone could count. There were so many that nobody could know the number.


text:
Then the <i>priests</i> brought the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>Covenant Box</i> to its place. They put it in the inside room of the <i>temple</i>, that is, the Most <i>Holy</i> Place in the <i>temple</i>. They put it beneath the <i>wings</i> of the <i>cherubs</i>. 


text:
The <i>cherubs</i>’ <i>wings</i> covered the place where the <i>Covenant Box</i> was. So the <i>cherubs</i> covered the <i>Covenant Box</i> and the pieces of wood that the <i>Levites</i> had used to carry it. 


text:
Those pieces of wood were so long that the <i>Levites</i> could see the ends from <i>Holy</i> Place. But nobody could see them from outside it. And they are still there now. 


text:
In the <i>Covenant Box</i>, Moses had put the two pieces of stone at Horeb. The <i>LORD</i> had given a <i>covenant</i> there to the <i>Israelites</i> when they came out of Egypt. Nothing else was in the Box. <n>See Deuteronomy 10:5 and 1 Kings 8:9. <n>The <i>priests</i> sing to <i>praise</i> the <i>LORD</i></n> 


text:
Then all the <i>priests</i> came out of the <i>Holy</i> Place. All the different groups of <i>priests</i> who were there had made themselves <i>holy</i>. 


text:
The <i>Levites</i> who were singing stood to the east of the <i>altar</i>. They were Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and their <i>relatives</i>. They wore clothes of the best <i>linen</i>. And they made music with <i>cymbals</i>, <i>harps</i> and <i>lyres</i>. With them were 120 <i>priests</i> who made sounds with <i>trumpets</i>. 


text:
Those <i>priests</i> and the sound of the <i>trumpets</i> was completely right with the sound of the singers. It was like one sound to <i>praise</i> the <i>LORD</i> and to thank him. The singers sang loudly with those who were making music with <i>trumpets</i>, <i>cymbals</i> and other things. To <i>praise</i> the <i>LORD</i>, they were singing, ‘He is good, because his love will continue for all time.’ <n>Then a cloud filled the house, the <i>LORD</i>’s house. 


text:
So the <i>priests</i> could not continue their work because of the cloud. And the shining <i>glory</i> of the <i>LORD</i> filled God’s house.


text:
Then King Solomon prayed. He said, ‘The <i>LORD</i> has said that he would live in the dark clouds. 


text:
But I have built a beautiful house for you. It is a place for you to live for all time.’ <n>Solomon speaks to the people</n> 


text:
All the <i>Israelites</i> were standing there together. Then the king turned round and he <i>blessed</i> all the <i>Israelites</i>. 


text:
He said, ‘<i>Praise</i> the <i>LORD</i>, the God of Israel. He promised something to my father David. And he has done it. He said, 


text:
“I brought my people out of the country called Egypt. Since then I have not chosen any city in Israel for you to build a house for my name. And I have not chosen a man to be the leader of my people called Israel. 


text:
But now I have chosen Jerusalem to become the place where they give <i>honour</i> to my name. And I have chosen David to rule my people called Israel.”


text:
But the <i>LORD</i> said to my father David, “You were good to think that you might build a house for my name. 


text:
But you will not build the house. But your son who will be born in your own family will build the house for my name.”


text:
And the <i>LORD</i> has done what he promised to do. I have become king after my father David. And now I sit on the king’s seat in Israel, as the <i>LORD</i> promised. And I have built the house for the name of the <i>LORD</i>, the God of Israel. 


text:
I have put the <i>Covenant Box</i> there. The <i>LORD</i>’s <i>covenant</i> that he gave to the <i>Israelites</i> is in it.’ <n>Solomon prays to God</n>


text:
Then Solomon stood in front of the <i>altar</i> of the <i>LORD</i>. He held out his hands in front of all the <i>Israelites</i>. 


text:
He had made a <i>bronze</i> box to stand on. It was about 2.3 metres (7.5 feet) long and 2.3 metres wide. It was about 1.4 metres (4.5 feet) high. He put it in the middle of the yard and he stood on it. And then he went down on his knees in front of all the <i>Israelites</i>. He held out his hands to <i>heaven</i>. 


text:
He said, ‘<i>LORD</i>, God of Israel, there is no God like you in <i>heaven</i> or on earth. Your servants really try to obey you. And you do what you have promised to those people. You love them and you are very kind to them. 


text:
You have done what you promised to your servant David my father. You spoke with your mouth. And now, today you have done what you said.


text:
Now <i>LORD</i> the God of Israel, please do what you promised to your servant David my father. You said, “Your sons must be careful to obey my rules as you have done. If they do that, a man among your <i>descendants</i> will always sit on the king’s seat in Israel.” 


text:
<i>LORD</i> the God of Israel, you promised that to your servant David. So now please cause it to happen as you said.


text:
But I do not know how it can be possible for God to live on earth with men. Neither the sky, nor the highest <i>heavens</i> can contain you. And this house that I have built is so much smaller than them. 


text:
So please listen to my <i>prayer</i>. I am your servant. I am asking you to be kind to me, <i>LORD</i> my God. Please listen to what I am saying. And please hear the <i>prayer</i> that I am praying in front of you here. 


text:
I am asking you to watch this <i>temple</i> always, day and night. You have said that you will put your name here. Listen to the words that your servant is praying towards this place. 


text:
Your servant and your people Israel will ask for things as they turn towards this place. Please hear them from your home in <i>heaven</i>. And when you hear, please <i>forgive</i> them. <n>Solomon asks God to <i>forgive</i> people’s <i>sins</i> if they are sorry</n>


text:
A man may do something wrong to another <i>Israelite</i>. Then people will tell him that he must promise to speak truly. He must speak in front of your <i>altar</i> in this <i>temple</i>. 


text:
Then, please hear from <i>heaven</i> and be the <i>judge</i> of the two people. <i>Punish</i> the bad man. Do to him as he has done to the other man. But tell everyone that the good man has not done anything wrong. And give to him what good people should have.


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> may <i>sin</i> against you. Then you might <i>punish</i> them. You might cause their enemies to win a fight against them. But then they might come to you. And they might give <i>honour</i> to you. They might come to this <i>temple</i>. They might pray in this <i>temple</i> and they might ask you to help them. 


text:
Then please hear them from <i>heaven</i> and <i>forgive</i> the <i>sin</i> of your people, the <i>Israelites</i>. And cause them to return to the country that you gave to them and to their <i>ancestors</i>.


text:
Perhaps you will <i>punish</i> your people for their <i>sin</i> against you. And there will not be any rain. Then they may turn away from their <i>sin</i> and they may pray towards this place. And they may return to give you <i>honour</i> because you are <i>punishing</i> them. 


text:
When they return, please listen from <i>heaven</i>. And please <i>forgive</i> your servants, the <i>Israelites</i>. Teach them the right way to live. And send rain on your land that you have given to your people to be theirs.


text:
Many bad things might happen to your people or to their land. They might have no food, or many people might be very ill. They may have troubles with their plants. Insects may eat their food‑plants or enemies may attack their towns. Or there might be very bad illnesses in the country. 


text:
Then any <i>Israelite</i> might pray towards this house. Or all the people might pray. They might ask you to help. Each person might ask for help about the bad things that are hurting him. 


text:
Then please hear them from your home in <i>heaven</i>. Please <i>forgive</i> them. You, and only you, know what each person is thinking inside himself. So please do what is right for each person. 


text:
Then they will be afraid to make you angry. And they will do the things that give pleasure to you. They will obey your rules all the time that they live in their country. It is the country that you gave to our <i>ancestors</i>.


text:
A man from a foreign country, not somebody from Israel, may come here. He might have come a long way because of your great name. Someone has told him that you are very strong. He may come and he may pray towards this house. 


text:
Then please hear him from your home in <i>heaven</i>. And do the thing that he is asking you for. So the people in all the <i>nations</i> on the earth will know your name. They will be afraid to make you angry as the <i>Israelites</i> are afraid to make you angry. And they will know that this house is called by your name. That is why I built it.


text:
Your people may go to fight their enemies in a place where you send them. Then they will pray to you. They will pray towards this city that you have chosen. And they will pray towards this house that I have built for your name. 


text:
Then, from <i>heaven</i>, listen to their <i>prayer</i>. Please hear what they are asking you to do. And help them.


text:
There is nobody who does not <i>sin</i>. So they will <i>sin</i> against you. And you will be angry with them. You will let their enemies win the fight. And they will take them away to a country that is near or a long way from here. 


text:
Then they may change their ideas in that country. And they may be sorry about their <i>sin</i>. They may ask you for help from that country. They may say, “We have <i>sinned</i> and we are very bad. We have done many things that are wrong.” 


text:
Then they will return to you in their minds. They will want to do only the things that give pleasure to you. They will pray from the country where their enemies took them. They will pray towards their country that you have given to their <i>ancestors</i>. And they will pray towards the city that you have chosen. And they will pray towards the house that I have built for your name. 


text:
Then hear their <i>prayer</i> from your home in <i>heaven</i>. Please listen to what they are asking you for. And help them. And <i>forgive</i> your people who have <i>sinned</i> against you.


text:
Now, my God, will you please look at us. And please listen to the words that we are praying in this place. <n>Solomon asks God to come into his <i>temple</i></n> 


text:
Now, <i>LORD</i> God, come up and stay in this, your place. Come with your strong <i>Covenant Box</i>. <n><i>LORD</i> God, make your <i>priests holy</i> and good. Let your <i>holy</i> people be happy because you are good.


text:
<i>LORD</i> God do not turn away from your <i>anointed</i> king. Remember the great love that you had for your servant David.’


text:
When Solomon had finished his <i>prayer</i>, fire came down from <i>heaven</i>. It burnt up the <i>sacrifices</i> by fire and the other <i>sacrifices</i>. And the <i>glory</i> of the <i>LORD</i> filled the <i>temple</i>. 


text:
And the <i>priests</i> could not go into the <i>LORD</i>’s house because the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>glory</i> had filled the <i>LORD</i>’s house. 


text:
All the <i>Israelites</i> were watching when the fire came down. And they saw the <i>glory</i> of the <i>LORD</i> over the <i>temple</i>. Then they went down on their knees on the flat stones. And they put their noses to the ground, on the path. They <i>worshipped</i> the <i>LORD</i> and they thanked him. They said, ‘He is good, and his kind love will have no end.’ <n>The king and the people give <i>sacrifices</i> to the <i>LORD</i></n>


text:
King Solomon offered a <i>sacrifice</i> of 22 000 cows and 120 000 sheep and goats. That is how the king and all the people made God’s house right for him to use. 


text:
The <i>priests</i> and the <i>Levites</i> stood in their places. And the <i>Levites</i> took the things that they used to make music to the <i>LORD</i>. King David had made those things to thank the <i>LORD</i> when he said, ‘His kind love has no end.’ The <i>priests</i> stood and they were looking towards the <i>Levites</i>. And they made a loud noise with their <i>trumpets</i>. All the <i>Israelites</i> were standing.


text:
The <i>bronze altar</i> that Solomon had made could not contain all the <i>offerings</i> of animals and <i>grains</i> and the fat. So Solomon made the middle of the yard that was in front of the <i>LORD</i>’s house <i>holy</i> for the <i>LORD</i>. Then he gave <i>sacrifices</i> by fire and he burnt the fat of <i>friendship-offerings</i> there.


text:
So Solomon obeyed the rules of the <i>feast</i> for 7 days at that time. And a large crowd of <i>Israelites</i> were with him. They came from everywhere from Lebo-Hamath to the valley near the border of Egypt. 


text:
On the 8th day, they met together for an important meeting. For 7 days, they had made the <i>altar holy</i> for God. And for 7 days, they had obeyed the rules of the <i>feast</i>. 


text:
Solomon sent the people to their homes on the 23rd day of the 7th month. The <i>LORD</i> had done many good things for David, for Solomon and for his people, the <i>Israelites</i>. So all the people were very happy when they went to their homes. <n>Verse 8 tells us that people came to the <i>temple</i> from everywhere In Israel. They came from everywhere from the far north of Israel to the far south. <n>The <i>LORD</i> appears to Solomon</n>


text:
Solomon finished the house of the <i>LORD</i> and the king’s house. He was able to do everything that he had wanted to do for the house of the <i>LORD</i>. And he was able to do everything that he had wanted to do for his own house. 


text:
Then the <i>LORD</i> appeared to Solomon at night. He said to Solomon, ‘I have heard your <i>prayer</i> and I have chosen this place. It will be a place where people can give <i>sacrifices</i> to me.


text:
I might cause there to be no rain or I might send insects to eat your food plants. Or I might send bad illnesses to my people. 


text:
Then my people who are called by my name should be sorry. They should be <i>humble</i> and they should pray. They should try to find me. And they should stop doing the wrong things that they have done. Then I will hear them from <i>heaven</i> and I will <i>forgive</i> their <i>sin</i>. And I will make their country better. 


text:
I have now chosen this <i>temple</i> for me to use and I have made it <i>holy</i>. So my name can be here for all time. I will always be watching it. And it will always be special to me.’ <n>Solomon must obey the <i>LORD</i></n>


text:
‘But you must live carefully. You must remember that I am watching you. That is what your father David did. You must obey everything that I have said to you. And you must obey my rules and my <i>laws</i>. 


text:
If you do that, I will make your <i>descendants</i> kings of Israel for all time. That is what I promised to your father David. I said, “A man among your <i>descendants</i> will always be the ruler of Israel.”


text:
But that will not happen if you turn away from me. You may stop obeying the rules and the <i>laws</i> that I have given to you. You might go off to become servants of other gods and you might <i>worship</i> them. 


text:
I have given my country to the <i>Israelites</i>. But if they do those things, I will take them from my country. And I will leave this house that I have made <i>holy</i> for my name to be there. I will make it a thing that the people in other <i>nations</i> think is worth nothing. And the people in all the <i>nations</i> will be talking about that. 


text:
This <i>temple</i> is now very beautiful. But then all the people who walk past it will be surprised. They will almost feel ill. And they will say, “Why has the <i>LORD</i> done this to this country and to this <i>temple</i>?” 


text:
Men will answer, “It is because they have left the <i>LORD</i>, the God of their <i>ancestors</i>. He brought them out of the country called Egypt. But they have changed to <i>worship</i> and to be servants of other gods. That is why he has caused them all this trouble.” ’


text:
After that, he built in the towns that Huram had given to him. And he sent <i>Israelites</i> to live in them. 


text:
He made Tadmor in the <i>desert</i> and the towns that he had built in Hamath to store things stronger. 


text:
He built again Higher Beth-Horon and Lower Beth-Horon. He made those cities strong and he put walls with strong gates round them. 


text:
And he built Baalath and more towns to store things. And he built other towns for his <i>chariots</i> and for his men who rode horses to live in. He built in Jerusalem, Lebanon or in any place that he ruled. He built anything that he wanted to build in all those places. <n>Solomon causes people who are not <i>Israelites</i> to become his slaves</n>


text:
Some people who were not <i>Israelites</i> still lived in the country. They were the people called Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 


text:
They were <i>descendants</i> of the people from those <i>nations</i> that the <i>Israelites</i> had not killed. Solomon caused them to work as slaves for him. And they are still slaves today. 


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But Solomon did not cause any <i>Israelites</i> to become slaves for his work. But they were his soldiers, their officers, and the men who drove his <i>chariots</i>. Or they were his soldiers who rode on horses. 


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King Solomon’s most important officers were 250 <i>Israelites</i> who ruled over the people. <n>Solomon gives a house to <i>Pharaoh</i>’s daughter</n>


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Solomon brought <i>Pharaoh</i>’s daughter up from David’s city into the house that he had built for her. He did that because, he said, ‘My wife must not live in the house of David the king of Israel. The <i>LORD</i>’s <i>Covenant Box</i> has been there, so that house is <i>holy</i>.’ <n>How the <i>priests</i> and the <i>Levites</i> worked in the <i>Temple</i></n>


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Solomon had built an <i>altar</i> in front of the door of the <i>temple</i>. Now he gave <i>sacrifices</i> by fire to the <i>LORD</i> on it. 


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He told the <i>priests</i> and the <i>Levites</i> what they must do every day. Moses had told them what they must do every <i>Sabbath</i>, every New Moon and during three special <i>feasts</i> each year. Those three special <i>feasts</i> were the <i>feast</i> of <i>unleavened bread</i>, the <i>feast</i>-of-weeks and the <i>feast</i>-of-shelters. 


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Solomon gave jobs to groups of <i>priests</i> as his father, David, had described. He caused the <i>Levites</i> to be leaders of the <i>praise</i>. And they had to help the <i>priests</i> as they needed it each day. And he told the <i>guards</i> at each gate when each guard should work. He was doing as David, God’s servant, had said. 


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All the <i>priests</i> and all the <i>Levites</i> were careful to do what the king had said about everything. And that included how they kept the valuable things safe. They did not change his words.


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Solomon’s servants did all Solomon’s work. They started on the day when they put down the floor of the <i>LORD</i>’s house. And they worked until they had finished it. So they finished the house of the <i>LORD</i>. <n>Solomon’s men fetch gold from Ophir</n>


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Then Solomon went to Ezion-Geber and to Eloth by the edge of the sea. Those towns were in the country called Edom. 


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And Huram sent ships to him with his own men. They had their own officers who knew the sea. Those officers sailed with Solomon’s servants to Ophir. And they returned with 17 000 kilos (38 000 pounds) of gold and they gave it to King Solomon.


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People told the Queen of Sheba about Solomon and about everything that he had done. So she came to Jerusalem to ask him many difficult things. She arrived with many people and animals. Her <i>camels</i> carried things to make food good when people tasted it. They also brought a lot of gold and many valuable stones. She came to Solomon. And she talked with him about everything that she was thinking about. 


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She saw all the food on his table. And she saw how his <i>officials</i> sat. And she saw how his servants stood. And she saw the clothes that they wore. She also saw the men who gave him <i>wine</i>. And she saw their clothes. She saw the <i>sacrifices</i> by fire that he gave in the <i>LORD</i>’s house. Then she felt very weak. It was too much for her. <n>What the Queen of Sheba said to Solomon</n>


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Then she said to the king, ‘People told me about you in my country. And they told me about your <i>wisdom</i>. Everything that they told me was true. 


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But I did not believe it. Now I believe it because I have come here. And I have seen all those things. But people had told me only half of the things that they might have told me. You are much <i>wiser</i> than they said. Everything about you is better than people said. 


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Your men are very happy. And your servants who always stand in front of you are very happy. They can always hear your <i>wise</i> words. 


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I <i>praise</i> the <i>LORD</i> your God. You have given a lot of pleasure to him and so he has put you on his <i>throne</i>. So you are king on behalf of the <i>LORD</i> your God. He loves Israel and he wants to make them strong for all time. That is why he has caused you to be their king. He wants you to rule over them in a fair way. And he wants you to cause them to do right things.’


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Then she gave to the king 4000 kilos (9000 pounds) of gold, a lot of <i>spices</i> and many valuable stones. There had never been <i>spices</i> in Israel like those that the Queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.


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Huram’s servants and Solomon’s servants brought gold from Ophir. They also brought <i>algum</i> trees and valuable stones. 


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The king used this <i>algum</i> wood to make steps for the <i>LORD</i>’s house and for the king’s house. And with it he made <i>lyres</i> and <i>harps</i> for the people who made music. Nobody had ever seen things like those in the country called Judah.


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King Solomon gave to the Queen of Sheba everything that she wanted. And he gave to her everything that she asked for. He gave more things to her than she had brought to him. Then she left with all her servants and she returned to her own country. <n>Solomon’s gold and how he used it</n>


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Men who were buyers and sellers brought more things. And the rulers of the country and all the kings of Arabia brought gold and <i>silver</i> to Solomon.


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King Solomon’s men made 200 large <i>shields</i> out of gold that they hit flat with hammers. They used about of 3.5 kilos of gold (7.5 pounds) to make each <i>shield</i>. 


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Then they made 300 small <i>shields</i>, each with about 1.7 kilos of gold (3.5 pounds). And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.


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Then the king made a large king’s seat out of <i>ivory</i> and he covered it with <i>pure</i> gold. 


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This seat had 6 steps and on top of them the <i>throne</i> had a gold box for the king’s feet. On each side of the <i>throne</i> were places for his arms to rest. Also two <i>models</i> of <i>lions</i> were standing next to his hands. 


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Two <i>lions</i> stood on each step. There was one <i>lion</i> at each side of every step. No other <i>kingdom</i> had anything like it. 


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All King Solomon’s cups were gold. Everything that anyone used in the house of the forest of Lebanon was the best gold. People did not think that <i>silver</i> had any value in Solomon’s time. 


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The king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram. And ships from Tarshish came every three years with gold, <i>silver</i>, <i>ivory</i>, monkeys and beautiful birds called peacocks. <n>Solomon’s valuable things</n>


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King Solomon was more <i>wise</i> and he had more valuable things than any other king on the earth. 


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All the kings on the earth wanted to meet Solomon. They wanted to hear the <i>wisdom</i> that God had put into his mind. 


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Each king brought a gift to him. They brought things of <i>silver</i>, things of gold, clothes and arms to fight with. They also brought <i>spices</i>, horses and <i>mules</i>. And they brought the same amount every year.


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Solomon had 4000 places for horses and <i>chariots</i> and 12 000 men to ride the horses. And he kept them in the special <i>chariot</i> cities or with him in Jerusalem. 


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He ruled over all the kings from the River Euphrates, past the <i>Philistines</i>’ country to the border of Egypt. 


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The king made Jerusalem rich. <i>Silver</i> was like common stones, and <i>cedar</i> wood was like common trees from the low hills. That was because there were so many things like that. 


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And people brought to Solomon horses from Egypt and from all the other countries. <n>Solomon dies</n>


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Nathan the <i>prophet</i> wrote about everything else that Solomon did. He wrote all those things from the beginning to the end. Ahijah from Shiloh wrote everything down. And they wrote what Iddo saw in his <i>visions</i> about Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 


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Then Solomon died and the people buried him in his father David’s city. And Rehoboam his son ruled instead.


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Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all the <i>Israelites</i> had gone. They thought that he would become their king there. 


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Jeroboam, son of Nebat was in Egypt when people told him about this. He had run there from King Solomon. But he returned from Egypt when people told him this news. 


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So the <i>Israelites</i> asked Jeroboam to meet with them. All the <i>Israelites</i> went to Rehoboam and they said him, 


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‘Your father made our work very difficult, but will you make it easier? If you do that, we will be your servants.’


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Rehoboam answered, ‘Come to me again after three days.’ So the people went away. <n>Rehoboam asks the old men and the young men what they think</n>


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Then King Rehoboam asked the older men what they thought. Those men had been servants of his father Solomon when he was alive. ‘What should I say to these people?’ he asked.


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They replied, ‘Be kind to these people. Give to them what they want. And speak good words to them. If you do that, they will always be your servants.’


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But Rehoboam did not do what the older men had said. He asked the young men who had been children with him. They were standing in front of him. 


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‘What answer should I give to these people who have spoken to me?’ he said. ‘They have said to me, “Your father made our work very difficult, but will you make it easier?” ’


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The young men who had been children with him replied, ‘Say this to the people who said, “Your father made our work very difficult, but will you make it easier?” Say, “I am much greater than my father was. 


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My father made your work difficult but I will make your work more difficult. He hurt you a little, but I will hurt you badly.” ’ <n>Rehoboam refuses to do what the people want</n>


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Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam after three days as King Rehoboam had said. He had said, ‘Come to me again on the third day after this.’ 


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The king did not speak to them in a kind way. King Rehoboam did not do what the older men had said. 


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He did what the young men had said. He said, ‘My father caused your work to be difficult but I will make your work more difficult. He hurt you a little, but I will hurt you badly.’ 


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So the king did not listen to the people. But this was what God had decided. This was what the <i>LORD</i> had told Jeroboam, Nebat’s son, by Ahijah from Shiloh. <n>See 1 Kings 11:29-33. <n>Israel and Judah become separate countries</n> 


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All the <i>Israelites</i> saw that the king did not listen to them. Then they answered him, ‘We have no part in David, no part in Jesse’s son. <i>Israelites</i>, we should return to our <i>tents</i>. David’s people can be separate from us.’ So all the <i>Israelites</i> went to their homes. 


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Hadoram was the officer who caused the people to do very difficult work. King Rehoboam sent him to the <i>Israelites</i>. But the <i>Israelites</i> threw stones at him until he died. Then King Rehoboam got in his <i>chariot</i> and he went away to Jerusalem.


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When Rehoboam returned to Jerusalem, he sent servants to bring all the soldiers in Judah and Benjamin to him. He had 180 000 best soldiers to fight for him against Israel. Rehoboam wanted them to help him to become the king of all the people again.


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‘Speak to Rehoboam, son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the <i>Israelites</i> in Judah and Benjamin. 


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Tell them that the <i>LORD</i> is saying this: “Do not go up to fight your <i>relatives</i>. Each man must return to his house, because I have caused this to happen.” ’ So they obeyed the words of the <i>LORD</i>. They turned round and they did not attack Jeroboam. <n>Rehoboam makes Judah strong</n>


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He made their strong buildings even stronger and he put important officers in them to rule over them. He stored food and <i>olive</i> oil and <i>wine</i> in them. 


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He supplied every city with <i>shields</i> and <i>spears</i>. And he made them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin were his. 


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The <i>Levites</i> even left their lands and their houses to come to him in Judah and Jerusalem. They came because Jeroboam and his sons had not let them be the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>priests</i>. 


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Jeroboam chose his own <i>priests</i> for the high places for <i>worship</i>. They were <i>priests</i> for the <i>models</i> of the goats and the young male cows that he had made. 


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But some people from every <i>tribe</i> in Israel followed the <i>Levites</i> to Jerusalem. Those people wanted to be servants of the <i>LORD</i>, the God of Israel. They came to <i>sacrifice</i> to the <i>LORD</i>, the God of their <i>ancestors</i>. 


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They helped to make the <i>kingdom</i> of Judah stronger. They had helped Rehoboam, Solomon’s son to be strong for three years. During those three years, they lived in the way that David and Solomon had lived. <n>Rehoboam’s family</n>


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Rehoboam married Mahalath, daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab. 


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Rehoboam loved Absalom’s daughter Maacah better than he loved any of his other wives or lady friends. He had 18 wives and 60 lady friends. And he was the father of 28 sons and 60 daughters.


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Rehoboam said that Abijah, son of Maacah was the most important among all his sons. He wanted him to become king. 


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He did a <i>wise</i> thing. He sent his sons to different parts of Judah and Benjamin and to all the strong cities. He gave to them plenty of food to store and he found many wives for them.


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When Rehoboam had become a safe, strong king, he stopped obeying the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>Law</i>. And all the <i>Israelites</i> did the same thing. 


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They had not been <i>faithful</i> to the <i>LORD</i>. Because of that, Shishak, the king of Egypt, attacked Jerusalem. That happened 5 years after Rehoboam began to rule Judah. 


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Shishak attacked with 1200 <i>chariots</i> and 60 000 men on horses. Also, there were so many other soldiers that nobody could count them. There were soldiers from Libya and Ethiopia. And there were men called Sukkiim. And they came from Egypt with him. 


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He won the fight for the strong cities in Judah and he came near to Jerusalem. <n>The <i>LORD</i> uses Shemaiah to speak to Rehoboam</n>


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The <i>prophet</i> Shemaiah came to the leaders of Judah in Jerusalem. They had come together in Jerusalem because they were afraid of Shishak. Shemaiah told them that the <i>LORD</i> was saying, ‘You have gone away from me. So now I have gone away from you and I will let Shishak beat you.’


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The leaders of Israel and the king made themselves <i>humble</i> and they said, ‘The <i>LORD</i> is a fair <i>judge</i>.’


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The <i>LORD</i> saw that they had made themselves <i>humble</i>. So he said to Shemaiah, ‘I will not kill them because they have made themselves <i>humble</i>. I will give some help to them. I was angry but I will not let Shishak destroy Jerusalem now. 


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But they will become his servants. Then they will learn what it is like to be my servants. And they will learn that it is very different to be servants of kings from other countries.


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Shishak, king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. And he took away the valuable things from the <i>LORD</i>’s house and the valuable things from the king’s house. He took everything. That included the <i>shields</i> of gold that Solomon had made. 


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So King Rehoboam made <i>bronze shields</i> instead. He gave them to the captains of the <i>guards</i> who kept the door of the king’s house safe. 


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They carried the <i>shields</i> when they went with the king to the <i>LORD</i>’s house. When the king returned, they put the <i>shields</i> in their usual place again. That was in the <i>guards</i>’ room. <n>Rehoboam is sorry that he did wrong things</n>


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Rehoboam made himself <i>humble</i>. So the <i>LORD</i> was not so angry with him that he killed him. He did not kill him. And some things that happened in Judah were good.


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King Rehoboam made himself strong in Jerusalem and he ruled there. He was 41 years old when he began to rule. He ruled for 17 years in Jerusalem, the city where the <i>LORD</i> had chosen to put his name. He chose it out of all the <i>tribes</i> of Israel. Rehoboam’s mother was called Naamah and she was an <i>Ammonite</i>. 


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Shemaiah the <i>prophet</i> and Iddo, the man that God showed <i>visions</i> to, have written about King Rehoboam in their books. They wrote down everything that he did from the beginning to the end. They wrote about things that happened to the people in each <i>clan</i>. Rehoboam and Jeroboam fought each other for their whole lives. 


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Rehoboam died and people buried him in David’s city with his <i>ancestors</i>. Then Abijah his son ruled as king instead.


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Abijah was king in Jerusalem for three years. His mother’s name was Micaiah, daughter of Uriel from the town called Gibeah. Abijah and Jeroboam fought a war. 


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Abijah chose his best 400 000 soldiers. And Jeroboam prepared to fight against him with 800 000 strong brave men that he had chosen. <n>Abijah speaks to Jeroboam and to his army</n>


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Abijah stood on the hill called Zemaraim in the hills of Ephraim. He said, ‘Listen to me, Jeroboam and all you men from Israel. 


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The <i>LORD</i>, Israel’s God, has said that David and his <i>descendants</i> would be kings of Israel for all time. And you should know that. It is God’s promise and so it must happen. 


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Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, was a servant of David’s son Solomon. But this Jeroboam has refused to obey his master. 


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Some <i>evil</i> men with no value joined his group. They made themselves strong against Solomon’s son, Rehoboam. Rehoboam was young and he was not brave. So he could not be strong against them.


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And now you want to be strong against the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>kingdom</i>. But David’s <i>descendants</i> rule over that <i>kingdom</i>. You are a very large crowd. And you have the young cows of gold that Jeroboam made to be your gods. 


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But you pushed out the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>priests</i>, the sons of Aaron. And you sent away the <i>Levites</i>. And you made your own <i>priests</i> as the people in other <i>nations</i> do. You will call anyone a <i>priest</i> who comes with a young male cow and 7 male sheep to <i>sacrifice</i>. But he will become a <i>priest</i> of things that are not gods.


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But we are different. The <i>LORD</i> is our God and we have not left him. Our <i>priests</i> are the <i>LORD</i>’s servants. They are Aaron’s sons. And the <i>Levites</i> help them. 


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They burn <i>sacrifices</i> to the <i>LORD</i> and oils with sweet smells every morning and every evening. They put out bread on his special table every day. They put lights on their <i>lampstand</i> of gold every evening. We are obeying the <i>LORD</i> our God. But you have gone away from him. 


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God is with us and he is our leader. His <i>priests</i> will make a loud noise with their <i>trumpets</i>. That will start the fight against you. Men from Israel, you will not win. So do not fight against the <i>LORD</i>, your <i>ancestors</i>’ God.’ <n>Jeroboam attacks Abijah and Judah</n>


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But Jeroboam had sent some soldiers round behind Judah’s men. He was in front of them with his army but the other soldiers were now behind Judah’s army. 


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Judah’s men turned. And they saw Jeroboam’s soldiers who were attacking them from the front and from behind them. Then they shouted out to the <i>LORD</i> and the <i>priests</i> started to make a noise with their <i>trumpets</i>. <n>The <i>LORD</i> helps Abijah to win the fight</n>


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The men from Judah shouted very loudly. When the men from Judah shouted, the <i>LORD</i> beat Jeroboam and all Israel’s men. He helped Abijah and Judah’s men to beat them. 


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Abijah and his men completely beat the men from Israel. And 500 000 men from Israel’s best soldiers died. 


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On that day, the <i>LORD</i> helped Judah’s people to beat the people from Israel. That was because they believed the promises of their <i>ancestors</i>’ God. So Israel’s men felt silly.


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Abijah went after Jeroboam. And he won the fight for the towns called Bethel, Jeshanah and Ephron with their villages. 


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After that, Jeroboam was always weak while Abijah was Judah’s king. The <i>LORD</i> made Jeroboam ill and so he died.


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Many other things happened while Abijah was king. The <i>prophet</i> Iddo has written about all those things in his book. He wrote about everything that Abijah had done. And he wrote about everything that he had said.


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Then Abijah died and people buried him in David’s city with his <i>ancestors</i>. His son Asa ruled instead. The country had <i>peace</i> for the first 10 years that Asa was king. <n>Asa obeys God’s <i>Law</i></n>


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He took away the <i>altars</i> for foreign gods and their high places for <i>worship</i>. And he broke down the tall <i>pillars</i> of stones and he cut down the <i>models</i> of <i>Asherah</i>. 


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Asa said that all the people in Judah must try to obey the <i>LORD</i>, the God of their <i>ancestors</i>. He said that they must obey God’s rules and God’s <i>Law</i>. 


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He took away the high places for <i>worship</i>. And he removed the <i>altars</i> where people burnt oils with sweet smells. He did that in every city in Judah. And his <i>kingdom</i> had <i>peace</i> while he ruled. 


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He built strong cities in Judah while there was <i>peace</i> for the country. Nobody fought him during that time because the <i>LORD</i> let him rest.


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Asa said to Judah’s people, ‘We should make these towns stronger. We will put walls round them with tall buildings and gates and strong pieces of wood across the gates. The country is ours because we have obeyed the <i>LORD</i> our God. We asked him for help and he has given <i>peace</i> everywhere round us.’ So they built strong towns and everything was good. <n>Zerah attacks Asa</n>


text:
Asa had an army of 300 000 men from Judah. They carried big <i>shields</i> and <i>spears</i>. And he had 280 000 men from Benjamin’s <i>tribe</i> who carried small <i>shields</i> and bows to shoot <i>arrows</i> with. All these were brave men who could fight well.


text:
Zerah from Ethiopia marched out to fight them with a big army and 300 <i>chariots</i>. His army contained 1 000 000 men. He reached Mareshah. 


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Asa went out to fight Zerah. And they prepared for the fight in the valley called Zephathah near Mareshah. <n>Asa asks God for help</n>


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Then Asa asked the <i>LORD</i> his God to help him. He said, ‘There is nobody like you <i>LORD</i>. It is not difficult for you to help the weak against the strong. Help us, <i>LORD</i> our God, because we <i>trust</i> you. We have come to fight this large army because we want people to <i>honour</i> your name. <i>LORD</i>, you are our God. Do not let men win the fight against you.’ <n>The <i>LORD</i> helps Asa to win the fight</n>


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So the <i>LORD</i> let Asa and the men from Judah knock down the men from Ethiopia. So the soldiers from Ethiopia ran away. 


text:
Then Asa and his soldiers ran after them until they reached Gerar. So many soldiers from Ethiopia died there that their army could not fight again. The <i>LORD</i> and his army beat them completely and they destroyed their army. And Judah’s men carried away very many good things from them. 


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The people in the towns round Gerar had become very afraid of the <i>LORD</i>. So the <i>Israelites</i> destroyed those towns. There were many good things in those towns. So Judah’s men took away all those good things. 


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They also attacked the <i>tents</i> of those people there who had animals. And they took very many sheep and <i>camels</i> from there. Then they returned to Jerusalem.


text:
He went out to meet Asa and he said to him, ‘Listen to me Asa and all you men from Judah and Benjamin. The <i>LORD</i> will be with you while you are with him. If you look for him, you will find him. But if you go away from him, he will go away from you. 


text:
Israel’s people have been without the only God that there really is for a long time. They have not had any <i>priests</i> to teach them. And they have not really had God’s <i>Law</i>. 


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But when they were in trouble they turned to the <i>LORD</i>, the God of Israel. They looked for him and they found him. 


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At that time it was not safe to go on journeys. The people in all the <i>nations</i> were always fighting. 


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One <i>nation</i> would destroy another nation. The people from one city destroyed another city. God was causing every kind of trouble for all those people. 


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But you be strong and do not be afraid. God will be good to you because your work gives pleasure to him.’ <n>Asa does more things to give pleasure to the <i>LORD</i></n>


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When Asa heard those words of Azariah, son of the <i>prophet</i> Oded, he became very brave. He took away all the very bad <i>idols</i> from the country of the <i>tribes</i> called Judah and Benjamin. He also took them from the towns that he had won among the hills in Ephraim. And he did repairs to the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>altar</i> that was in front of the first part of the <i>LORD</i>’s house.


text:
Then he brought all his people together. They were from Judah and Benjamin. And there were some people from the <i>tribes</i> of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who lived in Judah. Many people like that had come to him from Israel because the <i>LORD</i>, Asa’s God was with him. <n>Asa brings all the people together in Jerusalem</n>


text:
These people met together in Jerusalem in the 15th year after Asa had become king. They met in the 3rd month. 


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At that time they <i>sacrificed</i> many animals to the <i>LORD</i>. They killed 700 cows and 7000 sheep that they had taken from their enemies. 


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They promised the <i>LORD</i>, the God of their <i>ancestors</i>, that they would obey all his <i>laws</i>. They really wanted to do that as well as they could. 


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They decided to kill anyone who would not obey the <i>LORD</i>, the God of Israel. They would kill them whether they were important or not important, man or woman. 


text:
They gave a very serious promise to the <i>LORD</i>. They shouted with loud voices and with the noise of <i>trumpets</i> and <i>horns</i>. 


text:
All Judah’s people were happy because they had given this promise to God. They really wanted to obey the <i>LORD</i>. They really wanted to find him. So he let them find him. Then the <i>LORD</i> gave them <i>peace</i> with all the <i>nations</i> round them. <n>Asa <i>punishes</i> Maacah because she <i>worshipped idols</i></n>


text:
Asa took away his grandmother Maacah’s special <i>honour</i>. He would not let people call her queen. He did that because she had made a very bad <i>idol</i> of the false god <i>Asherah</i>. He cut it down and he broke it into pieces. Then he burned it in the Kidron Valley. 


text:
Asa did not remove out of Israel the high places for <i>worship</i> to false gods. But Asa loved the <i>LORD</i> as well as he could for his whole life. 


text:
He took the <i>silver</i> and gold and the other things that he and his father had saved for God. And he put it them into God’s house.


text:
After Asa had been king of Judah for nearly 36 years Baasha, king of Israel, attacked Judah. And he made Ramah a strong town. He did not want to let anyone go in or out of King Asa’s country, Judah. <n>Asa asks Ben-Hadad for help</n>


text:
Then Asa took <i>silver</i> and gold from the safe rooms in the <i>LORD</i>’s house and in the king’s house. And he sent it to Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, who lived in Damascus. He said to him, 


text:
‘We should promise to help each other. My father and your father promised to help each other. I am sending <i>silver</i> and gold to you. Please stop helping Baasha, king of Israel. Then he will go away from me.’


text:
Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and he sent the captains of his armies to attack Israel’s towns. They won the fights at Ijon, Dan, Abel-Maim and all the cities where Naphtali kept their things. 


text:
So King Asa brought all the men from Judah. They carried away the stones and wood that Baasha had used to build with in Ramah. And Asa used them to build in Geba and Mizpah. <n>Hanani tells Asa that he has done a wrong thing</n>


text:
At that time Hanani, the <i>prophet</i> came to Asa, king of Judah. He said, ‘You asked the king of Syria for help and not the <i>LORD</i> your God. So the army of Syria’s king will get away from you. 


text:
The armies of Ethiopia and Libya were very large. And they had many <i>chariots</i> and soldiers who rode on horses. But you <i>trusted</i> the <i>LORD</i> then and he helped you to win the fight against them. 


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The <i>LORD</i> can see everything that happens on the earth. He is strong. And he helps those who love him completely. You have done a very silly thing. So now you will always be fighting.’ <n>Asa gets angry</n>


text:
Asa was angry with the <i>prophet</i> because of what he had said. He put him in a prison because he was so angry. And at that time Asa caused a lot of trouble to some of the people. <n>The end of Asa’s life</n>


text:
Somebody wrote about all the things that King Asa did. They are in the Book about the Kings of Judah and Israel. All the events from the first event to the last event are in that book. 


text:
When Asa had been king for nearly 39 years, he became ill. His feet became very bad. But Asa did not ask the <i>LORD</i> for help even when he was very ill. He went to the doctors instead. 


text:
The people buried him in the place that he had prepared in the city of David. They put him on a table that he had covered with <i>spices</i> and oils with sweet smells. And they lit a large fire to give <i>honour</i> to him.


text:
He put armies in all the cities of Judah that had walls. And he put groups of soldiers in places in Judah. And he put them in the towns of Ephraim that his father Asa had won.


text:
Jehoshaphat was like his <i>ancestor</i> David when he was young. He obeyed the <i>LORD</i>’s rules as David had done. And Jehoshaphat did not ask the <i>Baals</i> for help. So the <i>LORD</i> was with him. 


text:
He went for help to the God of his father. He obeyed the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>laws</i>. He did not do the wrong things that Israel’s people did. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> made the <i>kingdom</i> safe with him as its king. And all Judah’s people brought gifts to him. So Jehoshaphat became rich and the people gave a lot of <i>honour</i> to him. 


text:
He really wanted be the <i>LORD</i>’s servant. He removed from Judah the high places where people <i>worshipped</i> false gods. And he cut down the <i>models</i> of the false female god called <i>Asherah</i>. <n>The king sends men to teach the <i>Law</i> in all his towns and cities</n>


text:
When he had been king for nearly three years, Jehoshaphat sent his officers to teach in Judah’s towns. The names of those officers were Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah. 


text:
He sent some <i>Levites</i> with them. The <i>Levites</i>’ names were Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah. And he sent the <i>priests</i> Elishama and Jehoram with them. 


text:
They taught the people in all parts of Judah. They took with them the Book of the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>Law</i>. They went to all the towns in Judah and they taught the people. <n>People in other <i>nations</i> give <i>honour</i> to Jehoshaphat and to the <i>LORD</i> his God</n>


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The people in all the <i>kingdoms</i> round Judah were afraid of the <i>LORD</i>. So they did not fight against Jehoshaphat. 


text:
Some <i>Philistines</i> brought gifts to Jehoshaphat. Those gifts included <i>silver</i> as <i>taxes</i>. People from Arabia brought animals to him. They brought 7700 male sheep and 7700 male goats. <n>Jehoshaphat’s army</n> 


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Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful. He built strong buildings. And he built towns in Judah to store his good things. 


text:
He stored many valuable things in the towns of Judah. And he kept strong, brave soldiers in Jerusalem. 


text:
These are their names for each <i>clan</i>. <n>From Judah there were officers over groups of 1000 men. Adnah was the officer over 300 000 brave soldiers.


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Next, there was Amasiah, Zichri’s son. He wanted to be the <i>LORD</i>’s servant and there were 200 000 brave soldiers with him. 


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Next, there was Jehozabad with 180 000 men with <i>weapons</i> who had prepared themselves to fight.


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All these soldiers worked for the king. He also had other soldiers that he put in all Judah’s strong cities.


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Jehoshaphat was very rich and people gave a lot of <i>honour</i> to him. And he started to agree with Ahab because his son married Ahab’s daughter. 


text:
After some years, he went to visit Ahab in Samaria. Ahab killed many sheep and cows for him and for the people who were with him. Ahab wanted to attack Ramoth-Gilead. He asked Jehoshaphat to help him. And Jehoshaphat decided to do it. 


text:
This is what happened. Ahab, Israel’s king said to Jehoshaphat Judah’s king, ‘Will you go with me to attack Ramoth-Gilead?’ Jehoshaphat replied, ‘I am like you. My people are like your people. We will come with you to the fight.’ 


text:
But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, ‘Please ask the <i>LORD</i> first what he wants us to do.’


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So the king of Israel brought the <i>prophets</i>. (There were 400 of them.) He asked them, ‘Should we go to fight against Ramoth-Gilead, or should I not go?’ ‘Go’, they answered. ‘God will help the king to win the fight.’ <n>Jehoshaphat wants to ask the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>prophet</i> a question</n>


text:
Ahab replied, ‘There is one other man here who will ask the <i>LORD</i> for us. But I do not like him because he only <i>prophesies</i> bad things about me, never anything good. He is Micaiah, son of Imlah.’ <n>‘Do not say that!’ replied Jehoshaphat.


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So the king of Israel said to an officer, ‘Bring Micaiah son of Imlah to me quickly.’ <n>Ahab’s <i>prophets</i> speak</n>


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The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah were sitting on their special king’s seats. And they were wearing their special king’s clothes. They were at a <i>threshing-floor</i>. It was near the gate of Samaria and all the <i>prophets</i> were <i>prophesying</i> in front of them. 


text:
Zedekiah son of Chenaanah had made two iron <i>horns</i> for himself. He said, ‘The <i>LORD</i> says, “You will push the people from Syria with these <i>horns</i> until you have killed all those people.” ’


text:
All the other <i>prophets</i> said the same thing. ‘Attack Ramoth-Gilead. If you do that, you will win the fight’, they said. ‘The <i>LORD</i> will help the king to win it’, they said. <n>What Micaiah says</n>


text:
The officer who had gone to fetch Micaiah spoke to him. ‘All the other <i>prophets</i> are saying good things to the king. Please agree with them and say good things to the king.’


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When he arrived, the king asked him, ‘Micaiah, should we go to fight at Ramoth-Gilead or should I not go?’ <n>‘Attack and win’, he said. ‘The <i>LORD</i> will help you to beat them.’


text:
The king said to him, ‘I have to say this to you too many times. You must promise me, in the <i>LORD</i>’s name, to say only what is true.’


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Then Micaiah said, ‘I saw all Israel’s men and they were running everywhere over the mountains. They were like sheep that had no <i>shepherd</i>. And the <i>LORD</i> said, “These people have no master. Each man should return to his own house and they should not fight.” ’


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The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘I told you that he never <i>prophesies</i> anything good about me. He only says bad things’, he said. 


text:
Then Micaiah said, ‘So listen to the word of the <i>LORD</i>. I saw the <i>LORD</i> and he was sitting on his <i>throne</i>. All the <i>angels</i> in the army of <i>heaven</i> were standing either at his right side or at his left side. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> said, “Who can cause Ahab, king of Israel to attack Ramoth-Gilead? Then he will die there.” One <i>angel</i> said one thing and another <i>angel</i> said something different. 


text:
Then another <i>spirit</i> came and he stood in front of the <i>LORD</i>. “I will cause him to do it”, he said. <n>“How will you do it?” the <i>LORD</i> asked. 


text:
“I will go. And I will cause all his <i>prophets</i> to say things that are not true”, he said. <n>“That will cause him to go and fight”, said the <i>LORD</i>. “Go and do it.”


text:
So now the <i>LORD</i> has caused all your <i>prophets</i> here to say things that are not true. The <i>LORD</i> has decided to cause bad trouble for you.’ <n>Zedekiah and Micaiah</n>


text:
Then Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah went up and he hit Micaiah on the face. ‘Which way did the <i>LORD</i>’s Spirit go when he left me to speak to you?’ he asked.


text:
Then the king of Israel said to his soldiers, ‘Take Micaiah to Amon, who rules the city and to Joash my son. 


text:
Tell them that the king says, “Put this man in a prison. Give to him only bread and water as food until I return alive and well.” ’


text:
Micaiah said, ‘If you really return alive and well, the <i>LORD</i> has not spoken by me.’ Then he said, ‘Remember my words, all you people.’ <n>Ahab and Jehoshaphat go to fight at Ramoth-Gilead</n>


text:
So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah went to fight against the people in Ramoth-Gilead. 


text:
The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘I will not wear special clothes when I am fighting. But you wear your king’s clothes.’ So the king of Israel wore soldier’s clothes. And they started to fight the enemy.


text:
But the king of Syria had said to his <i>chariot</i> officers, ‘Do not fight with anyone, important or not important, except the king of <i>Israel</i>.’ 


text:
The <i>chariot</i> officers saw King Jehoshaphat in his special clothes. So they said, ‘That is the king of Israel.’ And they turned to attack him. Jehoshaphat shouted and the <i>LORD</i> helped him. God caused the officers to turn away from him. 


text:
The <i>chariot</i> officers saw that it was not the king of Israel. So they stopped running after him. <n>The enemy hurt Ahab and he dies</n>


text:
But a man shot an <i>arrow</i> at the king of Israel. But the man did not know that it was the king of Israel. He hit the king of Israel between different parts of his <i>armour</i>. The king said to the man who was driving his <i>chariot</i>, ‘Turn round. Take me out of the fight because the <i>arrow</i> has hurt me.’ 


text:
They fought all day and the king of Israel stood against the side of his <i>chariot</i>. He looked towards the army of Syria until evening. Then at sunset he died.


text:
Jehu the <i>prophet</i>, Hanani’s son, went out to meet him. He said to King Jehoshaphat, ‘You went to help a bad man. You seem to love people who <i>hate</i> the <i>LORD</i>. The <i>LORD</i> is very angry with you because you have done that. 


text:
But you have some good things in you. You have destroyed the Asherah <i>idols</i> that people <i>worshipped</i>. And you tried to do the things that give pleasure to God.’ <n>Jehoshaphat chooses men to be <i>judges</i></n>


text:
So Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem. But he went out among all the people from Beersheba to the hills of Ephraim. He turned the people to the <i>LORD</i>, the God of their <i>ancestors</i> again. 


text:
He chose men to become <i>judges</i> in the country’s cities. He put them in every strong city in Judah. 


text:
He said to the <i>judges</i>, ‘Be careful how you do your job. Remember that you are not doing it for men but for the <i>LORD</i>. And he will be with you. And he can help you to say what is right. 


text:
Now be afraid to make the <i>LORD</i> angry. Be careful and do your job well. The <i>LORD</i> our God is fair. Sometimes a <i>judge</i> might decide not to be fair because he likes one man more than another. Or he might not be fair because one person gives things to him. But our God never does those things.’


text:
Jehoshaphat also chose men in Jerusalem to be <i>judges</i>. Some <i>judges</i> were <i>priests</i> or <i>Levites</i>. Other <i>judges</i> were leaders of <i>clans</i> in Israel. Their job was to help people to obey the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>Law</i>. Sometimes people did not agree with each other. And the <i>judges</i> must say what was right. They lived in Jerusalem. <n>Rules for <i>judges</i> to obey</n>


text:
He said to them, ‘You must be afraid to make the <i>LORD</i> angry in the way that you work for him. Obey him <i>faithfully</i> because you really want to do it. 


text:
<i>Israelites</i> who live in the cities may be arguing. And they will come to you. These problems may be about deaths. They may be about what the <i>Law</i> teaches. They may be about difficulties with God’s rules or about some other <i>law</i>. You must speak to everyone that comes to you for these reasons. You must teach them so that they do not <i>sin</i> against the <i>LORD</i>. If they do not <i>sin</i>, God will not be angry with you or with the <i>Israelites</i>. If you tell those things to them, you will not have <i>sinned</i> in that way.


text:
Amariah, the most important <i>priest</i>, will be over you about all the things that matter to the <i>LORD</i>. And Zebadiah, the son of Ishmael is the leader of the <i>tribe</i> of Judah. He will be over you about all the things that matter to the king. The <i>Levites</i> will be your officers. Be brave and do these things. The <i>LORD</i> will be with those people who do the right things!’


text:
After that, men from Moab, men from Ammon and some other people called Meunites came to fight Jehoshaphat.


text:
Some men came and they said to Jehoshaphat, ‘A large army is coming from this side of Syria. It has come across the Dead Sea to attack you. They are already in Hazazon-Tamar.’ (That is another name for En-Gedi.) <n>Jehoshaphat asks the <i>LORD</i> to help his people</n>


text:
Jehoshaphat was afraid. So, he decided to ask the <i>LORD</i> what he should do. And he told all the people in Judah that they should not eat for some time. 


text:
All Judah’s people came together to ask the <i>LORD</i> for his help. They came from every town in Judah to meet with the <i>LORD</i>.


text:
Then Jehoshaphat stood up in front of the people from Judah and from Jerusalem. He was standing in front of the new yard of the <i>LORD</i>’s house. 


text:
He said, ‘<i>LORD</i>, you were the God of our <i>ancestors</i>. You are the God who is in <i>heaven</i>. You rule over all kings and their <i>nations</i>. You are strong and powerful and nobody can stand against you. 


text:
Our God, you pushed out the people who were living in this country. You caused your people, the <i>Israelites</i> to push them out. And you have given this country for all time to the <i>descendants</i> of your friend Abraham. 


text:
Your people have lived here and they have built a house here to give <i>honour</i> to your name. When they built it, they said, 


text:
“Perhaps we will have troubles. The trouble might be war, <i>punishment</i>, illness or we might have no food. Then we will come and we will stand in front of you. We will stand in front of this <i>temple</i> because your name is in this temple. Then we will ask you for help when we are in trouble. Then you will hear us and you will save us.” <n>Israel has never hurt Ammon or Edom</n>


text:
But now men from Ammon, Moab and the mountain called Seir are here. You would not let the <i>Israelites</i> attack them when the <i>Israelites</i> came out of Egypt. So our people turned away and they did not kill those people. 


text:
Now see how these people are paying us for that. They are coming to push us out of your country that you gave to us to keep. 


text:
So, our God, please <i>punish</i> these people. We are not strong. So we cannot fight this very large army that is attacking us. We are too weak to fight them. We do not know what to do. But we hope that you will help us.’


text:
All the men from Judah were standing there in front of the <i>LORD</i>. They were standing there with their babies, their wives and their children. <n>The <i>LORD</i> speaks to Jahaziel</n>


text:
Then the Spirit of the <i>LORD</i> came upon Jahaziel. He was the son of Zechariah. Zechariah was the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, Mattaniah’s son. He was a <i>descendant</i> of Asaph and he was a <i>Levite</i>. He was standing among the people. <n>The <i>LORD</i>’s reply</n>


text:
He said, ‘Listen to me all you people who live in Judah and in Jerusalem. And listen to me King Jehoshaphat. The <i>LORD</i> says to you, “This is God’s fight, not yours. So do not be afraid. And do not think that this large army will certainly beat you. 


text:
March down against them tomorrow. They will be climbing up the narrow valley called Ziz. People go to the <i>desert</i> called Jeruel through a valley. You will find the enemy at the end of that valley. 


text:
You will not have to fight this time. Go to your places. Stand there. And see how the <i>LORD</i> will save you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid. And do not think that this army will certainly beat you. Go out to stand in front of them tomorrow. When you do that, the <i>LORD</i> will be with you.” ’ <n>The people <i>worship</i> the <i>LORD</i> and the <i>Levites praise</i> him</n>


text:
Jehoshaphat put his nose to the ground. And all the people from Judah and from Jerusalem fell down in front of the <i>LORD</i> to <i>worship</i> him. 


text:
Then some <i>Levites</i> stood up to <i>praise</i> the <i>LORD</i> the God of Israel with very loud voices. They were from the <i>clans</i> of Kohath and Korah. <n>The <i>LORD</i> fights for Judah</n>


text:
Jehoshaphat and his men got up early the next morning. And they started to go to the <i>Desert</i> of Tekoa. When they were leaving, Jehoshaphat stood up. And he said, ‘Listen to me, people from Judah and people who live in Jerusalem! <i>Trust</i> the <i>LORD</i> your God. If you do that, you will be safe. Believe his <i>prophets</i>. If you believe them, you will win the fight.’ 


text:
And Jehoshaphat talked with the people. Then he chose men to sing and to <i>praise</i> the <i>LORD</i>. They had to wear <i>holy</i> clothes. They went in front of the army and they sang, ‘The <i>LORD</i> always does what he has promised to do. And his kind love has no end. So give thanks to him.’


text:
The soldiers from Ammon, Moab and from the mountain called Seir were coming to attack Judah. God’s people started to sing and to <i>praise</i> the <i>LORD</i>. Then the <i>LORD</i> caused the enemy to have trouble. So Judah’s soldiers completely beat the enemy. 


text:
The men from Ammon and Moab started to attack the men from Seir. They destroyed their army. When they had done that, they started to fight each other. And they were killing each other. 


text:
The men from Judah came to the place where they could see the <i>desert</i>. They looked for the very large army. But they saw only dead bodies where the enemies had been. All their dead bodies were on the ground. Nobody was still alive. 


text:
So Jehoshaphat and his people went to take away everything that was valuable. They found a lot of clothes and other valuable things on the dead bodies. They took the things from the dead bodies. But there were more things than they could carry away. There was so much that it took them three days to carry all the things away. 


text:
On the fourth day they came together in the Valley of Beracah. There they <i>praised</i> the <i>LORD</i>. That is why it is still called the Valley of Beracah. <n>Beracah means ‘<i>praise</i>’. <n>Judah’s people return to Jerusalem</n>


text:
Then Jehoshaphat and all the men from Judah and Jerusalem returned to Jerusalem. Jehoshaphat was walking in front of them. They were very happy because the <i>LORD</i> had made them happy. He had caused them to beat their enemies. 


text:
They went into Jerusalem with <i>harps</i>, <i>lyres</i> and <i>trumpets</i>. They went to the <i>LORD</i>’s house there.


text:
The people in all the <i>kingdoms</i> round Judah became afraid of God when they knew about this. They knew that the <i>LORD</i> had fought against Israel’s enemies. 


text:
Then Jehoshaphat’s <i>kingdom</i> had <i>peace</i>. His God stopped all the people who lived round them attacking him. <n>Jehoshaphat continues to rule Judah</n>


text:
So Jehoshaphat was still the king of Judah. He was 35 years old when he started to rule over Judah. And he ruled in Jerusalem for 25 years. His mother’s name was Azubah. She was Shilhi’s daughter. 


text:
He lived as his father Asa had done. And he always followed his father’s ways. He always did what the <i>LORD</i> wanted him to do. 


text:
But he did not remove the high places where some people <i>worshipped idols</i>. And the people still did not really want to be the servants of the God of their <i>ancestors</i>.


text:
Other things happened while Jehoshaphat was king. Hanani’s son Jehu recorded all those things from the first thing to the last thing. He recorded them in the Book about the Kings of Israel. <n>Jehoshaphat and Ahaziah build ships together</n>


text:
They agreed to build ships that would sail to Tarshish. And they built the ships in the town called Ezion-Geber. 


text:
Dodavahu’s son Eliezer from the town called Mareshah <i>prophesied</i> against Jehoshaphat. He said, ‘You have become a friend of Ahaziah. So the <i>LORD</i> will destroy the things that you have made.’ The ships broke in the sea. So, they could not sail to Tarshish.


text:
Then Jehoshaphat died as his <i>ancestors</i> had done. And people buried him in David’s city, with his <i>ancestors</i>. And Jehoram his son ruled Judah instead. 


text:
Jehoram had brothers who were also sons of Jehoshaphat. They were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azaryahu, Michael and Shephatiah. All these men were sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel. 


text:
Their father had given many gifts of <i>silver</i>, gold and valuable things to them. And he gave to them cities with walls in Judah. But Jehoram was the oldest son. So his father said that he should be the next king. <n>Verse 2 Jehoshaphat was king of Judah. But Judah is the <i>kingdom</i> of two <i>tribes</i> of the <i>Israelites</i>. Perhaps that is why it says Israel here. <n>Jehoram kills his brothers</n>


text:
Jehoram made himself a strong king over his father’s <i>kingdom</i>. Then he killed all his brothers and some leaders of Israel with the <i>sword</i>. 


text:
Jehoram was 32 years old when he started to rule. He ruled for 8 years in Jerusalem. <n>Jehoram does not give pleasure to the <i>LORD</i></n>


text:
He had married Ahab’s daughter. So he did what the kings of Israel had done. He did what Ahab and his <i>descendants</i> did. He did very wrong things that the <i>LORD</i> did not like. 


text:
But the <i>LORD</i> did not want to destroy David’s <i>clan</i>. That was because of what he had promised to David. He had promised that a <i>descendant</i> of David would always rule in Israel. <n>Edom fights Judah</n>


text:
Edom’s people decided not to obey Judah’s king while Jehoram was king. So they chose their own king to rule over them. 


text:
So Jehoram went there with his officers and all his <i>chariots</i>. Edom’s men went everywhere round him and his <i>chariots</i>. But during the night he got up. He attacked their soldiers and he reached the other side of their army. 


text:
But since then, Edom’s people have refused to obey Judah’s king. At the same time, the people in Libnah decided not to obey Jehoram. That was because Jehoram had stopped <i>worshipping</i> the <i>LORD</i>, the God of his <i>ancestors</i>. 


text:
He also built high places on the hills in Judah. And there he caused the people from Jerusalem to <i>worship</i> false gods. So he caused Judah’s people to do wrong things. <n>A <i>prophet</i> tells Jehoram how the <i>LORD</i> will <i>punish</i> Jehoram</n> 


text:
Elijah the <i>prophet</i> wrote a letter to Jehoram. This is what it said: <n>‘The <i>LORD</i>, your father David’s God says, “You have not done what your father Jehoshaphat and Asa, kings of Judah did. 


text:
Instead, you have done as the kings of Israel do. You have been like Ahab and his <i>descendants</i>. You have caused Judah’s people and the people in Jerusalem to <i>worship</i> false gods. And you have killed your own brothers. They were your father’s sons and they were better men than you. 


text:
So now the <i>LORD</i> will hit your people, your sons, your wives and everything that is yours. He will hit them very badly. 


text:
You, yourself, will have many illnesses. You will have an illness in your stomach. The illness will get worse each day until in the end your inside parts will come out of your body.” ’ <n>Enemies attack Judah</n>


text:
And the <i>LORD</i> caused the <i>Philistines</i> and the Arabs who lived near Ethiopia to be angry with Jehoram. 


text:
They attacked Judah and they won a lot of land. They took away all the things in the king’s house and his sons and his wives. The only son that they did not take was Jehoahaz, the youngest son. <n>Jehoram dies</n>


text:
After all those things, the <i>LORD</i> caused Jehoram to have a bad illness in his stomach. And that illness could not get better. 


text:
He was very ill for two whole years, and then his inside parts came out because of the illness. He had very bad pain because of this illness and then he died. His people did not make a big fire to give <i>honour</i> to him as they had done for his <i>ancestors</i>.


text:
Jehoram was 32 years old when he started to rule. And he ruled in Jerusalem for 8 years. When he died nobody was sad. They buried him in David’s city, but not where they had buried the other kings.


text:
The people who lived in Jerusalem chose Jehoram’s youngest son, Ahaziah to be king of Judah instead. Enemies that came in with the Arabs had killed all Jehoram’s older sons. So Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram, the king of Judah began to rule over Judah.


text:
Ahaziah was 22 years old when he started to rule. And he ruled for one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, who was a granddaughter of Omri. <n>Ahaziah does not do what gives pleasure to God</n>


text:
Ahaziah’s mother taught him to do what was wrong. So he did the things that Ahab and his <i>descendants</i> had done. 


text:
He did very wrong things that the <i>LORD</i> did not like. They were like the things that Ahab and his <i>descendants</i> had done. Ahab’s officers had taught Ahaziah to do those wrong things after his father had died. And those things caused his death. 


text:
Ahab’s officers told him that he should go with Jehoram to fight Hazael, king of Syria at Ramoth-Gilead. Jehoram was the son of Ahab and he was the king of Israel. He did as they said and the soldiers from Syria hurt Jehoram. 


text:
So he went to Jezreel to get better after what had happened at Ramah. While he was fighting against Hazael, the king of Syria there, Hazael’s soldiers had hurt him. Then Jehoram’s son Ahaziah, the king of Judah went to Jezreel to see Ahab’s son Jehoram because he was ill. <n>Jehu kills Ahaziah and his people</n>


text:
God used this visit to Jehoram to cause Ahaziah’s death. When Ahaziah arrived, he went with Jehoram to meet Nimshi’s son Jehu. But the <i>LORD</i> had decided to use Jehu to kill all Ahab’s family. God’s <i>prophet</i> had put oil on Jehu to show him that God would use him. 


text:
While Jehu was <i>punishing</i> Ahab’s family he found the leaders of Judah. He also found some sons of Ahaziah’s <i>relatives</i> who had been servants of Ahaziah. And Jehu killed them too. 


text:
Then he went to find Ahaziah. Jehu’s men found him where he was hiding in Samaria. And they caught him. They took him to Jehu. Then they killed him. They buried him because they said, ‘He was the grandson of Jehoshaphat. And Jehoshaphat obeyed the <i>LORD</i> as well as he could.’ But now there was nobody in Ahaziah’s family who could become king. <n>Athaliah tries to kill all the family of Judah’s king</n>


text:
Then Athaliah, Ahaziah’s mother, knew that her son was dead. So she started to kill everyone in the king’s <i>clan</i> in Judah. <n>Jehoshabeath saves Ahaziah’s son, Joash</n>


text:
But Jehoshabeath, King Jehoram’s daughter, took Ahaziah’s son Joash away from the other sons that Athaliah was killing. And she hid him. She was the wife of Jehoiada the <i>priest</i>. She put Joash in a bedroom in the house with his nurse. She hid the child from Athaliah because she was Ahaziah’s sister. So Athaliah did not kill him. 


text:
He stayed secretly with them in the house of God for 6 years. During that time, Athaliah ruled the country.


text:
After nearly 7 years, Jehoiada decided that he must be brave. He told some officers in the army what he wanted to do. And they agreed with him. They were each over 100 soldiers. These men were Jeroham’s son Azariah, Jehohanan’s son Ishmael, Obed’s son Azariah, Adaiah’s son Maaseiah and Zichri’s son Elishaphat. 


text:
They went to all the towns in Judah. They brought the <i>Levites</i> from those towns and all the leaders of Israel’s <i>clans</i> to Jerusalem. 


text:
There in God’s house all those people promised the king that they would help him. <n>Jehoiada said to them, ‘Here is the king’s son. He must rule as the <i>LORD</i> promised about David’s <i>descendants</i>. 


text:
You must do this: You <i>priests</i> and <i>Levites</i> will go in to work in the <i>temple</i> on the <i>Sabbath</i>. There will be three separate groups of you. One group must watch at the doors of the <i>temple</i>. 


text:
Another group will watch at the king’s house. And the last group will be at the gate called Foundation Gate. All the other people will be in the yards round the house of the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
Only the <i>priests</i> and the <i>Levites</i> who have to work there can go in to the house of the <i>LORD</i>. They can go in because they are <i>holy</i>. All the other people must stay outside as the <i>LORD</i> has said. 


text:
The <i>Levites</i> must stand round the new king, each with his <i>sword</i> in his hand. They must kill anyone who comes into the <i>temple</i>. They must stay very near to the king in any place that he goes.’ <n>The people put the <i>crown</i> on Joash’s head</n>


text:
The <i>Levites</i> and all the men in Judah did everything that Jehoiada the <i>priest</i> had spoken to them about. Each leader took his men who should come into the <i>temple</i> on the <i>Sabbath</i>. And he took his men who should go out of the <i>temple</i> on the <i>Sabbath</i>. Jehoiada the <i>priest</i> did not send anyone to his home. 


text:
Jehoiada the <i>priest</i> gave <i>spears</i> and large and small <i>shields</i> to the captains over each group of 100 men. Those things had been King David’s and they were in the house of God. 


text:
He told all the men that they must stand with their <i>spears</i> ready. They stood from the north side to the south side of the <i>temple</i>. And they were near the <i>altar</i> and round the king.


text:
Jehoiada and his sons brought out the old king’s son and they put the <i>crown</i> on his head. They gave to him the <i>laws</i> that kings must obey. Jehoiada and his sons <i>anointed</i> him as king and they shouted, ‘We pray that the king will live for a long time.’ So he became the king of Judah. <n>The people kill Athaliah</n>


text:
Athaliah heard the noise when the people started to run about. She heard them when they <i>praised</i> the king. So she went to the people in the house of the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
She looked and she saw the new king. He was standing in the king’s place by the door of the <i>temple</i>. The officers and the men who made a noise with <i>trumpets</i> were standing next to him. All the country’s people were happy and people were making a noise with <i>trumpets</i>. There were singers and they were also making music. They were the leaders of the people while the people <i>praised</i>. Athaliah tore her clothes and she screamed, ‘People are fighting against their ruler! They are fighting against their ruler!’


text:
Jehoiada the <i>priest</i> sent a message to the captains who were each over 100 men. These captains were over the army. The <i>priest</i> had said to them, ‘Do not kill her in the house of the <i>LORD</i>.’ So now he said, ‘Bring her out between the soldiers. And kill with a <i>sword</i> anyone who tries to help her.’ 


text:
So they took her and they brought her to the Horse Gate, next to the king’s house. And they killed her there. <n>The people destroy the <i>temple</i> of Baal</n>


text:
Then Jehoiada, the people and the king promised each other that they would be the <i>LORD</i>’s people. 


text:
All the people went to the <i>temple</i> of Baal and they pulled it down. They broke the <i>altars</i> and the <i>idols</i> into pieces. And they killed Mattan, Baal’s <i>priest</i> in front of the <i>altars</i>. <n><i>Worship</i> in the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>temple</i></n>


text:
Then Jehoiada gave authority over the house of the <i>LORD</i> to the <i>priests</i>. They were <i>Levites</i> and David had given to them different jobs at the <i>LORD</i>’s house. They gave <i>sacrifices</i> by fire to the <i>LORD</i> as Moses had written in the <i>Law</i>. They were happy and they sang at the same time. David had told them how to do that. 


text:
Jehoiada also put men at the gates of the <i>LORD</i>’s house. So, anyone who was not <i>clean</i> for any reason could not go in. <n>Joash sits on the king’s special seat</n>


text:
Jehoiada took the captains who were each over 100 men, the important men and the rulers of the people. And all the country’s people went with them. They brought the king down from the <i>LORD</i>’s house. They came in through the Higher Gate to the king’s house. There they caused the king to sit on the king’s special seat. 


text:
And all the people in the whole country were very happy. The city was quiet because the people had killed Athaliah with the <i>sword</i>.


text:
Joash was 7 years old when he became king. And he ruled in Jerusalem for 40 years. His mother was Zibiah from Beersheba. 


text:
Joash did the things that gave pleasure to the <i>LORD</i>. And he did that all the time that Jehoiada the <i>priest</i> was alive. 


text:
Jehoiada chose two wives for him and he had sons and daughters. <n>Joash wants money for repairs to the <i>temple</i></n>


text:
He asked the <i>priests</i> and the <i>Levites</i> to come to him. ‘Go into all the towns in Judah. And bring here all the money that Israel’s people save each year’, he said. ‘It is for the repair of your God’s house. Do it now.’ But the <i>Levites</i> did not hurry to do it.


text:
So the king asked Jehoiada, the most important <i>priest</i>, to come to him. ‘You have not told the <i>Levites</i> that they must bring in the money from Judah and Jerusalem. It is for the <i>tent</i> of God’s promise. You should have caused them to bring it. The <i>LORD</i>’s servant Moses and all Israel’s people agreed to save this money.’


text:
The sons of that <i>wicked</i> woman Athaliah had broken God’s house. And they had used the <i>holy</i> things from the <i>LORD</i>’s house for the <i>Baals</i>. <n>People bring money to the <i>temple</i></n>


text:
The king said that the <i>Levites</i> must make a big box. They made a big box and they put it outside, by the gate of the <i>LORD</i>’s house. 


text:
Then he sent men to tell everyone in Judah and Jerusalem that they should bring the money there. God’s servant Moses had told the <i>Israelites</i> that they should pay this money. He told them that while they were in the <i>desert</i>. 


text:
All the officers and all the people were happy to give this money. They brought their part and they threw it into the box. They did that until all the people had given their money. 


text:
The <i>Levites</i> took the box to the king’s officers. They took it when there was a lot of money in it. The king’s <i>secretary</i> and an officer of the most important <i>priest</i> came. They took the money out of the box. Then they put the box outside the gate again. They did that regularly, so then they had a lot of money. <n>The king and Jehoiada pay men to make repairs to the <i>temple</i></n>


text:
The king and Jehoiada gave the money to builders for the repairs to the <i>LORD</i>’s house. They used it to pay men who worked there with stone and wood in the <i>LORD</i>’s house. And they paid men who worked with iron and <i>bronze</i> for other repairs to the <i>LORD</i>’s house.


text:
These workers worked well and they soon finished the repairs. They made the house as it should be. And they made it stronger, too. 


text:
They did not use all the money. So when they had finished the work, they brought some money to the king and to Jehoiada. They decided to make tools to use in the <i>LORD</i>’s house. There were things that the <i>priests</i> used for <i>sacrifices</i> by fire and for other work in the house. They also made dishes and cups out of gold and <i>silver</i>. All the time that Jehoiada was alive, they made <i>sacrifices</i> by fire at the <i>LORD</i>’s house. <n>Jehoiada dies</n>


text:
They buried him among the kings in David’s city. That was because he had done many good things in Israel for God and for God’s house. <n>Joash and the people decide not to obey the <i>LORD</i>’s rules</n>


text:
After Jehoiada died, the most important leaders in Judah came to the king. They fell down in front of him and then the king listened to them. 


text:
They stopped <i>worshipping</i> the <i>LORD</i>, the God of their <i>ancestors</i>, in his house. They <i>worshipped Asherahs</i> and <i>idols</i> instead. So God became very angry with the people in Judah and in Jerusalem. That was because they had done those very wrong things. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> sent <i>prophets</i> to the people. They told the people that they should begin to <i>worship</i> the <i>LORD</i> again. They told them that they were doing something very bad. But the people would not listen to them. <n>Zechariah tells the people that God is angry with them</n>


text:
Then God’s Spirit came upon Zechariah, son of Jehoiada the <i>priest</i>. He stood in front of the people and he said, ‘God says, “You are not obeying the <i>LORD</i>’s rules. So nothing will go well for you. Because you have gone away from the <i>LORD</i>, he has gone away from you.” ’ <n>Joash and the people kill Zechariah</n>


text:
But the people decided to hurt him. The king told them that they should kill him. So they threw stones at him until he was dead. They did it in the yard of the <i>LORD</i>’s house. 


text:
King Joash did not remember that Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had been very kind to him. He killed his son. And when Zechariah was dying he said, ‘I pray that the <i>LORD</i> will see this. And I pray that the <i>LORD</i> will <i>punish</i> you because of it.’ <n>An army from Syria attacks Judah and it wins the fight</n>


text:
At the end of that year, an army from Syria attacked Joash. They attacked Judah and Jerusalem. They killed all the people’s leaders and they sent many valuable things to their king in Damascus. 


text:
The army from Syria was only a few soldiers. But the <i>LORD</i> helped them to win the fight against Judah’s much bigger army. That was because they had stopped <i>worshipping</i> the <i>LORD</i>, the God of their <i>ancestors</i>. So God used those soldiers to <i>punish</i> Joash. <n>Joash’s officers kill him</n>


text:
When the army from Syria left, Joash was very ill. His own servants were angry that he had killed the son of Jehoiada the <i>priest</i>. So they decided to kill him and they killed him in his bed. He died and they buried him in David’s city. But they did not bury him with the dead bodies of the kings. <n>Amaziah becomes king</n>


text:
The <i>officials</i> who decided to kill Joash were Zabad and Jehozabad. Zabad was the son of Shimeath, a woman from the country called Ammon. And Jehozabad was the son of Shimrith, a woman from the country called Moab. 


text:
People recorded the things about Joash’s sons and the <i>prophecies</i> about him in the Book about the Kings. People also recorded the repairs that he made to the house of God. And his son Amaziah ruled instead.


text:
Amaziah was 25 years old when he began to rule. He ruled in Jerusalem for 29 years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan and she was from Jerusalem. 


text:
He did the things that gave pleasure to the <i>LORD</i>. But he did not always really want to do those things. <n>He kills the men who killed his father</n>


text:
He made himself safe and strong as the ruler of the country. Then he killed all his servants who had killed the king, his father. 


text:
But he did not kill their children. He did as Moses had written in the <i>Law</i>. The <i>LORD</i> had said to Moses, ‘You must not kill men because of what their children have done. And you must not kill people because of what their fathers have done. Each person must die because of his own <i>sins</i> only.’ <n>Amaziah’s army</n>


text:
Then Amaziah brought all the people in Judah together. He chose leaders for their <i>clans</i>. Some were leaders of 1000 men and some were leaders of 100 men from Judah or from Benjamin. He counted 300 000 men who were 20 years old or older. They could fight with <i>spear</i> and <i>shield</i>. 


text:
And he paid 3500 kilos (7800 pounds) of <i>silver</i> for 100 000 very brave soldiers from Israel to fight for him. <n>The king sends back the soldiers from <i>Israel</i></n>


text:
But a <i>prophet</i> came to the king and he said, ‘You king, do not let these soldiers from Israel go with you because the <i>LORD</i> is not with Israel. He is not with any of those <i>relatives</i> of Ephraim. 


text:
With them, you may be strong and you may fight well in the war. But God will use the enemy to beat you. God can help you. And he can cause your enemies to beat you.’


text:
Amaziah said to God’s servant, ‘But I have paid 3500 kilos (7800 pounds weight) of <i>silver</i> for the army from Israel. What should I do about that?’ God’s servant replied, ‘The <i>LORD</i> can give you more money than that! He can give you a lot of money!’


text:
So Ahaziah spoke to the soldiers who were <i>relatives</i> of Ephraim. He told them that he did not need them. He sent them away to their homes. They were very angry with Judah. They returned to where they had come from with very angry thoughts in their minds. <n>Amaziah fights men from Seir</n>


text:
But Amaziah became brave and he led all his soldiers to the Valley of Salt. There they fought and they killed 10 000 men from Seir. 


text:
His army also caught 10 000 more men alive. They took them to the top of a tall rock and they threw them from the top of the rock. So, all the men died when they hit the rocks below. <n><i>Israelite</i> soldiers attack towns in Judah</n>


text:
But the soldiers that Amaziah had sent away were attacking towns in Judah from Samaria to Beth-Horon. He had not let them go to war with his army. They killed 3000 men and they took away many valuable things from those towns. <n>Amaziah <i>worships idols</i></n>


text:
Amaziah returned to Judah after he had killed all those soldiers from Seir. But he brought the gods that the people in Seir <i>worshipped</i> with him. He put them up as his own gods and he <i>worshipped</i> them. And he burned oils with sweet smells in front of them. 


text:
So the <i>LORD</i> was very angry with Amaziah and he sent a <i>prophet</i> to him. The <i>prophet</i> said to him, ‘You are silly to ask these gods for help! They could not save their own people from you!’ <n>Amaziah will not listen to God’s <i>prophet</i></n>


text:
While he was speaking, the king said to him, ‘We have not asked you to tell the king what he should do! Stop! If you do not stop, my men will kill you.’ So the <i>prophet</i> stopped. But he said, ‘I know this: God has decided to kill you because you have done this. And you have not listened to my words.’ <n>Amaziah attacks Israel</n>


text:
Then Judah’s King Amaziah and his most important officers spoke together. Then they sent a message to the king of Israel. He was Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, who was the son of Jehu. ‘Come and we can fight each other’, the message said.


text:
But Israel’s King Joash replied to Amaziah the king of Judah, ‘A small weed in Lebanon sent a message to a great <i>cedar</i> tree in Lebanon. The message said, “Let your daughter marry my son.” Then a wild animal that was in Lebanon came. And it walked on the weed and it destroyed it. 


text:
You say to yourself that you have won the fight with Edom. And now you think that you are great. But stay in your house! You do not want to cause trouble for yourself. If you fight us, we will beat you and Judah.’ <n>God lets Israel win the fight to <i>punish</i> Amaziah</n>


text:
But Amaziah refused to listen. God had decided that he would cause Joash’s army to win the fight. That was because Amaziah had <i>worshipped</i> Edom’s gods. 


text:
So Joash, Israel’s king attacked Amaziah, the king of Judah. They stood at Beth-Shemesh in Judah. And they were looking at each other. 


text:
Israel’s army beat Judah’s army completely. So every soldier from Judah ran away to his <i>tent</i>. 


text:
Joash, the king of Israel caught Amaziah the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the king of Judah. He caught him at Beth-Shemesh and he took him to Jerusalem. Then Joash broke the wall of Jerusalem, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. That part of the wall was about 180 metres (600 feet) long. 


text:
He took all the gold and the <i>silver</i> from the house of God. And he took all the other things that Obed-Edom was keeping in God’s house. Joash also took the valuable things from the king’s house and some foreign men that Amaziah had kept there. Then he returned to Samaria. <n>Verse 23 Jehoahaz is another name for Ahaziah. <n>The end of Amaziah’s life</n>


text:
Joash’s son, King Amaziah of Judah lived for 15 years after Jehoahaz’s son Joash, king of Israel died. 


text:
Men have written down all the other things that Amaziah did from the first thing to the last thing. All those things are in the Book about the Kings of Judah and Israel. 


text:
After Amaziah had stopped obeying the <i>LORD</i>, men in Jerusalem agreed to kill him. So he ran away to Lachish. But they went after him to Lachish and they killed him there. 


text:
They brought his dead body to Jerusalem on horses. And they buried him with his <i>ancestors</i> in the city of Judah.


text:
Then all the people in Judah took Uzziah and they chose him to be king instead. He was Amaziah’s son and he was 16 years old. 


text:
He built Eloth again after King Amaziah had died. And he made it a part of Judah again. <n>Uzziah gives pleasure to the <i>LORD</i></n>


text:
Uzziah was 16 years old when he became king. And he ruled in Jerusalem for 52 years. His mother’s name was Jecoliah and she was from Jerusalem. 


text:
He did the things that gave pleasure to the <i>LORD</i>. He was doing as his father, Amaziah had done. 


text:
He tried to obey God all the time that Zechariah was alive. Zechariah was <i>wise</i> because God showed things to him. All the time that Uzziah tried to obey the <i>LORD</i>, God caused everything to go well for him. <n>God helps Uzziah to win fights</n>


text:
Uzziah went and he attacked the <i>Philistines</i>. He destroyed the walls of Gath, Jabneh and Ashdod. Then he built new towns near Ashdod and in other places among the people called Philistines. 


text:
God helped him to win fights against the <i>Philistines</i> and against the Arabs who lived in Gur-Baal. And God helped him against the people called Meunites. 


text:
The people from Ammon paid <i>taxes</i> to Uzziah. He had become very powerful. So all the people everywhere from Judah to Egypt knew that Uzziah was great. <n>Uzziah makes Jerusalem strong and his men work on the land</n>


text:
Uzziah built tall buildings to keep Jerusalem safe. He built them at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate and at the corner of the wall. He made them strong and he put men with <i>weapons</i> in them. 


text:
He also built buildings like that in the <i>desert</i>. He dug big holes there to contain water because he had many animals. They were near the lowest part of the hills and on the flat land. He had men who worked in the fields. And he had men who worked in <i>vineyards</i> on the hills. He loved to use the ground to plant things. So, many men worked for him in places where food plants could grow well. <n>Uzziah’s army</n>


text:
Uzziah had an army of soldiers who were ready for war. Jeiel was the king’s <i>secretary</i> and Maaseiah was the king’s officer. These men counted the soldiers and they put them into groups. And the soldiers fought in those groups. Hananiah, an officer of the king, was over them. 


text:
They ruled an army of 307 500 men who were ready to fight. They were a powerful army to help the king against his enemies. 


text:
Uzziah gave to all the soldiers enough <i>shields</i> and <i>spears</i>. He gave to them special strong hats and clothes to keep their bodies safe. And he gave bows to them. He even gave stones to them for their things that could shoot stones. 


text:
Clever men in Jerusalem had new ideas about machines to throw <i>arrows</i> or big stones. Uzziah put them on the tall buildings that he had built on the walls. And he put them at the corners of the walls. God helped him a lot until he became powerful. So the people in places that were a long way away knew a lot about Uzziah. <n>Uzziah forgets what God has done for him</n>


text:
So Uzziah was powerful. But then he began to think that he was more important than anyone. So he began to do wrong things. And he <i>sinned</i> against the <i>LORD</i> his God. He went into the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>temple</i> to burn special oils with sweet smells on the <i>altar</i> for special oils. 


text:
They told King Uzziah that he was wrong. They said to him, ‘It is not right for you, Uzziah to burn special oils with sweet smells in front of the <i>LORD</i>. God has chosen only Aaron’s <i>descendants</i>, the <i>priests</i>, to burn special oils. Go out of this <i>Holy</i> Place because you have <i>sinned</i>. The <i>LORD</i> God will not give <i>honour</i> to you because of this.’ <n>The <i>LORD</i> causes Uzziah to have an illness on his skin</n>


text:
Then Uzziah was angry. In his hand, he was holding the thing that <i>priests</i> burn oils with sweet smells in. He was standing by the <i>altar</i> for special oils in the <i>LORD</i>’s house. And the <i>priests</i> were there as well. When he was angry with the <i>priests</i>, immediately an illness appeared on the skin at the front of his head. 


text:
And Azariah the most important <i>priest</i> and all the priests turned toward Uzziah. They looked at him and they saw the illness on the skin at the front of his head. So they quickly took him out of there. And he himself also rushed out of the <i>temple</i> because the <i>LORD</i> had <i>punished</i> him with this illness. <n>The end of King Uzziah’s life</n>


text:
King Uzziah had the illness on his skin until the day that he died. Because of the illness he had to live in a house by himself. And he could not go into the <i>LORD</i>’s house. Jotham his son was over the king’s house and he ruled the people in his country. 


text:
Amoz’s son, the <i>prophet</i> Isaiah, has written about Uzziah. He has recorded all the other things that Uzziah did as king. He has recorded them from the first thing to the last thing. 


text:
Uzziah died. And his servants buried him in a field that the kings had to bury people in. They did that because they said, ‘He had the illness called leprosy.’ Then his son Jotham ruled Judah instead.


text:
Jotham was 25 years old when he began to rule his country. He ruled for 16 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok. 


text:
He did the things that his father Uzziah had done. He did things that gave pleasure to the <i>LORD</i>. But he did not do one thing that his father had done. He did not try to go into the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>temple</i> to burn oils with sweet smells. But the people still did very wrong things. <n>Jotham builds many things</n>


text:
Jotham built the highest gate of the <i>LORD</i>’s house. It was called the Higher Gate. And he did a lot of work on the wall near the hill called Ophel. 


text:
He built towns in the hills of Judah. And he built strong buildings and tall buildings for soldiers in the forests. <n>Jotham fights with Ammon’s <i>descendants</i></n>


text:
Jotham attacked the king of Ammon’s <i>descendants</i> and he beat them. That year, Ammon’s <i>descendants</i> gave to him about 3400 kilos (7500 pounds) of <i>silver</i>. They also gave to him 2200 kilolitres (575 000 gallons) of <i>wheat</i> and 2200 kilolitres of <i>barley</i>. Ammon’s <i>descendants</i> also gave the same things to him the next year and the year after that. 


text:
Jotham became powerful because he was careful to obey the <i>LORD</i> his God. <n>The end of Jotham’s life</n>


text:
Someone has written about all the wars and about all the other things that Jotham did. All those things are in the Book about the Kings of Israel and Judah. 


text:
Then Jotham died and his servants buried him in the city of David. And his son Ahaz ruled the country instead.


text:
Ahaz was 20 years old when he began to rule his country. He ruled in Jerusalem for 16 years. But he was not like his <i>ancestor</i> David. He did not do the things that gave pleasure to the <i>LORD</i>. <n>Ahaz <i>worships idols</i></n>


text:
He did all the things that the kings of Israel did. And he made metal <i>idols</i> of the gods called Baal to <i>worship</i>. 


text:
He burnt oils with sweet smells in the Ben-Hinnom Valley for them. And he <i>sacrificed</i> his sons in the fire. The people that had lived in the country before the <i>Israelites</i> had done many very bad things. So the <i>LORD</i> had pushed out those people in front of Israel’s people. But Ahaz copied those things. 


text:
He offered <i>sacrifices</i> by fire on high places, on the tops of hills and under every green tree. And he burnt oils with sweet smells in those places. <n>God <i>punishes</i> Ahaz</n>


text:
So, the <i>LORD</i> his God sent the king of Syria against him. He caused the king of Syria to win the fight. Then the king of Syria took many people from Judah to Damascus and he kept them there. The <i>LORD</i> also let the king of Israel win a fight with Ahaz. And he killed many people. 


text:
Remaliah’s son Pekah from Israel killed 120 000 of Judah’s best soldiers in one day. God let that happen because the people in Judah had stopped <i>worshipping</i> the <i>LORD</i>, the God of their <i>ancestors</i>. 


text:
Zichri, a good fighter from Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king’s son. He also killed Azrikam, the officer over the king’s house and Elkanah who was the king’s most important officer. 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> took away 200 000 wives, sons and daughters from Judah. It did not matter to them that those people were also <i>descendants</i> of Jacob. They also took away to Samaria many good and valuable things. <n>Oded tells Israel’s people that God is angry with them</n>


text:
But a <i>prophet</i> of the <i>LORD</i> called Oded lived there. He met Israel’s soldiers while they were returning to Samaria. He said to them, ‘The <i>LORD</i>, the God of your <i>ancestors</i> was angry with Judah’s people. So he let you win the fight against them. But you have angrily killed very many people among them. And the news about that has reached <i>heaven</i>. 


text:
And now you want to use people from Judah and Jerusalem as your male and female slaves. But remember that you too have <i>sinned</i> against the <i>LORD</i> your God. 


text:
Now listen to me. The <i>LORD</i> is very angry with you. So you should let the people that you have taken away from Judah return to their own country. They have the same <i>ancestors</i> that you have.’ <n>Israel’s people obey God’s <i>prophet</i></n>


text:
Then some leaders in Ephraim met the soldiers while the soldiers were returning from the war. Those leaders were Johanan’s son Azariah, Meshillemoth’s son Berechiah, Shallum’s son Jehizkiah and Hadlai’s son Amasa. 


text:
‘You must not bring these people that you have caught here’, they said. ‘If you do, it will be a <i>sin</i> against the <i>LORD</i>. The <i>LORD</i> is already angry with Israel because we have <i>sinned</i>. And he may <i>punish</i> us for that. It seems that you want to make it worse.’


text:
So the soldiers gave the people and the things that they had taken from Judah to the leaders. All the people were watching them while they did that. 


text:
Then those 4 leaders gave clothes and shoes to those who had none. They took those things from the things that the soldiers had taken away from Judah. And they gave food, drink and medicines to them. They put on <i>donkeys</i> those people who were too weak to walk. Then they took them to Jericho, the city with many <i>Palms</i>. There they were near where their own people lived. Then those leaders returned to Samaria. <n>Ahaz asks the king of Assyria for help</n>


text:
At the same time, the <i>Philistines</i> had attacked towns in the low hills and in the south of Judah. They won the towns called Beth-Shemesh, Aijalon and Gederoth. They also won Soco, Timnah and Gimzo with the villages near to them. Then they went and they lived in them. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> had caused trouble for Judah because of all the <i>wicked</i> things that Ahaz, their king had done. Ahaz let the people in Judah do what was wrong. He <i>sinned</i> badly and he had stopped <i>worshipping</i> the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
Tilgath-Pilneser, the king of Assyria came to Ahaz. But he caused trouble and he did not help Ahaz. 


text:
Ahaz had taken many valuable things from the <i>LORD</i>’s house and from the king’s house and from the rulers. He gave them to the king of Assyria but that did not help Ahaz. <n>Ahaz continues to <i>sin</i> against God</n>


text:
He gave <i>sacrifices</i> to the gods of the people in Damascus because those people had beaten him. So, he thought, ‘The gods of the kings of Syria are helping them. So perhaps they will help me if I give <i>sacrifices</i> to them.’ But that caused very bad trouble for him and for all Israel.


text:
Ahaz took away all the things that were in God’s house. And he cut them into pieces. He shut the doors of the house of the <i>LORD</i>. And he built <i>altars</i> for himself at the corner of every street in Jerusalem. 


text:
He built high places in every town in Judah to burn oils with sweet smells to other gods. So he made the <i>LORD</i>, the God of his <i>ancestors</i>, very angry. <n>Ahaz dies</n>


text:
Everything about him is in the Book about the Kings of Judah and Israel. And all the things that he did from the first thing to the last thing are in that book. 


text:
Ahaz died and the people buried him in the city, in Jerusalem. But they did not bury him near the kings of Israel. Then his son Hezekiah ruled the country instead.


text:
Hezekiah was 25 years old when he began to rule. And he ruled in Jerusalem for 29 years. His mother’s name was Abijah. She was the daughter of Zechariah. 


text:
He did as his <i>ancestor</i> David had done. He did the things that gave pleasure to the <i>LORD</i>. <n>Hezekiah tells the <i>Levites</i> that they must make the <i>temple clean</i></n>


text:
He opened the doors of the <i>LORD</i>’s house in the first year that he was king, in the first month. And he did repairs to them. 


text:
He brought the <i>priests</i> and the <i>Levites</i> together in the place at the east side of the <i>temple</i>. 


text:
He said to them, ‘Listen to me you <i>Levites</i>. Make yourselves <i>holy</i> and make the house <i>holy</i> too. It is the house of the <i>LORD</i>, the God of your <i>ancestors</i>. Take out of that <i>holy</i> place anything that is not holy.’ <n>Why God was angry with Judah</n>


text:
‘Our <i>ancestors</i> have not done the right things. They did very wrong things that the <i>LORD</i> our God did not like. They stopped <i>worshipping</i> him. And they turned away from the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>temple</i>. 


text:
They also shut the doors of the <i>temple</i> and they stopped burning oil in the <i>lamps</i>. They did not burn oils with sweet smells there. And they have not given <i>sacrifices</i> by fire in the <i>holy</i> place to the God of Israel. 


text:
So the <i>LORD</i> has become angry with Judah and Jerusalem. He made them places where nobody wants to be. You can see this with your own eyes. 


text:
So our fathers died while they were fighting our enemies. And our sons, our daughters and our wives are in foreign countries because of it. 


text:
Now I want to give a promise to the <i>LORD</i> the God of Israel. Then he will stop being very angry with us.’ <n>The <i>Levites</i> must make the <i>temple clean</i></n>


text:
‘My sons, the <i>LORD</i> has chosen you to stand in front of him. He has chosen you to work for him and to be his servants. And he has chosen you to burn oils with sweet smells to him. So do not waste any time.’ 


text:
Then these <i>Levites</i> began to work. From Kohath’s <i>clan</i>, there were Amasai’s son Mahath and Azariah’s son Joel. From Merari’s <i>clan</i>, there were Abdi’s son Kish and Jehallelel’s son Azariah. From Gershon’s <i>clan</i>, there were Zimmah’s son Joah and Joah’s son Eden. 


text:
From Elizaphan’s <i>clan</i>, there were Shimri and Jeiel. From Asaph’s <i>clan</i>, there were Zechariah and Mattaniah. 


text:
From Heman’s <i>clan</i>, there were Jehiel and Shimei. And from Jeduthun’s <i>clan</i>, there were Shemaiah and Uzziel.


text:
They brought all the <i>Levites</i> together and all the <i>Levites</i> made themselves <i>holy</i>. Then they went in to clean the <i>LORD</i>’s house and to make it <i>holy</i>. The <i>LORD</i> had told the king that he should do that. 


text:
The <i>priests</i> went into the inside part of the <i>LORD</i>’s house to clean it. They found things in the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>temple</i> that were not <i>holy</i>. They carried all those things into the yard of the <i>LORD</i>’s house. Then the <i>Levites</i> took them away to the Kidron Valley. 


text:
They began to make the <i>temple holy</i> on the first day of the first month. On the 8th day of the month they reached the door of the <i>LORD</i>’s house. In 8 more days they had made all the house of the <i>LORD holy</i>. And on the 16th day of the first month they had finished the work.


text:
Then they went to King Hezekiah and they said, ‘We have made the whole house of the <i>LORD</i> clean and <i>holy</i>. That includes the <i>altar</i> for <i>sacrifices</i> by fire with all its tools. And it includes the table for the <i>holy</i> bread and all its tools. 


text:
King Ahaz removed many things from the <i>LORD</i>’s house when he stopped <i>worshipping</i> his God. We have prepared all those things and we have made them <i>holy</i> again. They are now in front of the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>altar</i>.’ <n>The king and the people give <i>sacrifices</i> to God to make the <i>temple</i> ready for <i>worship</i></n>


text:
King Hezekiah got up early the next morning and he brought the leaders of the city together. Then he and all the leaders went to the <i>LORD</i>’s house. 


text:
They brought with them 7 male cows, 7 male sheep, 7 young sheep and 7 young male goats. These animals were for a <i>sin-offering</i> for the <i>kingdom</i>, for the <i>holy</i> place and for Judah. The king told the <i>priests</i>, Aaron’s <i>descendants</i>, that they must <i>sacrifice</i> these on the<i>LORD</i>’s <i>altar</i>. 


text:
So they killed the male cows and the <i>priests</i> took the blood. They threw the blood on the <i>altar</i>. Then they killed the male sheep and the <i>priests</i> threw their blood on the <i>altar</i>. Then they killed the young male sheep and the <i>priests</i> threw their blood on the <i>altar</i>. 


text:
Then the king and the people who were there put their hands on the male goats. They were a <i>sacrifice</i> for <i>sin</i>. 


text:
Then the <i>priests</i> killed them. They put their blood on the <i>altar</i> as a <i>sacrifice</i> for <i>sin</i> for all Israel. That was because the king had said, ‘You must give the <i>sacrifice</i> by fire and the <i>sacrifice</i> for <i>sin</i> to God for all Israel.’


text:
The king caused the <i>Levites</i> to stand in the <i>LORD</i>’s house with their <i>cymbals</i>, <i>harps</i> and <i>lyres</i> to make music. They stood as David and David’s <i>prophet</i> Gad and the prophet Nathan had told them. The <i>LORD</i> had used his <i>prophets</i> to tell people how they should do it. 


text:
The <i>Levites</i> were standing ready with David’s things to make music and the <i>priests</i> were ready with their <i>trumpets</i>. <n>Verse 25 See 1 Chronicles chapter 6. 


text:
Then Hezekiah told the <i>priests</i> that they should give the <i>sacrifice</i> by fire on the <i>altar</i>. When they began to give the <i>sacrifice</i> by fire, the singers began to sing to the <i>LORD</i>. The sound of the <i>trumpets</i> also began. And the people with the things of David, the king of Israel, began to make music with them. 


text:
All the people were <i>worshipping</i> the <i>LORD</i>. At the same time the singers were singing and the <i>priests</i> were making a sound with their <i>trumpets</i>. Everybody did that until the end of the <i>sacrifices</i> by fire. <n>All the people <i>praise</i> the <i>LORD</i> and they bring <i>offerings</i> to him</n>


text:
At the end of the <i>sacrifices</i> by fire, the king and everyone with him bent their bodies to <i>worship</i>. 


text:
King Hezekiah and his officers told the <i>Levites</i> that they must sing <i>praises</i> to the <i>LORD</i>. ‘Use the words of King David and of the <i>prophet</i> Asaph’, they said. So the <i>Levites praised</i> God and they bent their bodies to <i>worship</i> God. And they were very happy.


text:
Then Hezekiah said, ‘Now you have given yourselves to the <i>LORD</i>. Come near and bring <i>sacrifices</i> and <i>offerings</i> to thank the <i>LORD</i> into his house.’ So all the people brought their <i>sacrifices</i> and their <i>offerings</i> to thank the <i>LORD</i>. And everyone who wanted to do it also brought <i>sacrifices</i> by fire.


text:
For <i>sacrifices</i> by fire, the people brought 70 male cows, 100 male sheep and 200 young sheep. All these animals were for a <i>sacrifice</i> by fire to the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
But there were not enough <i>priests</i> to take the skin off all the animals for the <i>sacrifices</i> by fire. So the <i>Levites</i> helped them until they had finished the work. By that time more <i>priests</i> had made themselves <i>holy</i> to work for the <i>LORD</i>. (The <i>Levites</i> had been more careful to make themselves <i>holy</i> than the <i>priests</i> had been.) 


text:
There were many <i>sacrifices</i> by fire. Also, there was the fat of the <i>friendship-offerings</i>. They also poured the proper <i>offerings</i> of <i>wine</i> with the <i>sacrifices</i> by fire. <n>That is how they again began to <i>worship</i> in the <i>LORD</i>’s house. 


text:
Hezekiah sent servants with letters to all the people in Israel and in Judah. He also wrote letters to the <i>tribes</i> of Ephraim and Manasseh. He was asking them to come to the house of the <i>LORD</i> in Jerusalem. He was asking them to <i>worship</i> the <i>LORD</i>, the God of Israel with the <i>Passover</i>. 


text:
The king, his officers and all the people in Jerusalem decided to have the <i>Passover feast</i> in the second month. 


text:
The proper time was the first month, but not enough <i>priests</i> had made themselves <i>holy</i>. And all the people had not come to Jerusalem. 


text:
So they sent men to read a letter to all the people. They sent them through all Israel from Beersheba to Dan. The letter asked them to come to Jerusalem for the <i>Passover feast</i> of the <i>LORD</i>, the God of Israel. God’s <i>Law</i> said that the people should come to Jerusalem for this <i>feast</i>. But not many people had done what God’s <i>Law</i> said.


text:
So the king and his officers sent men with letters to every place in Israel and Judah. The letters said, ‘<i>Israelites</i>, start to obey the <i>LORD</i>, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel again. Then he will return to you. He has saved a few people from the king of Assyria’s army. 


text:
Do not be like your <i>ancestors</i> and their children who stopped obeying the <i>LORD</i>, the God of their <i>ancestors</i>. He <i>punished</i> them for that in a very bad way, as you can see. 


text:
Do not refuse to obey him as your <i>ancestors</i> did. Do the things that he wants you to do. Come to the <i>holy</i> place that he has made <i>holy</i> for all time. Become the servants of the <i>LORD</i> your God so that he will stop being very angry with you. 


text:
If you start to obey the <i>LORD</i> again, your enemies will be kind to your <i>relatives</i> and to your children. They will let them return to this country because the <i>LORD</i> your God is kind. And he wants to be good to you. He will not turn away from you if you start to obey him again.’


text:
The men took this letter to every town among the <i>tribes</i> of Ephraim and Manasseh and even to Zebulun. But everywhere the people thought that they were fools. And so they laughed. And they said that the men with the letters were silly. 


text:
But some people from Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun became <i>humble</i> and they did come to Jerusalem. 


text:
God was also working in the people in Judah. And so all those people agreed to obey the king and his officers. The <i>LORD</i> had told them in his Book what they should do. And they did it.


text:
A very large crowd of people came together in Jerusalem in the second month. They came to have the <i>Feast</i> of Bread Without <i>Yeast</i>. 


text:
They started to work. And they took away the <i>altars</i> for false gods that were in Jerusalem. And they took away all the <i>altars</i> to burn oils with sweet smells. And they threw them into the Kidron Valley.


text:
They killed the young sheep for the <i>Passover</i> on the 14th day of the 2nd month. The <i>priests</i> and the <i>Levites</i> were ashamed. So they made themselves <i>holy</i> to work for the <i>LORD</i>. Then they could bring <i>sacrifices</i> by fire into the <i>LORD</i>’s house. 


text:
They stood in their proper places. God’s servant Moses had described these in the <i>Law</i>. The <i>priests</i> threw on the <i>altar</i> the blood that the <i>Levites</i> gave to them. 


text:
Many people in the crowd had not made themselves <i>holy</i>. So they could not kill the <i>Passover</i> sheep. So the <i>Levites</i> had to kill the young sheep for the <i>Passover</i> for them. Then the sheep were <i>holy</i> for the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
Many people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not made themselves <i>holy</i>. So they were not right to eat the <i>Passover</i>. But Hezekiah prayed for them. He said, ‘Good <i>LORD</i>, please <i>forgive</i> everyone 


text:
who really wants to <i>worship</i> the <i>LORD</i> God, the God of his <i>ancestors</i>. They may not be <i>holy</i> as the rules of the <i>holy</i> place say. Please <i>forgive</i> those people.’ 


text:
The <i>Israelites</i> who were in Jerusalem ate the <i>Feast</i> of Bread Without <i>Yeast</i> for 7 days. They were very happy to do it. The <i>Levites</i> and the <i>priests</i> sang <i>praises</i> to the <i>LORD</i> every day. And they <i>praised</i> the <i>LORD</i> with things that make music.


text:
All the <i>Levites</i> really understood how they should work for the <i>LORD</i>. And Hezekiah told them that they were doing well. They <i>praised</i> the <i>LORD</i>, the God of their <i>ancestors</i>. For 7 days they ate the proper food for the <i>feast</i> and they gave <i>friendship-offerings</i> to God. And they gave thanks to the <i>LORD</i>, the God of their <i>ancestors</i>.


text:
Then all the people there agreed to eat the <i>feast</i> for another 7 days. And so they did that happily for 7 more days. 


text:
Hezekiah, the king of Judah gave to the people 1000 young male cows and 7000 sheep and goats. And the leaders gave to them 1000 young male cows and 10 000 sheep and goats. And many <i>priests</i> had made themselves <i>holy</i>. 


text:
All Judah’s people were happy. And the <i>priests</i> and the <i>Levites</i> and people from everywhere in Israel were happy too. They included the foreign people who had come from Israel. And they included people who lived in Judah. 


text:
Everyone in Jerusalem was very happy. There had not been anything like this in Jerusalem since the time when David’s son Solomon was king of Israel. 


text:
The <i>priests</i> and the <i>Levites</i> stood up and they asked God to be good to the people. And God heard them. Their <i>prayer</i> had reached <i>heaven</i>, the place where he lives.


text:
All the <i>feast</i> finished. Then the <i>Israelites</i> who were there went out to all the towns in Judah. They broke up the tall <i>idols</i> of stones. And they cut down the <i>poles</i> with <i>Asherah</i> on them. They destroyed the places for <i>worship</i> and their <i>altars</i> in all Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh. That continued until they had destroyed all those things. When they had done that, all the <i>Israelites</i> returned to their homes in their own towns. <n>Hezekiah gives rules to the <i>priests</i> and to the <i>Levites</i></n>


text:
Hezekiah put the <i>priests</i> and the <i>Levites</i> into separate groups. Each group had special work to do. Some <i>priests</i> and <i>Levites</i> had to give <i>sacrifices</i> by fire. Some had to give <i>friendship-offerings</i> to God. Some worked in other ways. Some thanked God and they <i>praised</i> him at the gates of the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>temple</i>. <n>Hezekiah and all the people give gifts to <i>worship</i> God</n>


text:
The king gave his own animals for <i>sacrifices</i> by fire. And he gave them for the <i>sacrifices</i> by fire each morning and each evening. He gave them for the <i>sacrifices</i> by fire on <i>Sabbaths</i> and days of the new moon. And he gave them for the <i>sacrifices</i> by fire for the other <i>feasts</i> too. He was obeying the <i>Law</i> of the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
He spoke to all the people who lived in Jerusalem. He told them that they must give the proper gifts to the <i>priests</i> and to the <i>Levites</i>. That was so that they would be able to study the <i>Law</i> of the <i>LORD</i> really well. 


text:
When the people got Hezekiah’s message they brought many good things. They brought the first <i>grain</i> that had grown, new <i>wine</i>, oil and <i>honey</i>. And they gave 1 part from every 10 parts of all the things that had grown in their fields. 


text:
The people from <i>Israel</i> and Judah who lived in Judah’s towns also brought gifts. They brought 1 animal from every 10 of all their cows, sheep and goats. And they brought 1 thing from every 10 things that they had made <i>holy</i> to the <i>LORD</i> their God. They put all these things together in one place. 


text:
Hezekiah and the leaders saw all the things. And they said good things about the <i>LORD</i> and they <i>blessed</i> his people, Israel.


text:
Azariah, the most important <i>priest</i> was from Zadok’s <i>clan</i>. He answered, ‘The people began to bring their gifts to the <i>LORD</i>’s house. Since that time we have had enough food to eat and even more food than that. The <i>LORD</i> has <i>blessed</i> his people and we have all this extra food.’


text:
Hezekiah told them that they must make rooms to store the things in the house of the <i>LORD</i>. So they did it. 


text:
They brought in all the gifts and the <i>holy</i> things. That included 1 thing from every 10 things that the people had. A <i>Levite</i> called Conaniah had to keep all those things safe. His brother, Shimei helped him. 


text:
Conaniah and his brother, Shimei were over Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath and Benaiah. And those men told other <i>Levites</i> what they must do. King Hezekiah and Azariah, who was the ruler of God’s house, gave this special job to Conaniah and Shimei. <n>How Kore and his helpers gave out the gifts to the <i>Levites</i> and to the <i>priests</i></n>


text:
Imnah the <i>Levite</i> had a son called Kore. And Kore kept the East Gate safe. Kore’s other job was to give out what people had given to God. And he had to give out the <i>holy</i> gifts to the <i>priests</i>. 


text:
He was over Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah and Shecaniah, who lived in the <i>priests</i>’ cities. They helped him to give out the gifts to the <i>priests</i> in a fair way. They were fair to the old ones and to the young ones. 


text:
They gave gifts to all the males with names that were in the lists of <i>Levites</i>. But they must be three years old or older. When they were older, these young men would come into the <i>LORD</i>’s house on the right days. They would do the special work for each day that was on those lists. 


text:
The lists of the <i>priests</i> showed them in their <i>clans</i>. But the list of the <i>Levites</i> only showed those who were 20 years old or older. And it showed the work that each group of <i>Levites</i> had to do. 


text:
Also, the very young children, wives, sons and daughters received some things from the gifts. That was because they always kept themselves <i>holy</i> for their special work.


text:
Some of the <i>priests</i>, Aaron’s <i>descendants</i>, lived on the land round the <i>Levites</i>’ towns or in other towns. The officers chose men who were fair and honest to take their gifts to them. They gave the proper gifts to every male among the <i>priests</i>. And they gave them to everybody among the <i>Levites</i> who was on the list of <i>Levites</i>.


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That is what Hezekiah did in all Judah. He did what was good and right. And he obeyed the <i>LORD</i> his God. 


text:
He tried to obey God in everything that he did for the <i>LORD</i>’s house. He tried to obey God’s <i>Law</i> and God’s rules. In everything that he did for his God he tried to give pleasure to God. So very good things happened to him.


text:
After Hezekiah had done all these good things, Sennacherib, the king of Assyria came into Judah. His soldiers lived in <i>tents</i> round all the strong cities that had walls. He hoped to win them for himself. <n>Hezekiah makes Jerusalem strong</n>


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Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come. And he saw that he wanted to fight against Jerusalem’s people. 


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So he talked with his officers and with his best soldiers. They decided to stop all the water that came from streams round the city. And the officers and the soldiers helped him to do it. 


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Many people came. And they stopped the big stream that went through the land there. They said, ‘We do not want the kings of Assyria to find plenty of water here.’ 


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Then Hezekiah’s men worked to do repairs to the city’s walls where they needed it. All the men worked as well as they could. Hezekiah built tall buildings on the walls. And he built another wall outside the first wall. He made the wall called the Millo round the City of David stronger, too. And he made a lot of <i>weapons</i> and <i>shields</i> too. <n>Hezekiah prepares to fight</n>


text:
Hezekiah chose some men to be captains over the people in the fight. He asked all the captains to come together in front of him. They met in the big place by the city’s gate. Then he spoke to make them braver. This is what he said: 


text:
‘Be strong and brave. Do not be afraid of Assyria’s king or of his large army. And do not think that they will certainly beat you. There are more soldiers with us than there are with him. 


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He has only human soldiers to help him. But we have the <i>LORD</i> our God to help us and to fight for us.’ And the words that Judah’s King Hezekiah spoke caused the people to feel brave. <n>Sennacherib tells Hezekiah that Hezekiah cannot win a fight with him</n>


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Sennacherib, the king of Assyria and all his army were waiting round Lachish to attack it. Then he sent a message to Judah’s King Hezekiah and to all Judah’s people with him in Jerusalem. This is what it said:


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‘Sennacherib, king of Assyria says this to you: “You are sitting in Jerusalem and there are soldiers everywhere round you. But I do not know what you are <i>trusting</i>. 


text:
Hezekiah is saying that the <i>LORD</i> your God will save you from the king of Assyria. But it is not true. You will die because you will have no food or water. And he knows that. 


text:
Remember that Hezekiah himself removed this god’s high places for <i>worship</i> and his <i>altars</i>. He told you people in Judah and Jerusalem that you should <i>worship</i> in front of one <i>altar</i> only. And he said that you should burn oils with sweet smells on that <i>altar</i> only.


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You know what my <i>ancestors</i> and I have done to all the people in other countries. Their gods were never able to save their country from me. 


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None of the gods of the <i>nations</i> that my <i>ancestors</i> completely destroyed was able to save his people from them. So I do not know how your god can save you from me. 


text:
So now do not let Hezekiah cause you to believe things that are not true. Do not let him change your thoughts. Do not believe him. No god of any <i>nation</i> or <i>kingdom</i> has been able to save his people from me or from my <i>ancestors</i>. So your god certainly will not save you from me!” ’ <n>Sennacherib says that the <i>LORD</i> God has no value</n>


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Sennacherib’s servants also spoke more things against the <i>LORD</i> God and against his servant Hezekiah. 


text:
He also wrote letters that said bad things about the <i>LORD</i>, the God of Israel. He wrote, ‘The gods of other <i>nations</i> could not save their people from me. So the god of Hezekiah will not save his people from me.’ 


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Then Sennacherib’s servants shouted loudly in the <i>Jewish</i> language to the people who were standing on Jerusalem’s walls. They wanted to make them very afraid so that they would be able to win the city. 


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They spoke about Jerusalem’s God. They spoke as they had spoken about all the gods of the people in other countries. But those gods were only <i>idols</i> that men had made with their hands. <n>Hezekiah and Isaiah pray to the <i>LORD</i></n>


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King Hezekiah and Amoz’s son, Isaiah the <i>prophet</i>, prayed about this. And they shouted towards <i>heaven</i>. 


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Then the <i>LORD</i> God sent an <i>angel</i>. And the <i>angel</i> killed all the strong, brave soldiers in the <i>camp</i> of the king of Assyria. The <i>angel</i> killed the leaders and he killed the officers too. So the king of Assyria was ashamed and he returned to his own country. He went into his own god’s house. There some of his own sons attacked him with <i>swords</i> and they killed him.


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So the <i>LORD</i> saved Hezekiah and Jerusalem’s people from Sennacherib, the king of Assyria and from all their other enemies. He kept them safe from the <i>nations</i> everywhere round their country. 


text:
Many people brought gifts to Jerusalem for the <i>LORD</i> and valuable gifts for Hezekiah, king of Judah. At that time and always after that, the people in all <i>nations</i> thought that Hezekiah was great.


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Hezekiah became very ill at that time. He nearly died. He prayed to the <i>LORD</i> and the <i>LORD</i> spoke to him. And the <i>LORD</i> showed him that he would get better. 


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But Hezekiah did not thank the <i>LORD</i> for what he had done for him. The king thought that he was too great to do that. So the <i>LORD</i> became angry with him and with the people in Judah and in Jerusalem. 


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But then Hezekiah and the people who lived in Jerusalem made themselves <i>humble</i>. So the <i>LORD</i> did not <i>punish</i> the people while Hezekiah was still alive.


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Hezekiah was very rich and people gave great <i>honour</i> to him. He had a lot of <i>silver</i> and gold and valuable stones of many colours. He had <i>spices</i> and <i>shields</i> and all kinds of other valuable things. 


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He built places to store <i>grain</i> and new <i>wine</i> and oil. He made buildings for his cows, sheep and goats and all kinds of other animals. 


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He built cities for himself. And he had many sheep and cows because God had given very many things to him.


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Hezekiah had stopped the water coming from the higher stream that came out of the ground at Gihon. He caused the water to run down inside the west of David’s City. And when he tried to do anything, good things happened. 


text:
But the rulers of Babylon sent some <i>officials</i> to Hezekiah. They came to ask him about the strange thing that had happened in his country. The <i>LORD</i> let Hezekiah decide what to tell them. He wanted to see what Hezekiah would do. <n>People write about King Hezekiah’s life</n>


text:
The <i>prophet</i> Isaiah, the son of Amoz, wrote about a <i>vision</i>. And he wrote down all the other things that Hezekiah did. That included the things that gave pleasure to God. Some things are in the book called ‘The <i>Vision</i> of Amoz’s son, the <i>prophet</i> Isaiah’. Other things are in the ‘Book about the Kings of Judah and Israel’. 


text:
Hezekiah died and people buried him with David’s <i>descendants</i> near the top of the hill. All the people in Judah and in Jerusalem gave great <i>honour</i> to him when he died. Then his son Manasseh ruled instead.


text:
He did very wrong things that the <i>LORD</i> did not like. The people who lived in the country before the <i>Israelites</i> had done all those things. The <i>LORD</i> had helped the <i>Israelites</i> to push those people out of their country. 


text:
Manasseh built again the high places for <i>worship</i> that his father Hezekiah had destroyed. He built <i>altars</i> to <i>worship</i> the <i>Baals</i> and the <i>Asherahs</i>. He bent his body to <i>worship</i> all the stars in the sky. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> had said about the <i>LORD</i>’s house, ‘My name will be in Jerusalem for all time.’ But Manasseh built <i>altars</i> in the <i>LORD</i>’s house. 


text:
He built <i>altars</i> in the two yards of the house of the <i>LORD</i> to <i>worship</i> all the stars. 


text:
He <i>sacrificed</i> his sons by fire in the Ben-Hinnom Valley. He did <i>magic</i> and he tried to know about future events in wrong ways. He used people who spoke to <i>spirits</i>. He used people who did <i>magic</i>. He did a lot of very wrong things that the <i>LORD</i> did not like. So the <i>LORD</i> became angry with him.


text:
He made an <i>idol</i> out of wood and he put it in God’s house. But God had said to David and to his son Solomon, ‘I will put my name in this house for all time. I have chosen Jerusalem from the cities of all Israel’s <i>tribes</i>. I chose it as the place to put my name for all time. 


text:
I do not want to take Israel’s people away again from this country that I gave to your <i>ancestors</i>. But they must be careful to obey all the rules that are in my <i>Law</i>. And they must be careful to obey all the <i>laws</i> and the rules that I gave to them by Moses.’ 


text:
But Manasseh caused Judah’s people and the people in Jerusalem to <i>sin</i>. So they did more <i>evil</i> things than any of the <i>nations</i> that the <i>LORD</i> had destroyed. The <i>LORD</i> had destroyed those <i>nations</i> when he brought the <i>Israelites</i> into their country. <n>The <i>LORD punishes</i> Manasseh</n>


text:
So the <i>LORD</i> brought the officers of the king of Assyria’s army to attack them. They took Manasseh. And they put a piece of metal in his nose and metal <i>chains</i> to tie his feet together. Then they took him to Babylon. 


text:
When Manasseh had a lot of trouble, he asked the <i>LORD</i> his God to help him. He told the God of his <i>ancestors</i> that he was not a great man. <n>The <i>LORD</i> lets Manasseh return to Jerusalem as king</n>


text:
When he prayed to the <i>LORD</i>, the <i>LORD</i> listened to him. And he listened to what Manasseh was asking for. So he brought Manasseh to Jerusalem again. And he caused him to become king again. Then Manasseh knew that the <i>LORD</i> is God.


text:
After that, he built a new wall outside the wall of David’s City. He built it to the west of Gihon, in the valley and at the way in to the Fish Gate. The wall went round the hill called Ophel. And he made the wall very high. And Manasseh put officers and soldiers in all the strong cities in Judah. <n>Judah’s people <i>worship</i> the <i>LORD</i> again</n>


text:
He took away the gods of other <i>nations</i> and the <i>idol</i> from the <i>LORD</i>’s house. He took out all the <i>altars</i> that he had built on the hill of the <i>LORD</i>’s house and in Jerusalem. He threw them out of the city. 


text:
Then he did repairs to the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>altar</i>. He <i>sacrificed friendship-offerings</i> and <i>thank-offerings</i> on it. He told Judah that they must be servants of the <i>LORD</i>, the God of Israel. 


text:
But the people still <i>sacrificed</i> on the high places. But they only burnt <i>sacrifices</i> there to the <i>LORD</i> their God. <n>The last days of Manasseh’s life</n>


text:
The other things that Manasseh did are in ‘The Book about the Kings of Israel’. The <i>prayer</i> that Manasseh said to his God is in it too. And there were <i>prophets</i> who spoke to him in the name of the <i>LORD</i>, the God of Israel. Their words are in it too. 


text:
The words that he prayed are in another book. That book is called ‘What the <i>Prophets</i> Recorded’. What he asked God for is in it too. The <i>prophets</i> also recorded in it all his <i>sins</i> and how he had not been <i>faithful</i> to God. He had built the high places to <i>worship</i> false gods. He had put up <i>Asherahs</i> and other <i>idols</i> in those places before he made himself <i>humble</i>. The <i>prophets</i> recorded all those places in that book. 


text:
Manasseh died and his servants buried him in his own house. Then his son Amon ruled instead. <n>Amon king of Judah</n>


text:
He did all the very wrong things that his father Manasseh had done. The <i>LORD</i> did not like those things. And Amon gave <i>sacrifices</i> to all the <i>idols</i> that his father Manasseh had made. And he <i>worshipped</i> them. 


text:
But he did not make himself <i>humble</i> in front of the <i>LORD</i> as his father Manasseh made himself <i>humble</i>. Instead, Amon did even more very bad things than his father had done. <n>Amon dies</n>


text:
Then all the people in that country killed the men who had decided to kill King Amon. And they chose his son Josiah to be king instead.


text:
He did the things that gave pleasure to the <i>LORD</i>. He always did things as his <i>ancestor</i> David had done. He did that all the time.


text:
When Josiah had been king for nearly 8 years he was still a boy. He began to <i>worship</i> the God of his <i>ancestor</i> David. When he had been king for nearly 12 years he started to destroy the high places for <i>worship</i>. He did that in Jerusalem and in all Judah. And he started to take away the <i>Asherahs</i> and <i>idols</i> of wood and metal. 


text:
He caused the people to pull down the <i>altars</i> to the <i>Baals</i>. He watched them while they did it. Then he cut down the <i>altars</i> to burn oils with sweet smells that were above the <i>altars</i> for <i>Baal</i>. He took away the <i>Asherahs</i>. He broke them and the wood and metal <i>idols</i> into pieces. Then he hit the pieces until they were very small. Then he threw those pieces over the places where they had buried people. The people were those who had <i>sacrificed</i> to those gods. 


text:
Josiah burned the bones of their <i>priests</i> on the <i>idols</i>’ <i>altars</i>. That is how he made Judah and Jerusalem <i>holy</i> again. 


text:
He went to the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim and Simeon and even into Naphtali. And he did the same in all the old places round them that nobody had used for some time. 


text:
He pulled down the <i>altars</i> and the <i>Asherahs</i>. He hit their <i>idols</i> until they were very small pieces. He cut down all the <i>altars</i> to burn oils with sweet smells in all Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem. <n>Josiah does repairs to the <i>temple</i></n>


text:
When Josiah had been king for nearly 18 years, the country and the <i>temple</i> were <i>clean</i> and <i>holy</i> again. Then he sent men to do repairs to the house of the <i>LORD</i> his God. He chose men to tell them how to do the work. Those men were Azaliah’s son Shaphan, Maaseiah the ruler of the city, and Joah, son of Joahaz, who recorded everything.


text:
The people had given money to the <i>Levites</i> who kept the doors of the <i>temple</i> safe. The <i>tribes</i> of Manasseh, Ephraim and those who stayed in <i>Israel</i> gave money to those <i>Levites</i>. Also, the people from all Judah and Benjamin and those who lived in Jerusalem gave money to them. They brought this money into the house of God. The three men came to Hilkiah, the most important <i>priest</i> and they gave the money to him. 


text:
Then they gave this money to the men who were leaders over the work on the <i>LORD</i>’s house. Those men gave it to the workers. And they worked to do repairs to the <i>LORD</i>’s house and to make it strong. 


text:
They also gave money to those who worked with wood and with stones. They gave money to the builders to buy stones that were ready to use and wood. The wood was to hold the walls up and for beams. They needed those things because the kings of Judah before Josiah had destroyed the buildings of the <i>temple</i>. <n>Good men did the work</n>


text:
Josiah was able to <i>trust</i> the men and they did good work. The <i>Levites</i> Jahath and Obadiah, Merari’s <i>descendants</i>, were over them. Kohath’s <i>descendants</i>, Zechariah and Meshullam were also over the men. Those <i>Levites</i> also knew how to make beautiful music. 


text:
They were also over the men who carried heavy things and over all the other workers. Some <i>Levites</i> worked as writers or <i>officials</i> or they kept the doors safe. <n>Hilkiah finds the Book of the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>Law</i></n>


text:
The <i>Levites</i> brought out the money that people had brought into the house of the <i>LORD</i>. While they were doing that, Hilkiah the <i>priest</i> found the Book of the <i>Law</i> of the <i>LORD</i>. The <i>LORD</i> had used Moses to give this <i>Law</i> to his people. 


text:
Hilkiah spoke to Shaphan the writer. He said, ‘I have found the Book of the <i>Law</i> in the <i>LORD</i>’s house.’ And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan.


text:
Then Shaphan brought the book to the king and he told the king about it. He said, ‘Your servants are doing everything that you asked them to do. 


text:
They have taken the money that was in the <i>LORD</i>’s house. They have given it to the workers and to the men who are over them.’ <n>Shaphan reads the Book to the king</n>


text:
Then Shaphan the writer told the king about it. ‘Hilkiah the <i>priest</i> has given a book to me’, he said. And Shaphan read from it to the king. 


text:
When the king had listened to the words of the <i>Law</i>, he tore his clothes. <n>The king sends Hilkiah and other men to ask the <i>LORD</i> about the Book</n>


text:
Then Josiah spoke to Hilkiah, Shaphan’s son Ahikam, Micah’s son Abdon, Shaphan the writer and Asaiah the king’s servant. He told them what they must do. This is what he said to them: 


text:
‘Go to ask the <i>LORD</i> for me and for the people who are still in Israel or in Judah’, he said. ‘Ask about the words in the book that Hilkiah has found. The <i>LORD</i> will be very angry with us because our <i>ancestors</i> have not obeyed the words of the <i>LORD</i>. They have not done everything that is in this book.’ <n>Hilkiah and the other men visit a lady <i>prophet</i></n>


text:
Hilkiah and those other men that the king had sent went to Huldah. Huldah was a lady and she was a <i>prophet</i>. She was the wife of Tokhath’s son Shallum. Tokhath was the son of Hasrah, who kept the king’s clothes. Huldah was living in the new part of Jerusalem. And they spoke to her about this. <n>The <i>LORD</i> will do bad things to the people in Judah</n>


text:
She told them what the <i>LORD</i> the God of Israel said to her. This was the message: ‘Say this to the man who sent you to me: 


text:
“The <i>LORD</i> says, ‘I will cause very bad things to happen to this place and to all the people who live here. They will be all the bad things that are in the Book. They read that book to the king of Judah. 


text:
I will do that because they have gone away from me. They have made other gods with their hands and they have burned oils with sweet smells to them. They made me angry by all the things that they made with their hands. So I will <i>punish</i> this place and nobody will be able to make it impossible.’ ” 


text:
Speak to the king of Judah who sent you to ask the <i>LORD</i> about this. Say, “The <i>LORD</i> the God of Israel says this about the words that you heard: 


text:
‘You were sorry when you heard your God’s words about this place and about its people. You made yourself <i>humble</i> in front of your God. You made yourself <i>humble</i> in front of me. You tore your clothes and you wept in front of me. So I have heard you’, says the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
‘So I will let you die in <i>peace</i> and people will bury you with your <i>ancestors</i>. You will not see all the bad things that I will cause for this place and for the people here.’ ” ’ So they took Huldah’s answer to the king. <n>Josiah and the people promise to obey the <i>Law</i></n>


text:
Then the king went to the <i>LORD</i>’s house. And all the men from Judah, the people from Jerusalem and the <i>priests</i> and the <i>Levites</i> went with him. All the people went, from the most important person to the least important person. He read to all the people the words of the Book that Hilkiah had found in the <i>LORD</i>’s house. That book contained the <i>covenant</i> that the <i>LORD</i> made with the <i>Israelites</i>. 


text:
The king stood there in his special place. And he promised the <i>LORD</i> that he would obey the <i>LORD</i> in every way. He promised that he would obey the <i>LORD</i>’s words, rules and <i>laws</i>. He promised to obey them with his whole mind. And he promised that he would really want to obey them. He promised to obey all the words of the <i>covenant</i> that was in the book.


text:
Then he caused all the people from Benjamin and all the other people in Jerusalem to promise that too. And so the people who lived in Jerusalem agreed to obey the <i>covenant</i> of God, the God of their <i>ancestors</i>. <n>All Israel’s people <i>worship</i> the <i>LORD</i></n>


text:
Josiah took away all the <i>idols</i> from all the land of the <i>Israelites</i>. He caused all the people in Israel to be servants of the <i>LORD</i> their God. All the time that he was alive, they <i>worshipped</i> the <i>LORD</i>, the God of their <i>ancestors</i>. And they did not stop.


text:
And Josiah had a <i>Passover feast</i> in Jerusalem for the <i>LORD</i>. They killed the <i>sacrifice</i> for <i>Passover</i> on the 14th day of the first month of the year. 


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He caused the <i>priests</i> to do their special jobs. Then he made them happy to be servants in the <i>LORD</i>’s house. 


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He spoke to the <i>Levites</i> who were teaching all the <i>Israelites</i>. These <i>Levites</i> had made themselves <i>holy</i> to work for the <i>LORD</i>. He said, ‘Put the <i>holy Covenant Box</i> in the house that Solomon the son of David the king of Israel built. Do not carry it about on your shoulders. Now you must be the servants of the <i>LORD</i> your God and of his people the <i>Israelites</i>. 


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Make yourselves ready to do the work that King David and King Solomon chose for each group in each <i>clan</i>. David the king of Israel and his son Solomon wrote about the way that you must do it.’ <n>What the <i>priests</i> and <i>Levites</i> must do</n>


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‘Stand in the <i>holy</i> place. There should be a group of <i>Levites</i> for each <i>clan</i> of the people or of the <i>Levites</i>. 


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Kill the young sheep for the <i>Passover</i>. Make yourselves <i>holy</i>. And prepare the young sheep for those who are not <i>Levites</i>. Do it as the <i>LORD</i> said to us by Moses.’ <n>See Exodus 12:1-14. <n>Many people give <i>offerings</i></n>


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Josiah gave to the <i>Israelites</i> 30 000 young sheep and young goats to kill for the <i>Passover sacrifices</i>. That was enough animals for all the people who were there. And he gave to them 3000 male cows. All those animals were from the king’s own animals.


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Also, his leaders gave animals freely to the people, to the <i>priests</i> and to the <i>Levites</i>. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel were rulers in God’s house. They gave to the <i>priests</i> 2600 young sheep and young goats and 300 male cows for <i>Passover sacrifices</i>. 


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Conaniah, Shemaiah, Nethanel, Hashabiah, Jeiel and Jozabad gave animals to the <i>Levites</i> as <i>sacrifices</i> for the <i>Passover</i>. The animals that they gave were 5000 young sheep and young goats and 500 male cows. Shemaiah and Nethanel were Conaniah’s brothers. Hashabiah, Jeiel and Jozabad were leaders of the <i>Levites</i>. <n>The <i>worship</i> begins</n>


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Everything was ready for the <i>Passover</i> to begin. The <i>priests</i> and the <i>Levites</i> stood in their places, as the king had said. 


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The <i>Levites</i> killed the young sheep for the <i>Passover</i> and they gave the blood to the <i>priests</i>. The <i>priests</i> threw the blood on the <i>altar</i>. At the same time, the <i>Levites</i> were taking the skins from the animals. 


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They put the animals for <i>sacrifices</i> by fire to one side for the people. Then they gave some animals to those who belonged to each <i>clan</i> among the <i>Israelites</i>. They would <i>sacrifice</i> them to the <i>LORD</i> as Moses had written in his book. And they did the same thing with the male cows. 


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They cooked the animals for <i>Passover</i> over fire as is in the rules. And they boiled the <i>holy sacrifices</i> in three kinds of large and small pots. Then they quickly carried the meat to all the people. 


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After that, the <i>Levites</i> prepared the animals for themselves and for the <i>priests</i>. The <i>priests</i>, the <i>descendants</i> of Aaron, were giving the <i>sacrifices</i> by fire and the fat to God. They were doing that until it became dark. So, the <i>Levites</i> prepared the animals for themselves and for the <i>priests</i>, Aaron’s <i>descendants</i>.


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The singers stood where they should stand. They were <i>descendants</i> of Asaph. They were in their places as David, Asaph, Heman and the king’s <i>prophet</i>, Jeduthun had said. The men who kept each gate safe did not need to leave their gates. The other <i>Levites</i> prepared everything for them. <n>The <i>feasts</i> happen in a proper way</n>


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So, they prepared everything that day to <i>worship</i> the <i>LORD</i>. They had the <i>Passover feast</i> and they gave the <i>sacrifices</i> by fire on the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>altar</i>. They did everything that King Josiah had said. 


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Some people from the country called Israel were also there. They had the <i>Passover</i> at that time. And they had the <i>Feast</i> of bread without <i>yeast</i>. That <i>feast</i> continued for 7 days. 


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There had not been a <i>Passover</i> like that in Israel since time when the <i>prophet</i> Samuel was still alive. No king of Israel had a <i>Passover</i> like the Passover that King Josiah had. With him were the <i>priests</i>, the <i>Levites</i> and the people who lived in Jerusalem. All the people from Judah and <i>Israel</i> who were there had the <i>Passover</i> too. 


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They had this <i>Passover</i> in the 18th year that Josiah ruled Judah. <n>Josiah dies while he is fighting the king of Egypt</n>


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After Josiah had done all that for the <i>temple</i>, Neco, the king of Egypt came into the country. He came to the city called Carchemish. Carchemish is by the river Euphrates. He came to fight against the people who lived there. And Josiah went to fight against him. 


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But Neco sent men to Josiah. They said to him, ‘King of Judah, you and I should not fight. I did not come to fight you. I came to fight my enemies. God told me that I must hurry. God is with me, so do not fight against him. If you do not fight against me, God will not kill you.’


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But Josiah would not stop his attack. He did not want Neco’s soldiers to know that he was Josiah. So he wore different clothes to fight against Neco. God had used Neco to speak to Josiah. But Josiah would not listen to his words. He went to fight Neco on the flat land at Megiddo.


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Neco’s men shot King Josiah with <i>arrows</i>. The king said to his servants, ‘Take me away. The <i>arrows</i> have hurt me very badly.’ 


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So, they took him out of that <i>chariot</i> and they put him in his other <i>chariot</i>. Then they brought him to Jerusalem and he died there. They buried him near his <i>ancestors</i>. All the people in Judah and in Jerusalem were very sad because Josiah was dead.


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Jeremiah wrote sad songs about Josiah’s death. Even today, all the male and female singers remember Josiah with these songs. These songs became like a <i>law</i> in Israel. They are in a book with other sad songs. <n>


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Everything else that Josiah did is in the Book about the Kings of Israel and Judah. Everything is there from the first thing to the last thing. That includes all the good things that he did. He tried to obey everything that is in the <i>Law</i> of the <i>LORD</i>.


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Then the people in Judah chose Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz to become king in Jerusalem instead. <n><i>Pharaoh</i> Neco chooses Eliakim to be king</n>


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Then the king of Egypt said that Jehoahaz must not be king in Jerusalem. And he caused Judah’s people to pay a lot of money to him. It was about 3400 kilos (7500 pounds) of <i>silver</i> and about 34 kilos (75 pounds) of gold. 


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The king of Egypt chose Jehoahaz’s brother Eliakim to be king over Judah and Jerusalem. And he changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took his brother Jehoahaz to Egypt.


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Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he started to rule. And he ruled in Jerusalem for 11 years. He did very wrong things that the <i>LORD</i> his God did not like. 


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Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon came and he attacked him. He tied his hands and his feet together with metal <i>chains</i> to take him away to Babylon. 


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Also, Nebuchadnezzar took some things from the <i>LORD</i>’s house. He took them to Babylon and he put them in his <i>temple</i> in Babylon.


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The other things that Jehoiakim did are in the Book about the Kings of Israel and Judah. That includes all the very wrong things that he did. It includes all the things that God did not like about him. And his son Jehoiachin ruled instead. <n>Jehoiachin becomes king of Judah</n>


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Jehoiachin was 8 years old when he started to rule. And he ruled in Jerusalem for three months and 10 days. He did very wrong things that the <i>LORD</i> did not like. 


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In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar sent his soldiers to fetch Jehoiachin and they brought him to Babylon. Also, he brought the valuable things from the <i>LORD</i>’s house to Babylon. And Nebuchadnezzar chose Jehoiachin’s father’s brother, Zedekiah to be king over Judah and Jerusalem. <n>Zedekiah king of Judah</n>


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He did very wrong things that the <i>LORD</i> his God did not like. Jeremiah the <i>prophet</i> spoke the <i>LORD</i>’s words to him. But he did not make himself <i>humble</i> when he listened to them. 


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King Nebuchadnezzar had caused Zedekiah to promise in God’s name that he would obey Nebuchadnezzar. But he decided not to obey Nebuchadnezzar. And he became <i>proud</i> and he would not change his mind. And so he would not turn to the <i>LORD</i>, the God of Israel. 


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Also, all the leaders of the <i>priests</i> and the people were not obeying the <i>LORD</i>. They were always <i>worshipping</i> all the very bad <i>idols</i> that the people in other <i>nations worshipped</i>. The <i>LORD</i> had made the <i>temple</i> in Jerusalem <i>holy</i>. But they made it like something dirty by the things that they did. <n>Judah’s people make the <i>LORD</i> very angry</n>


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The <i>LORD</i>, the God of their <i>ancestors</i>, sent men to them with messages from him. He was very careful to tell them that they must not do those things. He knew that he would have to <i>punish</i> them. But he did not want to <i>punish</i> them because he was sorry for his people and for his house. 


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But they said that the men with God’s messages were silly. And they thought that God’s words were not important. They said that his <i>prophets</i> were saying silly things. Then the <i>LORD</i> became very angry with his people until nothing could help them. <n>Enemies win the fight for Jerusalem</n>


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So, the <i>LORD</i> brought the king of Babylon to attack them. The king killed their young men with <i>swords</i> in their <i>holy temple</i>. He did not feel sorry for the young men or for the young women. He did not feel sorry for the old men or for the very old people. God let him take all those people away. 


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And he took all the things that were still in God’s house. He took all the big things and he took all the small things too. He took the valuable things from the house of the <i>LORD</i>. And he took the valuable things of the king and of his officers. He took all those things to Babylon. 


text:
Nebuchadnezzar’s men burned the house of God and they broke down the wall round Jerusalem. They burned all the king’s houses in Jerusalem and they destroyed all the valuable things in Jerusalem.


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Nebuchadnezzar took all the people that he had not killed to Babylon. They became slaves for him and for his sons. They were slaves until the king of Persia began to rule everywhere. 


text:
So, what the <i>LORD</i> had told Israel’s people by the mouth of his <i>prophet</i> Jeremiah happened. The country was empty until it had had its <i>Sabbath</i> rest. It was empty and it had rest for 70 whole years.


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But Cyrus, king of Persia, began to rule Babylon. And during his first year as king, the <i>LORD</i> did what he had promised by the mouth of Jeremiah. The <i>LORD</i> caused Cyrus, king of Persia to decide something. He wrote it down. And he sent servants to read it in every place that he ruled over. And this is what it said:


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‘Cyrus, king of Persia says, “The <i>LORD</i> is the God of <i>heaven</i>. And he has caused me to rule over all the <i>kingdoms</i> on the earth. He has told me that I must build a <i>temple</i> for him at Jerusalem in Judah. I will let anyone among you who belongs to his people go to Jerusalem. I pray that the <i>LORD</i> their God will be with those people.” ’


text:
Cyrus, king of Persia had just begun to rule Babylon. He decided to make a new <i>law</i>. Men wrote it down. And he sent out men with the news. He sent them to all the people that he ruled. God had caused him to do this. God had said to Jeremiah years before that he would send the <i>Israelites</i> home (Jeremiah 29:10).


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This is what Cyrus, the king of Persia said: <n>‘The <i>Lord</i>, the God of <i>heaven</i>, has given me power over all the <i>kingdoms</i> on the earth. He has said that I must build a <i>temple</i> for him at Jerusalem. That is the biggest city in Judah. 


text:
Any of Israel’s people who live in my land can return to Jerusalem. They must build a <i>temple</i> there for the <i>Lord</i>, the God of Israel. He is the God of Jerusalem. I hope that he will be with those people. 


text:
Many <i>Israelites</i> are living here now. The people who live near to them must give <i>silver</i> and gold to them. And they must give animals and other things to the <i>Israelites</i> for <i>offerings</i> to their God. They will take these gifts to him in Jerusalem’s <i>temple</i>.’


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Then the leaders of Judah and Benjamin’s families and the <i>priests</i> and the <i>Levites</i> prepared to go to Jerusalem. God had said that they must build the <i>Lord</i>’s house there. And he had caused them to want to do this. 


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All the people who lived near them gave them animals, gold, <i>silver</i> and other things for <i>offerings</i>. They also gave them many valuable gifts. 


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Then King Cyrus remembered the things that Nebuchadnezzar had taken away from the <i>temple</i> in Jerusalem (Daniel 1:1-2). Nebuchadnezzar had put them in his god’s house. 


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Mithredath kept Cyrus’s valuable things safe. So Cyrus asked him to fetch the things that belonged to Jerusalem’s <i>temple</i>. Then Mithredath gave them to Sheshbazzar, an important leader from Judah.


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They counted the things and they made a list. <n>30 gold plates <n>1000 <i>silver</i> plates <n>29 <i>silver</i> pots


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30 gold deep dishes <n>410 <i>silver</i> deep dishes, all the same as each other <n>1000 other things.


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All the things made from gold and <i>silver</i> were 5400 things. Sheshbazzar took them all with him when he came back with the <i>Israelites</i> to Jerusalem.


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These are the people who returned to Jerusalem and Judah. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon had brought them to live as slaves in Babylon. Each person returned to his own town. 


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They went together with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah. This is the list of the men among Israel’s people:


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The men who watch the <i>temple</i> gates, <n>139 <i>descendants</i> of Shallum, Ater, Talmon, Akkub, Hatita and Shobai.


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The <i>descendants</i> of Solomon’s servants, <n>the <i>descendants</i> of Sotai, Hassophereth, Peruda,


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Some families came from other towns. The towns were Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addon and Immer. But these families could not show that they were really <i>Israelites</i>. They may not have been <i>descendants</i> of Israel (Jacob).


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And they included families of the <i>priests</i>. These were <i>descendants</i> of Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai. <n>This Barzillai had married one of Barzillai’s daughters and he took Barzillai’s name. These daughters had lived in Gilead.


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All these looked to see if their names were written as <i>priests</i>. But they did not find anything. So the leaders did not let them work as <i>priests</i>. 


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They were not <i>clean</i> enough to eat the <i>priests</i>’ special food. They must wait until the most important <i>priest</i> could decide. He could use the <i>Urim and Thummim</i> to decide the right thing to do.


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435 camels (animals) and 6720 donkeys (animals). <n>Nobody knows what the Urim and Thummim were. We think that the <i>priest</i> used them. He used them to find out what God wanted. We do not know how the <i>priest</i> used them to do that. <n>Horses, mules, camels and donkeys are all big animals that can carry people and heavy bags on their backs. 


text:
The most important men in some families came to the <i>Lord</i>’s house in Jerusalem. Some of them gave gifts to build it where it had been before. 


text:
They gave money to build the <i>temple</i>. Rich men gave more and poor men gave less. Together they gave about 500 kilos (half a ton) of gold and nearly 3000 kilos (3 tons) of <i>silver</i>. And they gave 100 special sets of clothes for the <i>priests</i>.


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The <i>priests</i>, <i>Levites</i>, and some people went to live in or near Jerusalem. The singers, <i>temple</i> servants and workers lived in towns near them. The other <i>Israelites</i> went to live where their <i>ancestors</i> had lived.


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When all the people were living in their towns, they met together in Jerusalem. It was the 7th month. 


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The <i>priests</i> began to build the <i>altar</i> of the God of Israel. They were <i>priests</i> that included Jeshua, Jozadak’s son and Zerubbabel, Shealtiel’s son. They were building it to burn <i>sacrifices</i>. This is what Moses, the man of God, wrote in his <i>law</i>. 


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They were afraid of the other people who lived round them. But they built the <i>altar</i> on a flat <i>foundation</i> of stones. On it they burnt <i>sacrifices</i> to the <i>Lord</i>. They did this in the morning and in the evening. 


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Then they had the <i>feast</i> called the ‘Feast of Tabernacles’ to thank God. He had kept them safe when they left Egypt. And he kept them safe while they crossed the dry land. Nobody lived in that dry land. They lived in huts made out of leaves. And they made <i>sacrifices</i>. Moses had told them how to do this in the <i>law</i>. 


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They burnt <i>sacrifices</i> every day and at the New Moon and at all the times written in the <i>law</i>. Some people brought gifts to <i>offer</i> and to thank the <i>Lord</i>. They wanted to thank him for all the good things that he had done for them. 


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They began to <i>offer</i> burnt <i>sacrifices</i> on the first day of the 7th month. That was before they had started to build the <i>temple</i>. <n>God’s people build the <i>temple</i> again</n>


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The leaders gave money to men who could work with stone and wood. They sent food and drink and oil to the people in Tyre and Sidon. This was to pay for beams of wood from a tree called cedar. They would bring the wood on the sea. It would come from Lebanon’s country to Joppa. Cyrus, king of Persia, had asked Lebanon’s people to do this.


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The <i>Israelites</i> began the work two years after they returned from Babylon, in the 2nd month. Zerubbabel, Shealtiel’s son, and Jeshua, Jozadak’s son began the work. After this, all the <i>priests</i> and the <i>Levites</i> who worked with them in Jerusalem joined them. <i>Levites</i> who were 20 years old, or older, told the people how to build the <i>Lord</i>’s house. 


text:
These are their names: <n>Jeshua and his sons and brothers. <n>Kadmiel and his sons. (They were <i>descendants</i> of Hodaviah.) <n>Henadad’s sons and their sons and brothers. <n>All of them were <i>Levites</i>.


text:
The men who were building the <i>temple</i> finished the <i>foundations</i>. Then the <i>priests</i> put on their special clothes and they made a noise with their <i>trumpets</i>. The <i>Levites</i> (sons of Asaph) took <i>cymbals</i> and they stood to <i>praise</i> the <i>Lord</i>. Israel’s king, David had told them how to do this many years before. 


text:
They thanked and <i>praised</i> the <i>Lord</i>. They sang, ‘He is good. His love for Israel will be for all time.’ <n>And all the people shouted. ‘<i>Praise</i> the <i>Lord</i>’, they said, ‘because we have finished building the first part of the <i>Lord</i>’s house!’ <n>Cymbals are two pieces of metal that people hit together to make a loud noise. A trumpet is a metal pipe with a wide end. Somebody blows through this metal thing to make loud music. 


text:
But many of the older <i>priests</i> and <i>Levites</i> and leaders wept. They were sad because they had seen the earlier <i>temple</i>. And they remembered it. Many other people shouted because they were happy. 


text:
The shouts and the noise of people who were weeping were very loud. So nobody knew if they were laughing or crying. People far away could hear the noise.


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The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the <i>Jews</i> had begun to build. They were building the <i>temple</i> for the <i>Lord</i>, the God of Israel. 


text:
Then the enemies went to speak to Zerubbabel and to the family leaders. ‘Let us help you to build’, they said. ‘We want to <i>worship</i> your God. We have lived in this country since Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, brought us here. All this time we have made <i>sacrifices</i> to your God.’


text:
But Zerubbabel, Jeshua and Israel’s family heads said, ‘No. You cannot help us to build the <i>temple</i> to our God. We alone must build it. That is what Cyrus, king of Persia, asked us to do.’


text:
Then the people round them tried to make the <i>Israelites</i> afraid. They did not want Judah’s people to continue building. 


text:
They paid men to work against them and to say bad things about the building. They did this all the time that Cyrus was king of Persia. They went on until Darius became king.


text:
They wrote to Xerxes when he became king. They said that the people of Judah and Jerusalem were doing a wrong thing.


text:
Later, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and their friends wrote a letter to Artaxerxes, king of Persia. They wrote in the Aramaic language. 


text:
Rehum, the most important officer and Shimshai wrote this letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes. This is what it said.


text:
Rehum, your officer and Shimshai, his helper and many other men are writing to you. They are <i>judges</i> and officers with authority over Tripolis, Persia, Erech and Babylon. We are sending this letter also to those who have authority over the people in Susa. (Those people are called Elamites.) 


text:
We include other people who live in or near the cities in Samaria. The great King Ashurbanipal had sent those people there. Some came from the other side of the River Euphrates. <n>The kings of Assyria moved <i>prisoners</i> that they had taken a long way from their homes. Foreign people had come to live in Samaria, part of Israel’s country. They did not want the <i>Israelites</i> to take back their land. 


text:
This is the letter that they sent to Artaxerxes: <n>To King Artaxerxes, <n>from your servants in the land across the Euphrates.


text:
The king should know what the <i>Jews</i> here are doing. You sent them here. They are building Jerusalem’s city again. It was a bad city whose people did not obey its rulers. They are building the walls and they are beginning to start other buildings.


text:
And you should know this. If they build this city and its walls, they will not pay any more money to you. They will take away some of your people’s money. 


text:
We are your servants. We do not want you to lose <i>honour</i>. So we have sent this letter to you. 


text:
If you look in letters to kings before you, you will find much about this city. Jerusalem’s people always did what they chose. And the letters will show you that. For many years Jerusalem’s people did not obey those with authority. They did not listen to the kings or their officers. That is why the soldiers from Babylon destroyed the city. 


text:
We are telling the king that nobody should let these people build up this city and its walls. If they do, you will have no authority on this side of the Euphrates.


text:
This is the king’s reply: <n>‘To Rehum my officer, Shimshai his helper and all their friends in Samaria and across the River Euphrates. <n>I thank you for your news.


text:
I caused them to look in the old letters and they told us about Jerusalem’s people. They have always caused trouble to their rulers. They never obeyed their rulers. 


text:
In past days the kings of Jerusalem were powerful. They ruled all the land on their side of the Euphrates. The people there gave money and other things to them because their kings had authority. 


text:
Rehum, Shimshai and their friends took the king’s letter to the <i>Jews</i> in Jerusalem. They went as fast as they could. They caused the <i>Jews</i> to stop their work. They would do bad things to them if they did not stop.


text:
So the people did no work on God’s house in Jerusalem. The work stopped until Darius, Persia’s king, had ruled over them for more than one year.


text:
Haggai and Zechariah, Iddo’s <i>descendant</i>, gave us messages from God. They obeyed the God of Israel. They were <i>prophets</i>. They told God’s message to the <i>Jews</i> in Jerusalem and Judea. 


text:
Then Zerubbabel, Shealtiel’s son, and Jeshua, Jozadak’s son, started again to build the <i>temple</i> in Jerusalem. And the <i>prophets</i> worked with them, to help them.


text:
At that time Tattenai was the king’s ruler of all the land across the River Euphrates. He and Shethar-Bozenai and their friends went to ask them what they were doing. They said, ‘Who gave you the authority to start building this <i>temple</i> again?’ 


text:
But God was watching over the <i>Jews</i>’ leaders, and nobody stopped them building then. They waited until they could send a letter to King Darius. They waited for him to reply.


text:
We went to Judah to visit the <i>temple</i> of the great God. The king should know that the people are building it. They are using big stones and beams of wood to build the walls. They are working hard and the <i>temple</i> is growing fast. Their leaders showed them how to build it.


text:
We spoke to them and we asked, ‘Who gave authority to you to do this and to build up this <i>temple</i> again?’ 


text:
This is the answer that they gave to us: <n>‘We are servants of the God of <i>heaven</i> and earth. A great king of Israel built this <i>temple</i> and finished it many years ago. We are building it again. 


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But our <i>ancestors</i> made the God of <i>heaven</i> angry. So he let Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon’s king, fight with them. And Nebuchadnezzar destroyed this <i>temple</i>. Then he took many of our people to Babylon.


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But Cyrus, king of Babylon said that we must build the house of our God again. He said this in the first year that he was king. 


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And he even gave us the gold and <i>silver</i> things from the Jerusalem <i>temple</i>. Nebuchadnezzar had taken them out of Jerusalem’s <i>temple</i> and he put them in the <i>temple</i> in Babylon. <n>Then King Cyrus gave the valuable things to Sheshbazzar. He had given authority to this man over Jerusalem and the places round it. 


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He said to Sheshbazzar, “Take these things and put them in the <i>temple</i> in Jerusalem. And build again the house of God where it used to be.” 


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So this Sheshbazzar came and he built the <i>foundations</i> of God’s house in Jerusalem. Since then we have continued to build it, but we have not finished it yet.’


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If the king should choose, he may look in the letters in his store. It is there in Babylon. King Cyrus did say that we must build up God’s <i>temple</i> in Jerusalem. And you will see that in the letters. After this, the king will decide what is right. That is what we hope. We must know whether the king will let us finish this work.


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King Darius asked his servants to look in his Babylon store. That was where he kept all his valuable things. 


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They found a <i>scroll</i> in a strong building in Ecbatana. This was in Media, a part of Babylon. The words on the <i>scroll</i> were about the <i>temple</i> of God in Jerusalem. This is a copy of those words. <n>‘Remember-


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King Cyrus told the <i>Jews</i> how to build their <i>temple</i> in Jerusalem. It was the first year that he ruled in Babylon. He said: <n>“They must build their <i>temple</i> as a place to <i>sacrifice</i> to their God. They must make it 30 metres (90 feet) wide and 30 metres high. They must build it on a <i>foundation</i>. 


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On this they must build a wall from big stones, 3 stones high. On this they must build a wall made out of wood. Money from my store will pay for it. 


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And we will give their <i>silver</i> and gold things back to them. Nebuchadnezzar had taken them from the old <i>temple</i> in Jerusalem. And he brought them to Babylon. They must return them to their places. They must put them in the new <i>temple</i> in Jerusalem. They must put them in their God’s house.”


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So you, Tattenai, ruler of the land across the Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and your officers must stay away from them. 


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You must not stop them from building God’s <i>temple</i>. The leaders and those <i>Jews</i> with authority must continue to build this house of God. They must build it in its proper place.


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Now I will tell you what you must do for these leaders. You must pay for everything that they need with the king’s money. This money is from the people who live across the Euphrates. Then the work will not stop. 


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Be sure to give each day to the <i>priests</i> the things that they need for <i>sacrifices</i> to the God of <i>heaven</i>. Give them young male cows and young and old male sheep. Give them <i>grain</i>, salt, <i>wine</i> and oil when the <i>priests</i> ask for them. 


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Then their <i>sacrifices</i> will give pleasure to the God of <i>heaven</i>. They can then pray for good things for the king and his sons.


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Nobody can change any of these rules that I have given to you. If anyone does not obey, men must pull a beam out of his house. They must lift him and push the beam through his body. They must destroy his house because he has not obeyed me. 


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God, has caused his name to live in his <i>temple</i>. He will cause enemies to kill any king or people who change my words. He will be very much against any king or people who try to destroy this <i>temple</i> in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have made this <i>law</i>. You must be sure to obey it.’ <n>They finish the <i>temple</i></n>


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Tattenai, ruler of the land across the Euphrates, Shethar-Bozenai and their friends heard this <i>law</i>. Then they were all very careful to obey King Darius. 


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So the leaders of the <i>Jews</i> continued to build the <i>temple</i>. They listened to what Haggai the <i>prophet</i> and Zechariah, Iddo’s <i>descendant</i> were teaching them. They finished building the <i>temple</i>. They built it as the God of Israel had told them. They obeyed the rules of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, the kings of Persia. 


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They finished building it on the 3rd day of the month Adar. King Darius had then been king for 6 years.


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Then the <i>Israelites</i> had a <i>feast</i>. That included the <i>priests</i>, <i>Levites</i> and the other people. Everyone who had come from Babylon <i>dedicated</i> the <i>temple</i> to God. They were very happy. 


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At this time they <i>offered</i> 100 male cows, 200 male sheep and 400 young male sheep to the <i>Lord</i>. Then they <i>sacrificed</i> 12 male goats because of the <i>sin</i> of all Israel. Each of the 12 large families of Israel gave a goat. 


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They caused the groups of <i>priests</i> and <i>Levites</i> to do their work in the proper way. They did it for God in Jerusalem. Moses had written in his book how to do this. <n>The <i>Passover</i></n>


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On the 14th day of the first month, the people had another party. This was the <i>Passover feast</i>. 


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The <i>priests</i> and <i>Levites</i> made themselves <i>clean</i> for their special work. The <i>Levites</i> killed the <i>Passover</i> lambs (young sheep) for the people, the <i>priests</i> and for themselves. 


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So all the people who had returned from Babylon ate the <i>feast</i>. Other <i>Israelites</i> there had stopped doing the bad things that <i>nations</i> round them did. They made themselves <i>clean</i>. That was because they wanted to <i>worship</i> the <i>Lord</i>, the God of Israel. So they ate the <i>feast</i>. 


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And they all remembered the <i>Feast</i> of Unleavened Bread. This <i>feast</i> was 7 days long. The <i>Lord</i> had made them very happy because the king of Assyria had changed his ideas. Now he was helping them to build their God’s house. <n>The <i>Passover feast</i> was to help the <i>Israelites</i>. They needed to remember God. He had saved them from being slaves in Egypt. God had sent an <i>angel</i> to kill all the oldest sons of the people in Egypt. But he told the <i>Israelites</i> to put the blood of a young sheep round their doors. They had to stay inside their houses. The <i>angel</i> passed over the blood and did not kill their sons. Then the people in Egypt sent the <i>Israelites</i> out of Egypt. (See Numbers 28:16-25; Exodus 12:14-20.) <n>The <i>Feast</i> of Unleavened Bread began the day after the <i>Passover Feast</i>. Unleavened bread is special bread that people make in a special way. 


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After these things, Ezra came up from Babylon while Artaxerxes was king of Persia. This is the list of Ezra’s <i>ancestors</i>. He was the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah. 


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Bukki was the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar. And Eleazar was a son of Aaron, the most important <i>priest</i>. 


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This Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a teacher who knew the <i>law</i> of Moses. The <i>Lord</i>, the God of Israel had given that <i>law</i> to Moses. The king had given to Ezra everything that he asked for. That happened because the <i>Lord</i> God had caused the king to do this. 


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Some other <i>Israelites</i> also came up to Jerusalem. They came in the 7th year that Artaxerxes was king. They included <i>priests</i>, <i>Levites</i>, singers, <i>temple</i> servants and men who watched the gates.


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He left Babylon on the first day of the first month. And he came to Jerusalem on the first day of the 5th month. God had made his journey easy. 


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He did this because Ezra had studied God’s <i>law</i> carefully. Ezra always obeyed its rules and he taught them to the <i>Israelites</i>. <n>Artaxerxes’ letter to Ezra</n>


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This is a copy of the letter that Artaxerxes had given to Ezra, the <i>priest</i> and teacher. Ezra knew well all the <i>Lord</i>’s rules and <i>laws</i> for Israel.


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From Artaxerxes, king of kings, <n>to Ezra the <i>priest</i>, a teacher of the God of <i>heaven</i>’s <i>law</i>. I hope that you are well.


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Many <i>Israelites</i> live in my <i>kingdom</i>. Some may want to go with you to Jerusalem. I have decided that they can go. That rule includes <i>priests</i> and <i>Levites</i> with any who want to go. 


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The king and his 7 important officers are sending you there. You must ask whether the people in Judah and Jerusalem are obeying their God’s <i>law</i>. You have this <i>law</i> in your hands. 


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And I and my officers have given gold and <i>silver</i> as a free gift to you. You must take them with you. They are for the God of Israel, whose house is in Jerusalem. 


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And take the gold and <i>silver</i> that other people in Babylon give to you. And take too, the gifts that the people and <i>priests</i> have given for their God’s <i>temple</i> in Jerusalem. 


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You must buy male cows and old and young male sheep with this money. Also buy drink and <i>grain</i> to <i>offer</i> to your God. <i>Sacrifice</i> them on the <i>altar</i> of Jerusalem’s <i>temple</i>.


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You and all the other <i>Jews</i> can then use the rest of the <i>silver</i> and gold as you want to. You can do anything that your God wants you to do. 


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You must take all the things that you use for <i>worship</i> with you. Give them to Jerusalem’s God. 


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Perhaps you may need other things for <i>worship</i> in your God’s <i>temple</i>. You can take these from my rich stores.


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This is what I, King Artaxerxes, will do. I will speak to the rulers of the countries across the River Euphrates. They must help you. Their men keep my money. They must give Ezra anything that he asks for. He is a <i>priest</i> who teaches the <i>law</i> of the God of <i>heaven</i>. They must do that very carefully. 


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You should not give more than this to him: <n>3400 kilos (3.3 tons) of <i>silver</i> <n>22 000 litres (5800 US gallons) of <i>grain</i> <n>2200 litres (580 US gallons) of <i>wine</i> <n>2200 litres of oil <n>all the salt that he wants.


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Be careful to give to Ezra everything that the God of <i>heaven</i> wants for his <i>temple</i>. I do not want the God of <i>heaven</i> to be angry with me or with my sons. 


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You must not take money for any purpose from men who work in this house of God. You have no authority to do this. These men include <i>priests</i>, <i>Levites</i>, singers, servants and those who watch the gate.


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Your God has helped you to understand things, Ezra. He will show to you which men to choose. They will <i>judge</i> the people. You must choose men to <i>judge</i> small problems in the land across the Euphrates. And other men must <i>judge</i> the bigger problems. All the people must obey the <i>laws</i> of your God. If the people do not know these <i>laws</i>, you must teach them. 


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You must <i>punish</i> the people who do not obey the <i>laws</i> of your God and the king’s <i>laws</i>. You may send them away or you may kill them. You may send them out of the country or put them in a prison. Or you may take away some of their things. 


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This is how the king wants to give <i>honour</i> to the <i>Lord</i>’s house in Jerusalem. The <i>Lord</i>, the God of our people, has caused him to think like this. We <i>praise</i> God’s name! 


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And God has been kind to me in front of the king and his powerful friends and officers. The <i>Lord</i> held me so strongly that I became brave. I could ask the leaders of Israel to go up with me.


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These are the leaders and other men in their families who came with me from Babylon. We came during the time that Artaxerxes was king.


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Hattush, Shecaniah’s son, David’s <i>descendant</i>. <n>Zechariah, Parosh’s <i>descendant</i> and 150 men.


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I caused all the people to come together at the river that goes to Ahava. We stayed there during 3 days. I looked at the people and <i>priests</i>, but I did not see any <i>Levites</i>. 


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So I asked them to send Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah and Elnathan. And I asked for Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam. They were all leaders. I also asked for Joiarib and Elnathan. They were men who had learnt much. 


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And I sent them all to Iddo, the leader in Casiphia. Iddo and his family were servants in the <i>temple</i>. But they were living there in Casiphia. I told them what to say to Iddo. They must ask him to bring people to work in the house of our God. 


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This was what God wanted. So they brought Sherebiah to us. He was a man who could do the work well. He was from Mahli’s family. Levi was a son of Israel, and Mahli was Levi’s son. Sherebiah came with his sons and brothers. Together they were 18 men. 


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Hashabiah came and Jeshaiah, a <i>descendant</i> of Merari came too, with his brothers and the brothers’ sons. They were 20 men together. 


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They also brought 220 <i>temple</i> servants. These were people that David had said should help the <i>Levites</i>. We had made a list of their names.


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We were all by the River Ahava. I said that the people should not eat any food. This was to show God that we needed his help. Then we asked him to keep us safe on the journey with our children and all our things. 


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I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers who walked. And I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers who rode on horses. They could have kept us safe from our enemies. But we had spoken to the king. We had said, ‘Our God is good. He keeps safe those who obey him. But he is very angry with those who turn away from him. And he works against them.’ 


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I chose 12 of the most important <i>priests</i>. I put them with Sherebiah, Hashabiah and 10 of their brothers. 


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I weighed in front of them many valuable things. These things included the <i>silver</i> and gold <i>offerings</i> and other things that people had given to us. The king, his friends and officers and all the <i>Israelites</i> had given us these. They gave them for the house of our God. 


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I weighed about 20 000 kilos (20 tons) of <i>silver</i> and about 3500 kilos (3.5 tons) of things made from <i>silver</i>. And I weighed 3500 kilos of gold and 


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20 deep dishes of gold that weighed about 8.5 kilos (19 pounds). I also I gave to them 2 beautiful things that someone had made from metal. But those things were as valuable as gold.


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Then I spoke to them. I said, ‘You people and these things all belong to the <i>Lord</i>. The <i>silver</i> and gold are <i>offerings</i> to the <i>Lord</i>, the God of your fathers. 


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You must be careful to keep them safe until you reach Jerusalem. There in the rooms in the <i>Lord</i>’s house you must weigh them. You must do this in front of the leaders of the <i>priests</i>, <i>Levites</i> and other <i>Israelite</i> families.’ 


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Then they gave the <i>silver</i>, gold and valuable things to the <i>priests</i> and <i>Levites</i>. They would take them to the <i>temple</i> in Jerusalem.


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We left the River Ahava on the 12th day of the first month. We left to go to Jerusalem. Our God kept us safe on the journey. No enemies robbed us or hurt us. 


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We went into God’s house on the 4th day. Then we weighed out the <i>silver</i>, gold and <i>holy</i> things there. We gave them to Meremoth, Uriah the <i>priest</i>’s son. Phinehas’s son, Eleazar was with him. The <i>Levites</i> Jozabad, Jeshua’s son and Noadiah, Binnui’s son, were also there. 


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All the people who had returned from Babylon <i>offered sacrifices</i> to the God of Israel. They burnt 12 male cows for all Israel, 96 male sheep and 77 lambs (young male sheep). Then they <i>sacrificed</i> 12 male goats for a <i>sin offering</i>. They burnt all these animals as an <i>offering</i> to the <i>Lord</i>. 


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They also gave the king’s letters to his officers. And they gave them to those who ruled the land across the Euphrates. Then those in authority helped the people and they gave things to the house of God.


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When we had done all these things, the leaders came to see me. They said, ‘The <i>Israelites</i> have done many wrong things that the people in other countries do. They are like the people called Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians and Amorites. Even some <i>priests</i> and <i>Levites</i> have done these things. They have not kept themselves separate. 


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They and their sons have married some of the foreign men’s daughters. They have mixed their blood with that of other peoples. The leaders of our <i>holy nation</i> were the first to do this. They have not been <i>faithful</i> to the <i>Lord</i>.’


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I tore my shirt and coat when I heard this. I pulled out hair from my head and my beard. I sat down and I was angry and ashamed. 


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Then everyone who was afraid because of the words of the God of Israel came round me. They were afraid because the <i>Israelites</i> from Babylon had not been <i>faithful</i> to their God. And I sat there, very angry, until the time of the evening <i>sacrifice</i>.


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Then I stood up with my torn shirt and coat. I went on my knees at the evening <i>sacrifice</i>. I was still angry. I held out my hands and I prayed to the <i>Lord</i>, my God. 


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I said, <n>‘My God, I am too ashamed to look up at you. Our <i>sins</i> are very great. They could not be greater. 


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We have done wrong things from the first days of our <i>ancestors</i>. You have <i>punished</i> us, our kings and our <i>priests</i>, because of our <i>sins</i>. Foreign kings have killed our people. And they have taken our things and they have made us <i>prisoners</i>. And they have caused us to be poor people. So today we are poor and we have no <i>honour</i>.


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But now the <i>Lord</i> our God has begun to be good to us again. A few of us are here. We are safe in his <i>holy</i> place. He has made us happier and he has made our lives easier. 


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We are still slaves, but our God has not left us alone. He has caused the kings of Persia to be kind to us. They have let us live and they have let us build up the house of our God. We have mended it. And now he keeps us safe in Judah and Jerusalem.


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You gave them to us by your servants, the <i>prophets</i>. You said, “You are going into a country that is not <i>clean</i>. The people there have done very bad things and they have made it not <i>clean</i>. It is full of bad things from one end to the other. 


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You must not let your daughters marry their sons. And you must not let your sons marry their daughters. Do not ever make a strong promise to be their friends. Then you will be strong and you will have good food to eat. Your children will live in the same country after you. It will always belong to your families.”


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You have <i>punished</i> us because we did these wrong things. But your <i>punishment</i>, our God, was not as great as our <i>sins</i>. You have brought some of us back to Judah. 


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We do not want to marry people who do those very bad things. We must obey you, or you will be angry with us. You might kill all of us, and none of us would still be here. 


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You do only what is good, <i>Lord</i> God of Israel. Only a few of us are still here. <n>We come to you. We are sorry and ashamed of the wrong things that we have done. Not one person among us is <i>clean</i> enough to stand in front of you.’ <n>Verse 11 Clean means clean inside a person. A clean person does only things that are good. And that person thinks only good thoughts. 


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A big crowd of <i>Israelite</i> men, women and children came round Ezra. He was praying and crying. And he was saying ‘Sorry’ to God. He threw himself down in front of the house of God. And the people were crying very much. 


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Then Shecaniah spoke to him. He was Jehiel’s son, a <i>descendant</i> of Elam. Shecaniah said, ‘We have not been <i>faithful</i> to our God. We have married foreign women from the countries round us. But we want to make things right with God. 


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We will make a promise to him. We will send away these women and their children. This is what you, Ezra, are telling us to do. And the people who want to obey God’s <i>law</i> want it, too. We must obey the <i>law</i>. 


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So Ezra got up. He caused the leaders of the <i>priests</i>, <i>Levites</i> and all Israel to promise to do as they had said. And they made their strong promise to God. 


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And Ezra went from the front of God’s house to Jehohanan’s room. Jehohanan was Eliashib’s son. Ezra was still very sad because the people had not been <i>faithful</i> to the <i>Lord</i>. So he did not eat any food while he was there. And he did not drink any water while he was there.


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They wrote a message and they sent it to all the people in Judah and Jerusalem. It said that they must all come to Jerusalem. 


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If they did not arrive in 3 days, they would lose everything. The leaders and officers had decided to say this. And they would push out anyone who did not obey the message. They would send them out of Israel.


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All the men from Judah and Benjamin reached Jerusalem in 3 days. All the people sat in front of God’s house on the 20th day of the 9th month. They were very sad because they had made God angry. And the rain was bad. 


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Then Ezra the <i>priest</i> stood up. He said, ‘You have not been <i>faithful</i> to your God. You have married foreign wives. You have done this and so many other <i>sins</i>. 


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Now you must tell the <i>Lord</i> that you are sorry. He is the God of your fathers and grandfathers. You must do the things that he wants. You must make yourselves separate from the people who live in the countries round you. You must make yourselves separate from your foreign wives.’


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But we are many people and we cannot stand in the rain. And we shall need more than two days to do this thing. Many of us have <i>sinned</i> like that. 


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Our officers should do this for us. In every town they must make a special time for men to visit the leaders and the <i>judges</i>. Then everyone who has a foreign wife can go to them. God was very angry, but then he will not be angry any longer.’ 


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Only 4 men did not agree with this. They were Jonathan, Asahel’s son, Jahzeiah, Tikvah’s son, with Meshullam and Shabbethai the <i>Levite</i>.


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So the <i>Jews</i> from Babylon did as the people had said. Ezra the <i>priest</i> chose family leaders for each big family. He wrote down their names. They sat down to decide which men had to send away their wives. They started on the first day of the 10th month. 


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They found that these people had married foreign women: <n>From the <i>descendants</i> of the <i>priests</i>, <n>Jeshua, Jozadak’s son and his brothers: <n>Maaseiah, <n>Eliezer, <n>Jarib, <n>Gedaliah.


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(They all promised to send away their wives. Each of them gave a male sheep as a <i>sacrifice</i> for their <i>sin</i>.)


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The <i>descendants</i> of Pashhur: <n>Elioenai, <n>Maaseiah, <n>Ishmael, <n>Nethanel, <n>Jozabad, <n>Elasah.


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The <i>descendants</i> of the <i>Levites</i>: <n>Jozabad, <n>Shimei, <n>Kelaiah (that is Kelita), <n>Pethahiah, <n>Judah, <n>Eliezer.


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And among the other <i>Israelites</i>, <n>the <i>descendants</i> of Parosh: <n>Ramiah, <n>Izziah, <n>Malchijah, <n>Mijamin, <n>Eleazar, <n>Malkijah, <n>Benaiah.


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The <i>descendants</i> of Elam: <n>Mattaniah, <n>Zechariah, <n>Jehiel, <n>Abdi, <n>Jeremoth, <n>Elijah.


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The <i>descendants</i> of Zattu: <n>Elioenai, <n>Eliashib, <n>Mattaniah, <n>Jeremoth, <n>Zabad, <n>Aziza.


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The <i>descendants</i> of Bani: <n>Meshullam, <n>Malluch, <n>Adaiah, <n>Jashub, <n>Sheal, <n>Jeremoth.


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The <i>descendants</i> of Pahath-Moab: <n>Adna, <n>Chelal, <n>Benaiah, <n>Maaseiah, <n>Mattaniah, <n>Bezalel, <n>Binnui, <n>Manasseh.


text:
The <i>descendants</i> of Hashum: <n>Mattenai, <n>Mattattah, <n>Zabad, <n>Eliphelet, <n>Jeremai, <n>Manasseh, <n>Shimei.


text:
The <i>descendants</i> of Nebo: <n>Jeiel, <n>Mattithiah, <n>Zabad, <n>Zebina, <n>Jaddai, <n>Joel, <n>Benaiah.


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These are the words of Nehemiah, son of Hacaliah. It was the month Kislev. This was when King Artaxerxes had ruled for 20 years. I was in the king’s house in the city called Susa. 


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Hanani, my brother and some men arrived. They came from Judah. I asked them for news of the <i>Jews</i> who had earlier returned from Babylon. I asked them about Jerusalem city. 


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They told me, ‘The <i>Jews</i> who returned to Judah are in much trouble. And they are ashamed. Their enemies have broken down the city walls and have burnt the gates.’


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After they told me this, I sat down. And I cried. During many days, I was very sad. I did not eat or drink. I prayed to God.


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I prayed, ‘Oh <i>Lord</i>, God of <i>heaven</i>, you are great and powerful. You are so great that I cannot come near to you. You always <i>keep your promises</i> to the people that you have chosen. You do this because you love them. But they must love and obey you. 


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Listen to my words. I am your servant. I am praying to you. I pray in the day and in the night. I am praying on behalf of the people of Israel. They are your servants. We have all done wrong things. I and my <i>family</i> have not obeyed you. The people of Israel have not obeyed your <i>laws</i>. 


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We have all gone against you. We have not obeyed the <i>laws</i> that you gave to your servant Moses.


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Remember what you told Moses. You told him, “If you do not obey my <i>laws</i> and love me, I will make you live in foreign lands. I will cause you to become separate. You will not be together. 


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But my people must return to me and obey my <i>laws</i>. Then I will let them live in the place that I have chosen. Even if they live far away, I will find them. They can live in the place that I have chosen for my name.” That is what you told Moses.’ <n>The people of Israel are the <i>Jews</i>. Exodus 20 tells us the <i>laws</i> that God gave to Moses. ‘My name’ here means the place where people should <i>worship</i> God. 


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‘Your people are your servants. You saved them from their enemies with your great power. They cost you much. 


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Please listen to my <i>prayer</i>. I am your servant. The people of Israel are your servants. We <i>worship</i> your name. Let the king be happy with me. Let Artaxerxes give me what I ask.’ <n>I was the king’s cupbearer. <n>A cupbearer looked after the king’s wine. Wine is a drink made from <i>grapes</i>. Nehemiah would have to taste the wine. He would make sure that it was safe for the king to drink. As cupbearer, Nehemiah would have authority in the king’s house. The king would believe what Nehemiah told him. 


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It was the month of Nisan. King Artaxerxes had ruled Babylon for 20 years. I brought the king’s <i>wine</i>. I gave the <i>wine</i> to the king. I was sad. I had not been sad in front of the king before. 


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The king asked me, ‘Why are you sad? You are not ill. This must mean that you are not happy.’ I was afraid. <n>Servants had to be happy in front of the king. Nehemiah was afraid because the king might be angry with him. 


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I replied, ‘Let the king live always! I am sad because they have destroyed my <i>ancestors</i>’ city. Our enemies have burned the city’s gates.’ 


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Then I replied to the king, ‘If it gives the king pleasure, might he send me there? Then if he is happy with his servant Nehemiah, I can build the city again. They buried my <i>ancestors</i> there.’ 


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The king sat with the queen next to him. The king asked me, ‘How long will you be away? When will you return?’ The king was happy to let me go to Judah. I told him when I would leave. 


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I said to the king, ‘If the king likes the idea, give me some letters. The letters are for your government officers of Trans-Euphrates. The officers will keep me safe on the journey to Judah. 


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Let me have a letter to give to Asaph. He has authority for the king’s forest. He will give me wood from the trees to make beams. The beams are for the gates of the city, near the <i>temple</i>. They are also for the city wall and for the house that I will live in.’ God was with me. So the king gave me what I asked for.


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I went to Trans-Euphrates. I gave the government officers the letter. The king sent soldiers with me. Some rode horses and some walked. 


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Sanballat and Tobiah were not happy because I came to help the <i>Jews</i>. Sanballat was from Horon and Tobiah was an <i>Ammonite</i> officer. <n>Sanballat and Tobiah had authority. They thought that they might not have authority over Jerusalem any longer. They knew that the <i>Jews</i> might build the city wall again. Then Jerusalem would be a powerful city. 


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I went out at night. A few men came with me. I did not tell anyone the idea that God had put in my mind. I rode on a horse. We did not take any other horses. 


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I went through the Valley Gate to the Jackal Well and the <i>Dung</i> Gate. I looked at Jerusalem’s wall. It was broken. Enemies had broken the wall and they had burnt the gates. <n>A jackal is an animal. 


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I went to the <i>Fountain</i> Gate and the King’s Pool. The horse that I was riding could not get through. 


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The officers did not know what I had done. I had not said anything to the officers or <i>priests</i>. I did not tell the <i>Jews</i> that I wanted them to build the city wall again.


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I spoke to the <i>priests</i>, <i>Jews</i> and officers. I said, ‘We have much trouble. Enemies have broken down the city wall. Fire has burned the gates. We must build the city again. Then Jerusalem will no longer be ashamed.’ 


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I told the people how God had helped me. God had put the idea in the king’s mind to let me come to Jerusalem. I told them what the king had said to me. The people said, ‘We will start to build!’ And they began the good work. 


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But Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem tried to make us seem like fools. They said, ‘What are you doing? Are you going against the king?’ <n>Enemies of the <i>Jews</i> had sent a letter to King Artaxerxes. The king had stopped the <i>Jews</i> when they were building the city. That was some time before Nehemiah went to Judah. (See Ezra 4:8-24.) 


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I replied, ‘God will make us strong to finish this work. We are God’s servants. We will start to build. But you have no place in Jerusalem.’


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Eliashib, the <i>priest</i>, and other <i>priests</i> built the Sheep Gate. They dedicated (gave) it to God and they put on the doors of the gate. Eliashib and the other <i>priests</i> built the wall as far as the <i>Tower</i> of the Hundred. They dedicated this part of the wall. Then they built the wall as far as the <i>Tower</i> of Hananel. <n>To dedicate something to God means that you give him something. Then it belongs to him for him to use. The <i>Jews</i> were telling God that they had built these parts of the wall on his behalf. They knew that it was God’s city. 


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The men from Jericho built the next part of the city wall. Zaccur, the son of Imri, built the next part of the wall.


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The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They put up the beams and they put on the doors of the gate. They made the doors so that they could lock the gate. 


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Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, mended the next part of the wall. Meshullam son of Berekiah, the son of Meshezabel, repaired the wall next to Meremoth. Zadok, son of Baana, repaired the next part of the wall. 


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Joiada son of Paseah, and Meshullam son of Besodeiah, repaired the Old Gate. They put up the beams of the gate and they put on the doors. They made the doors of the gate so that they could lock them. 


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Men from Gibeon and Mizpah called Melatiah and Jadon repaired the wall next to the Old Gate. Melatiah is from Gibeon. Jadon came from Meronoth that is under the authority of Trans-Euphrates. 


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Uzziel, son of Harhaiah, repaired the next part of the wall. Uzziel is a man who works with gold. Hananiah repaired the wall next to Uzziel. Hananiah makes <i>perfume</i>. Hananiah and Uzziel repaired the wall as far as the Broad Wall. 


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Rephaiah, son of Hur, repaired the next part of the wall. Rephaiah rules over part of Jerusalem. <n>Even rulers worked to repair the wall. Those who worked with gold also did this work. So did those who made perfume. (Perfume is something with a nice smell. You put it on your skin.) There was work for everybody. Nearly all the men helped to build the wall of Jerusalem again. Some women helped, too (verse 12). 


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Next to Rephaiah, Jedaiah, son of Harumaph, repaired the wall on the other side of Jedaiah’s house. Hattush, son of Hashabneiah, repaired the wall next to Jedaiah. 


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Malkijah son of Harim, and Hasshub son of Pahath-Moab, repaired a part of the wall. They also repaired the <i>Tower</i> of the <i>Ovens</i>. 


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Shallum, son of Hallohesh, repaired the next part of the wall. Shallum’s daughters helped him. Shallum ruled over part of Jerusalem.


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Hanun and the people who lived in Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They built it and they put doors on the gate. They made the doors so that they could be locked. The people from Zanoah also repaired 450 metres of the city wall. They repaired the wall as far as the <i>Dung</i> Gate.


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Malkijah, son of Recab, repaired the <i>Dung</i> Gate. Malkijah put the doors on the gate. He made the doors. Malkijah rules Beth Hakkerem.


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Shallun, son of Col-Hozeh, repaired the <i>Fountain</i> Gate. Shallun is the ruler of Mizpah and the places round it. Shallun made a roof for the <i>Fountain</i> Gate. He put on the door. He made the doors so that they could lock the gate. Shallun also repaired the wall of the Pool of Siloam near the King’s Garden. Shallun repaired the wall as far as the steps from the City of David. 


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Nehemiah, son of Azbuk, repaired another part of the wall. He repaired as far as the pool that people had made and the House of the Brave Men. Nehemiah is a ruler of Beth Zur. 


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Next to Nehemiah, <i>Levites</i> repaired the wall. Rehum son of Bani had authority over the <i>Levites</i>. Next to the <i>Levites</i>, Hashabiah repaired the wall. He ruled over part of Keilah. 


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Binnui son of Henadad repaired the wall. Binnui also rules over part of Keilah. Men from Keilah helped him. 


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Ezer son of Jeshua repaired part of the wall. It was in front of the place where the soldiers kept their arms. He repaired as far as the corner. Ezer rules over Mizpah. 


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Next, Baruch son of Zabbai repaired part of the wall. It was from the corner to the door of Eliashib’s house. Baruch worked very well. Eliashib is the leader of the <i>priests</i>. 


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Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the next part. It was from the door to the end of Eliashib’s house. 


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Benjamin and Hasshub repaired the wall in front of their house. Next, Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, repaired the wall by his house. 


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Binnui son of Henadad, repaired from Azariah’s house to the corner. He also repaired the corner of the wall. 


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Palal son of Uzai, worked in front of the <i>tower</i> of the <i>Upper Palace</i> near the <i>guards</i>’ yard. Pedaiah son of Parosh 


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and the <i>temple</i> servants repaired the wall towards the east. And they repaired the <i>tower</i> as far as the Water Gate. The <i>temple</i> servants live on the hill of Ophel. 


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The <i>priests</i> repaired the wall above the Horse Gate. Each <i>priest</i> repaired the wall in front of his house. 


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Zadok, son of Immer, repaired the city wall in front of his house. Next to him, Shemaiah son of Shecaniah repaired the wall. Shemaiah is the <i>guard</i> at the East Gate.


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Next to Shemaiah, Hananiah, son of Shelemiah, repaired the wall. Hanun, the 6th son of Zalaph, also repaired the wall. Next, Meshullam, son of Berekiah, repaired the wall in front of the place where he lived. 


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Malkijah works with gold. He repaired the wall as far as the <i>temple</i> servants’ house. And he repaired as far as the <i>merchants</i>’ houses in front of the Meeting Gate. He repaired as far as the room above the corner.


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Between there and the Sheep Gate the <i>merchants</i> and men who worked with gold repaired the wall. <n>A merchant buys things and sells them to other people. Nehemiah is writing a record of everyone who helped to repair the city wall. He knows that to build the wall was a very important job. God was helping the <i>Jews</i> to repair the wall. 


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Sanballat knew that the <i>Jews</i> were building the wall. He was very angry. He wanted people to think that the <i>Jews</i> were fools. 


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Sanballat’s officers and Samaria’s army were with him. He said, ‘Those <i>Jews</i> have great ideas! They are weak. They are trying to repair the wall! They want to give <i>sacrifices</i> to their God. They will take a long time because fire has burned the stones. They cannot use them to build the wall.’ 


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Tobiah the <i>Ammonite</i> was with him. Tobiah said, ‘The wall that the <i>Jews</i> have built is very weak. If a small animal climbs on it, their wall will fall.’ 


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I prayed, ‘Hear us, our God. Our enemies are against us. Make them seem like fools. Let their enemies take them as slaves. And let their enemies take their land. 


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Do not forget their <i>sins</i>. They are saying bad things about you. And the <i>Jews</i> who are building the city wall are hearing their words.’


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The <i>Jews</i> worked well because they really wanted to build the wall. So they continued to build the city wall. It soon became half as high as the old wall.


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But Sanballat and Tobiah were very angry. They had heard that the <i>Jews</i> had nearly mended the walls. The holes in them were now small. The people who came from Arabia, the <i>Ammonites</i> and the men from Ashdod were also very angry. 


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They met together. They decided how to fight against the <i>Jews</i>. They wanted to cause trouble for them. 


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But we, the <i>Jews</i>, prayed to God. We made <i>guards</i> watch over the land outside the wall. They watched day and night.


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While this was happening, the people in Judah said, ‘The workers are becoming weak. There are too many small pieces of stone. We cannot build the city. The stones are in the places where we want to build.’ 


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Our enemies said, ‘Before the <i>Jews</i> see us, we will go among them. Then we will kill them. While they are building the wall, we will stop them.’ 


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The <i>Jews</i> who lived near them said, ‘Anywhere that you go, our enemies will attack us.’ They said this to us many times.


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So I (Nehemiah) put some men behind the lowest part of the wall. They had <i>swords</i>, <i>spears</i> and bows. They stayed near the <i>families</i> who repaired the wall. 


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I looked at everything. I said to the officers and the people, ‘Do not be afraid of our enemies. Remember that God is great and powerful. Fight on behalf of your brothers. Fight on behalf of your sons and daughters. Fight on behalf of your wives. Fight on behalf of your homes.’ <n>The <i>Jews</i> were ready if any of their enemies attacked. They would use their swords, spears and bows to kill their enemies. A sword is like a long knife. Spears are long and thin with a sharp point at the end. 


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We knew what our enemies had decided to do. They discovered this. Then they knew that God had stopped them. So each of us went back to our work on the wall.


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After that day, half of my men carried <i>spears</i>, bows and <i>swords</i>. The officers stood behind the people while they built the wall. 


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Those who carried building materials kept one hand on their <i>sword</i>. Everyone who was making repairs to the wall carried a <i>sword</i>. They did their work with one hand and they carried their <i>sword</i> with the other hand. 


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Every man who built the wall carried his <i>sword</i>. And the man with the <i>trumpet</i> stayed near me.


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We continued to work on the wall. Half of the men carried <i>spears</i>. They looked for our enemies. We worked from morning until it was dark. 


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I spoke to the <i>Jews</i> and to those who helped them, ‘Everyone must stay in Jerusalem at night. You can look for our enemies at night and work in the day.’ (I said this to the <i>Jews</i> who did not live in Jerusalem.) 


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Neither I nor my brothers took our clothes off. Nor did my men or the <i>guards</i> take off their clothes. Everyone carried his <i>sword</i>. We were ready always to fight our enemies. Even when we went to get water, we carried our <i>swords</i>.


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Other people said, ‘We have no money for food. We have to sell our fields, vineyards and homes for food to stay alive.’ <n>Vineyards are pieces of land where the fruit called <i>grapes</i> grow. People make the drink called <i>wine</i> from <i>grapes</i>. 


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We have had to sell our sons and daughters as slaves. Other people buy them because we have no money. Our sons and daughters are <i>Jews</i> like them. But some of our daughters are already slaves. They make us pay for the money that they lent to us. We should not have to do this because we are all <i>Jews</i>. We have no power because we have sold our land to other people.’


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I thought about what these <i>Jews</i> had said. Then I said to the rich <i>Jews</i> and their officers, ‘You are using other <i>Jews</i> to get more money.’ I asked many <i>Jews</i> to meet together. 


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I said, ‘We have bought back those <i>Jews</i> who were slaves. They were slaves to people who were not <i>Jews</i>. Now you are making poor <i>Jews</i> become slaves. They are like your brothers. We will have to buy them back again.’ The rich <i>Jews</i> did not say anything. They had nothing to say. 


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I said, ‘You are doing a very wrong thing. You should be afraid that our enemies will have no <i>respect</i> for our God.’


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‘My brothers and I, together with other men, are lending the people money and food. But we are not getting extra money from them. 


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Please give the fields, <i>vineyards</i>, <i>olive</i> groves and houses back to the poor <i>Jews</i> now. And do not ask them to give back more money than you lend. You have asked for 1/100th part more than you lent! Give that money back to them, too.’ <n>Olive groves are pieces of land where people grow olive trees. People used olives, their fruit, to make oil. They used olive oil in food. And they burnt it to give light. 


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The rich <i>Jews</i> said, ‘We will give everything back to them. We will not ask them to give back more money than we lent to them. We will do as you say.’ I asked the <i>priests</i> to come and join us. I made the rich <i>Jews</i> make a promise. They promised to do as I said. 


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I moved my clothes while I was still wearing them. While I did this, I said, ‘Like this, God should move every man out of his house if he does not obey this promise. God should move him away from everything that is his. People should take him away and destroy all his things.’ Everyone said, ‘<i>Amen</i>’. Everyone <i>worshipped</i> God. All the people obeyed this promise.


