Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by completely destroying them. And shall you be delivered?

Have the gods of the nations delivered them, nations which my fathers have destroyed, Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the sons of Eden in Telassar?

And Hezekiah prayed before Jehovah and said, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, who dwells between the cherubs, You are God Himself, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made the heavens and the earth.

Truly, Jehovah, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands,

and have thrown their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone, and they have destroyed them.

And Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, So says Jehovah, the God of Israel, I have heard what you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria.

Whom have you mocked and blasphemed? And against whom have you exalted your voice and lifted up your eyes on high? Even against the Holy One of Israel!

You have mocked Jehovah by your messengers, and have said, With the multitude of my chariots I have come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down its tall cedar trees, its choice fir trees. And I will enter into the lodgings of its borders, its densest forest;

I have dug and drunk foreign waters, and with the sole of my feet I have dried up all the rivers of Egypt.

Have you not heard it from afar, I made it? From days of old I fashioned it! Now I have caused it to come; that you should make fortified cities desolate heaps of ruins.

I pray, O Jehovah, remember now how I have walked before You in truth and with a sincere heart, and have done good in Your sight. And Hezekiah wept with a great weeping.

Return again and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, So says Jehovah, the God of David your father, I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of Jehovah.

And Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, What did these men say? And from where did they come to you? And Hezekiah said, They have come from a far country, from Babylon.

And he said, What have they seen in your house? And Hezekiah answered, They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing among my treasures which I have not shown to them.

Behold, the days come when all that is in your house, and which your fathers have laid up in store until today, shall be carried into Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says Jehovah.

And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, Good is the Word of Jehovah which you have spoken. And he said, Is it not good if peace and truth are in my days?

And he set a graven image of the Asherah which he had made in the house, of which Jehovah had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever.

And I will not again make the feet of Israel wander any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if they will be careful to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the Law that My servant Moses commanded them.

because they have done the evil in My sight, and have provoked Me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt even until this day.

Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, so that he may count the silver which is brought into the house of Jehovah, which the doorkeepers have gathered from the people.

And let them deliver it into the hand of the workers who have the oversight of the house of Jehovah. And let them give it to the workers who are in the house of Jehovah, in order to repair the breaks of the house,

And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the Book of the Law in the house of Jehovah. And Hilkiah gave the Book to Shaphan, and he read it.

And Shaphan the scribe came to the king and brought the king word again, and said, Your servants have gathered the silver that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workers, who have the oversight of the house of Jehovah.

Go inquire of Jehovah for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the Words of this Book which is found. For great is the wrath of Jehovah which is kindled against us, because our fathers have not listened to the Words of this Book, to do according to all which is written concerning us.

because they have forsaken Me, and have burned incense to other gods, so that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands, therefore My wrath shall be kindled against this place, and it shall not be quenched.

But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of Jehovah, so you shall say to him, So says Jehovah, the God of Israel, The Words which you have heard,

because your heart was tender and you have humbled yourself before Jehovah, when you heard what I spoke against this place, and against its people (that they should become a waste and a curse, and have torn your clothes and wept before Me), I have heard you, says Jehovah.

And he said, What monument is that which I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the grave of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel.

And Jehovah said, I will also remove Judah out of My sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.

And Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters. But his brothers did not have many sons, and all their family did not multiply like the sons of Judah.

And he said, May my God forbid me to do this thing. Shall I drink the blood of these men who have put their lives in danger? For they brought it with their lives. And he was not willing to drink it. These three mighty ones did these things.

And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, If you have come to me in peace, to help me, my heart shall be knit to you. But if you come to betray me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hands, let the God of our fathers look on it and rebuke it.

And he said to them, You are the heads of the fathers of the Levites. Sanctify yourselves, you and your brothers, so that you may bring up the ark of Jehovah, the God of Israel to the place which I have prepared for it.

For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel until today, but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another.

Wherever I have walked with all Israel, did I speak a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed My people, saying, Why have you not built Me a house of cedars?

And I have been with you wherever you have walked, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a name like the name of the great men in the earth.

And it will be, when your days have ended so that you must go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your seed after you, who shall be from your sons. And I will make his kingdom sure.

And David the king came and sat before Jehovah, and said, Who am I, O, Jehovah God, and what is my house, that You have brought me here?

And this was a small thing in Your eyes, O God, for You have also spoken of Your servant's house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O Jehovah God.

O Jehovah, for Your servant's sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness, in making known all these great things.

O Jehovah, there is none like You, neither any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

And what one nation in the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem to be His own people, to make You a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out nations from before Your people whom You have redeemed out of Egypt?

And You have chosen Your people Israel for Yourself, for a people forever. And You, Jehovah, became their God.

And now, O Jehovah, let the thing which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house be established forever, and do as You have said.

For You, O my God, have told Your servant that You will build him a house. Therefore Your servant has found in his heart to pray before You.

And now, Jehovah, You are God, and have promised this goodness to Your servant.

And now let it please You to bless the house of Your servant so that it may be before You forever. For You have blessed, O Jehovah, and it is blessed forever.

But the rulers of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun, Is David honoring your father in your eyes, because he has sent comforters to you? Have not his servants come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?

And David said to God, I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. But now, I beseech You, remove the iniquity of Your servant for I have done very foolishly.

And David said to God, Did not I command to number the people? I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed. But these sheep, what have they done? I pray You, let Your hand be on me, O Jehovah my God, and on my father's house, but not on Your people, that they should be plagued.

But the Word of Jehovah came to me, saying, You have shed much blood and have made great wars. You shall not build a house to My name because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight.

And, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of Jehovah a hundred thousand talents of gold, and a million talents of silver, and of bronze and iron without weight, for it is in abundance. I have prepared timber also, and stone, and you may add to them.

And Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second. But Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons. Therefore they were in one roster, according to their father's house.

But God said to me, You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood.

And He said to me, Solomon your son shall build My house and My courts, for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his Father.

And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it. Do not fear, nor be dismayed, for Jehovah God, my God, will be with you. He will not fail you nor leave you until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of Jehovah.

And I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the bronze for things of bronze, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood, onyx stones, and stones to be set, and also stones of antimony, and stones of many colors, and every precious stone, and stones of alabaster, in abundance.

And also, because I have delighted in the house of my God, out of my own treasure of gold and silver I have given to the house of my God over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house,

But who am I, and who my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? For all things are from You, and we have given to You that which is Yours.

O Jehovah our God, all this store that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name comes from Your hand, and is all Your own.

I know also, my God, that You try the heart, and have pleasure in uprightness. I, in the uprightness of my heart, have willingly offered all these things. And now I have seen with joy Your people who are present here to offer willingly to You.

And give to Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep Your commandments, Your testimonies, and Your statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the magnificent house for which I have made ready.

And Solomon said to God, You have shown great mercy to David my father, and have made me to reign in his stead.

Now, O Jehovah God, Your promise to David my father has been fulfilled. For You have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude.

And God said to Solomon, Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches, wealth, nor honor, nor the life of your enemies, nor yet have asked for long life but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may judge My people, over whom I have made you king;

wisdom and knowledge is granted to you. And I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had that have been before you, nor shall any after you have the like.

And now I have sent a skillful man blessed with understanding, of Hiram my father,

And I have built a house for You to live in, and a place for Your dwelling forever.

From the day that I brought My people out of the land of Egypt I have not chosen any city among all the tribes of Israel to build a house in, so that My name might be there. Nor have I chosen any man to be a ruler over My people Israel.

But now I have chosen Jerusalem, so that My name might be there, and now I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.

And Jehovah has lifted up His Word that He has spoken. For I have risen up in place of David my father, and am set on the throne of Israel, as Jehovah promised, and I have built the house for the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel.

And I have put the ark in it, in which is the covenant of Jehovah which He made with the sons of Israel.

You have kept with Your servant David my father that which You have promised him. And You spoke with Your mouth, and have fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day.

And now, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, keep with Your servant David my father that which You have promised him, saying, There shall not fail you a man in My sight to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons take heed to their way to walk in My Law, as you have walked before Me.

And now, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, let Your Word be proven true, which You have spoken to Your servant David.

But truly will God in deed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, Heavens and heaven of the heavens cannot contain You! How much less this house which I have built?

And You have turned toward the prayer of Your servant, and to his cry, O Jehovah my God, to listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant prays before You.

I pray that Your eyes may be open on this house day and night, on the place of which You have said that You would put Your name there, to listen to the prayer which Your servant prays toward this place.

And if Your people Israel be put to the worse before the enemy because they have sinned against You, and if they shall return and confess Your name, and shall pray and cry before You in this house,

When the heavens shall be shut up, and there is no rain because they have sinned against You; if they pray toward this place, and confess Your name, and turn from their sin when You afflict them,

then hear from Heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and of Your people Israel, when You have taught them the good way in which they should walk. And send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people for an inheritance.

If there is famine in the land, if there is a plague, if blasting or mildew, locusts or ravagers, if their enemies have distressed them in the gates of their land, with any plague and any sickness;

then hear from Heaven, from Your dwelling-place, and do according to all that the stranger calls to You for, so that all people of the earth may know Your name, and fear You, as Your people Israel, and may know that this house which I have built is called by Your name.

If Your people go out to war against their enemies by the way that You shall send them, and if they pray to You toward this city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your name,

yet if they think within themselves in the land where they are carried captive, and turn and pray to You in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done wrong and have dealt wickedly;

if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity where they have carried them captives, and if they pray toward their land which You gave to their fathers and toward the city which You have chosen, and toward the house which I have built for Your name;

then hear from Heaven, from Your dwelling-place, their prayer and their cries, and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You.

And Jehovah appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him, I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place to Myself for a house of sacrifice.

For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, so that My name may be there forever. And My eyes and My heart shall be there forever.

And you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and shall observe My statutes and My judgments,

then I will make the throne of your kingdom sure, as I have covenanted with David your father, saying, There shall not fail you a man to be ruler in Israel.

But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and if you shall go and serve other gods and worship them,

then I will pluck them up by the roots out of My land which I have given them. And this house which I have sanctified for My name, I will cast out of My sight, and I will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.

And he said to them, What advice do you give that we may return answer to this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Lighten the yoke which your father put on us?

And all Israel saw that the king would not listen to them, and the people answered the king saying, What part do we have in David? And we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse! Every man to your tents, O Israel! Now, David, see to your own house. And all Israel went to their tents.

And Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam, and to the rulers of Judah who were gathered to Jerusalem because of Shishak. And he said to them, So says Jehovah, You have forsaken Me, and therefore I also have left you in the hand of Shishak.

And when Jehovah saw that they humbled themselves, the Word of Jehovah came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them, but I will give them some deliverance. And My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.

And there are gathered to him vain men, the sons of Belial, and have made themselves strong against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, and Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted and could not withstand them.

Have you not cast out the priests of Jehovah, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and have made priests to yourselves like the peoples of the lands? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams, he may be a priest of those who are no gods.

But as for us, Jehovah is our God, and we have not forsaken Him. And the priests who minister to Jehovah are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites in the work.