And he fortified the strongholds and put commanders in them, and stores of food, and of oil and wine.

And he put in each separate city shields and spears, and made them very strong, and Judah and Benjamin were his.

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.

But they shall be his servants, so that they may know My service, and the service of the kings of the countries.

And King Rehoboam strengthened himself at Jerusalem, and reigned. For Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which Jehovah had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put His name there. And his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess.

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.

And they burn to the Lord every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense, and the showbread on the pure table, and the lampstand of gold with its lamps, to burn every evening. For we keep the charge of Jehovah our God. But you have forsaken Him.

But Jeroboam caused an ambush to come around behind them, so that they were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them.

And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him, Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. Jehovah is with you while you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will be found by you. But if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

And in those times there was no peace to him who went out, nor to him who came in, but great tumult was on all the people of the lands.

But you be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.

And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim. And he renewed the altar of Jehovah before the porch of Jehovah.

and that whoever would not seek Jehovah, the God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

But the high places were not taken away out of Israel. But the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.

And Asa was angry with the seer and put him in a prison-house. For he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.

And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa was diseased in his feet, until his disease was very grievous. Yet in his disease he did not seek to Jehovah, but to the physicians.

And they buried him in his own tomb, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odors and kinds of spices prepared by the perfumers art. And they made a very great burning for him.

But he looked to the God of his father, and walked in His commandments, and not after the doings of Israel.

These waited on the king, besides those whom the king put in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.

But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not a prophet of Jehovah here besides, so that we might ask of Him?

And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Jehovah. But I hate him, for he never prophesied good to me, but always evil. The same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.

And the king said to him, How many times shall I warn you that you say nothing but the truth to me in the name of Jehovah?

And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?

And now behold, Jehovah has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets, and Jehovah has spoken evil against you.

And you shall say, So says the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction until I return in peace.

And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself and will go to the battle. But you put on your robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself. And they went to the battle.

And the king of Syria had commanded the commanders of the chariots with him, saying, Do not fight with small or great, but only with the king of Israel.

And it happened when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, It is the king of Israel. And they surrounded him to fight. But Jehoshaphat cried out, and Jehovah helped him. And God moved them to leave him.

But there are good things found in you, in that you have taken away the Asherahs out of the land and have prepared your heart to seek God.

And he said to the judges, Take heed what you do. For you do not judge for man, but for Jehovah, who is with you in the judgment.

And now, behold, the sons of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them,

O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no might against this great company which comes against us. Nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.

And he said, Listen, all Judah, and you people of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat! So says Jehovah to you, Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude. For the battle is not yours, but God's.

But, the high places were not taken away, for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts to the God of their fathers.

And their father gave them great gifts of silver and of gold and of precious things, with fortified cities in Judah. But the kingdom he gave to Jehoram, because he was the first-born.

but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have made Judah and the people of Jerusalem to go lusting like the fornications of the house of Ahab, and also have killed your brothers of your fathers house (who were better than you),

He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years, and departed without being desired. And they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

But Jehoshabeath the daughter of the king took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons who were killed. And she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. And Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah) hid him from Athaliah so that she did not kill him.

But let none come into the house of Jehovah except the priests, and those of the Levites who minister. They shall go in, for they are holy. But all the people shall keep the watch of Jehovah.

And the Levites shall surround the king, each man with his weapons in his hand. And whoever comes into the house, he shall be put to death. But you be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.

And they brought out the king's son and put the crown on him, and gave him the testimony, and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, Let the king live!

But Jehoiada became old, and was full of days when he died. He was a hundred and thirty years old when he died.

Yet He sent prophets to them to bring them again to Jehovah. And they testified against them. But they would not listen.

And Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son. And when he died, he said, Jehovah will seek you out.

And when they had departed from him (for they left him in great diseases), his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed, and he died. And they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.

And he did the right in the eyes of Jehovah, but not with a perfect heart.

But he did not kill their sons, but as it is written in the Law in the book of Moses, where Jehovah commanded, saying, The father shall not die for the sons, nor shall the sons die for the fathers, but every man shall die for his own sin.

But a man of God came to him saying, O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for Jehovah is not with Israel, with all the sons of Ephraim.

But if you will go, do it! Be strong for the battle, for God shall make you fall before the enemy, for God has power to help and to throw down.

And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, Jehovah is able to give you much more than this.

But Amaziah would not hear; for it was from God, so that He might deliver them into the hand of their enemies, because they sought after the gods of Edom.

And after the time that Amaziah turned away from following Jehovah, they made a plot against him in Jerusalem. And he fled to Lachish. But they sent to Lachish after him and killed him there.

And the Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah. And his name spread abroad even to the entrance of Egypt, for he was made very strong.

But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to ruin. For he sinned against Jehovah his God, and went into the temple of Jehovah to burn incense on the altar of incense.

And they withstood Uzziah the king and said to him, It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but to the priests, the sons of Aaron who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the temple, for you have sinned. Nor shall it be for your honor from Jehovah God.

And He fought with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed over them. And the sons of Ammon gave him the same year a hundred talents of silver and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. This the sons of Ammon paid to him, both the second year and the third.

Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. But he did not do the right in the sight of Jehovah, like David his father.

But a prophet of Jehovah was there, whose name was Oded. And he went out before the army that came to Samaria and said to them, Behold, because the Lord God of your fathers was angry with Judah, He has delivered them into your hands, and you have killed them in a rage which reaches up to Heaven.

And Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came to him and troubled him, but did not strengthen him.

For Ahaz took away a portion of the house of Jehovah, and of the house of the king, and of the rulers, and gave it to the king of Assyria. But it was no help to him.

For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus who struck him. And he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them so that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.

And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem. But they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. And his son Hezekiah reigned in his place.

Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the sanctuary to the God of Israel.

But the priests were too few, so that they could not skin all the burnt offerings. And their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was ended, and until the priests had sanctified themselves. For the Levites were more upright of heart to make themselves pure than the priests.

And the runners passed from city to city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, even to Zebulun. But they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them.

For many of the people, many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not been cleansed, but ate the Passover otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, May the good LORD pardon everyone

With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is Jehovah our God to help us and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

But Hezekiah did not give again according to the good done to him, for his heart was lifted up. And there was wrath on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.

But, in regard to the ambassadors of the rulers of Babylon who sent to him to ask about the wonder that was done in the land, God left him in order to try him, to know all that was in his heart.

But he did the evil in the sight of Jehovah, like the abominations of the heathen whom Jehovah had cast out before the sons of Israel.

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

And Jehovah spoke to Manasseh and to His people, but they would not listen.

And after this he built a wall outside the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance of the Fish Gate, and went around Ophel, and raised it to a very great height. And he put army commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.

But the people still sacrificed in the high places, but only to Jehovah their God.

And they put it in the hands of the workmen who had the oversight of the house of Jehovah. And they gave it to the workmen who worked in the house of Jehovah, to repair and mend the house.

And he said to the Levites who taught all Israel, who were holy to Jehovah, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. It shall not be a burden on your shoulders. And serve Jehovah your God and His people Israel,

And they roasted the passover lamb with fire according to the Law. But the holy offerings they boiled in pots, and in kettles, and in pans, and carried to all the sons of the people.

But he sent messengers to him, saying, What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I do not come against you today, but against the house with which I have war. For God commanded me to make haste. You must cease from opposing God, who is with me, so that He does not destroy you.

But Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself so that he might fight with him. And he did not listen to the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.

And his servants took him out of that chariot and put him in the second chariot that he had. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.

And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and laid a fine of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold on the land.

And Nebuchadnezzar carried away some of the vessels of the house of Jehovah to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.

And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. But he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart from turning to Jehovah, the God of Israel.

But they mocked the messengers of God and despised His words, and ill-treated His prophets until the wrath of Jehovah arose against His people, until there was no healing.

And Cyrus the king brought out the vessels of the house of Jehovah, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out of Jerusalem and had put them in the house of his gods.

And these were they who went up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsa, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, but they could not show their father's house and their seed, whether they were of Israel:

These looked for their register among those who were counted by genealogy, but they were not found. Therefore they were polluted from the priesthood.

From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to Jehovah. But the foundation of the temple of Jehovah was not laid.

But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, ancient men who had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice. And many shouted aloud for joy

But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said to them, You have nothing to do with us to build a house to our God. But we ourselves together will build to Jehovah, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.

There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all Beyond the River. And toll, taxes, and custom was paid to them.

But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, so that they could not cause them to stop until the matter came to Darius, and answer by letter concerning this had been returned.

But after our fathers had provoked the God of Heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried the people away to Babylon.

But in the first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon, King Cyrus gave an order to build this house of God.

Then the same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem. And since that time even until now it has been building, but is not finished.

And may the God who has caused His name to dwell there destroy all kings and people who shall put their hand to alter or to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I, Darius, have made a decree. Let it be done with speed.

Blessed be Jehovah, the God of our fathers, who has put this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem,

For I was ashamed to ask of the king troops and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way, because we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of our God is on all those who seek Him for good, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.

And at the end of these things, the rulers came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands. But they are doing according to their abominations, those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.

For we were slaves, yet our God has not left us in our bondage, but has given mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us some life, to set up the house of our God, and to repair its waste, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.