But Jeroboam caused an ambush to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambush was behind them.

When Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind them; and they cried to the LORD, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.

So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David; and Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land was quiet ten years.

Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God:

Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the sun images: and the kingdom was quiet before him.

He built fortified cities in Judah; for the land was quiet, and he had no war in those years, because the LORD had given him rest.

They struck all the cities around Gerar; for the fear of the LORD came on them: and they plundered all the cities; for there was a great amount of plunder in them.

Now for a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.

But when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them.

In those times there was no peace to him who went out, nor to him who came in; but great troubles were on all the inhabitants of the lands.

When Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the hill country of Ephraim; and he renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD.

He gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who lived with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.

All Judah rejoiced at the oath; for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest all around.

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

There was no more war to the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.

"Let there be a treaty between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you silver and gold. Go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me."

Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in the prison; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.

In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet; his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but to the physicians.

They buried him in his own tombs, which he had dug out for himself in the City of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odors and various kinds of spices prepared by the perfumers' art: and they made a very great burning for him.

The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and did not seek the Baals,

His heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD: and furthermore he took away the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.

This was the numbering of them according to their fathers' houses: Of Judah, the captains of thousands: Adnah the captain, and with him mighty men of valor three hundred thousand;

It happened, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him.

Jehoshaphat was alarmed, and set himself to seek to the LORD. He proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them in abundance both riches and dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much.

On the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Beracah; for there they blessed the LORD: therefore the name of that place was called The valley of Beracah to this day.

The fear of God was on all the kingdoms of the countries, when they heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel.

So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet; for his God gave him rest all around.

Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was thirty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

He walked in the way of Asa his father, and did not turn aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD.

Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David: and Jehoram his son reigned in his place.

Their father gave them great gifts, of silver, and of gold, and of precious things, with fortified cities in Judah: but the kingdom gave he to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn.

Now when Jehoram was risen up over the kingdom of his father, and had strengthened himself, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and various also of the princes of Israel.

Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab; for he had the daughter of Ahab as wife: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.

and they came up against Judah, and broke into it, and carried away all the substance that was found in the king's house, and his sons also, and his wives; so that there was never a son left him, except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.

Thirty-two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years: and he departed without being desired; and they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Athalih, the daughter of Omri.

He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab; for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly.

He did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as did the house of Ahab; for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction.

He returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which they had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

Now the destruction of Ahaziah was of God, in that he went to Joram: for when he had come, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.

It happened, when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, that he found the princes of Judah, and the sons of the brothers of Ahaziah, ministering to Ahaziah, and killed them.

He sought Ahaziah, and they caught him (now he was hiding in Samaria), and they brought him to Jehu, and killed him; and they buried him, for they said, "He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart." The house of Ahaziah had no power to hold the kingdom.

Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family of the house of Judah.

But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who were slain, and put him and his nurse in the bedroom. So 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.

He was with them hidden in God's house six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land.

He set the gatekeepers at the gates of the house of the LORD, that no one who was unclean in anything should enter in.

So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet. Athaliah they had slain with the sword.

Joash was seven years old when he began to reign; and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Zibiah, of Beersheba.

Joash did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.

And all the leaders and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and threw it into the chest, until it was full.

It was so, that whenever the chest was brought to the king's officers by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king's scribe and the chief priest's officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to its place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance.

But Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and he died; one hundred thirty years old was he when he died.

Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jehoaddan, of Jerusalem.

He did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart.

Now it happened, when the kingdom was established to him, that he killed his servants who had killed the king his father.

Then Amaziah separated them, the army that had come to him out of Ephraim, to go home again: therefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in fierce anger.

Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent to him a prophet, who said to him, "Why have you sought after the gods of the people, which have not delivered their own people out of your hand?"

Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, "The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son as his wife; then a wild animal that was in Lebanon passed by, and trampled down the thistle.

But Amaziah would not listen; for it was of God, that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought after the gods of Edom.

Judah was defeated by Israel; and they fled every man to his tent.

All the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah.

Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jechiliah, of Jerusalem.

He did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.

The whole number of the heads of ancestral houses, even the mighty men of valor, was two thousand and six hundred.

Under their hand was an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, who made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy.

He made in Jerusalem engines, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and on the battlements, with which to shoot arrows and great stones. His name spread far abroad; for he was marvelously helped, until he was strong.

But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up, so that he did corruptly, and he trespassed against the LORD his God; for he went into the LORD's temple to burn incense on the altar of incense.

Then Uzziah was angry; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense; and while he was angry with the priests, the leprosy broke forth in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, beside the altar of incense.

Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked on him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out quickly from there; yes, himself hurried also to go out, because the LORD had struck him.

Uzziah the king was a leper to the day of his death, and lived in a separate house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land.

Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok.

He did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah had done: however he did not enter into the LORD's temple. The people still did corruptly.

He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.

Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and he did not do that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, like David his father;

Therefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they struck him, and carried away of his a great multitude of captives, and brought them to Damascus. He was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with a great slaughter.

Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son, and Azrikam the ruler of the house, and Elkanah who was next to the king.

But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria, and said to them, "Behold, because the LORD, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he has delivered them into your hand, and you have slain them in a rage which has reached up to heaven.

Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.

He did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done.

For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the sight of the LORD our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs.

Therefore the wrath of the LORD was on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has delivered them to be tossed back and forth, to be an astonishment, and a hissing, as you see with your eyes.

He set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with stringed instruments, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet; for the commandment was of the LORD by his prophets.

All the assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.

The number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs: all these were for a burnt offering to the LORD.

But the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings: therefore their brothers the Levites helped them, until the work was ended, and until the priests had sanctified themselves; for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests.

Also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace offerings, and with the drink offerings for every burnt offering. So the service of the house of the LORD was set in order.

Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, because of that which God had prepared for the people: for the thing was done suddenly.

The thing was right in the eyes of the king and of all the assembly.

For there were many in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves: therefore the Levites were in charge of killing the Passovers for everyone who was not clean, to sanctify them to the LORD.

So there was great joy in Jerusalem; for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not the like in Jerusalem.

Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy habitation, even to heaven.

Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah, and broke in pieces the pillars, and cut down the Asherim, and broke down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities.

They brought in the offerings and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully: and over them Conaniah the Levite was ruler, and Shimei his brother was second.

Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the keeper of the east gate, was over the freewill offerings of God, to distribute the offerings of the LORD, and the most holy things.

Hezekiah did so throughout all Judah; and he worked that which was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God.

He took courage, and built up all the wall that was broken down, and raised it up to the towers, and the other wall outside, and strengthened Millo in the City of David, and made weapons and shields in abundance.

After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem, (now he was before Lachish, and all his power with him), to Hezekiah king of Judah, and to all Judah who were at Jerusalem, saying,

Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of my hand?