Then said the king of Israel to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell thee, that he would not prophesy good unto me, but evil?"

And the LORD said, 'Who shall deceive Ahab king of Israel, that he may go and be overthrown at Ramoth in Gilead?' And while one said thus and another that,

there came out a spirit and stood before the LORD and said, 'I will deceive him.' And the LORD said to him, 'How?'

And he said, 'I will go out and will be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.' And the LORD said, 'Thou shalt deceive him and shalt prevail, go out and do even so.'

And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah, went to and smote Micaiah upon the cheek, and said, "By what way went the spirit of the LORD from me, to speak in thee?"

And Micaiah said, "Thou shalt see the day when thou shalt run from chamber to chamber, for to hide thyself."

Then said the king of Israel, take ye Micaiah and deliver him to Amon the governor of city, and to Joash the king's son,

And Micaiah said, "If thou come again in peace, then hath not the LORD spoken in me." And Micaiah said moreover, "Hearken to, ye people, every one of you."

Then said the king of Israel to Jehoshaphat, "Change thee and get thee to battle, but see thou have thine own apparel upon thee." And the king of Israel changed himself, and they went to battle.

And a certain man drew his bow ignorantly and smote the king of Israel between the Joints of his habergeon. And he said to the chariot man, turn thine hand and carry me out of the host, for I am hurt.

And Jehu, the son of Hanani the seer, went out against him and said to king Jehoshaphat, "Oughtest thou to help the wicked, and to love them that hate the LORD? In this verily is the wrath of the LORD upon thee.

and said to the judges, "Take heed what ye do: for ye be not judges in the law of man, but of the LORD - which is with you in the words of the law.

and said, "LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven, and reignest not thou on all the kingdoms of the heathen? And in thine hand is power and might, that no man can stand before thee.

And they dwelt therein and have built thee a temple therein unto thy name, and said,

And he said, "Hearken all Judah and the inhabiters of Jerusalem, and also king Jehoshaphat! Thus sayeth the LORD unto you: 'Be not afeard or faint hearted by reason of this great multitude. For the war is not yours, but God's.

And so they arose early in the morning and gat them out unto the wilderness of Tekoa. And as they went out Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, Judah and the inhabiters of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and so shall ye continue: and believe his prophets and so shall ye prosper."

And the fourth day they assembled in the valley of blessing, for there they blessed the LORD. And therefore they called the name of the said place the valley of blessing unto this day.

And he sought Ahaziah, and they caught him where he was hid in Samaria, and brought him to Jehu. And when they had slain him they buried him: "Because," said they, "he was the son of Jehoshaphat which sought the LORD with all his heart." And there was none of the house of Ahaziah that could obtain to be king.

And all the congregation made a bond with the king in the house of God. And Jehoiada said to them, "Behold, the king's son must reign over the children of David, as the LORD hath said.

And they brought out the king's son and put upon him the crown and the testimony, and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, "God save the king."

And Jehoiada the priest went out with the captains of hundreds that were appointed to govern the host and said to them, "Have her out without the arrays and whosoever followeth her, let him be slain with the sword." For the priest said, "Slay her not in the house of the LORD."

And upon that he gathered together the priests and the Levites and said to them, "Go out through the cities of Judah and gather of all Israel silver, to strengthen the house of your God, year by year, and see that ye haste the thing." Howbeit, the Levites were slack.

Then the king called Jehoiada that was the chiefest, and said to him, "Why requirest thou not of the Levites to bring in, out of Judah and Jerusalem the sum appointed by Moses the servant of the LORD, and by the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness?"

And the spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stepped up above the people and said to them, "Thus sayeth God: 'Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD? Ye shall therefore not prosper, but as ye have forsaken him, so shall he forsake you.'"

And so Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, "The LORD see, and require a reckoning!"

But there came a man of God to him and said, "King, let not the army of Israel go with thee: for the LORD is not with Israel neither with any of the house of Ephraim.

And Amaziah said again to the man of God, "What shall we do then, for the hundred talents which I have given unto the host of Israel?" And the man of God said, "The LORD is able to give thee much more than that."

Wherefore the LORD was wroth with Amaziah and sent to him a prophet, and said to him, "Why seekest thou the gods of the people which were not able to deliver their own people out of thine hands?"

And as the prophet spake to him, he said to the prophet, "Have men made thee of the king's counsel? Cease, lest thou be beaten." And the prophet ceased, and said, "I am sure that God hath taken counsel to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and obeyest not my counsel."

Then Amaziah king of Judah took advice and sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu king of Israel and said, "Come, and let us see each other."

And they stepped to Uzziah the king and said to him, "It pertaineth not to thee, Uzziah, to burn cense unto the LORD; but to the priests the children of Aaron that are consecrated for to burn incense. Come out of the sanctuary, for thou hast trespassed, and it shall be no worship to thee before the LORD God."

And when Uzziah was laid to rest with his fathers, they buried him with his fathers in the field of burial of the kings. For they said, "He is a leper." And Jotham his son reigned in his stead.

But there was a prophet of the LORD's named Obed which went out to the host which came to Samaria and said to them, "See, because the LORD God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he delivered them into your hands. And ye have slain them with cruelness that reacheth up to heaven.

and said unto them, "Ye shall not bring in the captives hither. For where we have offended the LORD already, ye intend to add more to our sins and trespass. For our trespass is great already, and there is fierce wrath upon Israel."

For he offered unto the gods of them of Damascus which beat him, and said, "Because the gods of the Syrians help them, therefore will I offer to them, that they may help me also." But they were his destruction and the destruction of all Israel.

and said unto them, "Hear me ye Levites: purify yourselves and hallow the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and bring out the filthiness out of the holy place.

And then they went into Hezekiah the king and said, "We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, and the altar of burnt offerings with all his vessels, and the shewbread table with all his apparel;

And the priests slew them and offered the blood of them upon the altar, to make satisfaction for all Israel, for the king said that the burnt offering and the sin offering should serve for all Israel.

And Hezekiah answered, and said, "Now that ye have filled your hands to the LORD, go to and bring in the sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the LORD." And the congregation brought in the sacrifices and thank offerings, and all that were willing brought burnt offerings.

And the messengers went with letters of the hand of the king and of his lords throughout all Israel and Judah, at the commandment of the king; which said, "Children of Israel, turn again unto the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and so will he turn to the remnant of you that are escaped out of the hands of the king of Assyria.

There was very much people out of Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun that were not clean, and therefore did eat Passover otherwise than writing specifieth. But Hezekiah prayed for them, and said,

And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, "Since they began to bring the heave offerings into the house of the LORD, we have eaten and had enough, and yet left abundance, for the LORD hath blessed his people and thereof is this heap left."

And the said Hezekiah stopped the upper water springs of Gihon and brought them down to the West side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works.

And he built altars in the house of the LORD: of which the LORD hath said, "In Jerusalem shall my name be forever."

And he put the carved Image of an Idol which he had made, in the house of God - Of which house, God said to David and to Solomon his son, "In this house here in Jerusalem which I have chosen out of all the tribes, I will put my name forever,

And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, "I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD," and gave the book to Shaphan.

and commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and the said Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah, a servant of the king's, saying,

And she said unto them, "Thus sayeth the LORD God of Israel: 'Tell ye the man that sent you to me,

And the king stood at his standing and made a covenant before the LORD, to follow the LORD and to keep his commandments, his witnesses and his statutes with all his heart and with all his soul and to fulfill the words of the covenant written in the said book.

And he said to the Levites that taught throughout all Israel and were sanctified unto the LORD, "Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; ye need not to bear it upon your shoulders. Wherefore now serve the LORD your God and his people Israel.

And so all the service of the LORD went forward the said day, in offering Passover of burnt offerings upon the altar of the LORD, according to the commandment of king Josiah.

the shooters shot against the king Josiah. And the king said to his servants, "Carry me away for I am sore hurt."

And Hathirsatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy, till there rose up a priest with the light and perfectness.

they came to Zerubbabel and to the principal fathers, and said unto them, "We will build with you: for we seek the Lord your God like as ye do. And we have done sacrifice unto him, since the time that Esarhaddon the king of Assyria brought us up hither."

At the same time came to them Tattenai, which was the captain on this side the water, and Shetharbozenai, and their counselors, and said thus unto them, "Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up the walls thereof?"

Nevertheless, we asked the Elders and said unto them, 'Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up the walls thereof?'

But they answered us with these words, and said, 'We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was builded many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and set up.

and said unto him, 'Take these vessels, go thy way, and bring them unto the temple at Jerusalem, and let the house of God be builded in his place.'

For I was ashamed to require of the king, soldiers and horsemen, to help us against the enemy in the way. For we had said unto the king, "The hand of our God is upon all them that seek him in goodness, and his violence and wrath is upon all them that forsake him."

and said unto them, "Ye are holy unto the LORD, therefore are these vessels holy also, and so is the silver and the gold that is given of a good will unto the LORD God of your fathers:

Then all this was performed, the rulers came to me, and said, "The people of Israel, and the priests, and Levites are not separated from the nations in the lands as touching their abominations, namely of the Cananites, Hittites, Perezites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.

and said, "My God, I am ashamed, and dare not lift up mine eyes unto thee my God: for our wickednesses are grown over our head, and our trespasses are waxen great unto the heaven.

which thou hast commanded by thy servants the Prophets, and said, 'The land unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land through the filthiness of the people of the lands, in their abominations wherewith they have made it full of uncleanness on every side.

And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the children of Elam, answered, and said unto Ezra, "We have trespassed against the LORD our God, in that we have taken strange wives of the people of the land. Now there is hope yet in Israel concerning this:

And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, "Ye have transgressed, that have taken strange wives, to make the trespass of Israel yet more:

Then answered all the congregation and said with a loud voice, "Let it be done as thou hast said.

And they said unto me, "The remnant of the captivity are there in the land in great misfortune and rebuke. The walls of Jerusalem are broken down, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire."

and said, "O LORD God of heaven, thou great and terrible God, thou that keepest covenant and mercy for them that love thee and observe thy commandments:

Then said the king unto me, "Why lookest thou so sadly? Thou art not sick, that is not the matter, but thou art heavy hearted."

Nevertheless I was sore afraid and said unto the king, "God save the king's life forever, should I not look sadly? The city of my fathers' burial lieth waste and the gates thereof are consumed with fire."

Then said the king unto me, "What, then, is thy request?" Then made I my prayer to the God of heaven,

and said unto the king, "If it please the king, and if thy servant be favoured in thy sight, I beseech thee: send me in to Judah unto the city of my fathers' burial, that I may build it."

And the king said unto me, the queen his wife sitting by him, "How long shall thy journey continue, and when wilt thou come again?" And it pleased the king to send me, and I set him a time,

and said unto the king, "If it please the king, let him give me letters to the captains beyond the water, that they may convey me over, till I come into Judah:

And I said unto them, "Ye see the misery that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and how the gates thereof are burnt with fire. Come, let us build up the walls of Jerusalem, that we be no more a rebuke."

And I told them of the good hand of my God which was upon me; and the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, "Then let us get up and build," and strengthened their hands to good.

But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant of the Ammonites, and Geshem the Arabian heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, "What is this that ye do? Will ye fall away again from the king?"

Then answered I them, and said, "The God of heaven, he it is that causeth us to prosper: and we be his servants. Let us get up and build. As for you: ye have no portion, nor right, nor remembrance in Jerusalem."

and said before his brethren and the soldiers of Samaria, "What do these impotent Jews? Shall they be thus suffered? Shall they offer? Shall they perform it in one day? Shall they make the stones whole again that are brought to dust, and burnt?"

And Tobiah the Ammonite beside him said, "Let them build on: if a fox go up, he shall break down their stony wall."

And Judah said, "The strength of the bearers is too feeble, and there is too much dust, we are not able to build on the wall."

and looked, and gat me up, and said unto the chief men and rulers, and to the other people, "Be not ye afraid of them, but think rather upon the great LORD, which ought to be feared; and fight for your brethren, sons, daughters, wives, and houses."

And I said unto the principal men, and rulers, and to the other people, "The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.

And at the same time said I unto the people, "Every one abide with his servant at Jerusalem, that in the night season we may give attendance to the watch, and to labour on the daytime."

For there were some that said, "Our sons and daughters and we are too many, let us take corn for them to eat, that we may live."

Some said, "Let us set our lands, vineyards, and houses, to pledge, and take up corn in the dearth."

But some said, "Let us borrow money of the king's tribute for our lands and vineyards.

and I advised so in my mind, that I rebuked the councilors and the rulers, and said unto them, "Will ye require usury one of another?" And I brought a great congregation against them,

and said unto them, "We, after our ability, have bought our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the Heathen. And will ye sell your brethren, whom we have bought unto us?" Then held they their peace, and could find nothing to answer.

Also I said, "It is not good, that ye do. Ought ye not to walk in the fear of God because of the rebuke of the Heathen our enemies?

Then said they, "We will restore them again and will require nothing of them and will do as thou hast spoken." And I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do so.

And I shook my lap, and said, "God shake out every man after the same manner from his house and labour, that maintaineth not this word: even thus be he shaken out, and void." And all the congregation said, "Amen," and praised the LORD. And the people did so.

wherein was written, "It is told the Heathen, and Geshem hath said it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel: for the which cause thou buildest the wall, and wilt be their king in these matters;

And I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabel, and he had shut himself within, and said, "Let us come together in to the house of God, even unto the midst of the temple, and shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee, yea even in the night will they come to put thee to death."

But I said, "Should any such man as I flee? Who is that, being as I am, that will go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in."

and I said unto them, "Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they are yet standing in the watch, the doors shall be shut and barred." And there were certain citizens of Jerusalem appointed to be watchmen every one in his watch, and about his house.

And Hathirsatha said unto them that they should not eat of the most holy, till there came up a Priest with light and perfectness.

Now when the seventh month drew nigh, and the children of Israel were in their cities, all the people gathered themselves together as one man upon the street before the Watergate, and said unto Ezra the scribe that he should fetch the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD commanded to Israel.

And Nehemiah - which is Hathirsatha - and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites that caused the people to take heed, said unto all the people, "This day is holy unto the LORD your God: be not ye sorry therefore, and weep not." For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.

Therefore said he unto them, "Go your way, and eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send part unto them also that have not prepared themselves: for this day is holy unto our LORD. Be not ye sorry therefore: for the joy of the LORD is your strength."