And now you think to withstand the kingdom of Jehovah in the hands of the sons of David. And you are a great multitude, and there are with you golden calves which Jeroboam made you for gods.

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.

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.

And behold, God Himself is with us as Commander, and His priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against Jehovah, the God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper!

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 the men of Judah shouted. And it happened as the men of Judah shouted, God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

And the sons of Israel fled before Judah. And God delivered them into their hand.

And Abijah and his people killed them with a great slaughter. And there fell down dead five hundred thousand chosen men of Israel.

And the sons of Israel were humbled at that time, and the sons of Judah won because they relied on Jehovah, the God of their fathers.

And Jeroboam did not recover strength again in the days of Abijah. And Jehovah struck him and he died.

And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the inquiry of the prophet Iddo.

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

And Asa did the good and right in the eyes of Jehovah his God.

For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and broke down the images, and cut down the Asherahs.

And he commanded Judah to seek Jehovah, the God of their fathers, and to do the Law and the commandment.

He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images. And the kingdom was quiet before him.

And Asa had an army which bore bucklers and spears, three hundred thousand out of Judah. And out of Benjamin there were two hundred and eighty thousand who bore shields and drew bows; all these mighty men of valor.

And Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men, and three hundred chariots. And he came to Mareshah.

And Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in order in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.

And Asa and the people with him pursued them to Gerar. And the Cushites fell, for none was left alive of them. For they were destroyed before Jehovah and before His army. And they carried away very much plunder.

And they struck all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of Jehovah came on them. And they plundered all the cities, for there was very much plunder in them.

And they struck the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance and returned to Jerusalem.

And the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded.

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 when they turned in their trouble to Jehovah, the God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them.

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.

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 he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon. For they fell to him out of Israel in great numbers, when they saw that Jehovah his God was with him.

And they gathered to Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

And they offered to Jehovah in that day part of the plunder which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.

And they entered into a covenant to seek Jehovah, the God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul,

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

And also as to Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen mother, because she had made an idol in a grove. And Asa cut down her idol and stamped it and burned it at the torrent Kidron.

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

And he brought into the house of God the things which his father had dedicated, and which he himself had dedicated, silver and gold and vessels.

And there was no war to the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.

In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah, so that he might let no one go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

And Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasures of the house of Jehovah and of the king's house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who lived at Damascus, saying,

A treaty between you and me, 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, so that he may depart from me.

And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa, and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel. And they struck Ijon and Dan, and Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali.

And it happened when Baasha heard, he left off building Ramah, and let his work stop.

And Asa the king took all Judah. And they carried away the stones of Ramah, and timber with which Baasha was building. And he built with it Geba and Mizpah.

And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on Jehovah your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped out of your hand.

For the eyes of Jehovah run to and fro in all the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward Him. You have done foolishly in this; therefore from now on you shall have wars.

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 behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

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 Asa slept with his fathers and died in the forty-first year of his reign.

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.

And he placed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set troops in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which Asa his father had taken.

And Jehovah was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the first ways of his father David and did not seek to Baals.

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

And his heart was lifted up in the ways of Jehovah. And he took away the high places and Asherahs out of Judah.

And in the third year of his reign he sent to his rulers, to Benhail, and to Obadiah, and to Zechariah, and to Nethaneel, and to Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah.

And they taught in Judah and had the book of the Law of Jehovah with them, and went around throughout all the cities of Judah and taught the people.

And the fear of Jehovah fell on all the kingdoms of the lands around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.

And he had much business in the cities of Judah. And the men of war, mighty men of valor, were in Jerusalem.

And these were their numbers, for the house of their fathers from Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah the chief, and with him were three hundred thousand mighty men of valor.

And on his hand, Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself to Jehovah, and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valor.

And from Benjamin was Eliada, a mighty man of valor, and with him two hundred thousand men armed with bow and shield.

And Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead? And he answered him, I am as you, and my people are as your people, and we with you in the war.

And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, Please inquire at the Word of Jehovah today.

And the king of Israel gathered four hundred men of the prophets and said to them, Shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I wait? And they said, Go up, for God will deliver it into the king's hand.

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 of Israel called to a certain eunuch and said, Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imla.

And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah sat each of them on his throne, clothed in robes. And they sat in a grain floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria. And all the prophets prophesied before them.

And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made horns of iron for himself. And he said, So says Jehovah, With these you shall push Syria until they are crushed.

And the messenger who went to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one mouth, and please let your word be like one of theirs, and speak good.

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?

Again he said, And hear the Word of Jehovah. I saw Jehovah sitting on His throne, and all the host of Heaven were standing on His right hand and on His left.

And Jehovah said, Who shall tempt Ahab king of Israel so that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one spoke saying in one way, and another saying in another way.

And he said, I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And Jehovah said, You shall tempt him, and you are able. Go out and do so.

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

And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek. And he said, Which way did the Spirit of Jehovah go from me to speak to you?

And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son.

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 Micaiah said, If you certainly return in peace, then Jehovah has not spoken by me. And he said, Listen, all you people.

And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.

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.

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

And a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joinings and the breastplate. And he said to the charioteer, Turn your hand, and you shall bring me out of the army, for I am wounded.

And the battle increased that day; and the king of Israel was made to stand up in his chariot against the Syrians until the evening. And about the time of the sunset he died.

And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem.

And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him. And he said to King Jehoshaphat, Should you help the ungodly and love those who hate Jehovah? And by this bring wrath on you from before Jehovah.

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 Jehoshaphat lived at Jerusalem. And he went out again among the people from Beer-sheba to mount Ephraim, and brought them back to Jehovah, the God of their fathers.

And he set judges in the land, in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city.

And now let the fear of Jehovah be on you. Be careful and act wisely, for there is no iniquity with Jehovah our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.

And Jehoshaphat set some of the Levites and of the priests and of the chief of the fathers of Israel in Jerusalem for the judgment of Jehovah, and for controversies, when they returned to Jerusalem.

And he charged them, saying, And you shall act in the fear of Jehovah, faithfully, and with a perfect heart.

And behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of Jehovah. And Zebadiah the son of Ishmael is the ruler of the house of Judah for all the king's matters. Also the Levites shall be officers before you. Take courage and act, and Jehovah shall be with the good.

And it happened after this the sons of Moab, and the sons of Ammon came in, and with them others besides the Ammonites, to battle against Jehoshaphat.

And they came in and spoke to Jehoshaphat, saying, A great multitude has come against you from beyond the sea on this side of Syria. And behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi.

And Judah gathered themselves to ask of Jehovah. Even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek Jehovah.

And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of Jehovah, before the new court,