New King James Version (NKJV)

The Reforms of Asa

1 Nowthe Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded.

2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin.TheLordiswith you while you are with Him.If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but ifyou forsake Him, He will forsake you.

3 For a long time Israelhasbeenwithout the true God, without ateaching priest, and withoutlaw;

4 butwhen in their trouble they turned to theLordGod of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them.

5 And in those timestherewasno peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoilwason all the inhabitants of the lands.

6 So nation was destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity.

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

8 And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the citieswhich he had taken in the mountains of Ephraim; and he restored the altar of theLordthatwasbefore the vestibule of theLord.

9 Then he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, andthose who dwelt with them from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon, for they came over to him in great numbers from Israel when they saw that theLordhis God was with him.

10 So they gathered together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.

11 And they offered to theLordat that time seven hundred bulls and seven thousand sheep from the spoil they had brought.

12 Then theyentered into a covenant to seek theLordGod of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;

13 and whoever would not seek theLordGod of Israelwas to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

14 Then they took an oath before theLordwith a loud voice, with shouting and trumpets and rams’ horns.

15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart andsought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and theLordgave themrest all around.

16 Also he removedMaachah, the mother of Asa the king, frombeingqueen mother, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah; and Asa cut down her obscene image, then crushed and burneditby the Brook Kidron.

17 Butthe high places were not removed from Israel. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was loyal all his days.

18 He also brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated and that he himself had dedicated: silver and gold and utensils.

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

Asa’s Treaty with Syria

1 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa,Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and built Ramah,that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.

2 Then Asa brought silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of theLordand of the king’s house, and sent to Ben-Hadad king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying,

3 “Lettherebea treaty between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. See, I have sent you silver and gold; come, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”

4 So Ben-Hadad heeded King Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel. They attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali.

5 Now it happened, when Baasha heardit,that he stopped building Ramah and ceased his work.

6 Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones and timber of Ramah, which Baasha had used for building; and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.

Hanani’s Message to Asa

7 And at that timeHanani 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 theLordyour God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand.

8 Werethe Ethiopians andthe Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on theLord, He delivered them into yourhand.

9 For the eyes of theLordrun to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf ofthosewhose heartisloyal to Him. In thisyou have done foolishly; therefore from now onyou shall have wars.”

10 Then Asa was angry with the seer, andput him in prison, forhewasenraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressedsomeof the people at that time.

Illness and Death of Asa

11 Note that the acts of Asa, first and last, are indeed written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

12 And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease hedid not seek theLord, but the physicians.

13 So Asa rested with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign.

14 They buried him in his own tomb, which he had made for himself in the City of David; and they laid him in the bed which was filledwith spices and various ingredients prepared in a mixture of ointments. They madea very great burning for him.

Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah

1 ThenJehoshaphat his son reigned in his place, and strengthened himself against Israel.

2 And he placed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land ofJudah and in the cities of Ephraimwhich Asa his father had taken.

3 Now theLordwas with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals,

4 but sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according tothe acts of Israel.

5 Therefore theLordestablished the kingdom in his hand; and all Judahgave presents to Jehoshaphat,and he had riches and honor in abundance.

6 And his heart took delight in the ways of theLord; moreoverhe removed the high places and wooden images from Judah.

7 Also in the third year of his reign he sent his leaders, Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Michaiah,to teach in the cities of Judah.

8 And with themhesentLevites: Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah—the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests.

9 So they taught in Judah, andhadthe Book of the Law of theLordwith them; they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught the people.

10 Andthe fear of theLordfell on all the kingdoms of the lands thatwerearound Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.

11 Alsosomeof the Philistinesbrought Jehoshaphat presents and silver as tribute; and the Arabians brought him flocks, seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred male goats.

12 So Jehoshaphat became increasingly powerful, and he built fortresses and storage cities in Judah.

13 He had much property in the cities of Judah; and the men of war, mighty men of valor,werein Jerusalem.

14 Thesearetheir numbers, according to their fathers’ houses. Of Judah, the captains of thousands: Adnah the captain, and with him three hundred thousand mighty men of valor;

15 and next to himwasJehohanan the captain, and with him two hundred and eighty thousand;

16 and next to himwasAmasiah the son of Zichri,who willingly offered himself to theLord, and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valor.

17 Of Benjamin: Eliada a mighty man of valor, and with him two hundred thousand men armed with bow and shield;

18 and next to himwasJehozabad, and with him one hundred and eighty thousand prepared for war.

19 These served the king, besidesthose the king put in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.

Micaiah Warns Ahab

1 Jehoshaphathad riches and honor in abundance; and by marriage heallied himself withAhab.

2 After some years he went down tovisitAhab in Samaria; and Ahab killed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and the people who were with him, and persuaded him to go upwithhimto Ramoth Gilead.

3 So Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with meagainstRamoth Gilead?”

And he answered him, “Iamas youare,and my people as your people;wewillbewith you in the war.”

4 Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel,“Please inquire for the word of theLordtoday.”

5 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?”

So they said, “Go up, for God will deliver it into the king’s hand.”

6 But Jehoshaphat said, “Istherenot still a prophet of theLordhere, that we may inquire ofHim?”

7 So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Thereisstill one man by whom we may inquire of theLord; but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil. HeisMicaiah the son of Imla.”

And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say such things!”

8 Then the king of Israel called oneofhisofficers and said, “Bring Micaiah the son of Imla quickly!”

9 The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, clothed intheirrobes, sat each on his throne; and they sat at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.

10 Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had madehorns of iron for himself; and he said, “Thus says theLord: ‘With these you shall gore the Syrians until they are destroyed.’ ”

11 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for theLordwill deliveritinto the king’s hand.”

12 Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “Now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Therefore please let your word be likethewordofone of them, and speak encouragement.”

13 And Micaiah said, “AstheLordlives,whatever my God says, that I will speak.”

14 Then he came to the king; and the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?”

And he said, “Go and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand!”

15 So the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of theLord?”

16 Then he said, “I saw all Israelscattered on the mountains, as sheep that have noshepherd. And theLordsaid, ‘These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.’ ”

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

18 ThenMicaiahsaid, “Therefore hear the word of theLord: I saw theLordsitting on Histhrone, and all the host of heaven standing on His right hand and His left.

19 And theLordsaid, ‘Who will persuade Ahab king of Israel to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner.

20 Then aspirit came forward and stood before theLord, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ TheLordsaid to him, ‘In what way?’

21 So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ AndtheLordsaid, ‘You shall persuadehimand also prevail; go out and do so.’

22 Therefore look!TheLordhas put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and theLordhas declared disaster against you.”

23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near andstruck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, “Which way did the spirit from theLordgo from me to speak to you?”

24 And Micaiah said, “Indeed you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide!”

25 Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son;

26 and say, ‘Thus says the king:“Put thisfellowin prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I return in peace.” ’ ”

27 But Micaiah said, “If you ever return in peace, theLordhas not spoken byme.” And he said, “Take heed, all you people!”

Ahab Dies in Battle

28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead.

29 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I willdisguise myself and go into battle; but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.

30 Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the chariots whowerewith him, saying, “Fight with no one small or great, but only with the king of Israel.”

31 So it was, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, “Itisthe king of Israel!” Therefore they surrounded him to attack; but Jehoshaphatcried out, and theLordhelped him, and God diverted them from him.

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

33 Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded.”

34 The battle increased that day, and the king of Israel proppedhimselfup inhischariot facing the Syrians until evening; and about the time of sunset he died.

1 Then Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned safely to his house in Jerusalem.

2 And Jehu the son of Hananithe seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked andlove those who hate theLord? Therefore thewrath of theLordisupon you.

3 Neverthelessgood things are found in you, in that you have removed the wooden images from the land, and haveprepared your heart to seek God.”

The Reforms of Jehoshaphat

4 So Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem; and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the mountains of Ephraim, and brought them back to theLordGod of theirfathers.

5 Then he setjudges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,

6 and said to the judges, “Take heed to what you are doing, foryou do not judge for man but for theLord,whoiswith you in the judgment.

7 Now therefore, let the fear of theLordbe upon you; take care and doit,forthereisno iniquity with theLordour God, nopartiality, nor taking of bribes.”

8 Moreover in Jerusalem, for the judgment of theLordand for controversies, Jehoshaphatappointed some of the Levites and priests, and some of the chief fathers of Israel, when they returned to Jerusalem.

9 And he commanded them, saying, “Thus you shall actin the fear of theLord, faithfully and with a loyal heart:

10 Whatever case comes to you from your brethren who dwell in their cities, whether of bloodshed or offenses against law or commandment, against statutes or ordinances, you shall warn them, lest they trespass against theLordandwrath come uponyou and your brethren. Do this, and you will not be guilty.

11 And take notice:Amariah the chief priestisover youin all matters of theLord; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, for all the king’s matters; also the Leviteswillbeofficials before you. Behave courageously, and theLordwill bewith the good.”

Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir Defeated

1 It happened after thisthatthe people ofMoab with the people ofAmmon, andotherswith them besides theAmmonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat.

2 Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they arein Hazazon Tamar” (whichisEn Gedi).

3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself toseek theLord, andproclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

4 So Judah gathered together to askhelpfrom theLord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek theLord.

5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of theLord, before the new court,

6 and said: “OLordGod of our fathers,areYou notGod in heaven, anddo Younotrule over all the kingdoms of the nations, andin Your handistherenotpower and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?

7 AreYou notour God,whodrove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of AbrahamYour friend forever?

8 And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying,

9 ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Yournameisin this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’

10 And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir—whom Youwould not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, butthey turned from them and did not destroy them—

11 here they are, rewarding usby coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit.

12 O our God, will You notjudge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, butour eyesareupon You.”

13 Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before theLord.

14 Thenthe Spirit of theLordcame upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.

15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says theLordto you:‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude,for the battleisnot yours, but God’s.

16 Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel.

17 You will notneedto fight in thisbattle.Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of theLord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them,for theLordiswith you.”

18 And Jehoshaphatbowed his head withhisface to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before theLord, worshiping theLord.

19 Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise theLordGod of Israel with voices loud and high.

20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem:Believe in theLordyour God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”

21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to theLord,and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:

# “Praise theLord,

# For His mercyenduresforever.”

22 Now when they began to sing and to praise,theLordset ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.

23 For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroythem.And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir,they helped to destroy one another.

24 So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and thereweretheir dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.

25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much.

26 And on the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, for there they blessed theLord; therefore the name of that place was called The Valley of Berachah until this day.

27 Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat in front of them, to go back to Jerusalem with joy, for theLordhadmade them rejoice over their enemies.

28 So they came to Jerusalem, with stringed instruments and harps and trumpets, to the house of theLord.

29 Andthe fear of God was on all the kingdoms ofthosecountries when they heard that theLordhad fought against the enemies of Israel.

30 Then the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for hisGod gave him rest all around.

The End of Jehoshaphat’s Reign

31 So Jehoshaphat was king over Judah.Hewasthirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s namewasAzubah the daughter of Shilhi.

32 And he walked in the way of his fatherAsa, and did not turn aside from it, doingwhatwasright in the sight of theLord.

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

34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, indeed theyarewritten in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani,whichismentioned in the book of the kings of Israel.

35 After thisJehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel,who acted verywickedly.

36 And he allied himself with himto make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion Geber.

37 But Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, theLordhas destroyed your works.”Then the ships were wrecked, so that they were not able to goto Tarshish.

Jehoram Reigns in Judah

1 AndJehoshaphat rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. Then Jehoram his son reigned in his place.

2 He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azaryahu, Michael, and Shephatiah; all thesewerethe sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.

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

4 Now when Jehoram was established over the kingdom of his father, he strengthened himself and killed all his brothers with the sword, and alsoothersof the princes of Israel.

5 Jehoramwasthirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

6 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for he had the daughter ofAhab as a wife; and he did evil in the sight of theLord.

7 Yet theLordwould not destroy the house of David, because of thecovenant that He had made with David, and since He had promised to give a lamp to him and to hissons forever.

8 In his days Edom revolted against Judah’s authority, and made a king over themselves.

9 So Jehoram went out with his officers, and all his chariots with him. And he rose by night and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots.

10 Thus Edom has been in revolt against Judah’s authority to this day. At that time Libnah revolted against his rule, because he had forsaken theLordGod of his fathers.

11 Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem tocommit harlotry, and led Judah astray.

12 And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying,

Thus says theLordGod of your father David:

Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah,

13 but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and havemade Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem toplay the harlot like theharlotry of the house of Ahab, and also havekilled your brothers, those of your father’s household,whowerebetter than yourself,

14 behold, theLordwill strike your people with a serious affliction—your children, your wives, and all your possessions;

15 and youwillbecomevery sick with adisease of your intestines, until your intestines come out by reason of the sickness, day by day.

16 Moreover theLordstirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and theArabians whowerenear the Ethiopians.

17 And they came up into Judah and invaded it, and carried away all the possessions that were found in the king’s house, and alsohis sons and his wives, so that there was not a son left to him except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.

18 After all this theLordstruck himin his intestines with an incurable disease.

19 Then it happened in the course of time, after the end of two years, that his intestines came out because of his sickness; so he died in severe pain. And his people made no burning for him, likethe burning for his fathers.

20 He was thirty-two years old when he became king. He reigned in Jerusalem eight years and, to no one’s sorrow, departed. However they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

Ahaziah Reigns in Judah

1 Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem madeAhaziah his youngest son king in his place, for the raiders who came with theArabians into the camp had killed all theoldersons.So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, reigned.

2 Ahaziahwasforty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s namewasAthaliah the granddaughter of Omri.

3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother advised him to do wickedly.

4 Therefore he did evil in the sight of theLord, like the house of Ahab; for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction.

5 He also followed their advice, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth Gilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram.

6 Then he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which he had received at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Azariah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

7 His going to Joramwas God’s occasion for Ahaziah’s downfall; for when he arrived,he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi,whom theLordhad anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.

8 And it happened, when Jehu wasexecuting judgment on the house of Ahab, andfound the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers who served Ahaziah, that he killed them.

9 Then he searched for Ahaziah; and they caught him (he was hiding in Samaria), and brought him to Jehu. When they had killed him, they buried him, “because,” they said, “he is the son ofJehoshaphat, whosought theLordwith all his heart.”

So the house of Ahaziah had no one to assume power over the kingdom.

Athaliah Reigns in Judah

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

11 But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, tookJoash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being murdered, and put him and his nurse in a 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.

12 And he was hidden with them in the house of God for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

Joash Crowned King of Judah

1 Inthe seventh yearJehoiada strengthened himself,andmadeacovenant with the captains of hundreds: Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, Azariah the son ofObed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri.

2 And they went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and thechief fathers of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.

3 Then all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said to them, “Behold, the king’s son shall reign, as theLordhassaid of the sons of David.

4 Thisiswhat you shall do: One-third of youentering on the Sabbath, of the priests and the Levites,shallbekeeping watch over the doors;

5 one-thirdshallbeat the king’s house; and one-third at the Gate of the Foundation. All the peopleshallbein the courts of the house of theLord.

6 But let no one come into the house of theLordexcept the priests andthose of the Levites who serve. They may go in, for theyareholy; but all the people shall keep the watch of theLord.

7 And the Levites shall surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes into the house, let him be put to death. You are to be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.”

8 So the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each man took his men who were to be on duty on the Sabbath, with those who were goingoffdutyon the Sabbath; for Jehoiada the priest had not dismissedthe divisions.

9 And Jehoiada the priest gave to the captains of hundreds the spears and the large and smallshields whichhadbelongedto King David, thatwerein the temple of God.

10 Then he set all the people, every man with his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, along by the altar and by the temple, all around the king.

11 And they brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him,gavehimthe Testimony, and made him king. Then Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and said, “Longlive the king!”

Death of Athaliah

12 Now whenAthaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she came to the peopleinthe temple of theLord.

13 Whenshe looked, there was the king standing by his pillar at the entrance; and the leaders and the trumpeterswereby the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, also the singers with musical instruments, andthose who led in praise. So Athaliah tore her clothes and said,“Treason! Treason!”

14 And Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds who were set over the army, and said to them, “Take her outside under guard, and slay with the sword whoever follows her.” For the priest had said, “Do not kill her in the house of theLord.”

15 So they seized her; and she went by way of the entranceof the Horse Gateintothe king’s house, and they killed her there.

16 Then Jehoiada made acovenant between himself, the people, and the king, that they should be theLord’s people.

17 And all the people went to the temple of Baal, and tore it down. They broke in pieces its altars and images, andkilled Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.

18 Also Jehoiada appointed the oversight of the house of theLordto the hand of the priests, the Levites, whom David hadassigned in the house of theLord, to offer the burnt offerings of theLord, asitiswritten in theLaw of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing,asitwasestablishedby David.

19 And he set thegatekeepers at the gates of the house of theLord, so that no onewhowasin any way unclean should enter.

20 Then he took the captains of hundreds, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought the king down from the house of theLord; and they went through the Upper Gate to the king’s house, and set the king on the throne of the kingdom.

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

Joash Repairs the Temple

1 Joashwasseven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s namewasZibiah of Beersheba.

2 Joashdidwhatwasright in the sight of theLordall the days of Jehoiada the priest.

3 And Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters.

4 Now it happened after thisthatJoash set his heart on repairing the house of theLord.

5 Then he gathered the priests and the Levites, and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah, andgather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that you do it quickly.”

However the Levites did not do it quickly.

6 So the king called Jehoiada the chiefpriest,and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the collection,accordingtothecommandmentofMoses the servant of theLordand of the assembly of Israel, for thetabernacle of witness?”

7 Forthe sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and had also presented all thededicated things of the house of theLordto the Baals.

8 Then at the king’s commandthey made a chest, and set it outside at the gate of the house of theLord.

9 And they made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring to theLordthe collectionthatMoses the servant of Godhadimposedon Israel in the wilderness.

10 Then all the leaders and all the people rejoiced, brought their contributions, and puttheminto the chest until all had given.

11 So it was, at that time, when the chest was brought to the king’s official by the hand of the Levites, andwhen they saw thattherewasmuch money, that the king’s scribe and the high priest’s officer came and emptied the chest, and took it and returned it to its place. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance.

12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of theLord; and they hired masons and carpenters torepair the house of theLord, and also those who worked in iron and bronze to restore the house of theLord.

13 So the workmen labored, and the work was completed by them; they restored the house of God to its original condition and reinforced it.

14 When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada;they made from it articles for the house of theLord, articles for serving and offering, spoons and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of theLordcontinually all the days of Jehoiada.

Apostasy of Joash

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

16 And they buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God and His house.

17 Now after the death of Jehoiada the leaders of Judah came and bowed down to the king. And the king listened to them.

18 Therefore they left the house of theLordGod of their fathers, and servedwooden images and idols; andwrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass.

19 Yet Hesent prophets to them, to bring them back to theLord; and they testified against them, but they would not listen.

20 Then the Spirit of God came uponZechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God:‘Why do you transgress the commandments of theLord, so that you cannot prosper?Because you have forsaken theLord, He also has forsaken you.’ ”

21 So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king theystoned him with stones in the court of the house of theLord.

22 Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son; and as he died, he said, “TheLordlook onit,andrepay!”

Death of Joash

23 So it happened in the spring of the yearthatthe army of Syria came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the leaders of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus.

24 For the army of the Syrianscame with a small company of men; but theLorddelivered a very great army into their hand, because they had forsaken theLordGod of their fathers. So theyexecuted judgment against Joash.

25 And when they had withdrawn from him (for they left him severely wounded),his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed. So he died. And they buried him in the City of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.

26 These are the ones who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess.

27 Nowconcerninghis sons, andthe many oracles about him, and the repairing of the house of God, indeed theyarewritten in the annals of the book of the kings.Then Amaziah his son reigned in his place.