Category: 2 Chronicles

War against Edom

1 Some time later the armies of Moab and Ammon, together with their allies, the Meunites,invaded Judah.

2 Some messengers came and announced to King Jehoshaphat: “A large army from Edom has come from the other side of the Dead Sea to attack you. They have already captured Hazazon Tamar.” (This is another name for Engedi.)

3 Jehoshaphat was frightened and prayed to theLordfor guidance. Then he gave orders for a fast to be observed throughout the country.

4 From every city of Judah people hurried to Jerusalem to ask theLordfor guidance,

5 and they and the people of Jerusalem gathered in the new courtyard of the Temple. King Jehoshaphat went and stood before them

6 and prayed aloud, “OLordGod of our ancestors, you rule in heaven over all the nations of the world. You are powerful and mighty, and no one can oppose you.

7 You are our God. When your people Israel moved into this land, you drove out the people who were living here and gave the land to the descendants of Abraham, your friend, to be theirs forever.

8 They have lived here and have built a temple to honor you, knowing

9 that if any disaster struck them to punish them—a war,an epidemic, or a famine—then they could come and stand in front of this Temple where you are worshiped. They could pray to you in their trouble, and you would hear them and rescue them.

10 “Now the people of Ammon, Moab, and Edom have attacked us. When our ancestors came out of Egypt, you did not allow them to enter those lands, so our ancestors went around them and did not destroy them.

11 This is how they repay us—they come to drive us out of the land that you gave us.

12 You are our God! Punish them, for we are helpless in the face of this large army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you for help.”

13 All the men of Judah, with their wives and children, were standing there at the Temple.

14 The spirit of theLordcame upon a Levite who was present in the crowd. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah; he was a member of the clan of Asaph and was descended from Asaph through Mattaniah, Jeiel, and Benaiah.

15 Jahaziel said, “Your Majesty and all you people of Judah and Jerusalem, theLordsays that you must not be discouraged or be afraid to face this large army. The battle depends on God, not on you.

16 Attack them tomorrow as they come up the pass at Ziz. You will meet them at the end of the valley that leads to the wild country near Jeruel.

17 You will not have to fight this battle. Just take up your positions and wait; you will see theLordgive you victory. People of Judah and Jerusalem, do not hesitate or be afraid. Go out to battle, and theLordwill be with you!”

18 Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low, with his face touching the ground, and all the people bowed with him and worshiped theLord.

19 The members of the Levite clans of Kohath and Korah stood up and with a loud shout praised theLord, the God of Israel.

20 Early the next morning the people went out to the wild country near Tekoa. As they were starting out, Jehoshaphat addressed them with these words: “People of Judah and Jerusalem! Put your trust in theLordyour God, and you will stand your ground. Believe what his prophets tell you, and you will succeed.”

21 After consulting with the people, the king ordered some musicians to put on the robes they wore on sacred occasions and to march ahead of the army, singing: “Praise theLord! His love is eternal!”

22 When they began to sing, theLordthrew the invading armies into a panic.

23 The Ammonites and the Moabites attacked the Edomite army and completely destroyed it, and then they turned on each other in savage fighting.

24 When the Judean army reached a tower that was in the desert, they looked toward the enemy and saw that they were all lying on the ground dead. Not one had escaped.

25 Jehoshaphat and his troops moved in to take the loot, and they found many cattle,supplies, clothing, and other valuable objects. They spent three days gathering the loot, but there was so much that they could not take everything.

26 On the fourth day they assembled in Beracah Valley and praised theLordfor all he had done. That is why the valley is called “Beracah.”

27 Jehoshaphat led his troops back to Jerusalem in triumph, because theLordhad defeated their enemies.

28 When they reached the city, they marched to the Temple to the music of harps and trumpets.

29 Every nation that heard how theLordhad defeated Israel’s enemies was terrified,

30 so Jehoshaphat ruled in peace, and God gave him security on every side.

The End of Jehoshaphat’s Reign

31 Jehoshaphat had become king of Judah at the age of thirty-five and had ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.

32 Like his father Asa before him, he did what was right in the sight of theLord;

33 but the pagan places of worship were not destroyed. The people still did not turn wholeheartedly to the worship of the God of their ancestors.

34 Everything else that Jehoshaphat did, from the beginning of his reign to its end, is recorded inThe History of Jehu Son of Hananiwhich is a part ofThe History of the Kings of Israel.

35 At one time King Jehoshaphat of Judah made an alliance with King Ahaziah of Israel, who did many wicked things.

36 At the port of Eziongeber they built ocean-going ships.

37 But Eliezer son of Dodavahu, from the town of Mareshah, warned Jehoshaphat, “Because you have made an alliance with Ahaziah, theLordwill destroy what you have built.” And the ships were wrecked and never sailed.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/2CH/20-4a34033b83b2ba382fa84170267b0fc0.mp3?version_id=68—

1 Jehoshaphat died and was buried in the royal tombs in David’s City and his son Jehoram succeeded him as king.

King Jehoram of Judah

2 Jehoram son of King Jehoshaphat of Judah had six brothers: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah.

3 Their father gave them large amounts of gold, silver, and other valuable possessions, and placed each one in charge of one of the fortified cities of Judah. But because Jehoram was the oldest, Jehoshaphat made him his successor.

4 When Jehoram was in firm control of the kingdom, he had all his brothers killed, and also some Israelite officials.

5 Jehoram became king at the age of thirty-two, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eight years.

6 He followed the wicked example of King Ahab and the other kings of Israel, because he had married one of Ahab’s daughters. He sinned against theLord,

7 but theLordwas not willing to destroy the dynasty of David, because he had made a covenant with David and promised that his descendants would always continue to rule.

8 During Jehoram’s reign Edom revolted against Judah and became an independent kingdom.

9 So Jehoram and his officers set out with chariots and invaded Edom. There the Edomite army surrounded them, but during the night they managed to break out and escape.

10 Edom has been independent ofJudah ever since. During this same period the city of Libnah also revolted, because Jehoram had abandoned theLord, the God of his ancestors.

11 He even built pagan places of worship in the Judean highlands and led the people of Judah and Jerusalem to sin against theLord.

12 The prophet Elijah sent Jehoram a letter, which read as follows: “TheLord, the God of your ancestor David, condemns you, because you did not follow the example of your father, King Jehoshaphat, or that of your grandfather, King Asa.

13 Instead, you have followed the example of the kings of Israel and have led the people of Judah and Jerusalem into being unfaithful to God, just as Ahab and his successors led Israel into unfaithfulness. You even murdered your brothers, who were better men than you are.

14 As a result, theLordwill severely punish your people, your children, and your wives, and will destroy your possessions.

15 You yourself will suffer a painful intestinal disease that will grow worse day by day.”

16 Some Philistines and Arabs lived near where some Ethiopianshad settled along the coast. TheLordcaused them to go to war against Jehoram.

17 They invaded Judah, looted the royal palace, and carried off as prisoners all the king’s wives and sons except Ahaziah, his youngest son.

18 Then after all this, theLordbrought on the king a painful disease of the intestines.

19 For almost two years it grew steadily worse until finally the king died in agony. His subjects did not light a bonfire in mourning for him as had been done for his ancestors.

20 Jehoram had become king at the age of thirty-two and had ruled in Jerusalem for eight years. Nobody was sorry when he died. They buried him in David’s City, but not in the royal tombs.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/2CH/21-98b2d10b2b1e5e9ca35d57b5e58c6f73.mp3?version_id=68—

King Ahaziah of Judah

1 Some Arabs had led a raid and killed all of King Jehoram’s sons except Ahaziah, the youngest. So now the people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah king as his father’s successor.

2-3 Ahaziah became king at the age of twenty-two,and he ruled in Jerusalem for one year. Ahaziah also followed the example of King Ahab’s family, since his mother Athaliah—the daughter of King Ahab and granddaughter of King Omri of Israel—gave him advice that led him into evil.

4 He sinned against theLord, because after his father’s death other members of King Ahab’s family became his advisers, and they led to his downfall.

5 Following their advice, he joined King Joram of Israel in a war against King Hazael of Syria. The armies clashed at Ramoth in Gilead, and Joram was wounded in battle.

6 He returned to the city of Jezreel to recover from his wounds, and Ahaziah went there to visit him.

7 God used this visit to Joram to bring about Ahaziah’s downfall. While Ahaziah was there, he and Joram were confronted by a man named Jehu son of Nimshi, whom theLordhad chosen to destroy the dynasty of Ahab.

8 As Jehu was carrying out God’s sentence on the dynasty, he came across a group made up of Judean leaders and of Ahaziah’s nephews that had accompanied Ahaziah on his visit. Jehu killed them all.

9 A search was made for Ahaziah, and he was found hiding in Samaria. They took him to Jehu and put him to death. But they did bury his body out of respect for his grandfather King Jehoshaphat, who had done all he could to serve theLord.

No member of Ahaziah’s family was left who could rule the kingdom.

Queen Athaliah of Judah

10 As soon as King Ahaziah’s mother Athaliah learned of her son’s murder, she gave orders for all the members of the royal family of Judah to be killed.

11 Ahaziah had a half sister, Jehosheba, who was married to a priest named Jehoiada. She secretly rescued one of Ahaziah’s sons, Joash, took him away from the other princes who were about to be murdered and hid him and a nurse in a bedroom at the Temple. By keeping him hidden, she saved him from death at the hands of Athaliah.

12 For six years he remained there in hiding, while Athaliah ruled as queen.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/2CH/22-1dea3e123f35ea7c48dd14b810bb2488.mp3?version_id=68—

The Revolt against Athaliah

1 After waiting six years Jehoiada the priest decided that it was time to take action. He made a pact with five army officers: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri.

2 They traveled to all the cities of Judah and brought back with them to Jerusalem the Levites and all the heads of the clans.

3 They all gathered in the Temple, and there they made a covenant with Joash, the king’s son. Jehoiada said to them, “Here is the son of the late king. He is now to be king, as theLordpromised that King David’s descendants would be.

4 This is what we will do. When the priests and Levites come on duty on the Sabbath, one third of them will guard the Temple gates,

5 another third will guard the royal palace, and the rest will be stationed at the Foundation Gate. All the people will assemble in the Temple courtyard.

6 No one is to enter the Temple buildings except the priests and the Levites who are on duty. They may enter, because they are consecrated, but the rest of the people must obey theLord’s instructions and stay outside.

7 The Levites are to stand guard around the king, with their swords drawn, and are to stay with the king wherever he goes. Anyone who tries to enter the Temple is to be killed.”

8 The Levites and the people of Judah carried out Jehoiada’s instructions. The men were not dismissed when they went off duty on the Sabbath, so the commanders had available both those coming on duty and those going off.

9 Jehoiada gave the officers the spears and shields that had belonged to King David and had been kept in the Temple.

10 He stationed the men with drawn swords all around the front of the Temple, to protect the king.

11 Then Jehoiada led Joash out, placed the crown on his head, and gave him a copy of the laws governing kingship. And so he was made king. Jehoiada the priest and his sons anointed Joash, and everyone shouted, “Long live the king!”

12 Athaliah heard the people cheering for the king, so she hurried to the Temple, where the crowd had gathered.

13 There she saw the new king at the Temple entrance, standing by the column reserved for kings and surrounded by the army officers and the trumpeters. All the people were shouting joyfully and blowing trumpets, and the Temple musicians with their instruments were leading the celebration. She tore her clothes in distress and shouted, “Treason! Treason!”

14 Jehoiada did not want Athaliah killed in the Temple area, so he called out the army officers and said, “Take her out between the rows of guards, and kill anyone who tries to rescue her.”

15 They seized her, took her to the palace, and there at the Horse Gate they killed her.

Jehoiada’s Reforms

16 The priest Jehoiada had King Joash and the people join him in making a covenant that they would be theLord’s people.

17 Then they all went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols there and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars.

18 Jehoiada put the priests and Levites in charge of the work of the Temple. They were to carry out the duties assigned to them by King David and to burn the sacrifices offered to theLordin accordance with the Law of Moses. They were also in charge of the music and the celebrations.

19 Jehoiada also put guards on duty at the Temple gates to keep out anyone who was ritually unclean.

20 The army officers, the leading citizens, the officials, and all the rest of the people joined Jehoiada in a procession that brought the king from the Temple to the palace. They entered by the main gate, and the king took his place on the throne.

21 All the people were filled with happiness, and the city was quiet, now that Athaliah had been killed.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/2CH/23-66a7106a0b56e1412ea67f1c5f681cd5.mp3?version_id=68—

King Joash of Judah

1 Joash became king of Judah at the age of seven, and he ruled in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother was Zibiah from the city of Beersheba.

2 He did what was pleasing to theLordas long as Jehoiada the priest was alive.

3 Jehoiada chose two wives for King Joash, and they bore him sons and daughters.

4 After he had been king for a while, Joash decided to have the Temple repaired.

5 He ordered the priests and the Levites to go to the cities of Judah and collect from all the people enough money to make the annual repairs on the Temple. He told them to act promptly, but the Levites delayed,

6 so he called in Jehoiada, their leader, and demanded, “Why haven’t you seen to it that the Levites collect from Judah and Jerusalem the tax which Moses, the servant of theLord, required the peopleto pay for support of the Tent of theLord’s presence?”

(

7 The followers of Athaliah, that corrupt woman,had damaged the Temple and had used many of the sacred objects in the worship of Baal.)

8 The king ordered the Levites to make a box for contributions and to place it at the Temple gate.

9 They sent word throughout Jerusalem and Judah for everyone to bring to theLordthe tax which Moses, God’s servant, had first collected in the wilderness.

10 This pleased the people and their leaders, and they brought their tax money and filled the box with it.

11 Every day the Levites would take the box to the royal official who was in charge of it. Whenever it was full, the royal secretary and the High Priest’s representative would take the money out and return the box to its place. And so they collected a large sum of money.

12 The king and Jehoiada would give the money to those who were in charge of repairing the Temple, and they hired stonemasons, carpenters, and metalworkers to make the repairs.

13 All of them worked hard, and they restored the Temple to its original condition, as solid as ever.

14 When the repairs were finished, the remaining gold and silver was given to the king and Jehoiada, who used it to have bowls and other utensils made for the Temple.

Jehoiada’s Policies Are Reversed

As long as Jehoiada was alive, sacrifices were offered regularly at the Temple.

15 After reaching the very old age of a hundred and thirty, he died.

16 They buried him in the royal tombs in David’s City in recognition of the service he had done for the people of Israel, for God, and for the Temple.

17 But once Jehoiada was dead, the leaders of Judah persuaded King Joash to listen to them instead.

18 And so the people stopped worshiping in the Temple of theLord, the God of their ancestors, and began to worship idols and the images of the goddess Asherah. Their guilt for these sins brought theLord’s anger on Judah and Jerusalem.

19 TheLordsent prophets to warn them to return to him, but the people refused to listen.

20 Then the spirit of God took control of Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood where the people could see him and called out, “TheLordGod asks why you have disobeyed his commands and are bringing disaster on yourselves! You abandoned him, so he has abandoned you!”

21 King Joash joined in a conspiracy against Zechariah, and on the king’s orders the people stoned Zechariah in the Temple courtyard.

22 The king forgot about the loyal service that Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had given him, and he had Zechariah killed. As Zechariah was dying, he called out, “May theLordsee what you are doing and punish you!”

The End of Joash’s Reign

23 When autumn came that year, the Syrian army attacked Judah and Jerusalem, killed all the leaders, and took large amounts of loot back to Damascus.

24 The Syrian army was small, but theLordlet them defeat a much larger Judean army because the people had abandoned him, theLordGod of their ancestors. In this way King Joash was punished.

25 He was severely wounded, and when the enemy withdrew, two of his officials plotted against him and killed him in his bed to avenge the murder of the sonof Jehoiada the priest. He was buried in David’s City, but not in the royal tombs. (

26 Those who plotted against him were Zabad, the son of an Ammonite woman named Shimeath, and Jehozabad, the son of a Moabite woman named Shimrith.)

27 TheCommentary on the Book of Kingscontains the stories of the sons of Joash, the prophecies spoken against him, and the record of how he rebuilt the Temple. His son Amaziah succeeded him as king.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/2CH/24-193fffa0ee802ef1799e7cceaa6c80b2.mp3?version_id=68—

King Amaziah of Judah

1 Amaziah became king at the age of twenty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother was Jehoaddin from Jerusalem.

2 He did what was pleasing to theLord, but did it reluctantly.

3 As soon as he was firmly in power, he executed the officials who had murdered his father.

4 He did not, however, execute their children, but followed what theLordhad commanded in the Law of Moses: “Parents are not to be put to death for crimes committed by their children, and children are not to be put to death for crimes committed by their parents; people are to be put to death only for crimes they themselves have committed.”

War against Edom

5 King Amaziah organized all the men of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin into army units, according to the clans they belonged to, and placed officers in command of units of a thousand and units of a hundred. This included all men twenty years of age or older, 300,000 in all. They were picked troops, ready for battle, skilled in using spears and shields.

6 In addition, he hired 100,000 soldiers from Israel at a cost of about four tons of silver.

7 But a prophet went to the king and said to him, “Don’t take these Israelite soldiers with you. TheLordis not with these people from the Northern Kingdom.

8 You may think that they will make you strongerin battle, but it is God who has the power to give victory or defeat, and he will let your enemies defeat you.”

9 Amaziah asked the prophet, “But what about all that silver I have already paid for them?”

The prophet replied, “TheLordcan give you back more than that!”

10 So Amaziah sent the hired troops away and told them to go home. At this they went home, bitterly angry with the people of Judah.

11 Amaziah summoned up his courage and led his army to Salt Valley. There they fought and killed ten thousand Edomite soldiers

12 and captured another ten thousand. They took the prisoners to the top of the cliff at the city of Sela and threw them off, so that they were killed on the rocks below.

13 Meanwhile the Israelite soldiers that Amaziah had not allowed to go into battle with him attacked the Judean cities between Samaria and Beth Horon, killed three thousand men, and captured quantities of loot.

14 When Amaziah returned from defeating the Edomites, he brought their idols back with him, set them up, worshiped them, and burned incense to them.

15 This made theLordangry, so he sent a prophet to Amaziah. The prophet demanded, “Why have you worshiped foreign gods that could not even save their own people from your power?”

16 “Since when,” Amaziah interrupted, “have we made you adviser to the king? Stop talking, or I’ll have you killed!”

The prophet stopped, but not before saying, “Now I know that God has decided to destroy you because you have done all this and have ignored my advice.”

War against Israel

17 King Amaziah of Judah and his advisers plotted against Israel. He then sent a message to King Jehoash of Israel, who was the son of Jehoahaz and grandson of Jehu, challenging him to fight.

18 Jehoash sent this answer to Amaziah: “Once a thorn bush in the Lebanon Mountains sent a message to a cedar: ‘Give your daughter in marriage to my son.’ A wild animal passed by and trampled the bush down.

19 Now Amaziah, you boast that you have defeated the Edomites, but I advise you to stay at home. Why stir up trouble that will only bring disaster on you and your people?”

20 But Amaziah refused to listen. It was God’s will for Amaziah to be defeated, because he had worshiped the Edomite idols.

21 So King Jehoash of Israel went into battle against King Amaziah of Judah. They met at Beth Shemesh in Judah,

22 the Judean army was defeated, and the soldiers fled to their homes.

23 Jehoash captured Amaziah and took him to Jerusalem. There he tore down the city wall from Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate, a distance of two hundred yards.

24 He took back to Samaria as loot all the gold and silver in the Temple, the Temple equipment guarded by the descendants of Obed Edom, and the palace treasures. He also took hostages with him.

25 King Amaziah of Judah outlived King Jehoash of Israel by fifteen years.

26 All the other things that Amaziah did from the beginning to the end of his reign are recorded inThe History of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

27 Ever since the time when he rebelled against theLord, there had been a plot against him in Jerusalem. Finally he fled to the city of Lachish, but his enemies followed him there and killed him.

28 His body was carried to Jerusalem on a horse, and he was buried in the royal tombs in David’s City.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/2CH/25-e59eebb9416d4f1d3622e58b816a5a7a.mp3?version_id=68—

King Uzziah of Judah

1 All the people of Judah chose Amaziah’s sixteen-year-old son Uzziah to succeed his father as king. (

2 It was after the death of Amaziah that Uzziah recaptured Elath and rebuilt the city.)

3 Uzziah became king at the age of sixteen, and he ruled in Jerusalem for fifty-two years. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem.

4 Following the example of his father, he did what was pleasing to theLord.

5 As long as Zechariah, his religious adviser, was living, he served theLordfaithfully, and God blessed him.

6 Uzziah went to war against the Philistines. He tore down the walls of the cities of Gath, Jamnia, and Ashdod, and built fortified cities near Ashdod and in the rest of Philistia.

7 God helped him defeat the Philistines, the Arabs living at Gurbaal, and the Meunites.

8 The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah, and he became so powerful that his fame spread even to Egypt.

9 Uzziah strengthened the fortifications of Jerusalem by building towers at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and where the wall turned.

10 He also built fortified towers in the open country and dug many cisterns, because he had large herds of livestock in the western foothills and plains. Because he loved farming, he encouraged the people to plant vineyards in the hill country and to farm the fertile land.

11 He had a large army ready for battle. Its records were kept by his secretaries Jeiel and Maaseiah under the supervision of Hananiah, a member of the king’s staff.

12 The army was commanded by 2,600 officers.

13 Under them were 307,500 soldiers able to fight effectively for the king against his enemies.

14 Uzziah supplied the army with shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and arrows, and stones for slinging.

15 In Jerusalem his inventors made equipment for shooting arrows and for throwing large stones from the towers and corners of the city wall. His fame spread everywhere, and he became very powerful because of the help he received from God.

Uzziah Is Punished for His Pride

16 But when King Uzziah became strong, he grew arrogant, and that led to his downfall. He defied theLordhis God by going into the Temple to burn incense on the altar of incense.

17 Azariah the priest, accompanied by eighty strong and courageous priests, followed the king

18 to resist him. They said, “Uzziah! You have no right to burn incense to theLord. Only the priests who are descended from Aaron have been consecrated to do this. Leave this holy place. You have offended theLordGod, and you no longer have his blessing.”

19 Uzziah was standing there in the Temple beside the incense altar and was holding an incense burner. He became angry with the priests, and immediately a dreaded skin disease broke out on his forehead.

20 Azariah and the other priests stared at the king’s forehead in horror and then forced him to leave the Temple. He hurried to get out, because theLordhad punished him.

21 For the rest of his life King Uzziah was ritually unclean because of his disease. Unable to enter the Temple again, he lived in his own house, relieved of all duties, while his son Jotham governed the country.

22 The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz recorded all the other things that King Uzziah did during his reign.

23 Uzziah died and was buried in the royal burial ground, but because of his disease he was not buried in the royal tombs. His son Jotham succeeded him as king.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/2CH/26-b56f848c52ba5670bede2c2160fd63d7.mp3?version_id=68—

King Jotham of Judah

1 Jotham became king at the age of twenty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years. His mother was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok.

2 He did what was pleasing to theLord, just as his father had done; but unlike his father he did not sin by burning incensein the Temple. The people, however, went on sinning.

3 It was Jotham who built the North Gate of the Temple and did extensive work on the city wall in the area of Jerusalem called Ophel.

4 In the mountains of Judah he built cities, and in the forests he built forts and towers.

5 He fought against the king of Ammon and his army and defeated them. Then he forced the Ammonites to pay him the following tribute each year for three years: four tons of silver, fifty thousand bushels of wheat, and fifty thousand bushels of barley.

6 Jotham grew powerful because he faithfully obeyed theLordhis God.

7 The other events of Jotham’s reign, his wars, and his policies, are all recorded inThe History of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

8 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years.

9 He died and was buried in David’s City and his son Ahaz succeeded him as king.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/2CH/27-f7397c1459094ff4575fd164847576b0.mp3?version_id=68—

King Ahaz of Judah

1 Ahaz became king at the age of twenty, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years. He did not follow the good example of his ancestor King David; instead, he did what was not pleasing to theLord

2 and followed the example of the kings of Israel. He had metal images of Baal made,

3 burned incense in Hinnom Valley, and even sacrificed his own sons as burnt offerings to idols, imitating the disgusting practice of the people whom theLordhad driven out of the land as the Israelites advanced.

4 At the pagan places of worship, on the hills, and under every shady tree Ahaz offered sacrifices and burned incense.

War with Syria and Israel

5-6 Because King Ahaz sinned, theLordhis God let the king of Syria defeat him and take a large number of Judeans back to Damascus as prisoners. TheLordalso let the king of Israel, Pekah son of Remaliah, defeat Ahaz and kill 120,000 of the bravest Judean soldiers in one day. TheLord, the God of their ancestors, permitted this to happen, because the people of Judah had abandoned him.

7 An Israelite soldier named Zichri killed King Ahaz’ son Maaseiah, the palace administrator Azrikam, and Elkanah, who was second in command to the king.

8 Even though the Judeans were their own relatives, the Israelite army captured 200,000 women and children as prisoners and took them back to Samaria, along with large amounts of loot.

The Prophet Oded

9 A man named Oded, a prophet of theLord, lived in the city of Samaria. He met the returning Israelite army with its Judean prisoners as it was about to enter the city, and he said, “TheLordGod of your ancestors was angry with Judah and let you defeat them, but now he has heard of the vicious way you slaughtered them.

10 And now you intend to make the men and women of Jerusalem and Judah your slaves. Don’t you know that you also have committed sins against theLordyour God?

11 Listen to me! These prisoners are your brothers and sisters. Let them go, or theLordwill punish you in his anger.”

12 Four of the leading men of the Northern Kingdom, Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai also opposed the actions of the army.

13 They said, “Don’t bring those prisoners here! We have already sinned against theLordand made him angry enough to punish us. Now you want to do something that will increase our guilt.”

14 So then the army handed the prisoners and the loot over to the people and their leaders,

15 and the four men were appointed to provide the prisoners with clothing from the captured loot. They gave them clothes and sandals to wear, gave them enough to eat and drink, and put olive oil on their wounds. Those who were too weak to walk were put on donkeys, and all the prisoners were taken back to Judean territory at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then the Israelites returned home to Samaria.

Ahaz Asks Assyria for Help

16-17 The Edomites began to raid Judah again and captured many prisoners, so King Ahaz asked Tiglath Pileser, the emperor of Assyria, to send help.

18 At this same time the Philistines were raiding the towns in the western foothills and in southern Judah. They captured the cities of Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, and the cities of Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo with their villages, and settled there permanently.

19 Because King Ahaz of Judah had violated the rights of his people and had defied theLord, theLordbrought troubles on Judah.

20 The Assyrian emperor, instead of helping Ahaz, opposed him and caused him trouble.

21 So Ahaz took the gold from the Temple, the palace, and the homes of the leaders of the people, and gave it to the emperor, but even this did not help.

The Sins of Ahaz

22 When his troubles were at their worst, that man Ahaz sinned against theLordmore than ever.

23 He offered sacrifices to the gods of the Syrians, who had defeated him. He said, “The Syrian gods helped the kings of Syria, so if I sacrifice to them, they may help me too.” This brought disaster on him and on his nation.

24 In addition, he took all the Temple equipment and broke it in pieces. He closed the Temple and set up altars in every part of Jerusalem.

25 In every city and town in Judah he built pagan places of worship, where incense was to be burned to foreign gods. In this way he brought on himself the anger of theLord, the God of his ancestors.

26 All the other events of his reign, from beginning to end, are recorded inThe History of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

27 King Ahaz died and was buried in Jerusalem, but not in the royal tombs. His son Hezekiah succeeded him as king.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/2CH/28-4372ff362af309a0f8fba325b7015091.mp3?version_id=68—

King Hezekiah of Judah

1 Hezekiah became king of Judah at the age of twenty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.

2 Following the example of his ancestor King David, he did what was pleasing to theLord.

The Purification of the Temple

3 In the first month of the year after Hezekiah became king, he reopened the gates of the Temple and had them repaired.

4 He assembled a group of priests and Levites in the east courtyard of the Temple

5 and spoke to them there. He said, “You Levites are to consecrate yourselves and purify the Temple of theLord, the God of your ancestors. Remove from the Temple everything that defiles it.

6 Our ancestors were unfaithful to theLordour God and did what was displeasing to him. They abandoned him and turned their backs on the place where he dwells.

7 They closed the doors of the Temple, let the lamps go out, and failed to burn incense or offer burnt offerings in the Temple of the God of Israel.

8 Because of this theLordhas been angry with Judah and Jerusalem, and what he has done to them has shocked and frightened everyone. You know this very well.

9 Our fathers were killed in battle, and our wives and children have been taken away as prisoners.

10 “I have now decided to make a covenant with theLord, the God of Israel, so that he will no longer be angry with us.

11 My sons, do not lose any time. You are the ones that theLordhas chosen to burn incense to him and to lead the people in worshiping him.”

12-14 The following Levites were there:

From the clan of Kohath, Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah

From the clan of Merari, Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel

From the clan of Gershon, Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah

From the clan of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel

From the clan of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah

From the clan of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei

From the clan of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel

15 These men assembled their fellow Levites, and they all made themselves ritually clean. Then, as the king had commanded them to do, they began to make the Temple ritually clean, according to the Law of theLord.

16 The priests went inside the Temple to purify it, and they carried out into the Temple courtyard everything that was ritually unclean. From there the Levites took it all outside the city to Kidron Valley.

17 The work was begun on the first day of the first month, and by the eighth day they had finished it all, including the entrance room to the Temple. Then they worked for the next eight days, until the sixteenth of the month, preparing the Temple for worship.

The Temple Is Rededicated

18 The Levites made the following report to King Hezekiah: “We have completed the ritual purification of the whole Temple, including the altar for burnt offerings, the table for the sacred bread, and all their equipment.

19 We have also brought back all the equipment which King Ahaz took away during those years he was unfaithful to God, and we have rededicated it. It is all in front of theLord’s altar.”

20 Without delay King Hezekiah assembled the leading men of the city, and together they went to the Temple.

21 As an offering to take away the sins of the royal family and of the people of Judah and to purify the Temple, they took seven bulls, seven sheep, seven lambs, and seven goats. The king told the priests, who were descendants of Aaron, to offer the animals as sacrifices on the altar.

22 The priests killed the bulls first, then the sheep, and then the lambs, and sprinkled the blood of each sacrifice on the altar.

23 Finally they took the goats to the king and to the other worshipers, who laid their hands on them.

24 Then the priests killed the goats and poured their blood on the altar as a sacrifice to take away the sin of all the people, for the king had commanded that burnt offerings and sin offerings be made for all Israel.

25 The king followed the instructions that theLordhad given to King David through Gad, the king’s prophet, and through the prophet Nathan; he stationed Levites in the Temple, with harps and cymbals,

26 instruments like those that King David had used. The priests also stood there with trumpets.

27 Hezekiah gave the order for the burnt offering to be presented; and as the offering began, the people sang praise to theLord, and the musicians began to play the trumpets and all the other instruments.

28 Everyone who was there joined in worship, and the singing and the rest of the music continued until all the sacrifices had been burned.

29 Then King Hezekiah and all the people knelt down and worshiped God.

30 The king and the leaders of the nation told the Levites to sing to theLordthe songs of praise that were written by David and by Asaph the prophet. So everyone sang with great joy as they knelt and worshiped God.

31 Hezekiah said to the people, “Now that you are ritually clean, bring sacrifices as offerings of thanksgiving to theLord.” They obeyed, and some of them also voluntarily brought animals to be sacrificed as burnt offerings.

32 They brought 70 bulls, 100 sheep, and 200 lambs as burnt offerings for theLord;

33 they also brought 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep as sacrifices for the people to eat.

34 Since there were not enough priests to kill all these animals, the Levites helped them until the work was finished. By then more priests had made themselves ritually clean. (The Levites were more faithful in keeping ritually clean than the priests were.)

35 In addition to offering the sacrifices that were burned whole, the priests were responsible for burning the fat that was offered from the sacrifices which the people ate, and for pouring out the wine that was presented with the burnt offerings.

And so worship in the Temple was begun again.

36 King Hezekiah and the people were happy, because God had helped them to do all this so quickly.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/2CH/29-1ec5538f79dbbbad21aaf7b5fd95ad6f.mp3?version_id=68—