“The time will come when the land suffers from a famine, a plague, blight, and disease, or a locust invasion, or when their enemy lays siege to the cities of the land, or when some other type of plague or epidemic occurs.

The Levites even left their pasturelands and their property behind and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons prohibited them from serving as the Lord’s priests.

He built fortified cities throughout Judah, for the land was at rest and there was no war during those years; the Lord gave him peace.

He told the judges, “Be careful what you do, for you are not judging for men, but for the Lord, who will be with you when you make judicial decisions.

Even if you go and fight bravely in battle, God will defeat you before the enemy. God is capable of helping or defeating.”

But Amaziah did not heed the warning, for God wanted to hand them over to Joash because they followed the gods of Edom.

The Lord humiliated Judah because of King Ahaz of Israel, for he encouraged Judah to sin and was very unfaithful to the Lord.

They were unable to observe it at the regular time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem.

Jotham grew powerful because he was determined to please the Lord his God.

The majority of the many people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun were ceremonially unclean, yet they ate the Passover in violation of what is prescribed in the law. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying: “May the Lord, who is good, forgive

I will build a great temple, for our God is greater than all gods.

to supply me with large quantities of timber, for I am building a great, magnificent temple.

Solomon made so many of these items they did not weigh the bronze.

Rehoboam traveled to Shechem, for all Israel had gathered in Shechem to make Rehoboam king.

Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as the leader over his brothers, for he intended to name him his successor.

Yet they will become his subjects, so they can experience how serving me differs from serving the surrounding nations.”

He did evil because he was not determined to follow the Lord.

One nation was crushed by another, and one city by another, for God caused them to be in great turmoil.

But as for you, be strong and don’t get discouraged, for your work will be rewarded.”

but instead sought the God of his ancestors and obeyed his commands, unlike the Israelites.