Now my father David had a strong desire to build a temple to honor the Lord God of Israel.

Now, O Lord God of Israel, may the promise you made to your servant David be realized.

O Lord God, do not reject your chosen ones! Remember the faithful promises you made to your servant David!”

All the kings of the earth wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom.

He ordered Judah to seek the Lord God of their ancestors and to observe his law and commands.

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

They solemnly agreed to seek the Lord God of their ancestors with their whole heart and being.

However, the high places were not eliminated; the people were still not devoted to the God of their ancestors.

God helped him in his campaigns against the Philistines, the Arabs living in Gur Baal, and the Meunites.

Hezekiah and all the people were happy about what God had done for them, for it had been done quickly.

This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah. He did what the Lord his God considered good and right and faithful.

The people continued to offer sacrifices at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.

They abandoned the temple of the Lord God of their ancestors, and worshiped the Asherah poles and idols. Because of this sinful activity, God was angry with Judah and Jerusalem.

But Micaiah said, “As certainly as the Lord lives, I will say what my God tells me to say!”

Others will then answer, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors, who led them out of Egypt. They embraced other gods whom they worshiped and served. That is why he brought all this disaster down on them.’”

God’s Spirit energized Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood up before the people and said to them, “This is what God says: ‘Why are you violating the commands of the Lord? You will not be prosperous! Because you have rejected the Lord, he has rejected you!’”

(Wicked Athaliah and her sons had broken into God’s temple and used all the holy items of the Lord’s temple in their worship of the Baals.)

Respect the Lord and make careful decisions, for the Lord our God disapproves of injustice, partiality, and bribery.”

Then some Levites, from the Kohathites and Korahites, got up and loudly praised the Lord God of Israel.

Asa prayed to the Lord his God: “O Lord, there is no one but you who can help the weak when they are vastly outnumbered. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you and have marched on your behalf against this huge army. O Lord our God, don’t let men prevail against you!”