The Lord sent a messenger and he wiped out all the soldiers, princes, and officers in the army of the king of Assyria. So Sennacherib returned home humiliated. When he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons struck him down with the sword.

(Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah.)

There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

Later the Moabites and Ammonites, along with some of the Meunites, attacked Jehoshaphat.

He hired 100,000 Israelite warriors for a hundred talents of silver.

They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen in charge of the livestock. They carried off many sheep and camels and then returned to Jerusalem.

Because of their distress, they turned back to the Lord God of Israel. They sought him and he responded to them.

The king responded to the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the older men

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

In the two courtyards of the Lord’s temple he built altars for all the stars in the sky.

He summoned the officers of the units of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people, and all the people of land, and he then led the king down from the Lord’s temple. They entered the royal palace through the Upper Gate and seated the king on the royal throne.

So now, look, the Lord has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours; but the Lord has decreed disaster for you.”

The Israelites and people of Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also contributed a tenth of their cattle and sheep, as well as a tenth of the holy items consecrated to the Lord their God. They brought them and placed them in many heaps.

A large number of people gathered together and stopped up all the springs and the stream that flowed through the district. They reasoned, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?”

Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat tribute, including a load of silver. The Arabs brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats from their flocks.

Azariah the priest and eighty other brave priests of the Lord followed him in.

He told David, ‘Since the day I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a temple in which to live. Nor did I choose a man as leader of my people Israel.

the pure gold trimming shears, basins, pans, and censers, and the gold door sockets for the inner sanctuary (the most holy place) and for the doors of the main hall of the temple.

Prepare yourselves by your families according to your divisions, as instructed by King David of Israel and his son Solomon.

There were twelve statues of lions on the six steps, one lion at each end of each step. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom.