But now I have chosen Jerusalem as a place to live,<n id="1" /> and I have chosen David to lead my people Israel.&#8217;

When the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, they turned away from him.

<p class="bodytext">Joash was determined to repair the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple.<n id="1" />

The <sc>Lordsc> told my father David, &#8216;It is right for you to have a strong desire to build a temple to honor me.<n id="1" />

Now I have chosen and consecrated this temple by making it my permanent home;<n id="1" /> I will be constantly present there.<n id="2" />

They said to him, &#8220;If you are fair to these people, grant their request, and are cordial to them, they will be your servants from this time forward.&#8221;<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">The messengers journeyed from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but people mocked and ridiculed them.<n id="1" />

But the <sc>Lordsc> told Shemaiah the prophet,<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">God&#8217;s Spirit came upon Azariah son of Oded.

<t /><p class="bodytext">Jehoshaphat was very wealthy and greatly respected. He made an alliance by marriage with Ahab,

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;The time will come when the land suffers from a famine, a plague, blight, and disease, or a locust<n id="1" /> invasion, or when their enemy lays siege to the cities of the land,<n id="2" /> or when some other type of plague or epidemic occurs.

Now my father David had a strong desire to build a temple to honor the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;Now, my God, may you be attentive and responsive to the prayers offered in this place.<n id="1" />

Now I will be attentive and responsive to the prayers offered in this place.<n id="1" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">After twenty years, during which Solomon built the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple and his royal palace,

He ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River<n id="1" /> to the land of the Philistines as far as the border of Egypt.

In each city there were shields and spears; he strongly fortified them.<n id="1" /> Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.p>

<p class="bodytext">After Rehoboam&#8217;s rule was established and solidified, he and all Israel rejected the law of the <sc>Lordsc>.

Yet they will become his subjects, so they can experience how serving me differs from serving the surrounding nations.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Now Jeroboam had sent some men to ambush the Judahite army from behind.<n id="1" /> The main army was in front of the Judahite army;<n id="2" /> the ambushers were behind it.