<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.

They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the scroll of the law of the <sc>Lordsc>. They traveled to all the cities of Judah and taught the people.p>

Then the king turned around<n id="1" /> and pronounced a blessing over the whole Israelite assembly as they stood there.<n id="2" />

Jehoram crossed over to Zair with his officers and all his chariots. The Edomites, who had surrounded him, attacked at night and defeated him and his chariot officers.<n id="1" />

They traveled throughout Judah and assembled the Levites from all the cities of Judah, as well as the Israelite family leaders.p> <p class="bodytext">They came to Jerusalem,<n id="1" />

For our fathers were unfaithful; they did what is evil in the sight of<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc> our God and abandoned him! They turned<n id="2" /> away from the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s dwelling place and rejected him.<n id="3" />

He also made the big bronze basin called &#8220;The Sea.&#8221;<n id="1" /> It measured 15 feet<n id="2" /> from rim to rim, was circular in shape, and stood seven and one-half feet<n id="3" /> high. Its circumference was 45 feet.<n id="4" />

Images of bulls were under it all the way around, ten every eighteen inches<n id="1" /> all the way around. The bulls were in two rows and had been cast with &#8220;The Sea.&#8221;

He said to the people of Judah:<n id="1" /> &#8220;Let&#8217;s build these cities and fortify them with walls, towers, and barred gates.<n id="2" /> The land remains ours because we have followed<n id="3" /> the <sc>Lordsc> our God and he has made us secure on all sides.&#8221;<n id="4" /> So they built the cities<n id="5" /> and prospered.p>

When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, &#8220;He must be the king of Israel!&#8221; So they turned and attacked him, but Jehoshaphat cried out. The <sc>Lordsc> helped him; God lured them away from him.

<p class="bodytext">After this Manasseh<n id="1" /> built up the outer wall of the City of David<n id="2" /> on the west side of the Gihon in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate and all around the terrace; he made it much higher. He placed army officers in all the fortified cities in Judah.p>

But Josiah did not turn back from him;<n id="1" /> he disguised himself for battle. He did not take seriously<n id="2" /> the words of Necho which he had received from God; he went to fight him in the Plain of Megiddo.<n id="3" />

The king of Egypt made Jehoahaz&#8217;s<n id="1" /> brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Necho seized his brother Jehoahaz and took him to Egypt.p>