Jehoiada ¹  led out the king’s son and placed on him the crown and the royal insignia. ²  They proclaimed him king and poured olive oil on his head. ³  They clapped their hands and cried out, “Long live the king!”

The Lord was furious with ¹  Israel and handed them over to ²  King Hazael of Syria and to Hazael’s son Ben Hadad for many years. ³ 

He deported Jehoiachin from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with the king’s mother and wives, his eunuchs, and the high-ranking officials of the land. ¹ 

What follows is a record of what happened to Jerusalem and Judah because of the Lord’s anger; he finally threw them out of his presence. ¹  Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

Gedaliah took an oath so as to give them and their troops some assurance of safety. ¹  He said, “You don’t need to be afraid to submit to the Babylonian officials. Settle down in the land and submit to the king of Babylon. Then things will go well for you.”

So he set it before them; they ate and had some left over, just as the Lord predicted. ¹ 

So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood in the doorway of Elisha’s house.

Jehu reigned over Israel for twenty-eight years in Samaria.

When Athaliah heard the royal guard ¹  shout, she joined the crowd ²  at the Lord’s temple.

It was handed over ¹  to the foremen who used it to repair the Lord’s temple.

He was loyal to ¹  the Lord and did not abandon him. ²  He obeyed the commandments which the Lord had given to ³  Moses.

It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands.

I know where you live, and everything you do. ¹ 

He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prestigious position than ¹  the other kings who were with him in Babylon.

When he finished offering the burnt sacrifice, Jehu ordered the royal guard ¹  and officers, “Come in and strike them down! Don’t let any escape!” So the royal guard and officers struck them down with the sword and left their bodies lying there. ²  Then they entered the inner sanctuary of the temple of Baal. ³ 

So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest along with the other priests, and said to them, “Why have you not repaired the damage to the temple? Now, take no more silver from your treasurers unless you intend to use it to repair the damage.” ¹ 

They rejected his rules, the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and the laws he had commanded them to obey. ¹  They paid allegiance to ²  worthless idols, and so became worthless to the Lord. ³  They copied the practices of the surrounding nations in blatant disregard of the Lord’s command. ⁴ 

Indeed, ¹  fire came down from the sky and consumed the two captains who came before me, along with their men. ²  So now, please have respect for my life.”

The rest of the events of Ahaziah’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. ¹ 

But they were so insistent, he became embarrassed. So he said, “Send them out.” They sent the fifty men out and they looked for three days, but could not find Elijah. ¹