<p class="bodytext">&#8220;When you direct your people to march out and fight their enemies,<n id="1" /> and they direct their prayers to you toward this chosen city and this temple I built for your honor,<n id="2" />

On the twenty-third day of the seventh month, Solomon<n id="1" /> sent the people home. They left<n id="2" /> happy and contented<n id="3" /> because of the good the <sc>Lordsc> had done for David, Solomon, and his people Israel.p>

Huram sent him ships and some of his sailors, men who were well acquainted with the sea. They sailed with Solomon&#8217;s men to Ophir,<n id="1" /> and took from there 450 talents<n id="2" /> of gold, which they brought back to King Solomon.p>

King Rehoboam sent Hadoram,<n id="1" /> the supervisor of the work crews, out after them, but the Israelites stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to jump into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem.<n id="2" />

&#8220;I want to make a treaty with you, like the one our fathers made.<n id="1" /> See, I have sent you silver and gold. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he will retreat from my land.&#8221;<n id="2" />

Ben Hadad accepted King Asa&#8217;s offer and ordered his army commanders to attack the cities of Israel.<n id="1" /> They conquered<n id="2" /> Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim,<n id="3" /> and all the storage cities of Naphtali.

<p class="bodytext">At the beginning<n id="1" /> of the year the Syrian army attacked<n id="2" /> Joash<n id="3" /> and invaded Judah and Jerusalem. They wiped out all the leaders of the people and sent all the plunder they gathered to the king of Damascus.

The <sc>Lordsc> was angry at Amaziah and sent a prophet to him, who said, &#8220;Why are you following<n id="1" /> these gods<n id="2" /> that could not deliver their own people from your power?&#8221;<n id="3" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">Hezekiah sent messages throughout Israel and Judah; he even wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, summoning them to come to the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple in Jerusalem<n id="1" /> and observe a Passover celebration for the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel.

<p class="bodytext">Afterward King Sennacherib of Assyria, while attacking Lachish with all his military might, sent his messengers<n id="1" /> to Jerusalem. The message was for King Hezekiah of Judah and all the people of<n id="2" /> Judah who were in Jerusalem. It read:

The <sc>Lordsc> sent a messenger<n id="1" /> and he wiped out all the soldiers, princes, and officers in the army of the king of Assyria. So Sennacherib<n id="2" /> returned home humiliated.<n id="3" /> When he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons<n id="4" /> struck him down with the sword.

<p class="bodytext">In the eighteenth year of his reign, he continued his policy of purifying the land and the temple.<n id="1" /> He sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the city official, and Joah son of Joahaz the secretary to repair the temple of the <sc>Lordsc> his God.

Necho<n id="1" /> sent messengers to him, saying, &#8220;Why are you opposing me, O king of Judah?<n id="2" /> I am not attacking you today, but the kingdom with which I am at war.<n id="3" /> God told me to hurry. Stop opposing God, who is with me, or else he will destroy you.&#8221;<n id="4" />

At the beginning of the year King Nebuchadnezzar ordered him to be brought<n id="1" /> to Babylon, along with the valuable items in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple. In his place he made his relative<n id="2" /> Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.p>