While Jehu was dishing out punishment to Ahab’s family, he discovered the officials of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s relatives who were serving Ahaziah and killed them.

Jehoiada the priest gave to the officers of the units of hundreds King David&#8217;s spears and shields<n id="1" /> that were kept in God&#8217;s temple.

Ahaz gathered riches<n id="1" /> from the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple, the royal palace, and the officials and gave them to the king of Assyria, but that did not help.p>

King Hezekiah and the officials told the Levites to praise the <sc>Lordsc>, using the psalms<n id="1" /> of David and Asaph the prophet.<n id="2" /> So they joyfully offered praise and bowed down and worshiped.

In Judah God moved the people to unite and carry out the edict the king and the officers had issued at the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s command.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">He appointed military officers over the army<n id="1" /> and assembled them in the square at the city gate. He encouraged them,<n id="2" /> saying,

So when the envoys arrived from the Babylonian officials to visit him and inquire about the sign that occurred in the land,<n id="1" /> God left him alone to test him, in order to know his true motives.<n id="2" />p>

So the <sc>Lordsc> brought against them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria. They seized Manasseh, put hooks in his nose,<n id="1" /> bound him with bronze chains, and carried him away to Babylon.

Konaniah and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, along with Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, the officials of the Levites, supplied the Levites with 5,000 Passover sacrifices and 500 cattle.

All the leaders of the priests and people became more unfaithful and committed the same horrible sins practiced by the nations.<n id="1" /> They defiled the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.p>

He carried away to Babylon all the items in God&#8217;s temple, whether large or small, as well as what was in the treasuries of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple and in the treasuries of the king and his officials.

<p class="bodytext">Shemaiah the prophet visited Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who were assembled in Jerusalem because of Shishak. He said to them, &#8220;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says: &#8216;You have rejected me, so I have rejected you and will hand you over to Shishak.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="1" />

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.

Now the king of Syria had ordered his chariot commanders, &#8220;Do not fight common soldiers or high ranking officers;<n id="1" /> fight only the king of Israel!&#8221;

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">In the seventh year Jehoiada made a bold move. He made a pact<n id="1" /> with the officers of the units of hundreds: Azariah son of Jehoram, Ishmael son of Jehochanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zikri.

Then she saw<n id="1" /> the king standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and trumpeters stood beside the king and all the people of the land were celebrating and blowing trumpets, and the musicians with various instruments were leading the celebration. Athaliah tore her clothes and yelled, &#8220;Treason! Treason!&#8221;<n id="2" />

Jehoiada the priest sent out the officers of the units of hundreds, who were in charge of the army, and ordered them, &#8220;Bring her outside the temple to the guards.<n id="1" /> Put the sword to anyone who follows her.&#8221; The priest gave this order because he had decided she should not be executed in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple.<n id="2" />

He summoned<n id="1" /> 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 <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple. They entered the royal palace through the Upper Gate and seated the king on the royal throne.

<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.