<p class="bodytext">So when Rehoboam<n id="1" /> humbled himself, the <sc>Lordsc> relented from his anger and did not annihilate him;<n id="2" /> Judah experienced some good things.<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> was with Jehoshaphat because he followed in his ancestor<n id="1" /> David&#8217;s footsteps at the beginning of his reign.<n id="2" /> He did not seek the Baals,

<p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> put fear into all the kingdoms surrounding Judah;<n id="1" /> they did not make war with Jehoshaphat.

<p class="bodytext">Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. No one regretted his death;<n id="1" /> he was buried in the City of David,<n id="2" /> but not in the royal tombs.p>

King Joash disregarded<n id="1" /> the loyalty his father Jehoiada had shown him and killed Jehoiada&#8217;s<n id="2" /> son. As Zechariah<n id="3" /> was dying, he said, &#8220;May the <sc>Lordsc> take notice and seek vengeance!&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<p class="bodytext">But Amaziah did not heed the warning,<n id="1" /> for God wanted to hand them over to Joash because they followed the gods of Edom.<n id="2" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem.<n id="1" /> He did not do what pleased the <sc>Lordsc>, in contrast to his ancestor David.<n id="2" />

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>

But Hezekiah was ungrateful; he had a proud attitude, provoking God to be angry at him, as well as Judah and Jerusalem.<n id="1" />

But then Hezekiah and the residents of Jerusalem humbled themselves and abandoned their pride, and the <sc>Lordsc> was not angry with them for the rest of Hezekiah&#8217;s reign.<n id="1" />p>

This will happen because they have abandoned me and offered sacrifices<n id="1" /> to other gods, angering me with all the idols they have made.<n id="2" /> My anger will ignite against this place and will not be extinguished!&#8217;&#8221;

He told David,<n id="1" /> &#8216;Since the day I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a temple in which to live.<n id="2" /> Nor did I choose a man as leader of my people Israel.

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;The time will come when<n id="1" /> the skies<n id="2" /> are shut up tightly and no rain falls because your people<n id="3" /> sinned against you. When they direct their prayers toward this place, renew their allegiance to you,<n id="4" /> and turn away from their sin because you punish<n id="5" /> them,

the food in his banquet hall,<n id="1" /> his servants and attendants<n id="2" /> in their robes, his cupbearers in their robes, and his burnt sacrifices which he presented in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple,<n id="3" /> she was amazed.<n id="4" />

I did not believe these things until I came and saw them with my own eyes. Indeed, I didn&#8217;t hear even half the story!<n id="1" /> Your wisdom surpasses what was reported to me.

She gave the king 120 talents<n id="1" /> of gold and a very large quantity of spices and precious gems. The quantity of spices the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon has never been matched.<n id="2" />

With the timber the king made steps<n id="1" /> for the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple and royal palace as well as stringed instruments<n id="2" /> for the musicians. No one had seen anything like them in the land of Judah prior to that.<n id="3" />)

The king refused to listen to the people, because God was instigating this turn of events<n id="1" /> so that he might bring to pass the prophetic announcement he had made<n id="2" /> through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.p>

&#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> says this: &#8220;Do not attack and make war with your brothers. Each of you go home, for I have caused this to happen.&#8221;&#8217;&#8221;<n id="1" /> They obeyed the <sc>Lordsc> and called off the attack against Jeroboam.<n id="2" />p>

When the <sc>Lordsc> saw that they humbled themselves, he gave this message to Shemaiah:<n id="1" /> &#8220;They have humbled themselves, so I will not destroy them. I will deliver them soon.<n id="2" /> My anger will not be unleashed against<n id="3" /> Jerusalem through<n id="4" /> Shishak.