<p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> solemnly warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and all the seers, &#8220;Turn back from your evil ways; obey my commandments and rules that are recorded in the law. I ordered your ancestors to keep this law and sent my servants the prophets to remind you of its demands.&#8221;<n id="1" />

Nebuchadnezzar<n id="1" /> took from there all the riches in the treasuries of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple and of the royal palace. He removed all the gold items which King Solomon of Israel had made for the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple, just as the <sc>Lordsc> had warned.

He said, &#8220;Go and ask all your neighbors for empty containers.<n id="1" /> Get as many as you can.<n id="2" />

Go and close the door behind you and your sons. Pour the olive oil into all the containers;<n id="1" /> set aside each one when you have filled it.&#8221;

<t /><p class="bodytext">Later King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled his entire army and attacked<n id="1" /> and besieged Samaria.<n id="2" />

So they tracked them<n id="1" /> as far as the Jordan. The road was filled with clothes and equipment that the Syrians had discarded in their haste.<n id="2" /> The scouts<n id="3" /> went back and told the king.

Now the king was talking to Gehazi, the prophet&#8217;s<n id="1" /> servant, and said, &#8220;Tell me all the great things which Elisha has done.&#8221;

But the <sc>Lordsc> was unwilling to destroy Judah. He preserved Judah for the sake of<n id="1" /> his servant David to whom he had promised a perpetual dynasty.<n id="2" />p>

You will destroy the family of your master Ahab.<n id="1" /> I will get revenge against Jezebel for the shed blood of my servants the prophets and for the shed blood of all the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s servants.<n id="2" />

Then Jehu killed all who were left of Ahab&#8217;s family in Jezreel, and all his nobles, close friends, and priests. He left no survivors.p>

He went to Samaria and exterminated all the members of Ahab&#8217;s family who were still alive in Samaria,<n id="1" /> just as the <sc>Lordsc> had announced to Elijah.<n id="2" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">Jehu assembled all the people and said to them, &#8220;Ahab worshiped<n id="1" /> Baal a little; Jehu will worship<n id="2" /> him with great devotion.<n id="3" />

He conquered all the land of Gilead, including the territory of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh, extending all the way from the Aroer in the Arnon Valley through Gilead to Bashan.<n id="1" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she was determined to destroy the entire royal line.<n id="1" />

The two units who are off duty on the Sabbath will guard the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple and protect the king.<n id="1" />

All the people of the land celebrated, for the city had rest now that they had killed Athaliah with the sword in the royal palace.p>

The <sc>Lordsc> was furious with<n id="1" /> Israel and handed them over to<n id="2" /> King Hazael of Syria and to Hazael&#8217;s son Ben Hadad for many years.<n id="3" />p>

All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in his father Amaziah&#8217;s place.

He did evil in the sight of<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc>; he did not repudiate<n id="2" /> the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin.<n id="3" />p> <p class="bodytext">During his reign,

You must carefully obey at all times the rules, regulations, law, and commandments he wrote down for you. You must not worship other gods.