Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made iron horns and said, &#8220;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;With these you will gore Syria until they are destroyed.&#8217;&#8221;

He did evil in the sight of<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc> and followed in the footsteps<n id="2" /> of his father and mother; like Jeroboam son of Nebat, he encouraged Israel to sin.<n id="3" />

He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali,<n id="1" /> and his father was a craftsman in bronze from Tyre. He had the skill and knowledge<n id="2" /> to make all kinds of works of bronze. He reported to King Solomon and did all the work he was assigned.p>

When he made the pillars, there were two rows of pomegranate-shaped ornaments around the latticework covering the top of each pillar.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">He also made the large bronze basin called &#8220;The Sea.&#8221;<n id="1" /> It measured 15 feet<n id="2" /> from rim to rim, was circular in shape, and stood seven-and-a-half feet<n id="3" /> high. Its circumference was 45 feet.<n id="4" />

<p class="bodytext">He also made ten bronze basins, each of which could hold about 240 gallons.<n id="1" /> Each basin was six feet in diameter;<n id="2" /> there was one basin for each stand.

<p class="bodytext">Hiram also made basins, shovels, and bowls. He<n id="1" /> finished all the work on the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple he had been assigned by King Solomon.<n id="2" />

At that time Solomon and all Israel with him celebrated a festival before the <sc>Lordsc> our God for two entire weeks. This great assembly included people from all over the land, from Lebo Hamath in the north to the Brook of Egypt<n id="1" /> in the south.<n id="2" />

With the timber the king made supports<n id="1" /> for the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple and for the royal palace and stringed instruments<n id="2" /> for the musicians. No one has seen so much of this fine timber to this very day.<n id="3" />)

After the king had consulted with his advisers,<n id="1" /> he made two golden calves. Then he said to the people,<n id="2" /> &#8220;It is too much trouble for you to go up to Jerusalem. Look, Israel, here are your gods who brought you up from the land of Egypt.&#8221;

<t /><p class="bodytext">On the fifteenth day of the eighth month (a date he had arbitrarily chosen)<n id="1" /> Jeroboam<n id="2" /> offered sacrifices on the altar he had made in Bethel.<n id="3" /> He inaugurated a festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to offer sacrifices.

<t /><p class="bodytext">After this happened, Jeroboam still did not change his evil ways;<n id="1" /> he continued to appoint common people<n id="2" /> as priests at the high places. Anyone who wanted the job he consecrated as a priest.<n id="3" />

Muster an army like the one you lost, with the same number of horses and chariots.<n id="1" /> Then we will fight them in the plains; we will certainly overpower them.&#8221; He approved their plan and did as they advised.<n id="2" />p>

Jeroboam inaugurated a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month,<n id="1" /> like the festival celebrated in Judah.<n id="2" /> On the altar in Bethel he offered sacrifices to the calves he had made.<n id="3" /> In Bethel he also appointed priests for the high places he had made.p>