Solomon had made a bronze platform and had placed it in the middle of the enclosure. It was seven and one-half feet<n id="1" /> long, seven and one-half feet<n id="2" /> wide, and four and one-half feet<n id="3" /> high. He stood on it and then got down on his knees in front of the entire assembly of Israel. He spread out his hands toward the sky,

Lawless good-for-nothing men<n id="1" /> gathered around him and conspired<n id="2" /> against Rehoboam son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was an inexperienced young man<n id="3" /> and could not resist them.

<p class="bodytext">He assembled all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the settlers<n id="1" /> from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had come to live with them. Many people from Israel had come there to live<n id="2" /> when they saw that the <sc>Lordsc> his God was with him.

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.

Then in the midst of the assembly, the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s Spirit came upon Jachaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph.

<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.

When they withdrew, they left Joash<n id="1" /> badly wounded. His servants plotted against him because of what he had done to<n id="2" /> the son<n id="3" /> of Jehoiada the priest. They murdered him on his bed. Thus<n id="4" /> he died and was buried in the City of David,<n id="5" /> but not in the tombs of the kings.

He wrote letters mocking the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel and insulting him with these words:<n id="1" /> &#8220;The gods of the surrounding nations could not rescue their people from my power. Neither can Hezekiah&#8217;s god rescue his people from my power.&#8221;<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">The rest of the events of Jehoiakim&#8217;s reign, including the horrible sins he committed and his shortcomings, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Israel and Judah.<n id="1" /> His son Jehoiachin replaced him as king.p>

<p class="bodytext">God said to Solomon, &#8220;Because you desire this,<n id="1" /> and did not ask for riches, wealth, and honor, or for vengeance on your enemies,<n id="2" /> and because you did not ask for long life,<n id="3" /> but requested wisdom and discernment so you can make judicial decisions for my people over whom I have made you king,