But respond favorably to ¹  your servant’s prayer and his request for help, O Lord my God. Answer ²  the desperate prayer ³  your servant is presenting to you ⁴  today.

“When someone is accused of sinning against his neighbor and the latter pronounces a curse on the alleged offender before your altar in this temple, be willing to forgive the accused if the accusation is false. ¹ 

“The time will come when ¹  your people Israel are defeated by an enemy ²  because they sinned against you. If they come back to you, renew their allegiance to you, ³  and pray for your help ⁴  in this temple,

Then they will obey ¹  you throughout their lifetimes as ²  they live on the land you gave to our ancestors.

Forgive all the rebellious acts of your sinful people and cause their captors to have mercy on them. ¹ 

You must serve me with integrity and sincerity, just as your father David did. Do everything I commanded and obey my rules and regulations. ¹ 

Everyone ¹  in the world wanted to visit Solomon to see him display his God-given wisdom. ² 

Furthermore, ¹  on the hill east of Jerusalem ²  Solomon built a high place ³  for the detestable Moabite god Chemosh ⁴  and for the detestable Ammonite god Milcom. ⁵ 

¹  When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard the news, he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon and had been living ever since. ² 

But Rehoboam rejected their advice and consulted the young advisers who served him, with whom he had grown up. ¹ 

You have sinned more than all who came before you. You went and angered me by making other gods, formed out of metal; you have completely disregarded me. ¹ 

There were also male cultic prostitutes ¹  in the land. They committed the same horrible sins as the nations ²  that the Lord had driven out from before the Israelites.

He followed all the sinful practices of his father before him. He was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had been. ¹ 

Ahab also made an Asherah pole; he ¹  did more to anger the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

As Obadiah was traveling along, Elijah met him. ¹  When he recognized him, he fell facedown to the ground and said, “Is it really you, my master, Elijah?”

When all the people saw this, they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and said, “The Lord is the true God! ¹  The Lord is the true God!”

So Ahab went on up to eat and drink, while Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel. He bent down toward the ground and put his face between his knees.

Now the Lord energized Elijah with power; ¹  he tucked his robe into his belt ²  and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his robe and went out and stood at the entrance to the cave. All of a sudden ¹  a voice asked him, “Why are you here, Elijah?”

He was so wicked he worshiped the disgusting idols, ¹  just like the Amorites ²  whom the Lord had driven out from before the Israelites.)