He said, “The Lord God of Israel is worthy of praise because he has fulfilled ¹  what he promised ²  my father David.

You have kept your word to your servant, my father David; ¹  this very day you have fulfilled what you promised. ² 

besides what he collected from the merchants ¹  and traders. All the Arabian kings and the governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.

The king made silver as plentiful ¹  in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was ²  as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the lowlands ³ .

My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. ¹  My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.’” ² 

The Levites even left their pasturelands and their property behind and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons prohibited them from serving as the Lord’s priests.

King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned them to the officers of the royal guard ¹  who protected the entrance to the royal palace.

The men of Judah turned around and realized they were being attacked from the front and the rear. ¹  So they cried out for help to the Lord. The priests blew their trumpets,

They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the scroll of the law of the Lord. They traveled to all the cities of Judah and taught the people.

Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat tribute, including a load of silver. The Arabs brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats from their flocks.

Zedekiah son of Kenaanah approached, hit Micaiah on the jaw, and said, “Which way did the Lord’s spirit go when he went from me to speak to you?”

He told the judges, “Be careful what you do, ¹  for you are not judging for men, but for the Lord, who will be with you when you make judicial decisions.

Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face toward the ground, and all the people of Judah ¹  and the residents of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord and worshiped him. ² 

Then some Levites, from the Kohathites and Korahites, got up and loudly praised the Lord God of Israel. ¹ 

They abandoned the temple of the Lord God of their ancestors, ¹  and worshiped ²  the Asherah poles and idols. Because of this sinful activity, God was angry with Judah and Jerusalem.

But Amaziah did not heed the warning, ¹  for God wanted to hand them over to Joash because they followed the gods of Edom. ² 

In Judah God moved the people to unite and carry out the edict the king and the officers had issued at the Lord’s command. ¹ 

The priests and Levites got up and pronounced blessings on the people. The Lord responded favorably to them ¹  as their prayers reached his holy dwelling place in heaven.

He ordered ¹  the people living in Jerusalem ²  to contribute the portion prescribed for the priests and Levites so they might be obedient ³  to the law of the Lord.

he consulted with his advisers and military officers about stopping up the springs ¹  outside the city, and they supported him.