King Asa ordered all the men of Judah to carry away the stones and wood that Baasha had used to build Ramah. ¹  He used the materials to build up ²  Geba and Mizpah.

In the third year of his reign he sent his officials Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in the cities of Judah.

They were accompanied by the Levites Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah, and by the priests Elishama and Jehoram.

Then a spirit ¹  stepped forward and stood before the Lord. He said, ‘I will deceive him.’ The Lord asked him, ‘How?’

When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she was determined to destroy the entire royal line ¹  of Judah. ² 

They seized her and took her into the precincts of the royal palace through the horses’ entrance. ¹  There they executed her.

So Amaziah dismissed the troops that had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. ¹  They were very angry at Judah and returned home incensed.

So King Joash of Israel attacked. He and King Amaziah of Judah faced each other on the battlefield ¹  in Beth Shemesh of Judah.

Now listen to me! Send back those you have seized from your brothers, for the Lord is very angry at you!” ¹ 

My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to serve in his presence and offer sacrifices.” ¹ 

After these faithful deeds were accomplished, King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah. He besieged the fortified cities, intending to seize them. ¹ 

But Manasseh misled the people of ¹  Judah and the residents of Jerusalem so that they sinned more than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed ahead of the Israelites.

They slaughtered the Passover lambs and the priests splashed the blood, ¹  while the Levites skinned the animals.

Asa prayed ¹  to the Lord his God: “O Lord, there is no one but you who can help the weak when they are vastly outnumbered. ²  Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you and have marched on your behalf against this huge army. ³  O Lord our God, don’t let men prevail against you!” ⁴ 

But the bronze altar made by Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, was in front of the Lord’s tabernacle. ¹  Solomon and the entire assembly prayed to him ²  there.)

Send me cedars, evergreens, and algum ¹  trees from Lebanon, for I know your servants are adept ²  at cutting down trees in Lebanon. My servants will work with your servants

we will get all the timber you need from Lebanon ¹  and bring it ²  in raft-like bundles ³  by sea to Joppa. You can then haul it on up to Jerusalem.”

Likewise one of the second cherub’s wings was seven and one-half feet long and touched the other wall of the temple; its other wing was also seven and one-half feet long and touched one of the first cherub’s wings. ¹ 

“Foreigners, who do not belong to your people Israel, will come from a distant land because of your great reputation ¹  and your ability to accomplish mighty deeds; ²  they will come and direct their prayers toward this temple.

When your people ¹  come to their senses ²  in the land where they are held prisoner, they will repent and beg for your mercy in the land of their imprisonment, admitting, ‘We have sinned and gone astray ³ , we have done evil!’