Zedekiah son of Kenaanah approached, hit Micaiah on the jaw, and said, &#8220;Which way did the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s spirit go when he went from me to speak to you?&#8221;

Now an archer shot an arrow at random<n id="1" /> and it struck the king of Israel between the plates of his armor. The king<n id="2" /> ordered his charioteer, &#8220;Turn around and take me from the battle line,<n id="3" /> for I am wounded.&#8221;

the prophet<n id="1" /> Jehu son of Hanani confronted him;<n id="2" /> he said to King Jehoshaphat, &#8220;Is it right to help the wicked and be an ally of those who oppose the <sc>Lordsc>?<n id="3" /> Because you have done this the <sc>Lordsc> is angry with you!<n id="4" />

He prayed: &#8220;O <sc>Lordsc> God of our ancestors,<n id="1" /> you are the God who lives in heaven<n id="2" /> and rules over all the kingdoms of the nations. You possess strength and power; no one can stand against you.

He said: &#8220;Pay attention, all you people of Judah,<n id="1" /> residents of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat! This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says to you: &#8216;Don&#8217;t be afraid and don&#8217;t panic<n id="2" /> because of this huge army! For the battle is not yours, but God&#8217;s.

<p class="bodytext">Early the next morning they marched out to the Desert of Tekoa. When they were ready to march, Jehoshaphat stood up and said: &#8220;Listen to me, you people of Judah<n id="1" /> and residents of Jerusalem! Trust in the <sc>Lordsc> your God and you will be safe!<n id="2" /> Trust in the message of his prophets and you will win.&#8221;

and the whole assembly made a covenant with the king in the temple of God. Jehoiada<n id="1" /> said to them, &#8220;The king&#8217;s son will rule, just as the <sc>Lordsc> promised David&#8217;s descendants.

Jehoiada the priest sent out the officers of the units of hundreds, who were in charge of the army, and ordered them, &#8220;Bring her outside the temple to the guards.<n id="1" /> Put the sword to anyone who follows her.&#8221; The priest gave this order because he had decided she should not be executed in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple.<n id="2" />

He assembled the priests and Levites and ordered them, &#8220;Go out to the cities of Judah and collect the annual quota of silver from all Israel for repairs on the temple of your God. Be quick about it!&#8221; But the Levites delayed.p>

<p class="bodytext">So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest,<n id="1" /> and said to him, &#8220;Why have you not made<n id="2" /> the Levites collect<n id="3" /> from Judah and Jerusalem the tax authorized by Moses the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s servant and by the assembly of Israel at the tent containing the tablets of the law?&#8221;<n id="4" />

God&#8217;s Spirit energized<n id="1" /> Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood up before the people and said to them, &#8220;This is what God says: &#8216;Why are you violating the commands of the <sc>Lordsc>? You will not be prosperous! Because you have rejected the <sc>Lordsc>, he has rejected you!&#8217;&#8221;

The <sc>Lordsc> was angry at Amaziah and sent a prophet to him, who said, &#8220;Why are you following<n id="1" /> these gods<n id="2" /> that could not deliver their own people from your power?&#8221;<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">Oded, a prophet of the <sc>Lordsc>, was there. He went to meet the army as they arrived in Samaria and said to them: &#8220;Look, because the <sc>Lordsc> God of your ancestors was angry with Judah he handed them over to you. You have killed them so mercilessly that God has taken notice.<n id="1" />

He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus whom he thought had defeated him.<n id="1" /> He reasoned,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Since the gods of the kings of Damascus helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.&#8221; But they caused him and all Israel to stumble.

They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah.<n id="1" /> The king<n id="2" /> told the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer burnt sacrifices on the altar of the <sc>Lordsc>.

Hezekiah said, &#8220;Now you have consecrated yourselves<n id="1" /> to the <sc>Lordsc>. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings<n id="2" /> to the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple.&#8221; So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and whoever desired to do so<n id="3" /> brought burnt sacrifices.p>

But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the leaders of Israel said to them, &#8220;You have no right<n id="1" /> to help us build the temple of our God. We will build it by ourselves for the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel, just as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.&#8221;

Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, from the descendants of Elam,<n id="1" /> addressed Ezra:p> <p class="bodytext">&#8220;We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying<n id="2" /> foreign women from the local peoples.<n id="3" /> Nonetheless, there is still hope for Israel in this regard.<n id="4" />

Then the king, with his consort<n id="1" /> sitting beside him, replied, &#8220;How long would your trip take, and when would you return?&#8221; Since the king was amenable to dispatching me,<n id="2" /> I gave him a time.

<p class="bodytext">Then I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel. He was confined to his home.<n id="1" /> He said, &#8220;Let&#8217;s set up a time to meet in the house of God, within the temple. Let&#8217;s close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. It will surely be at night that they will come to kill you.&#8221;p>