and the <sc>Lordsc> will fulfill his promise to me,<n id="1" /> &#8216;If your descendants watch their step<n id="2" /> and live faithfully in my presence<n id="3" /> with all their heart and being,<n id="4" /> then,&#8217; he promised,<n id="5" /> &#8216;you will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.&#8217;<n id="6" />p>

Then I will allow your dynasty to rule over Israel permanently,<n id="1" /> just as I promised your father David, &#8216;You will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.&#8217;<n id="2" />p>

When the king heard what the prophet<n id="1" /> cried out against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam, standing at the altar, extended his hand<n id="2" /> and ordered,<n id="3" /> &#8220;Seize him!&#8221; The hand he had extended shriveled up<n id="4" /> and he could not pull it back.

The <sc>Lordsc> will attack Israel, making it like a reed that sways in the water.<n id="1" /> He will remove Israel from this good land he gave to their ancestors<n id="2" /> and scatter them beyond the Euphrates River,<n id="3" /> because they angered the <sc>Lordsc> by making Asherah poles.<n id="4" />

Some members of the prophetic guild<n id="1" /> in Bethel came out to Elisha and said, &#8220;Do you know that today the <sc>Lordsc> is going to take your master from you?&#8221;<n id="2" /> He answered, &#8220;Yes, I know. Be quiet.&#8221;p>

Some members of the prophetic guild in Jericho approached Elisha and said, &#8220;Do you know that today the <sc>Lordsc> is going to take your master from you?&#8221; He answered, &#8220;Yes, I know. Be quiet.&#8221;p>

Elisha<n id="1" /> replied, &#8220;I was there in spirit when a man turned and got down from his chariot to meet you.<n id="2" /> This is not the proper time to accept silver or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, sheep, cattle, and male and female servants.<n id="3" />

But Jehu did not carefully and wholeheartedly obey the law of the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel.<n id="1" /> He did not repudiate the sins which Jeroboam had encouraged Israel to commit.<n id="2" />p>

But the <sc>Lordsc> had mercy on them and felt pity for them.<n id="1" /> He extended his favor to them<n id="2" /> because of the promise he had made<n id="3" /> to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He has been unwilling to destroy them or remove them from his presence to this very day.<n id="4" />

<p class="bodytext">King Ahaz took off the frames of the movable stands, and removed the basins from them. He took &#8220;The Sea&#8221;<n id="1" /> down from the bronze bulls that supported it<n id="2" /> and put it on the pavement.

He tore Israel away from David&#8217;s dynasty, and Jeroboam son of Nebat became their king.<n id="1" /> Jeroboam drove Israel away<n id="2" /> from the <sc>Lordsc> and encouraged them to commit a serious sin.<n id="3" />

The <sc>Lordsc> announced, &#8220;I will also spurn Judah,<n id="1" /> just as I spurned Israel. I will reject this city that I chose &#8211; both Jerusalem and the temple, about which I said, &#8220;I will live there.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

David took the crown from the head of their king<n id="1" /> and wore it<n id="2" /> (its weight was a talent<n id="3" /> of gold and it was set with precious stones). He took a large amount of plunder from the city.

David said to Ornan, &#8220;Sell me the threshing floor<n id="1" /> so I can build<n id="2" /> on it an altar for the <sc>Lordsc> &#8211; I&#8217;ll pay top price<n id="3" /> &#8211; so that the plague may be removed<n id="4" /> from the people.&#8221;

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;

I will not make Israel again leave the land I gave to their ancestors,<n id="1" /> provided that they carefully obey all I commanded them, the whole law, the rules and regulations given to Moses.&#8221;

The musicians, the descendants of Asaph, manned their posts, as prescribed by David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king&#8217;s prophet.<n id="1" /> The guards at the various gates did not need to leave their posts, for their fellow Levites made preparations for them.

Then Ezra got up from in front of the temple of God and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. While he stayed<n id="1" /> there, he did not eat food or drink water, for he was in mourning over the infidelity of the exiles.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">Some time later<n id="1" /> King Ahasuerus promoted<n id="2" /> Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, exalting him and setting his position<n id="3" /> above that of all the officials who were with him.

<t /><p class="poetry">If you see the extortion<n id="1" /> of the poor,p> <p class="poetry">or the perversion<n id="2" /> of justice and fairness in the government,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">do not be astonished by the matter.p> <p class="poetry">For the high official is watched by a higher official,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">and there are higher ones over them!<n id="5" />p>