LXX Concordance for βασιλέως

In those days King Amraphel of Shinar, King Arioch of Ellasar, King Chedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of Goiim[fn]

After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Shaveh Valley (that is, the King's Valley).

and had him thrown into prison, where the king's prisoners were confined. So Joseph was there in prison.

After this, the king of Egypt's cupbearer and baker offended their master, the king of Egypt.

Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph left Pharaoh's presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt.

The sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them wagons as Pharaoh had commanded, and he gave them provisions for the journey.

The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the Israelites, who were going out defiantly.[fn]

Heshbon was the city of King Sihon of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken control of all his land as far as the Arnon.

So Moses gave them ​— ​the Gadites, Reubenites, and half the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph ​— ​the kingdom of King Sihon of the Amorites and the kingdom of King Og of Bashan, the land including its cities with the territories surrounding them.

across the Jordan in the valley facing Beth-peor in the land of King Sihon of the Amorites. He lived in Heshbon, and Moses and the Israelites defeated him after they came out of Egypt.

“But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors, he brought you out with a strong hand and redeemed you from the place of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salecah, all Bashan up to the Geshurite and Maacathite border, and half of Gilead to the border of King Sihon of Heshbon.

and all the cities of King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, to the border of the Ammonites;

all the cities of the plateau, and all the kingdom of King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon. Moses had killed him and the chiefs of Midian ​— ​Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba ​— ​the princes of Sihon who lived in the land.

in the valley: Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon ​— ​the rest of the kingdom of King Sihon of Heshbon. Their land also included the Jordan and its territory as far as the edge of the Sea of Chinnereth[fn] on the east side of the Jordan.

this as their territory:

From Mahanaim through all Bashan ​— ​all the kingdom of King Og of Bashan, including all of Jair's Villages[fn] that are in Bashan ​— ​sixty cities.

The LORD's anger burned against Israel, and he sold them to King Cushan-rishathaim[fn] of Aram-naharaim,[fn] and the Israelites served him eight years.

So the LORD sold them to King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera who lived in Harosheth of the Nations.[fn]

Meanwhile, Sisera had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between King Jabin of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite.

“Now are you any better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend with Israel or fight against them?

“Listen to them, but solemnly warn them and tell them about the customary rights of the king who will reign over them.”

He said, “These are the rights of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and put them to his use in his chariots, on his horses, or running in front of his chariots.

“When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king you've chosen for yourselves, but the LORD won't answer you on that day.”

and said to the Israelites, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the power of the Egyptians and all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.'

Samuel proclaimed to the people the rights of kingship. He wrote them on a scroll, which he placed in the presence of the LORD. Then Samuel sent all the people home.

“But they forgot the LORD their God, so he handed them over to Sisera commander of the army of Hazor, to the Philistines, and to the king of Moab. These enemies fought against them.

Then Saul replied, “Say this to David: ‘The king desires no other bride-price except a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.' ” Actually, Saul intended to cause David's death at the hands of the Philistines.

So David told him, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon, and I'm supposed to sit down and eat with the king. Instead, let me go, and I'll hide in the countryside for the next two nights.[fn]

“He said, ‘Please let me go because our clan is holding a sacrifice in the town, and my brother has told me to be there. So now, if I have found favor with you, let me go so I can see my brothers.' That's why he didn't come to the king's table.”

David said to Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or sword on hand? I didn't even bring my sword or my weapons since the king's mission was urgent.”

David took this to heart and became very afraid of King Achish of Gath,

So he left them in the care of the king of Moab, and they stayed with him the whole time David was in the stronghold.

Ahimelech replied to the king, “Who among all your servants is as faithful as David? He is the king's son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard, and honored in your house.

Then the king ordered the guards standing by him, “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD because they sided with David. For they knew he was fleeing, but they didn't tell me.” But the king's servants would not lift a hand to execute the priests of the LORD.

“So now, whenever the king wants to come down, let him come down. As for us, we will be glad to hand him over to the king.”

Then Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was in his house, holding a feast fit for a king. Nabal's heart was cheerful,[fn] and he was very drunk, so she didn't say anything[fn] to him until morning light.

“What you have done is not good. As the LORD lives, all of you deserve to die[fn] since you didn't protect your lord, the LORD's anointed. Now look around; where are the king's spear and water jug that were by his head? ”

David answered, “Here is the king's spear; have one of the young men come over and get it.

Then the Philistine commanders asked, “What are these Hebrews doing here? ”

Achish answered the Philistine commanders, “That is David, servant of King Saul of Israel. He has been with me a considerable period of time.[fn] From the day he defected until today, I've found no fault with him.”

“But what have I done? ” David replied to Achish. “From the first day I entered your service until today, what have you found against your servant to keep me from going to fight against the enemies of my lord the king? ”

his second was Chileab,

by Abigail, the widow of Nabal the Carmelite;

the third was Absalom,

son of Maacah the daughter of King Talmai of Geshur;

On that day all the troops and all Israel were convinced that the king had no part in the killing of Abner son of Ner.

“As for me, even though I am the anointed king, I have little power today. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too fierce for me. May the LORD repay the evildoer according to his evil! ”

“Even while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led us out to battle and brought us back. The LORD also said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will be ruler over Israel.' ”

David took the gold shields of Hadadezer's officers and brought them to Jerusalem.

from Edom,[fn] Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Amalekites, and the spoil of Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do all my lord the king commands.”

So Mephibosheth ate at David's[fn] table just like one of the king's sons.

However, Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem because he always ate at the king's table. His feet had been injured.

One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing ​— ​a very beautiful woman.

Then he said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king followed him.

“if the king's anger gets stirred up and he asks you, ‘Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn't you realize they would shoot from the top of the wall?

“However, the archers shot down on your servants from the top of the wall, and some of the king's servants died. Your servant Uriah the Hethite is also dead.”

He took the crown from the head of their king,[fn] and it was placed on David's head. The crown weighed seventy-five pounds[fn] of gold, and it had a precious stone in it. In addition, David took away a large quantity of plunder from the city.

and he asked Amnon, “Why are you, the king's son, so miserable every morning? Won't you tell me? ”

Amnon replied, “I'm in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.”

Amnon's servant threw her out and bolted the door behind her. Now Tamar was wearing a long-sleeved[fn] robe, because this is what the king's virgin daughters wore.

Two years later, Absalom's sheepshearers were at Baal-hazor near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king's sons.

But Absalom urged him, so he sent Amnon and all the king's sons.[fn]

So Absalom's young men did to Amnon just as Absalom had commanded. Then all the rest of the king's sons got up, and each fled on his mule.

But Jonadab, son of David's brother Shimeah, spoke up: “My lord must not think they have killed all the young men, the king's sons, because only Amnon is dead. In fact, Absalom has planned this[fn] ever since the day Amnon disgraced his sister Tamar.

Jonadab said to the king, “Look, the king's sons have come! It's exactly like your servant said.”

King David[fn] longed to go to Absalom, for David had finished grieving over Amnon's death.

Joab son of Zeruiah realized that the king's mind was on Absalom.

The woman asked, “Why have you devised something similar against the people of God? When the king spoke as he did about this matter, he has pronounced his own guilt. The king has not brought back his own banished one.

“Your servant thought: May the word of my lord the king bring relief, for my lord the king is able to discern the good and the bad like the angel of God. May the LORD your God be with you.”

However, the king added, “He may return to his house, but he may not see my face.” So Absalom returned to his house, but he did not see the king.[fn]

Absalom resided in Jerusalem two years but never saw the king.

“Look,” Absalom explained to Joab, “I sent for you and said, ‘Come here. I want to send you to the king to ask: Why have I come back from Geshur? I'd be better off if I were still there.' So now, let me see the king. If I am guilty, let him kill me.”

Absalom said to him, “Look, your claims are good and right, but the king does not have anyone to listen to you.”

The king's servants said to the king, “Whatever my lord the king decides, we are your servants.”

while all his servants marched past him. Then all the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and the people of Gath— six hundred men who came with him from there ​— ​marched past the king.

“Won't the priests Zadok and Abiathar be there with you? Report everything you hear from the palace to the priests Zadok and Abiathar.

The king said to Ziba, “Why do you have these? ”

Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for the king's household to ride, the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat, and the wine is for those to drink who become exhausted in the wilderness.”

He threw stones at David and at all the royal[fn] servants, the people and the warriors on David's right and left.

The king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, “Treat the young man Absalom gently for my sake.” All the people heard the king's orders to all the commanders about Absalom.

The man replied to Joab, “Even if I had the weight of a thousand pieces of silver[fn] in my hand, I would not raise my hand against the king's son. For we heard the king command you, Abishai, and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for me.'[fn]

When he was alive, Absalom had taken a pillar and raised it up for himself in the King's Valley, since he thought, “I have no son to preserve the memory of my name.” So he named the pillar after himself. It is still called Absalom's Monument today.

Joab replied to him, “You are not the man to take good news today. You may do it another day, but today you aren't taking good news, because the king's son is dead.”

The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom all right? ”

Ahimaaz replied, “When Joab sent the king's servant and your servant, I saw a big disturbance, but I don't know what it was.”

The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom all right? ”

The Cushite replied, “I wish that the enemies of my lord the king, along with all who rise up against you with evil intent, would become like that young man.”

So the king got up and sat in the city gate, and all the people were told, “Look, the king is sitting in the city gate.” Then they all came into the king's presence.

Meanwhile, each Israelite had fled to his tent.

Then the king returned. When he arrived at the Jordan, Judah came to Gilgal to meet the king and escort him across the Jordan.

“For your servant knows that I have sinned. But look! Today I am the first one of the entire house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.”

Mephibosheth, Saul's grandson, also went down to meet the king. He had not taken care of his feet, trimmed his mustache, or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he returned safely.

Barzillai the Gileadite had come down from Rogelim and accompanied the king to the Jordan River to see him off at the Jordan.

Barzillai replied to the king, “How many years of my life are left that I should go up to Jerusalem with the king?

“Since your servant is only going with the king a little way across the Jordan, why should the king repay me with such a reward?

The king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went with him. All the troops of Judah and half of Israel's escorted the king.

All the men of Judah responded to the men of Israel, “Because the king is our relative. Why does this make you angry? Have we ever eaten anything of the king's or been honored at all? ”[fn]

He is a tower of salvation for[fn] his king;

he shows loyalty to his anointed,

to David and his descendants forever.

Among the Thirty were

Joab's brother Asahel,

Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

Joab replied to the king, “May the LORD your God multiply the troops a hundred times more than they are ​— ​while my lord the king looks on! But why does my lord the king want to do this? ”

Adonijah sacrificed sheep, goats, cattle, and fattened cattle near the stone of Zoheleth, which is next to En-rogel. He invited all his royal brothers and all the men of Judah, the servants of the king,

“At that moment, while you are still there speaking with the king, I'll come in after you and confirm your words.”

“He has lavishly sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep. He invited all the king's sons, the priest Abiathar, and Joab the commander of the army, but he did not invite your servant Solomon.

At that moment, while she was still speaking with the king, the prophet Nathan arrived,

“For today he went down and lavishly sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep. He invited all the sons of the king, the commanders of the army, and the priest Abiathar. And look! They're eating and drinking in his presence, and they're saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah! '

“I'm certain my lord the king would not have let this happen without letting your servant[fn] know who will sit on my lord the king's throne after him.”

King David then said, “Call in the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada for me.” So they came into the king's presence.

“Amen,” Benaiah son of Jehoiada replied to the king. “May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, so affirm it.

“And with Solomon, the king has sent the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have had him ride on the king's mule.

“The king's servants have also gone to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more well known than your name, and may he make his throne greater than your throne.' Then the king bowed in worship on his bed.

So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him about Adonijah. The king stood up to greet her, bowed to her, sat down on his throne, and had a throne placed for the king's mother. So she sat down at his right hand.

“No,” the other woman said. “My son is the living one; your son is the dead one.”

The first woman said, “No, your son is the dead one; my son is the living one.” So they argued before the king.

The king continued, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought the sword to the king.

All Israel heard about the judgment the king had given, and they stood in awe of the king because they saw that God's wisdom was in him to carry out justice.

Azariah son of Nathan, in charge of the deputies;

Zabud son of Nathan, a priest and adviser to the king;

Geber son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of King Sihon of the Amorites and of King Og of Bashan.

There was one deputy in the land of Judah.[fn]

Each of those deputies for a month in turn provided food for King Solomon and for everyone who came to King Solomon's table. They neglected nothing.

Solomon began to build the temple for the LORD in the four hundred eightieth year after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of his reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month.[fn]

and the pots, shovels, and sprinkling basins. All the utensils that Hiram made for King Solomon at the LORD's temple were made of burnished bronze.

When Solomon finished building the temple of the LORD, the royal palace, and all that Solomon desired to do,

At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon had built the two houses, the LORD's temple and the royal palace ​— ​

This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon had imposed to build the LORD's temple, his own palace, the supporting terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

So Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too difficult for the king to explain to her.

The king made the almug wood into steps for the LORD's temple and the king's palace and into lyres and harps for the singers. Never before did such almug wood arrive, and the like has not been seen again.

Solomon accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen and stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and Kue.[fn] The king's traders bought them from Kue at the going price.

Then the king responded to the man of God, “Plead for the favor of the LORD your God and pray for me so that my hand may be restored to me.” So the man of God pleaded for the favor of the LORD, and the king's hand was restored to him and became as it had been at first.

He seized the treasuries of the LORD's temple and the treasuries of the royal palace. He took everything. He took all the gold shields that Solomon had made.

In the twentieth year of Israel's King Jeroboam, Asa became king of Judah,

There was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel throughout their reigns.

So Asa withdrew all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the LORD's temple and the treasuries of the royal palace and gave it to his servants. Then King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon son of Hezion king of Aram who lived in Damascus, saying,

Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel. He attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, all Chinnereth, and the whole land of Naphtali.

Nadab son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Judah's King Asa; he reigned over Israel two years.

In the third year of Judah's King Asa, Baasha killed Nadab and reigned in his place.

In the third year of Judah's King Asa, Baasha son of Ahijah became king over all Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah twenty-four years.

Baasha rested with his ancestors and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah became king in his place.

When Zimri saw that the city was captured, he entered the citadel of the royal palace and burned it down over himself. He died

In the thirty-first year of Judah's King Asa, Omri became king over Israel, and he reigned twelve years. He reigned six years in Tirzah,

Then, as if following the sin of Jeroboam son of Nebat were not enough, he married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and then proceeded to serve Baal and bow in worship to him.

Now the king of Aram's servants said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hill country. That's why they were stronger than we were. Instead, we should fight with them on the plain; then we will certainly be stronger than they are.

Some time passed after these events. Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard; it was in Jezreel next to the palace of King Ahab of Samaria.

“Get up and go to meet King Ahab of Israel, who is in Samaria. He's in Naboth's vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it.

The king of Israel had said to his servants, “Don't you know that Ramoth-gilead is ours, but we're doing nothing to take it from the king of Aram? ”

So the king of Israel gathered the prophets, about four hundred men, and asked them, “Should I go against Ramoth-gilead for war or should I refrain? ”

They replied, “March up, and the Lord will hand it over to the king.”

The messenger who went to call Micaiah instructed him, “Look, the words of the prophets are unanimously favorable for the king. So let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably.”

So he went to the king, and the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth-gilead for war, or should we refrain? ”

Micaiah told him, “March up and succeed. The LORD will hand it over to the king.”

Then the king of Israel ordered, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king's son,

Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king over Judah in the fourth year of Israel's King Ahab.

Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.

But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?

The rest of the events of Ahaziah's reign, along with his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Israel's Kings.[fn]

But Jehoshaphat said, “Isn't there a prophet of the LORD here? Let's inquire of the LORD through him.”

One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat, who used to pour water on Elijah's hands, is here.”

Elisha responded, “By the life of the LORD of Armies, before whom I stand: If I did not have respect for King Jehoshaphat of Judah, I wouldn't look at you; I would not take notice of you.

The king of Aram was enraged because of this matter, and he called his servants and demanded of them, “Tell me, which one of us is for the king of Israel? ”

Then they said to each other, “We're not doing what is right. Today is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until morning light, our punishment will catch up with us. So let's go tell the king's household.”

The gatekeepers called out, and the news was reported to the king's household.

The messengers took two chariots with horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army, saying, “Go and see.”

Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah, granddaughter of Israel's King Omri.

Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to fight against King Hazael of Aram in Ramoth-gilead, and the Arameans wounded Joram.

Then Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. Joram and all Israel had been at Ramoth-gilead on guard against King Hazael of Aram.

It was in the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab that Ahaziah had become king over Judah.

Then he went in, ate and drank, and said, “Take care of this cursed woman and bury her, since she's a king's daughter.”

Then Jehu wrote them a second letter, saying:

If you are on my side, and if you will obey me, bring me the heads of your master's sons[fn] at this time tomorrow at Jezreel.

All seventy of the king's sons were being cared for by the city's prominent men.

Jehu met the relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah and asked, “Who are you? ”

They answered, “We're Ahaziah's relatives. We've come down to greet the king's sons and the queen mother's sons.”

Jehosheba, who was King Jehoram's daughter and Ahaziah's sister, secretly rescued Joash son of Ahaziah from among the king's sons who were being killed and put him and the one who nursed him in a bedroom. So he was hidden from Athaliah and was not killed.

In the seventh year, Jehoiada sent for the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, and the guards. He had them come to him in the LORD's temple, where he made a covenant with them and put them under oath. He showed them the king's son

“Completely surround the king with weapons in hand. Anyone who approaches the ranks is to be put to death. Be with the king in all his daily tasks.”[fn]

The priest gave to the commanders of hundreds King David's spears and shields that were in the LORD's temple.

Jehoiada brought out the king's son, put the crown on him, gave him the testimony,[fn] and made him king. They anointed him and clapped their hands and cried, “Long live the king! ”

So they arrested her, and she went through the horse entrance to the king's palace, where she was put to death.

He took the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, the guards, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king from the LORD's temple. They entered the king's palace by way of the guards' gate. Then Joash sat on the throne of the kings.

Whenever they saw there was a large amount of silver in the chest, the king's secretary and the high priest would go bag up and tally the silver found in the LORD's temple.

So King Joash of Judah took all the items consecrated by himself and by his ancestors ​— ​Judah's kings Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah ​— ​as well as all the gold found in the treasuries of the LORD's temple and in the king's palace, and he sent them to King Hazael of Aram. Then Hazael withdrew from Jerusalem.

So the LORD's anger burned against Israel, and he handed them over to King Hazael of Aram and to his son Ben-hadad during their reigns.

The rest of the events of Jehoash's reign, along with all his accomplishments and the power he had to wage war against Judah's King Amaziah, are written in the Historical Record of Israel's Kings.

Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Grasp the bow.” So the king grasped it, and Elisha put his hands on the king's hands.

Amaziah then sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, and challenged him: “Come, let's meet face to face.”

He took all the gold and silver, all the articles found in the LORD's temple and in the treasuries of the king's palace, and some hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.

In the fifteenth year of Judah's King Amaziah son of Joash, Jeroboam son of Jehoash became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years.

In the twenty-seventh year of Israel's King Jeroboam, Azariah[fn] son of Amaziah became king of Judah.

The LORD afflicted the king, and he had a serious skin disease until the day of his death. He lived in quarantine,[fn] while Jotham, the king's son, was over the household governing the people of the land.

In the fiftieth year of Judah's King Azariah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years.

Then his officer, Pekah son of Remaliah, conspired against him and struck him down in Samaria at the citadel of the king's palace — with Argob and Arieh.[fn] There were fifty Gileadite men with Pekah. He killed Pekahiah and became king in his place.

In the fifty-second year of Judah's King Azariah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years.

In the days of King Pekah of Israel, King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee ​— ​all the land of Naphtali ​— ​and deported the people to Assyria.

In the second year of Israel's King Pekah son of Remaliah, Jotham son of Uzziah became king of Judah.

In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham became king of Judah.

but walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even sacrificed his son in the fire,[fn] imitating the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had dispossessed before the Israelites.

So Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. March up and save me from the grasp of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.”

Then King Ahaz commanded the priest Uriah, “Offer on the great altar the morning burnt offering, the evening grain offering, and the king's burnt offering and his grain offering. Also offer the burnt offering of all the people of the land, their grain offering, and their drink offerings. Splatter on the altar all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of sacrifice. The bronze altar will be for me to seek guidance.”[fn]

To satisfy the king of Assyria, he removed from the LORD's temple the Sabbath canopy they had built in the palace, and he closed the outer entrance for the king.

This disaster happened because the people of Israel sinned against the LORD their God who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt and because they worshiped[fn] other gods.

In the third year of Israel's King Hoshea son of Elah, Hezekiah son of Ahaz became king of Judah.

So Hezekiah gave him all the silver found in the LORD's temple and in the treasuries of the king's palace.

The royal spokesman stood and called out loudly in Hebrew: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria.

“Don't let Hezekiah persuade you to rely on the LORD by saying, “Certainly the LORD will rescue us! This city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” '

Has any of the gods of the nations ever rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria?

But the people kept silent; they did not answer him at all, for the king's command was, “Don't answer him.”

So the servants of King Hezekiah went to Isaiah,

The king had heard concerning King Tirhakah of Cush, “Look, he has set out to fight against you.” So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,

Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “The LORD, the God of Israel says, ‘I have heard your prayer to me about King Sennacherib of Assyria.'

“I will add fifteen years to your life. I will rescue you and this city from the grasp of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.' ”

“‘Some of your descendants ​— ​who come from you, whom you father ​— ​will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs[fn] in the palace of the king of Babylon.' ”

Then the court secretary Shaphan told the king, “The priest Hilkiah has given me a book,” and Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.

Then he commanded the priest Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor son of Micaiah, the court secretary Shaphan, and the king's servant Asaiah,

He did away with the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun. They had been at the entrance of the LORD's temple in the precincts by the chamber of Nathan-melech, the eunuch. He also burned the chariots of the sun.

But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the LORD's Passover was observed in Jerusalem.

Then Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah and changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Jehoahaz and went to Egypt, and he died there.

Now the king of Egypt did not march out of his land again, for the king of Babylon took everything that had belonged to the king of Egypt, from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River.

He also carried off from there all the treasures of the LORD's temple and the treasures of the king's palace, and he cut into pieces all the gold articles that King Solomon of Israel had made for the LORD's sanctuary, just as the LORD had predicted.

Nebuchadnezzar deported Jehoiachin to Babylon. He took the king's mother, the king's wives, his officials, and the leading men of the land into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

The city was under siege until King Zedekiah's eleventh year.

Then the city was broken into, and all the warriors fled at night by way of the city gate between the two walls near the king's garden, even though the Chaldeans surrounded the city. As the king made his way along the route to the Arabah,

On the seventh day of the fifth month ​— ​which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon ​— ​Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guards, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.

From the city he took a court official[fn] who had been appointed over the warriors; five trusted royal aides[fn] found in the city; the secretary of the commander of the army, who enlisted the people of the land for military duty; and sixty men from the common people[fn] who were found within the city.

On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah's King Jehoiachin, in the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he pardoned King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him[fn] from prison.

As for his allowance, a regular allowance was given to him by the king, a portion for each day, for the rest of his life.

Absalom son of Maacah, daughter of King Talmai of Geshur, was third;

Adonijah son of Haggith was fourth;

They were the potters and residents of Netaim and Gederah. They lived there in the service of the king.

Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susim, Beth-biri, and Shaaraim. These were their cities until David became king.

These who were recorded by name came in the days of King Hezekiah of Judah, attacked the Hamites' tents and the Meunites who were found there, and set them apart for destruction, as they are today. Then they settled in their place because there was pasture for their flocks.

All of them were registered in the genealogies during the reigns of Judah's King Jotham and Israel's King Jeroboam.

So the God of Israel roused the spirit of King Pul (that is, Tiglath-pileser[fn]) of Assyria, and he took the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh into exile. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and Gozan's river, where they are until today.

he was previously stationed at the King's Gate on the east side. These were the gatekeepers from the camp of the Levites.

“Even previously when Saul was king, you were leading Israel out to battle and bringing us back. The LORD your God also said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will be ruler over my people Israel.' ”

When King Tou of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of King Hadadezer of Zobah,

Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites;

and David's sons were the chief officials at the king's side.

Then David took the crown from the head of their king,[fn][fn] and it was placed on David's head. He found that the crown weighed seventy-five pounds[fn] of gold, and there was a precious stone in it. In addition, David took away a large quantity of plunder from the city.

Joab replied, “May the LORD multiply the number of his people a hundred times over! My lord the king, aren't they all my lord's servants? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel? ”

But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the count because the king's command was detestable to him.

The secretary, Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded them in the presence of the king and the officers, the priest Zadok, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the heads of families of the priests and the Levites. One ancestral family[fn] was taken for Eleazar, and then one for Ithamar.

They also cast lots the same way as their relatives the descendants of Aaron did in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the families of the priests and Levites ​— ​the family heads and their younger brothers alike.

From Asaph's sons:

Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah, sons of Asaph, under Asaph's authority, who prophesied under the authority of the king.

All these men were under their own fathers' authority for the music in the LORD's temple, with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of God's temple. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the king's authority.

From the Hebronites: Hashabiah and his relatives, 1,700 capable men, had assigned duties in Israel west of the Jordan for all the work of the LORD and for the service of the king.

There were among Jerijah's relatives 2,700 capable men who were family heads. King David appointed them over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh as overseers in every matter relating to God and the king.

This is the list of the Israelites, the family heads, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, and their officers who served the king in every matter to do with the divisions that were on rotated military duty each month throughout[fn] the year. There were 24,000 in each division:

Joab son of Zeruiah began to count them, but he didn't complete it. There was wrath against Israel because of this census, and the number was not entered in the Historical Record[fn] of King David.

Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the flocks.

All these were officials in charge of King David's property.

David assembled all the leaders of Israel in Jerusalem: the leaders of the tribes, the leaders of the divisions in the king's service, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and cattle of the king and his sons, along with the court officials, the fighting men, and all the best soldiers.

Then the leaders of the households, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king's work gave willingly.

All the leaders and the mighty men, and all of King David's sons as well, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon.

As for the events of King David's reign, from beginning to end, note that they are written in the Events of the Seer Samuel, the Events of the Prophet Nathan, and the Events of the Seer Gad,

Solomon accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, which he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

Solomon's horses came from Egypt and Kue.[fn] The king's traders would get them from Kue at the going price.

The priests and the Levites were standing at their stations. The Levites had the musical instruments of the LORD, which King David had made to give thanks to the LORD ​— ​“for his faithful love endures forever” ​— ​when he offered praise with them. Across from the Levites, the priests were blowing trumpets, and all the people were standing.

So Solomon finished the LORD's temple and the royal palace. Everything that had entered Solomon's heart to do for the LORD's temple and for his own palace succeeded.

These were King Solomon's deputies: 250 who supervised the people.

They did not turn aside from the king's command regarding the priests and the Levites concerning any matter or concerning the treasuries.

The king made the algum wood into walkways for the LORD's temple and for the king's palace and into lyres and harps for the singers. Never before had anything like them been seen in the land of Judah.

All of King Solomon's drinking cups were gold, and all the utensils of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. There was no silver, since it was considered as nothing in Solomon's time,

Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. He stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard about it ​— ​for he was in Egypt where he had fled from King Solomon's presence ​— ​Jeroboam returned from Egypt.

So King Shishak of Egypt went to war against Jerusalem. He seized the treasuries of the LORD's temple and the treasuries of the royal palace. He took everything. He took the gold shields that Solomon had made.

So Asa brought out the silver and gold from the treasuries of the LORD's temple and the royal palace and sent it to Aram's King Ben-hadad, who lived in Damascus, saying,

Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies to the cities of Israel. They attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim,[fn] and all the storage cities[fn] of Naphtali.

So the king of Israel gathered the prophets, four hundred men, and asked them, “Should we go to Ramoth-gilead for war or should I refrain? ”

They replied, “March up, and God will hand it over to the king.”

And all the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “March up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for the LORD will hand it over to the king.”

Then the king of Israel ordered, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king's son,

“Note that Amariah, the chief priest, is over you in all matters related to the LORD, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all matters related to the king, and the Levites are officers in your presence. Be strong; may the LORD be with those who do what is good.”

He had brothers, sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of King Jehoshaphat of Judah.[fn]

Then a letter came to Jehoram from the prophet Elijah, saying:

This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David says: “Because you have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or in the ways of King Asa of Judah

So they went to war against Judah and invaded it. They carried off all the possessions found in the king's palace and also his sons and wives; not a son was left to him except Jehoahaz,[fn] his youngest son.

Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, because the troops that had come with the Arabs to the camp had killed all the older sons.[fn] So Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah.

Jehoshabeath,[fn] the king's daughter, rescued Joash son of Ahaziah from the king's sons who were being killed and put him and the one who nursed him in a bedroom. Now Jehoshabeath was the daughter of King Jehoram and the wife of the priest Jehoiada. Since she was Ahaziah's sister, she hid Joash from Athaliah so that she did not kill him.

Then the whole assembly made a covenant with the king in God's temple. Jehoiada said to them, “Here is the king's son! He will reign, just as the LORD promised concerning David's sons.

“A third are to be at the king's palace, and a third are to be at the Foundation Gate, and all the troops will be in the courtyards of the LORD's temple.

“The Levites are to completely surround the king with weapons in hand. Anyone who enters the temple is to be put to death. Accompany the king in all his daily tasks.”[fn]

The priest Jehoiada gave to the commanders of hundreds King David's spears, shields, and quivers[fn] that were in God's temple.

They brought out the king's son, put the crown on him, gave him the testimony, and made him king. Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and cried, “Long live the king! ”

So they arrested her, and she went by the entrance of the Horse Gate to the king's palace, where they put her to death.

Then he took with him the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land and brought the king down from the LORD's temple. They entered the king's palace through the Upper Gate and seated the king on the throne of the kingdom.

Whenever the chest was brought by the Levites to the king's overseers, and when they saw that there was a large amount of silver, the king's secretary and the high priest's deputy came and emptied the chest, picked it up, and returned it to its place. They did this daily and gathered the silver in abundance.

But they conspired against him and stoned him at the king's command in the courtyard of the LORD's temple.

While he was still speaking to him, the king asked, “Have we made you the king's counselor? Stop, why should you lose your life? ”

So the prophet stopped, but he said, “I know that God intends to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my advice.”

He took all the gold, silver, all the utensils that were found with Obed-edom in God's temple, the treasures of the king's palace, and the hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.

Uzziah had an army equipped for combat that went out to war by division according to their assignments, as recorded by Jeiel the court secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the authority of Hananiah, one of the king's commanders.

So the LORD his God handed Ahaz over to the king of Aram. He attacked him and took many captives to Damascus.

Ahaz was also handed over to the king of Israel, who struck him with great force:

An Ephraimite warrior named Zichri killed the king's son Maaseiah, Azrikam governor of the palace, and Elkanah who was second to the king.

Although Ahaz plundered the LORD's temple and the palace of the king and of the rulers and gave the plunder to the king of Assyria, it did not help him.

He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him; he said, “Since the gods of the kings of Aram are helping them, I will sacrifice to them so that they will help me.” But they were the downfall of him and of all Israel.

They gathered their brothers together, consecrated themselves, and went according to the king's command by the words of the LORD to cleanse the LORD's temple.

Then they brought the goats for the sin offering right into the presence of the king and the congregation, who laid their hands on them.

Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the LORD's temple with cymbals, harps, and lyres according to the command of David, Gad the king's seer, and the prophet Nathan. For the command was from the LORD through his prophets.

Then Hezekiah ordered that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. When the burnt offerings began, the song of the LORD and the trumpets began, accompanied by the instruments of King David of Israel.

The proposal pleased the king and the congregation,

So the couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the hand of the king and his officials, and according to the king's command, saying, “Israelites, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel so that he may return to those of you who remain, who have escaped the grasp of the kings of Assyria.

Also, the power of God was at work in Judah to unite them[fn] to carry out the command of the king and his officials by the word of the LORD.

There was great rejoicing in Jerusalem, for nothing like this was known since the days of Solomon son of David, the king of Israel.

The king contributed[fn] from his own possessions for the regular morning and evening burnt offerings, the burnt offerings of the Sabbaths, of the New Moons, and of the appointed feasts, as written in the law of the LORD.

“Be strong and courageous! Don't be afraid or discouraged before the king of Assyria or before the large army that is with him, for there are more with us than with him.

“Isn't Hezekiah misleading you to give you over to death by famine and thirst when he says, “The LORD our God will keep us from the grasp of the king of Assyria”?

and the LORD sent an angel who annihilated every valiant warrior, leader, and commander in the camp of the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria returned in disgrace to his land. He went to the temple of his god, and there some of his own children struck him down with the sword.

So he brought against them the military commanders of the king of Assyria. They captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.

Then the court secretary Shaphan told the king, “The priest Hilkiah gave me a book,” and Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.

Then he commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, the court secretary Shaphan, and the king's servant Asaiah,

“‘This is what the LORD says: I am about to bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants, fulfilling[fn] all the curses written in the book that they read in the presence of the king of Judah,

He said to the Levites who taught all Israel the holy things of the LORD, “Put the holy ark in the temple built by Solomon son of David king of Israel. Since you do not have to carry it on your shoulders, now serve the LORD your God and his people Israel.

Then Josiah donated thirty thousand sheep, lambs, and young goats, plus three thousand cattle from his own possessions, for the Passover sacrifices for all the lay people who were present.

So the service was established; the priests stood at their posts and the Levites in their divisions according to the king's command.

The singers, the descendants of Asaph, were at their stations according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer. Also, the gatekeepers were at each temple gate. None of them left their tasks because their Levite brothers had made preparations for them.

He took everything to Babylon ​— ​all the articles of God's temple, large and small, the treasures of the LORD's temple, and the treasures of the king and his officials.

In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through[fn] Jeremiah, the LORD roused the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and also to put it in writing:

In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD roused the spirit of King Cyrus to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and to put it in writing:

They gave money to the stonecutters and artisans, and gave food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so they would bring cedar wood from Lebanon to Joppa by sea, according to the authorization given them by King Cyrus of Persia.

When the builders had laid the foundation of the LORD's temple, the priests, dressed in their robes and holding trumpets, and the Levites descended from Asaph, holding cymbals, took their positions to praise the LORD, as King David of Israel had instructed.

they approached Zerubbabel and the family heads and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we also worship your God and have been sacrificing to him[fn] since the time King Esar-haddon of Assyria brought us here.”

They also bribed officials to act against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of King Cyrus of Persia and until the reign of King Darius of Persia.

Since we have taken an oath of loyalty to the king,[fn] and it is not right for us to witness his dishonor, we have sent to inform the king

As soon as the text of King Artaxerxes's letter was read to Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their colleagues, they immediately went to the Jews in Jerusalem and forcibly stopped them.

But since our ancestors angered the God of the heavens, he handed them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.

So if it pleases the king, let a search of the royal archives[fn] in Babylon be conducted to see if it is true that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. Let the king's decision regarding this matter be sent to us.

In the first year of King Cyrus, he issued a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem:

Let the house be rebuilt as a place for offering sacrifices, and let its original foundations be retained.[fn] Its height is to be ninety feet[fn] and its width ninety feet,

I hereby issue a decree concerning what you are to do, so that the elders of the Jews can rebuild the house of God:

The cost is to be paid in full to these men out of the royal revenues from the taxes of the region west of the Euphrates River, so that the work will not stop.

so that they can offer sacrifices of pleasing aroma to the God of the heavens and pray for the life of the king and his sons.

This house was completed on the third day of the month of Adar in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

They observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days with joy, because the LORD had made them joyful, having changed the Assyrian king's attitude toward them, so that he supported them[fn] in the work on the house of the God of Israel.

After these events, during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Ezra —

Seraiah's son, Azariah's son,

Hilkiah's son,

You are sent by the king and his seven counselors to evaluate Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God, which is in your possession.

You may use the royal treasury[fn] to pay for anything else needed for the house of your God.

Whatever is commanded by the God of the heavens must be done diligently for the house of the God of the heavens, so that wrath will not fall on the realm of the king and his sons.

Anyone who does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, let the appropriate judgment be executed against him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.

These are the family heads and the genealogical records of those who returned with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:

I did this because I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his fierce anger is against all who abandon him.”

They also delivered the king's edicts to the royal satraps and governors of the region west of the Euphrates, so that they would support the people and the house of God.

The king, with the queen seated beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you return? ” So I gave him a definite time, and it pleased the king to send me.

I went to the governors of the region west of the Euphrates and gave them the king's letters. The king had also sent officers of the infantry and cavalry with me.

I went on to the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool, but farther down it became too narrow for my animal to go through.

I told them how the gracious hand of my God had been on me, and what the king had said to me.

They said, “Let's start rebuilding,” and their hands were strengthened[fn] to do this good work.

Shallun[fn] son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it and roofed it. Then he installed its doors, bolts, and bars. He also made repairs to the wall of the Pool of Shelah near the king's garden, as far as the stairs that descend from the city of David.

Palal son of Uzai made repairs opposite the Angle and tower that juts out from the king's upper palace,[fn] by the courtyard of the guard. Beside him Pedaiah son of Parosh

Still others were saying, “We have borrowed money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards.

You gave them kingdoms and peoples

and established boundaries for them.

They took possession

of the land of King Sihon[fn] of Heshbon

and of the land of King Og of Bashan.

There was, in fact, a command of the king regarding them, and an ordinance regulating the singers' daily tasks.

While all this was happening, I was not in Jerusalem, because I had returned to King Artaxerxes of Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign. It was only later that I asked the king for a leave of absence

At the end of this time, the king held a week-long banquet in the garden courtyard of the royal palace for all the people, from the greatest to the least, who were present in the fortress of Susa.

On the seventh day, when the king was feeling good from the wine, Ahasuerus commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas ​— ​the seven eunuchs who personally served him ​— ​

The most trusted ones[fn] were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan. They were the seven officials of Persia and Media who had personal access to the king and occupied the highest positions in the kingdom.

“The decree the king issues will be heard throughout his vast kingdom, so all women will honor their husbands, from the greatest to the least.”

The king's personal attendants suggested, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king.

When the king's command and edict became public knowledge and when many young women were gathered at the fortress of Susa under Hegai's supervision, Esther was taken to the palace, into the supervision of Hegai, keeper of the women.

She would go in the evening, and in the morning she would return to a second harem under the supervision of the king's eunuch Shaashgaz, keeper of the concubines. She never went to the king again, unless he desired her and summoned her by name.

During those days while Mordecai was sitting at the King's Gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs who guarded the entrance, became infuriated and planned to assassinate[fn] King Ahasuerus.

The members of the royal staff at the King's Gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king's command? ”

Then Haman informed King Ahasuerus, “There is one ethnic group, scattered throughout the peoples in every province of your kingdom, keeping themselves separate. Their laws are different from everyone else's and they do not obey the king's laws. It is not in the king's best interest to tolerate them.

The royal scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and the order was written exactly as Haman commanded. It was intended for the royal satraps, the governors of each of the provinces, and the officials of each ethnic group and written for each province in its own script and to each ethnic group in its own language. It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the royal signet ring.

He went only as far as the King's Gate, since the law prohibited anyone wearing sackcloth from entering the King's Gate.

On the third day, Esther dressed in her royal clothing and stood in the inner courtyard of the palace facing it. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal courtroom,[fn] facing its entrance.

“If I have found favor in the eyes of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and perform my request, may the king and Haman come to the banquet I will prepare for them. Tomorrow I will do what the king has asked.”

“What's more,” Haman added, “Queen Esther invited no one but me to join the king at the banquet she had prepared. I am invited again tomorrow to join her with the king.

That night sleep escaped the king, so he ordered the book recording daily events to be brought and read to the king.

The king's attendants answered him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.”

“Have him enter,” the king ordered.

“Have them bring a royal garment that the king himself has worn and a horse the king himself has ridden, which has a royal crown on its head.

Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if the king is pleased, spare my life; this is my request. And spare my people; this is my desire.

Esther answered, “The adversary and enemy is this evil Haman.”

Haman stood terrified before the king and queen.

Harbona, one of the king's eunuchs, said, “There is a gallows seventy-five feet[fn] tall at Haman's house that he made for Mordecai, who gave the report that saved[fn] the king.”

The king said, “Hang him on it.”

That same day King Ahasuerus awarded Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. Mordecai entered the king's presence because Esther had revealed her relationship to Mordecai.

“Write in the king's name whatever pleases you concerning the Jews, and seal it with the royal signet ring. A document written in the king's name and sealed with the royal signet ring cannot be revoked.”

Mordecai wrote in King Ahasuerus's name and sealed the edicts with the royal signet ring. He sent the documents by mounted couriers, who rode fast horses bred in the royal stables.

The couriers rode out in haste on their royal horses at the king's urgent command. The law was also issued in the fortress of Susa.

The king's command and law went into effect on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month Adar. On the day when the Jews' enemies had hoped to overpower them, just the opposite happened. The Jews overpowered those who hated them.

For Mordecai exercised great power in the palace, and his fame spread throughout the provinces as he became more and more powerful.

He gives great victories to his king;

he shows loyalty to his anointed,

to David and his descendants forever.

Your sharpened arrows pierce the hearts of the king's enemies;

the peoples fall under you.

In her chamber, the royal daughter is all glorious,

her clothing embroidered with gold.

They are led in with gladness and rejoicing;

they enter the king's palace.

rising splendidly,

is the joy of the whole earth.

Mount Zion ​— ​the summit of Zaphon ​— ​

is the city of the great King.

Add days to the king's life;

may his years span many generations.

People have seen your procession, God,

the procession of my God,

my King, in the sanctuary.

God, give your justice to the king

and your righteousness to the king's son.

Surely our shield[fn] belongs to the LORD,

our king to the Holy One of Israel.

With trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn

shout triumphantly

in the presence of the LORD, our King.

The mighty King loves justice.

You have established fairness;

you have administered justice

and righteousness in Jacob.

A large population is a king's splendor,

but a shortage of people is a ruler's devastation.

God's verdict is on the lips of a king;[fn]

his mouth should not give an unfair judgment.

A king's fury is a messenger of death,

but a wise person appeases it.

A king's rage is like the roaring of a lion,

but his favor is like dew on the grass.

A king's terrible wrath is like the roaring of a lion;

anyone who provokes him endangers himself.

A king's heart is like channeled water in the LORD's hand:

He directs it wherever he chooses.

for destruction will come suddenly from them;

who knows what distress these two can bring?

These too are proverbs of Solomon,

which the men of King Hezekiah of Judah copied.

Remove the wicked from the king's presence,

and his throne will be established in righteousness.

If a ruler listens to lies,

all his officials will be wicked.

A king who judges the poor with fairness —

his throne will be established forever.

a lizard[fn] can be caught in your hands,

yet it lives in kings' palaces.

The words of King Lemuel,

a pronouncement[fn] that his mother taught him:

The words of the Teacher,[fn] son of David, king in Jerusalem.

Keep[fn] the king's command because of your oath made before God.

This took place during the reign of Ahaz, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah king of Judah: Aram's King Rezin and Israel's King Pekah son of Remaliah went to fight against Jerusalem, but they were not able to conquer it.

On that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River ​— ​the king of Assyria ​— ​to shave the hair on your heads, the hair on your legs, and even your beards.

“for before the boy knows how to call ‘Father,' or ‘Mother,' the wealth of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria will be carried off to the king of Assyria.”

And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms,

the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans,

will be like Sodom and Gomorrah

when God overthrew them.

The princes of Zoan are complete fools;

Pharaoh's wisest advisers give stupid advice!

How can you say to Pharaoh,

“I am one[fn] of the wise,

a student of eastern[fn] kings”?

In the year that the chief commander, sent by King Sargon of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it ​— ​

“And the inhabitants of this coastland will say on that day, ‘Look, this is what has happened to those we relied on and fled to for help to rescue us from the king of Assyria! Now, how will we escape? ' ”

On that day Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years ​— ​the life span of one king. At the end of seventy years, what the song says about the prostitute will happen to Tyre:

Then the royal spokesman stood and called out loudly in Hebrew:

Listen to the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!

“Don't let Hezekiah persuade you to rely on the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD will certainly rescue us! This city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.' ”

“Beware that Hezekiah does not mislead you by saying, ‘The LORD will rescue us.' Has any one of the gods of the nations rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria?

So the servants of King Hezekiah went to Isaiah,

“Say this to King Hezekiah of Judah: ‘Don't let your God, on whom you rely, deceive you by promising that Jerusalem won't be handed over to the king of Assyria.

Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “The LORD, the God of Israel, says, ‘Because you prayed to me about King Sennacherib of Assyria,

“And I will rescue you and this city from the grasp of the king of Assyria; I will defend this city.

A poem by King Hezekiah of Judah after he had been sick and had recovered from his illness:

“‘Some of your descendants ​— ​who come from you, whom you father ​— ​will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.' ”

The word of the LORD came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah.

In the days of King Josiah the LORD asked me, “Have you seen what unfaithful Israel has done? She has ascended every high hill and gone under every green tree to prostitute herself there.

“On that day” ​— ​this is the LORD's declaration ​— ​“the king and the officials will lose their courage. The priests will tremble in fear, and the prophets will be scared speechless.”

“for this is what the LORD says, ‘I am about to make you a terror to both yourself and those you love. They will fall by the sword of their enemies before your very eyes. I will hand Judah over to the king of Babylon, and he will deport them to Babylon and put them to the sword.

“For I have set my face against this city to bring disaster and not good ​— ​this is the LORD's declaration. It will be handed over to the king of Babylon, who will burn it.'

This is what the LORD says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and announce this word there.

For this is what the LORD says concerning the house of the king of Judah:

“You are like Gilead to me,

or the summit of Lebanon,

but I will certainly turn you into a wilderness,

uninhabited cities.

This is the word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah (which was the first year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon).

“From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, until this very day ​— ​twenty-three years ​— ​the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken to you time and time again,[fn] but you have not obeyed.

At the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the LORD:

When the officials of Judah heard about these things, they went from the king's palace to the LORD's temple and sat at the entrance of the New Gate of the LORD's temple.[fn]

“Micah the Moreshite prophesied in the days of King Hezekiah of Judah and said to all the people of Judah, ‘This is what the LORD of Armies says:

Zion will be plowed like a field,

Jerusalem will become ruins,

and the temple's mountain will be a high thicket.'

“ ‘ “As for the nation or kingdom that does not serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and does not place its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation I will punish by sword, famine, and plague ​— ​this is the LORD's declaration ​— ​until through him I have destroyed it.

“But as for the nation that will put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave it in its own land, and that nation will cultivate[fn] it and reside in it. This is the LORD's declaration.” ' ”

In that same year, at the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah, in the fifth month of the fourth year, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur from Gibeon said to me in the temple of the LORD in the presence of the priests and all the people,

“And I will restore to this place Jeconiah[fn] son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon' ​— ​this is the LORD's declaration ​— ​‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.' ”

In the presence of all the people Hananiah proclaimed, “This is what the LORD says: ‘In this way, within two years I will break the yoke of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon from the neck of all the nations.' ” The prophet Jeremiah then went on his way.

This was after King Jeconiah,[fn] the queen mother, the court officials, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metalsmiths had left Jerusalem.

This is what the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and concerning Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, the ones prophesying a lie to you in my name: “I am about to hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and he will kill them before your very eyes.

At that time, the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was imprisoned in the guard's courtyard in the palace of the king of Judah.

“Therefore, this is what the LORD says: I am about to hand this city over to the Chaldeans, to Babylon's king Nebuchadnezzar, and he will capture it.

“Now therefore, this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to this city about which you said, ‘It has been handed over to Babylon's king through sword, famine, and plague':

“For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning the houses of this city and the palaces of Judah's kings, the ones torn down for defense against the assault ramps and the sword:

“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Go, speak to King Zedekiah of Judah, and tell him, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am about to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will burn it.

while the king of Babylon's army was attacking Jerusalem and all of Judah's remaining cities ​— ​that is, Lachish and Azekah, for they were the only ones left of Judah's fortified cities.

“I will hand King Zedekiah of Judah and his officials over to their enemies, to those who intend to take their lives, to the king of Babylon's army that is withdrawing.

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah:

In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

he went down to the scribe's chamber in the king's palace. All the officials were sitting there ​— ​Elishama the scribe, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials.

The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the scribe. Jehudi then read it in the hearing of the king and all the officials who were standing by the king.

Then the king commanded Jerahmeel the king's son, Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to seize the scribe Baruch and the prophet Jeremiah, but the LORD hid them.

King Zedekiah later sent for him and received him, and in his house privately asked him, “Is there a word from the LORD? ”

“There is,” Jeremiah responded. He continued, “You will be handed over to the king of Babylon.”