LXX Concordance for θεοῦ

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

So God created man in his own image;

he created him in the image of God;

he created them male and female.

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze,[fn] and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

The man was intimate with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. She said, “I have had a male child with the LORD's help.”[fn]

Then Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod,[fn] east of Eden.

A son was born to Seth also, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD.

This is the document containing the family[fn] records of Adam.[fn] On the day that God created man,[fn] he made him in the likeness of God;

the sons of God saw that the daughters of mankind were beautiful, and they took any they chose as wives for themselves.

The Nephilim[fn] were on the earth both in those days and afterward, when the sons of God came to the daughters of mankind, who bore children to them. They were the powerful men of old, the famous men.

Noah, however, found favor with the LORD.

Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with wickedness.[fn]

“Whoever sheds human blood,

by humans his blood will be shed,

for God made humans in his image.

He was a powerful hunter in the sight of the LORD. That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a powerful hunter in the sight of the LORD.”

Lot looked out and saw that the entire plain[fn] of the Jordan as far as Zoar was well watered everywhere like the LORD's garden and the land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)

(Now the men of Sodom were evil, sinning immensely[fn] against the LORD.)

Melchizedek, king of Salem,[fn] brought out bread and wine; he was a priest to God Most High.

God heard the boy crying, and the[fn] angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What's wrong, Hagar? Don't be afraid, for God has heard the boy crying from the place where he is.

“Listen to us, my lord. You are a prince of God[fn] among us. Bury your dead in our finest burial place.[fn] None of us will withhold from you his burial place for burying your dead.”

And he dreamed: A stairway was set on the ground with its top reaching the sky, and God's angels were going up and down on it.

He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven.”

and named the place Bethel,[fn] though previously the city was named Luz.

“This stone that I have set up as a marker will be God's house, and I will give to you a tenth of all that you give me.”

Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God? He has withheld offspring[fn] from you! ”

“In that dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob! ' and I said, ‘Here I am.'

“I am the God of Bethel, where you poured oil on the stone marker and made a solemn vow to me. Get up, leave this land, and return to your native land.' ”

Jacob went on his way, and God's angels met him.

“Your name will no longer be Jacob,” he said. “It will be Israel[fn] because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.”

Jacob then named the place Peniel,[fn] “For I have seen God face to face,” he said, “yet my life has been spared.”

But Jacob said, “No, please! If I have found favor with you, take this gift from me. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing God's face, since you have accepted me.

When they set out, a terror from God came over the cities around them, and they did not pursue Jacob's sons.

What he did was evil in the LORD's sight, so he put him to death also.

“No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do this immense evil, and how could I sin against God? ”

“We had dreams,” they said to him, “but there is no one to interpret them.”

Then Joseph said to them, “Don't interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”

“I am not able to,” Joseph answered Pharaoh. “It is God who will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”[fn]

“Since the dream was given twice to Pharaoh, it means that the matter has been determined by God, and he will carry it out soon.

and he said to them, “Can we find anyone like this, a man who has God's spirit[fn] in him? ”

“by the God of your father who helps you,

and by the Almighty who blesses you

with blessings of the heavens above,

blessings of the deep that lies below,

and blessings of the breasts and the womb.

“‘Say this to Joseph: Please forgive your brothers' transgression and their sin ​— ​the suffering they caused you.' Therefore, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when their message came to him.

But Joseph said to them, “Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God?

Then he continued, “I am the God of your father,[fn] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.

So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took God's staff in his hand.

Now the LORD had said to Aaron, “Go and meet Moses in the wilderness.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him.

“This is the finger of God,” the magicians said to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh's heart was hard, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.

“Make an appeal to the LORD. There has been enough of God's thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don't need to stay any longer.”

Moses replied, “We will go with our young and with our old; we will go with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds because we must hold the LORD's festival.”

Pharaoh urgently sent for Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you.

But Moses said to the people, “Don't be afraid. Stand firm and see the LORD's salvation that he will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again.

Then the angel of God, who was going in front of the Israelite forces, moved and went behind them. The pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and stood behind them.

He said, “If you will carefully obey the LORD your God, do what is right in his sight, pay attention to his commands, and keep all his statutes, I will not inflict any illnesses on you that I inflicted on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”

Moses continued, “The LORD will give you meat to eat this evening and all the bread you want in the morning, for he has heard the complaints that you are raising against him. Who are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the LORD.”

Moses told Aaron, “Take a container and put two quarts[fn] of manna in it. Then place it before the LORD to be preserved throughout your generations.”

Moses said to Joshua, “Select some men for us and go fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the hilltop with God's staff in my hand.”

Moses's father-in-law, Jethro, along with Moses's wife and sons, came to him in the wilderness where he was camped at the mountain of God.

Then Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses's father-in-law in God's presence.

Moses replied to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God.

“Instruct them about the statutes and laws, and teach them the way to live and what they must do.

Moses went up the mountain to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain: “This is what you must say to the house of Jacob and explain to the Israelites:

Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.

Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God, because the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name.

“his master is to bring him to the judges[fn] and then bring him to the door or doorpost. His master will pierce his ear with an awl, and he will serve his master for life.

“If the thief is not caught, the owner of the house must present himself to the judges[fn] to determine[fn] whether or not he has taken his neighbor's property.

“there must be an oath before the LORD between the two of them to determine whether or not he has taken his neighbor's property. Its owner must accept the oath, and the other man does not have to make restitution.

“Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD.

“Bring the best of the firstfruits of your land to the house of the LORD your God.

“You must not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

Moses came and told the people all the commands of the LORD and all the ordinances. Then all the people responded with a single voice, “We will do everything that the LORD has commanded.”

God did not harm[fn] the Israelite nobles; they saw him, and they ate and drank.

So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua and went up the mountain of God.

The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day he called to Moses from the cloud.

“Whenever he enters the sanctuary, Aaron is to carry the names of Israel's sons over his heart on the breastpiece for decisions, as a continual reminder before the LORD.

When he finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the testimony, stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God.

But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God: “LORD, why does your anger burn against your people you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand?

The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was God's writing, engraved on the tablets.

“Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.

“Bring the best firstfruits of your land to the house of the LORD your God.

“You must not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.”

“When a leader[fn] sins and unintentionally violates any of the commands of the LORD his God by doing what is prohibited, and incurs guilt,

“Do not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God; I am the LORD.

“They are to be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. For they present the food offerings to the LORD, the food of their God, and they must be holy.

“You are to consider him holy since he presents the food of your God. He will be holy to you because I, the LORD who sets you apart, am holy.

“He must not leave the sanctuary or he will desecrate the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him; I am the LORD.

“Tell Aaron: None of your descendants throughout your generations who has a physical defect is to come near to present the food of his God.

“No descendant of the priest Aaron who has a defect is to come near to present the food offerings to the LORD. He has a defect and is not to come near to present the food of his God.

“Neither you nor[fn] a foreigner are to present food to your God from any of these animals. They will not be accepted for you because they are deformed and have a defect.”

“On this particular day you are not to do any work, for it is a Day of Atonement to make atonement for yourselves before the LORD your God.

“On the first day you are to take the product of majestic trees ​— ​palm fronds, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook ​— ​and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days.

“He is not to defile himself for his father or mother, or his brother or sister, when they die, while the mark of consecration to his God is on his head.

Even when the cloud stayed over the tabernacle many days, the Israelites carried out the LORD's requirement and did not set out.

“You are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and your fellowship sacrifices and on your joyous occasions, your appointed festivals, and the beginning of each of your months. They will serve as a reminder for you before your God: I am the LORD your God.”

But Balaam responded to the servants of Balak, “If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go against the command of the LORD my God to do anything small or great.

But God was incensed that Balaam was going, and the angel of the LORD took his stand on the path to oppose him. Balaam was riding his donkey, and his two servants were with him.

The angel of the LORD asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Look, I came out to oppose you, because I consider what you are doing to be evil.[fn]

Then the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you are to say only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak's officials.

Balaam proclaimed his poem:

Balak brought me from Aram;

the king of Moab, from the eastern mountains:

“Come, put a curse on Jacob for me;

come, denounce Israel! ”

When Balaam looked up and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him,

the oracle of one who hears the sayings of God,

who sees a vision from the Almighty,

who falls into a trance with his eyes uncovered:

the oracle of one who hears the sayings of God

and has knowledge from the Most High,

who sees a vision from the Almighty,

who falls into a trance with his eyes uncovered:

Moses gave the tribute to the priest Eleazar as a contribution for the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

“Do not show partiality when deciding a case; listen to small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.

“But you were not willing to go up. You rebelled against the command of the LORD your God.

“You answered me, ‘We have sinned against the LORD. We will go up and fight just as the LORD our God commanded us.' Then each of you put on his weapons of war and thought it would be easy to go up into the hill country.

“Indeed, the LORD's hand was against them, to eliminate them from the camp until they had all perished.

“You must not add anything to what I command you or take anything away from it, so that you may keep the commands of the LORD your God I am giving you.

“The day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, the LORD said to me, ‘Assemble the people before me, and I will let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days they live on the earth and may instruct their children.'

“Be careful not to forget the covenant of the LORD your God that he made with you, and make an idol for yourselves in the shape of anything he has forbidden you.

“When you have children and grandchildren and have been in the land a long time, and if you act corruptly, make an idol in the form of anything, and do what is evil in the sight of the LORD your God, angering him,

“Has a people heard God's voice speaking from the fire as you have, and lived?

“Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God, because the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name.

“But now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us and we will die if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer.

“be careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.

“Carefully observe the commands of the LORD your God, the decrees and statutes he has commanded you.

“Righteousness will be ours if we are careful to follow every one of these commands before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us.'

“He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then he gave you manna to eat, which you and your ancestors had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

“So keep the commands of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and fearing him.

“Be careful that you don't forget the LORD your God by failing to keep his commands, ordinances, and statutes that I am giving you today.

“be careful that your heart doesn't become proud and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.

“but remember that the LORD your God gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm his covenant he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

“On the day of the assembly the LORD gave me the two stone tablets, inscribed by God's finger. The exact words were on them, which the LORD spoke to you from the fire on the mountain.

“I saw how you had sinned against the LORD your God; you had made a calf image for yourselves. You had quickly turned from the way the LORD had commanded for you.

“I fell down like the first time in the presence of the LORD for forty days and forty nights; I did not eat food or drink water because of all the sin you committed, doing what was evil in the LORD's sight and angering him.

“When the LORD sent you from Kadesh-barnea, he said, ‘Go up and possess the land I have given you'; you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. You did not believe or obey him.

“Keep the LORD's commands and statutes I am giving you today, for your own good.

“Understand today that it is not your children who experienced or saw the discipline of the LORD your God:

His greatness, strong hand, and outstretched arm;

“It is a land the LORD your God cares for. He is always watching over it from the beginning to the end of the year.

“there will be a blessing, if you obey the commands of the LORD your God I am giving you today,

“You will eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with your household in everything you do,[fn] because the LORD your God has blessed you.

“You will rejoice before the LORD your God ​— ​you, your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the Levite who is within your city gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.

“But whenever you want, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your city gates, according to the blessing the LORD your God has given you. Those who are clean or unclean may eat it, as they would a gazelle or deer,

“You are to eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place the LORD your God chooses ​— ​you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, and the Levite who is within your city gates. Rejoice before the LORD your God in everything you do,

“Do not eat it, so that you and your children after you will prosper, because you will be doing what is right in the LORD's sight.

“Present the meat and blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD your God. The blood of your other sacrifices is to be poured out beside the altar of the LORD your God, but you may eat the meat.

“You must follow the LORD your God and fear him. You must keep his commands and listen to him; you must worship him and remain faithful[fn] to him.

“Stone him to death for trying to turn you away from the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.

“You are to gather all its spoil in the middle of the city square and completely burn the city and all its spoil for the LORD your God. The city is to remain a mound of ruins forever; it is not to be rebuilt.

“This will occur if you obey the LORD your God, keeping all his commands I am giving you today, doing what is right in the sight of the LORD your God.

“You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or make a bald spot on your head[fn] on behalf of the dead,

“You are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and fresh oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, in the presence of the LORD your God at the place where he chooses to have his name dwell, so that you will always learn to fear the LORD your God.

“You may spend the silver on anything you want: cattle, sheep, goats, wine, beer, or anything you desire. You are to feast there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with your family.

“if only you obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow every one of these commands I am giving you today.

“Rejoice before the LORD your God in the place where he chooses to have his name dwell ​— ​you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, the Levite within your city gates, as well as the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow among you.

“All your males are to appear three times a year before the LORD your God in the place he chooses: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Shelters. No one is to appear before the LORD empty-handed.

“Do not set up an Asherah of any kind of wood next to the altar you will build for the LORD your God,

“If a man or woman among you in one of your towns that the LORD your God will give you is discovered doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God and violating his covenant

“The person who acts arrogantly, refusing to listen either to the priest who stands there serving the LORD your God or to the judge, must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.

“For the LORD your God has chosen him and his sons from all your tribes to stand and minister in his name from now on.[fn]

“he may serve in the name of the LORD his God like all his fellow Levites who minister there in the presence of the LORD.

“You must be blameless before the LORD your God.

“This is what you requested from the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, ‘Let us not continue to hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this great fire any longer, so that we will not die! '

“so that they won't teach you to do all the detestable acts they do for their gods, and you sin against the LORD your God.

“You must purge from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, for you will be doing what is right in the LORD's sight.

“you are not to leave his corpse on the tree overnight but are to bury him that day, for anyone hung on a tree is under God's curse. You must not defile the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

“Do not bring a female prostitute's wages or a male prostitute's[fn] earnings into the house of the LORD your God to fulfill any vow, because both are detestable to the LORD your God.

“the first husband who sent her away may not marry her again after she has been defiled, because that would be detestable to the LORD. You must not bring guilt on the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

“Be sure to return it[fn] to him at sunset. Then he will sleep in it and bless you, and this will be counted as righteousness to you before the LORD your God.

“Then the priest will take the basket from you and place it before the altar of the LORD your God.

“I have now brought the first of the land's produce that you, LORD, have given me.

You will then place the container before the LORD your God and bow down to him.

“Then you will say in the presence of the LORD your God:

I have taken the consecrated portion out of my house; I have also given it to the Levites, resident aliens, fatherless children, and widows, according to all the commands you gave me. I have not violated or forgotten your commands.

“There you are to sacrifice fellowship offerings, eat, and rejoice in the presence of the LORD your God.

“Obey the LORD your God and follow his commands and statutes I am giving you today.”

“Now if you faithfully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all his commands I am giving you today, the LORD your God will put you far above all the nations of the earth.

“The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he swore to you, if you obey the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways.

“The LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you will only move upward and never downward if you listen to the LORD your God's commands I am giving you today and are careful to follow them.

“But if you do not obey the LORD your God by carefully following all his commands and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overtake you:

“All these curses will come, pursue, and overtake you until you are destroyed, since you did not obey the LORD your God and keep the commands and statutes he gave you.

“Though you were as numerous as the stars of the sky, you will be left with only a few people, because you did not obey the LORD your God.

“All of you are standing today before the LORD your God ​— ​your leaders, tribes, elders, officials, all the men of Israel,

“so that you may enter into the covenant of the LORD your God, which he is making with you today, so that you may enter into his oath

“but also with those who are standing here with us today in the presence of the LORD our God and with those who are not here today.

“Be sure there is no man, woman, clan, or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations. Be sure there is no root among you bearing poisonous and bitter fruit.

“Then people will answer, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their ancestors, which he had made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.

“Then you will again obey him and follow all his commands I am commanding you today.

“when you obey the LORD your God by keeping his commands and statutes that are written in this book of the law and return to him with all your heart and all your soul.

“For[fn] I am commanding you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live[fn] and multiply, and the LORD your God may bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

“when all Israel assembles in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he chooses, you are to read this law aloud before all Israel.

“Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God so that it may remain there as a witness against you.

When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance[fn]

and divided the human race,

he set the boundaries of the peoples

according to the number of the people of Israel.[fn]

Then[fn] Jeshurun[fn] became fat and rebelled —

you became fat, bloated, and gorged.

He abandoned the God who made him

and scorned the Rock of his salvation.

You ignored the Rock who gave you birth;

you forgot the God who gave birth to you.

Rejoice, you nations, concerning his people,[fn]

for he will avenge the blood of his servants.[fn]

He will take vengeance on his adversaries;[fn]

he will purify his land and his people.[fn]

This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, gave the Israelites before his death.

The God of old is your dwelling place,

and underneath are the everlasting arms.

He drives out the enemy before you

and commands, “Destroy! ”

and commanded the people, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God carried by the Levitical priests, you are to break camp and follow it.

Then Joshua told the Israelites, “Come closer and listen to the words of the LORD your God.”

“For the LORD your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up before us until we had crossed over.

For the Israelites wandered in the wilderness forty years until all the nation's men of war who came out of Egypt had died off because they did not obey the LORD. So the LORD vowed never to let them see the land he had sworn to their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.

So the ark of the LORD was carried around the city, circling it once. They returned to the camp and spent the night there.[fn]

Achan replied to Joshua, “It is true. I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I did:

They replied to him, “Your servants have come from a faraway land because of the reputation of the LORD your God. For we have heard of his fame, and all that he did in Egypt,

On that day he made them woodcutters and water carriers ​— ​as they are today ​— ​for the community and for the LORD's altar at the place he would choose.

The descendants of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the LORD promised Moses the man of God at Kadesh-barnea about you and me.

“On that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land where you have set foot will be an inheritance for you and your descendants forever, because you have followed the LORD my God completely.'

Therefore, Hebron still belongs to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite as an inheritance today because he followed the LORD, the God of Israel, completely.

He gave Caleb son of Jephunneh the following portion among the descendants of Judah based on the LORD's instruction to Joshua: Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron; Arba was the father of Anak).

“When you have written a description of the seven portions of land and brought it to me, I will cast lots for you here in the presence of the LORD our God.

By the LORD's command, they gave him the city Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, which he requested. He rebuilt the city and lived in it.

“You have not deserted your brothers even once this whole time but have carried out the requirement of the command of the LORD your God.

“This is what the LORD's entire community says: ‘What is this treachery you have committed today against the God of Israel by turning away from the LORD and building an altar for yourselves, so that you are in rebellion against the LORD today?

“But if the land you possess is defiled, cross over to the land the LORD possesses where the LORD's tabernacle stands, and take possession of it among us. But don't rebel against the LORD or against us by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the LORD our God.

“that we have built for ourselves an altar to turn away from him. May the LORD himself hold us accountable if we intended to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings on it, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it.

“If you break the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods, and bow in worship to them, the LORD's anger will burn against you, and you will quickly disappear from this good land he has given you.”

Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem and summoned Israel's elders, leaders, judges, and officers, and they presented themselves before God.

On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people at Shechem and established a statute and ordinance for them.

And Eleazar son of Aaron died, and they buried him at Gibeah,[fn] which had been given to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.

The Israelites did what was evil in the LORD's sight; they forgot the LORD their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs.

Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in his upstairs room where it was cool. Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you,” and the king stood up from his throne.

The mountains melted before the LORD,

even Sinai,[fn] before the LORD, the God of Israel.

The Spirit of the LORD enveloped[fn] Gideon, and he blew the ram's horn and the Abiezrites rallied behind him.

The Israelites did not remember the LORD their God who had rescued them from the hand of the enemies around them.

But the grapevine said to them,

“Should I stop giving my wine

that cheers both God and man,

and rule over trees? ”

So they went out to the countryside and harvested grapes from their vineyards. They trampled the grapes and held a celebration. Then they went to the house of their god, and as they ate and drank, they cursed Abimelech.

Then the woman went and told her husband, “A man of God came to me. He looked like the awe-inspiring angel of God. I didn't ask him where he came from, and he didn't tell me his name.

he told her the whole truth and said to her, “My hair has never been cut,[fn] because I am a Nazirite to God from birth. If I am shaved, my strength will leave me, and I will become weak and be like any other man.”

This man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household idols, and installed one of his sons to be his priest.

So they set up for themselves Micah's carved image that he had made, and it was there as long as the house of God was in Shiloh.

The leaders of all the people and of all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God's people: four hundred thousand armed foot soldiers.

So the people went to Bethel and sat there before God until evening. They wept loudly and bitterly,

“May the LORD reward you for what you have done, and may you receive a full reward from the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”

After some time,[fn] Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,[fn] because she said, “I requested him from the LORD.”

A man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Didn't I reveal myself to your forefather's family[fn] when they were in Egypt and belonged to Pharaoh's palace?

Before the lamp of God had gone out, Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was located.

When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the LORD defeat us today before the Philistines? Let's bring the ark of the LORD's covenant from Shiloh. Then it[fn] will go with us and save us from our enemies.”

The ark of God was captured, and Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

When he arrived, there was Eli sitting on his chair beside the road waiting, because he was anxious about the ark of God. When the man entered the city to give a report, the entire city cried out.

The messenger answered, “Israel has fled from the Philistines, and also there was a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”

She named the boy Ichabod,[fn] saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” referring to the capture of the ark of God and to the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband.

After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod,

When the people of Ashdod got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen with his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and returned him to his place.

When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of Israel's God must not stay here with us, because his hand is strongly against us and our god Dagon.”

The people of Gath then sent the ark of God to Ekron, but when it got there, the Ekronites cried out, “They've moved the ark of Israel's God to us to kill us and our people! ”[fn]

They replied, “If you send the ark of Israel's God away, do not send it without an offering. Send back a guilt offering to him, and you will be healed. Then the reason his hand hasn't been removed from you will be revealed.”[fn]

“Look,” the servant said, “there's a man of God in this city who is highly respected; everything he says is sure to come true. Let's go there now. Maybe he'll tell us which way we should go.”

“Good,” Saul replied to his servant. “Come on, let's go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.

As they were going down to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us, but you stay for a while, and I'll reveal the word of God to you.” So the servant went on.

“After that you will come to Gibeah of God where there are Philistine garrisons.[fn] When you arrive at the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place prophesying. They will be preceded by harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres.

When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. Then the Spirit of God came powerfully on him, and he prophesied along with them.

“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.

Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod, was also there. He was the son of Ahitub, the brother of Ichabod son of Phinehas, son of Eli the LORD's priest at Shiloh. But the troops did not know that Jonathan had left.

But the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die? He accomplished such a great deliverance for Israel! No, as the LORD lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he worked with God's help today.” So the people redeemed Jonathan, and he did not die.

“The troops took sheep, goats, and cattle from the plunder ​— ​the best of what was set apart for destruction ​— ​to sacrifice to the LORD your God at Gilgal.”

“Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with a sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Armies, the God of the ranks of Israel ​— ​you have defied him.

Now an evil spirit sent from the LORD came on Saul as he was sitting in his palace holding a spear. David was playing the lyre,

he sent agents to seize David. However, when they saw the group of prophets prophesying with Samuel leading them, the Spirit of God came on Saul's agents, and they also started prophesying.

So he went to Naioth in Ramah. The Spirit of God also came on him, and as he walked along, he prophesied until he entered Naioth in Ramah.

David answered the priest Ahimelech, “The king gave me a mission, but he told me, ‘Don't let anyone know anything about the mission I'm sending you on or what I have ordered you to do.' I have stationed my young men at a certain place.

“Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him and gave him provisions. He also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

Saul asked him, “Why did you and Jesse's son conspire against me? You gave him bread and a sword and inquired of God for him, so he could rise up against me and wait in ambush, as is the case today.”

“Was today the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! Please don't let the king make an accusation against your servant or any of my father's family, for your servant didn't have any idea[fn] about all this.”

David then asked him, “Will you lead me to these raiders? ”

He said, “Swear to me by God that you won't kill me or turn me over to my master, and I will lead you to them.”

He and all his troops set out to bring the ark of God from Baale-judah.[fn] The ark bears the Name, the name of the LORD of Armies who is enthroned between the cherubim.

When they came to Nacon's threshing floor, Uzzah reached out to the ark of God and took hold of it because the oxen had stumbled.

It was reported to King David, “The LORD has blessed Obed-edom's family and all that belongs to him because of the ark of God.” So David went and had the ark of God brought up from Obed-edom's house to the city of David with rejoicing.

the king said to the prophet Nathan, “Look, I am living in a cedar house while the ark of God sits inside tent curtains.”

So the king asked, “Is there anyone left of Saul's family that I can show the kindness of God to? ”

Ziba said to the king, “There is still Jonathan's son who was injured in both feet.”

“Be strong! Let's prove ourselves strong for our people and for the cities of our God. May the LORD's will be done.”[fn]

Then David got up from the ground. He washed, anointed himself, changed his clothes, went to the LORD's house, and worshiped. Then he went home and requested something to eat. So they served him food, and he ate.

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.

“The king will surely listen in order to keep his servant from the grasp of this man who would eliminate both me and my son from God's inheritance.

“Joab your servant has done this to address the issue indirectly,[fn] but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God, knowing everything on earth.”

Zadok was also there, and all the Levites with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. They set the ark of God down, and Abiathar offered sacrifices[fn] until the people had finished marching past.

Now the advice Ahithophel gave in those days was like someone asking about a word from God ​— ​such was the regard that both David and Absalom had for Ahithophel's advice.

“Ziba slandered your servant to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like the angel of God, so do whatever you think best.[fn]

For I have kept the ways of the LORD

and have not turned from my God to wickedness.

For who is God besides the LORD?

And who is a rock? Only our God.

These are the last words of David:

The declaration of David son of Jesse,

the declaration of the man raised on high,[fn]

the one anointed by the God of Jacob.

This is the most delightful of Israel's songs.

The God of Israel spoke;

the Rock of Israel said to me,

“The one who rules the people with justice,

who rules in the fear of God,

Then the angel extended his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, but the LORD relented concerning the destruction and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough, withdraw your hand now! ” The angel of the LORD was then at the threshing floor of Araunah[fn] the Jebusite.

“and keep your obligation to the LORD your God to walk in his ways and to keep his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees. This is written in the law of Moses, so that you will have success in everything you do and wherever you turn,

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.

“You know my father David was not able to build a temple for the name of the LORD his God. This was because of the warfare all around him until the LORD put his enemies under his feet.

“So I plan to build a temple for the name of the LORD my God, according to what the LORD promised my father David: ‘I will put your son on your throne in your place, and he will build the temple for my name.'

My father David had his heart set

on building a temple for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.

The LORD has fulfilled what he promised.

I have taken the place of my father David,

and I sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised.

I have built the temple for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.

“May my words with which I have made my petition before the LORD be near the LORD our God day and night. May he uphold his servant's cause and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires.

Solomon and all Israel with him ​— ​a great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath[fn] to the Brook of Egypt ​— ​observed the festival at that time in the presence of the LORD our God, seven days, and seven more days ​— ​fourteen days.[fn]

When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away to follow other gods. He was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had been.

The LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.

But the word of God came to Shemaiah, the man of God:

A man of God came, however, from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD while Jeroboam was standing beside the altar to burn incense.

When the king heard the message that the man of God had cried out against the altar at Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar and said, “Arrest him! ” But the hand he stretched out against him withered, and he could not pull it back to himself.

Now a certain old prophet was living in Bethel. His son[fn] came and told him all the deeds that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. His sons also told their father the words that he had spoken to the king.

He followed the man of God and found him sitting under an oak tree. He asked him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah? ”

“I am,” he said.

and the prophet cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you rebelled against the LORD's command and did not keep the command that the LORD your God commanded you ​— ​

When the prophet who had brought him back from his way heard about it, he said, “He is the man of God who disobeyed the LORD's command. The LORD has given him to the lion, and it has mauled and killed him, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke to him.”

and he went and found the corpse thrown on the road with the donkey and the lion standing beside the corpse. The lion had not eaten the corpse or mauled the donkey.

After he had buried him, he said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones,

Abijam walked in all the sins his father before him had committed, and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God as his ancestor David had been.

She said to Elijah, “Man of God, what do you have against me? Have you come to call attention to my iniquity so that my son is put to death? ”

Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know you are a man of God and the LORD's word from your mouth is true.”

“Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers with fire, he is God.”

All the people answered, “That's fine.”

Then the man of God approached and said to the king of Israel, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the Arameans have said, “The LORD is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,” I will hand over all this whole huge army to you. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' ”

But Naboth said to Ahab, “As the LORD is my witness, I will never give my ancestors' inheritance to you.”

So King Ahaziah sent a captain with his fifty men to Elijah. When the captain went up to him, he was sitting on top of the hill. He announced, “Man of God, the king declares, ‘Come down! ' ”

She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go sell the oil and pay your debt; you and your sons can live on the rest.”

Then she said to her husband, “I know that the one who often passes by here is a holy man of God,

She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut him in, and left.

So she came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.

When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to his attendant Gehazi, “Look, there's the Shunammite woman.

They served some for the men to eat, but when they ate the stew they cried out, “There's death in the pot, man of God! ” And they were unable to eat it.

A man from Baal-shalishah came to the man of God with his sack full of[fn] twenty loaves of barley bread from the first bread of the harvest. Elisha said, “Give it to the people to eat.”

She said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his skin disease.”

But Naaman got angry and left, saying, “I was telling myself: He will surely come out, stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the skin disease.

Then the man of God asked, “Where did it fall? ”

When he showed him the place, the man of God cut a piece of wood, threw it there, and made the iron float.

The king had appointed the captain, his right-hand man, to be in charge of the city gate, but the people trampled him in the gate. He died, just as the man of God had predicted when the king had come to him.

The king had been speaking to Gehazi, the attendant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me all the great things Elisha has done.”

Elisha came to Damascus while King Ben-hadad of Aram was sick, and the king was told, “The man of God has come here.”

Then he stared steadily at him until he was ashamed.

The man of God wept,

Yet Jehu was not careful to follow the instruction of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins that Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.

The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times. Then you would have struck down Aram until you had put an end to them, but now you will strike down Aram only three times.”

He restored Israel's border from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word the LORD, the God of Israel, had spoken through his servant, the prophet Jonah son of Amittai from Gath-hepher.

Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD his God like his ancestor David

The Israelites secretly did things[fn] against the LORD their God that were not right. They built high places in all their towns from watchtower to fortified city.

They abandoned all the commands of the LORD their God. They made cast images for themselves, two calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed in worship to all the stars in the sky and served Baal.

Even Judah did not keep the commands of the LORD their God but lived according to the customs Israel had practiced.

The settlers said to the king of Assyria, “The nations that you have deported and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the god of the land. Therefore he has sent lions among them that are killing them because the people don't know the requirements of the god of the land.”

because they did not listen to the LORD their God but violated his covenant ​— ​all he had commanded Moses the servant of the LORD. They did not listen, and they did not obey.

One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat. Then his son Esar-haddon became king in his place.

As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mountain. He sent someone to take the bones out of the tombs, and he burned them on the altar. He defiled it according to the word of the LORD proclaimed by the man of God[fn] who proclaimed these things.

Many of the Hagrites were killed because it was God's battle. And they lived there in the Hagrites' place until the exile.

Their relatives, the Levites, were assigned to all the service of the tabernacle, God's temple.

Azariah son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, the chief official of God's temple;

and their relatives, the heads of their ancestral families ​— ​1,760 in all. They were capable men employed in the ministry of God's temple.

but the four chief gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted with the rooms and the treasuries of God's temple.

Then they put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung his skull in the temple of Dagon.

At that time, men came day after day to help David until there was a great army, like an army of God.[fn]

Then he said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if this is from the LORD our God, let's spread out and send the message to the rest of our relatives in all the districts of Israel, including the priests and Levites in their cities with pasturelands, that they should gather together with us.

So David assembled all Israel, from the Shihor of Egypt to the entrance of Hamath,[fn] to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.

Then the LORD's anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him dead because he had reached out to the ark. So he died there in the presence of God.

David feared God that day and said, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me? ”

The ark of God remained with Obed-edom's family in his house for three months, and the LORD blessed his family and all that he had.

so David inquired of God, “Should I attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me? ”

The LORD replied, “Attack, and I will hand them over to you.”

David built houses for himself in the city of David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.

He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levite families. You and your relatives must consecrate yourselves so that you may bring the ark of the LORD God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it.

So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel.

The priests, Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, were to blow trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah were also to be gatekeepers for the ark.

They brought the ark of God and placed it inside the tent David had pitched for it. Then they offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings in God's presence.

and the priests Benaiah and Jahaziel blew the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.

to offer burnt offerings regularly, morning and evening, to the LORD on the altar of burnt offerings and to do everything that was written in the law of the LORD, which he had commanded Israel to keep.

Heman and Jeduthun had with them trumpets and cymbals to play and musical instruments of God. Jeduthun's sons were at the city gate.

“Be strong! Let's prove ourselves strong for our people and for the cities of our God. May the LORD's will be done.”[fn]

This command was also evil in God's sight, so he afflicted Israel.

Then David said, “This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”

“My son,” David said to Solomon, “It was in my heart to build a house for the name of the LORD my God,

“Above all, may the LORD give you insight and understanding when he puts you in charge of Israel so that you may keep the law of the LORD your God.

“Now determine in your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God. Get started building the LORD God's sanctuary so that you may bring the ark of the LORD's covenant and the holy articles of God to the temple that is to be built for the name of the LORD.”

As for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.

“but their duty will be to assist the descendants of Aaron with the service of the LORD's temple, being responsible for the courts and the chambers, the purification of all the holy things, and the work of the service of God's temple ​— ​

All these sons of Heman, the king's seer, were given by the promises of God to exalt him,[fn] for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.

They dedicated part of the plunder from their battles for the repair of the LORD's temple.

“So now in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God, observe and follow all the commands of the LORD your God so that you may possess this good land and leave it as an inheritance to your descendants forever.

“Here are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of God's house. Every willing person of any skill will be at your disposal for the work, and the leaders and all the people are at your every command.”

“So to the best of my ability I've made provision for the house of my God: gold for the gold articles, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron, and wood for the wood, as well as onyx, stones for mounting,[fn] antimony,[fn] stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and a great quantity of marble.

Solomon and the whole assembly with him went to the high place that was in Gibeon because God's tent of meeting, which the LORD's servant Moses had made in the wilderness, was there.

Now I am building a temple for the name of the LORD my God in order to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him, for displaying the rows of the Bread of the Presence continuously, and for sacrificing burnt offerings for the morning and the evening, the Sabbaths and the New Moons, and the appointed festivals of the LORD our God. This is ordained for Israel permanently.

These are Solomon's foundations[fn] for building God's temple: the length[fn] was ninety feet,[fn] and the width thirty feet.[fn]

Then Huram[fn] made the pots, the shovels, and the bowls.

So Huram finished doing the work that he was doing for King Solomon in God's temple:

And because of the cloud, the priests were not able to continue ministering, for the glory of the LORD filled God's temple.

My father David had his heart set

on building a temple for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.

So the LORD has fulfilled what he promised.

I have taken the place of my father David

and I sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised.

I have built the temple for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.

King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand cattle and one hundred twenty thousand sheep and goats. In this manner the king and all the people dedicated God's temple.

According to the ordinances of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests over their service, of the Levites over their responsibilities to offer praise and to minister before the priests following the daily requirement, and of the gatekeepers by their divisions with respect to each temple gate, for this had been the command of David, the man of God.

The king did not listen to the people because the turn of events came from God, in order that the LORD might carry out his word that he had spoken through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, the man of God:

“They offer a burnt offering and fragrant incense to the LORD every morning and every evening, and they set the rows of the Bread of the Presence on the ceremonially clean table. They light the lamps of the gold lampstand every evening. We are carrying out the requirements of the LORD our God, while you have abandoned him.

Asa did what was good and right in the sight of the LORD his God.

He brought his father's consecrated gifts and his own consecrated gifts into God's temple: silver, gold, and utensils.

“And now, may the terror of the LORD be on you. Watch what you do, for there is no injustice or partiality or taking bribes with the LORD our God.”

Ahaziah's downfall came from God when he went to Joram. When Ahaziah arrived, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.

He was hiding with them in God's temple for six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.

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.

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

So the king called Jehoiada the high priest and said, “Why haven't you required the Levites to bring from Judah and Jerusalem the tax imposed by the LORD's servant Moses and the assembly of Israel for the tent of the testimony?

Then a proclamation was issued in Judah and Jerusalem that the tax God's servant Moses imposed on Israel in the wilderness be brought to the LORD.

He was buried in the city of David with the kings because he had done what was good in Israel with respect to God and his temple.

The Spirit of God enveloped[fn] Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood above the people and said to them, “This is what God says, ‘Why are you transgressing the LORD's commands so that you do not prosper? Because you have abandoned the LORD, he has abandoned you.' ”

However, a man of God came to him and said, “King, do not let Israel's army go with you, for the LORD is not with Israel ​— ​all the Ephraimites.

Then Amaziah said to the man of God, “What should I do about the 7,500 pounds of silver I gave to Israel's division? ”

The man of God replied, “The LORD is able to give you much more than this.”

They took their stand against King Uzziah and said, “Uzziah, you have no right to offer incense to the LORD ​— ​only the consecrated priests, the descendants of Aaron, have the right to offer incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully! You will not receive honor from the LORD God.”

So Jotham strengthened his position because he did not waver in obeying[fn] the LORD his God.

A prophet of the LORD named Oded was there. He went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, “Look, the LORD God of your ancestors handed them over to you because of his wrath against Judah, but you slaughtered them in a rage that has reached heaven.

He said to them, “Hear me, Levites. Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the LORD, the God of your ancestors. Remove everything impure from the holy place.

“It is in my heart now to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel so that his burning anger may turn away from us.

“Don't be like your ancestors and your brothers who were unfaithful to the LORD, the God of their ancestors so that he made them an object of horror as you yourselves see.

They stood at their prescribed posts, according to the law of Moses, the man of God. The priests splattered the blood received from the Levites,

Hezekiah did this throughout all Judah. He did what was good and upright and true before the LORD his God.

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.

Manasseh set up a carved image of the idol, which he had made, in God's temple that God had spoken about to David and his son Solomon: “I will establish my name forever[fn] in this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.

When he was in distress, he sought the favor of the LORD his God and earnestly humbled himself before the God of his ancestors.

The rest of the events of Manasseh's reign, along with his prayer to his God and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, are written in the Events of Israel's Kings.

In the eighteenth year of his reign, in order to cleanse the land and the temple, Josiah sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, along with Maaseiah the governor of the city and the court historian Joah son of Joahaz, to repair the temple of the LORD his God.

He had all those present in Jerusalem and Benjamin agree[fn] to it. So all the inhabitants of Jerusalem carried out the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.

His officials also donated willingly for the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, chief officials of God's temple, gave twenty-six hundred Passover sacrifices and three hundred cattle for the priests.

But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, “What is the issue between you and me, king of Judah? I have not come against you today[fn] but I am fighting another dynasty.[fn] God told me to hurry. Stop opposing God who is with me; don't make him destroy you! ”

He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before the prophet Jeremiah at the LORD's command.

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.

“Any of his people among you, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem.

King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the LORD's house that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and had placed in the house of his gods.

After they arrived at the LORD's house in Jerusalem, some of the family heads gave freewill offerings for the house of God in order to have it rebuilt on its original site.

Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests along with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his brothers began to build the altar of Israel's God in order to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God.

In the second month of the second year after they arrived at God's house in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brothers, including the priests, the Levites, and all who had returned to Jerusalem from the captivity, began to build. They appointed the Levites who were twenty years old or more to supervise the work on the LORD's house.

Now the construction of God's house in Jerusalem had stopped and remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia.

But when the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them,

But God was watching[fn] over the Jewish elders. These men wouldn't stop them until a report was sent to Darius, so that they could receive written instructions about this matter.

Let it be known to the king that we went to the house of the great God in the province of Judah. It is being built with cut[fn] stones, and its beams are being set in the walls. This work is being done diligently and succeeding through the people's efforts.

This is the reply they gave us:

We are the servants of the God of the heavens and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished.

However, in the first year of King Cyrus of Babylon, he issued a decree to rebuild the house of God.

Then this same Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of God's house in Jerusalem. It has been under construction from that time until now, but it has not been completed.

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,

The gold and silver articles of God's house that Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon must also be returned. They are to be brought to the temple in Jerusalem where they belong[fn] and put into the house of God.

Leave the construction of the house of God alone. Let the governor and elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its original site.

May the God who caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who dares[fn] to harm or interfere with this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued the decree. Let it be carried out diligently.

So the Jewish elders continued successfully with the building under the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished the building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and King Artaxerxes of Persia.

Then the Israelites, including the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles, celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.

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.

 ​— ​came up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him everything he requested because the hand of the LORD his God was on him.

He began the journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month and arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month since the gracious hand of his God was on him.

Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, an expert in the law of the God of the heavens:

Greetings.

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.

and all the silver and gold you receive throughout the province of Babylon, together with the freewill offerings given by the people and the priests to the house of their God in Jerusalem.

Deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles given to you for the service of the house of your God.