1 Kings 15 Cross References - ISV

¹ Abijah’s Reign over Judah
Abijah reigned over Judah starting in the eighteenth year of Nebat’s son Jeroboam’s reign. ² He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom. ³ He practiced the same sins that his father committed before he was born. Unlike his ancestor David, his heart never became devoted to the LORD his God. ⁴ Nevertheless, for the sake of David, the LORD his God maintained a lamp for David in Jerusalem by raising up his son after him so that Jerusalem would be established, ⁵ because David had practiced what the LORD considered to be right. He never avoided anything that the LORD had commanded him during his entire lifetime, except for the case of Uriah the Hittite.
⁶ There was continual military conflict between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout his entire lifetime. ⁷ The rest of Abijah’s accomplishments, including everything he undertook, are written in the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, are they not? And a state of war continued to exist between Abijah and Jeroboam. ⁸ Eventually, Abijah died, as did his ancestors, and he was buried in the City of David. His son Asa succeeded him as king.
⁹ Asa Reigns over Judah
Asa began to reign as Judah’s king during the twentieth year of the reign of Jeroboam as king over Israel. ¹⁰ He reigned 41 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom. ¹¹ Asa practiced what the LORD considered to be right, just like his ancestor David. ¹² He also removed the male cult prostitutes from the land and destroyed all the idols that his ancestors had made. ¹³ He removed his mother Maacah from her position as Queen Mother because she had made a detestable image dedicated to Asherah. Asa cut down his mother’s idol, crushed it, and burned it at the Kidron Brook. ¹⁴ Nevertheless, the high places were not removed, even though Asa’s heart was blameless toward the LORD all of his life. ¹⁵ Asa brought into the LORD’s Temple the things that his father had dedicated, as well as his own dedicated gifts such as silver, gold, and temple service implements.
¹⁶ Alliances with Aram against Israel
A state of continual military unrest existed between Asa and King Baasha of Israel throughout their lifetimes. ¹⁷ King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and interdicted Ramah by building fortifications around it so no one could enter or leave to join King Asa of Judah. ¹⁸ But Asa removed all the silver and gold from the treasuries of the Lord’s Temple and from his royal palace, placed them into the care of some servants, and then sent them to Tabrimmon’s son King Ben-hadad of Aram, the grandson of Hezion, who lived in Damascus.
¹⁹ “Let’s make a treaty between you and me,” he said, “just like the one between my father and your father. Notice that I’ve sent you silver and gold to break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he’ll retreat from his attack on me.”
²⁰ So King Ben-hadad did just what King Asa had asked: he sent his commanding officers to attack the cities of Israel, conquering Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, all of Chinneroth, and the territory of Naphtali. ²¹ When Baasha learned of this, he stopped fortifying Ramah and remained in Tirzah, ²² so King Asa published a proclamation throughout Judah (no one was left out) and they carried away the stones and timber with which Baasha had been fortifying Judah. King Asa used them to fortify Geba in Benjamin and Mizpah.
²³ The rest of Asa’s accomplishments, his strength, everything that he undertook, and the cities that he fortified are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, are they not? However, as he approached old age, he became diseased in his feet. ²⁴ Then Asa died, as had his ancestors, and he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David, his ancestor. His son Jehoshaphat reigned in his place.
²⁵ Nadab Reigns over IsraelJeroboam’s son Nadab became king over Israel during the second year of the reign of King Asa over Judah. He reigned over Israel for two years, ²⁶ practicing what the LORD considered to be evil, living the way his father did, committing sins, and leading Israel to sin. ²⁷ So Ahijah’s son Baasha from the household of Issachar conspired against him and killed Nadab at Gibbethon in Philistia while Nadab and all of Israel were attacking Gibbethon. ²⁸ Baasha killed him during the third year of the reign of King Asa of Judah and took Nadab’s place as king.
²⁹ As soon as he was established as king, he killed everyone in the household of Jeroboam. He left not even one single person alive. He destroyed them completely, just as the LORD had spoken through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite, ³⁰ because of the sins that Jeroboam had committed, and because he led Israel into sin, provoking the LORD God of Israel to become angry.
³¹ Now the rest of Nadab’s accomplishments, including everything he undertook, are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel, are they not? ³² Meanwhile, a state of war continued to exist between Asa and Baasha king of Israel, throughout their reigns.
³³ Baasha Reigns over IsraelDuring the third year of the reign of King Asa of Judah, Ahijah’s son Baasha became king over all of Israel. He reigned for 24 years at Tirzah. ³⁴ He practiced what the LORD considered to be evil, living like Jeroboam did and leading Israel into sin.

³¹ but eventually Rehoboam died, as had his ancestors, and he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His mother’s name had been Naamah the Ammonite, and his son Abijah became king to replace him.

¹ Abijah Succeeds Rehoboam
During the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. ² He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Uriel’s daughter Micaiah from Gibeah.
A war started between Abijah and Jeroboam. ³ Abijah started the battle with an army of 400,000 specially chosen valiant soldiers, but Jeroboam opposed him with 800,000 specially chosen valiant soldiers. ⁴ Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim and announced: “Listen to me, Jeroboam and Israel! ⁵ Don’t you know that the LORD God of Israel assigned the kingship over Israel to David and his descendants forever by a salt covenant? ⁶ Even so, Nebat’s son Jeroboam, who used to serve David’s son Solomon, rose in rebellion against his own master! ⁷ Useless troublemakers soon gathered around him, who turned out to be too strong for Rehoboam, because he was young, timid, and unable to withstand them. ⁸ “So now you think you’ll be able to withstand the LORD’s kingdom as controlled by David’s descendants, just because you have a large crown and have brought with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods. ⁹ Haven’t you already driven away the LORD’s priests, the descendants of Aaron and the descendants of Levi? Haven’t you established your own priests like the people of other lands? ¹⁰ “Now as far as we’re concerned, the LORD is our God, and we haven’t abandoned him. The descendants of Aaron are ministering to the LORD as priests, and the descendants of Levi continue their work. ¹¹ Every morning and evening, they’re offering burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the LORD, the showbread is set out on the pure table, and they take care of the golden lamp stand so its lamps can continue to burn every evening. We continue to be faithful over what the LORD our God entrusted to us, but you have abandoned him. ¹² Now listen! God is with us to lead us, and his priests are about to sound their battle trumpets against you. Descendants of Israel, don’t fight against the LORD God of your ancestors, because you won’t succeed!”
¹³ But Jeroboam had sent an ambush to attack from the rear, so Israel was in front of Judah, with the ambush set in place behind them. ¹⁴ When the army of Judah turned around to look, they were being attacked from both front and rear, so they cried out to the LORD while the priests sounded their trumpets. ¹⁵ Then the army of Judah sounded a war cry, and God routed Jeroboam and the entire army of Israel in front of Abijah and Judah. ¹⁶ When the descendants of Israel ran away from the army of Judah, God handed them over to the army of Judah. ¹⁷ Abijah and his army defeated them in a tremendous slaughter that resulted in 500,000 special forces from Israel being slain. ¹⁸ And so the descendants of Israel were defeated at that time. The descendants of Judah were victorious because they trusted in the LORD God of their ancestors. ¹⁹ After this Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured Bethel and its villages, Jeshanah and its villages, and Ephron and its villages.
²⁰ Jeroboam’s Death and Asa’s Reign in JudahJeroboam never recovered his strength for the rest of Abijah’s life. The LORD struck Jeroboam, and he died, ²¹ but Abijah continued to grow more powerful. He took fourteen wives for himself and fathered 22 sons and sixteen daughters. ²² The rest of Abijah’s accomplishments, his lifestyle and his memoirs are recorded in the Midrash of the Prophet Iddo.

¹³ He removed his mother Maacah from her position as Queen Mother because she had made a detestable image dedicated to Asherah. Asa cut down his mother’s idol, crushed it, and burned it at the Kidron Brook.

²⁰ After this he married Absalom’s daughter Maacah, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. ²¹ Rehoboam loved Absalom’s daughter Maacah more than he did all of his wives and mistresses. (He married eighteen wives and 60 concubines, fathering 28 sons and 60 daughters.) ²² Later, Rehoboam appointed Abijah, his son from Maacah, as senior family leader among his brothers, since he intended to establish Abijah as king.

² He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Uriel’s daughter Micaiah from Gibeah.
A war started between Abijah and Jeroboam.

¹⁴ If you will live life my way, keeping my statutes and my commands, just like your father David did, I’ll also increase the length of your life.”

⁴ because as Solomon grew older, his wives turned his affections away after other gods, and his heart was not fully as devoted to the LORD his God as his father David’s heart had been.

³³ I’m doing this because they have abandoned me and worshipped that Sidonian goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Milcom. They haven’t lived my way by doing what I consider to be right and observing my statutes and my ordinances, like his father David did.

²¹ Rehoboam Reigns over Judah
Meanwhile, Solomon’s son Rehoboam reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was 41 years old when he became king, and he reigned for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city where the Lord had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to place his Name. His mother was an Ammonite named Naamah. ²² Judah practiced what the LORD considered to be evil. They did more to provoke him to jealousy than their ancestors had ever done by committing the sins that they committed.

³ “Remember me, LORD,” he said, “how I have walked in your presence with integrity, with an undivided heart, and I have accomplished what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept deeply.

² He practiced what the LORD considered to be right, but not with a perfect heart.

²⁰ Hezekiah did this throughout all of Judah, and he acted well, doing what the LORD his God considered to be right and true. ²¹ Everything that Hezekiah began in the service of God’s Temple was done according to the Law and to the commandments as he sought his God, worked with all of his heart, and became successful.

⁸⁰ May my heart be blameless with respect to your statutes so that I may not become ashamed.

² I’ll make a great nation of your descendants, I’ll bless you, and I’ll make your reputation great, so that you will be a blessing.

²⁹ And so it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham and brought Lot out from the midst of the destruction when he overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.

⁵ I’m going to do this because Abraham did what I told him to do. He kept my instructions, commands, statutes, and laws.”

³⁷ Moreover, he loved your ancestors, chose their descendants after them, and brought you out of Egypt, accompanied by his presence and great power,

¹² When your life is complete and you go to join your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who will come forth from your body, and I will fortify his kingdom. ¹³ He will build a Temple dedicated to my Name, and I will make the throne of his kingdom last forever. ¹⁴ I will be a father to him, and he will be to me a son who, when he commits iniquity, I will discipline with the rod wielded by armies and with wounds inflicted by human beings. ¹⁵ But I’ll never remove my gracious love from him as I did from Saul, whom I removed from your presence. ¹⁶ Your dynasty and your kingdom will remain forever in my presence—your throne will be secure forever.”’”

¹⁷ But Zeruiah’s son Abishai came to David’s aid, attacked the Philistine, and killed him. After this, David’s army told him, “You’re not going out anymore with us to battle, so Israel’s beacon won’t be extinguished!”

¹² I’m not going to do this during your lifetime, for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of your son’s control.

³² I’ll leave him one tribe for the sake of my servant David and one tribe for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I chose from all of the tribes of Israel.

³⁶ I’ll give one tribe to his son, so my servant David will always have a light shining in my presence in Jerusalem, the city that I chose for myself and where I have placed my name.

⁷ Nevertheless, the Lord was unwilling to destroy David’s dynasty because of the covenant that he had made with David, especially since he had promised to give him and to his sons the reigning presence of an heir forever.

²⁸ For you, LORD, make my lamp shine; my God enlightens my darkness.

⁵ Indeed, about Zion it will be said: “More than one person was born in it,” and “The Most High himself did it.”

¹⁷ There I will create a power base for David— I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one.

⁷ Of the growth of his government and peace there will be no end. He will rule over his kingdom, sitting on the throne of David, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies will accomplish this.

³² How will they answer the messengers of the nation? “The LORD has founded Zion, and in it the afflicted among his people will find refuge.”

³⁵ ‘because I will defend this city and deliver it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David!’”

⁷ and give him no rest until he prepares, establishes and makes Jerusalem a song of praise throughout the earth.

² “This is what the LORD says who made the earth, the LORD who formed it in order to establish it—whose name is the LORD—

²⁰ “This is what the LORD says: ‘If you could break my covenant with the day and night so that day and night wouldn’t occur at the proper time, ²¹ then my covenant with my servant David might also be broken so that he wouldn’t have a son sitting on his throne, and so also with my servants the Levitical priests. ²² As the heavenly bodies cannot be counted, and the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I’ll multiply the descendants of my servant David and the descendants of Levi who serve me.’”
²³ This message from the LORD came to Jeremiah: ²⁴ “Haven’t you noticed what these people have been saying?—‘The LORD rejected the two families that he had chosen!’ They have contempt for my people and no longer consider them a nation. ²⁵ This is what the LORD says: ‘If I had not established my covenant for day and night and the laws that govern the heavens and earth, ²⁶ then I might reject the descendants of Jacob and my servant David by not taking some of his descendants as rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Indeed, I’ll restore their fortunes, and I’ll have compassion on them.’”

¹ The Future Reign of God “But in the last days it will come about that the Temple Mount of the LORD will be firmly set as the leading mountain. It will be exalted above its surrounding hills, and people will stream toward it. ² Many nations will approach and say, ‘Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the Temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about his ways, and we will walk according to his directions.’ “Indeed, the Law will proceed from Zion, and the message of the LORD from Jerusalem.

¹⁸ I tell you that you are Peter, and it is on this rock that I will build my congregation, and the powers of hell will not conquer it.

⁶⁹ He has raised up a mighty Savior for us from the family of his servant David, ⁷⁰ just as he promised long ago through the mouth of his holy prophets ⁷¹ that he would save us from our enemies and from the grip of all who hate us. ⁷² He has shown mercy to our ancestors and remembered his holy covenant, ⁷³ the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham. He granted us ⁷⁴ deliverance from our enemies’ grip so that we could serve him without fear ⁷⁵ and be holy and righteous before him all of our days. ⁷⁶ And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, because you will go ahead of the Lord to prepare his way ⁷⁷ and to give his people knowledge of salvation through forgiveness of their sins. ⁷⁸ Because of the tender mercy of our God, his light from on high has visited us, ⁷⁹ to shine on those who sit in darkness and in death’s shadow, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

³² a light that will reveal salvation to unbelievers and bring glory to your people Israel.”

¹² Jesus the Light of the WorldLater on, Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

²⁸ As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake, but as far as election is concerned, they are loved for the sake of their ancestors.

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give this testimony to you for the churches. I am the root and descendent of David, the bright morning star.”

³ David sent word to inquire about her, and someone told him, “This is Eliam’s daughter Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, isn’t it?” ⁴ So David sent some messengers, took her from her home, and she went to him, and he had sex with her. (She had been consecrating herself following her menstrual separation.) Then she returned to her home.

¹⁵ In the message, he wrote: “Assign Uriah to the most difficult fighting at the battle front, and then withdraw from him so that he will be struck down and killed.” ¹⁶ So as Joab began to attack the city, he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew valiant men would be stationed. ¹⁷ When the men of the city came out to fight Joab, some of David’s army staff members fell, and Uriah the Hittite died, too.

⁹ “‘Why did you despise what the LORD has promised by doing what is detestable in his sight?
“‘You struck down Uriah the Hittite with a battle sword.
“‘You took his wife to be your own.
“‘You killed him with the sword of the Ammonite army.
¹⁰ “‘Therefore the sword will never leave your household, because you have despised me by taking the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’

⁴ “Now as for you, if you commune with me like your father did, with an upright heart of integrity and doing everything that I’ve commanded you and keeping my statutes and ordinances,

⁸ ‘I tore the kingdom away from David’s dynasty.‘Then I gave it to you.But you have not lived like my servant David, who kept my commands with all his heart, and did only what I considered to be right.

³ He practiced the same sins that his father committed before he was born. Unlike his ancestor David, his heart never became devoted to the LORD his God.

² He practiced what the LORD considered to be right, living the way his ancestor David had lived, turning neither to the right nor to the left.

² He practiced what the LORD considered to be right, following the example of his ancestor David, turning neither to the right nor to the left.

¹ To the Director: A Davidic Psalm. When the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
A Prayer for Cleansing and Pardon Have mercy, God, according to your gracious love, according to your unlimited compassion, erase my transgressions.

⁶ Then I will not be ashamed, since my eyes will be fixed on all of your commands.

⁶ Both of them were righteous before God, having lived blamelessly according to all of the commandments and regulations of the Lord.

²² Then God removed Saul and made David their king, about whom he testified, ‘I have found that David, the son of Jesse, is a man after my own heart, who will carry out all my wishes.’

³⁶ Now David, after he had served God’s purpose in his own generation, died and was buried with his ancestors, and so he experienced decay.

³⁰ There was continual warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam,

²⁹ As to the rest of Rehoboam’s accomplishments, and everything else that he undertook, they are recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, aren’t they?

¹ God Disciplines Jeroboam’s FamilyRight at that time, Jeroboam’s son Abijah became ill,

⁹ All these were David’s sons, besides children born to his mistresses. Tamar was their sister.

¹ Then Abijah died, as had his ancestors, and he was buried in the City of David. Abijah’s son Asa reigned in his place, and during his lifetime the land enjoyed rest for ten years.

⁷ Solomon fathered Rehoboam, Rehoboam fathered Abijah, Abijah fathered Asaph, ⁸ Asaph fathered Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat fathered Joram, Joram fathered Uzziah,

² He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom.

²⁰ After this he married Absalom’s daughter Maacah, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. ²¹ Rehoboam loved Absalom’s daughter Maacah more than he did all of his wives and mistresses. (He married eighteen wives and 60 concubines, fathering 28 sons and 60 daughters.)

² Asa Chooses to do What is Right
Asa practiced what the LORD his God considered to be right

¹¹ Asa cried out to the LORD his God, telling him, “LORD, there is no one except for you to help between the powerful and the weak. So help us, LORD God, because we’re depending on you and have come against this vast group in your name. LORD, you are our God. Let no mere mortal man defeat you!”

¹⁷ Nevertheless, the high places were not removed from Israel, even though Asa’s heart was blameless all of his life.

⁷ Asa is Rebuked by Hanani the Seer
Right about then, Hanani the seer came to King Asa of Judah and rebuked him. “Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram and have not relied on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your control. ⁸ Weren’t the Ethiopians and the Libyans a vast army with many chariots and cavalry? Yet because you relied on the LORD, he gave them into your control! ⁹ The LORD’s eyes keep on roaming throughout the earth, looking for those whose hearts completely belong to him, so that he may strongly support them. But because you have acted foolishly in this, from now on you will have wars.” ¹⁰ In response, Asa flew into a rage and locked up the seer in stocks in the palace prison because of what Hanani had told him. Asa also tortured some of the people of Israel at that time.

⁷ Later, Solomon even constructed a high place on the mountain east of Jerusalem that was dedicated to Chemosh, that detestable Moabite idol, and to Molech, the detestable Ammonite idol. ⁸ Solomon did this for all of his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their own gods.

²³ They erected high places, sacred pillars, and Asherim for themselves on every high hill and under every green tree. ²⁴ They even maintained male shrine prostitutes throughout the land, and imitated every detestable practice that the nations practiced whom the LORD had expelled in front of the Israelis.

⁴⁶ He also eliminated the male cult prostitutes who still remained from the time of his father Asa.

² Asa Chooses to do What is Right
Asa practiced what the LORD his God considered to be right ³ by removing the foreign altars and high places, tearing down the sacred pillars, cutting down the Asherim, and ⁴ commanding Judah to seek the LORD God of their ancestors and to keep the Law and the commandments. ⁵ He also removed the high places and incense altars from all of the cities of Judah. As a result, the kingdom enjoyed rest under Asa’s leadership.

¹⁸ I told their children in the wilderness, ‘You are not to follow the statutes of your ancestors, observe their ordinances, or be defiled by their idols. ¹⁹ I am the LORD your God. You are to follow my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep them.

² “The LORD was very angry with your ancestors. ³ So tell them, ‘This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: “Return to me,” declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, “and I will return to you. ⁴ Don’t be like your ancestors, to whom the former prophets proclaimed: ‘This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: “It’s time to turn from your evil lifestyles and from your evil actions,” ‘but they would neither listen nor pay attention to me,’” declares the LORD.’ ⁵ “Your ancestors—where are they? And the prophets—do they live forever? ⁶ But my words and my statutes that I gave as commands to my servants the prophets—did they not overwhelm your ancestors? And they returned to me: ‘The LORD of the Heavenly Armies acted toward us just as he planned to do—in keeping with our lifestyles and in keeping with our actions.’”

²⁶ For this reason, God delivered them to degrading passions as their females exchanged their natural sexual function for one that is unnatural. ²⁷ In the same way, their males also abandoned their natural sexual function toward females and burned with lust toward one another. Males committed indecent acts with males, and received within themselves the appropriate penalty for their perversion.

¹⁸ For you know that it was not with perishable things like silver or gold that you have been ransomed from the worthless way of life handed down to you by your ancestors,

⁷ Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities near them, which like them committed sexual sins and pursued homosexual activities, serve as an example of the punishment of eternal fire.

²⁰ He took the calf that they had made, burned it with fire, and ground it into powder. He scattered it on the water and made the Israelis drink it.

³⁰ I’ll destroy your high places and cut down your sun pillars. Then I’ll cast your dead bodies on top of the bodies of your idols. I’ll loathe you.

⁵ This is what you are to do to them: tear down their altars, break their pillars, cut down their ritual pillars, and burn their carved idols in fire,

²¹ Now, when you made the calf that made you sin, I grabbed it, burned it with fire, crushed it, and ground it thoroughly until it was pulverized to powder. Then I threw the powder into the river that was flowing from the mountain.”

⁶ Dealing with Idolaters“Your own blood brother, your son, your daughter, your beloved wife, or your friend who is like your soul mate may entice you quietly. He may tell you, ‘Let’s go and serve other gods,’ (whom neither you nor your ancestors have known ⁷ from the gods of the people that surround you—whether near or far from you—from one end of the earth to the other). ⁸ You must not yield to him, listen to him, look with pity on him, show compassion to him, or even cover up for him. ⁹ But you must surely execute him. You must be the first to put him to death with your own hand, and then the hands of the whole community. ¹⁰ Stone him to death, because he sought to lure you from the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt, from the land of slavery. ¹¹ Then all Israel will hear about it, be afraid, and won’t do this evil thing again among you.

⁹ the one who told his mother and father, ‘I don’t know them,’ and who would neither acknowledge his brothers nor know his own children. For they kept your word and guarded your covenant.

²⁴ Then the army set fire to the city and to everything in it, except that they reserved the silver, gold, and vessels of bronze and iron for the treasury of the LORD.

²³ With all of the people in the territory crying loudly, everybody passed over the Kidron brook, along with the king. Then everyone headed out toward the road that leads to the wilderness.

¹⁰ He reigned 41 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom.

⁴ Hezekiah’s Reforms
He removed the high places, demolished the sacred pillars, and tore down the Asherah poles. He also demolished the bronze serpent that Moses had crafted, because the Israelis had been burning incense to it right up until that time. Hezekiah called it a piece of brass.

⁶ He brought the Asherah from the LORD’s Temple to the Kidron Brook outside Jerusalem, burned it at the Kidron brook, pulverized the ashes to dust, and scattered it over the graves of the common people.

¹² The king demolished the rooftop altars on top of Ahaz’s upper chamber that the kings of Judah had erected, as well as the altars that Manasseh had made in the two courts of the LORD’s Temple. He pulverized them where they stood and cast their dust into the Kidron Brook. ¹³ The king defiled the high places which faced Jerusalem on the south side of Corruption Mountain, which King Solomon of Israel had constructed for Ashtoreth, the Sidonian abomination, for Chemosh, the Moabite abomination, and for Milcom, the Ammonite abomination. ¹⁴ He broke the pillars to pieces, cut down the Asherim, and filled their locations with human bones.
¹⁵ Furthermore, he even broke down the altar that had been at Bethel as well as the high place constructed by Nebat’s son Jeroboam, who had caused Israel to sin. He demolished its stones, pulverized them to dust, and burned the Asherah.

¹⁵ Everybody in Judah was very glad to make their oath, because they had made their vow with all their heart and had sought him with all of their might, and they found him! The LORD also gave them rest in their surrounding lands.
¹⁶ King Asa removed his mother Maacah from her position as Queen Mother because she had made a detestable image dedicated to Asherah. He cut down his mother’s idol, crushed it, and burned it at the Kidron Brook. ¹⁷ Nevertheless, the high places were not removed from Israel, even though Asa’s heart was blameless all of his life. ¹⁸ Asa brought into God’s Temple the things that his father had dedicated, as well as his own dedicated gifts such as silver, gold, and temple service implements. ¹⁹ Asa experienced no more war until the end of the thirty-fifth year of his reign.

⁴ They tore down the altars of Baals in his presence. He chopped down the incense altars that stood high above them. He broke into pieces the Asherim, the carved images, and the cast images, ground them to dust, and scattered the residue on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.

³ It will also come about that if any man would dare to prophesy, then his father and his mother who bore him will respond to him, ‘You will not live, because you are speaking lies in the name of the LORD.’ Then his father and mother who bore him will stab him for prophesying.

³⁷ The Cost of Discipleship
“The one who loves his father or mother more than me isn’t worthy of me, and the one who loves a son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me.

⁴⁶ The True Family of Jesus
While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. ⁴⁷ Someone told him, “Look! Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak to you.”
⁴⁸ He asked the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹ Then pointing with his hand at his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers, ⁵⁰ because whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

¹ Jesus is Betrayed and Arrested
After Jesus had said all of this, he went with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered.

¹⁶ So then, from now on we do not think of anyone from a human point of view. Even if we did think of the Messiah from a human point of view, we don’t think of him that way anymore.

⁵ But we did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might always remain with you.
⁶ Now those who were reputed to be important added nothing to my message. (What sort of people they were makes no difference to me, since God pays no attention to outward appearances.)

¹⁴ But when I saw that they were not acting consistently with the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas in front of everyone, “Though you are a Jew, you have been living like a gentile and not like a Jew. So how can you insist that the gentiles must live like Jews?”

⁶¹ Now let your heart be completely devoted to the LORD our God, to live according to his statutes and to keep his commands, as we are doing today.”

⁴³ He lived like his father Asa and never abandoned that life. He did what the LORD considered to be right. Nevertheless, the high places were not demolished, and the people continued to sacrifice and burn incense on the high places.

³ except that the high places were not demolished, so the people continued to sacrifice and burn incense on the high places.

⁴ except that the high places were not abolished. The people continued to offer sacrifices and to burn incense on the high places.

⁴ except that the high places were never removed, and the people kept on sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.

³ by removing the foreign altars and high places, tearing down the sacred pillars, cutting down the Asherim, and

⁵ He also removed the high places and incense altars from all of the cities of Judah. As a result, the kingdom enjoyed rest under Asa’s leadership.

¹⁷ Nevertheless, the high places were not removed from Israel, even though Asa’s heart was blameless all of his life. ¹⁸ Asa brought into God’s Temple the things that his father had dedicated, as well as his own dedicated gifts such as silver, gold, and temple service implements.

⁹ The LORD’s eyes keep on roaming throughout the earth, looking for those whose hearts completely belong to him, so that he may strongly support them. But because you have acted foolishly in this, from now on you will have wars.”

⁵¹ Thus all the work that King Solomon performed in the LORD’s Temple was finished. Then Solomon brought in the articles that had been dedicated by his father David, including silver, gold, and other utensils, and he placed them into storage in the treasuries of the LORD’s Temple.

²⁶ Shelomoth and his brothers were responsible for all of the treasuries of dedicated gifts given by King David, by the heads of families, by the officers of groups of thousands and groups of hundreds, and by the leading army officers. ²⁷ They dedicated gifts for the maintenance of the Temple of the LORD from spoils of war. ²⁸ Furthermore, everything that Samuel the seer, Kish’s son Saul, Ner’s son Abner, and Zeruiah’s son Joab had dedicated—all of their dedicated gifts—were under the care of Shelomoth and his brothers.

¹³ Asa and his army pursued the Ethiopians as far as Gerar. So many Ethiopians died that their army could not recover, because it had been shattered in the LORD’s presence and in the presence of his army. The Israelis carried off a lot of plunder, too,

¹⁸ Asa brought into God’s Temple the things that his father had dedicated, as well as his own dedicated gifts such as silver, gold, and temple service implements.

⁶ There was continual military conflict between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout his entire lifetime. ⁷ The rest of Abijah’s accomplishments, including everything he undertook, are written in the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, are they not? And a state of war continued to exist between Abijah and Jeroboam.

³² Meanwhile, a state of war continued to exist between Asa and Baasha king of Israel, throughout their reigns.

¹ Asa Attacks Baasha
During the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and interdicted Ramah by building fortifications around it so no one could enter or leave to join King Asa of Judah. ² But Asa removed some silver and gold from the treasuries of the LORD’s Temple and from his royal palace and sent them to King Ben-hadad of Aram, who lived in Damascus. ³ “Let’s make a treaty between you and me,” he said, “just like the one between my father and your father. Notice that I’ve sent you silver and gold to break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he’ll retreat from his attack on me.”
⁴ So King Ben-hadad did just what King Asa had asked: he sent his commanding officers to attack the cities of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Bel-maim, and all of the storage centers in Naphtali. ⁵ When Baasha learned of the attack, he withdrew from Ramah and stopped his interdiction. ⁶ Then King Asa brought his entire army of Judah to carry away the building stones and the timber that Baasha had been using to surround Ramah, and he used those materials to fortify Geba and Mizpah.

²⁵ Also included were Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,

³⁴ Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went to his house in Gibeah of Saul.

²⁷ If these people keep going up to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the LORD there, the hearts of these people will return to their lord, King Rehoboam of Judah. Then they’ll kill me and return to Rehoboam, king of Judah!”

²¹ When Baasha learned of this, he stopped fortifying Ramah and remained in Tirzah, ²² so King Asa published a proclamation throughout Judah (no one was left out) and they carried away the stones and timber with which Baasha had been fortifying Judah. King Asa used them to fortify Geba in Benjamin and Mizpah.

²⁷ So Ahijah’s son Baasha from the household of Issachar conspired against him and killed Nadab at Gibbethon in Philistia while Nadab and all of Israel were attacking Gibbethon.

¹³ The Priests and Levites Support Rehoboam
The priests and descendants of Levi throughout Israel also supported him in their districts, ¹⁴ because the descendants of Levi left their pasture lands and their property to live in Judah and Jerusalem, since Jeroboam and his sons had excluded them from participating in priestly services to the LORD. ¹⁵ Jeroboam had appointed his own priests to serve at the high places and to serve the satyrs and calves that he had made. ¹⁶ As a result, anyone from all of the tribes of Israel who was determined to seek the LORD God of Israel followed the descendants of Levi to Jerusalem so they could sacrifice to the LORD God of their ancestors, ¹⁷ and they continued to strengthen the kingdom of Judah, supporting Solomon’s son Rehoboam for three years, by living the way David and Solomon did for three years.

¹⁵ The End of Rachel’s MourningThis is what the LORD says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter crying. Rachel is crying, and she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no longer alive.”

¹⁵ During the night, Abram and his servants divided his forces, conquered his enemies, and pursued them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.

² But Abram replied, “Lord GOD, what can you give me since I continue to be childless, and the heir of my household is Eliezer from Damascus?

²³ God also raised up Eliada’s son Rezon, who had escaped from his master King Hadadezer of Zobah. ²⁴ He raised an army and commanded a gang of raiders after David had eliminated those who lived in Zobah. Rezon and his army moved to Damascus, remained there, and Rezon ruled from Damascus.

²⁶ He stripped the LORD’s Temple and the royal palace of their treasures. He took everything, even the gold shields that Solomon had made.

¹⁵ Asa brought into the LORD’s Temple the things that his father had dedicated, as well as his own dedicated gifts such as silver, gold, and temple service implements.

¹ Ahab Attacks the ArameansA little while later, King Ben-hadad of Aram mustered an army of cavalry and chariots in a military confederacy with 32 kings, invaded Samaria, and set up siege encampments there. ² Then he sent envoys to visit King Ahab of Israel and told him, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ³ ‘Your silver and gold belong to me. So do the most beautiful of your wives and children.’”
⁴ “Whatever you want, your majesty,” the king of Israel answered. “I belong to you, as does everything I own.”
⁵ After delivering Ahab’s answer, the envoys returned with this message: “This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘I’ve sent my envoys to you to tell you that your silver, gold, wives, and children are to be given to me.

³³ Ben-hadad’s advisors, quickly analyzing the signs in what Ahab was saying, responded, “Yes, your brother Ben-hadad.”
“Go get him,” Ahab responded. So Ben-hadad came out to him, and Ahab took him up into his personal chariot.
³⁴ Ben-hadad made this promise to Ahab: “I will restore the cities that my ancestors took from your ancestors. You’ll be able to build streets named after yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.”
“With this promise I will release you,” Ahab replied. So Ahab made a treaty with Ben-hadad and let him go.

⁷ The Murder of King Ben-hadad of AramLater on, Elisha traveled to Damascus. King Ben-hadad of Aram was ill, but someone informed him, “The man of God has come here!”
⁸ So the king told Hazael, “Take a gift with you and go meet the man of God. Inquire of the LORD through him and ask, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’”
⁹ So Hazael went out to meet with him and took a gift with him—40 camel loads filled with samples of everything good in Damascus. He approached the man of God and said, “Your son King Ben-hadad from Aram has sent me to you to ask you, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’”
¹⁰ But Elisha told him, “Go tell him, ‘You will certainly recover,’ but the LORD has shown me that he will certainly die.” ¹¹ Then Elisha looked steadily at Hazael until Hazael grew ashamed, and then the man of God began to cry.
¹² “Why are you crying, sir?” Hazael asked.
“Because I know the evil that you’re about to bring on the Israelis,” he replied. “You’ll burn down their fortified cities, execute their young men with swords, dash to pieces their little ones, and you’ll tear open their pregnant women!”
¹³ But Hazael responded, “What? Who am I, your servant, that I should do such a horrible thing?”
But Elisha answered, “The LORD has shown me that you will be king over Aram.”
¹⁴ So he left Elisha and returned to his master, who asked him, “What did Elisha tell you?”
He replied, “He told me that you would certainly get better.”
¹⁵ But the very next day, Hazael grabbed a thick covering, soaked it in water, and spread it over the king’s face, and he suffocated. Then Hazael succeeded Ben-hadad as king.

¹⁸ So King Jehoash of Judah took all of the sacred things that his ancestors Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had dedicated, along with his own dedicated things, and all the gold that could be located within the treasure vaults of the LORD’s Temple and in the king’s palace, and paid off King Hazael of Aram. Then Hazael left Jerusalem.

¹⁵ Hezekiah gave him all the silver that could be removed from the LORD’s Temple and from the treasuries in the king’s palace. ¹⁶ At that time, Hezekiah removed the doors to the LORD’s Temple and the doorposts that he had overlaid with gold, and gave the gold to the king of Assyria.

²⁷ “I’ll kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it will devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad.”

⁴ So I will send down fire upon the house of Hazael, and it will devour the palaces of Ben-hadad.

² So the king called together the Gibeonites and conferred with them. Now the Gibeonites weren’t part of the nation of Israel, but were the survivors from the Amorites. Although the Israelis had promised to spare them, Saul had started to execute them in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.

³ “Let’s make a treaty between you and me,” he said, “just like the one between my father and your father. Notice that I’ve sent you silver and gold to break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he’ll retreat from his attack on me.”

⁷ Asa is Rebuked by Hanani the Seer
Right about then, Hanani the seer came to King Asa of Judah and rebuked him. “Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram and have not relied on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your control.

² where Hanani’s son Jehu, the seer, went out to meet him. He asked king Jehoshaphat, “Should you be helping those who are wicked, yes or no? Should you love those who hate the LORD? Wrath is headed your way directly from the LORD because of this.

¹ Only the LORD can Help “How terrible it will be for those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the chariot, because there are so many, and in charioteers, because they are so strong— but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or seek the LORD!

¹³ Then he took one of the royal descendants, made a covenant with him, and put him under an oath of loyalty, taking the leaders of the land captive ¹⁴ in order to humiliate the kingdom so it wouldn’t be able to return to power, but would still be able to continue as long as he keeps his covenant. ¹⁵ But he rebelled against the king of Babylon by sending his messengers to Egypt to obtain horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Or will the one who did this escape? Will he break the covenant, but still be delivered?’”
¹⁶ God will Punish the King“As long as I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “in Babylon, that place where the king has enthroned him, whose oath he despised so as to break his covenant, he’ll die with him.

³¹ foolish, faithless, heartless, and ruthless.

⁸ Or can we say—as some people slander us by claiming that we say—“Let’s do evil that good may result”? They deserve to be condemned!

¹⁴ When Abram heard that his nephew had been taken prisoner, he gathered together 318 of his trained men, who had been born in his household, and they went out in pursuit as far as Dan.

² and to the kings in the north, in the hill country, in the plain south of Chinnereth, in the Shephelah, and in the hills of Dor toward the west,

³ and toward the Arabah as far as the Sea of Galilee to the east, as far as the Arabah Sea (that is, the Dead Sea) to the east as one travels in the direction of Beth-jeshimoth, and to the south as far as the foothills of Pisgah.

²⁹ They renamed the city Dan, after the name of their ancestor Dan, who had been born in Israel. The former name of the city was Laish.

¹⁴ Sheba Dies at Abel of Beth-maacahMeanwhile, Sheba traveled throughout the tribes of Israel in the direction of Abel and Beth-maacah, and all of the descendants of Beri gathered together and followed him inside. ¹⁵ All of the men who had accompanied Joab arrived and besieged Sheba in Abel of Beth-maacah. They threw up a siege ramp against the city rampart and began to batter the wall to demolish it.

²⁹ He set one of them in Bethel and placed the other one in Dan.

²⁹ During the lifetime of King Pekah of Israel, King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria attacked. He captured the cities of Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, and Hazor. He also captured Gilead, Galilee, and the entire territory of Naphtali, and carried its people off to Assyria.

¹⁷ Then Jeroboam’s wife got up and left for Tirzah. As soon as she set foot over the threshold of the house, the child died.

¹⁷ King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and interdicted Ramah by building fortifications around it so no one could enter or leave to join King Asa of Judah.

¹⁵ Zimri Reigns over IsraelZimri reigned for seven days at Tirzah during the twenty-seventh year of the reign of King Asa of Judah. At that time, the army was encamped in a siege against Gibbethon of Philistia. ¹⁶ The army at the encampment heard this report: “Zimri has conspired against the king and killed him.” So the entire army of Israel made Omri, their commander, king over Israel. ¹⁷ Then Omri and the entire army of Israel left from Gibbethon and attacked Tirzah. ¹⁸ When Zimri observed that the city had been captured, he retreated into the king’s palace, set fire to the citadel, and died when the palace burned down around him

⁵ When Baasha learned of the attack, he withdrew from Ramah and stopped his interdiction.

⁴ The LoverYou are beautiful, my darling, like Tirzah, lovely like Jerusalem, as awesome as an army with banners.

²⁴ Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba, for a total of twelve towns and villages.

²⁶ Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah,

¹⁷ From the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with its pasture lands, Geba with its pasture lands,

⁵ Samuel said, “Bring all Israel together at Mizpah, and I’ll pray to the LORD on your behalf.”

⁶ Then King Asa brought his entire army of Judah to carry away the building stones and the timber that Baasha had been using to surround Ramah, and he used those materials to fortify Geba and Mizpah.

⁶ Jeremiah came to Ahikam’s son Gedaliah at Mizpah, and he remained with him among the people who were left in the land.

¹⁰ As for me, I’ll remain at Mizpah to represent you before the Chaldeans who come to us. As for you, gather wine, summer fruit, and oil. Put it in your containers and live in your cities that you have taken over.”

²⁹ As to the rest of Rehoboam’s accomplishments, and everything else that he undertook, they are recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, aren’t they? ³⁰ There was continual warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam, ³¹ but eventually Rehoboam died, as had his ancestors, and he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His mother’s name had been Naamah the Ammonite, and his son Abijah became king to replace him.

⁷ The rest of Abijah’s accomplishments, including everything he undertook, are written in the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, are they not? And a state of war continued to exist between Abijah and Jeroboam. ⁸ Eventually, Abijah died, as did his ancestors, and he was buried in the City of David. His son Asa succeeded him as king.

¹¹ Asa’s Illness and Death
Now the accomplishments of Asa from first to last are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah. ¹² In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa suffered from a foot disease. Even though he suffered greatly, he never sought the LORD, but instead looked to doctors. ¹³ As a result, in the forty-first year of his reign, Asa died, as had his ancestors, ¹⁴ and he was buried in his own tomb that he had prepared for himself in the City of David. He was laid out on a bier that had been filled with various spices prepared by morticians, and the mourners built a massive bonfire to honor his memory.

¹⁰ We live for 70 years, or 80 years if we’re healthy, yet even in the prime years there are troubles and sorrow. They pass by quickly and we fly away.

⁴¹ Jehoshaphat Reigns over JudahAsa’s son Jehoshaphat became king over Judah during the fourth year of the reign of King Ahab of Israel. ⁴² Jehoshaphat was 35 years old when he became king. He reigned 25 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah. She was the daughter of Shilhi. ⁴³ He lived like his father Asa and never abandoned that life. He did what the LORD considered to be right. Nevertheless, the high places were not demolished, and the people continued to sacrifice and burn incense on the high places.

¹ Jehoshaphat Succeeds AsaAsa’s son Jehoshaphat succeeded him as king, and he consolidated his authority over Israel ² by placing troops in all of the fortified citadels through Judah and by establishing garrisons throughout the land of Judah and in the cities that his father Asa had captured.
³ The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example set during his ancestor David’s preliminary years by not pursuing the Baals. ⁴ Instead, Jehoshaphat sought the God of his ancestors and obeyed his commands, unlike Israel. ⁵ Therefore the LORD secured Jehoshaphat’s kingdom under his control, with all of Judah paying him tribute, and Jehoshaphat became very wealthy and greatly respected. ⁶ He remained committed to following the LORD, and he removed the high places and Asherah poles from Judah.
⁷ Jehoshaphat Institutes Teaching ProgramsDuring the third year of his reign, Jehoshaphat sent his officials Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach throughout the cities of Judah. ⁸ They were accompanied by the descendants of Levi, including Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah. These descendants of Levi were accompanied by the priests Elishama and Jehoram. ⁹ They taught throughout Judah from a copy of the Book of the Law of the LORD that they took with them as they passed through all the cities of Judah, teaching among all the people.

⁸ Asaph fathered Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat fathered Joram, Joram fathered Uzziah,

¹² “Now get up and go home. When your feet cross the city line, your child will die.

²⁰ Jeroboam reigned for 22 years and then died, as had his ancestors, and his son Nadab reigned in his place.

⁹ Then Abimelech called Abraham and asked him, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought such great sin against me and my kingdom? You’ve done things to me that ought not to have been done.”

²¹ Then Moses asked Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you brought such great sin upon them?”

²⁴ No, my sons, I’m not hearing good news being circulated by the LORD’s people.

²⁸ So the king sought some advice and then built two golden calves and announced, “It’s too difficult for you to travel to Jerusalem. So here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!” ²⁹ He set one of them in Bethel and placed the other one in Dan. ³⁰ Doing this was sinful, because the people traveled as far as Dan to appear before one of their idols. ³¹ Jeroboam built temples on the high places, and appointed his own priests from the fringe elements of the people who were not descendants of Levi.
³² Jeroboam invented a festival for the fifteenth day of the eighth month similar to the festival that takes place in Judah. He approached the altar that he had set up in Bethel and sacrificed to the calves that he had made, having stationed in Bethel the priests that he had appointed. ³³ Then, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, he went up to burn incense on the altar that he had set up in Bethel, thus beginning the festival that he had made up out of his own heart for the Israelis.

³³ Despite everything that happened, Jeroboam never did repent of his evil practices. Instead, he appointed even more people to act as priests for the high places. Anyone who wanted to be a priest was ordained to be a priest in the high places. ³⁴ This practice became so sinful that the LORD decided to erase Jeroboam’s dynasty, thus eliminating it from the face of the earth.

¹⁶ He will give up Israel because of Jeroboam’s sins that he committed and by which Jeroboam caused Israel to sin.”

³⁰ because of the sins that Jeroboam had committed, and because he led Israel into sin, provoking the LORD God of Israel to become angry.

³⁴ He practiced what the LORD considered to be evil, living like Jeroboam did and leading Israel into sin.

⁷ In addition, a message from the LORD came through Hanani’s son Jehu the prophet against Baasha and his household, not only because of all of the things that Baasha did that the LORD considered to be evil, including provoking the LORD to anger by what he did and by being like the household of Jeroboam, but also because Baasha had destroyed Jeroboam’s household.

¹⁹ because of the sins that he committed by doing what the LORD considered to be evil, living like Jeroboam did, and sinning so as to lead Israel into sin.

²⁵ Omri practiced what the LORD considered to be evil, doing far more evil than anyone who had reigned before him. ²⁶ He lived just like Nebat’s son Jeroboam, and by his sin he led Israel into sin, provoking the LORD God of Israel with their idolatry.

³⁰ Omri’s son Ahab practiced more of what the LORD considered to be evil than anyone who had lived before him.

²² I will make your household resemble that of Nebat’s son Jeroboam, or like the household of Ahijah’s son Baasha, because of how you’ve provoked me to anger and made Israel to sin.

⁵² He practiced what the Lord considered to be evil by living life like his father and mother did. He lived like Nebat’s son Jeroboam, who led Israel into sin.

³ Even so, he kept on committing the sins that Nebat’s son Jeroboam had done, which ensnared Israel in sin—he never abandoned them.

¹¹ “Because King Manasseh of Judah has committed these despicable things, acting more sinfully than did all of the Amorites who preceded him, including making Judah sin with its idols,

¹⁵ Furthermore, he even broke down the altar that had been at Bethel as well as the high place constructed by Nebat’s son Jeroboam, who had caused Israel to sin. He demolished its stones, pulverized them to dust, and burned the Asherah.

³⁵ They built the high places of Baal that are in the Hinnom Valley in order to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech—something that I didn’t command, nor did it ever enter my mind for them to require this utterly repugnant thing—and lead Judah into sin.”

¹⁵ For if your brother is being hurt by what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not destroy the person for whom the Messiah died by what you eat.

¹⁰ For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you, who know better, eating in an idol’s temple, he will be encouraged to eat what has been offered to idols, won’t he? ¹¹ In that case, the weak brother for whom the Messiah died is ruined by your knowledge. ¹² When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak consciences, you are sinning against the Messiah. ¹³ Therefore, if food that I eat causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, in order to keep my brother from stumbling.

⁴⁴ Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,

²³ From the tribe of Dan were allocated Elteke with its pasture lands, Gibbethon with its pasture lands,

¹⁴ “In addition to this, the LORD will raise up for himself a king over Israel who will eliminate Jeroboam’s dynasty, starting today and from now on.

¹⁶ Alliances with Aram against Israel
A state of continual military unrest existed between Asa and King Baasha of Israel throughout their lifetimes. ¹⁷ King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and interdicted Ramah by building fortifications around it so no one could enter or leave to join King Asa of Judah.

⁹ But his servant Zimri, who commanded half of his chariot forces, conspired against Elah while he was drinking himself drunk in the home of Arza, who managed the household at Tirzah.

¹⁵ Zimri Reigns over IsraelZimri reigned for seven days at Tirzah during the twenty-seventh year of the reign of King Asa of Judah. At that time, the army was encamped in a siege against Gibbethon of Philistia.

¹⁷ Then Omri and the entire army of Israel left from Gibbethon and attacked Tirzah.

²⁰ His servants rose up in rebellion, formed a conspiracy, and assassinated Joash in the palace at the terrace ramparts while he was on his way down to Silla.

³⁵ To me belong vengeance and recompense. In due time their feet will slip, because their time of calamity is near and the things prepared for them draw near.

⁹ ‘Instead, you have done more evil than everyone who lived before you.‘You have gone out and crafted other gods for yourself.‘You made cast images.‘You have provoked me to anger.‘You have thrown me behind your back. ¹⁰ ‘Therefore, watch while I bring calamity on Jeroboam’s dynasty!‘I will eliminate every male, both slave and free in Israel, from Jeroboam.‘I will burn up Jeroboam’s dynasty, as a man burns up manure until it is gone. ¹¹ Dogs will eat anyone who dies in the city that belongs to Jeroboam’s household. The birds of the sky will eat anyone who dies in the open field, because the LORD has determined it.’ ¹² “Now get up and go home. When your feet cross the city line, your child will die. ¹³ Everyone in Israel will mourn for him and will bury him, because he alone from Jeroboam’s family will receive a decent burial, because something good was observed in him with respect to the LORD God of Israel out of all the household of Jeroboam! ¹⁴ “In addition to this, the LORD will raise up for himself a king over Israel who will eliminate Jeroboam’s dynasty, starting today and from now on. ¹⁵ The LORD will attack Israel, and Israel will shake like a reed shakes in a river current! He will uproot Israel from this good land that he gave to their ancestors and he will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they erected their Asherim and provoked the LORD to become angry! ¹⁶ He will give up Israel because of Jeroboam’s sins that he committed and by which Jeroboam caused Israel to sin.”

⁷ You are to attack the household of your master Ahab, so I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, as well as the blood of all of the servants of the LORD that has been spilled at Jezebel’s orders. ⁸ The entire household of Ahab will die, and I will cut off from Ahab every male person in Israel, whether imprisoned or surviving. ⁹ I will make the household of Ahab like the household of Nebat’s son Jeroboam and the household of Ahijah’s son Baasha. ¹⁰ Furthermore, the dogs will eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel. There will be no burial for her.’” Then he opened the door and left.

³⁶ So they returned and reported to Jehu, and he responded, “This fulfills this message from the LORD that he spoke through his servant Elijah the foreigner, who said: ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel’s flesh on the property of Jezreel, ³⁷ and her corpse will lie like dung on the surface of the field on the property in Jezreel, but no one will say, “This is Jezebel.”’”

¹⁰ Keep this in mind—not a single statement by the LORD will fail to come about that he spoke concerning Ahab’s dynasty, because the LORD has accomplished what he predicted by his servant Elijah.”
¹¹ So Jehu executed all those who remained from Ahab’s dynasty in Jezreel, including all of Ahab’s men, his friends, and his priests, until there remained not even one survivor.

³¹ But Jehu did not remain careful to walk in the instruction of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart. He never abandoned the sins of Jeroboam that had caused Israel to sin.

²⁵ ‘Didn’t you hear? I determined it years ago! I planned this from ancient times, and now I’ve brought it to pass, to turn fortified cities into piles of ruins

²² Judah practiced what the LORD considered to be evil. They did more to provoke him to jealousy than their ancestors had ever done by committing the sins that they committed.

²⁶ practicing what the LORD considered to be evil, living the way his father did, committing sins, and leading Israel to sin.

¹⁹ The Death of JeroboamNow as for the rest of Jeroboam’s accomplishments, including how he waged war and how he reigned, you may read about them in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

⁵ Now the rest of Baasha’s accomplishments, including everything that he undertook, as well as his strengths, are recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel, are they not?

¹⁴ Now the rests of Elah’s accomplishments, including everything he undertook, are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel, are they not?

²⁰ The rest of Zimri’s accomplishments, including his conspiracy that he carried out, are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel, are they not?

²⁷ Now the rest of Omri’s accomplishments, including the power that he demonstrated, are recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel, are they not?

¹⁶ Alliances with Aram against Israel
A state of continual military unrest existed between Asa and King Baasha of Israel throughout their lifetimes.

⁸ Elah Reigns over IsraelDuring the twenty-sixth year of the reign of King Asa of Judah, Baasha’s son Elah became king over Israel and reigned at Tirzah for two years.

²⁸ So the king sought some advice and then built two golden calves and announced, “It’s too difficult for you to travel to Jerusalem. So here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!” ²⁹ He set one of them in Bethel and placed the other one in Dan.

⁴ “Oh, you sinful nation! You people burdened down by iniquity! You offspring of those who keep practicing what is evil! You corrupt children! “They’ve abandoned the LORD; they’ve despised the Holy One of Israel; in their estrangement, they’ve walked away from me.