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Then the people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, Jehoram's youngest son, their next king, since the marauding bands who came with the Arabs had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram reigned as king of Judah.

While Jehu was executing judgment against the family of Ahab, he happened to meet some of Judah's officials and Ahaziah's relatives who were traveling with Ahaziah. So Jehu killed them all.

But Ahaziah's sister Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Ahaziah's infant son, Joash, and stole him away from among the rest of the king's children, who were about to be killed. She put Joash and his nurse in a bedroom. In this way, Jehosheba, wife of Jehoiada the priest and sister of Ahaziah, hid the child so that Athaliah could not murder him.

So the Levites and all the people of Judah did everything as Jehoiada the priest ordered. The commanders took charge of the men reporting for duty that Sabbath, as well as those who were going off duty. Jehoiada the priest did not let anyone go home after their shift ended.

So they seized her and led her out to the entrance of the Horse Gate on the palace grounds, and they killed her there.

So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was peaceful because Athaliah had been killed.

He summoned the priests and Levites and gave them these instructions: "Go to all the towns of Judah and collect the required annual offerings, so that we can repair the Temple of your God. Do not delay!" But the Levites did not act immediately.

So the king called for Jehoiada the high priest and asked him, "Why haven't you demanded that the Levites go out and collect the Temple taxes from the towns of Judah and from Jerusalem? Moses, the servant of the Lord , levied this tax on the community of Israel in order to maintain the Tabernacle of the Covenant."

So now the king ordered a chest to be made and set outside the gate leading to the Temple of the Lord .

He was buried among the kings in the City of David, because he had done so much good in Israel for God and his Temple.

Although the Arameans attacked with only a small army, the Lord helped them conquer the much larger army of Judah. The people of Judah had abandoned the Lord , the God of their ancestors, so judgment was carried out against Joash.

So Amaziah discharged the hired troops and sent them back to Ephraim. This made them very angry with Judah, and they returned home in a great rage.

But the king interrupted him and said, "Since when have I made you the king's counselor? Be quiet now before I have you killed!" So the prophet stopped with this warning: "I know that God has determined to destroy you because you have done this and have refused to accept my counsel."

So King Jehoash of Israel mobilized his army against King Amaziah of Judah. The two armies drew up their battle lines at Beth-shemesh in Judah.

So King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in isolation in a separate house, for he was excluded from the Temple of the Lord . His son Jotham was put in charge of the royal palace, and he governed the people of the land.

So the warriors released the prisoners and handed over the plunder in the sight of the leaders and all the people.

So when King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria arrived, he attacked Ahaz instead of helping him.

The king took the various articles from the Temple of God and broke them into pieces. He shut the doors of the Lord 's Temple so that no one could worship there, and he set up altars to pagan gods in every corner of Jerusalem.

But now I will make a covenant with the Lord , the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us.

They began the work in early spring, on the first day of the new year, and in eight days they had reached the entry room of the Lord 's Temple. Then they purified the Temple of the Lord itself, which took another eight days. So the entire task was completed in sixteen days.