David

ADONAI was with Y'hoshafat, because he lived according to the first ways of his ancestor David, not seeking the ba'alim,

Y'hoshafat slept with his ancestors and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David, and Y'horam his son became king in his place.

However, ADONAI was unwilling to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant he had made with David; inasmuch as he had promised to give him and his children a lamp that would burn forever.

A letter came to him from Eliyahu the prophet which said, "Here is what ADONAI, the God of David your ancestor, says: 'You have not lived by the examples of Y'hoshafat your father or Asa king of Y'hudah.

He was thirty-two years old when he began his reign, he ruled in Yerushalayim for eight years, and he left without joy. They buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

The whole assembly made an agreement with the king in the house of God. [Y'hoyada] addressed them: "Here! The king's son will reign, as ADONAI said in regard to the descendants of David!

Y'hoyada the cohen issued to the captains of hundreds the spears and the large and small shields that had been King David's and were kept in the house of God.

Y'hoyada appointed officers for the house of ADONAI under the supervision of the cohanim and L'vi'im, whom David had assigned turns of duty in the house of ADONAI, to offer the burnt offerings of ADONAI, as written in the Torah of Moshe, with rejoicing and singing in keeping with David's orders.

They buried him in the City of David among the kings, because he had served Isra'el, God and his house well.

After they had left him - and they left him seriously wounded - his own servants conspired against him because he had shed the blood of the sons of Y'hoyada the cohen; and they killed him in his own bed. After he died, they buried him in the City of David, but they didn't bury him in the tombs of the kings.

Yotam slept with his ancestors and they buried him in the City of David. Then Achaz his son took his place as king.

Achaz was twenty years old when he began his reign, and he ruled sixteen years in Yerushalayim. But he did not do what was right from the perspective of ADONAI, as David his ancestor had done.

He did what was right from ADONAI's perspective, following the example of everything David his ancestor had done.

He stationed the L'vi'im in the house of ADONAI with cymbals, lyres and lutes, in keeping with the order of David, Gad the king's seer and Natan the prophet; for the mitzvah had come from ADONAI through his prophets.

The L'vi'im stood with the instruments of David and the cohanim with the trumpets.

Hizkiyahu ordered that the burnt offering should be offered on the altar. The moment the burnt offering began, the song of ADONAI also began, accompanied by the trumpets and the instruments of David king of Isra'el.

Then Hizkiyahu the king and the leaders ordered the L'vi'im to sing praises to ADONAI, using the words of David and of Asaf the seer. They sang praises until they were filled with joy, and they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves.

So there was great joy in Yerushalayim; for since the time of Shlomo the son of David, king of Isra'el, there had been nothing like it in Yerushalayim.

Then, taking courage, he rebuilt all the broken sections of the wall, raised towers on it, built another wall outside that, strengthened the Millo in the City of David, and made a large quantity of spears and shields.

It was this same Hizkiyahu who blocked the upper outlet of the Gichon Spring and diverted the water straight down on the west side of the City of David. Hizkiyahu succeeded in all that he did.

Then Hizkiyahu slept with his ancestors, and they buried him by the path leading up to the tombs of the descendants of David. All Y'hudah and the people living in Yerushalayim honored him when he died, after which M'nasheh his son took his place as king.

He set the carved image of the idol he had made in the house of God, concerning which God had told David and Shlomo his son, "In this house and in Yerushalayim, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Isra'el, I will put my name forever.

After this he built an outer wall for the City of David on the west side of Gichon, in the valley, extending as far as the entrance at the Fish Gate; it encompassed the 'Ofel, and he built it very high. He stationed army commanders in all the fortified cities of Y'hudah.

He did what was right from ADONAI's perspective, living entirely in the manner of David his ancestor and turning away neither to the right nor to the left.

For in the eighth year of his reign, when he was still young, he began seeking after the God of David his father; and in the twelfth year, he began cleansing Y'hudah and Yerushalayim from the high places, the sacred poles, and the carved and cast metal images.