Israel

There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets Moshe put there at Horev, when ADONAI made the covenant with the people of Isra'el at the time of their leaving Egypt.

And there I have placed the ark containing the covenant of ADONAI, which he made with the people of Isra'el."

All the people of Isra'el saw when the fire came down, and the glory of ADONAI was on the house; they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the flooring; prostrating themselves, they gave thanks to ADONAI, "for he is good, for his grace continues forever."

Shlomo built up the cities which Huram had given to Shlomo and had the people of Isra'el live there.

from their descendants remaining after them in the land, whom the people of Isra'el did not exterminate - from them Shlomo levied [his forced laborers], as it is to this day.

But Shlomo did not raise any of his slaves from the people of Isra'el; rather, these were the soldiers, his chief commanders, and the officials in charge of his chariots and horsemen.

But as for the people of Isra'el living in the cities of Y'hudah, Rechav'am ruled over them.

King Rechav'am then sent Hadoram, who was in charge of forced labor; but the people of Isra'el stoned him to death. King Rechav'am managed to mount his chariot and flee to Yerushalayim.

"So look here! God is with us, leading us and his cohanim with the battle trumpets to sound an alarm against you. People of Isra'el! Don't fight against ADONAI, the God of your ancestors; because you will not succeed."

The people of Isra'el fled before Y'hudah, and God handed them over to them.

Thus the people of Isra'el were subdued that time, and the people of Y'hudah won the victory, because they relied on ADONAI the God of their ancestors.

Moreover, he made offerings in the Ben-Hinnom Valley and even burned up his own children as sacrifices, in keeping with the horrible practices of the pagans, whom ADONAI had thrown out ahead of the people of Isra'el.

The people of Isra'el took captive from their kinsmen 200,000 wives, sons and daughters; they also captured from them much spoil, which they brought to Shomron.

So runners went with the letters from the king and his officers throughout all Isra'el and Y'hudah. They conveyed the king's order: "People of Isra'el! Turn back to ADONAI, the God of Avraham, Yitz'chak and Ya'akov! Then he will return to those of you who remain, who escaped capture by the kings of Ashur.

The people of Isra'el there in Yerushalayim observed the festival of Matzot for seven days with great joy; while every day the L'vi'im and cohanim praised ADONAI, singing to ADONAI with the accompaniment of loud instruments.

After all this was over, all Isra'el who were there went out to the cities of Y'hudah and smashed the standing-stones, chopped down the sacred poles, and broke down the high places and altars throughout Y'hudah, Binyamin, Efrayim and M'nasheh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the people of Isra'el returned to their own cities, each to his own possession.

As soon as the order was issued, the people of Isra'el gave in abundance from the firstfruits of the grain, wine, olive oil, honey and other agricultural produce; they brought the required tenth and more.

The people of Isra'el and Y'hudah living in the cities of Y'hudah also brought the required tenth of oxen and sheep and the required tenth of consecrated gifts that had been dedicated to ADONAI their God, and piled them in heaps.

He did what was evil from ADONAI's perspective, following the disgusting practices of the nations whom ADONAI had expelled ahead of the people of Isra'el.

M'nasheh caused Y'hudah and the people of Yerushalayim to go astray, so that they did even worse things than the nations whom ADONAI destroyed ahead of the people of Isra'el.

Yoshiyahu removed all the abominable idols from all the territories belonging to the people of Isra'el, and he made everyone in Isra'el serve ADONAI their God. Throughout his lifetime, they did not stop following ADONAI, the God of their ancestors.

The people of Isra'el who were present observed the Pesach at that time and the festival of Matzot for seven days.

When the seventh month arrived, after the people of Isra'el had resettled in the towns, the people gathered with one accord in Yerushalayim.

The people of Isra'el, the cohanim, the L'vi'im and the other people from the exile joyfully dedicated this house of God.

The people of Isra'el who had returned from the exile and all those who had renounced the filthy practices of the nations living in the land in order to seek ADONAI the God of Isra'el, ate [the Pesach lamb]