By the twenty-third year of King Jehoash’s reign the priests had still not repaired the damage to the temple.

In the second year of the reign of Israel’s King Joash son of Joahaz, ¹  Joash’s ²  son Amaziah became king over Judah.

In the thirty-eighth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Jeroboam’s son Zechariah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria ¹  for six months.

Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of King Uzziah’s ¹  reign over Judah. He reigned for one month ²  in Samaria.

In the thirty-ninth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel. He reigned for twelve years in Samaria. ¹ 

In the fiftieth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Menahem’s son Pekahiah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria ¹  for two years.

In the fifty-second year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria ¹  for twenty years.

In the second year of the reign of Israel’s King Pekah son of Remaliah, Uzziah’s son Jotham became king over Judah.

In the twelfth year of King Ahaz’s reign over Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria ¹  for nine years.

David defeated King Hadadezer of Zobah as far as Hamath, when he went to extend his authority ¹  to the Euphrates River. ² 

But now I have chosen Jerusalem as a place to live, ¹  and I have chosen David to lead my people Israel.’

The Lord made his kingdom secure; ¹  all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he became very wealthy and greatly respected. ² 

In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the Lord’s temple and repaired them.

They finished this temple on the third day of the month Adar, which is the sixth ¹  year of the reign of King Darius.

Adjacent to them worked Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, who were men of Gibeon and Mizpah. These towns were under the jurisdiction ¹  of the governor of Trans-Euphrates.

¹ The following events happened ²  in the days of Ahasuerus. ³  (I am referring to ⁴  that Ahasuerus who used to rule over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces ⁵  extending all the way from India to Ethiopia. ⁶ )

Then Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus at his royal residence in the tenth ¹  month (that is, the month of Tebeth) in the seventh ²  year of his reign.

Indeed, these are but the outer fringes of his ways! ¹  How faint is the whisper ²  we hear of him! But who can understand the thunder of his power?”

The Lord’s precepts are fair ¹  and make one joyful. ²  The Lord’s commands ³  are pure ⁴  and give insight for life. ⁵ 

Let foreigners ¹  rejoice and celebrate! For you execute justice among the nations, and govern the people living on earth. ²  (Selah)