The king’s servants who attended him said, “Let a search be conducted in the king’s behalf for attractive young women. ¹ 

I have sewed sackcloth on my skin, ¹  and buried ²  my horn ³  in the dust;

“If ¹  evil is sweet in his mouth and he hides it under his tongue, ² 

Under the whole heaven he lets it go, even his lightning to the far corners ¹  of the earth.

to whom I appointed the steppe for its home, the salt wastes as its dwelling place?

They are dividing up my clothes among themselves; they are rolling dice ¹  for my garments.

Indeed God strikes the heads of his enemies, the hairy foreheads of those who persist in rebellion. ¹ 

The clouds poured down rain; ¹  the skies thundered. ²  Yes, your arrows ³  flashed about.

Your thunderous voice was heard in the wind; the lightning bolts lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook. ¹ 

O my God, make them like dead thistles, ¹  like dead weeds blown away by ²  the wind!

They swayed ¹  and staggered like a drunk, and all their skill proved ineffective. ² 

Their land is full of gold and silver; there is no end to their wealth. ¹  Their land is full of horses; there is no end to their chariots. ² 

When they have drunk it, they will stagger to and fro ¹  and act insane. For I will send wars sweeping through them.” ² 

The officials put the scroll in the room of Elishama, the royal secretary, for safekeeping. ¹  Then they went to the court and reported everything ²  to the king. ³ 

The king did not even listen to Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah, who had urged him not to burn the scroll. ¹ 

For the day is near, the day of the Lord is near; it will be a day of storm clouds, ¹  it will be a time of judgment ²  for the nations.

and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He ¹  unrolled ²  the scroll and found the place where it was written,

The Pharisees ¹  (who loved money) heard all this and ridiculed ²  him.

Uzziah had an army of skilled warriors trained for battle. They were organized by divisions according to the muster rolls made by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer under the authority of Hananiah, a royal official.

All the officials sent Jehudi, who was the son of Nethaniah and the grandson of Cushi, to Baruch. They ordered him to tell Baruch, “Come here and bring with you ¹  the scroll you read in the hearing of the people.” ²  So Baruch son of Neriah went to them, carrying the scroll in his hand. ³