Ahaziah had a half sister, Jehosheba, who was married to a priest named Jehoiada. She secretly rescued one of Ahaziah's sons, Joash, took him away from the other princes who were about to be murdered and hid him and a nurse in a bedroom at the Temple. By keeping him hidden, she saved him from death at the hands of Athaliah.

In the fifth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab as king of Israel, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat became king of Judah

In the seventh year of the reign of King Jehu of Israel, Joash became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother was Zibiah from the city of Beersheba.

Throughout his life he did what pleased the LORD, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him.

but the LORD was not willing to destroy Judah, because he had promised his servant David that his descendants would always continue to rule.

Human wisdom, brilliance, insight---they are of no help if the LORD is against you.

They intend to invade Judah, terrify the people into joining their side, and then put Tabeel's son on the throne.

"But I, the LORD, declare that this will never happen.

I will defend this city and protect it, for the sake of my own honor and because of the promise I made to my servant David.' "

The LORD says, "No one destroys good grapes; instead, they make wine with them. Neither will I destroy all my people---I will save those who serve me.

I will bless the Israelites who belong to the tribe of Judah, and their descendants will possess my land of mountains. My chosen people, who serve me, will live there.

I, the LORD, promise that there will always be a descendant of David to be king of Israel

In the same way I have made a covenant with my servant David that he would always have a descendant to be king, and I have made a covenant with the priests from the tribe of Levi that they would always serve me; and those covenants can never be broken.

And just as surely as I have done this, so I will maintain my covenant with Jacob's descendants and with my servant David. I will choose one of David's descendants to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will be merciful to my people and make them prosperous again."

Against the outside walls, on the sides and the back of the Temple, a three-storied annex was built, each story 7 1/2 feet high.

Each room in the lowest story was 7 1/2 feet wide, in the middle story 9 feet wide, and in the top story 10 1/2 feet wide. The Temple wall on each floor was thinner than on the floor below, so that the rooms could rest on the wall without having their beams built into it.

The entrance to the lowest story of the annex was on the south side of the Temple, with stairs leading up to the second and third stories.

The three-storied annex, each story 7 1/2 feet high, was built against the outside walls of the Temple, and was joined to them by cedar beams.

"Go to the members of the Rechabite clan and talk to them. Then bring them into one of the rooms in the Temple and offer them some wine."

The man told me that the room which faced south was for the priests who served in the Temple,