They made a covenant in which they agreed to worship the LORD, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul.

Anyone, young or old, male or female, who did not worship him was to be put to death.

The king of Syria had ordered his chariot commanders to attack no one else except the king of Israel.

Show no partiality in your decisions; judge everyone on the same basis, no matter who they are. Do not be afraid of anyone, for the decisions you make come from God. If any case is too difficult for you, bring it to me, and I will decide it.'

Everyone is there, the famous and the unknown, and slaves at last are free.

Then King Solomon prayed, "LORD, you have chosen to live in clouds and darkness.

All the people of Israel were standing there. The king turned to face them and asked God's blessing on them.

'From the time I brought my people out of Egypt until now, I did not choose any city in the land of Israel as the place to build a temple where I would be worshiped, and I did not choose anyone to lead my people Israel.

And Solomon continued, "My father David planned to build a temple for the worship of the LORD God of Israel,

but you will never build it. It is your son, your own son, who will build my temple.'

I have placed in the Temple the Covenant Box, which contains the stone tablets of the covenant which the LORD made with the people of Israel."

In the third year of his reign he sent out the following officials to teach in the cities of Judah: Benhail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah.

They took the book of the Law of the LORD and went through all the towns of Judah, teaching it to the people.

When he becomes king, he is to have a copy of the book of God's laws and teachings made from the original copy kept by the levitical priests.

This will keep him from thinking that he is better than other Israelites and from disobeying the LORD's commands in any way. Then he will reign for many years, and his descendants will rule Israel for many generations.

So Ezra brought it to the place where the people had gathered---men, women, and the children who were old enough to understand.

Ezra was standing on a wooden platform that had been built for the occasion. The following men stood at his right: Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and the following stood at his left: Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.

I, the Philosopher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.

But because the Philosopher was wise, he kept on teaching the people what he knew. He studied proverbs and honestly tested their truth.

The Philosopher tried to find comforting words, but the words he wrote were honest.

He said to Shaphan, "I have found the book of the Law here in the Temple." He gave Shaphan the book,

Then he added, "I have here a book that Hilkiah gave me." And he read it aloud to the king.

When the king heard the book being read, he tore his clothes in dismay

the following message from the LORD: "I am going to punish Jerusalem and all its people with the curses written in the book that was read to the king.

Then he took the book of the covenant, in which the LORD's commands were written, and read it aloud to the people. They said, "We will obey the LORD and do everything that he has commanded."

and together they went to the Temple, accompanied by the priests and the prophets and all the rest of the people, rich and poor alike. Before them all the king read aloud the whole book of the covenant which had been found in the Temple.

King Josiah ordered the people to celebrate the Passover in honor of the LORD their God, as written in the book of the covenant.

The LORD says, "The time is coming when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.

It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt. Although I was like a husband to them, they did not keep that covenant.