Old Testament
2 Chronicles
36 chapters
Start reading: 2 Chronicles 1About this book
Second Chronicles continues the story from Solomon to the fall of Jerusalem and the edge of a new beginning. It opens with Solomon's wisdom and the building and dedication of the temple, where God's glory fills the house. After Solomon, the kingdom splits, and the book follows the line of Judah's kings from David's descendants. It pays special attention to the kings who sought God and led reform, such as Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah and Josiah, and to the national revivals that followed, with temple worship restored and the Passover kept. It is equally honest about kings who turned away, and it shows repeatedly that turning back to God, even late, brings mercy. The book ends with Jerusalem destroyed and the people exiled, yet closes with the decree of Cyrus of Persia allowing them to return and rebuild. Hope rests on God's faithfulness, not on any one king, a hope Christians see fulfilled in Christ.
- Author
- Anonymous; Jewish tradition points to Ezra, and many scholars speak of an unnamed 'Chronicler'.
- Date
- Written after the exile, most often dated to the fifth or fourth century BC.
- Audience
- The Jews who returned to Judah from Babylon, needing assurance that turning back to God still matters.
Themes
The temple and true worshipSeeking God and being foundReform and revivalHope after exile
Outline
- 1:1–9:31Solomon and the temple
- 10:1–12:16The kingdom divides
- 13:1–20:37Abijah, Asa and Jehoshaphat
- 21:1–28:27Decline and unfaithful kings
- 29:1–32:33Hezekiah's reforms and deliverance
- 33:1–35:27Manasseh's repentance and Josiah's revival
- 36:1–36:23Exile and the decree of Cyrus
Key verses
Chapters of 2 Chronicles
- 12 Chronicles 1Solomon's reign begins with strength from the Lord, and he leads Israel to worship at Gibeon, where the bronze altar and the tabernacle still stand.
- 22 Chronicles 2Solomon prepares to build a temple for the name of the Lord and a royal palace, drafting workers and stonecutters from the foreign residents in Israel.
- 32 Chronicles 3Solomon begins building the temple in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, the place where David had prepared the site.
- 42 Chronicles 4The furnishings of the temple are made: the large bronze altar, the huge basin called the Sea resting on twelve bronze oxen, ten smaller basins for washing, ten golden lampstands, tables, and the courtyard fittings.
- 52 Chronicles 5The temple is finished, and the priests and elders bring the ark of the covenant from the city of David into the most holy place, beneath the cherubim's wings.
- 62 Chronicles 6Solomon blesses the assembly, recalls God's promise to David, and then kneels before the whole nation to pray the great dedication prayer.
- 72 Chronicles 7Fire comes down from heaven to consume the offerings, and the glory of the Lord fills the temple; the people bow and give thanks.
- 82 Chronicles 8The chapter surveys Solomon's accomplishments: he rebuilds cities, fortifies Jerusalem's surroundings, sets up storage towns, and organizes forced labor from the surviving non-Israelite peoples.
- 92 Chronicles 9The queen of Sheba travels a long way with gifts to test Solomon with hard questions.
- 102 Chronicles 10Rehoboam goes to Shechem to be made king, and the people ask him to lighten the heavy burden Solomon placed on them.
- 112 Chronicles 11Rehoboam plans to fight the northern tribes, but a prophet tells him not to, since the division is from the Lord, and he obeys.
- 122 Chronicles 12Once Rehoboam feels secure and strong, he and the people abandon the law of the Lord.
- 132 Chronicles 13Abijah of Judah faces Jeroboam's much larger northern army.
- 142 Chronicles 14Asa becomes king of Judah and does what is good in the Lord's eyes: he removes foreign altars and high places and calls Judah to seek God.
- 152 Chronicles 15The Spirit of God comes on the prophet Azariah, who meets Asa returning from battle and urges him to keep seeking God, since the Lord is with those who are with him.
- 162 Chronicles 16Late in his reign, Baasha of Israel fortifies a town near Jerusalem to cut Judah off.
- 172 Chronicles 17Jehoshaphat, Asa's son, becomes king and strengthens Judah, walking in the earlier ways of David.
- 182 Chronicles 18Jehoshaphat allies himself with Ahab of Israel by marriage and joins him in a campaign against Ramoth-gilead.
- 192 Chronicles 19Returning safely to Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat is rebuked by the seer Jehu for helping those who hate the Lord, though good is also noted in him.
- 202 Chronicles 20A vast alliance of Moabites, Ammonites, and others marches against Judah.
- 212 Chronicles 21Jehoram becomes king after Jehoshaphat and secures his throne by killing his brothers and some officials.
- 222 Chronicles 22Ahaziah, the youngest son, becomes king but follows the advice of his mother Athaliah, Ahab's granddaughter, and walks in Ahab's ways.
- 232 Chronicles 23After six years in hiding, seven-year-old Joash is revealed.
- 242 Chronicles 24Joash does right while the priest Jehoiada lives, and orders the temple repaired, collecting a chest of offerings that the people give gladly.
- 252 Chronicles 25Amaziah begins well, but only half-heartedly.
- 262 Chronicles 26Uzziah becomes king at sixteen and, while he seeks the Lord under the guidance of Zechariah, God gives him success.
- 272 Chronicles 27Jotham, Uzziah's son, reigns sixteen years and does right in the Lord's eyes, though the people continue in corrupt practices.
- 282 Chronicles 28Ahaz is among Judah's worst kings: he makes idols for Baal, offers his children in fire, and sacrifices at high places.
- 292 Chronicles 29Hezekiah becomes king and in the first month opens the temple doors and repairs them.
- 302 Chronicles 30Hezekiah invites all Israel, including the northern tribes, to keep the Passover in Jerusalem, and sends letters urging them to return to the Lord.
- 312 Chronicles 31After the Passover, the people go through the land and destroy the idols and high places.
- 322 Chronicles 32Sennacherib of Assyria invades Judah.
- 332 Chronicles 33Manasseh, who begins to reign at twelve, becomes Judah's most wicked king: he rebuilds high places, worships the stars, practices sorcery, sacrifices his children, and even puts an idol inside the temple.
- 342 Chronicles 34Josiah becomes king at eight and, at sixteen, begins seeking God; at twenty he purges Judah of idols.
- 352 Chronicles 35Josiah celebrates a great Passover in Jerusalem, organizing priests and Levites according to David and Solomon's instructions and providing animals from his own flocks.
- 362 Chronicles 36The book ends with Judah's last kings, each doing evil, and the people and priests adding to their unfaithfulness despite repeated warnings from prophets sent out of God's compassion.