Rulers

Passages on this topic

From Nave’s Topical Bible (1896), a historical reference index. The groupings are Nave’s; the verses are shown in the text used across this site.

(Appointed and removed by God)

See GOVERNMENT, GOD IN

Chastised

• Daniel 4 King Nebuchadnezzar, To the people of every nation and language who dwell in all the earth: May your prosperity be multiplied. I am pleased to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. How great are His signs, how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdo… (whole chapter)

See Nation

Monarchical

See Kings

Patriarchal

• Genesis 27:29 May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. May you be the master of your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed, and those who bless you be blessed.”
• Genesis 27:37 But Isaac answered Esau: “Look, I have made him your master and given him all his relatives as servants; I have sustained him with grain and new wine. What is left that I can do for you, my son?”

Instances of

Nimrod

• Genesis 10:8–10 Cush was the father of Nimrod, who began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; so it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD.” His kingdom began in Babylon, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

Abraham

• Genesis 14:13–24 Then an escapee came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the Oaks of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were bound by treaty to Abram. And when Abram heard that his relative had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men born in his househ…
• Genesis 17:6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you.
• Genesis 21:21–32 And while he was dwelling in the Wilderness of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt. At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do. Now, therefore, swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely wi…

Melchizedek

• Genesis 14:18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine — since he was priest of God Most High —

Isaac

• Genesis 26:26–31 Later, Abimelech came to Isaac from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army. “Why have you come to me?” Isaac asked them. “You hated me and sent me away.” “We can plainly see that the LORD has been with you,” they replied. “We recommend that there should now be an oath…

Judah

• Genesis 38:24 About three months later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and now she is pregnant.” “Bring her out!” Judah replied. “Let her be burned to death!”

Heads of families

• Exodus 6:14 These were the heads of their fathers’ houses: The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These were the clans of Reuben.

Ishmael

• Genesis 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you, and I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He will become the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.

Esau, and the dukes of Edom

• Genesis 36 This is the account of Esau (that is, Edom). Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite, and Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth. And Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath gave… (whole chapter)

Theocratic

See Government

Character and Qualifications of

• Genesis 41:33 Now, therefore, Pharaoh should look for a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt.
• Exodus 18:21–22 Furthermore, select capable men from among the people — God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. Have these men judge the people at all times. Then they can bring you any major issue, b…
• Exodus 23:8 Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.
• Deuteronomy 1:13 Choose for yourselves wise, understanding, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will appoint them as your leaders.”
• Deuteronomy 16:18–20 You are to appoint judges and officials for your tribes in every town that the LORD your God is giving you. They are to judge the people with righteous judgment. Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righte…
• Deuteronomy 27:19 ‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
• 2 Samuel 23:3–4 The God of Israel spoke; the Rock of Israel said to me, ‘He who rules the people with justice, who rules in the fear of God, is like the light of the morning at sunrise of a cloudless dawn, the glistening after the rain on the sprouting grass of the earth.’
• Ezra 7:25 And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God, which you possess, are to appoint magistrates and judges to judge all the people west of the Euphrates — all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach these laws to anyone who does not know them.
• Psalm 2:10–11 Therefore be wise, O kings; be admonished, O judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
• Psalm 72:1–17 Of Solomon. Endow the king with Your justice, O God, and the son of the king with Your righteousness. May he judge Your people with righteousness and Your afflicted with justice. May the mountains bring peace to the people, and the hills bring righteousness. May he vindicate the afflicted among the…

Duties of

• Exodus 18:16 “Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me to judge between one man and another, and I make known to them the statutes and laws of God.”
• Exodus 18:20–21 Teach them the statutes and laws, and show them the way to live and the work they must do. Furthermore, select capable men from among the people — God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of ten…
• Exodus 23:3 And do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.
• Exodus 23:6–7 You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits. Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty.
• Exodus 23:9 Do not oppress a foreign resident, since you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners; for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
• Leviticus 19:15 You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
• Leviticus 24:22 You are to have the same standard of law for the foreign resident and the native; for I am the LORD your God.’”
• Numbers 27:16–17 “May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the LORD will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”
• Deuteronomy 1:16–17 At that time I charged your judges: “Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge fairly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident. Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case…
• Deuteronomy 16:18–20 You are to appoint judges and officials for your tribes in every town that the LORD your God is giving you. They are to judge the people with righteous judgment. Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righte…

Righteous

Instances of

Pharaoh, in his treatment of Abraham

• Genesis 12:15–20 When Pharaoh’s officials saw Sarai, they commended her to him, and she was taken into the palace of Pharaoh. He treated Abram well on her account, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels. The LORD, however, afflicted Pharaoh and his hou…

Abimelech, in his treatment of Isaac

• Genesis 26:6–11 So Isaac settled in Gerar. But when the men of that place asked about his wife, he said, “She is my sister.” For he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” since he thought to himself, “The men of this place will kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is so beautiful.” When Isaac had been there a…

Joseph, in how he conducted the affairs of Egypt

• Genesis 41:37–57 This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, in whom the Spirit of God abides?” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my house…

Pharaoh, in his treatment of Jacob and his family

• Genesis 47:5–10 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Now that your father and brothers have come to you, the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and brothers in the best part of the land. They may dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know of any talented men among them, put them in charge of my own livestock.”
• Genesis 50:1–6 Then Joseph fell upon his father’s face, wept over him, and kissed him. And Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So they embalmed him, taking the forty days required to complete the embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days. When the days of mou…

Moses, in his administration of the affairs of the people of Israel

• Numbers 16:15 Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, “Do not regard their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them or mistreated a single one of them.”

See GOVERNMENT, MOSAIC

Samuel, in not receiving compensation for judgment

• 1 Samuel 12:3–4 Here I am. Bear witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated or oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe and closed my eyes? Tell me, and I will restore it to you.” “You have not cheated us or oppressed us,” they replied…

Saul, after the defeat of the Ammonites

• 1 Samuel 11:12–13 Then the people said to Samuel, “Who said that Saul should not reign over us? Bring those men here so we can kill them!” But Saul ordered, “No one shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has worked salvation in Israel.”

Solomon, in his judgment between the two women who claimed the same child

• 1 Kings 3:16–28 At that time two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. One woman said, “Please, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth while she was in the house. On the third day after I gave birth, this woman also had a baby. We were alone, with no one in the house but th…

Solomon, according to the testimony of the queen of Sheba

• 1 Kings 10:6–9 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your words and wisdom is true. But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told to me. Your wisdom and prosperity have far exceeded the report I heard. How blessed are your men!…

Asa, in abolishing sodomy and other abominations of idolatry

• 1 Kings 15:11–15 And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done. He banished the male shrine prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. He also removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Ash…
• 2 Chronicles 14:2–5 And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God. He removed the foreign altars and high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and chopped down the Asherah poles. He commanded the people of Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandme…

Jehoshaphat, in walking in the ways of the Lord

• 1 Kings 22:41–46 In the fourth year of Ahab’s reign over Israel, Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah. Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi. And Jehoshaphat walked in all the ways of his fathe…
• 2 Chronicles 17:3–10 Now the LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but he sought the God of his father and walked by His commandments rather than the practices of Israel. So the LORD established the kingdom in his hand, and all Judah brought him…
• 2 Chronicles 19 When Jehoshaphat king of Judah had returned safely to his home in Jerusalem, Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to confront him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of the LORD is upon you. However, some good is fou… (whole chapter)
• 2 Chronicles 20:3–30 Jehoshaphat was alarmed and set his face to seek the LORD. And he proclaimed a fast throughout Judah. So the people of Judah gathered to seek the LORD, and indeed, they came from all the cities of Judah to seek Him. Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the L…

Hezekiah, in his fear of the Lord

• 2 Kings 18:3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done.
• 2 Kings 20:1–11 In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’” Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, saying, “Please, O LORD, rememb…
• 2 Chronicles 30 Then Hezekiah sent word throughout all Israel and Judah, and he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh inviting them to come to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem to keep the Passover of the LORD, the God of Israel. For the king and his officials and the whole assembly in Jerusalem had decided… (whole chapter)
• 2 Chronicles 31 When all this had ended, the Israelites in attendance went out to the cities of Judah and broke up the sacred pillars, chopped down the Asherah poles, and tore down the high places and altars throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them al… (whole chapter)

Josiah, in repairing the temple and in other good works

• 2 Kings 22 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right… (whole chapter)
• 2 Kings 23 Then the king summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. And he went up to the house of the LORD with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as well as the priests and the prophets— all the people small and great— and in their hearing he read all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had… (whole chapter)
• 2 Chronicles 34 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left. In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, J… (whole chapter)
• 2 Chronicles 35 Then Josiah kept the Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month. He appointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them in the service of the house of the LORD. To the Levites who taught all Israel and were holy to the LOR… (whole chapter)

Cyrus, in emancipating the Jews

• Ezra 1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows: “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The LORD, the God of h… (whole chapter)

Darius, in advancing the rebuilding of the temple

• Ezra 6:1–12 Thus King Darius ordered a search of the archives stored in the treasury of Babylon. And a scroll was found in the fortress of Ecbatana, in the province of Media, with the following written on it: Memorandum: In the first year of King Cyrus, he issued a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusal…

Artaxerxes, in commissioning Ezra to restore the forms of worship at Jerusalem

• Ezra 7 Many years later, during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki… (whole chapter)
• Nehemiah 2 Now in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was set before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence, so the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, though you are not ill? This could only be sadness of the heart.” I was ov… (whole chapter)
• Nehemiah 5:14 Furthermore, from the day King Artaxerxes appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah, from his twentieth year until his thirty-second year (twelve years total), neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor.

Nehemiah

• Nehemiah 4 Now when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he was furious and filled with indignation. He ridiculed the Jews before his associates and the army of Samaria, saying, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they restore the wall by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they compl… (whole chapter)
• Nehemiah 5 About that time there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews. Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous. We must get grain in order to eat and stay alive.” Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to ge… (whole chapter)

Daniel

See Daniel

King of Nineveh, in repenting, and proclaimimg a fast

• Jonah 3:6–9 When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let no man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything at all. They must not…

Wicked

• Genesis 15:13–14 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will depart with many possessions.
• Exodus 3:9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me, and I have seen how severely the Egyptians are oppressing them.
• Deuteronomy 27:19 ‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
• 1 Samuel 8:10–18 So Samuel spoke all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to serve his own chariots and horses, and to run in front of his chariots. He will appoint some for…
• 2 Chronicles 28:19 For the LORD humbled Judah because Ahaz king of Israel had thrown off restraint in Judah and had been most unfaithful to the LORD.
• Nehemiah 5:7–9 and after serious thought I rebuked the nobles and officials, saying, “You are exacting usury from your own brothers!” So I called a large assembly against them and said, “We have done our best to buy back our Jewish brothers who were sold to foreigners, but now you are selling your own brothers, t…
• Nehemiah 9:34–37 Our kings and leaders and priests and fathers did not obey Your law or listen to Your commandments and warnings that You gave them. For even while they were in their kingdom, with the abundant goodness that You had given them, and in the spacious and fertile land that You had set before them, they…
• Job 24:22 Yet by His power, God drags away the mighty; though rising up, they have no assurance of life.
• Job 24:24 They are exalted for a moment, then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain.
• Job 35:9 Men cry out under great oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the mighty.

Instances of

Potiphar, putting Joseph into prison

• Genesis 39:20 So Joseph’s master took him and had him thrown into the prison where the king’s prisoners were confined. While Joseph was there in the prison,
• Genesis 40:15 For I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing for which they should have put me in this dungeon.”

Pharaoh, oppressing the Israelites

• Exodus 1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all, including Joseph, who was already in Egypt. Now Joseph a… (whole chapter)
• Exodus 2 Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him for three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she got him a papyrus basket and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child… (whole chapter)
• Exodus 3 Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from within a bush. Moses saw the bush ablaze with f… (whole chapter)
• Exodus 4 Then Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to my voice? For they may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’” And the LORD asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied. “Throw it on the ground,” said the LORD. So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a sn… (whole chapter)
• Exodus 5 After that, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’” But Pharaoh replied, “Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will… (whole chapter)
• Exodus 6 But the LORD said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh, for because of My mighty hand he will let the people go; because of My strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” God also told Moses, “I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by… (whole chapter)
• Exodus 7 The LORD answered Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. You are to speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his land. But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I will multiply… (whole chapter)
• Exodus 8 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him that this is what the LORD says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. But if you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. The Nile will teem with frogs, and they will come into your palace and up to your… (whole chapter)
• Exodus 9 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. But if you continue to restrain them and refuse to let them go, then the hand of the LORD will bring a severe plague on your livestock i… (whole chapter)
• Exodus 10 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials, that I may perform these miraculous signs of Mine among them, and that you may tell your children and grandchildren how severely I dealt with the Egyptians when I performed miraculous signs a… (whole chapter)

Adoni-bezek, torturing seventy kings

• Judges 1:7 Then Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have gathered the scraps under my table. As I have done to them, so God has repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, where he died.

Abimelech, killing his seventy brothers

• Judges 9:1–5 Now Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to his mother’s brothers at Shechem and said to them and to all the clan of his mother, “Please ask all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Is it better for you that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you, or just one man?’ Remember that I am your own flesh a…

Eli' s sons, desecrating the sacrifices

• 1 Samuel 2:12–17 Now the sons of Eli were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD or for the custom of the priests with the people. When any man offered a sacrifice, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged meat fork while the meat was boiling and plunge it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or…

Debauching themselves and the worshipers

• 1 Samuel 2:22 Now Eli was very old, and he heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

Samuel' s sons, taking bribes

• 1 Samuel 8:1–5 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepting bribes and perverting justice. S…

Saul, sparing Agag and the best of the booty

• 1 Samuel 15:8–35 He captured Agag king of Amalek alive, but devoted all the others to destruction with the sword. Saul and his troops spared Agag, along with the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs, and the best of everything else. They were unwilling to devote them to destruction, but they devot…

Saul, jealously plotting against David

• 1 Samuel 19 Then Saul ordered his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. But Jonathan delighted greatly in David, so he warned David, saying, “My father Saul intends to kill you. Be on your guard in the morning; find a secret place and hide there. I will go out and stand beside my father in the field… (whole chapter)

Saul, killing Ahimelech and the priests

• 1 Samuel 22:7–19 Then Saul said to his servants, “Listen, men of Benjamin! Is the son of Jesse giving all of you fields and vineyards and making you commanders of thousands or hundreds? Is that why all of you have conspired against me? Not one of you told me that my own son had made a covenant with the son of Jesse…

Hanun, maltreating David' s servants

• 2 Samuel 10:4 So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their garments at the hips, and sent them away.
• 1 Chronicles 19:2–5 And David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent messengers to console Hanun concerning his father. But when David’s servants arrived in the land of the Ammonites to console him, the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun, “Just…

David, numbering Israel and Judah

• 2 Samuel 24:1–9 Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He stirred up David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.” So the king said to Joab the commander of his army, who was with him, “Go now throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and register the troops, s…
• 1 Chronicles 21:1–7 Then Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan and bring me a report, so that I may know their number.” But Joab replied, “May the LORD multiply His troops a h…
• 1 Chronicles 27:23–24 David did not count the men aged twenty or under, because the LORD had said that He would make Israel as numerous as the stars of the sky. Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the men but did not finish. For because of this census wrath came upon Israel, and the number was not entered in the Book of…

Solomon, luxurious, and idolatrous

• 1 Kings 11:1–13 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh — women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women. These women were from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, for surely they will turn your he…

Solomon, oppressing the people

• 1 Kings 12:4 “Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you must lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”
• 1 Kings 4:7–23 Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel to provide food for the king and his household. Each one would arrange provisions for one month of the year, and these were their names: Ben-hur in the hill country of Ephraim; Ben-deker in Makaz, in Shaalbim, in Beth-shemesh, and in Elon-beth-hanan; Ben…

Rehoboam, making the yoke heavy

• 1 Kings 12:8–11 But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders; instead, he consulted the young men who had grown up with him and served him. He asked them, “What message do you advise that we send back to these people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?” The young men who had…
• 2 Chronicles 10:1–15 Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king. When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard about this, he returned from Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon. So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and all Israel came to Rehoboam and said, “Your father put a heavy yoke on us. B…

Jeroboam, perverting the true worship

• 1 Kings 12:26–33 Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom might revert to the house of David. If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, their hearts will return to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah; then they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” After seeki…
• 1 Kings 13:1–5 Suddenly, as Jeroboam was standing beside the altar to burn incense, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD. And he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, “O altar, O altar, this is what the LORD says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of Davi…
• 1 Kings 14:16 So He will give Israel over on account of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit.”

Exalting debased persons to the priesthood

• 1 Kings 12:31 Jeroboam also built shrines on the high places and appointed from every class of people priests who were not Levites.
• 1 Kings 13:33 Even after these events, Jeroboam did not repent of his evil ways, but again he appointed priests for the high places from every class of people. He ordained anyone who desired to be a priest of the high places.
• 2 Kings 17:32 So the new residents worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed for themselves priests of all sorts to serve in the shrines of the high places.
• 2 Chronicles 11:14–15 For the Levites left their pasturelands and their possessions and went to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the LORD. And Jeroboam appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat demons and calf idols he had made.
• Ezekiel 44:7 In addition to all your other abominations, you brought in foreigners uncircumcised in both heart and flesh to occupy My sanctuary; you defiled My temple when you offered My food— the fat and the blood; you broke My covenant.
• Numbers 3:10 So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood; but any outsider who approaches the tabernacle must be put to death.”

Abijam, walking in the sins of Rehoboam

• 1 Kings 15:3 And Abijam walked in all the sins that his father before him had committed, and his heart was not as fully devoted to the LORD his God as the heart of David his forefather had been.

Nadab, walking in the ways of Jeroboam

• 1 Kings 15:26 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit.

Baasha, walking in the ways of Jeroboam

• 1 Kings 15:33–34 In the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king of all Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah twenty-four years. And Baasha did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit.

Asa, imprisoning the seer, and oppressing the people

• 2 Chronicles 16:10 Asa was angry with the seer and became so enraged over this matter that he put the man in prison. And at the same time Asa oppressed some of the people.

Zimri, walking in the ways of Jeroboam

• 1 Kings 16:19 because of the sins he had committed, doing evil in the sight of the LORD and following the example of Jeroboam and the sin he had committed and had caused Israel to commit.

Omri, walking in the ways of Jeroboam

• 1 Kings 16:25–29 But Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD and acted more wickedly than all who were before him. For he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sins, which he caused Israel to commit, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their worthless idols. As for the rest of t…

Ahab, serving Baal

• 1 Kings 16:30–33 However, Ahab son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him. And as if it were not enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he even married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he then proceeded to serve and worship Baal.…
• 1 Kings 21:21–26 This is what the LORD says: ‘I will bring calamity on you and consume your descendants; I will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, both slave and free. I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have provoked My anger and caused…

Confiscating Naboth' s vineyard

• 1 Kings 21 Some time after these events, Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. So Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to use as a vegetable garden, since it is next to my palace. I will give you a better vineyard in its place — or if you prefer… (whole chapter)
• 1 Samuel 8:14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his servants.
• 1 Kings 22:38 And the chariot was washed at the pool of Samaria where the prostitutes bathed, and the dogs licked up Ahab’s blood, according to the word that the LORD had spoken.
• 2 Kings 9:26 ‘As surely as I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons yesterday, declares the LORD, so will I repay you on this plot of ground, declares the LORD.’ Now then, according to the word of the LORD, pick him up and throw him on the plot of ground.”

Jehoram, cleaving to the sins of Jeroboam

• 2 Kings 3:2–3 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as his father and mother had done. He removed the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. Nevertheless, he clung to the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.

Hazael, committing pillage (plundering)

• 2 Kings 8:12 “Why is my lord weeping?” asked Hazael. “Because I know the evil you will do to the Israelites,” Elisha replied. “You will set fire to their fortresses, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little ones to pieces, and rip open their pregnant women.”
• 2 Kings 10:32 In those days the LORD began to reduce the size of Israel. Hazael defeated the Israelites throughout their territory
• 2 Kings 12:17 At that time Hazael king of Aram marched up and fought against Gath and captured it. Then he decided to attack Jerusalem.
• 2 Kings 13:3–7 So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them continually into the hands of Hazael king of Aram and his son Ben-hadad. Then Jehoahaz sought the favor of the LORD, and the LORD listened to him because He saw the oppression that the king of Aram had inflicted on Israel. So the…

Jehoram, walking in the ways of the kings of Israel

• 2 Kings 8:18 And Jehoram walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done. For he married a daughter of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD.
• 2 Chronicles 21:13 but you have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and have caused Judah and the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, just as the house of Ahab prostituted itself. You have also killed your brothers, your father’s family, who were better than you.

Jehu, departing not from the sins of Jeroboam

• 2 Kings 10:29 but he did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit— the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.

Jehoahaz, in following the sins of Jeroboam

• 2 Kings 13:1–2 In the twenty-third year of the reign of Joash son of Ahaziah over Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria seventeen years. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and followed the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn awa…

Jehoash, in following the wicked example of Jeroboam

• 2 Kings 13:10–11 In the thirty-seventh year of the reign of Joash over Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not turn away from all the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit, but he walked…

Jeroboam II, not departing from the sins of Jeroboam

• 2 Kings 14:23–24 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Amaziah son of Joash over Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria forty-one years. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not turn away from all the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.

Zachariah, Menahem, Pekahiah, and Pekah, following the sins of Jeroboam

• 2 Kings 15:9 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done. He did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
• 2 Kings 15:18 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and throughout his reign he did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
• 2 Kings 15:24 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
• 2 Kings 15:28 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.

Conspiring against Pekahiah and assassinating him

• 2 Kings 15:25 Then his officer, Pekah son of Remaliah, conspired against him along with Argob, Arieh, and fifty men of Gilead. And at the citadel of the king’s palace in Samaria, Pekah struck down and killed Pekahiah and reigned in his place.

Hoshea, who conspired against Pekah

• 2 Kings 15:30 Then Hoshea son of Elah led a conspiracy against Pekah son of Remaliah. In the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah, Hoshea attacked Pekah, killed him, and reigned in his place.

In permitting Baal-worship

• 2 Kings 17:1–2 In the twelfth year of the reign of Ahaz over Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria nine years. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.
• 2 Kings 17:7–18 All this happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods and walked in the customs of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites…

Ahaz, burning his own children in idolatrous sacrifice

• 2 Kings 16:3 Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
• 2 Chronicles 28:2–4 Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even made cast images of the Baals. Moreover, Ahaz burned incense in the Valley of Ben-hinnom and sacrificed his sons in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. And he sacrif…

Manasseh, who committed the abominations of the heathen

• 2 Kings 21:1–17 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. For he rebuilt the high places…
• 2 Chronicles 33:2–7 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had torn down, and he raised up altars for the Baals and made Asherah poles. And he worshiped and served…

Amon, who followed the evil example of Manasseh

• 2 Kings 21:19–22 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from Jotbah. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done. He walked in all the ways of his father, and he served and…

Jehoahaz, who followed in the ways of his forefathers

Jehoiakim, in walking in the ways of his forefathers

Jehoiachin, in walking in the ways of his forefathers

Zedekiah, following the evil example of Jehoiakim

And persecuting Jeremiah

Joash, killing Zechariah

Ahaziah, doing evil like the household of Ahab

Amaziah, worshiping the gods of Seir

Uzziah, invading the priest' s office

Ahasuerus and Haman, decreeing the death of all Jews (genocide)

Nebuchadnezzar, commanding to destroy the wise men

Nebuchadnezzar, committing the three Hebrews to the furnace

Belshazzar, in drunkenness and committing sacrilege

Darius, in deifying himself

The princes, conspiring against Daniel

Herod the Great, killing the infants in Bethlehem

Herod Antipas, in beheading John the Baptist

Herod Antipas, in craftiness and tyranny

Herod Agrippa I, persecuting the congregation in Jerusalem

Pilate, delivering up Jesus for crucifixion

The chief priests, elders, and the Sanhedrin, seeking false witness against Jesus

Ananias, the high priest, commanding to strike Paul

See Government

See Judges

See Kings