Bible on Leadership

In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover kept.

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,

With kings and counsellors of the earth, which build desolate places for themselves;

He looseth the bond of kings, and girdeth their loins with a girdle.

The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.

The king’s daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.

Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.

Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.

He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance:

Their land brought forth frogs in abundance, in the chambers of their kings.

To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;

Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less do lying lips a prince.

Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy.

Many seek the ruler’s favour; but every man’s judgment cometh from the LORD.

I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.

Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.

For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

But king Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If it be your minds, then let none go forth nor escape out of the city to go to tell it in Jezreel.

And the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the rulers over hundreds, with the captains and the guard, and brought them to him into the house of the LORD, and made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the LORD, and shewed them the king’s son.

Wherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter.

In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits;

And, behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah’s house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women shall say, Thy friends have set thee on, and have prevailed against thee: thy feet are sunk in the mire, and they are turned away back.

But I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out upon the land of Egypt.

And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.

But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.

And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hege the king’s chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them:

The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.

Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.

And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the men of war, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king’s garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls: and he went out the way of the plain.

On the second day Nethaneel the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, did offer:

And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.

Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.

And the king lamented over Abner, and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth?

Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom.

So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king’s face.

And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over Judah.

And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered all Israel.

And he called the porters; and they told it to the king’s house within.

So Hazael king of Syria died; and Benhadad his son reigned in his stead.

And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller’s field.

So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.

And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile.

And Ram begat Amminadab; and Amminadab begat Nahshon, prince of the children of Judah;

And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day.

So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam was one and forty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah an Ammonitess.

And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem.

And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto him, Art thou made of the king’s counsel? forbear; why shouldest thou be smitten? Then the prophet forbare, and said, I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.

Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.

Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.

For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.

When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon.

Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.

For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.

Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth: