1 Kings 13-14
Jeroboam Warned, Stricken
Now behold, there came aa man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar bto burn incense. 2 aHe cried against the altar by the word of the Lord, and said, “O altar, altar, thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, bJosiah by name; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.’” 3 Then he gave a sign the same day, saying, “aThis is the sign which the Lord has spoken, ‘Behold, the altar shall be split apart and the ashes which are on it shall be poured out.’” 4 Now when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him.” But his hand which he stretched out against him dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself. 5 The altar also was split apart and the ashes were poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord. 6 The king said to the man of God, “Please aentreat the Lord your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” So bthe man of God entreated the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and it became as it was before. 7 Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and aI will give you a reward.” 8 But the man of God said to the king, “aIf you were to give me half your house I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place. 9 For so it was commanded me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water, nor return by the way which you came.’” 10 So he went another way and did not return by the way which he came to Bethel.
The Disobedient Prophet
11 Now aan old prophet was living in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the deeds which the man of God had done that day in Bethel; the words which he had spoken to the king, these also they related to their father. 12 Their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” Now his sons had seen the way which the man of God who came from Judah had gone. 13 Then he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him and he rode away on it. 14 So he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak; and he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” 15 Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” 16 He said, “aI cannot return with you, nor go with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. 17 For a command came to me aby the word of the Lord, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water there; do not return by going the way which you came.’” 18 He said to him, “aI also am a prophet like you, and ban angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’” But che lied to him. 19 So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house and drank water.
20 Now it came about, as they were sitting down at the table, that the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back; 21 and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have disobeyed the command of the Lord, and have not observed the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you, 22 but have returned and eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which He said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water”; your body shall not come to the grave of your fathers.’” 23 It came about after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, for the prophet whom he had brought back. 24 Now when he had gone, aa lion met him on the way and killed him, and his body was thrown on the road, with the donkey standing beside it; the lion also was standing beside the body. 25 And behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown on the road, and the lion standing beside the body; so they came and told it in the city where athe old prophet lived.
26 Now when the prophet who brought him back from the way heard it, he said, “It is the man of God, who disobeyed the command of the Lord; therefore the Lord has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to him.” 27 Then he spoke to his sons, saying, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And they saddled it. 28 He went and found his body thrown on the road with the donkey and the lion standing beside the body; the lion had not eaten the body nor torn the donkey. 29 So the prophet took up the body of the man of God and laid it on the donkey and brought it back, and he came to the city of the old prophet to mourn and to bury him. 30 He laid his body in his own grave, and they mourned over him, saying, “aAlas, my brother!” 31 After he had buried him, he spoke to his sons, saying, “When I die, bury me in the grave in which the man of God is buried; alay my bones beside his bones. 32 aFor the thing shall surely come to pass which he cried by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel and bagainst all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of cSamaria.”
33 After this event Jeroboam did not return from his evil way, but aagain he made priests of the high places from among all the people; bany who would, he ordained, to be priests of the high places. 34 aThis event became sin to the house of Jeroboam, beven to blot it out and destroy it from off the face of the earth.
Ahijah Prophesies against the King
At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick. 2 Jeroboam said to his wife, “Arise now, and adisguise yourself so that they will not know that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to bShiloh; behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who cspoke concerning me that I would be king over this people. 3 aTake ten loaves with you, some cakes and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.”
4 Jeroboam’s wife did so, and arose and went to aShiloh, and came to the house of bAhijah. Now Ahijah could not see, cfor his eyes were dim because of his age. 5 Now the Lord had said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. You shall say thus and thus to her, for it will be when she arrives that ashe will pretend to be another woman.”
6 When Ahijah heard the sound of her feet coming in the doorway, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam, why do you pretend to be another woman? For I am sent to you with a harsh message. 7 Go, say to Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel, “aBecause I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over My people Israel, 8 and atore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you—byet you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, cto do only that which was right in My sight; 9 you also have done more evil than all who were before you, and ahave gone and made for yourself other gods and bmolten images to provoke Me to anger, and have ccast Me behind your back— 10 therefore behold, I am bringing calamity on the house of Jeroboam, and awill cut off from Jeroboam every male person, bboth bond and free in Israel, and I cwill make a clean sweep of the house of Jeroboam, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone. 11 aAnyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs will eat. And he who dies in the field the birds of the heavens will eat; for the Lord has spoken it.”’ 12 Now you, arise, go to your house. aWhen your feet enter the city the child will die. 13 All Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he alone of Jeroboam’s family will come to the grave, because in him asomething good was found toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam. 14 Moreover, athe Lord will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam this day and from now on.
15 “For the Lord will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and aHe will uproot Israel from bthis good land which He gave to their fathers, and cwill scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, dbecause they have made their Asherim, provoking the Lord to anger. 16 He will give up Israel aon account of the sins of Jeroboam, which he committed and with which he made Israel to sin.”
17 Then Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed and came to aTirzah. bAs she was entering the threshold of the house, the child died. 18 aAll Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through His servant Ahijah the prophet.
19 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, ahow he made war and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 20 The time that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years; and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place.
Rehoboam Misleads Judah
21 aNow Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, bthe city which the Lord had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put His name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 22 aJudah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they bprovoked Him to jealousy more than all that their fathers had done, with the sins which they committed. 23 For they also built for themselves ahigh places and sacred bpillars and cAsherim on every high hill and dbeneath every luxuriant tree. 24 There were also amale cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel.
25 aNow it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak the king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 26 He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house, and ahe took everything, beven taking all the shields of gold which Solomon had made. 27 So King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place, and acommitted them to the care of the commanders of the guard who guarded the doorway of the king’s house. 28 Then it happened as often as the king entered the house of the Lord, that the guards would carry them and would bring them back into the guards’ room.
29 aNow the rest of the acts of Rehoboam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 30 aThere was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. 31 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and ahis mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. And Abijam his son became king in his place.
2 Chronicles 12
Shishak of Egypt Invades Judah
aWhen the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and strong, bhe and all Israel with him forsook the law of the Lord. 2 aAnd it came about in King Rehoboam’s fifth year, because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, that bShishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem 3 with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen. And the people who came with him from Egypt were without number: athe Lubim, the Sukkiim and the Ethiopians. 4 He captured athe fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. 5 Then aShemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the princes of Judah who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, ‘bYou have forsaken Me, so I also have forsaken you to Shishak.’” 6 So the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The aLord is righteous.”
7 When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, “aThey have humbled themselves so I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some measure of deliverance, and bMy wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by means of Shishak. 8 But they will become his slaves so athat they may learn the difference between My service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.”
Plunder Impoverishes Judah
9 aSo Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s palace. He took everything; bhe even took the golden shields which Solomon had made. 10 Then King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place and committed them to the care of the commanders of the guard who guarded the door of the king’s house. 11 As often as the king entered the house of the Lord, the guards came and carried them and then brought them back into the guards’ room. 12 And awhen he humbled himself, the anger of the Lord turned away from him, so as not to destroy him completely; and also conditions bwere good in Judah.
13 aSo King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned. Now Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord had chosen from all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 14 He did evil abecause he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.
15 aNow the acts of Rehoboam, from first to last, are they not written in the records of bShemaiah the prophet and of cIddo the seer, according to genealogical enrollment? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. 16 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David; and his son aAbijah became king in his place.
Titus 2
Duties of the Older and Younger
But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for asound doctrine. 2 aOlder men are to be btemperate, dignified, sensible, csound din faith, in love, in perseverance.
3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, anot malicious gossips nor benslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, aworkers at home, kind, being bsubject to their own husbands, cso that the word of God will not be dishonored.
6 Likewise urge athe young men to be sensible; 7 in all things show yourself to be aan example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, 8 sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so athat the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.
9 Urge abondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of aGod our Savior in every respect.
11 For the grace of God has aappeared, bbringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and aworldly desires and bto live sensibly, righteously and godly cin the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the aappearing of the glory of bour great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who agave Himself for us bto redeem us from every lawless deed, and to cpurify for Himself a dpeople for His own possession, ezealous for good deeds.
15 These things speak and aexhort and areprove with all authority. bLet no one disregard you.
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