2 Chronicles 24


Young Joash Influenced by Jehoiada

aJoash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah from Beersheba.
2 aJoash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 3 Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he became the father of sons and daughters.

Faithless Priests

4 Now it came about after this that Joash 1decided ato restore the house of the Lord.
5 He gathered the priests and Levites and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect money from all aIsrael to 1repair the house of your God 2annually, and you shall do the matter quickly.” But the Levites did not act quickly. 6 So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem athe levy fixed by Moses the servant of the Lord on the congregation of Israel bfor the tent of the testimony?” 7 For athe sons of the wicked Athaliah had broken into the house of God and even 1used the holy things of the house of the Lord for the Baals.

Temple Repaired

8 So the king commanded, and athey made a chest and set it outside by the gate of the house of the Lord.
9 aThey made a proclamation in Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the Lord bthe levy fixed by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the wilderness. 10 All the officers and all the people rejoiced and brought in their levies and 1dropped them into the chest until they had finished. 11 It came about whenever the chest was brought in to the king’s officer by the Levites, and when athey saw that there was much money, then the king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer would come, empty the chest, take it, and return it to its place. Thus they did daily and collected much money. 12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of the Lord; and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of the Lord, and also workers in iron and bronze to 1repair the house of the Lord. 13 So the workmen labored, and the repair work progressed in their hands, and they 1restored the house of God 2according to its specifications and strengthened it. 14 When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; and it was made into utensils for the house of the Lord, utensils for the service and the burnt offering, and pans and utensils of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of Jehoiada.
15 Now when Jehoiada 1reached a ripe old age he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old at his death.
16 They buried him ain the city of David among the kings, because he had done well in bIsrael and 1to God and His house.
17 But after the death of Jehoiada the officials of Judah came and bowed down to the king, and the king listened to them.
18 They abandoned athe house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bserved the 1Asherim and the idols; so cwrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guilt. 19 Yet aHe sent prophets to them to bring them back to the Lord; though they testified against them, they would not listen.

Joash Murders Son of Jehoiada

20 aThen the Spirit of God 1came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people and said to them, “Thus God has said, ‘bWhy do you transgress the commandments of the Lord and do not prosper? cBecause you have forsaken the Lord, He has also forsaken you.’”
21 So athey conspired against him and at the command of the king they stoned him 1to death in the court of the house of the Lord. 22 Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which his father Jehoiada had shown him, but he murdered his son. And as he died he said, “May athe Lord see and 1avenge!”

Aram Invades and Defeats Judah

23 Now it happened at the turn of the year that athe army of the Arameans came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the officials of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus.
24 Indeed the army of the Arameans came with a small number of men; yet athe Lord delivered a very great army into their hands, bbecause they had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joash.
25 aWhen they had departed from him (for they left him very sick), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the 1son of Jehoiada the priest, and murdered him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.
26 Now these are those who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess. 27 As to his sons and the many 1oracles against him and athe 2rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the 3btreatise of the Book of the Kings. Then Amaziah his son became king in his place.

2 Kings 12


Joash (Jehoash) Reigns over Judah

In the seventh year of Jehu, aJehoash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba.
2 Jehoash did right in the sight of the Lord all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3 Only athe high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

The Temple to Be Repaired

4 Then Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the sacred things awhich is brought into the house of the Lord, in current money, both bthe money of each man’s assessment and all the money 1which any man’s heart prompts him to bring into the house of the Lord,
5 let the priests take it for themselves, each from his acquaintance; and they shall repair the 1damages of the house wherever any damage may be found.”
6 But it came about that in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash athe priests had not repaired the damages of the house.
7 Then King Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and for the other priests and said to them, “Why do you not repair the damages of the house? Now therefore take no more money from your acquaintances, but pay it for the damages of the house.” 8 So the priests agreed that they would take no more money from the people, nor repair the damages of the house.
9 But aJehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid and put it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the Lord; and the priests who guarded the threshold put in it all the money which was brought into the house of the Lord.
10 When they saw that there was much money in the chest, athe king’s scribe and the high priest came up and tied it in bags and counted the money which was found in the house of the Lord. 11 They gave the money which was weighed out into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of the Lord; and they 1paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the house of the Lord; 12 and ato the masons and the stonecutters, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the damages to the house of the Lord, and for all that was 1laid out for the house to repair it. 13 But athere were not made for the house of the Lord bsilver cups, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver from the money which was brought into the house of the Lord; 14 for they gave that to those who did the work, and with it they repaired the house of the Lord. 15 Moreover, athey did not require an accounting from the men into whose hand they gave the money to pay to those who did the work, for they dealt faithfully. 16 The amoney from the guilt offerings and bthe money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord; cit was for the priests.
17 Then aHazael king of Aram went up and fought against Gath and captured it, and bHazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.
18 aJehoash king of Judah took all the sacred things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and bhis own sacred things and all the gold that was found among the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house, and sent them to Hazael king of Aram. Then he went away from Jerusalem.

Joash (Jehoash) Succeeded by Amaziah in Judah

19 Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
20 aHis servants arose and made a conspiracy and bstruck down Joash at cthe house of Millo as he was going down to Silla. 21 For Jozacar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of aShomer, his servants, struck him and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and bAmaziah his son became king in his place.

Psalm 50


God the Judge of the Righteous and the Wicked.

A Psalm of 1Asaph.

aThe Mighty One, God, the Lord, has spoken,
And summoned the earth bfrom the rising of the sun to its setting.

2
Out of Zion, athe perfection of beauty,
God bhas shone forth.

3
May our God acome and not keep silence;
bFire devours before Him,
And it is very ctempestuous around Him.

4
He asummons the heavens above,
And the earth, to judge His people:

5
“Gather My agodly ones to Me,
Those who have made a bcovenant with Me by csacrifice.”

6
And the aheavens declare His righteousness,
For bGod Himself is judge. 1Selah.


7
aHear, O My people, and I will speak;
O Israel, I will testify 1against you;
I am God, byour God.

8
“I do anot reprove you for your sacrifices,
And your burnt offerings are continually before Me.

9
“I shall take no ayoung bull out of your house
Nor male goats out of your folds.

10
“For aevery beast of the forest is Mine,
The cattle on a thousand hills.

11
“I know every abird of the mountains,
And everything that moves in the field is 1Mine.

12
“If I were hungry I would not tell you,
For the aworld is Mine, and 1all it contains.

13
“Shall I eat the flesh of 1abulls
Or drink the blood of male goats?

14
“Offer to God aa sacrifice of thanksgiving
And bpay your vows to the Most High;

15
aCall upon Me in the day of trouble;
I shall brescue you, and you will chonor Me.”


16
But to the wicked God says,
“What right have you to tell of My statutes
And to take aMy covenant in your mouth?

17
“For you ahate discipline,
And you bcast My words behind you.

18
“When you see a thief, you 1aare pleased with him,
And 2you bassociate with adulterers.

19
“You 1alet your mouth loose in evil
And your btongue frames deceit.

20
“You sit and aspeak against your brother;
You slander your own mother’s son.

21
“These things you have done and aI kept silence;
You thought that I was just like you;
I will breprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.


22
“Now consider this, you who aforget God,
Or I will btear you in pieces, and there will be none to deliver.

23
“He who aoffers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me;
And to him who 1borders his way aright
I shall cshow the salvation of God.”

Matthew 9


A Paralytic Healed

Getting into a boat, Jesus crossed over the sea and came to aHis own city.

2 aAnd they brought to Him a bparalytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, cTake courage, 1son; dyour sins are forgiven.”
3 And some of the scribes said 1to themselves, “This fellow ablasphemes.” 4 And Jesus aknowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? 5 Which is easier, to say, ‘aYour sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, and walk’? 6 But so that you may know that athe Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”⁠—then He *said to the bparalytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he got up and 1went home. 8 But when the crowds saw this, they were 1awestruck, and aglorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Matthew Called

9 aAs Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called bMatthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He *said to him, cFollow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.

10 Then it happened that as 1Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and 2sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples.
11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “aWhy is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when Jesus heard this, He said, It is not athose who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn 1awhat this means: ‘bI desire 2compassion, 3and not sacrifice,’ for cI did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

The Question about Fasting

14 Then the disciples of John *came to Him, asking, “Why do we and athe Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”
15 And Jesus said to them, “The 1attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 But no one puts 1a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for 2the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. 17 Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Miracles of Healing

18 aWhile He was saying these things to them, 1a synagogue 2official came and 3bbowed down before Him, and said, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live.”
19 Jesus got up and began to follow him, and so did His disciples.
20 And a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched athe 1fringe of His 2cloak;
21 for she was saying 1to herself, “If I only atouch His garment, I will 2get well.” 22 But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, atake courage; byour faith has 1made you well.” 2At once the woman was 3made well.
23 When Jesus came into the 1official’s house, and saw athe flute-players and the crowd in noisy disorder,
24 He said, “Leave; for the girl ahas not died, but is asleep.” And they began laughing at Him. 25 But awhen the crowd had been sent out, He entered and btook her by the hand, and the girl 1got up. 26 aThis news spread throughout all that land.
27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, aSon of David!”
28 When He entered the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus *said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They *said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, 1It shall be done to you aaccording to your faith.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus asternly warned them: “See that no one knows about this! 31 But they went out and aspread the news about Him throughout all that land.
32 As they were going out, aa mute, bdemon-possessed man 1was brought to Him.
33 After the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “aNothing like this has 1ever been seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees were saying, “He acasts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”
35 Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, ateaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

36 aSeeing the 1people, He felt compassion for them, bbecause they were 2distressed and 3dispirited like sheep 4without a shepherd.
37 Then He *said to His disciples, aThe harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”
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