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2 CHRONICLES 23

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Joash Made King
  23:1 But in the seventh year Jehoiada took courage and entered into a covenant with the commanders of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri. 2 And they went about through Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the heads of fathers’ houses of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. 3 And all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And Jehoiada said to them, “Behold, the king’s son! Let him reign, as the Lord spoke concerning the sons of David. 4 This is the thing that you shall do: of you priests and Levites who come off duty on the Sabbath, one third shall be gatekeepers, 5 and one third shall be at the king’s house and one third at the Gate of the Foundation. And all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the Lord. 6 Let no one enter the house of the Lord except the priests and ministering Levites. They may enter, for they are holy, but all the people shall keep the charge of the Lord. 7 The Levites shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand. And whoever enters the house shall be put to death. Be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.”
    
8 The Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded, and they each brought his men, who were to go off duty on the Sabbath, with those who were to come on duty on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss the divisions. 9 And Jehoiada the priest gave to the captains the spears and the large and small shields that had been King David’s, which were in the house of God. 10 And he set all the people as a guard for the king, every man with his weapon in his hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, around the altar and the house. 11 Then they brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him and gave him the testimony. And they proclaimed him king, and Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and they said, “Long live the king.” Athaliah Executed
12 When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she went into the house of the Lord to the people. 13 And when she looked, there was the king standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the trumpeters beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and the singers with their musical instruments leading in the celebration. And Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, “Treason! Treason!” 14 Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains who were set over the army, saying to them, “Bring her out between the ranks, and anyone who follows her is to be put to death with the sword.” For the priest said, “Do not put her to death in the house of the Lord.” 15 So they laid hands on her, and she went into the entrance of the horse gate of the king’s house, and they put her to death there. Jehoiada’s Reforms
16 And Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king that they should be the Lord’s people. 17 Then all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down; his altars and his images they broke in pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. 18 And Jehoiada posted watchmen for the house of the Lord under the direction of the Levitical priests and the Levites whom David had organized to be in charge of the house of the Lord, to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, as it is written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, according to the order of David. 19 He stationed the gatekeepers at the gates of the house of the Lord so that no one should enter who was in any way unclean. 20 And he took the captains, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, marching through the upper gate to the king’s house. And they set the king on the royal throne. 21 So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athaliah had been put to death with the sword.



2 CHRONICLES 24

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Joash Repairs the Temple
  24:1 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2 And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 3 Jehoiada got for him two wives, and he had sons and daughters.
    
4 After this Joash decided to restore the house of the Lord. 5 And he gathered the priests and the Levites and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and gather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that you act quickly.” But the Levites did not act quickly. 6 So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax levied by Moses, the servant of the Lord, and the congregation of Israel for the tent of testimony?” 7 For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and had also used all the dedicated things of the house of the Lord for the Baals.
    
8 So the king commanded, and they made a chest and set it outside the gate of the house of the Lord. 9 And proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring in for the Lord the tax that Moses the servant of God laid on Israel in the wilderness. 10 And all the princes and all the people rejoiced and brought their tax and dropped it into the chest until they had finished. 11 And whenever the chest was brought to the king’s officers by the Levites, when they saw that there was much money in it, the king’s secretary and the officer of the chief priest would come and empty the chest and take it and return it to its place. Thus they did day after day, and collected money in abundance. 12 And the king and Jehoiada gave it to those who had charge of the work 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 repair the house of the Lord. 13 So those who were engaged in the work labored, and the repairing went forward in their hands, and they restored the house of God to its proper condition and strengthened it. 14 And when they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, and with it were made utensils for the house of the Lord, both for the service and for the burnt offerings, and dishes for incense and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord regularly all the days of Jehoiada.
    
15 But Jehoiada grew old and full of days, and died. He was 130 years old at his death. 16 And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house.
    
17 Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them. 18 And they abandoned the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. 19 Yet he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the Lord. These testified against them, but they would not pay attention. Joash’s Treachery
20 Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God, ‘Why do you break the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.’” 21 But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord. 22 Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, “May the Lord see and avenge!” Joash Assassinated
23 At the end of the year the army of the Syrians came up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. 24 Though the army of the Syrians had come with few men, the Lord delivered into their hand a very great army, because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joash.
    
25 When they had departed from him, leaving him severely wounded, his servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and killed 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 Those who conspired against him were Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonite, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabite. 27 Accounts of his sons and of the many oracles against him and of the rebuilding of the house of God are written in the Story of the Book of the Kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his place.



PROVERBS 13

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13:1
A wise son hears his father’s instruction,
but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
2
From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good,
but the desire of the treacherous is for violence.
3
Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life;
he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
4
The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
5
The righteous hates falsehood,
but the wicked brings shame and disgrace.
6
Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,
but sin overthrows the wicked.
7
One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;
another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
8
The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth,
but a poor man hears no threat.
9
The light of the righteous rejoices,
but the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
10
By insolence comes nothing but strife,
but with those who take advice is wisdom.
11
Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,
but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
12
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
13
Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself,
but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.
14
The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
that one may turn away from the snares of death.
15
Good sense wins favor,
but the way of the treacherous is their ruin.
16
Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
but a fool flaunts his folly.
17
A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
but a faithful envoy brings healing.
18
Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction,
but whoever heeds reproof is honored.
19
A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul,
but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.
20
Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,
but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
21
Disaster pursues sinners,
but the righteous are rewarded with good.
22
A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.
23
The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food,
but it is swept away through injustice.
24
Whoever spares the rod hates his son,
but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
25
The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,
but the belly of the wicked suffers want.



PSALM 79

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How Long, O Lord?
A Psalm of Asaph.
79:1
O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple;
they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
2
They have given the bodies of your servants
to the birds of the heavens for food,
the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth.
3
They have poured out their blood like water
all around Jerusalem,
and there was no one to bury them.
4
We have become a taunt to our neighbors,
mocked and derided by those around us.

5
How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever?
Will your jealousy burn like fire?
6
Pour out your anger on the nations
that do not know you,
and on the kingdoms
that do not call upon your name!
7
For they have devoured Jacob
and laid waste his habitation.

8
Do not remember against us our former iniquities;
let your compassion come speedily to meet us,
for we are brought very low.
9
Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us, and atone for our sins,
for your name’s sake!
10
Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants
be known among the nations before our eyes!

11
Let the groans of the prisoners come before you;
according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die!
12
Return sevenfold into the lap of our neighbors
the taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord!
13
But we your people, the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
from generation to generation we will recount your praise.

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