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2 CHRONICLES 27

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Jotham Reigns in Judah
  27:1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord according to all that his father Uzziah had done, except he did not enter the temple of the Lord. But the people still followed corrupt practices. 3 He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord and did much building on the wall of Ophel. 4 Moreover, he built cities in the hill country of Judah, and forts and towers on the wooded hills. 5 He fought with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed against them. And the Ammonites gave him that year 100 talents of silver, and 10,000 cors of wheat and 10,000 of barley. The Ammonites paid him the same amount in the second and the third years. 6 So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God. 7 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars and his ways, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. 8 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. 9 And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David, and Ahaz his son reigned in his place.



2 CHRONICLES 28

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Ahaz Reigns in Judah
  28:1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done, 2 but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made metal images for the Baals, 3 and he made offerings in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and burned his sons as an offering, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. 4 And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree. Judah Defeated
5 Therefore the Lord his God gave him into the hand of the king of Syria, who defeated him and took captive a great number of his people and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with great force. 6 For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed 120,000 from Judah in one day, all of them men of valor, because they had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. 7 And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king’s son and Azrikam the commander of the palace and Elkanah the next in authority to the king.
    
8 The men of Israel took captive 200,000 of their relatives, women, sons, and daughters. They also took much spoil from them and brought the spoil to Samaria. 9 But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded, and he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, “Behold, because the Lord, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand, but you have killed them in a rage that has reached up to heaven. 10 And now you intend to subjugate the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, as your slaves. Have you not sins of your own against the Lord your God? 11 Now hear me, and send back the captives from your relatives whom you have taken, for the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you.”
    
12 Certain chiefs also of the men of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who were coming from the war 13 and said to them, “You shall not bring the captives in here, for you propose to bring upon us guilt against the Lord in addition to our present sins and guilt. For our guilt is already great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.” 14 So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the assembly. 15 And the men who have been mentioned by name rose and took the captives, and with the spoil they clothed all who were naked among them. They clothed them, gave them sandals, provided them with food and drink, and anointed them, and carrying all the feeble among them on donkeys, they brought them to their kinsfolk at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria.
    
16 At that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria for help. 17 For the Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and carried away captives. 18 And the Philistines had made raids on the cities in the Shephelah and the Negeb of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages. And they settled there. 19 For the Lord humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had made Judah act sinfully and had been very unfaithful to the Lord. 20 So Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came against him and afflicted him instead of strengthening him. 21 For Ahaz took a portion from the house of the Lord and the house of the king and of the princes, and gave tribute to the king of Assyria, but it did not help him. Ahaz’s Idolatry
22 In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the Lord—this same King Ahaz. 23 For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. 24 And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and he shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and he made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. 25 In every city of Judah he made high places to make offerings to other gods, provoking to anger the Lord, the God of his fathers. 26 Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, from first to last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27 And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, for they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.



PROVERBS 15

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15:1
A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
2
The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
but the mouths of fools pour out folly.
3
The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
keeping watch on the evil and the good.
4
A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
5
A fool despises his father’s instruction,
but whoever heeds reproof is prudent.
6
In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
but trouble befalls the income of the wicked.
7
The lips of the wise spread knowledge;
not so the hearts of fools.
8
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him.
9
The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
but he loves him who pursues righteousness.
10
There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way;
whoever hates reproof will die.
11
Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord;
how much more the hearts of the children of man!
12
A scoffer does not like to be reproved;
he will not go to the wise.
13
A glad heart makes a cheerful face,
but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.
14
The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
but the mouths of fools feed on folly.
15
All the days of the afflicted are evil,
but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.
16
Better is a little with the fear of the Lord
than great treasure and trouble with it.
17
Better is a dinner of herbs where love is
than a fattened ox and hatred with it.
18
A hot-tempered man stirs up strife,
but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.
19
The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns,
but the path of the upright is a level highway.
20
A wise son makes a glad father,
but a foolish man despises his mother.
21
Folly is a joy to him who lacks sense,
but a man of understanding walks straight ahead.
22
Without counsel plans fail,
but with many advisers they succeed.
23
To make an apt answer is a joy to a man,
and a word in season, how good it is!
24
The path of life leads upward for the prudent,
that he may turn away from Sheol beneath.
25
The Lord tears down the house of the proud
but maintains the widow’s boundaries.
26
The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,
but gracious words are pure.
27
Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household,
but he who hates bribes will live.
28
The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer,
but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
29
The Lord is far from the wicked,
but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
30
The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
and good news refreshes the bones.
31
The ear that listens to life-giving reproof
will dwell among the wise.
32
Whoever ignores instruction despises himself,
but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.
33
The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,
and humility comes before honor.



1 THESSALONIANS 4

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A Life Pleasing to God
  4:1 Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
    
9 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, 10 for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, 11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. The Coming of the Lord
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

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