4 Kingdoms 23:21-25:30
21 King Josiah commanded all the people, saying, “Keep the Passover to the Lord our God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 22 Such a Passover had not been held since the days of the judges who judged Israel, not in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the Passover was held to the Lord in Jerusalem. 24 So Josiah put away those who consulted mediums and wizards, the household gods and idols, all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem. He did so that he might perform the words of the Law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. 25 Before him, there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses. There was no king like him who arose after him.
26 Yet the Lord did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath aroused against Judah. For all the provocations of Manasseh had provoked Him. 27 So the Lord said, “I shall also remove Judah from My sight, as I removed Israel. I shall reject this city Jerusalem which I chose, and the house where I said, ‘My name shall be there.’ ”
Josiah Killed in Battle
28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and everything he did, are these not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah? 29 In his days, Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went to the aid of the king of Assyria, to the River Euphrates; and King Josiah went against him. And Pharaoh Necho killed him at Megiddo when he confronted him. 30 Then his servants moved his body in a chariot from Megiddo, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in his father’s place.
Jehoahaz Is King of Judah
31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he ruled for three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did evil in the eyes of the Lord, according to all the things his fathers had done. 33 Now Pharaoh Necho put him in prison at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not rule in Jerusalem. He imposed a tribute on the land, a talent of gold and one hundred talents of silver. 34 Then Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Pharaoh took Jehoahaz and went to Egypt, and he died there.
Jehoiakim Is King of Judah
35 So Jehoiakim gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh. But at the command of Pharaoh, he taxed the land; he exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land, from every one according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Necho. 36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled for eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. 37 And he did evil in the eyes of the Lord, according to all his fathers had done.
Judah Is Overrun
1 In his days, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 So the Lord sent against him raiding bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the sons of Ammon. He sent them against the land of Judah to destroy it, true to the word of the Lord He had spoken by His servants the prophets. 3 Moreover, it was the purpose of the Lord concerning Judah to remove them from His sight. This, because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did, 4 and for all the innocent blood he shed. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord did not want to pardon him.
5 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and everything he did, are these not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah? 6 So Jehoiakim rested with his fathers. Then Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place. 7 As for the king of Egypt, he did not come out of his land anymore. The king of Babylon seized all that belonged to the king of Egypt, from the river of Egypt to the River Euphrates.
Jehoiachin Is King of Judah
8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 And he did evil in the eyes of the Lord, according to everything his father did.
10 At that time Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, came up against Jerusalem, and he besieged the city. 11 And Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, entered the city, and his servants besieged it. 12 Then Jehoiachin king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon himself, and his servants, and his mother, and his officers, and his eunuchs. And the king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign.
13 Then he carried out from there all the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house, and he cut in pieces all the articles of gold which Solomon the king of Israel made in the temple of the Lord, according to the word of the Lord.
14 Also he carried into captivity all Jerusalem, all the officers and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths. None remained except the poor of the land. 15 He then carried Jehoiachin captive to Babylon along with the king’s mother, the king’s wives, and his eunuchs. And he led the mighty of the land into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon, 16 and all the valiant men, seven thousand, and one thousand craftsmen and smiths, all of them strong and fit for war, these the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon. 17 Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his son king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.
Zedekiah Is King of Judah
18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled for eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah. 19 And he did evil in the eyes of the Lord, all that Jehoiakim had done. 20 For it was according to the anger of the Lord against Jerusalem and Judah, until He finally cast them out from His presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
The Fall of Jerusalem
1 In the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it. They built a siege wall against it all around. 2 So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 3 By the ninth day of the month, the famine was severe in the city, and there was no food for the people of the land. 4 Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled at night. They ran by way of the gate, between the walls, through the gate of the king’s garden. They and the king ran out, even though the Chaldeans still encircled the entire city. They left by way of the plain toward Arabah. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho. The king’s army was scattered all about him. 6 So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and he pronounced judgment on him. 7 And before his eyes, they killed the sons of Zedekiah. They then put out his eyes, bound him with fetters, and took him to Babylon.
The Temple Is Destroyed
8 In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, came before the king of Babylon in Jerusalem. 9 He burned the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every house was burned 10 by the captain of the guard. 11 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive the people who remained in the city, and those who deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude. 12 But the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers.
13 The Chaldeans broke into pieces the bronze pillars, and the bases, and the bronze Sea in the house of the Lord. They carried their bronze to Babylon. 14 They also took away the pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils used by the priests to minister. 15 The captain of the guard took away the fire-pans, the golden bowls, and the silver. 16 The amount of bronze in the two pillars, the one Sea, and the carts, and all the articles made by Solomon for the house of the Lord, was beyond measure. 17 The height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the capital on it was of bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits, and the network and pomegranates all around the capital were all of bronze. The second pillar was the same, with a network.
18 And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the high-priest, and Zephaniah the second in order, and the three doorkeepers. 19 And they took out of the city one eunuch who was commander of the men of war, and five men who saw the face of the king that were found in the city, and the secretary of the commander-in-chief, who took account of the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land that were found in the city. 20 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon, to Reblatha. 21 And the king of Babylon struck them and killed them at Reblatha in the land of Amath. So Judah was carried away from his land.
Judah Is Captive in Babylon
22 As for the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away captive, he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor over them. 23 All the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon made Gedaliah governor, so they—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Careah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite—they and their men came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. 24 Then Gedaliah made them and their men take an oath, and he said to them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.”
25 But in the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama of the royal family, came with ten men and struck and killed Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Jews as well as the Chaldeans with him. 26 So all the people, small and great, and the captains of the armies arose and went to Egypt because they were afraid of the Chaldeans.
Jehoiachin Is Freed from Prison
27 In the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year he began to reign, released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. 28 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings with him in Babylon. 29 So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments and ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life. 30 And as for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life.
Psalm 111
1 Alleluia.
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord;
He will delight exceedingly in His commandments;
2 His seed shall be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright shall be blessed;
3 Glory and riches shall be in his house,
And his righteousness continues unto ages of ages.
4 For the upright, light springs up in darkness,
For he is merciful, compassionate, and righteous.
5 A good man is compassionate and lends;
He will manage his words with judgment,
6 For he shall be unshaken forever;
A righteous man shall be in everlasting remembrance.
7 He shall not be afraid because of an evil report;
His heart is prepared to hope in the Lord.
8 His heart is established; he is not afraid
As he surveys his enemies.
9 He dispersed; he gave to the poor;
His righteousness continues unto ages of ages;
His horn shall be exalted with glory.
10 The sinner shall see this, and be angry;
He shall gnash his teeth, and be consumed;
The desire of sinners shall perish.
Psalm 112
1 Alleluia.
Praise the Lord, O you servants;
Praise the name of the Lord;
2 Blessed be the name of the Lord
From this present time and unto the ages;
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting,
Praise the name of the Lord.
4 The Lord is high above all the nations;
His glory is above the heavens.
5 Who is like the Lord our God,
Who dwells in the highest,
6 And who looks upon the humble things
In heaven and on earth?
7 He raises the poor man from the earth
And lifts up the poor from the dunghills
8 So as to seat him with rulers,
With the rulers of His people;
9 He settles the barren woman in a home,
To be a joyful mother of children.
1 Alleluia.
Proverbs 24:19–23
19 Do not rejoice in evildoers,
Nor envy sinners;
20 For there is no future for evil men,
And the lamp of the ungodly shall be put out.
21 Fear God, my son, and the king,
And disobey neither of them;
22 For suddenly they will take retribution on the ungodly,
And who will know the punishments of both?
23 A son who guards the word will be free from destruction,
For he receives it fully.
John 5:16–47
16 For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.
17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”
18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.
19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
20 “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.
21 “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.
22 “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,
23 “that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
Life and Judgment Are Through the Son
24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
25 “Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.
26 “For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself,
27 “and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.
28 “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice
29 “and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
30 “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.
The Fourfold Witness
31 “If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.
32 “There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.
33 “You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.
34 “Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.
35 “He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.
36 “But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.
37 “And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.
38 “But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.
39 “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
40 “But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
41 “I do not receive honor from men.
42 “But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.
43 “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.
44 “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?
45 “Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust.
46 “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.47 “But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”