Aug 2nd

Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri.

He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly.

And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh like the house of Ahab, for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction.

He also walked according to their counsel, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to wage war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. But the Arameans struck Joram.

So he returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which they caused by striking him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. And Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

Now the downfall of Ahaziah was from God, in that he went to Joram. And when he came, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom Yahweh had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.

Now it happened when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers attending to Ahaziah, and killed them.

And he sought Ahaziah, and they caught him while he was hiding himself in Samaria; they brought him to Jehu, put him to death, and buried him. For they said, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought Yahweh with all his heart.” So there was no one of the house of Ahaziah to retain the power of the kingdom.

Now Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son had died. So she rose and destroyed all the royal seed of the house of Judah.

But Jehoshabeath the king’s daughter took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and put him and his nurse in the bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah, so she did not put him to death.

So he was hidden with them in the house of God six years while Athaliah was reigning over the land.

Now in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and took commanders of hundreds: Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Johanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, and they entered into a covenant with him.

And they went around Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the heads of the fathers’ households of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.

Then all the assembly cut a covenant with the king in the house of God. And Jehoiada said to them, “Behold, the king’s son shall reign, as Yahweh has spoken concerning the sons of David.

This is the thing which you shall do: one-third of you, of the priests and Levites who come in on the sabbath, shall be gatekeepers at the thresholds,

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 Yahweh.

But let no one enter the house of Yahweh except the priests and the ministering Levites; they may enter, for they are holy. And let all the people keep the charge of Yahweh.

And the Levites will surround the king, each man with his weapons in his hand; and whoever enters the house, let him be put to death. And be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.”

So the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each one of them took his men who were to come in on the sabbath, with those who were to go out on the sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss any of the divisions.

Then Jehoiada the priest gave to the commanders of hundreds the spears and the shields and small shields which had been King David’s, which were in the house of God.

And he caused all the people to stand, each man with his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, by the altar and by the house, around the king.

Then they brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him, and gave him the testimony and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, “Long live the king!”

Then Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, so she came into the house of Yahweh to the people.

And she looked, and behold, the king was standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the commanders and the trumpeters were beside the king. And all the people of the land were glad and blew trumpets, the singers with their musical instruments leading the praise. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and said, “Treason! Treason!”

Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the commanders of hundreds who were appointed over the military force and said to them, “Bring her out between the ranks; and whoever follows her, let him be put to death with the sword.” For the priest said, “You shall not put her to death in the house of Yahweh.”

So they laid hands on her, and when she arrived at the entrance of the Horse Gate of the king’s house, they put her to death there.

Then Jehoiada cut a covenant between himself and all the people and the king, that they would be the people of Yahweh.

And all the people came to the house of Baal and tore it down, and his altars and his images they broke in pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.

And Jehoiada placed the assignments concerning the house of Yahweh in the hand of the Levitical priests, whom David had divided by lot to be over the house of Yahweh, to offer the burnt offerings of Yahweh, as it is written in the law of Moses—with gladness and singing according to the order of David.

And he caused the gatekeepers of the house of Yahweh to stand, so that no one would enter who was in any way unclean.

And he took the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought the king down from the house of Yahweh, and they came through the upper gate to the king’s house. And they sat the king upon the royal throne.

So all of the people of the land were glad, and the city was quiet. For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword.

Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah from Beersheba.

And Joash did what was right in the sight of Yahweh all the days of Jehoiada the priest.

And Jehoiada took up two wives for him, and he became the father of sons and daughters.

Now it happened afterwards, that Joash had in his heart to restore the house of Yahweh.

And he gathered the priests and Levites and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and gather money from all Israel to repair the house of your God annually, and you shall do the matter quickly.” But the Levites did not act quickly.

So the king called for Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the levy fixed by Moses the servant of Yahweh on the congregation of Israel for the tent of the testimony?”

For the sons of the wicked Athaliah had broken into the house of God and even used the holy things of the house of Yahweh for the Baals.

So the king said the word, and they made a chest and put it outside by the gate of the house of Yahweh.

And they made a proclamation in Judah and Jerusalem to bring to Yahweh the levy fixed by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the wilderness.

And all the officials and all the people were glad and brought in their levies and dropped them into the chest until they had finished.

Now it happened that whenever the chest was brought in to the king’s officer by the hand of the Levites, and when they 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.

And the king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of Yahweh; and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of Yahweh, and also craftsmen in iron and bronze to repair the house of Yahweh.

So those who did the work labored, and the repair work progressed in their hands, and they restored the house of God according to its specifications and strengthened it.

When they had completed it, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; and it was made into utensils for the house of Yahweh, utensils for the ministry and the burnt offering, and pans and utensils of gold and silver. And they were offering burnt offerings in the house of Yahweh continually all the days of Jehoiada.

Then Jehoiada became old and full of days, and he died; he was 130 years old at his death.

They buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done what is good in Israel and to God and His house.

But after the death of Jehoiada the officials of Judah came and bowed down to the king, and the king listened to them.

And they forsook the house of Yahweh, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols; so wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guilt.

Yet He sent prophets to them to bring them back to Yahweh; though they testified against them, they did not give ear.

Now 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 trespass against the commandments of Yahweh and do not succeed? Because you have forsaken Yahweh, He has also forsaken you.’ ”

So they conspired against him and at the command of the king they stoned him to death in the court of the house of Yahweh.

Thus Joash the king did not remember the lovingkindness which his father Jehoiada had shown him, but he killed his son. And as he died he said, “May Yahweh see and avenge!”

Now it happened at the turn of the year that the military force 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.

Indeed the military force of the Arameans came with a small number of men; yet Yahweh gave a very great military force into their hands, because they had forsaken Yahweh, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joash.

When they had gone from him (for they left him very sick), 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.

Now these are those who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess.

Now as to his sons and the many oracles against him and the rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the treatise of the Book of the Kings. Then Amaziah his son became king in his place.

“While so engaged as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests,

at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me.

And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.

But rise up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a servant and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you;

rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you,

“So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision,

but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, practicing deeds appropriate to repentance.

For this reason some Jews seized me in the temple and were trying to put me to death.

Therefore, having obtained help from God to this day, I stand here bearing witness both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place;

that the Christ was to suffer, and that as first of the resurrection from the dead, He was going to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

Now while Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus *said in a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind! Great learning is driving you out of your mind.”

But Paul *said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I utter words of sober truth.

For the king knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner.

King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know you believe.”

But Agrippa replied to Paul, “In such short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?”

And Paul said, “I would pray to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains.”

And the king stood up and the governor and Bernice, and those who were sitting with them,

and when they had gone aside, they began talking to one another, saying, “This man is not doing anything worthy of death or imprisonment.”

And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”