Lighting Up Our City Video 2: Avoiding Insider Language

How to Love Your Work and God

How to Love Like Jesus

Faith in Action: A Journey Through James

House of David, Season 2: Trusting God in the Middle of the Story

How Is It With Your Soul?

The Discipline of Study and Meditation

Honest to God

The Letter to the Philippians

Reimagine Transformation Through the Life of Paul

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkPRO">
 <div class="chapter ch16" data-usfm="PRO.16">
 <div class="label">16</div><div class="q1"> 1To humans belong the plans of the heart,</div><div class="q2">but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 2All a person&#8217;s ways seem pure to them,</div><div class="q2">but motives are weighed by the Lord.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 3Commit to the Lord whatever you do,</div><div class="q2">and he will establish your plans.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 4The Lord works out everything to its proper end&#8212;</div><div class="q2">even the wicked for a day of disaster.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 5The Lord detests all the proud of heart.</div><div class="q2">Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 6Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;</div><div class="q2">through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 7When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone&#8217;s way,</div><div class="q2">he causes their enemies to make peace with them.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 8Better a little with righteousness</div><div class="q2">than much gain with injustice.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 9In their hearts humans plan their course,</div><div class="q2">but the Lord establishes their steps.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 10The lips of a king speak as an oracle,</div><div class="q2">and his mouth does not betray justice.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 11Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord;</div><div class="q2">all the weights in the bag are of his making.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 12Kings detest wrongdoing,</div><div class="q2">for a throne is established through righteousness.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 13Kings take pleasure in honest lips;</div><div class="q2">they value the one who speaks what is right.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 14A king&#8217;s wrath is a messenger of death,</div><div class="q2">but the wise will appease it.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 15When a king&#8217;s face brightens, it means life;</div><div class="q2">his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 16How much better to get wisdom than gold,</div><div class="q2">to get insight rather than silver!</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 17The highway of the upright avoids evil;</div><div class="q2">those who guard their ways preserve their lives.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 18Pride goes before destruction,</div><div class="q2">a haughty spirit before a fall.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 19Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed</div><div class="q2">than to share plunder with the proud.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 20Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers,#16:20 Or whoever speaks prudently finds what is good</div><div class="q2">and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 21The wise in heart are called discerning,</div><div class="q2">and gracious words promote instruction.#16:21 Or words make a person persuasive</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 22Prudence is a fountain of life to the prudent,</div><div class="q2">but folly brings punishment to fools.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 23The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent,</div><div class="q2">and their lips promote instruction.#16:23 Or prudent / and make their lips persuasive</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 24Gracious words are a honeycomb,</div><div class="q2">sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 25There is a way that appears to be right,</div><div class="q2">but in the end it leads to death.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 26The appetite of laborers works for them;</div><div class="q2">their hunger drives them on.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 27A scoundrel plots evil,</div><div class="q2">and on their lips it is like a scorching fire.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 28A perverse person stirs up conflict,</div><div class="q2">and a gossip separates close friends.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 29A violent person entices their neighbor</div><div class="q2">and leads them down a path that is not good.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 30Whoever winks with their eye is plotting perversity;</div><div class="q2">whoever purses their lips is bent on evil.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 31Gray hair is a crown of splendor;</div><div class="q2">it is attained in the way of righteousness.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 32Better a patient person than a warrior,</div><div class="q2">one with self-control than one who takes a city.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 33The lot is cast into the lap,</div><div class="q2">but its every decision is from the Lord.</div><div class="b"></div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkPSA">
 <div class="chapter ch91" data-usfm="PSA.91">
 <div class="label">91</div><div class="cl">Psalm 91</div><div class="q1"> 1Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High</div><div class="q2">will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.#91:1 Hebrew Shaddai</div><div class="q1"> 2I will say of the Lord, &#8220;He is my refuge and my fortress,</div><div class="q2">my God, in whom I trust.&#8221;</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 3Surely he will save you</div><div class="q2">from the fowler&#8217;s snare</div><div class="q2">and from the deadly pestilence.</div><div class="q1"> 4He will cover you with his feathers,</div><div class="q2">and under his wings you will find refuge;</div><div class="q2">his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.</div><div class="q1"> 5You will not fear the terror of night,</div><div class="q2">nor the arrow that flies by day,</div><div class="q1"> 6nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,</div><div class="q2">nor the plague that destroys at midday.</div><div class="q1"> 7A thousand may fall at your side,</div><div class="q2">ten thousand at your right hand,</div><div class="q2">but it will not come near you.</div><div class="q1"> 8You will only observe with your eyes</div><div class="q2">and see the punishment of the wicked.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 9If you say, &#8220;The Lord is my refuge,&#8221;</div><div class="q2">and you make the Most High your dwelling,</div><div class="q1"> 10no harm will overtake you,</div><div class="q2">no disaster will come near your tent.</div><div class="q1"> 11For he will command his angels concerning you</div><div class="q2">to guard you in all your ways;</div><div class="q1"> 12they will lift you up in their hands,</div><div class="q2">so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.</div><div class="q1"> 13You will tread on the lion and the cobra;</div><div class="q2">you will trample the great lion and the serpent.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 14&#8220;Because he#91:14 That is, probably the king loves me,&#8221; says the Lord, &#8220;I will rescue him;</div><div class="q2">I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.</div><div class="q1"> 15He will call on me, and I will answer him;</div><div class="q2">I will be with him in trouble,</div><div class="q2">I will deliver him and honor him.</div><div class="q1"> 16With long life I will satisfy him</div><div class="q2">and show him my salvation.&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkREV">
 <div class="chapter ch11" data-usfm="REV.11">
 <div class="label">11</div><div class="s1">The Two Witnesses</div><div class="p"> 1I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, &#8220;Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. 2But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. 3And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.&#8221; 4They are &#8220;the two olive trees&#8221; and the two lampstands, and &#8220;they stand before the Lord of the earth.&#8221;#11:4 See Zech. 4:3,11,14. 5If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. 6They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.</div><div class="p"> 7Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. 8Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city&#8212;which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt&#8212;where also their Lord was crucified. 9For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. 10The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.</div><div class="p"> 11But after the three and a half days the breath#11:11 Or Spirit (see Ezek. 37:5,14) of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. 12Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, &#8220;Come up here.&#8221; And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.</div><div class="p"> 13At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.</div><div class="p"> 14The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.</div><div class="s1">The Seventh Trumpet</div><div class="p"> 15The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;The kingdom of the world has become</div><div class="q2">the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,</div><div class="q2">and he will reign for ever and ever.&#8221;</div><div class="m"> 16And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17saying:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,</div><div class="q2">the One who is and who was,</div><div class="q1">because you have taken your great power</div><div class="q2">and have begun to reign.</div><div class="q1"> 18The nations were angry,</div><div class="q2">and your wrath has come.</div><div class="q1">The time has come for judging the dead,</div><div class="q2">and for rewarding your servants the prophets</div><div class="q1">and your people who revere your name,</div><div class="q2">both great and small&#8212;</div><div class="q1">and for destroying those who destroy the earth.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 19Then God&#8217;s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2CH">
 <div class="chapter ch24" data-usfm="2CH.24">
 <div class="label">24</div><div class="s1">Joash Repairs the Temple</div><div class="p"> 1Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother&#8217;s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. 2Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest. 3Jehoiada chose two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters.</div><div class="p"> 4Some time later Joash decided to restore the temple of the Lord. 5He called together the priests and Levites and said to them, &#8220;Go to the towns of Judah and collect the money due annually from all Israel, to repair the temple of your God. Do it now.&#8221; But the Levites did not act at once.</div><div class="p"> 6Therefore the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, &#8220;Why haven&#8217;t you required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax imposed by Moses the servant of the Lord and by the assembly of Israel for the tent of the covenant law?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7Now the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into the temple of God and had used even its sacred objects for the Baals.</div><div class="p"> 8At the king&#8217;s command, a chest was made and placed outside, at the gate of the temple of the Lord. 9A proclamation was then issued in Judah and Jerusalem that they should bring to the Lord the tax that Moses the servant of God had required of Israel in the wilderness. 10All the officials and all the people brought their contributions gladly, dropping them into the chest until it was full. 11Whenever the chest was brought in by the Levites to the king&#8217;s officials and they saw that there was a large amount of money, the royal secretary and the officer of the chief priest would come and empty the chest and carry it back to its place. They did this regularly and collected a great amount of money. 12The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who carried out the work required for the temple of the Lord. They hired masons and carpenters to restore the Lord&#8217;s temple, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the temple.</div><div class="p"> 13The men in charge of the work were diligent, and the repairs progressed under them. They rebuilt the temple of God according to its original design and reinforced it. 14When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, and with it were made articles for the Lord&#8217;s temple: articles for the service and for the burnt offerings, and also dishes and other objects of gold and silver. As long as Jehoiada lived, burnt offerings were presented continually in the temple of the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 15Now Jehoiada was old and full of years, and he died at the age of a hundred and thirty. 16He was buried with the kings in the City of David, because of the good he had done in Israel for God and his temple.</div><div class="s1">The Wickedness of Joash</div><div class="p"> 17After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. 18They abandoned the temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God&#8217;s anger came on Judah and Jerusalem. 19Although the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen.</div><div class="p"> 20Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, &#8220;This is what God says: &#8216;Why do you disobey the Lord&#8217;s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 21But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord&#8217;s temple. 22King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah&#8217;s father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, &#8220;May the Lord see this and call you to account.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23At the turn of the year,#24:23 Probably in the spring the army of Aram marched against Joash; it invaded Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the leaders of the people. They sent all the plunder to their king in Damascus. 24Although the Aramean army had come with only a few men, the Lord delivered into their hands a much larger army. Because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, judgment was executed on Joash. 25When the Arameans withdrew, they left Joash severely wounded. His officials conspired against him for murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him in his bed. So he died and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.</div><div class="p"> 26Those who conspired against him were Zabad,#24:26 A variant of Jozabad son of Shimeath an Ammonite woman, and Jehozabad, son of Shimrith#24:26 A variant of Shomer a Moabite woman. 27The account of his sons, the many prophecies about him, and the record of the restoration of the temple of God are written in the annotations on the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son succeeded him as king.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2CH">
 <div class="chapter ch25" data-usfm="2CH.25">
 <div class="label">25</div><div class="s1">Amaziah King of Judah</div><div class="p"> 1Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother&#8217;s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. 2He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly. 3After the kingdom was firmly in his control, he executed the officials who had murdered his father the king. 4Yet he did not put their children to death, but acted in accordance with what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the Lord commanded: &#8220;Parents shall not be put to death for their children, nor children be put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.&#8221;#25:4 Deut. 24:16</div><div class="p"> 5Amaziah called the people of Judah together and assigned them according to their families to commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He then mustered those twenty years old or more and found that there were three hundred thousand men fit for military service, able to handle the spear and shield. 6He also hired a hundred thousand fighting men from Israel for a hundred talents#25:6 That is, about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons; also in verse 9 of silver.</div><div class="p"> 7But a man of God came to him and said, &#8220;Your Majesty, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the Lord is not with Israel&#8212;not with any of the people of Ephraim. 8Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9Amaziah asked the man of God, &#8220;But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?&#8221;</div><div class="p">The man of God replied, &#8220;The Lord can give you much more than that.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10So Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. They were furious with Judah and left for home in a great rage.</div><div class="p"> 11Amaziah then marshaled his strength and led his army to the Valley of Salt, where he killed ten thousand men of Seir. 12The army of Judah also captured ten thousand men alive, took them to the top of a cliff and threw them down so that all were dashed to pieces.</div><div class="p"> 13Meanwhile the troops that Amaziah had sent back and had not allowed to take part in the war raided towns belonging to Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon. They killed three thousand people and carried off great quantities of plunder.</div><div class="p"> 14When Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods, bowed down to them and burned sacrifices to them. 15The anger of the Lord burned against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, who said, &#8220;Why do you consult this people&#8217;s gods, which could not save their own people from your hand?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16While he was still speaking, the king said to him, &#8220;Have we appointed you an adviser to the king? Stop! Why be struck down?&#8221;</div><div class="p">So the prophet stopped but said, &#8220;I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17After Amaziah king of Judah consulted his advisers, he sent this challenge to Jehoash#25:17 Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash; also in verses 18, 21, 23 and 25 son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel: &#8220;Come, let us face each other in battle.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: &#8220;A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, &#8216;Give your daughter to my son in marriage.&#8217; Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle underfoot. 19You say to yourself that you have defeated Edom, and now you are arrogant and proud. But stay at home! Why ask for trouble and cause your own downfall and that of Judah also?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20Amaziah, however, would not listen, for God so worked that he might deliver them into the hands of Jehoash, because they sought the gods of Edom. 21So Jehoash king of Israel attacked. He and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth Shemesh in Judah. 22Judah was routed by Israel, and every man fled to his home. 23Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah,#25:23 Hebrew Jehoahaz, a variant of Ahaziah at Beth Shemesh. Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate&#8212;a section about four hundred cubits#25:23 That is, about 600 feet or about 180 meters long. 24He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the temple of God that had been in the care of Obed-Edom, together with the palace treasures and the hostages, and returned to Samaria.</div><div class="p"> 25Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. 26As for the other events of Amaziah&#8217;s reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel? 27From the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord, they conspired against him in Jerusalem and he fled to Lachish, but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there. 28He was brought back by horse and was buried with his ancestors in the City of Judah.#25:28 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac (see also 2 Kings 14:20) David</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2CH">
 <div class="chapter ch26" data-usfm="2CH.26">
 <div class="label">26</div><div class="s1">Uzziah King of Judah</div><div class="p"> 1Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah,#26:1 Also called Azariah who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. 2He was the one who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah after Amaziah rested with his ancestors.</div><div class="p"> 3Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother&#8217;s name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. 4He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done. 5He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear#26:5 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac; other Hebrew manuscripts vision of God. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.</div><div class="p"> 6He went to war against the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh and Ashdod. He then rebuilt towns near Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines. 7God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabs who lived in Gur Baal and against the Meunites. 8The Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, because he had become very powerful.</div><div class="p"> 9Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate and at the angle of the wall, and he fortified them. 10He also built towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, because he had much livestock in the foothills and in the plain. He had people working his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil.</div><div class="p"> 11Uzziah had a well-trained army, ready to go out by divisions according to their numbers as mustered by Jeiel the secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the direction of Hananiah, one of the royal officials. 12The total number of family leaders over the fighting men was 2,600. 13Under their command was an army of 307,500 men trained for war, a powerful force to support the king against his enemies. 14Uzziah provided shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and slingstones for the entire army. 15In Jerusalem he made devices invented for use on the towers and on the corner defenses so that soldiers could shoot arrows and hurl large stones from the walls. His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.</div><div class="p"> 16But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. 17Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the Lord followed him in. 18They confronted King Uzziah and said, &#8220;It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the Lord God.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 19Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the Lord&#8217;s temple, leprosy#26:19 The Hebrew for leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin; also in verses 20, 21 and 23. broke out on his forehead. 20When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the Lord had afflicted him.</div><div class="p"> 21King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house#26:21 Or in a house where he was relieved of responsibilities&#8212;leprous, and banned from the temple of the Lord. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.</div><div class="p"> 22The other events of Uzziah&#8217;s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. 23Uzziah rested with his ancestors and was buried near them in a cemetery that belonged to the kings, for people said, &#8220;He had leprosy.&#8221; And Jotham his son succeeded him as king.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2CH">
 <div class="chapter ch27" data-usfm="2CH.27">
 <div class="label">27</div><div class="s1">Jotham King of Judah</div><div class="p"> 1Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother&#8217;s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. 2He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Uzziah had done, but unlike him he did not enter the temple of the Lord. The people, however, continued their corrupt practices. 3Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple of the Lord and did extensive work on the wall at the hill of Ophel. 4He built towns in the hill country of Judah and forts and towers in the wooded areas.</div><div class="p"> 5Jotham waged war against the king of the Ammonites and conquered them. That year the Ammonites paid him a hundred talents#27:5 That is, about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons of silver, ten thousand cors#27:5 That is, probably about 1,800 tons or about 1,600 metric tons of wheat of wheat and ten thousand cors#27:5 That is, probably about 1,500 tons or about 1,350 metric tons of barley of barley. The Ammonites brought him the same amount also in the second and third years.</div><div class="p"> 6Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the Lord his God.</div><div class="p"> 7The other events in Jotham&#8217;s reign, including all his wars and the other things he did, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. 8He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. 9Jotham rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. And Ahaz his son succeeded him as king.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2CH">
 <div class="chapter ch28" data-usfm="2CH.28">
 <div class="label">28</div><div class="s1">Ahaz King of Judah</div><div class="p"> 1Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. 2He followed the ways of the kings of Israel and also made idols for worshiping the Baals. 3He burned sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and sacrificed his children in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 4He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.</div><div class="p"> 5Therefore the Lord his God delivered him into the hands of the king of Aram. The Arameans defeated him and took many of his people as prisoners and brought them to Damascus.</div><div class="p">He was also given into the hands of the king of Israel, who inflicted heavy casualties on him. 6In one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed a hundred and twenty thousand soldiers in Judah&#8212;because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 7Zikri, an Ephraimite warrior, killed Maaseiah the king&#8217;s son, Azrikam the officer in charge of the palace, and Elkanah, second to the king. 8The men of Israel took captive from their fellow Israelites who were from Judah two hundred thousand wives, sons and daughters. They also took a great deal of plunder, which they carried back to Samaria.</div><div class="p"> 9But a prophet of the Lord named Oded was there, and he went out to meet the army when it returned to Samaria. He said to them, &#8220;Because the Lord, the God of your ancestors, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand. But you have slaughtered them in a rage that reaches to heaven. 10And now you intend to make the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem your slaves. But aren&#8217;t you also guilty of sins against the Lord your God? 11Now listen to me! Send back your fellow Israelites you have taken as prisoners, for the Lord&#8217;s fierce anger rests on you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12Then some of the leaders in Ephraim&#8212;Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berekiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai&#8212;confronted those who were arriving from the war. 13&#8220;You must not bring those prisoners here,&#8221; they said, &#8220;or we will be guilty before the Lord. Do you intend to add to our sin and guilt? For our guilt is already great, and his fierce anger rests on Israel.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14So the soldiers gave up the prisoners and plunder in the presence of the officials and all the assembly. 15The men designated by name took the prisoners, and from the plunder they clothed all who were naked. They provided them with clothes and sandals, food and drink, and healing balm. All those who were weak they put on donkeys. So they took them back to their fellow Israelites at Jericho, the City of Palms, and returned to Samaria.</div><div class="p"> 16At that time King Ahaz sent to the kings#28:16 Most Hebrew manuscripts; one Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint and Vulgate (see also 2 Kings 16:7) king of Assyria for help. 17The Edomites had again come and attacked Judah and carried away prisoners, 18while the Philistines had raided towns in the foothills and in the Negev of Judah. They captured and occupied Beth Shemesh, Aijalon and Gederoth, as well as Soko, Timnah and Gimzo, with their surrounding villages. 19The Lord had humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel,#28:19 That is, Judah, as frequently in 2 Chronicles for he had promoted wickedness in Judah and had been most unfaithful to the Lord. 20Tiglath-Pileser#28:20 Hebrew Tilgath-Pilneser, a variant of Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came to him, but he gave him trouble instead of help. 21Ahaz took some of the things from the temple of the Lord and from the royal palace and from the officials and presented them to the king of Assyria, but that did not help him.</div><div class="p"> 22In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the Lord. 23He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him; for he thought, &#8220;Since the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.&#8221; But they were his downfall and the downfall of all Israel.</div><div class="p"> 24Ahaz gathered together the furnishings from the temple of God and cut them in pieces. He shut the doors of the Lord&#8217;s temple and set up altars at every street corner in Jerusalem. 25In every town in Judah he built high places to burn sacrifices to other gods and aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of his ancestors.</div><div class="p"> 26The other events of his reign and all his ways, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 27Ahaz rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but he was not placed in the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son succeeded him as king.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2CH">
 <div class="chapter ch29" data-usfm="2CH.29">
 <div class="label">29</div><div class="s1">Hezekiah Purifies the Temple</div><div class="p"> 1Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother&#8217;s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. 2He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done.</div><div class="p"> 3In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the Lord and repaired them. 4He brought in the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the square on the east side 5and said: &#8220;Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary. 6Our parents were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the Lord&#8217;s dwelling place and turned their backs on him. 7They also shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. They did not burn incense or present any burnt offerings at the sanctuary to the God of Israel. 8Therefore, the anger of the Lord has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem; he has made them an object of dread and horror and scorn, as you can see with your own eyes. 9This is why our fathers have fallen by the sword and why our sons and daughters and our wives are in captivity. 10Now I intend to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us. 11My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him and serve him, to minister before him and to burn incense.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12Then these Levites set to work:</div><div class="li1">from the Kohathites,</div><div class="li2">Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah;</div><div class="li1">from the Merarites,</div><div class="li2">Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel;</div><div class="li1">from the Gershonites,</div><div class="li2">Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah;</div><div class="li1"> 13from the descendants of Elizaphan,</div><div class="li2">Shimri and Jeiel;</div><div class="li1">from the descendants of Asaph,</div><div class="li2">Zechariah and Mattaniah;</div><div class="li1"> 14from the descendants of Heman,</div><div class="li2">Jehiel and Shimei;</div><div class="li1">from the descendants of Jeduthun,</div><div class="li2">Shemaiah and Uzziel.</div><div class="p"> 15When they had assembled their fellow Levites and consecrated themselves, they went in to purify the temple of the Lord, as the king had ordered, following the word of the Lord. 16The priests went into the sanctuary of the Lord to purify it. They brought out to the courtyard of the Lord&#8217;s temple everything unclean that they found in the temple of the Lord. The Levites took it and carried it out to the Kidron Valley. 17They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and by the eighth day of the month they reached the portico of the Lord. For eight more days they consecrated the temple of the Lord itself, finishing on the sixteenth day of the first month.</div><div class="p"> 18Then they went in to King Hezekiah and reported: &#8220;We have purified the entire temple of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table for setting out the consecrated bread, with all its articles. 19We have prepared and consecrated all the articles that King Ahaz removed in his unfaithfulness while he was king. They are now in front of the Lord&#8217;s altar.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20Early the next morning King Hezekiah gathered the city officials together and went up to the temple of the Lord. 21They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven male lambs and seven male goats as a sin offering#29:21 Or purification offering; also in verses 23 and 24 for the kingdom, for the sanctuary and for Judah. The king commanded the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer these on the altar of the Lord. 22So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and splashed it against the altar; next they slaughtered the rams and splashed their blood against the altar; then they slaughtered the lambs and splashed their blood against the altar. 23The goats for the sin offering were brought before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them. 24The priests then slaughtered the goats and presented their blood on the altar for a sin offering to atone for all Israel, because the king had ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.</div><div class="p"> 25He stationed the Levites in the temple of the Lord with cymbals, harps and lyres in the way prescribed by David and Gad the king&#8217;s seer and Nathan the prophet; this was commanded by the Lord through his prophets. 26So the Levites stood ready with David&#8217;s instruments, and the priests with their trumpets.</div><div class="p"> 27Hezekiah gave the order to sacrifice the burnt offering on the altar. As the offering began, singing to the Lord began also, accompanied by trumpets and the instruments of David king of Israel. 28The whole assembly bowed in worship, while the musicians played and the trumpets sounded. All this continued until the sacrifice of the burnt offering was completed.</div><div class="p"> 29When the offerings were finished, the king and everyone present with him knelt down and worshiped. 30King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed down and worshiped.</div><div class="p"> 31Then Hezekiah said, &#8220;You have now dedicated yourselves to the Lord. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the temple of the Lord.&#8221; So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all whose hearts were willing brought burnt offerings.</div><div class="p"> 32The number of burnt offerings the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams and two hundred male lambs&#8212;all of them for burnt offerings to the Lord. 33The animals consecrated as sacrifices amounted to six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep and goats. 34The priests, however, were too few to skin all the burnt offerings; so their relatives the Levites helped them until the task was finished and until other priests had been consecrated, for the Levites had been more conscientious in consecrating themselves than the priests had been. 35There were burnt offerings in abundance, together with the fat of the fellowship offerings and the drink offerings that accompanied the burnt offerings.</div><div class="p">So the service of the temple of the Lord was reestablished. 36Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had brought about for his people, because it was done so quickly.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2CH">
 <div class="chapter ch30" data-usfm="2CH.30">
 <div class="label">30</div><div class="s1">Hezekiah Celebrates the Passover</div><div class="p"> 1Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, inviting them to come to the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel. 2The king and his officials and the whole assembly in Jerusalem decided to celebrate the Passover in the second month. 3They had not been able to celebrate it at the regular time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem. 4The plan seemed right both to the king and to the whole assembly. 5They decided to send a proclamation throughout Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, calling the people to come to Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel. It had not been celebrated in large numbers according to what was written.</div><div class="p"> 6At the king&#8217;s command, couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and from his officials, which read:</div><div class="pm">&#8220;People of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that he may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7Do not be like your parents and your fellow Israelites, who were unfaithful to the Lord, the God of their ancestors, so that he made them an object of horror, as you see. 8Do not be stiff-necked, as your ancestors were; submit to the Lord. Come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the Lord your God, so that his fierce anger will turn away from you. 9If you return to the Lord, then your fellow Israelites and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will return to this land, for the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10The couriers went from town to town in Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun, but people scorned and ridiculed them. 11Nevertheless, some from Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem. 12Also in Judah the hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry out what the king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 13A very large crowd of people assembled in Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month. 14They removed the altars in Jerusalem and cleared away the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley.</div><div class="p"> 15They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed and consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the temple of the Lord. 16Then they took up their regular positions as prescribed in the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests splashed against the altar the blood handed to them by the Levites. 17Since many in the crowd had not consecrated themselves, the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for all those who were not ceremonially clean and could not consecrate their lambs#30:17 Or consecrate themselves to the Lord. 18Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, &#8220;May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone 19who sets their heart on seeking God&#8212;the Lord, the God of their ancestors&#8212;even if they are not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.&#8221; 20And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.</div><div class="p"> 21The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great rejoicing, while the Levites and priests praised the Lord every day with resounding instruments dedicated to the Lord.#30:21 Or priests sang to the Lord every day, accompanied by the Lord&#8217;s instruments of praise</div><div class="p"> 22Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites, who showed good understanding of the service of the Lord. For the seven days they ate their assigned portion and offered fellowship offerings and praised#30:22 Or and confessed their sins to the Lord, the God of their ancestors.</div><div class="p"> 23The whole assembly then agreed to celebrate the festival seven more days; so for another seven days they celebrated joyfully. 24Hezekiah king of Judah provided a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep and goats for the assembly, and the officials provided them with a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep and goats. A great number of priests consecrated themselves. 25The entire assembly of Judah rejoiced, along with the priests and Levites and all who had assembled from Israel, including the foreigners who had come from Israel and also those who resided in Judah. 26There was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. 27The priests and the Levites stood to bless the people, and God heard them, for their prayer reached heaven, his holy dwelling place.</div>
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