Amaziah Reigns in Judah

1 ^kIn the ^lsecond year of Joash the son of Joahaz, king of Israel, ^mAmaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem. 3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not like David his father. He did in all things as Joash his father had done. 4 ⁿBut the high places were not removed; ^othe people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. 5 And as soon as the royal power was ^pfirmly in his hand, he struck down his servants ^qwho had struck down the king his father. 6 But he did not put to death the children of the murderers, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, where the Lord commanded, ^r“Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. But each one shall die for his own sin.”

7 ^sHe struck down ten thousand Edomites in ^tthe Valley of Salt and took ^uSela by storm, and called it ^vJoktheel, which is its name to this day.

8 ^wThen Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash¹ the son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, ^xlet us look one another in the face.” 9 And Jehoash king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah, ^y“A thistle on Lebanon sent to a cedar on Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son for a wife,’ and a wild beast of Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thistle. 10 You have indeed ^zstruck down Edom, ^aand your heart has lifted you up. Be content with your glory, and stay at home, for why should you provoke trouble so that you fall, you and Judah with you?”

11 But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah ^xfaced one another in battle at ^bBeth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah. 12 And Judah was defeated by Israel, ^cand every man fled to his home. 13 And Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem for four hundred cubits,² from ^dthe Ephraim Gate to ^ethe Corner Gate. 14 And he seized ^fall the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house, also hostages, and he returned to Samaria.

15 ^gNow the rest of the acts of Jehoash that he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 16 And Jehoash slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel, and Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.

17 ^hAmaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. 18 Now the rest of the deeds of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 19 And they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to ⁱLachish. But they sent after him to Lachish and put him to death there. 20 And they brought him on horses; and he was buried in Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David. 21 And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. 22 He built ^jElath and restored it to Judah, after the king slept with his fathers.

Jeroboam II Reigns in Israel

23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. 24 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, ^kwhich he made Israel to sin. 25 ^lHe restored the border of Israel ^mfrom Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of ⁿthe Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant ^oJonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from ^pGath-hepher. 26 For the Lord ^qsaw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, ^rfor there was none left, bond or free, and there was none to help Israel. 27 ^sBut the Lord had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

28 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did, and his might, how he fought, and how he restored ^tDamascus and ^uHamath to Judah in Israel, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 29 And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, the kings of Israel, and Zechariah his son reigned in his place.

Azariah Reigns in Judah

1 ^vIn the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, ^wAzariah the son of Amaziah, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was ^xsixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. 3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. 4 ^yNevertheless, the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. 5 ^zAnd the Lord touched the king, so that he was a leper³ to the day of his death, ^aand he lived in a separate house.⁴ And Jotham the king’s son was over the household, governing the people of the land. 6 Now the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 7 And Azariah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers ^bin the city of David, and Jotham his son reigned in his place.

Zechariah Reigns in Israel

8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria six months. 9 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his fathers had done. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, ^cwhich he made Israel to sin. 10 Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him and ^dstruck him down at Ibleam and put him to death and reigned in his place. 11 Now the rest of the deeds of Zechariah, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 12 (This was ^ethe promise of the Lord that he gave to Jehu, “Your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” And so it came to pass.)

Shallum Reigns in Israel

13 Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the thirty-ninth year of ^fUzziah⁵ king of Judah, and he reigned one month in ^gSamaria. 14 Then Menahem the son of Gadi came up from ^hTirzah and came to Samaria, and he struck down Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria and put him to death and reigned in his place. 15 Now the rest of the deeds of Shallum, and the conspiracy that he made, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 16 At that time Menahem sacked Tiphsah and all who were in it and its territory from Tirzah on, because they did not open it to him. Therefore he sacked it, ⁱand he ripped open all the women in it who were pregnant.

Menahem Reigns in Israel

17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi began to reign over Israel, and he reigned ten years in Samaria. 18 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart all his days from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin. 19 ^jPul⁶ the king of Assyria came against the land, and Menahem gave ^jPul a thousand talents⁷ of silver, that he might help him ^kto confirm his hold on the royal power. 20 Menahem exacted the money from Israel, that is, from all the wealthy men, fifty shekels⁸ of silver from every man, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back and did not stay there in the land. 21 Now the rest of the deeds of Menahem and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 22 And Menahem slept with his fathers, and Pekahiah his son reigned in his place.

Pekahiah Reigns in Israel

23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years. 24 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, ^cwhich he made Israel to sin. 25 And Pekah the son of Remaliah, his captain, conspired against him with fifty men of the people of Gilead, and struck him down in Samaria, in the citadel of the king’s house with Argob and Arieh; he put him to death and reigned in his place. 26 Now the rest of the deeds of Pekahiah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Pekah Reigns in Israel

27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years. 28 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, ^lwhich he made Israel to sin.

29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, ^mTiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured ⁿIjon, ^oAbel-beth-maacah, Janoah, ^pKedesh, ^qHazor, Gilead, and ^rGalilee, all the land of Naphtali, and he carried the people captive to Assyria. 30 Then Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah and struck him down and put him to death and reigned in his place, ^sin the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah. 31 Now the rest of the acts of Pekah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Jotham Reigns in Judah

32 In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, began to reign. 33 He was ^ttwenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 34 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, ^uaccording to all that his father Uzziah had done. 35 ^vNevertheless, the high places were not removed. The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. He built ^wthe upper gate of the house of the Lord. 36 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 37 In those days the Lord began to send ^xRezin the king of Syria and ^xPekah the son of Remaliah against Judah. 38 Jotham slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

My Soul Thirsts for You

A Psalm of David.

To the Church in Ephesus

1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of ^ehim who holds the seven stars in his right hand, ^fwho walks among the seven golden lampstands.

2 ^g“‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but ^hhave tested those ⁱwho call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up ^jfor my name’s sake, and you ^khave not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned ^lthe love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do ^mthe works you did at first. If not, ⁿI will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of ^othe Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 ^pHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^qTo the one who conquers I will grant to eat of ^rthe tree of life, which is in ^sthe paradise of God.’

To the Church in Smyrna

8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of ^tthe first and the last, ^uwho died and came to life.

9 “‘I know your tribulation and ^vyour poverty (^vbut you are rich) and the slander¹ of ^wthose who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, ^wthat you may be tested, and for ^xten days ^yyou will have tribulation. ^zBe faithful ^aunto death, and I will give you ^bthe crown of life. 11 ^cHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^cThe one who conquers will not be hurt by ^dthe second death.’

To the Church in Pergamum

12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has ^ethe sharp two-edged sword.

13 “‘I know where you dwell, ^fwhere Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not ^gdeny my faith² even in the days of Antipas ^hmy faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of ⁱBalaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might ^jeat food sacrificed to idols and ^kpractice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of ^lthe Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, ^mI will come to you soon and ⁿwar against them with ^ethe sword of my mouth. 17 ^cHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^cTo the one who conquers I will give some of ^othe hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with ^pa new name written on the stone ^qthat no one knows except the one who receives it.’

To the Church in Thyatira

18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, ^rwho has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

19 ^s“‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman ^tJezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants ^uto practice sexual immorality and ^uto eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but ^vshe refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he ^wwho searches mind and heart, and ^xI will give to each of you according to your works. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call ^ythe deep things of Satan, to you I say, I ^zdo not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast ^awhat you have until I come. 26 ^bThe one who conquers and who keeps my works ^cuntil the end, ^dto him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and ^ehe will ^frule³ them with a rod of iron, ^gas when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him ^hthe morning star. 29 ^pHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

To the Church in Sardis

1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him ⁱwho has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

“‘I know your works. You have the reputation ^jof being alive, ^kbut you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works ^lcomplete in the sight of my God. 3 ^mRemember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, ⁿI will come ^olike a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not ^psoiled their garments, and they will walk with me ^qin white, for they are ^rworthy. 5 ^sThe one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never ^tblot his name out of ^uthe book of life. ^vI will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 ^pHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

To the Church in Philadelphia

7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of ^wthe holy one, ^xthe true one, ^ywho has the key of David, ^zwho opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

8 “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you ^aan open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 Behold, I will make those of ^bthe synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, ^cI will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that ^dI have loved you. 10 ^eBecause you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try ^fthose who dwell on the earth. 11 ^gI am coming soon. ^hHold fast what you have, so that no one may seize ⁱyour crown. 12 ^jThe one who conquers, I will make him ^ka pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him ^lthe name of my God, and ^mthe name of the city of my God, ^mthe new Jerusalem, ⁿwhich comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own ^onew name. 13 ^pHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’