Ahaziah Reigns in Judah

1 ^bAnd the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, for the band of men that came with ^cthe Arabians to the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned. 2 Ahaziah was twenty-two¹ years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, ^dthe granddaughter of Omri. 3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly. 4 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done. For after the death of his father they were his counselors, to his undoing. 5 He even followed their counsel and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to make war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead. And the Syrians wounded Joram, 6 and he returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that he had received at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was wounded.

7 But it was ordained by² God that the downfall of Ahaziah should come about through his going to visit Joram. For when he came there, ^ehe went out with Jehoram to meet Jehu the son of Nimshi, ^fwhom the Lord had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab. 8 ^gAnd when Jehu was ^hexecuting judgment on the house of Ahab, he met the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers, who attended Ahaziah, and he killed them. 9 ⁱHe searched for Ahaziah, and he was captured while hiding in Samaria, and he was brought to Jehu and put to death. ^jThey buried him, for they said, “He is the grandson of Jehoshaphat, ^kwho sought the Lord with all his heart.” And the house of Ahaziah had no one able to rule the kingdom.

Athaliah Reigns in Judah

10 ^lNow when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family of the house of Judah. 11 But Jehoshabeath,³ the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were about to be put to death, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of Jehoiada the priest, because she was a sister of Ahaziah, hid him⁴ from Athaliah, so that she did not put him to death. 12 And he remained with them six years, hidden in the house of God, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

Joash Made King

1 ^mBut in the seventh year Jehoiada took courage and entered into a covenant with the commanders of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, Azariah the son of Obed, Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri. 2 And they went about through ⁿJudah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the heads of fathers’ houses of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. 3 And all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And Jehoiada⁵ said to them, “Behold, the king’s son! Let him reign, ^oas the Lord spoke concerning the sons of David. 4 This is the thing that you shall do: ^pof you priests and Levites who come off duty on the Sabbath, one third shall be gatekeepers, 5 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 the Lord. 6 Let no one enter the house of the Lord except the priests ^qand ministering Levites. They may enter, for they are holy, but all the people shall keep the charge of the Lord. 7 The Levites shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand. And whoever enters the house shall be put to death. Be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out.”

8 The Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded, and they each brought his men, who were to go off duty on the Sabbath, with those who were to come on duty on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss ^rthe divisions. 9 And Jehoiada the priest gave to the captains the spears and the large and small shields that had been King David’s, which were in the house of God. 10 And he set all the people as a guard for the king, every man with his weapon in his hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, around the altar and the house. 11 Then they brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him and gave him ^sthe testimony. And they proclaimed him king, and Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and they said, ^t“Long live the king.”

Athaliah Executed

12 When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she went into the house of the Lord to the people. 13 And when she looked, there was the king standing by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the trumpeters beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and the singers with their musical instruments leading in the celebration. And Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, “Treason! Treason!” 14 Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains who were set over the army, saying to them, “Bring her out between the ranks, and anyone who follows her is to be put to death with the sword.” For the priest said, “Do not put her to death in the house of the Lord.” 15 So they laid hands on her,⁶ and she went into the entrance of ^uthe horse gate of the king’s house, and they put her to death there.

Jehoiada’s Reforms

16 And Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king that they should be the Lord’s people. 17 Then all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down; his altars and his images they broke in pieces, ^vand they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. 18 And Jehoiada posted watchmen for the house of the Lord under the direction of ^wthe Levitical priests and the Levites ^xwhom David had organized to be in charge of the house of the Lord, to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, ^yas it is written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, ^zaccording to the order of David. 19 He stationed ^athe gatekeepers at the gates of the house of the Lord so that no one should enter who was in any way unclean. 20 And he took the captains, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, marching ^bthrough the upper gate to the king’s house. And they set the king on the royal throne. 21 So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athaliah had been put to death with the sword.

Athaliah Reigns in Judah

1 ^uNow when ^vAthaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family. 2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took ^wJoash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and she put¹ him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus they² hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not put to death. 3 And he remained with her six years, hidden in the house of the Lord, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

Joash Anointed King in Judah

4 ^xBut in the seventh year ^yJehoiada sent and brought the captains of ^zthe Carites and of the guards, and had them come to him in the house of the Lord. And he made a covenant with them and put them under oath in the house of the Lord, and he showed them the king’s son. 5 And he commanded them, “This is the thing that you shall do: one third of you, ^athose who come off duty on the Sabbath and guard the king’s house 6 (^banother third being at the gate Sur and a third at the gate behind the guards) shall guard the palace.³ 7 And the two divisions of you, which come on duty in force on the Sabbath and guard the house of the Lord on behalf of the king, 8 shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand. And whoever approaches the ranks is to be put to death. Be with the king ^cwhen he goes out and when he comes in.”

9 The captains did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded, and they each brought his men who were to go off duty on the Sabbath, with those who were to come on duty on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. 10 And the priest gave to the captains the spears and ^dshields that had been King David’s, which were in the house of the Lord. 11 And the guards stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, around the altar and the house on behalf of the king. 12 Then he brought out the king’s son and put ^ethe crown on him and gave him ^fthe testimony. And they proclaimed him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, ^g“Long live the king!”

13 When Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she went into the house of the Lord to the people. 14 And when she looked, there was the king standing ^hby the pillar, according to the custom, and the captains and the trumpeters beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and ⁱblowing trumpets. And Athaliah ^jtore her clothes and cried, “Treason! Treason!” 15 Then Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains who were set over the army, “Bring her out between the ranks, and put to death with the sword anyone who follows her.” For the priest said, “Let her not be put to death in the house of the Lord.” 16 So they laid hands on her; and she went through the horses’ entrance to the king’s house, and there she was put to death.

17 And Jehoiada ^kmade a covenant between the Lord and the king and people, that they should be the Lord’s people, and also ^lbetween the king and the people. 18 Then all the people of the land went to ^mthe house of Baal and tore it down; ⁿhis altars and his images they broke in pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest posted watchmen over the house of the Lord. 19 And he took the captains, ^othe Carites, the guards, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, marching through ^pthe gate of the guards to the king’s house. And he took his seat on the throne of the kings. 20 So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athaliah had been put to death with the sword at the king’s house.

Jehoash Reigns in Judah

21 ^qJehoash⁵ was seven years old when he began to reign.

I Have Calmed and Quieted My Soul

A Song of ^mAscents. Of David.

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

1 When he came down from the mountain, ^dgreat crowds followed him. 2 ^eAnd behold, a leper¹ came to him and ^fknelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And Jesus² stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, ^g“See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, ^hshow yourself to the priest and ⁱoffer the gift that Moses commanded, ^jfor a proof to them.”

The Faith of a Centurion

5 ^kWhen he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but ^lonly say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant,³ ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, ^mhe marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with ⁿno one in Israel⁴ have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, ^omany will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 ^pwhile the sons of the kingdom ^qwill be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place ^rthere will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you ^sas you have believed.” ^tAnd the servant was healed at that very moment.

Jesus Heals Many

14 ^uAnd when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw ^vhis mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15 He ^wtouched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 16 That evening they brought to him many who were ^xoppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits ^ywith a word and healed all who were sick. 17 ^zThis was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: ^a“He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

The Cost of Following Jesus

18 Now ^bwhen Jesus saw a crowd around him, ^che gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 ^dAnd a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave ^ethe dead to bury their own dead.”

Jesus Calms a Storm

23 ^fAnd when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but ^ghe was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, ^h“Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you ⁱafraid, ^jO you of little faith?” Then he rose and ^krebuked the winds and the sea, and ^lthere was a great calm. 27 And the men ^mmarveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even ⁿwinds and sea obey him?”

Jesus Heals Two Men with Demons

28 ^oAnd when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes,⁵ two ^pdemon-possessed⁶ men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they ^qcried out, “What have you to do with us, ^rO Son of God? Have you come here to torment us ^sbefore the time?” 30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” 32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the ^tdemon-possessed men. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, ^uthey begged him to leave their region.