2 Kings 24

New American Standard Bible

Babylon Controls Jehoiakim

24 ^(A)In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years; then he turned and revolted against him. ²And the Lord sent against him ^(B)bands of Chaldeans, ^(C)bands of Arameans, ^(D)bands of Moabites, and bands of Ammonites. He sent them against Judah to destroy it, ^(E)in accordance with the word of the Lord which He had spoken through His servants the prophets. ³^(F)It indeed came upon Judah at the ^[a]command of the Lord, to remove them from His sight ^(G)due to the sins of Manasseh, in accordance with everything that he had done, ⁴and ^(H)also for the innocent blood which he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the Lord was unwilling to forgive. ⁵Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

Jehoiachin Reigns

⁶So ^(I)Jehoiakim ^[b]lay down with his fathers, and his son Jehoiachin became king in his place. ⁷Now ^(J)the king of Egypt did not come out of his land again, ^(K)because the king of Babylon had taken everything that belonged to the king of Egypt from ^(L)the brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates.

⁸^(M)Jehoiachin was ^(N)eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. ⁹He did evil in the sight of the Lord, ^(O)in accordance with all that his father had done.

Deportation to Babylon

¹⁰At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon went up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. ¹¹And Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came to the city, while his servants were besieging it. ¹²Then ^(P)Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, his mother, his servants, his commanders, and his officials. And ^(Q)the king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign. ¹³^(R)He also brought out from there all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king’s house, and he ^(S)smashed all the articles of gold ^(T)that Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the Lord, just as the Lord had said. ¹⁴Then ^(U)he led into exile all the people of Jerusalem and all the commanders and all the valiant warriors, ^(V)ten thousand exiles, and ^(W)all the craftsmen and the smiths. None were left ^(X)except the poorest people of the land.

¹⁵So ^(Y)he led Jehoiachin into exile to Babylon; also the king’s mother, the king’s wives, and his officials and the leading men of the land, he led into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. ¹⁶And all the valiant men, ^(Z)seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths, a thousand, all strong and fit for war, these too the king of Babylon brought into exile to Babylon.

Zedekiah Made King

¹⁷^(AA)Then the king of Babylon made ^[c]his uncle Mattaniah king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

¹⁸^(AB)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was ^(AC)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. ¹⁹He did evil in the sight of the Lord, ^(AD)in accordance with everything that Jehoiakim had done. ²⁰For it was ^(AE)due to the anger of the Lord that this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He cast them out of His presence. And ^(AF)Zedekiah revolted against the king of Babylon.

Footnotes

2 Kings 24:3 Lit mouth
2 Kings 24:6 I.e., died
2 Kings 24:17 I.e., Jehoiachin’s uncle

Jeremiah 22

New American Standard Bible

Warning of Jerusalem’s Fall

22 This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and there speak this word, ²and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who ^(A)sits on David’s throne, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates. ³This is what the Lord says: “^(B)Do justice and righteousness, and save one who has been robbed from the power of his ^(C)oppressor. And ^(D)do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not ^(E)shed innocent blood in this place. ⁴For if you will indeed perform this ^[a]instruction, then ^(F)kings will enter the gates of this house, sitting ^[b]in David’s place on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, the king himself, his servants, and his people. ⁵^(G)But if you will not obey these words, I ^(H)swear by Myself,” declares the Lord, “that this house will become a place of ruins.”’” ⁶For this is what the Lord says concerning the house of the king of Judah:

“You are like ^(I)Gilead to Me,
Like the summit of Lebanon;
Yet most assuredly I will make you a ^(J)wilderness,
Cities that are not inhabited.
⁷For I will set apart ^(K)destroyers against you,
Each with his weapons;
And they will ^(L)cut down your choicest cedars
And ^(M)throw them on the fire.

⁸“Many nations will pass by this city; and they will ^(N)say to one another, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this great city?’ ⁹Then they will ^[c]answer, ‘Because they ^(O)abandoned the covenant of the Lord their God and bowed down to other gods and served them.’”

¹⁰^(P)Do not weep for the dead or mourn for him,
But weep deeply for the one who goes away;
For ^(Q)he will never return
Or see his native land.

¹¹For this is what the Lord says regarding ^[d]^(R)Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in the place of his father Josiah, who went out from this place: “He will never return there; ¹²but in the place where they took him into exile, there he will ^(S)die and he will not see this land again.

Messages about the Kings

¹³“Woe to him who builds his house ^(T)without righteousness,
And his upstairs rooms without justice,
Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay
And ^(U)does not give him his wages,
¹⁴Who says, ‘I will ^(V)build myself a large house
With spacious upstairs rooms,
And cut out its windows,
^[e]Paneling it with ^(W)cedar and painting it ^[f]bright red.’
¹⁵Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar?
Did your father not eat and drink
And ^(X)do justice and righteousness?
Then it was ^(Y)well for him.
¹⁶He pled the cause of the ^(Z)afflicted and the poor,
Then it was well.
^(AA)Is that not what it means to know Me?”
Declares the Lord.
¹⁷“But your eyes and your heart
Are intent only upon your own ^(AB)dishonest gain,
And on ^(AC)shedding innocent blood,
And on practicing oppression and extortion.”

¹⁸Therefore this is what the Lord says regarding ^(AD)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

“They will not ^(AE)mourn for him:
‘^(AF)Oh, my brother!’ or, ‘Oh, sister!’
They will not mourn for him:
‘Oh, for the master!’ or, ‘Oh, for his splendor!’
¹⁹He will be ^(AG)buried with a donkey’s burial,
Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
²⁰Go up to Lebanon and cry out,
And raise your voice in Bashan;
Cry out also from ^(AH)Abarim,
For all your ^(AI)lovers have been crushed.
²¹I spoke to you in your prosperity;
But ^(AJ)you said, ‘I will not listen!’
^(AK)This has been your way ^(AL)from your youth,
That you have not obeyed My voice.
²²The wind will sweep away all your ^(AM)shepherds,
And your ^(AN)lovers will go into captivity;
Then you will certainly be ^(AO)ashamed and humiliated
Because of all your wickedness.
²³You who live in Lebanon,
Nested in the cedars,
How you will groan when sharp pains come on you,
^(AP)Pain like a woman in childbirth!

²⁴“As I live,” declares the Lord, “even if ^[g]^(AQ)Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a ^(AR)signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull ^[h]you ^[i]off; ²⁵and I will ^(AS)hand you over to those who are seeking your life, yes, to those of whom you are frightened, that is, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Chaldeans. ²⁶I will ^(AT)hurl you and your ^(AU)mother who gave birth to you into another country where you were not born, and there you will die. ²⁷But as for the land to which they long to return, they will not return to it.

²⁸Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered jar?
Or is he an ^(AV)undesirable vessel?
Why have he and his descendants been ^(AW)hurled out
And cast into a ^(AX)land that they had not known?
²⁹^(AY)O land, land, land,
Hear the word of the Lord!

³⁰This is what the Lord says:

‘Write this man down as ^(AZ)childless,
A man who will ^(BA)not prosper in his days;
For no man among his ^(BB)descendants will prosper
Sitting on the throne of David
Or ruling again in Judah.’”

Footnotes

Jeremiah 22:4 Lit word
Jeremiah 22:4 Lit for David
Jeremiah 22:9 Lit say
Jeremiah 22:11 I.e., Jehoahaz
Jeremiah 22:14 Or Paneled
Jeremiah 22:14 Or vermilion
Jeremiah 22:24 I.e., Jehoiachin
Jeremiah 22:24 I.e., Jehoiachin
Jeremiah 22:24 Lit off from there

Psalm 112

New American Standard Bible

Prosperity of One Who Fears the Lord.

112 ^[a]Praise ^[b]the Lord!
^(A)Blessed is a person who ^[c]fears the Lord,
Who greatly ^(B)delights in His commandments.
²His ^[d]^(C)descendants will be mighty ^[e]on the earth;
The generation of the ^(D)upright will be blessed.
³^(E)Wealth and riches are in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.
⁴Light shines in the darkness ^(F)for the upright;
He is ^(G)gracious, compassionate, and righteous.
⁵It goes well for a person who ^(H)is gracious and lends;
He will ^[f]maintain his cause in judgment.
⁶For he will ^(I)never be shaken;
The ^(J)righteous will be ^[g]remembered forever.

⁷He will not fear ^(K)bad news;
His ^(L)heart is steadfast, ^(M)trusting in the Lord.
⁸His ^(N)heart is firm, he ^(O)will not fear,
^[h]But will ^(P)look with satisfaction on his enemies.
⁹^[i]He ^(Q)has given freely to the poor,
His righteousness endures forever;
His ^(R)horn will be exalted in honor.

¹⁰The ^(S)wicked will see it and be ^[j]vexed,
He will ^(T)gnash his teeth and ^(U)melt away;
The ^(V)desire of the wicked will perish.

Footnotes

Psalm 112:1 Or Hallelujah! Blessed
Psalm 112:1 Heb Yah
Psalm 112:1 Or reveres
Psalm 112:2 Lit seed
Psalm 112:2 Or in the land
Psalm 112:5 Or conduct his affairs with justice
Psalm 112:6 Lit for an eternal remembrance
Psalm 112:8 Lit until he looks
Psalm 112:9 Lit He has scattered, he has given to...
Psalm 112:10 Or angry

John 18

New American Standard Bible

Judas Betrays Jesus

18 When Jesus had spoken these words, ^(A)He went away with His disciples across ^(B)the ^[a]ravine of the Kidron, where there was ^(C)a garden which He entered ^[b]with His disciples. ²Now Judas, who was ^[c]betraying Him, also knew the place, because Jesus had ^(D)often met there with His disciples. ³^(E)So Judas, having obtained ^(F)the Roman ^[d]cohort and ^(G)officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, *came there with lanterns, ^(H)torches, and weapons. ⁴Jesus therefore, ^(I)knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, came out into the open and *said to them, “^(J)Whom are you seeking?” ⁵They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He *said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. ⁶Now then, when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. ⁷He then asked them again, “^(K)Whom are you seeking?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” ⁸Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you are seeking Me, let these men go on their way.” ⁹This took place so that the word which He spoke would be fulfilled: “^(L)Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.” ¹⁰Then Simon Peter, ^(M)since he had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus. ¹¹So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; ^(N)the cup which the Father has given Me, am I not to drink it?”

Jesus before the Priests

¹²^(O)So ^(P)the Roman ^[e]cohort, the ^[f]commander, and the ^(Q)officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him, ¹³and brought Him to ^(R)Annas first; for he was the father-in-law of ^(S)Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. ¹⁴Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that ^(T)it was in their best interest for one man to die in behalf of the people.

¹⁵^(U)Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and he entered with Jesus into ^(V)the courtyard of the high priest, ¹⁶^(W)but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in. ¹⁷^(X)Then the slave woman who was the doorkeeper *said to Peter, “^(Y)You are not also one of this Man’s disciples, are you?” He *said, “I am not.” ¹⁸Now the slaves and the ^(Z)officers were standing there, having made ^(AA)a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were ^(AB)warming themselves; and Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself.

¹⁹^(AC)The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching. ²⁰Jesus answered him, “I ^(AD)have spoken openly to the world; I always ^(AE)taught in ^[g]synagogues and ^(AF)in the temple area, where all the Jews congregate; and I said nothing in secret. ²¹Why are you asking Me? Ask those who have heard what I spoke to them. Look: these people know what I said.” ²²But when He said this, one of the ^(AG)officers, who was standing nearby, ^(AH)struck Jesus, saying, “Is that the way You answer the high priest?” ²³^(AI)Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?” ²⁴^(AJ)So Annas sent Him bound to ^(AK)Caiaphas the high priest.

Peter’s Denial of Jesus

²⁵^(AL)Now ^(AM)Simon Peter was still standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “^(AN)You are not one of His disciples as well, are you?” He denied it, and said, “I am not.” ²⁶One of the slaves of the high priest, who was related to the one ^(AO)whose ear Peter cut off, *said, “Did I not see you in ^(AP)the garden with Him?” ²⁷Peter then denied it again, and immediately ^(AQ)a rooster crowed.

Jesus before Pilate

²⁸^(AR)Then they *brought Jesus from ^(AS)Caiaphas into ^(AT)the ^[h]Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter ^(AU)the ^[i]Praetorium, so that ^(AV)they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. ²⁹^(AW)Therefore Pilate came out to them and *said, “What accusation are you bringing against this Man?” ³⁰They answered and said to him, “If this Man were not ^[j]a criminal, we would not have handed Him over to you.” ³¹So Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “We are not ^[k]permitted to put anyone to death.” ³²This happened so that ^(AX)the word of Jesus which He said, indicating what kind of death He was going to die, would be fulfilled.

³³Therefore Pilate ^(AY)entered the Praetorium again, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “^(AZ)You are the King of the Jews?” ³⁴Jesus answered, “Are you saying this ^[l]on your own, or did others tell you about Me?” ³⁵Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed You over to me; what have You done?” ³⁶Jesus answered, “^(BA)My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not ^[m]of this realm.” ³⁷Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “^(BB)You say correctly that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: ^(BC)to testify to the truth. ^(BD)Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.” ³⁸Pilate *said to Him, “What is truth?”

And after saying this, he ^(BE)came out again to the Jews and *said to them, “^(BF)I find no grounds at all for charges in ^[n]His case. ³⁹^(BG)However, you have a custom that I release one prisoner ^[o]for you at the Passover; therefore do you wish that I release ^[p]for you the King of the Jews?” ⁴⁰So they shouted again, saying, “^(BH)Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a rebel.