Vengeance on Midian

31 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, (A)“Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall (B)be gathered to your people.” So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the Lord's vengeance on Midian. You shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war.” So there were provided, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand (C)armed for war. And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand from each tribe, together with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the vessels of the sanctuary and (D)the trumpets for the alarm in his hand. They warred against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and (E)killed every male. They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain, (F)Evi, Rekem, (G)Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. And they also killed (H)Balaam the son of Beor with the sword. And the people of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones, and they took as plunder all their cattle, their flocks, and all their goods. 10 All their cities in the places where they lived, and all their (I)encampments, they burned with fire, 11 (J)and took all the spoil and all the plunder, both of man and of beast. 12 Then they brought the captives and the plunder and the spoil to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the people of Israel, at the camp on (K)the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.

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Vengeance on the Midianites

31 The Lord said to Moses, “Take vengeance on the Midianites(A) for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.(B)

So Moses said to the people, “Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites so that they may carry out the Lord’s vengeance(C) on them. Send into battle a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel.” So twelve thousand men armed for battle,(D) a thousand from each tribe, were supplied from the clans of Israel. Moses sent them into battle,(E) a thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas(F) son of Eleazar, the priest, who took with him articles from the sanctuary(G) and the trumpets(H) for signaling.

They fought against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses,(I) and killed every man.(J) Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba(K)—the five kings of Midian.(L) They also killed Balaam son of Beor(M) with the sword.(N) The Israelites captured the Midianite women(O) and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder.(P) 10 They burned(Q) all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps.(R) 11 They took all the plunder and spoils, including the people and animals,(S) 12 and brought the captives, spoils(T) and plunder to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the Israelite assembly(U) at their camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.(V)

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Abijah Reigns in Judah

13 (A)In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, (B)Abijah began to reign over Judah. He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was (C)Micaiah[a] the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.

(D)Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. Abijah went out to battle, having an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men. And Jeroboam (E)drew up his line of battle against him with 800,000 chosen mighty warriors. Then Abijah stood up on Mount (F)Zemaraim that is in (G)the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel! Ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel (H)gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by (I)a covenant of salt? Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up (J)and rebelled against his lord, and certain (K)worthless scoundrels[b] gathered about him and defied Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was (L)young and irresolute[c] and could not withstand them.

“And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and have with you (M)the golden calves that Jeroboam made you for gods. (N)Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes (O)for ordination[d] with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are (P)not gods. 10 But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests ministering to the Lord who are sons of Aaron, and Levites for their service. 11 They offer to the Lord (Q)every morning and every evening burnt offerings and incense of sweet spices, set out (R)the showbread on the table of pure gold, (S)and care for the golden lampstand that its lamps may (T)burn every evening. For we (U)keep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken him. 12 Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests (V)with their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O sons of Israel, (W)do not fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for you cannot succeed.”

13 Jeroboam had sent (X)an ambush around to come upon them from behind. Thus his troops[e] were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. 14 And when Judah looked, behold, the battle was in front of and behind them. (Y)And they cried to the Lord, and the priests (Z)blew the trumpets. 15 Then the men of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the men of Judah shouted, (AA)God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 The men of Israel fled before Judah, (AB)and God gave them into their hand. 17 Abijah and his people struck them with great force, so there fell slain of Israel 500,000 chosen men. 18 Thus the men of Israel were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed, (AC)because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers. 19 And Abijah pursued Jeroboam (AD)and took cities from him, Bethel with its villages and Jeshanah with its villages and (AE)Ephron[f] with its villages. 20 Jeroboam did not recover his power in the days of Abijah. (AF)And the Lord struck him down, (AG)and he died. 21 But Abijah grew mighty. And he took fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 The rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways and his sayings, are written in the (AH)story of the prophet (AI)Iddo.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 13:2 Spelled Maacah in 1 Kings 15:2
  2. 2 Chronicles 13:7 Hebrew worthless men, sons of Belial
  3. 2 Chronicles 13:7 Hebrew soft of heart
  4. 2 Chronicles 13:9 Hebrew to fill his hand
  5. 2 Chronicles 13:13 Hebrew they
  6. 2 Chronicles 13:19 Or Ephrain

Abijah King of Judah(A)

13 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam, Abijah became king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maakah,[a](B) a daughter[b] of Uriel of Gibeah.

There was war between Abijah(C) and Jeroboam.(D) Abijah went into battle with an army of four hundred thousand able fighting men, and Jeroboam drew up a battle line against him with eight hundred thousand able troops.

Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim,(E) in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, “Jeroboam and all Israel,(F) listen to me! Don’t you know that the Lord, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever(G) by a covenant of salt?(H) Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, an official of Solomon son of David, rebelled(I) against his master. Some worthless scoundrels(J) gathered around him and opposed Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young and indecisive(K) and not strong enough to resist them.

“And now you plan to resist the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hands of David’s descendants.(L) You are indeed a vast army and have with you(M) the golden calves(N) that Jeroboam made to be your gods. But didn’t you drive out the priests(O) of the Lord,(P) the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and make priests of your own as the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull(Q) and seven rams(R) may become a priest of what are not gods.(S)

10 “As for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who serve the Lord are sons of Aaron, and the Levites assist them. 11 Every morning and evening(T) they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense(U) to the Lord. They set out the bread on the ceremonially clean table(V) and light the lamps(W) on the gold lampstand every evening. We are observing the requirements of the Lord our God. But you have forsaken him. 12 God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you.(X) People of Israel, do not fight against the Lord,(Y) the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.”(Z)

13 Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah the ambush(AA) was behind them. 14 Judah turned and saw that they were being attacked at both front and rear. Then they cried out(AB) to the Lord. The priests blew their trumpets 15 and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. At the sound of their battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel(AC) before Abijah and Judah. 16 The Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered(AD) them into their hands. 17 Abijah and his troops inflicted heavy losses on them, so that there were five hundred thousand casualties among Israel’s able men. 18 The Israelites were subdued on that occasion, and the people of Judah were victorious because they relied(AE) on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

19 Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took from him the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah and Ephron, with their surrounding villages. 20 Jeroboam did not regain power during the time of Abijah. And the Lord struck him down and he died.

21 But Abijah grew in strength. He married fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

22 The other events of Abijah’s reign, what he did and what he said, are written in the annotations of the prophet Iddo.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 13:2 Most Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also 11:20 and 1 Kings 15:2); Hebrew Micaiah
  2. 2 Chronicles 13:2 Or granddaughter

The Kings of the South and the North

11 “And as for me, (A)in the first year of (B)Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him.

“And now I will show you (C)the truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them. And when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. Then (D)a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and (E)do as he wills. And as soon as he has arisen, (F)his kingdom shall be broken and divided (G)toward the (H)four winds of heaven, but (I)not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these.

“Then the king of the south shall be strong, but one of his princes shall be stronger than he (J)and shall rule, and his authority shall be a great authority. After some years (K)they shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement. But she shall not retain the strength of her arm, and he and his arm shall not endure, but she shall be given up, and her attendants, he who fathered her, and he who supported[a] her in those times.

“And from a branch from her roots one shall arise in his place. He shall come against the army and enter the (L)fortress of the king of the north, and he shall deal with them and shall prevail. He shall also carry off to Egypt their gods with their metal images and their precious (M)vessels of silver and gold, and for some years he shall refrain from attacking the king of the north.

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Footnotes

  1. Daniel 11:6 Or obtained

11 And in the first year of Darius(A) the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.)

The Kings of the South and the North

“Now then, I tell you the truth:(B) Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.(C) Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases.(D) After he has arisen, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven.(E) It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted(F) and given to others.

“The king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power. After some years, they will become allies. The daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to make an alliance, but she will not retain her power, and he and his power[a] will not last. In those days she will be betrayed, together with her royal escort and her father[b] and the one who supported her.

“One from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North(G) and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious. He will also seize their gods,(H) their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt.(I) For some years he will leave the king of the North alone.

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Footnotes

  1. Daniel 11:6 Or offspring
  2. Daniel 11:6 Or child (see Vulgate and Syriac)

The Way of Folly

13 (A)The woman Folly is (B)loud;
    she is seductive[a] and (C)knows nothing.
14 She sits at the door of her house;
    she takes a seat on (D)the highest places of the town,
15 calling to those who pass by,
    who are (E)going straight on their way,
16 (F)“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
    And to him who lacks sense she says,
17 (G)“Stolen water is sweet,
    and (H)bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But he does not know (I)that the dead[b] are there,
    that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 9:13 Or full of simpleness
  2. Proverbs 9:18 Hebrew Rephaim

13 Folly is an unruly woman;(A)
    she is simple and knows nothing.(B)
14 She sits at the door of her house,
    on a seat at the highest point of the city,(C)
15 calling out(D) to those who pass by,
    who go straight on their way,
16     “Let all who are simple come to my house!”
To those who have no sense(E) she says,
17     “Stolen water is sweet;
    food eaten in secret is delicious!(F)
18 But little do they know that the dead are there,
    that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead.(G)

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Jesus and the Woman of Samaria

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and (A)baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed (B)again for Galilee. (C)And he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field (D)that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, (E)wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.[a]

A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, (F)“Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” ((G)For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you (H)living water.”

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Footnotes

  1. John 4:6 That is, about noon

Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman

Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John(A) although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea(B) and went back once more to Galilee.

Now he had to go through Samaria.(C) So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.(D) Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”(E) (His disciples had gone into the town(F) to buy food.)

The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan(G) woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a])

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”(H)

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Footnotes

  1. John 4:9 Or do not use dishes Samaritans have used

Jesus Compared to Melchizedek

11 (A)Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? 12 For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. 13 For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended (B)from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.

15 This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is witnessed of him,

(C)“You are a priest forever,
    after the order of Melchizedek.”

18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside (D)because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for (E)the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, (F)a better hope is introduced, through which (G)we draw near to God.

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Jesus Like Melchizedek

11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people(A) established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come,(B) one in the order of Melchizedek,(C) not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. 13 He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe,(D) and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar.(E) 14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah,(F) and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is declared:

“You are a priest forever,
    in the order of Melchizedek.”[a](G)

18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless(H) 19 (for the law made nothing perfect),(I) and a better hope(J) is introduced, by which we draw near to God.(K)

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 7:17 Psalm 110:4