Nahum 1
English Standard Version
1 (A)An oracle concerning (B)Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh.
God's Wrath Against Nineveh
2 (C)The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
the Lord is avenging and wrathful;
(D)the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries
and (E)keeps wrath for his enemies.
3 (F)The Lord is slow to anger and (G)great in power,
and (H)the Lord will by no means clear the guilty.
(I)His way is in whirlwind and storm,
and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
4 (J)He rebukes the sea and makes it dry;
he dries up all the rivers;
(K)Bashan and (L)Carmel wither;
the bloom of (M)Lebanon withers.
5 (N)The mountains quake before him;
(O)the hills melt;
the earth heaves before him,
(P)the world and all who dwell in it.
6 (Q)Who can stand before his indignation?
Who can endure the heat of his anger?
His wrath (R)is poured out like fire,
and (S)the rocks are broken into pieces by him.
7 (T)The Lord is good,
(U)a stronghold in the day of trouble;
(V)he knows those who take refuge in him.
8 But (W)with an overflowing flood
he will make a complete end of the adversaries,[a]
and (X)will pursue his enemies into darkness.
9 What (Y)do you plot against the Lord?
(Z)He will make a complete end;
trouble will not rise up a second time.
10 For they are (AA)like entangled thorns,
like drunkards as they drink;
(AB)they are consumed like stubble fully dried.
11 From you came one
(AC)who plotted evil against the Lord,
a worthless counselor.
12 Thus says the Lord,
“Though they are at full strength and many,
(AD)they will be cut down and pass away.
(AE)Though I have afflicted you,
I will afflict you no more.
13 And now (AF)I will break his yoke from off you
and will burst your bonds apart.”
14 The Lord has given commandment about you:
(AG)“No more shall your name be perpetuated;
from (AH)the house of your gods I will cut off
the carved image and the metal image.
(AI)I will make your grave, (AJ)for you are vile.”
15 [b] (AK)Behold, upon the mountains, (AL)the feet of him
who brings good news,
who publishes peace!
(AM)Keep your feasts, O Judah;
(AN)fulfill your vows,
(AO)for never again shall the worthless pass through you;
he is utterly cut off.
Footnotes
- Nahum 1:8 Hebrew of her place
- Nahum 1:15 Ch 2:1 in Hebrew
Romans 5:10-11
English Standard Version
10 For if (A)while we were enemies (B)we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by (C)his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received (D)reconciliation.
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Nahum 1:6-8
English Standard Version
6 (A)Who can stand before his indignation?
Who can endure the heat of his anger?
His wrath (B)is poured out like fire,
and (C)the rocks are broken into pieces by him.
7 (D)The Lord is good,
(E)a stronghold in the day of trouble;
(F)he knows those who take refuge in him.
8 But (G)with an overflowing flood
he will make a complete end of the adversaries,[a]
and (H)will pursue his enemies into darkness.
Footnotes
- Nahum 1:8 Hebrew of her place
Isaiah 52:7
English Standard Version
7 (A)How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, (B)who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
Romans 10:15
English Standard Version
15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, (A)“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
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Jonah 3:3-5
English Standard Version
3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now (A)Nineveh was an exceedingly great city,[a] three days' journey in breadth.[b] 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 (B)And the people of Nineveh believed God. (C)They called for a fast and (D)put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.
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Jonah 3:10
English Standard Version
10 When God saw what they did, (A)how they turned from their evil way, (B)God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
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Nahum 1:3
English Standard Version
3 (A)The Lord is slow to anger and (B)great in power,
and (C)the Lord will by no means clear the guilty.
(D)His way is in whirlwind and storm,
and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
Nahum 2-3
English Standard Version
The Destruction of Nineveh
2 (A)The scatterer has come up against you.
(B)Man the ramparts;
watch the road;
dress for battle;[a]
collect all your strength.
2 For (C)the Lord is restoring the majesty of Jacob
as the majesty of Israel,
for plunderers have plundered them
and (D)ruined their branches.
3 The shield of his mighty men is red;
(E)his soldiers are clothed in scarlet.
The chariots come with flashing metal
on the day he musters them;
the cypress spears are brandished.
4 (F)The chariots race madly through the streets;
they rush to and fro through the squares;
they gleam like torches;
they dart like lightning.
5 He remembers (G)his officers;
(H)they stumble as they go,
they hasten to the wall;
the siege tower[b] is set up.
6 (I)The river gates are opened;
the palace (J)melts away;
7 its mistress[c] is (K)stripped;[d] she is carried off,
her slave girls (L)lamenting,
moaning like doves
and beating their breasts.
8 (M)Nineveh is like a pool
whose waters run away.[e]
“Halt! Halt!” they cry,
but (N)none turns back.
9 Plunder the silver,
plunder the gold!
There is no end of the treasure
or of the wealth of all precious things.
10 (O)Desolate! Desolation and ruin!
(P)Hearts melt and (Q)knees tremble;
(R)anguish is in all loins;
(S)all faces grow pale!
11 Where is the lions' den,
the feeding place of (T)the young lions,
where the lion and lioness went,
where his cubs were, with (U)none to disturb?
12 (V)The lion tore enough for his cubs
and (W)strangled prey for his lionesses;
he filled his caves with prey
and his dens with torn flesh.
13 (X)Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts, and (Y)I will burn your[f] chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and (Z)the voice of your messengers shall no longer be heard.
Woe to Nineveh
3 Woe to (AA)the bloody city,
all full of lies and plunder—
(AB)no end to the prey!
2 The crack of the whip, and (AC)rumble of the wheel,
(AD)galloping horse and (AE)bounding chariot!
3 Horsemen charging,
flashing sword and (AF)glittering spear,
(AG)hosts of slain,
heaps of corpses,
dead bodies without end—
they stumble over the bodies!
4 And all for the countless whorings of the (AH)prostitute,
(AI)graceful and of deadly charms,
who betrays nations with her whorings,
and peoples with her charms.
5 (AJ)Behold, I am against you,
declares the Lord of hosts,
and (AK)will lift up your skirts over your face;
and I will make nations look at (AL)your nakedness
and kingdoms at your shame.
6 I will throw filth at you
and (AM)treat you with contempt
and make you (AN)a spectacle.
7 And all who look at you (AO)will shrink from you and say,
“Wasted is (AP)Nineveh; (AQ)who will grieve for her?”
(AR)Where shall I seek comforters for you?
8 (AS)Are you better than (AT)Thebes[g]
that sat (AU)by the Nile,
with water around her,
her rampart a sea,
and water her wall?
9 (AV)Cush was her strength;
Egypt too, and that without limit;
(AW)Put and the (AX)Libyans were her[h] helpers.
10 (AY)Yet she became an exile;
she went into captivity;
(AZ)her infants were dashed in pieces
at the head of every street;
for her honored men (BA)lots were cast,
(BB)and all her great men were bound in chains.
11 (BC)You also will be drunken;
you will go into hiding;
(BD)you will seek a refuge from the enemy.
12 All your fortresses are (BE)like fig trees
with first-ripe figs—
if shaken they fall
into the mouth of the eater.
13 Behold, your troops
(BF)are women in your midst.
The gates of your land
are wide open to your enemies;
fire has devoured your bars.
14 (BG)Draw water for the siege;
(BH)strengthen your forts;
go into the clay;
tread the mortar;
take hold of the brick mold!
15 There will the fire devour you;
the sword will cut you off.
It will (BI)devour you (BJ)like the locust.
Multiply yourselves (BK)like the locust;
multiply (BL)like the grasshopper!
16 You increased (BM)your merchants
more than the stars of the heavens.
(BN)The locust spreads its wings and flies away.
17 Your (BO)princes are (BP)like grasshoppers,
(BQ)your scribes[i] like clouds of locusts
settling on the fences
in a day of cold—
when the sun rises, they fly away;
no one knows where they are.
18 Your shepherds (BR)are asleep,
O king of Assyria;
(BS)your nobles slumber.
Your people (BT)are scattered on the mountains
with none to gather them.
19 There is no easing your hurt;
(BU)your wound is grievous.
All who hear the news about you
(BV)clap their hands over you.
For (BW)upon whom has not come
your unceasing evil?
Footnotes
- Nahum 2:1 Hebrew gird your loins
- Nahum 2:5 Or the mantelet
- Nahum 2:7 The meaning of the Hebrew word rendered its mistress is uncertain
- Nahum 2:7 Or exiled
- Nahum 2:8 Compare Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- Nahum 2:13 Hebrew her
- Nahum 3:8 Hebrew No-amon
- Nahum 3:9 Hebrew your
- Nahum 3:17 Or marshals
Psalm 119:89
English Standard Version
Matthew 5:18
English Standard Version
18 For truly, I say to you, (A)until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
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Zephaniah 1:1-3:8
English Standard Version
1 The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, (A)in the days of (B)Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
The Coming Judgment on Judah
2 (C)“I will utterly sweep away everything
from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
3 “I will sweep away (D)man and beast;
I will sweep away the birds of the heavens
and (E)the fish of the sea,
and (F)the rubble[a] with the wicked.
I will (G)cut off mankind
from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
4 “I will stretch out my hand against Judah
and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
(H)and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal
and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests,
5 (I)those who bow down on the roofs
to the host of the heavens,
(J)those who bow down and swear to the Lord
and yet swear by (K)Milcom,[b]
6 (L)those who have turned back from following the Lord,
(M)who do not seek the Lord or inquire of him.”
The Day of the Lord Is Near
7 (N)Be silent before the Lord God!
For (O)the day of the Lord is near;
(P)the Lord has prepared a sacrifice
and (Q)consecrated his guests.
8 And on the day of the Lord's sacrifice—
(R)“I will punish the officials and the king's sons
and (S)all who array themselves in foreign attire.
9 On that day I will punish
everyone (T)who leaps over the threshold,
and those who fill their master's[c] house
with violence and fraud.
10 “On that day,” declares the Lord,
“a cry will be heard from (U)the Fish Gate,
(V)a wail from (W)the Second Quarter,
a loud crash from the hills.
11 (X)Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar!
For all the traders[d] are no more;
all who weigh out silver are cut off.
12 At that time (Y)I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
and I will punish the men
(Z)who are complacent,[e]
(AA)those who say in their hearts,
‘The Lord will not do good,
nor will he do ill.’
13 Their goods shall be (AB)plundered,
and their houses laid waste.
(AC)Though they build houses,
they shall not inhabit them;
(AD)though they plant vineyards,
they shall not drink wine from them.”
14 (AE)The great day of the Lord is near,
near and hastening fast;
the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter;
(AF)the mighty man cries aloud there.
15 (AG)A day of wrath is that day,
a day of distress and anguish,
a day of (AH)ruin and devastation,
(AI)a day of darkness and gloom,
(AJ)a day of clouds and thick darkness,
16 (AK)a day of trumpet blast and battle cry
(AL)against the fortified cities
and against the lofty battlements.
17 (AM)I will bring distress on mankind,
so that they shall walk (AN)like the blind,
because they have sinned against the Lord;
(AO)their blood shall be poured out like dust,
and their flesh (AP)like dung.
18 (AQ)Neither their silver nor their gold
shall be able to deliver them
on the day of the wrath of the Lord.
(AR)In the fire of his jealousy,
(AS)all the earth shall be consumed;
(AT)for a full and sudden end
he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.
Judgment on Judah's Enemies
2 Gather together, yes, gather,
O (AU)shameless nation,
2 (AV)before the decree takes effect[f]
—before the day passes away (AW)like chaff—
(AX)before there comes upon you
the burning anger of the Lord,
before there comes upon you
the day of the anger of the Lord.
3 (AY)Seek the Lord, (AZ)all you humble of the land,
who do his just commands;[g]
(BA)seek righteousness; seek humility;
(BB)perhaps (BC)you may be hidden
on the day of the anger of the Lord.
4 (BD)For Gaza shall be deserted,
and Ashkelon shall become a desolation;
Ashdod's people shall be driven out at noon,
and Ekron shall be uprooted.
5 Woe to (BE)you inhabitants of the seacoast,
you nation of (BF)the Cherethites!
(BG)The word of the Lord is against you,
(BH)O Canaan, land of the Philistines;
and I will destroy you (BI)until no inhabitant is left.
6 (BJ)And you, O seacoast, (BK)shall be pastures,
with meadows[h] for shepherds
and folds for flocks.
7 (BL)The seacoast shall become the possession
of (BM)the remnant of the house of Judah,
(BN)on which they shall graze,
and in the houses of Ashkelon
they shall lie down at evening.
For the Lord their God (BO)will be mindful of them
and (BP)restore their fortunes.
8 “I have heard (BQ)the taunts of Moab
and (BR)the revilings of the Ammonites,
how they have taunted my people
and made boasts (BS)against their territory.
9 Therefore, (BT)as I live,” declares the Lord of hosts,
the God of Israel,
“Moab shall become (BU)like Sodom,
and the Ammonites (BV)like Gomorrah,
a land possessed by nettles and salt pits,
and a waste forever.
The remnant of my people shall plunder them,
and the survivors of my nation shall possess them.”
10 This shall be their lot in return (BW)for their pride,
because they taunted and boasted
against the people of the Lord of hosts.
11 The Lord will be awesome against them;
(BX)for he will famish all the gods of the earth,
and (BY)to him shall bow down,
each in its place,
all (BZ)the lands of the nations.
12 (CA)You also, O Cushites,
shall be slain by my sword.
13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north
(CB)and destroy Assyria,
and he (CC)will make Nineveh a desolation,
a dry waste like the desert.
14 (CD)Herds shall lie down in her midst,
all kinds of beasts;[i]
(CE)even the owl and the hedgehog[j]
shall lodge in her capitals;
a voice shall hoot in the window;
devastation will be on the threshold;
for (CF)her cedar work will be laid bare.
15 This is the exultant city
(CG)that lived securely,
that said in her heart,
“I am, and there is no one else.”
What a desolation she has become,
(CH)a lair for wild beasts!
(CI)Everyone who passes by her
hisses and (CJ)shakes his fist.
Judgment on Jerusalem and the Nations
3 Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,
(CK)the oppressing city!
2 She listens to no voice;
(CL)she accepts no correction.
(CM)She does not trust in the Lord;
she does not draw near to her God.
3 (CN)Her officials within her
are roaring lions;
her judges are (CO)evening wolves
that leave nothing till the morning.
4 (CP)Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men;
(CQ)her priests (CR)profane what is holy;
they do violence to the law.
5 The Lord within her (CS)is righteous;
he does no injustice;
every morning he shows forth his justice;
each dawn he does not fail;
but (CT)the unjust knows no shame.
6 (CU)“I have cut off nations;
their battlements are in ruins;
I have laid waste their streets
(CV)so that no one walks in them;
their cities have been made desolate,
without a man, without an inhabitant.
7 (CW)I said, ‘Surely you will fear me;
(CX)you will accept correction.
Then your[k] dwelling would not be cut off
according to all that I have appointed against you.’[l]
But (CY)all the more they were eager
to make all their deeds corrupt.
8 “Therefore (CZ)wait for me,” declares the Lord,
“for the day when I rise up to seize the prey.
For my decision is (DA)to gather nations,
to assemble kingdoms,
to pour out upon them my indignation,
all my burning anger;
for in the fire of my jealousy
(DB)all the earth shall be consumed.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 1:3 Or stumbling blocks (that is, idols)
- Zephaniah 1:5 Or their king
- Zephaniah 1:9 Or their Lord's
- Zephaniah 1:11 Or all the people of Canaan
- Zephaniah 1:12 Hebrew are thickening on the dregs [of their wine]
- Zephaniah 2:2 Hebrew gives birth
- Zephaniah 2:3 Or who carry out his judgment
- Zephaniah 2:6 Or caves
- Zephaniah 2:14 Hebrew beasts of every nation
- Zephaniah 2:14 The identity of the animals rendered owl and hedgehog is uncertain
- Zephaniah 3:7 Hebrew her
- Zephaniah 3:7 Hebrew her
2 Kings 22-23
English Standard Version
Josiah Reigns in Judah
22 (A)Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of (B)Bozkath. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of David his father, (C)and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.
Josiah Repairs the Temple
3 In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, the secretary, to the house of the Lord, saying, 4 “Go up to (D)Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money (E)that has been brought into the house of the Lord, which (F)the keepers of the threshold have collected from the people. 5 (G)And let it be given into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord, and let them give it to the workmen who are at the house of the Lord, repairing the house 6 (that is, to the carpenters, and to the builders, and to the masons), and let them use it for buying timber and quarried stone to repair the house. 7 But (H)no accounting shall be asked from them for the money that is delivered into their hand, for they deal honestly.”
Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law
8 And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found (I)the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. 9 And Shaphan the secretary came to the king, and reported to the king, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord.” 10 Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.
11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, (J)he tore his clothes. 12 And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and (K)Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and (L)Achbor the son of (M)Micaiah, and Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying, 13 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is (N)the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”
14 So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of (O)Tikvah, son of (P)Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in (Q)the Second Quarter), and they talked with her. 15 And she said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Tell the man who sent you to me, 16 Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read. 17 (R)Because they have forsaken me and have made offerings to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore (S)my wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched. 18 But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard, 19 (T)because your heart was penitent, and you (U)humbled yourself before the Lord, when you heard how I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become (V)a desolation and (W)a curse, and you (X)have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. 20 Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and (Y)you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place.’” And they brought back word to the king.
Josiah's Reforms
23 (Z)Then the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him. 2 And the king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And (AA)he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant (AB)that had been found in the house of the Lord. 3 And the king stood (AC)by the pillar and (AD)made a covenant before the Lord, (AE)to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant.
4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests (AF)of the second order and the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels made for (AG)Baal, for (AH)Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. (AI)He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 And he deposed the priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon and the constellations (AJ)and all the host of the heavens. 6 And he brought out (AK)the Asherah from the house of the Lord, outside Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron, (AL)and burned it at the brook Kidron (AM)and beat it to dust and cast the dust of it upon the graves (AN)of the common people. 7 And he broke down the houses of (AO)the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the Lord, (AP)where the women wove hangings for (AQ)the Asherah. 8 And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had made offerings, from (AR)Geba to Beersheba. And he broke down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on one's left at the gate of the city. 9 (AS)However, the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers. 10 And he defiled (AT)Topheth, which is (AU)in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, (AV)that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to (AW)Molech.[a] 11 And he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the chamberlain, which was in the precincts.[b] And he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12 And the altars (AX)on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars (AY)that Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord, he pulled down and broke in pieces[c] and cast the dust of them (AZ)into the brook Kidron. 13 And the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, to the south of (BA)the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for (BB)Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for (BC)Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for (BD)Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 14 And he broke in pieces the (BE)pillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with the bones of men.
15 Moreover, the altar at Bethel, the high place erected (BF)by Jeroboam the son of Nebat, (BG)who made Israel to sin, (BH)that altar with the high place he pulled down and burned,[d] reducing it to dust. He also burned the Asherah. 16 And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mount. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar and defiled it, (BI)according to the word of the Lord that the man of God proclaimed, who had predicted these things. 17 Then he said, “What is that monument that I see?” And the men of the city told him, (BJ)“It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted[e] these things that you have done against the altar at Bethel.” 18 And he said, “Let him be; let no man move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones (BK)of the prophet who came out of Samaria. 19 And Josiah removed all the shrines also of the high places that were (BL)in the cities of Samaria, which kings of Israel had made, provoking the Lord to anger. He did to them according to all that he had done at Bethel. 20 And (BM)he sacrificed all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, (BN)and burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
Josiah Restores the Passover
21 And the king commanded all the people, (BO)“Keep the Passover to the Lord your God, (BP)as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 22 (BQ)For no such Passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of Israel or of the kings of Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was kept to the Lord in Jerusalem.
24 Moreover, Josiah put away (BR)the mediums and the necromancers and (BS)the household gods and (BT)the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might establish (BU)the words of the law that were written in the book (BV)that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. 25 (BW)Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.
26 Still the Lord did not turn from the burning of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, (BX)because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him. 27 And the Lord said, “I will remove Judah also out of my sight, (BY)as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, (BZ)and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.”
Josiah's Death in Battle
28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 29 (CA)In his days (CB)Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went to meet him, and Pharaoh Neco killed him at (CC)Megiddo, as soon as he saw him. 30 (CD)And his servants carried him dead in a chariot from (CE)Megiddo and brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. (CF)And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's place.
Jehoahaz's Reign and Captivity
31 (CG)Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was (CH)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, (CI)according to all that his fathers had done. 33 And (CJ)Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at (CK)Riblah in the land of (CL)Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents[f] of silver and a talent of gold. 34 And (CM)Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and (CN)changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away, (CO)and he came to Egypt and died there. 35 And Jehoiakim (CP)gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco.
Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah
36 (CQ)Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. 37 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, (CR)according to all that his fathers had done.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 23:10 Hebrew might cause his son or daughter to pass through the fire for Molech
- 2 Kings 23:11 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- 2 Kings 23:12 Hebrew pieces from there
- 2 Kings 23:15 Septuagint broke in pieces its stones
- 2 Kings 23:17 Hebrew called
- 2 Kings 23:33 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
Zephaniah 1:2-3
English Standard Version
The Coming Judgment on Judah
2 (A)“I will utterly sweep away everything
from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
3 “I will sweep away (B)man and beast;
I will sweep away the birds of the heavens
and (C)the fish of the sea,
and (D)the rubble[a] with the wicked.
I will (E)cut off mankind
from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 1:3 Or stumbling blocks (that is, idols)
Zephaniah 1:4-5
English Standard Version
4 “I will stretch out my hand against Judah
and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
(A)and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal
and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests,
5 (B)those who bow down on the roofs
to the host of the heavens,
(C)those who bow down and swear to the Lord
and yet swear by (D)Milcom,[a]
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 1:5 Or their king
Zephaniah 1:12-16
English Standard Version
12 At that time (A)I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
and I will punish the men
(B)who are complacent,[a]
(C)those who say in their hearts,
‘The Lord will not do good,
nor will he do ill.’
13 Their goods shall be (D)plundered,
and their houses laid waste.
(E)Though they build houses,
they shall not inhabit them;
(F)though they plant vineyards,
they shall not drink wine from them.”
14 (G)The great day of the Lord is near,
near and hastening fast;
the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter;
(H)the mighty man cries aloud there.
15 (I)A day of wrath is that day,
a day of distress and anguish,
a day of (J)ruin and devastation,
(K)a day of darkness and gloom,
(L)a day of clouds and thick darkness,
16 (M)a day of trumpet blast and battle cry
(N)against the fortified cities
and against the lofty battlements.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 1:12 Hebrew are thickening on the dregs [of their wine]
Zephaniah 2:4-15
English Standard Version
4 (A)For Gaza shall be deserted,
and Ashkelon shall become a desolation;
Ashdod's people shall be driven out at noon,
and Ekron shall be uprooted.
5 Woe to (B)you inhabitants of the seacoast,
you nation of (C)the Cherethites!
(D)The word of the Lord is against you,
(E)O Canaan, land of the Philistines;
and I will destroy you (F)until no inhabitant is left.
6 (G)And you, O seacoast, (H)shall be pastures,
with meadows[a] for shepherds
and folds for flocks.
7 (I)The seacoast shall become the possession
of (J)the remnant of the house of Judah,
(K)on which they shall graze,
and in the houses of Ashkelon
they shall lie down at evening.
For the Lord their God (L)will be mindful of them
and (M)restore their fortunes.
8 “I have heard (N)the taunts of Moab
and (O)the revilings of the Ammonites,
how they have taunted my people
and made boasts (P)against their territory.
9 Therefore, (Q)as I live,” declares the Lord of hosts,
the God of Israel,
“Moab shall become (R)like Sodom,
and the Ammonites (S)like Gomorrah,
a land possessed by nettles and salt pits,
and a waste forever.
The remnant of my people shall plunder them,
and the survivors of my nation shall possess them.”
10 This shall be their lot in return (T)for their pride,
because they taunted and boasted
against the people of the Lord of hosts.
11 The Lord will be awesome against them;
(U)for he will famish all the gods of the earth,
and (V)to him shall bow down,
each in its place,
all (W)the lands of the nations.
12 (X)You also, O Cushites,
shall be slain by my sword.
13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north
(Y)and destroy Assyria,
and he (Z)will make Nineveh a desolation,
a dry waste like the desert.
14 (AA)Herds shall lie down in her midst,
all kinds of beasts;[b]
(AB)even the owl and the hedgehog[c]
shall lodge in her capitals;
a voice shall hoot in the window;
devastation will be on the threshold;
for (AC)her cedar work will be laid bare.
15 This is the exultant city
(AD)that lived securely,
that said in her heart,
“I am, and there is no one else.”
What a desolation she has become,
(AE)a lair for wild beasts!
(AF)Everyone who passes by her
hisses and (AG)shakes his fist.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 2:6 Or caves
- Zephaniah 2:14 Hebrew beasts of every nation
- Zephaniah 2:14 The identity of the animals rendered owl and hedgehog is uncertain
Zephaniah 3:1-8
English Standard Version
Judgment on Jerusalem and the Nations
3 Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,
(A)the oppressing city!
2 She listens to no voice;
(B)she accepts no correction.
(C)She does not trust in the Lord;
she does not draw near to her God.
3 (D)Her officials within her
are roaring lions;
her judges are (E)evening wolves
that leave nothing till the morning.
4 (F)Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men;
(G)her priests (H)profane what is holy;
they do violence to the law.
5 The Lord within her (I)is righteous;
he does no injustice;
every morning he shows forth his justice;
each dawn he does not fail;
but (J)the unjust knows no shame.
6 (K)“I have cut off nations;
their battlements are in ruins;
I have laid waste their streets
(L)so that no one walks in them;
their cities have been made desolate,
without a man, without an inhabitant.
7 (M)I said, ‘Surely you will fear me;
(N)you will accept correction.
Then your[a] dwelling would not be cut off
according to all that I have appointed against you.’[b]
But (O)all the more they were eager
to make all their deeds corrupt.
8 “Therefore (P)wait for me,” declares the Lord,
“for the day when I rise up to seize the prey.
For my decision is (Q)to gather nations,
to assemble kingdoms,
to pour out upon them my indignation,
all my burning anger;
for in the fire of my jealousy
(R)all the earth shall be consumed.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 3:7 Hebrew her
- Zephaniah 3:7 Hebrew her
Zephaniah 3:9-20
English Standard Version
The Conversion of the Nations
9 “For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples
to (A)a pure speech,
that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord
and serve him with one accord.
10 (B)From beyond the rivers (C)of Cush
my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones,
shall bring my offering.
11 (D)“On that day (E)you shall not be put to shame
because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;
for then (F)I will remove from your midst
your proudly exultant ones,
and (G)you shall no longer be haughty
in my holy mountain.
12 But I will leave in your midst
a people (H)humble and lowly.
(I)They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,
13 (J)those who are left in Israel;
they (K)shall do no injustice
and speak no lies,
(L)nor shall there be found in their mouth
a deceitful tongue.
(M)For they shall graze and lie down,
and none shall make them afraid.”
Israel's Joy and Restoration
14 (N)Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
he has cleared away your enemies.
(O)The King of Israel, (P)the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall never again fear evil.
16 (Q)On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Fear not, O Zion;
(R)let not your hands grow weak.
17 (S)The Lord your God is in your midst,
(T)a mighty one who will save;
(U)he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
18 I will gather those of you who mourn (V)for the festival,
so that you will no longer suffer reproach.[a]
19 Behold, at that time (W)I will deal
with all your oppressors.
And (X)I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change (Y)their shame into (Z)praise
and renown in all the earth.
20 (AA)At that time I will bring you in,
at the time when I gather you together;
for I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
(AB)when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes,” says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 3:18 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
Zephaniah 3:12-13
English Standard Version
12 But I will leave in your midst
a people (A)humble and lowly.
(B)They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,
13 (C)those who are left in Israel;
they (D)shall do no injustice
and speak no lies,
(E)nor shall there be found in their mouth
a deceitful tongue.
(F)For they shall graze and lie down,
and none shall make them afraid.”
Matthew 7:13-14
English Standard Version
13 (A)“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy[a] that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and (B)the way is hard that leads to life, and (C)those who find it are few.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 7:13 Some manuscripts For the way is wide and easy
1 Corinthians 1:26-27
English Standard Version
26 For consider your calling, brothers: (A)not many of you were wise according to worldly standards,[a] not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But (B)God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; (C)God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Corinthians 1:26 Greek according to the flesh
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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