Concerning Food Sacrificed to Idols

8 Now about food sacrificed to idols:^(A) We know that “We all possess knowledge.”^(B) But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. ² Those who think they know something^(C) do not yet know as they ought to know.^{(D) 3} But whoever loves God is known by God.^[a](E)

⁴ So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols:^(F) We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world”^(G) and that “There is no God but one.”^{(H) 5} For even if there are so-called gods,^(I) whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), ⁶ yet for us there is but one God,^(J) the Father,^(K) from whom all things came^(L) and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord,^(M) Jesus Christ, through whom all things came^(N) and through whom we live.

⁷ But not everyone possesses this knowledge.^(O) Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak,^(P) it is defiled. ⁸ But food does not bring us near to God;^(Q) we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

⁹ Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block^(R) to the weak.^{(S) 10} For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols?^{(T) 11} So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed^(U) by your knowledge. ¹² When you sin against them^(V) in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.^{(W) 13} Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.^(X)

Paul’s Rights as an Apostle

9 Am I not free?^(Y) Am I not an apostle?^(Z) Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?^(AA) Are you not the result of my work in the Lord?^{(AB) 2} Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal^(AC) of my apostleship in the Lord.

³ This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. ⁴ Don’t we have the right to food and drink?^{(AD) 5} Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife^(AE) along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers^(AF) and Cephas^[b]?^{(AG) 6} Or is it only I and Barnabas^(AH) who lack the right to not work for a living?

⁷ Who serves as a soldier^(AI) at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard^(AJ) and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? ⁸ Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? ⁹ For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.”^[c](AK) Is it about oxen that God is concerned?^{(AL) 10} Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us,^(AM) because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest.^{(AN) 11} If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?^{(AO) 12} If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?

But we did not use this right.^(AP) On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder^(AQ) the gospel of Christ.

¹³ Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?^{(AR) 14} In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.^(AS)

¹⁵ But I have not used any of these rights.^(AT) And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast.^{(AU) 16} For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach.^(AV) Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! ¹⁷ If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward;^(AW) if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.^{(AX) 18} What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge,^(AY) and so not make full use of my rights^(AZ) as a preacher of the gospel.

Paul’s Use of His Freedom

¹⁹ Though I am free^(BA) and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone,^(BB) to win as many as possible.^{(BC) 20} To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.^(BD) To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law),^(BE) so as to win those under the law. ²¹ To those not having the law I became like one not having the law^(BF) (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law),^(BG) so as to win those not having the law. ²² To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.^(BH) I have become all things to all people^(BI) so that by all possible means I might save some.^{(BJ) 23} I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

The Need for Self-Discipline

²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?^(BK) Run^(BL) in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown^(BM) that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.^{(BN) 26} Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly;^(BO) I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.^{(BP) 27} No, I strike a blow to my body^(BQ) and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.^(BR)

Ahaziah King of Judah^(A)(B)

22 The people^(C) of Jerusalem^(D) made Ahaziah, Jehoram’s youngest son, king in his place, since the raiders,^(E) who came with the Arabs into the camp, had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign.

² Ahaziah was twenty-two^[a] years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri.

³ He too followed^(F) the ways of the house of Ahab,^(G) for his mother encouraged him to act wickedly. ⁴ He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for after his father’s death they became his advisers, to his undoing. ⁵ He also followed their counsel when he went with Joram^[b] son of Ahab king of Israel to wage war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead.^(H) The Arameans wounded Joram; ⁶ so he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds they had inflicted on him at Ramoth^[c] in his battle with Hazael^(I) king of Aram.

Then Ahaziah^[d] son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab because he had been wounded.

⁷ Through Ahaziah’s^(J) visit to Joram, God brought about Ahaziah’s downfall. When Ahaziah arrived, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab. ⁸ While Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab,^(K) he found the officials of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s relatives, who had been attending Ahaziah, and he killed them. ⁹ He then went in search of Ahaziah, and his men captured him while he was hiding^(L) in Samaria. He was brought to Jehu and put to death. They buried him, for they said, “He was a son of Jehoshaphat, who sought^(M) the Lord with all his heart.” So there was no one in the house of Ahaziah powerful enough to retain the kingdom.

Athaliah and Joash^(N)

¹⁰ When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family of the house of Judah. ¹¹ But Jehosheba,^[e] the daughter of King Jehoram, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes who were about to be murdered and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Because Jehosheba,^[f] the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of the priest Jehoiada, was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid the child from Athaliah so she could not kill him. ¹² He remained hidden with them at the temple of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.

23 In the seventh year Jehoiada showed his strength. He made a covenant with the commanders of units of a hundred: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zikri. ² They went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites^(O) and the heads of Israelite families from all the towns. When they came to Jerusalem, ³ the whole assembly made a covenant^(P) with the king at the temple of God.

Jehoiada said to them, “The king’s son shall reign, as the Lord promised concerning the descendants of David.^{(Q) 4} Now this is what you are to do: A third of you priests and Levites who are going on duty on the Sabbath are to keep watch at the doors, ⁵ a third of you at the royal palace and a third at the Foundation Gate, and all the others are to be in the courtyards of the temple of the Lord. ⁶ No one is to enter the temple of the Lord except the priests and Levites on duty; they may enter because they are consecrated, but all the others are to observe^(R) the Lord’s command not to enter.^{[g] 7} The Levites are to station themselves around the king, each with weapon in hand. Anyone who enters the temple is to be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes.”

⁸ The Levites and all the men of Judah did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered.^(S) Each one took his men—those who were going on duty on the Sabbath and those who were going off duty—for Jehoiada the priest had not released any of the divisions.^{(T) 9} Then he gave the commanders of units of a hundred the spears and the large and small shields that had belonged to King David and that were in the temple of God. ¹⁰ He stationed all the men, each with his weapon in his hand, around the king—near the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple.

¹¹ Jehoiada and his sons brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him; they presented him with a copy^(U) of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him and shouted, “Long live the king!”

¹² When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and cheering the king, she went to them at the temple of the Lord. ¹³ She looked, and there was the king,^(V) standing by his pillar^(W) at the entrance. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and musicians with their instruments were leading the praises. Then Athaliah tore her robes and shouted, “Treason! Treason!”

¹⁴ Jehoiada the priest sent out the commanders of units of a hundred, who were in charge of the troops, and said to them: “Bring her out between the ranks^[h] and put to the sword anyone who follows her.” For the priest had said, “Do not put her to death at the temple of the Lord.” ¹⁵ So they seized her as she reached the entrance of the Horse Gate^(X) on the palace grounds, and there they put her to death.

¹⁶ Jehoiada then made a covenant^(Y) that he, the people and the king^[i] would be the Lord’s people. ¹⁷ All the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols and killed^(Z) Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.

¹⁸ Then Jehoiada placed the oversight of the temple of the Lord in the hands of the Levitical priests,^(AA) to whom David had made assignments in the temple,^(AB) to present the burnt offerings of the Lord as written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and singing, as David had ordered. ¹⁹ He also stationed gatekeepers^(AC) at the gates of the Lord’s temple so that no one who was in any way unclean might enter.

²⁰ He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people and all the people of the land and brought the king down from the temple of the Lord. They went into the palace through the Upper Gate^(AD) and seated the king on the royal throne. ²¹ All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was calm, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword.^(AE)

Joash Repairs the Temple^(AF)(AG)

24 Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. ² Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord^(AH) all the years of Jehoiada the priest. ³ Jehoiada chose two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters.

⁴ Some time later Joash decided to restore the temple of the Lord. ⁵ He called together the priests and Levites and said to them, “Go to the towns of Judah and collect the money^(AI) due annually from all Israel,^(AJ) to repair the temple of your God. Do it now.” But the Levites^(AK) did not act at once.

⁶ Therefore the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, “Why haven’t you required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax imposed by Moses the servant of the Lord and by the assembly of Israel for the tent of the covenant law?”^(AL)

⁷ Now the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into the temple of God and had used even its sacred objects for the Baals.

⁸ At the king’s command, a chest was made and placed outside, at the gate of the temple of the Lord. ⁹ A proclamation was then issued in Judah and Jerusalem that they should bring to the Lord the tax that Moses the servant of God had required of Israel in the wilderness. ¹⁰ All the officials and all the people brought their contributions gladly,^(AM) dropping them into the chest until it was full. ¹¹ Whenever the chest was brought in by the Levites to the king’s officials and they saw that there was a large amount of money, the royal secretary and the officer of the chief priest would come and empty the chest and carry it back to its place. They did this regularly and collected a great amount of money. ¹² The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who carried out the work required for the temple of the Lord. They hired^(AN) masons and carpenters to restore the Lord’s temple, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the temple.

¹³ The men in charge of the work were diligent, and the repairs progressed under them. They rebuilt the temple of God according to its original design and reinforced it. ¹⁴ When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, and with it were made articles for the Lord’s temple: articles for the service and for the burnt offerings, and also dishes and other objects of gold and silver. As long as Jehoiada lived, burnt offerings were presented continually in the temple of the Lord.

¹⁵ Now Jehoiada was old and full of years, and he died at the age of a hundred and thirty. ¹⁶ He was buried with the kings in the City of David, because of the good he had done in Israel for God and his temple.

The Wickedness of Joash

¹⁷ After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. ¹⁸ They abandoned^(AO) the temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols.^(AP) Because of their guilt, God’s anger^(AQ) came on Judah and Jerusalem. ¹⁹ Although the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen.^(AR)

²⁰ Then the Spirit^(AS) of God came on Zechariah^(AT) son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands? You will not prosper.^(AU) Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken^(AV) you.’”

²¹ But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned^(AW) him to death^(AX) in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple.^{(AY) 22} King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, “May the Lord see this and call you to account.”^(AZ)

²³ At the turn of the year,^[j] the army of Aram marched against Joash; it invaded Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the leaders of the people.^(BA) They sent all the plunder to their king in Damascus. ²⁴ Although the Aramean army had come with only a few men,^(BB) the Lord delivered into their hands a much larger army.^(BC) Because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, judgment was executed on Joash. ²⁵ When the Arameans withdrew, they left Joash severely wounded. His officials conspired against him for murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him in his bed. So he died and was buried^(BD) in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

²⁶ Those who conspired against him were Zabad,^[k] son of Shimeath an Ammonite woman, and Jehozabad, son of Shimrith^[l](BE) a Moabite woman.^{(BF) 27} The account of his sons, the many prophecies about him, and the record of the restoration of the temple of God are written in the annotations on the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son succeeded him as king.