Asa Reigns in Judah

⁹ In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah, ¹⁰ and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. ^11 (A)And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as David his father had done. ¹² He put away the ^(B)male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed ^(C)all the idols that his fathers had made. ^13 (D)He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and ^(E)burned it at the brook Kidron. ^14 (F)But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, ^(G)the heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all his days. ¹⁵ And ^(H)he brought into the house of the Lord the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.

^16 (I)And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. ^17 (J)Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and ^(K)built Ramah, ^(L)that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. ¹⁸ Then Asa took all the silver and the gold ^(M)that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house and gave them into the hands of his servants. ^(N)And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, ^(O)who lived in Damascus, saying, ¹⁹ “Let there be ^(P)a covenant^[a] between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” ²⁰ And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel and conquered ^(Q)Ijon, ^(R)Dan, ^(S)Abel-beth-maacah, and all ^(T)Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. ²¹ And when Baasha heard of it, ^(U)he stopped building Ramah, and he lived in ^(V)Tirzah. ²² Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, none was exempt, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them King Asa built ^(W)Geba of Benjamin and ^(X)Mizpah. ^23 (Y)Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, and all that he did, and the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in his old age he was diseased in his feet. ²⁴ And Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and ^(Z)Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.

Nadab Reigns in Israel

^25 (AA)Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. ²⁶ He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord ^(AB)and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin ^(AC)which he made Israel to sin.

^27 (AD)Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha struck him down at ^(AE)Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon. ²⁸ So Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah and reigned in his place. ²⁹ And as soon as he was king, he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He left to the house of Jeroboam not one that breathed, until he had destroyed it, ^(AF)according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. ³⁰ It was for the sins of Jeroboam that he sinned and ^(AG)that he made Israel to sin, and because of the anger to which he provoked the Lord, the God of Israel.

³¹ Now the rest of the acts of Nadab and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ^32 (AH)And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

Baasha Reigns in Israel

³³ In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah began to reign over all Israel at Tirzah, and he reigned twenty-four years. ³⁴ He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord ^(AI)and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel to sin.

16 And the word of the Lord came to ^(AJ)Jehu the son of ^(AK)Hanani against Baasha, saying, ² “Since I ^(AL)exalted you out of the dust and made you leader over my people Israel, and ^(AM)you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made my people Israel to sin, provoking me to anger with their sins, ³ behold, I will utterly ^(AN)sweep away ^(AO)Baasha and his house, and I will make your house ^(AP)like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. ^4 (AQ)Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the field the birds of the heavens shall eat.”

⁵ Now the rest of the acts of Baasha and what he did, and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ⁶ And Baasha slept with his fathers and was buried at ^(AR)Tirzah, and Elah his son reigned in his place. ⁷ Moreover, the word of the Lord came by the prophet ^(AS)Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and also because ^(AT)he destroyed it.

Elah Reigns in Israel

⁸ In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and he reigned two years. ⁹ But his servant ^(AU)Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. When he was at Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, ^(AV)who was over the household in Tirzah, ¹⁰ Zimri came in and struck him down and killed him, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place.

¹¹ When he began to reign, as soon as he had seated himself on his throne, he struck down ^(AW)all the house of Baasha. He ^(AX)did not leave him a single male of his relatives or his friends. ¹² Thus Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha, ^(AY)according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke against Baasha by ^(AZ)Jehu the prophet, ¹³ for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned and which they made Israel to sin, ^(BA)provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols. ¹⁴ Now the rest of the acts of Elah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

Zimri Reigns in Israel

¹⁵ In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah. Now the troops were encamped against ^(BB)Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, ¹⁶ and the troops who were encamped heard it said, “Zimri has conspired, and he has killed the king.” Therefore all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp. ¹⁷ So Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. ¹⁸ And when Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the king's house and burned the king's house over him with fire and died, ¹⁹ because of his sins that he committed, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, ^(BC)walking in the way of Jeroboam, and for his sin which he committed, making Israel to sin. ²⁰ Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and the conspiracy that he made, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

To Your Name Give Glory

Put On the New Self

3 ^(A)If then you have been raised with Christ, seek ^(B)the things that are above, where Christ is, ^(C)seated at the right hand of God. ^2 (D)Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. ³ For ^(E)you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ ^(F)who is your^[a] life ^(G)appears, then you also will appear with him ^(H)in glory.

^5 (I)Put to death therefore ^(J)what is earthly in you:^{[b] (K)}sexual immorality, impurity, ^(L)passion, evil desire, and covetousness, ^(M)which is idolatry. ^6 (N)On account of these the wrath of God is coming.^{[c] 7 (O)}In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. ⁸ But now ^(P)you must put them all away: ^(Q)anger, wrath, malice, ^(R)slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. ^9 (S)Do not lie to one another, seeing that ^(T)you have put off ^(U)the old self^[d] with its practices ¹⁰ and ^(V)have put on ^(W)the new self, ^(X)which is being renewed in knowledge ^(Y)after the image of ^(Z)its creator. ^11 (AA)Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave,^[e] free; but Christ is ^(AB)all, and in all.

^12 (AC)Put on then, as ^(AD)God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, ^(AE)compassionate hearts, ^(AF)kindness, ^(AG)humility, meekness, and patience, ^13 (AH)bearing with one another and, ^(AI)if one has a complaint against another, ^(AJ)forgiving each other; ^(AK)as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴ And above all these put on ^(AL)love, which ^(AM)binds everything together in ^(AN)perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let ^(AO)the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called ^(AP)in one body. And ^(AQ)be thankful. ¹⁶ Let ^(AR)the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, ^(AS)singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, ^(AT)with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And ^(AU)whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, ^(AV)giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Rules for Christian Households

^18 (AW)Wives, submit to your husbands, as ^(AX)is fitting in the Lord. ¹⁹ Husbands, love your wives, and ^(AY)do not be harsh with them. ²⁰ Children, obey your parents ^(AZ)in everything, for this pleases the Lord. ²¹ Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. ²² Bondservants, obey ^(BA)in everything those who are your earthly masters,^[f] not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. ^23 (BB)Whatever you do, work heartily, ^(BC)as for the Lord and not for men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord ^(BD)you will receive the inheritance as your reward. ^(BE)You are serving the Lord Christ. ²⁵ For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

4 Masters, treat your bondservants^[g] justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

Further Instructions

^2 (BF)Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it ^(BG)with thanksgiving. ³ At the same time, pray also for us, that God may ^(BH)open to us a door for the word, ^(BI)to declare the mystery of Christ, ^(BJ)on account of which I am in prison— ⁴ that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

^5 (BK)Walk in wisdom toward ^(BL)outsiders, making the best use of the time. ⁶ Let your speech always ^(BM)be gracious, ^(BN)seasoned with salt, ^(BO)so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Final Greetings

⁷ Tychicus will tell you ^(BP)all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant^[h] in the Lord. ⁸ I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, ⁹ and with him ^(BQ)Onesimus, our faithful and ^(BR)beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.

^10 (BS)Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark ^(BT)the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—^(BU)if he comes to you, welcome him), ¹¹ and Jesus who is called ^(BV)Justus. ^(BW)These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and ^(BX)they have been a comfort to me. ^12 (BY)Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always ^(BZ)struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand ^(CA)mature and fully assured in all the will of God. ¹³ For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. ^14 (CB)Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does ^(CC)Demas. ¹⁵ Give my greetings to the brothers^[i] at Laodicea, and to Nympha and ^(CD)the church in her house. ¹⁶ And when ^(CE)this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. ¹⁷ And say to ^(CF)Archippus, “See that you fulfill ^(CG)the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”

¹⁸ I, Paul, ^(CH)write this greeting with my own hand. ^(CI)Remember ^(CJ)my chains. ^(CK)Grace be with you.