Azariah Reigns in Judah

15 ^(A)In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, ^(B)Azariah the son of Amaziah, king of Judah, began to reign. ² He was ^(C)sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. ³ And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. ^4 (D)Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. ^5 (E)And the Lord touched the king, so that he was a leper^[a] to the day of his death, ^(F)and he lived in a separate house.^[b] And Jotham the king's son was over the household, governing the people of the land. ⁶ Now the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ⁷ And Azariah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers ^(G)in the city of David, and Jotham his son reigned in his place.

Zechariah Reigns in Israel

⁸ In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria six months. ⁹ And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his fathers had done. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, ^(H)which he made Israel to sin. ¹⁰ Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him and ^(I)struck him down at Ibleam and put him to death and reigned in his place. ¹¹ Now the rest of the deeds of Zechariah, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. ¹² (This was ^(J)the promise of the Lord that he gave to Jehu, “Your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” And so it came to pass.)

Shallum Reigns in Israel

¹³ Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the thirty-ninth year of ^(K)Uzziah^[c] king of Judah, and he reigned one month in ^(L)Samaria. ¹⁴ Then Menahem the son of Gadi came up from ^(M)Tirzah and came to Samaria, and he struck down Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria and put him to death and reigned in his place. ¹⁵ Now the rest of the deeds of Shallum, and the conspiracy that he made, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. ¹⁶ At that time Menahem sacked Tiphsah and all who were in it and its territory from Tirzah on, because they did not open it to him. Therefore he sacked it, ^(N)and he ripped open all the women in it who were pregnant.

Menahem Reigns in Israel

¹⁷ In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi began to reign over Israel, and he reigned ten years in Samaria. ¹⁸ And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart all his days from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin. ^19 (O)Pul^[d] the king of Assyria came against the land, and Menahem gave ^(P)Pul a thousand talents^[e] of silver, that he might help him ^(Q)to confirm his hold on the royal power. ²⁰ Menahem exacted the money from Israel, that is, from all the wealthy men, fifty shekels^[f] of silver from every man, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back and did not stay there in the land. ²¹ Now the rest of the deeds of Menahem and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ²² And Menahem slept with his fathers, and Pekahiah his son reigned in his place.

Pekahiah Reigns in Israel

²³ In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years. ²⁴ And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, ^(R)which he made Israel to sin. ²⁵ And Pekah the son of Remaliah, his captain, conspired against him with fifty men of the people of Gilead, and struck him down in Samaria, in the citadel of the king's house with Argob and Arieh; he put him to death and reigned in his place. ²⁶ Now the rest of the deeds of Pekahiah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Pekah Reigns in Israel

²⁷ In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years. ²⁸ And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, ^(S)which he made Israel to sin.

²⁹ In the days of Pekah king of Israel, ^(T)Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured ^(U)Ijon, ^(V)Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, ^(W)Kedesh, ^(X)Hazor, Gilead, and ^(Y)Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and he carried the people captive to Assyria. ³⁰ Then Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah and struck him down and put him to death and reigned in his place, ^(Z)in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah. ³¹ Now the rest of the acts of Pekah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Jotham Reigns in Judah

³² In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, began to reign. ³³ He was ^(AA)twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. ³⁴ And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, ^(AB)according to all that his father Uzziah had done. ^35 (AC)Nevertheless, the high places were not removed. The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. He built ^(AD)the upper gate of the house of the Lord. ³⁶ Now the rest of the acts of Jotham and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ³⁷ In those days the Lord began to send ^(AE)Rezin the king of Syria and ^(AF)Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah. ³⁸ Jotham slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

Kaph

Some Will Depart from the Faith

4 Now ^(A)the Spirit expressly says that ^(B)in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to ^(C)deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, ² through the insincerity of ^(D)liars whose consciences are seared, ^3 (E)who forbid marriage and ^(F)require abstinence from foods ^(G)that God created ^(H)to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. ⁴ For ^(I)everything created by God is good, and ^(J)nothing is to be rejected if it is ^(K)received with thanksgiving, ⁵ for it is made holy ^(L)by the word of God and prayer.

A Good Servant of Christ Jesus

^6 (M)If you put these things before the brothers,^[a] you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have ^(N)followed. ⁷ Have nothing to do with irreverent, ^(O)silly myths. Rather ^(P)train yourself for godliness; ⁸ for while ^(Q)bodily training is of some value, godliness ^(R)is of value in every way, as ^(S)it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. ⁹ The saying is ^(T)trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. ¹⁰ For to this end we toil and strive,^[b] because we have our hope set on the living God, ^(U)who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

¹¹ Command and teach ^(V)these things. ^12 (W)Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers ^(X)an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. ¹³ Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. ^14 (Y)Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you ^(Z)by prophecy when the council of elders ^(AA)laid their hands on you. ¹⁵ Practice these things, immerse yourself in them,^[c] so that ^(AB)all may see your progress. ^16 (AC)Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save ^(AD)both yourself and ^(AE)your hearers.

Instructions for the Church

5 ^(AF)Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, ^(AG)younger men as brothers, ² older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.

³ Honor widows ^(AH)who are truly widows. ⁴ But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn ^(AI)to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for ^(AJ)this is pleasing in the sight of God. ⁵ She ^(AK)who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and ^(AL)continues in supplications and prayers night and day, ⁶ but ^(AM)she who is self-indulgent is ^(AN)dead even while she lives. ^7 (AO)Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. ⁸ But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for ^(AP)members of his household, he has ^(AQ)denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

⁹ Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been ^(AR)the wife of one husband,^{[d] 10} and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has ^(AS)shown hospitality, ^(AT)has washed the feet of the saints, has ^(AU)cared for the afflicted, and has ^(AV)devoted herself to every good work. ¹¹ But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when ^(AW)their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry ¹² and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. ¹³ Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also ^(AX)gossips and ^(AY)busybodies, saying what they should not. ¹⁴ So I would have ^(AZ)younger widows marry, bear children, ^(BA)manage their households, and ^(BB)give the adversary no occasion for slander. ^15 (BC)For some have already strayed after Satan. ¹⁶ If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those ^(BD)who are truly widows.

¹⁷ Let the elders ^(BE)who rule well be considered worthy of ^(BF)double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. ¹⁸ For the Scripture says, ^(BG)“You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, ^(BH)“The laborer deserves his wages.” ¹⁹ Do not admit a charge against an elder except ^(BI)on the evidence of two or three witnesses. ²⁰ As for those who persist in sin, ^(BJ)rebuke them in the presence of all, ^(BK)so that the rest may stand in fear. ²¹ In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels ^(BL)I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, ^(BM)doing nothing from partiality. ^22 (BN)Do not be hasty in the ^(BO)laying on of hands, nor ^(BP)take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure. ²³ No longer drink only water, but ^(BQ)use a little wine ^(BR)for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. ²⁴ The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. ²⁵ So also good works are conspicuous, and ^(BS)even those that are not cannot remain hidden.

6 ^(BT)Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants^[e] regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, ^(BU)so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. ² Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are ^(BV)brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved.

False Teachers and True Contentment

^(BW)Teach and urge these things. ³ If anyone ^(BX)teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with ^(BY)the sound^[f] words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching ^(BZ)that accords with godliness, ^4 (CA)he is puffed up with conceit and ^(CB)understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for ^(CC)controversy and for ^(CD)quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, ⁵ and constant friction among people ^(CE)who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, ^(CF)imagining that godliness is a means of gain. ⁶ But ^(CG)godliness ^(CH)with contentment is great gain, ⁷ for ^(CI)we brought nothing into the world, and^[g] we cannot take anything out of the world. ⁸ But ^(CJ)if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. ⁹ But ^(CK)those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, ^(CL)into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that ^(CM)plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of ^(CN)all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Fight the Good Fight of Faith

¹¹ But as for you, ^(CO)O man of God, ^(CP)flee these things. ^(CQ)Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. ^12 (CR)Fight the good fight of the faith. ^(CS)Take hold of the eternal life ^(CT)to which you were called and about which you made ^(CU)the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ^13 (CV)I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, ^(CW)who in his testimony before^[h] Pontius Pilate made ^(CX)the good confession, ¹⁴ to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until ^(CY)the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ which he will display ^(CZ)at the proper time—he who is ^(DA)the blessed and only Sovereign, ^(DB)the King of kings and Lord of lords, ^16 (DC)who alone has immortality, ^(DD)who dwells in ^(DE)unapproachable light, ^(DF)whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

¹⁷ As for the rich in ^(DG)this present age, charge them ^(DH)not to be haughty, nor ^(DI)to set their hopes on ^(DJ)the uncertainty of riches, but on God, ^(DK)who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. ¹⁸ They are to do good, ^(DL)to be rich in good works, to be generous and ^(DM)ready to share, ¹⁹ thus ^(DN)storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may ^(DO)take hold of ^(DP)that which is truly life.

²⁰ O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. ^(DQ)Avoid the ^(DR)irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” ²¹ for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.

^(DS)Grace be with you.^[i]