Azariah King of Judah^(A)

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah^[a](B) son of Amaziah king of Judah began to reign. ² He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. ³ He did what was right^(C) in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done. ⁴ The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

⁵ The Lord afflicted^(D) the king with leprosy^[b] until the day he died, and he lived in a separate house.^[c](E) Jotham^(F) the king’s son had charge of the palace^(G) and governed the people of the land.

⁶ As for the other events of Azariah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? ⁷ Azariah rested^(H) with his ancestors and was buried near them in the City of David. And Jotham^(I) his son succeeded him as king.

Zechariah King of Israel

⁸ In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned six months. ⁹ He did evil^(J) in the eyes of the Lord, as his predecessors had done. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

¹⁰ Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah. He attacked him in front of the people,^[d] assassinated^(K) him and succeeded him as king. ¹¹ The other events of Zechariah’s reign are written in the book of the annals^(L) of the kings of Israel. ¹² So the word of the Lord spoken to Jehu was fulfilled:^(M) “Your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.”^[e]

Shallum King of Israel

¹³ Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned in Samaria^(N) one month. ¹⁴ Then Menahem son of Gadi went from Tirzah^(O) up to Samaria. He attacked Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria, assassinated^(P) him and succeeded him as king.

¹⁵ The other events of Shallum’s reign, and the conspiracy he led, are written in the book of the annals^(Q) of the kings of Israel.

¹⁶ At that time Menahem, starting out from Tirzah, attacked Tiphsah^(R) and everyone in the city and its vicinity, because they refused to open^(S) their gates. He sacked Tiphsah and ripped open all the pregnant women.

Menahem King of Israel

¹⁷ In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria ten years. ¹⁸ He did evil^(T) in the eyes of the Lord. During his entire reign he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

¹⁹ Then Pul^[f](U) king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave him a thousand talents^[g] of silver to gain his support and strengthen his own hold on the kingdom. ²⁰ Menahem exacted this money from Israel. Every wealthy person had to contribute fifty shekels^[h] of silver to be given to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew^(V) and stayed in the land no longer.

²¹ As for the other events of Menahem’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? ²² Menahem rested with his ancestors. And Pekahiah his son succeeded him as king.

Pekahiah King of Israel

²³ In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years. ²⁴ Pekahiah did evil^(W) in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. ²⁵ One of his chief officers, Pekah^(X) son of Remaliah, conspired against him. Taking fifty men of Gilead with him, he assassinated^(Y) Pekahiah, along with Argob and Arieh, in the citadel of the royal palace at Samaria. So Pekah killed Pekahiah and succeeded him as king.

²⁶ The other events of Pekahiah’s reign, and all he did, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.

Pekah King of Israel

²⁷ In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah^(Z) son of Remaliah^(AA) became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years. ²⁸ He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

²⁹ In the time of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser^(AB) king of Assyria came and took Ijon,^(AC) Abel Beth Maakah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He took Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali,^(AD) and deported^(AE) the people to Assyria. ³⁰ Then Hoshea^(AF) son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He attacked and assassinated^(AG) him, and then succeeded him as king in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah.

³¹ As for the other events of Pekah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals^(AH) of the kings of Israel?

Jotham King of Judah^(AI)

³² In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham^(AJ) son of Uzziah king of Judah began to reign. ³³ He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. ³⁴ He did what was right^(AK) in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Uzziah had done. ³⁵ The high places,^(AL) however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate^(AM) of the temple of the Lord.

³⁶ As for the other events of Jotham’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? ³⁷ (In those days the Lord began to send Rezin^(AN) king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.) ³⁸ Jotham rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David, the city of his father. And Ahaz his son succeeded him as king.

Ahaz King of Judah^(AO)

16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz^(AP) son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. ² Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right^(AQ) in the eyes of the Lord his God. ³ He followed the ways of the kings of Israel^(AR) and even sacrificed his son^(AS) in the fire, engaging in the detestable^(AT) practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. ⁴ He offered sacrifices and burned incense^(AU) at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.^(AV)

⁵ Then Rezin^(AW) king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem and besieged Ahaz, but they could not overpower him. ⁶ At that time, Rezin^(AX) king of Aram recovered Elath^(AY) for Aram by driving out the people of Judah. Edomites then moved into Elath and have lived there to this day.

⁷ Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser^(AZ) king of Assyria, “I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save^(BA) me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.” ⁸ And Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as a gift^(BB) to the king of Assyria. ⁹ The king of Assyria complied by attacking Damascus^(BC) and capturing it. He deported its inhabitants to Kir^(BD) and put Rezin to death.

¹⁰ Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He saw an altar in Damascus and sent to Uriah^(BE) the priest a sketch of the altar, with detailed plans for its construction. ¹¹ So Uriah the priest built an altar in accordance with all the plans that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus and finished it before King Ahaz returned. ¹² When the king came back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and presented offerings^[i](BF) on it. ¹³ He offered up his burnt offering^(BG) and grain offering,^(BH) poured out his drink offering,^(BI) and splashed the blood of his fellowship offerings^(BJ) against the altar. ¹⁴ As for the bronze altar^(BK) that stood before the Lord, he brought it from the front of the temple—from between the new altar and the temple of the Lord—and put it on the north side of the new altar.

¹⁵ King Ahaz then gave these orders to Uriah the priest: “On the large new altar, offer the morning^(BL) burnt offering and the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. Splash against this altar the blood of all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar for seeking guidance.”^{(BM) 16} And Uriah the priest did just as King Ahaz had ordered.

¹⁷ King Ahaz cut off the side panels and removed the basins from the movable stands. He removed the Sea from the bronze bulls that supported it and set it on a stone base.^{(BN) 18} He took away the Sabbath canopy^[j] that had been built at the temple and removed the royal entryway outside the temple of the Lord, in deference to the king of Assyria.^(BO)

¹⁹ As for the other events of the reign of Ahaz, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? ²⁰ Ahaz rested^(BP) with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. And Hezekiah his son succeeded him as king.

Hoshea Last King of Israel^(BQ)

17 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea^(BR) son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. ² He did evil^(BS) in the eyes of the Lord, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.

³ Shalmaneser^(BT) king of Assyria came up to attack Hoshea, who had been Shalmaneser’s vassal and had paid him tribute.^{(BU) 4} But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was a traitor, for he had sent envoys to So^[k] king of Egypt,^(BV) and he no longer paid tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore Shalmaneser seized him and put him in prison.^{(BW) 5} The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege^(BX) to it for three years.

Freedom in Christ

5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.^(A) Stand firm,^(B) then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.^(C)

² Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised,^(D) Christ will be of no value to you at all. ³ Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.^{(E) 4} You who are trying to be justified by the law^(F) have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.^{(G) 5} For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.^{(H) 6} For in Christ Jesus^(I) neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.^(J) The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.^(K)

⁷ You were running a good race.^(L) Who cut in on you^(M) to keep you from obeying the truth? ⁸ That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.^{(N) 9} “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”^{(O) 10} I am confident^(P) in the Lord that you will take no other view.^(Q) The one who is throwing you into confusion,^(R) whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty. ¹¹ Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted?^(S) In that case the offense^(T) of the cross has been abolished. ¹² As for those agitators,^(U) I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

Life by the Spirit

¹³ You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.^(V) But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh^[a];^(W) rather, serve one another^(X) humbly in love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^{[b](Y) 15} If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit,^(Z) and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.^{(AA) 17} For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.^(AB) They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever^[c] you want.^{(AC) 18} But if you are led by the Spirit,^(AD) you are not under the law.^(AE)

¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality,^(AF) impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.^(AG) I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.^(AH)

²² But the fruit^(AI) of the Spirit is love,^(AJ) joy, peace,^(AK) forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control.^(AL) Against such things there is no law.^{(AM) 24} Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh^(AN) with its passions and desires.^{(AO) 25} Since we live by the Spirit,^(AP) let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited,^(AQ) provoking and envying each other.

Doing Good to All

6 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit^(AR) should restore^(AS) that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. ² Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.^{(AT) 3} If anyone thinks they are something^(AU) when they are not, they deceive themselves.^{(AV) 4} Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone,^(AW) without comparing themselves to someone else,^{(AX) 5} for each one should carry their own load.^{(AY) 6} Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.^(AZ)

⁷ Do not be deceived:^(BA) God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.^{(BB) 8} Whoever sows to please their flesh,^(BC) from the flesh will reap destruction;^(BD) whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.^{(BE) 9} Let us not become weary in doing good,^(BF) for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.^{(BG) 10} Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good^(BH) to all people, especially to those who belong to the family^(BI) of believers.

Not Circumcision but the New Creation

¹¹ See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!^(BJ)

¹² Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh^(BK) are trying to compel you to be circumcised.^(BL) The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted^(BM) for the cross of Christ. ¹³ Not even those who are circumcised keep the law,^(BN) yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh.^{(BO) 14} May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,^(BP) through which^[d] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.^{(BQ) 15} Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything;^(BR) what counts is the new creation.^{(BS) 16} Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to^[e] the Israel of God.

¹⁷ From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks^(BT) of Jesus.

¹⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ^(BU) be with your spirit,^(BV) brothers and sisters. Amen.

Wisdom’s Call