21 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. ² He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, after the abominations of the nations whom Yahweh cast out before the children of Israel. ³ For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he raised up altars for Baal, and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel did, and worshiped all the army of the sky, and served them. ⁴ He built altars in Yahweh’s house, of which Yahweh said, “I will put my name in Jerusalem.” ⁵ He built altars for all the army of the sky in the two courts of Yahweh’s house. ⁶ He made his son to pass through the fire, practiced sorcery, used enchantments, and dealt with those who had familiar spirits, and with wizards. He did much evil in Yahweh’s sight, to provoke him to anger. ⁷ He set the engraved image of Asherah that he had made in the house of which Yahweh said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever; ⁸ I will not cause the feet of Israel to wander any more out of the land which I gave their fathers, if only they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.” ⁹ But they didn’t listen, and Manasseh seduced them to do that which is evil more than the nations did whom Yahweh destroyed before the children of Israel. ¹⁰ Yahweh spoke by his servants the prophets, saying, ¹¹ “Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations, and has done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has also made Judah to sin with his idols; ¹² therefore Yahweh the God of Israel says, ‘Behold, I bring such evil on Jerusalem and Judah that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle. ¹³ I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of Ahab’s house; and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. ¹⁴ I will cast off the remnant of my inheritance, and deliver them into the hands of their enemies. They will become a prey and a plunder to all their enemies, ¹⁵ because they have done that which is evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.’”

¹⁶ Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; in addition to his sin with which he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight. ¹⁷ Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ¹⁸ Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza; and Amon his son reigned in his place.

¹⁹ Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. ²⁰ He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, as Manasseh his father did. ²¹ He walked in all the ways that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshiped them; ²² and he abandoned Yahweh, the God of his fathers, and didn’t walk in the way of Yahweh. ²³ The servants of Amon conspired against him, and put the king to death in his own house. ²⁴ But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place. ²⁵ Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ²⁶ He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza, and Josiah his son reigned in his place.

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ^[a] our hope; ² to Timothy, my true child in faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

³ As I urged you when I was going into Macedonia, stay at Ephesus that you might command certain men not to teach a different doctrine, ⁴ and not to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which cause disputes, rather than God’s stewardship, which is in faith— ⁵ but the goal of this command is love, out of a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith, ⁶ from which things some, having missed the mark, have turned away to vain talking, ⁷ desiring to be teachers of the law, though they understand neither what they say, nor about what they strongly affirm. ⁸ But we know that the law is good, if a person uses it lawfully, ⁹ as knowing this, that law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, ¹⁰ for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave-traders, for liars, for perjurers, and for any other thing contrary to the sound doctrine, ¹¹ according to the Good News of the glory of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

¹² I thank him who enabled me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he counted me faithful, appointing me to service; ¹³ although I used to be a blasphemer, a persecutor, and insolent. However, I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. ¹⁴ The grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ The saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. ¹⁶ However, for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first, Jesus Christ might display all his patience for an example of those who were going to believe in him for eternal life. ¹⁷ Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹⁸ I commit this instruction to you, my child Timothy, according to the prophecies which were given to you before, that by them you may wage the good warfare, ¹⁹ holding faith and a good conscience, which some having thrust away made a shipwreck concerning the faith, ²⁰ of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme.

2 I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and givings of thanks be made for all men: ² for kings and all who are in high places, that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and reverence. ³ For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all people to be saved and come to full knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony in its own times, ⁷ to which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am telling the truth in Christ, not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

⁸ I desire therefore that the men in every place pray, lifting up holy hands without anger and doubting. ⁹ In the same way, that women also adorn themselves in decent clothing, with modesty and propriety, not just^[b] with braided hair, gold, pearls, or expensive clothing, ¹⁰ but with good works, which is appropriate for women professing godliness. ¹¹ Let a woman learn in quietness with full submission. ¹² But I don’t permit a woman to teach, nor to exercise authority over a man, but to be in quietness. ¹³ For Adam was formed first, then Eve. ¹⁴ Adam wasn’t deceived, but the woman, being deceived, has fallen into disobedience; ¹⁵ but she will be saved through her childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and sanctification with sobriety.

7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head on his bed. Then he wrote the dream and told the sum of the matters.

² Daniel spoke and said, “I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the sky broke out on the great sea. ³ Four great animals came up from the sea, different from one another.

⁴ “The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made to stand on two feet as a man. A man’s heart was given to it.

⁵ “Behold, there was another animal, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth. They said this to it: ‘Arise! Devour much flesh!’

⁶ “After this I saw, and behold, another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The animal also had four heads; and dominion was given to it.

⁷ “After this I saw in the night visions, and, behold, there was a fourth animal, awesome and powerful, and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth. It devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet. It was different from all the animals that were before it. It had ten horns.

⁸ “I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots: and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.

¹¹ “I watched at that time because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke. I watched even until the animal was slain, and its body destroyed, and it was given to be burned with fire. ¹² As for the rest of the animals, their dominion was taken away; yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

¹³ “I saw in the night visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of the sky one like a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. ¹⁴ Dominion was given him, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and his kingdom one that which will not be destroyed.

¹⁵ “As for me, Daniel, my spirit was grieved within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. ¹⁶ I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth concerning all this.

“So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. ¹⁷ ‘These great animals, which are four, are four kings, who will arise out of the earth. ¹⁸ But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’

¹⁹ “Then I desired to know the truth concerning the fourth animal, which was different from all of them, exceedingly terrible, whose teeth were of iron, and its nails of bronze; which devoured, broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet; ²⁰ and concerning the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, and before which three fell, even that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spoke great things, whose look was more stout than its fellows. ²¹ I saw, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them, ²² until the ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High, and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

²³ “So he said, ‘The fourth animal will be a fourth kingdom on earth, which will be different from all the kingdoms, and will devour the whole earth, and will tread it down, and break it in pieces. ²⁴ As for the ten horns, ten kings will arise out of this kingdom. Another will arise after them; and he will be different from the former, and he will put down three kings. ²⁵ He will speak words against the Most High, and will wear out the saints of the Most High. He will plan to change the times and the law; and they will be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time.

²⁶ “‘But the judgment will be set, and they will take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it to the end. ²⁷ The kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole sky, will be given to the people of the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions will serve and obey him.’

²⁸ “Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts troubled me greatly, and my face was changed in me; but I kept the matter in my heart.”