Jehoram Succeeds Jehoshaphat in Judah

21 ^(A)Then Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Jehoram his son became king in his place. ² He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, ^[a]Azaryahu, Michael and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king ^(B)of Israel. ³ Their father gave them many gifts of silver, gold and precious things, ^(C)with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.

⁴ Now when Jehoram had ^[b]taken over the kingdom of his father and made himself ^[c]secure, he ^(D)killed all his brothers with the sword, and some of the rulers of Israel also. ^5 (E)Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. ^6 (F)He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did (^(G)for Ahab’s daughter was his wife), and he did evil in the sight of the Lord. ⁷ Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David because of the covenant which He had made with David, ^(H)and since He had promised to give a lamp to him and his sons forever.

Revolt against Judah

⁸ In his days ^(I)Edom revolted ^[d]against the rule of Judah and set up a king over themselves. ⁹ Then Jehoram crossed over with his commanders and all his chariots with him. And he arose by night and struck down the Edomites who were surrounding him and the commanders of the chariots. ¹⁰ So Edom revolted ^[e]against Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time ^[f]against his rule, because he had forsaken the Lord God of his fathers. ¹¹ Moreover, ^(J)he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem ^(K)to play the harlot and led Judah astray.

¹² Then a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet saying, “Thus says the Lord God of your father David, ‘Because ^(L)you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father ^(M)and the ways of Asa king of Judah, ¹³ but ^(N)have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot ^(O)as the house of Ahab played the harlot, and you ^(P)have also killed your brothers, ^[g]your own family, who were better than you, ¹⁴ behold, the Lord is going to strike your people, your sons, your wives and all your possessions with a great ^[h]calamity; ¹⁵ and ^(Q)you will suffer ^[i]severe sickness, a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the sickness, day by day.’”

¹⁶ Then ^(R)the Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and ^(S)the Arabs who ^[j]bordered the Ethiopians; ¹⁷ and they came against Judah and invaded it, and carried away all the possessions found in the king’s house together with his sons and his wives, so that no son was left to him except ^[k](T)Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.

¹⁸ So after all this the Lord smote him ^(U)in his bowels with an incurable sickness. ¹⁹ Now it came about in the course of time, at the end of two years, that his bowels came out because of his sickness and he died in great pain. And his people made no fire for him like ^(V)the fire for his fathers. ²⁰ He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years; and he departed ^[l](W)with no one’s regret, and they buried him in the city of David, ^(X)but not in the tombs of the kings.

A Father’s Instruction

²⁴ When the messengers of John had left, He began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ^25 [a]But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft ^[b]clothing? Those who are splendidly clothed and live in luxury are found in royal palaces! ²⁶ But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one who is more than a prophet. ²⁷ This is the one about whom it is written,

²⁸ I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is ^[d]least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” ²⁹ When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they ^[e]acknowledged ^(B)God’s justice, ^(C)having been baptized with ^(D)the baptism of John. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and the ^[f](E)lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by ^[g]John.

³¹ “To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like? ³² They are like children who sit in the market place and call to one another, and they say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’ ³³ For John the Baptist has come ^(F)eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ ³⁴ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a ^[h]drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and ^[i]sinners!’ ³⁵ Yet wisdom ^(G)is vindicated by all her children.”

³⁶ Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to ^[j]dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ^37 (H)And there was a woman in the city who was a ^[k]sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, ³⁸ and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. ³⁹ Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were ^(I)a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a ^[l]sinner.”

Parable of Two Debtors

⁴⁰ And Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he ^[m]replied, “Say it, Teacher.” ⁴¹ “A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred ^[n](J)denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² When they ^(K)were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?” ⁴³ Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” ⁴⁴ Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you ^(L)gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You ^(M)gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. ^46 (N)You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. ⁴⁷ For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” ⁴⁸ Then He said to her, “^(O)Your sins have been forgiven.” ⁴⁹ Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say ^[o]to themselves, “^(P)Who is this man who even forgives sins?” ⁵⁰ And He said to the woman, “^(Q)Your faith has saved you; ^(R)go in peace.”