John Baptizes Jesus^(A)

²¹ When all the people were baptized, ^(B)it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. ²² And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am ^(C)well pleased.”

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ^(D)

²³ Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at ^(E)about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) ^(F)the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, ²⁴ the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph, ²⁵ the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, ²⁶ the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah, ²⁷ the son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of ^(G)Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, ²⁸ the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er, ²⁹ the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, ³⁰ the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim, ³¹ the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of ^(H)Nathan, ^(I)the son of David, ^32 (J)the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, ³³ the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, ³⁴ the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, ^(K)the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, ³⁵ the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, ^36 (L)the son of Cainan, the son of ^(M)Arphaxad, ^(N)the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, ³⁷ the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, ³⁸ the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, ^(O)the son of God.

Walk in Love

5 Therefore^(A) be imitators of God as dear ^(B)children. ² And ^(C)walk in love, ^(D)as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God ^(E)for a sweet-smelling aroma.

³ But fornication and all ^(F)uncleanness or ^(G)covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; ^4 (H)neither filthiness, nor ^(I)foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, ^(J)which are not fitting, but rather ^(K)giving of thanks. ⁵ For ^[a]this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any ^(L)inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. ⁷ Therefore do not be ^(M)partakers with them.

Walk in Light

⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are ^(N)light in the Lord. Walk as children of light ⁹ (for ^(O)the fruit of the ^[b]Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), ^10 (P)finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. ¹¹ And have ^(Q)no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather ^[c]expose them. ^12 (R)For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. ¹³ But ^(S)all things that are ^[d]exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. ¹⁴ Therefore He says:

Walk in Wisdom

^15 (U)See then that you walk ^[e]circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, ^16 (V)redeeming the time, ^(W)because the days are evil.

^17 (X)Therefore do not be unwise, but ^(Y)understand ^(Z)what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸ And ^(AA)do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another ^(AB)in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making ^(AC)melody in your heart to the Lord, ^20 (AD)giving thanks always for all things to God the Father ^(AE)in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ^21 (AF)submitting to one another in the fear of ^[f]God.

י YOD

Abijam Reigns in Judah^(A)

15 ^(B)In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah. ² He reigned three years in Jerusalem. ^(C)His mother’s name was ^(D)Maachah the granddaughter of ^(E)Abishalom. ³ And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him; ^(F)his heart was not ^[a]loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. ⁴ Nevertheless ^(G)for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, by setting up his son after him and by establishing Jerusalem; ⁵ because David ^(H)did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, ^(I)except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. ^6 (J)And there was war between ^[b]Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. ^7 (K)Now the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

^8 (L)So Abijam ^[c]rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. Then Asa his son reigned in his place.

Asa Reigns in Judah^(M)

⁹ In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king over Judah. ¹⁰ And he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His grandmother’s name was Maachah the granddaughter of Abishalom. ^11 (N)Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did his father David. ^12 (O)And he banished the ^[d]perverted persons from the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. ¹³ Also he removed ^(P)Maachah his grandmother from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of ^[e]Asherah. And Asa cut down her obscene image and ^(Q)burned it by the Brook Kidron. ^14 (R)But the ^[f]high places were not removed. Nevertheless Asa’s ^(S)heart was loyal to the Lord all his days. ¹⁵ He also brought into the house of the Lord the things which his father ^(T)had dedicated, and the things which he himself had dedicated: silver and gold and utensils.

¹⁶ Now there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. ¹⁷ And ^(U)Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built ^(V)Ramah, ^(W)that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. ¹⁸ Then Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the treasuries of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants. And King Asa sent them to ^(X)Ben-Hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who dwelt in ^(Y)Damascus, saying, ¹⁹ “Let there be a treaty between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. See, I have sent you a present of silver and gold. Come and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”

²⁰ So Ben-Hadad heeded King Asa, and ^(Z)sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel. He attacked ^(AA)Ijon, ^(AB)Dan, ^(AC)Abel Beth Maachah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. ²¹ Now it happened, when Baasha heard it, that he stopped building Ramah, and remained in ^(AD)Tirzah.

^22 (AE)Then King Asa made a proclamation throughout all Judah; none was exempted. And they took away the stones and timber of Ramah, which Baasha had used for building; and with them King Asa built ^(AF)Geba of Benjamin, and ^(AG)Mizpah.

²³ The rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, all that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? But ^(AH)in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet. ²⁴ So Asa ^[g]rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David his father. ^(AI)Then ^(AJ)Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.

Nadab Reigns in Israel

²⁵ Now ^(AK)Nadab the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. ²⁶ And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in ^(AL)his sin by which he had made Israel sin.

^27 (AM)Then Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha killed him at ^(AN)Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, while Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon. ²⁸ Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place. ²⁹ And it was so, when he became king, that he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according to ^(AO)the word of the Lord which He had spoken by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, ^30 (AP)because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he had sinned and by which he had made Israel sin, because of his provocation with which he had provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger.

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 (AQ)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 became king over all Israel in Tirzah, and reigned twenty-four years. ³⁴ He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in ^(AR)the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin.

The Reigns of Elah, Zimri, Omri, and Ahab

16 Then the word of the Lord came to ^(AS)Jehu the son of ^(AT)Hanani, against ^(AU)Baasha, saying: ^2 (AV)“Inasmuch as I lifted you out of the dust and made you ruler over My people Israel, and ^(AW)you have walked in the way of Jeroboam, and have made My people Israel sin, to provoke Me to anger with their sins, ³ surely I will ^(AX)take^[h] away the posterity of Baasha and the posterity of his house, and I will make your house like ^(AY)the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. ⁴ The dogs shall eat ^(AZ)whoever belongs to Baasha and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the fields.”

⁵ Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, what he did, and his might, ^(BA)are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ⁶ So Baasha ^[i]rested with his fathers and was buried in ^(BB)Tirzah. Then Elah his son reigned in his place.

⁷ And also the word of the Lord came by the prophet ^(BC)Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord in provoking Him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because ^(BD)he killed them.

Elah Reigns in Israel

⁸ In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel, and reigned two years in Tirzah. ^9 (BE)Now his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him as he was in Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, ^(BF)steward^[j] of his house in Tirzah. ¹⁰ And Zimri went in and struck him and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place.

¹¹ Then it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he was seated on his throne, that he killed all the household of Baasha; he ^(BG)did not leave him one male, neither of his relatives nor of his friends. ¹² Thus Zimri destroyed all the household of Baasha, ^(BH)according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, ¹³ for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, by which they had sinned and by which they had made Israel sin, in provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger ^(BI)with their ^[k]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 had reigned in Tirzah seven days. And the people were encamped ^(BJ)against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. ¹⁶ Now the people who were encamped heard it said, “Zimri has conspired and also has killed the king.” So all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp. ¹⁷ Then Omri and all Israel with him went up from Gibbethon, and they besieged Tirzah. ¹⁸ And it happened, when Zimri saw that the city was ^[l]taken, that he went into the citadel of the king’s house and burned the king’s house ^[m]down upon himself with fire, and died, ¹⁹ because of the sins which he had committed in doing evil in the sight of the Lord, ^(BK)in walking in the ^(BL)way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he had committed to make Israel sin.

²⁰ Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and the treason he committed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Omri Reigns in Israel

²¹ Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri. ²² But the people who followed Omri prevailed over the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri reigned. ²³ In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel, and reigned twelve years. Six years he reigned in ^(BM)Tirzah. ²⁴ And he bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver; then he built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, ^(BN)Samaria,^[n] after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill. ^25 (BO)Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all who were before him. ²⁶ For he ^(BP)walked in all the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their ^(BQ)idols.^[o]

²⁷ Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and the might that he showed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

²⁸ So Omri rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria. Then Ahab his son reigned in his place.

Ahab Reigns in Israel

²⁹ In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel; and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. ³⁰ Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. ³¹ And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, ^(BR)that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the ^(BS)Sidonians; ^(BT)and he went and served Baal and worshiped him. ³² Then he set up an altar for Baal in ^(BU)the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. ^33 (BV)And Ahab made a ^[p]wooden image. Ahab ^(BW)did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. ³⁴ In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation ^[q]with Abiram his firstborn, and with his youngest son Segub he set up its gates, ^(BX)according to the word of the Lord, which He had spoken through Joshua the son of Nun.