With God We Shall Do Valiantly

A Song. A Psalm of David.

Abijam Reigns in Judah

15 ^(A)Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah. ² He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. ³ And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and ^(B)his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father. ⁴ Nevertheless, for David's sake the Lord his God gave him ^(C)a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem, ⁵ because ^(D)David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, ^(E)except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. ^6 (F)Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. ^7 (G)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? ^(H)And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. ^8 (I)And Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place.

Asa Reigns in Judah

⁹ In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah, ¹⁰ and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. ^11 (J)And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as David his father had done. ¹² He put away the ^(K)male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed ^(L)all the idols that his fathers had made. ^13 (M)He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and ^(N)burned it at the brook Kidron. ^14 (O)But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, ^(P)the heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all his days. ¹⁵ And ^(Q)he brought into the house of the Lord the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.

^16 (R)And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. ^17 (S)Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and ^(T)built Ramah, ^(U)that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. ¹⁸ Then Asa took all the silver and the gold ^(V)that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house and gave them into the hands of his servants. ^(W)And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, ^(X)who lived in Damascus, saying, ¹⁹ “Let there be ^(Y)a covenant^[a] between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” ²⁰ And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel and conquered ^(Z)Ijon, ^(AA)Dan, ^(AB)Abel-beth-maacah, and all ^(AC)Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. ²¹ And when Baasha heard of it, ^(AD)he stopped building Ramah, and he lived in ^(AE)Tirzah. ²² Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, none was exempt, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them King Asa built ^(AF)Geba of Benjamin and ^(AG)Mizpah. ^23 (AH)Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, and all that he did, and the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in his old age he was diseased in his feet. ²⁴ And Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and ^(AI)Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.

Nadab Reigns in Israel

^25 (AJ)Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. ²⁶ He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord ^(AK)and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin ^(AL)which he made Israel to sin.

^27 (AM)Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha struck him down at ^(AN)Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon. ²⁸ So Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah and reigned in his place. ²⁹ And as soon as he was king, he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He left to the house of Jeroboam not one that breathed, until he had destroyed it, ^(AO)according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. ³⁰ It was for the sins of Jeroboam that he sinned and ^(AP)that he made Israel to sin, and because of the anger to which he provoked the Lord, the God of Israel.

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.

Peter and John Before the Council

4 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and ^(A)the captain of the temple and ^(B)the Sadducees came upon them, ² greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming ^(C)in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. ³ And they arrested them and ^(D)put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. ⁴ But many of those who had heard the word believed, and ^(E)the number of the men came to about five thousand.

⁵ On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, ⁶ with ^(F)Annas the high priest and ^(G)Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. ⁷ And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, ^(H)“By what power or ^(I)by what name did you do this?” ⁸ Then Peter, ^(J)filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, ⁹ if we are being examined today ^(K)concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, ¹⁰ let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that ^(L)by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, ^(M)whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. ^11 (N)This Jesus^[a] is the stone that was ^(O)rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.^{[b] 12} And there is ^(P)salvation ^(Q)in no one else, for ^(R)there is no other ^(S)name under heaven given among men^[c] by which we must be saved.”

^13 (T)Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. ¹⁴ But seeing the man who was healed ^(U)standing beside them, ^(V)they had nothing to say in opposition. ¹⁵ But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, ¹⁶ saying, ^(W)“What shall we do with these men? For that ^(X)a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷ But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them ^(Y)to speak no more to anyone in this name.” ¹⁸ So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John answered them, ^(Z)“Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, ²⁰ for ^(AA)we cannot but speak of what ^(AB)we have seen and heard.” ²¹ And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, ^(AC)because of the people, for all were praising God ^(AD)for what had happened. ²² For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.

The Believers Pray for Boldness

²³ When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. ²⁴ And when they heard it, they lifted their voices ^(AE)together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, ^(AF)who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, ²⁵ who through the mouth of our father David, your servant,^[d] said by the Holy Spirit,

²⁷ for truly in this city there were gathered together against your ^(AJ)holy servant Jesus, ^(AK)whom you anointed, both ^(AL)Herod and ^(AM)Pontius Pilate, along ^(AN)with the Gentiles and ^(AO)the peoples of Israel, ^28 (AP)to do whatever your hand and ^(AQ)your plan had predestined to take place. ²⁹ And now, Lord, ^(AR)look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all ^(AS)boldness, ³⁰ while ^(AT)you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed ^(AU)through the name of your ^(AV)holy servant Jesus.” ³¹ And when they had prayed, ^(AW)the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and ^(AX)they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and ^(AY)continued to speak the word of God with boldness.