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Jehoram Becomes King Over Judah
21 Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. His son Jehoram[a] became king in his place.(A) 2 He had brothers, sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.[b] 3 Their father had given them many gifts of silver, gold, and valuable things, along with fortified cities(B) in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn. 4 When Jehoram had established himself over his father’s kingdom, he strengthened his position by killing with the sword all his brothers as well as some of the princes of Israel.
Judah’s King Jehoram
5 Jehoram(C) was 32 years old when he became king and reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 6 He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done,(D) for Ahab’s daughter was his wife.(E) He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, 7 but because of the covenant the Lord had made with David, He was unwilling to destroy the house of David since the Lord had promised(F) to give a lamp(G) to David and to his sons forever.
8 During Jehoram’s reign, Edom rebelled against Judah’s domination and appointed their own king. 9 So Jehoram crossed into Edom with his commanders and all his chariots. Then at night he set out to attack the Edomites who had surrounded him and the chariot commanders. 10 And now Edom is still in rebellion against Judah’s domination today. Libnah also rebelled at that time against his domination because he had abandoned Yahweh, the God of his ancestors. 11 Jehoram also built high places(H) in the hills[c] of Judah, and he caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves,(I) and he led Judah astray.
Elijah’s Letter to Jehoram
12 Then a letter came to Jehoram from Elijah the prophet, saying:
This is what Yahweh, the God of your ancestor David says: “Because you have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat(J) or in the ways of Asa king of Judah(K) 13 but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel,(L) have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves like the house of Ahab(M) prostituted itself, and also have killed your brothers,(N) your father’s family, who were better than you, 14 Yahweh is now about to strike your people, your sons, your wives, and all your possessions with a horrible affliction. 15 You yourself will be struck with many illnesses, including a disease of the intestines, until your intestines come out day after day because of the disease.”(O)
Jehoram’s Last Days
16 The Lord put it into the mind of the Philistines and the Arabs(P) who live near the Cushites to attack Jehoram.(Q) 17 So they went to war against Judah and invaded it. They carried off all the possessions found in the king’s palace and also his sons and wives; not a son was left to him except Jehoahaz,[d](R) his youngest son.
18 After all these things, the Lord afflicted him in his intestines with an incurable disease. 19 This continued day after day until two full years passed. Then his intestines came out because of his disease, and he died from severe[e] illnesses. But his people did not hold a fire in his honor like the fire in honor of his fathers.(S)
20 Jehoram(T) was 32 years old when he became king; he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. He died to no one’s regret[f](U) and was buried in the city of David but not in the tombs of the kings.(V)
Judah’s King Ahaziah
22 Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, because the troops that had come with the Arabs(W) to the camp had killed all the older sons.[g] So Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah. 2 Ahaziah(X) was 22[h] years old when he became king and reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, granddaughter[i] of Omri.
3 He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother gave him evil advice. 4 So he did what was evil in the Lord’s sight like the house of Ahab, for they were his advisers after the death of his father, to his destruction. 5 He also followed their advice and went with Joram[j] son of Israel’s King Ahab to fight against Hazael, king of Aram, in Ramoth-gilead. The Arameans[k] wounded Joram, 6 so he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds they inflicted on him in Ramoth-gilead[l] when he fought against Aram’s King Hazael. Then Judah’s King Ahaziah[m] son of Jehoram went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab since Joram was ill.
7 Ahaziah’s downfall came from God when he went to Joram.(Y) When Ahaziah arrived, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi,(Z) whom the Lord had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.(AA) 8 So when Jehu executed judgment on the house of Ahab,(AB) he found the rulers of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers who were serving Ahaziah, and he killed them. 9 Then Jehu looked for Ahaziah,(AC) and Jehu’s soldiers captured him (he was hiding in Samaria). So they brought Ahaziah to Jehu, and they killed him. The soldiers buried him, for they said, “He is the grandson of Jehoshaphat who sought the Lord with all his heart.”(AD) So no one from the house of Ahaziah had the strength to rule the kingdom.
Athaliah Usurps the Throne
10 When(AE) Athaliah, Ahaziah’s mother, saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs[n] of the house of Judah. 11 Jehoshabeath,[o] the king’s daughter, rescued Joash son of Ahaziah from the king’s sons who were being killed and put him and the one who nursed him in a bedroom. Now Jehoshabeath was the daughter of King Jehoram and the wife of Jehoiada the priest. Since she was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid Joash from Athaliah so that she did not kill him. 12 While Athaliah ruled over the land, he was hiding with them in God’s temple six years.
Athaliah Overthrown
23 Then, in the seventh year,(AF) Jehoiada summoned his courage and took the commanders of hundreds into a covenant with him: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri. 2 They made a circuit throughout Judah. They gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah and the heads of the families of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.
3 Then the whole assembly made a covenant with the king in God’s temple. Jehoiada said to them, “Here is the king’s son! He must reign, just as the Lord promised(AG) concerning David’s sons. 4 This is what you are to do: a third of you, priests and Levites who are coming on duty on the Sabbath,(AH) are to be gatekeepers. 5 A third are to be at the king’s palace, and a third are to be at the Foundation Gate, and all the troops will be in the courtyards of the Lord’s temple. 6 No one is to enter the Lord’s temple but the priests and those Levites who serve;(AI) they may enter because they are holy, but all the people are to obey the requirement of the Lord. 7 You must completely surround the king with weapons in hand. Anyone who enters the temple is to be put to death. You must be with the king in all his daily tasks.”[p]
8 So the commanders of hundreds did everything Jehoiada the priest commanded. They each brought their men—those coming on duty on the Sabbath and those going off duty on the Sabbath—for Jehoiada the priest did not release the divisions.(AJ) 9 Jehoiada the priest gave to the commanders of hundreds King David’s spears, shields, and quivers[q] that were in God’s temple. 10 Then he stationed all the troops with their weapons in hand surrounding the king—from the right side of the temple to the left side, by the altar and by the temple.
11 They brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, gave him the testimony,(AK) and made him king. Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and cried, “Long live the king!”(AL)
12 When Athaliah heard the noise from the troops, the guards, and those praising the king, she went to the troops in the Lord’s temple. 13 As she looked, there was the king standing by his pillar[r] at the entrance. The commanders and the trumpeters were by the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets(AM) while the singers with musical instruments were leading the praise. Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, “Treason, treason!”
14 Then Jehoiada the priest sent out the commanders of hundreds, those in charge of the army, saying, “Take her out between the ranks, and put anyone who follows her to death by the sword,” for the priest had said, “Don’t put her to death in the Lord’s temple.” 15 So they arrested her, and she went by the entrance of the Horses’ Gate(AN) to the king’s palace, where they put her to death.
Jehoiada’s Reforms
16 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself, the king, and the people that they would be the Lord’s people. 17 So all the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They broke its altars and images into pieces and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, at the altars.(AO)
18 Then Jehoiada put the oversight of the Lord’s temple into the hands of the Levitical priests,(AP) whom David had appointed(AQ) over the Lord’s temple, to offer burnt offerings to the Lord as it is written in the law of Moses,(AR) with rejoicing and song ordained by[s] David. 19 He stationed gatekeepers(AS) at the gates of the Lord’s temple so that nothing unclean could enter for any reason. 20 Then he took with him the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land and brought the king down from the Lord’s temple. They entered the king’s palace through the Upper Gate and seated the king on the throne of the kingdom. 21 All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet, for they had put Athaliah to death by the sword.
13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. In view of the fact that I am an apostle to the Gentiles,(A) I magnify my ministry, 14 if I can somehow make my own people[a](B) jealous and save some of them.(C) 15 For if their rejection brings reconciliation(D) to the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?(E) 16 Now if the firstfruits offered up are holy,(F) so is the whole batch. And if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 Now if some of the branches were broken off,(G) and you, though a wild olive branch, were grafted in among them(H) and have come to share in the rich root[b] of the cultivated olive tree, 18 do not brag that you are better than those branches. But if you do brag—you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you.(I) 19 Then you will say,(J) “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 True enough; they were broken off by unbelief, but you stand by faith.(K) Do not be arrogant, but be afraid.(L) 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you either. 22 Therefore, consider God’s kindness and severity: severity toward those who have fallen but God’s kindness(M) toward you—if you remain in His kindness.(N) Otherwise you too will be cut off.(O) 23 And even they, if they do not remain in unbelief,(P) will be grafted in, because God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut off from your native wild olive and against nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these—the natural branches—be grafted into their own olive tree?
25 So that you will not be conceited,(Q) brothers, I do not want you to be unaware(R) of this mystery:(S) A partial hardening has come to Israel(T) until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.(U) 26 And in this way all[c] Israel will be saved, as it is written:
The Liberator will come from Zion;
He will turn away godlessness from Jacob.
27 And this will be My covenant with them(V)[d]
when I take away their sins.(W)[e]
28 Regarding the gospel, they are enemies for your advantage,(X) but regarding election, they are loved because of the patriarchs,(Y) 29 since God’s gracious gifts and calling(Z) are irrevocable.[f](AA) 30 As you once disobeyed God, but now have received mercy through their disobedience, 31 so they too have now disobeyed, resulting in mercy to you, so that they also now[g] may receive mercy. 32 For God has imprisoned all in disobedience,(AB) so that He may have mercy on all.
A Hymn of Praise
33 Oh, the depth of the riches(AC)
both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!(AD)
How unsearchable His judgments(AE)
and untraceable His ways!
34 For who has known the mind of the Lord?(AF)
Or who has been His counselor?
35 Or who has ever first given to Him,
and has to be repaid?(AG)[h]
36 For from Him and through Him
and to Him are all things.(AH)
To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
Psalm 22
From Suffering to Praise
For the choir director: according to “The Deer of the Dawn.”[a] A Davidic psalm.
1 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?(A)
Why are You so far from my deliverance(B)
and from my words of groaning?[b](C)
2 My God, I cry by day, but You do not answer,
by night, yet I have no rest.(D)
3 But You are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.(E)
4 Our fathers trusted in You;
they trusted, and You rescued them.(F)
5 They cried to You and were set free;
they trusted in You and were not disgraced.(G)
6 But I am a worm and not a man,(H)
scorned by men and despised by people.(I)
7 Everyone who sees me mocks me;
they sneer[c] and shake their heads:(J)
8 “He relies on[d] the Lord;
let Him rescue him;
let the Lord[e] deliver him,
since He takes pleasure in him.”(K)
9 You took me from the womb,
making me secure while at my mother’s breast.(L)
10 I was given over to You at birth;[f]
You have been my God from my mother’s womb.(M)
11 Do not be far from me, because distress is near
and there is no one to help.(N)
12 Many bulls surround me;
strong ones of Bashan encircle me.(O)
13 They open their mouths against me—
lions, mauling and roaring.(P)
14 I am poured out like water,(Q)
and all my bones are disjointed;(R)
my heart is like wax,
melting within me.(S)
15 My strength is dried up like baked clay;(T)
my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.(U)
You put me into the dust of death.(V)
16 For dogs have surrounded me;(W)
a gang of evildoers has closed in on me;
they pierced[g] my hands and my feet.(X)
17 I can count all my bones;
people[h] look and stare at me.(Y)
18 They divided my garments among themselves,
and they cast lots for my clothing.(Z)
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