The Daily Audio Bible

21 Y’hoshafat slept with his ancestors and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David, and Y’horam his son became king in his place. ² He had brothers who were sons of Y’hoshafat — ‘Azaryah, Yechi’el, Z’kharyahu, ‘Azaryahu, Mikha’el and Sh’fatyahu; all these were sons of Y’hoshafat king of Isra’el. ³ Their father had given them lavish gifts of silver, gold and other items of value, as well as fortified cities in Y’hudah; but he had given the kingdom to Y’horam, because he was the firstborn. ⁴ But when Y’horam had taken control of his father’s kingdom and consolidated his rule, he put to the sword all his brothers and a number of the leading men in Isra’el.

⁵ He was thirty-two years old when he began his reign, and he ruled eight years in Yerushalayim. ⁶ He lived after the example of the kings of Isra’el, as did the house of Ach’av; because he had married Ach’av’s daughter; he did what was evil from Adonai’s perspective. ⁷ However, Adonai was unwilling to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant he had made with David; inasmuch as he had promised to give him and his children a lamp that would burn forever.

⁸ During his time Edom revolted against Y’hudah and set up its own king. ⁹ Then Y’horam crossed with his commanders and all his chariots. Under cover of night, he and his chariot commanders attacked and defeated Edom, who had surrounded him. ¹⁰ Nevertheless, since that day Edom has remained free of Y’hudah’s domination. Livnah revolted against him at the same time, because he had abandoned Adonai the God of his ancestors. ¹¹ Moreover, he built high places in the hills of Y’hudah, caused the people living in Yerushalayim to prostitute themselves and drew Y’hudah away.

¹² A letter came to him from Eliyahu the prophet which said, “Here is what Adonai, the God of David your ancestor, says: ‘You have not lived by the examples of Y’hoshafat your father or Asa king of Y’hudah. ¹³ Instead you have lived by the example of the kings of Isra’el and have caused Y’hudah and the people living in Yerushalayim to prostitute themselves, just as the house of Ach’av caused [Isra’el] to prostitute themselves. Moreover, you killed your brothers from your father’s house, men better than you. ¹⁴ Because of all this, Adonai is going to strike your people with a terrible disease, also your children, your wives and everything you have. ¹⁵ You will be very ill from a disease in your intestines, until your intestines protrude, because of the effects of this disease, day after day.’”

¹⁶ Then Adonai aroused against Y’horam the spirit of the P’lishtim and of the Arabs near the Ethiopians; ¹⁷ and they came up to attack Y’hudah. They broke in and carried off all the personal property they could find in the royal palace, as well as his children and his wives; so that no son was left to him except Y’ho’achaz his youngest son.

¹⁸ After all this, Adonai struck him in his intestines with an incurable disease. ¹⁹ In time, after two years, his intestines protruded because of his disease, and he suffered a most painful death. His people kindled no fire for him, as had been done for his ancestors. ²⁰ He was thirty-two years old when he began his reign, he ruled in Yerushalayim for eight years, and he left without joy. They buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

22 The people living in Yerushalayim made Achazyah his youngest son king in place of him, since the raiding party that had invaded the camp with the Arabs had killed all the older ones. So Achazyah the son of Y’horam king of Y’hudah reigned. ² Achazyah was forty-two years old when he began his reign, and he ruled for one year in Yerushalayim. His mother’s name was ‘Atalyahu the daughter of ‘Omri. ³ He too lived after the example of the house of Ach’av, because his mother was his counselor in acting wickedly. ⁴ So he did what was evil from Adonai’s perspective, as had the house of Ach’av; because, to his destruction, they were his counselors after his father died; ⁵ and he lived his life by their advice.

With Y’horam the son of Ach’av, king of Isra’el, he went to war against Haza’el king of Aram at Ramot-Gil‘ad, where the Aramim wounded Yoram. ⁶ He returned to Yizre‘el to be healed of the wounds which they had inflicted on him at Ramah while fighting Haza’el king of Aram. Achazyah the son of Y’horam, king of Y’hudah, went down to visit Y’horam the son of Ach’av in Yizre‘el, because he was not feeling well.

⁷ Through Achazyah’s visit to Yoram, God brought about his downfall. After he arrived, he accompanied Yoram against Yehu the son of Nimshi, whom Adonai had anointed to cut off the house of Ach’av. ⁸ But it happened that when Yehu was executing judgment on the house of Ach’av, he found the leading men of Y’hudah and Achazyah’s nephews in attendance on Achazyah and killed them. ⁹ Then he went searching for Achazyah; they caught him where he had been hiding in Shomron, brought him to Yehu and killed him. But [his subjects] buried him, because they said, “He was the [grand]son of Y’hoshafat, who sought Adonai with all his heart.”

At this point there was no one in the house of Achazyah strong enough to rule the kingdom. ¹⁰ When ‘Atalyah the mother of Achazyah saw that her son was dead, she set about destroying the entire royal family of the house of Y’hudah. ¹¹ But Y’hoshav‘at the daughter of the king took Yo’ash the son of Achazyah, stole him away from among the princes who were being slaughtered, and sequestered him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus Y’hoshav‘at the daughter of King Y’horam, wife of Y’hoyada the cohen and sister of Achazyah, hid him from ‘Atalyah, so that he was not killed. ¹² He remained hidden with them in the house of God for six years; during this time ‘Atalyah ruled the land.

23 In the seventh year Y’hoyada took courage and formed a conspiracy with certain captains of hundred-man platoons — ‘Azaryah the son of Yerocham, Yishma‘el the son of Y’hochanan, ‘Azaryah the son of ‘Oved, Ma‘aseiyahu the son of ‘Adayahu and Elishafat the son of Zikhri. ² They canvassed Y’hudah and gathered the L’vi’im from all the cities of Y’hudah, together with the clan heads of Isra’el, and came to Yerushalayim. ³ The whole assembly made an agreement with the king in the house of God. [Y’hoyada] addressed them: “Here! The king’s son will reign, as Adonai said in regard to the descendants of David! ⁴ Here is what you are to do: of you cohanim and L’vi’im who come on duty on Shabbat, a third are to guard the gates, ⁵ a third the royal palace and a third the Gate of the Foundation; while all the people are to remain in the courtyards of the house of Adonai. ⁶ No one is to enter the house of Adonai except the cohanim and those L’vi’im who are actually performing the service. These may enter, because they are holy; but all the people are to observe Adonai’s order. ⁷ The L’vi’im are to surround the king, each man with his weapons in his hand. Anyone who enters the house is to be killed. Stay with the king whenever he enters or leaves.”

⁸ The L’vi’im and all Y’hudah did exactly as Y’hoyada the cohen ordered. Each took his men, those coming on duty on Shabbat and those going off duty on Shabbat (for Y’hoyada the cohen did not dismiss the divisions). ⁹ Y’hoyada the cohen issued to the captains of hundreds the spears and the large and small shields that had been King David’s and were kept in the house of God. ¹⁰ He then positioned all the people, each man with his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, alongside the altar, alongside [the exterior of] the house and around the king. ¹¹ Then they brought out the king’s son, crowned him, gave him [a copy of] the testimony and thus made him king. Y’hoyada and his sons anointed him, and they shouted, “Long live the king!”

¹² When ‘Atalyah heard the sound of the people running and praising the king, she entered the house of Adonai where the people were, ¹³ looked and saw the king standing there on his platform at the entrance, with the leaders and trumpeters next to the king. All the people of the land were celebrating and blowing the trumpets; while the singers with their musical instruments were leading songs of praise. At this, ‘Atalyah tore her clothes and cried, “Treason! Treason!” ¹⁴ Y’hoyada the cohen brought out the captains of hundreds who were in charge of the army and said to them, “Escort her out past the ranks [of guards]; but anyone who follows her, let him be put to the sword.” For the cohen had said, “Do not put her to death in the house of Adonai.” ¹⁵ So they took her by force and led her by the horses’ entry to the king’s palace, and there they put her to death.

¹⁶ Y’hoyada made a covenant between himself, all the people and the king, that they would be Adonai’s people. ¹⁷ Then all the people went to the house of Ba‘al and broke it down; they smashed his altars and images and killed Mattan the priest of Ba‘al in front of the altars.

¹⁸ Y’hoyada appointed officers for the house of Adonai under the supervision of the cohanim and L’vi’im, whom David had assigned turns of duty in the house of Adonai, to offer the burnt offerings of Adonai, as written in the Torah of Moshe, with rejoicing and singing in keeping with David’s orders. ¹⁹ He stationed guards at the gates of the house of Adonai, so that no one who was unclean in any respect could enter. ²⁰ He took the captains of hundreds, the men of rank, the rulers of the people and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down from the house of Adonai, going through the Upper Gate to the royal palace, and seated the king on the royal throne. ²¹ All the people of the land celebrated, and at last the city was quiet. That is how they killed ‘Atalyah with the sword.

¹³ However, to those of you who are Gentiles I say this: since I myself am an emissary sent to the Gentiles, I make known the importance of my work ¹⁴ in the hope that somehow I may provoke some of my own people to jealousy and save some of them! ¹⁵ For if their casting Yeshua aside means reconciliation for the world, what will their accepting him mean? It will be life from the dead!

¹⁶ Now if the hallah offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole loaf. And if the root is holy, so are the branches. ¹⁷ But if some of the branches were broken off, and you — a wild olive — were grafted in among them and have become equal sharers in the rich root of the olive tree, ¹⁸ then don’t boast as if you were better than the branches! However, if you do boast, remember that you are not supporting the root, the root is supporting you. ¹⁹ So you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰ True, but so what? They were broken off because of their lack of trust. However, you keep your place only because of your trust. So don’t be arrogant; on the contrary, be terrified! ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, he certainly won’t spare you! ²² So take a good look at God’s kindness and his severity: on the one hand, severity toward those who fell off; but, on the other hand, God’s kindness toward you — provided you maintain yourself in that kindness! Otherwise, you too will be cut off! ²³ Moreover, the others, if they do not persist in their lack of trust, will be grafted in; because God is able to graft them back in. ²⁴ For if you were cut out of what is by nature a wild olive tree and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree!

²⁵ For, brothers, I want you to understand this truth which God formerly concealed but has now revealed, so that you won’t imagine you know more than you actually do. It is that stoniness, to a degree, has come upon Isra’el, until the Gentile world enters in its fullness; ²⁶ and that it is in this way that all Isra’el will be saved. As the Tanakh says,

²⁸ With respect to the Good News they are hated for your sake. But with respect to being chosen they are loved for the Patriarchs’ sake, ²⁹ for God’s free gifts and his calling are irrevocable. ³⁰ Just as you yourselves were disobedient to God before but have received mercy now because of Isra’el’s disobedience; ³¹ so also Isra’el has been disobedient now, so that by your showing them the same mercy that God has shown you, they too may now receive God’s mercy. ³² For God has shut up all mankind together in disobedience, in order that he might show mercy to all.