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Azariah (Uzziah) Son of Amaziah, King of Judah
15 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah became king. 2 He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he ruled for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jekoliah from Jerusalem. 3 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, like everything that his father Amaziah had done. 4 But the high places were still not removed. The people were still offering sacrifices and burning incense there at the high places.
5 Then the Lord afflicted the king so that he had leprosy[a] until the day of his death. So he lived in a quarantined house, and Jotham, the king’s son, was in charge of the palace and administered justice for the people of the land.
6 As for the rest of Azariah’s acts and everything he did, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Judah? 7 Azariah rested with his fathers, and he was buried in the City of David. Then his son Jotham became king in his place.
Zechariah Son of Jeroboam, King of Israel
8 In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam ruled as king over Israel in Samaria for six months. 9 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as his fathers had done. He did not turn from the sins which Jeroboam son of Nebat caused Israel to commit. 10 Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against him. He struck him down in front of the people and killed him. Then he became king in his place.
11 As for the rest of Zechariah’s acts, you can find them written in the annals of the kings of Israel. 12 This was the word of the Lord which he had spoken to Jehu: “Four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel.” And that is what happened.
Shallum Son of Jabesh, King of Israel
13 Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah[b] king of Judah, and he ruled for one month in Samaria. 14 Then Menahem son of Gadi from Tirzah went up to Samaria. He struck down Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria and killed him. Then he became king in his place.
15 The rest of Shallum’s acts, including the conspiracy he led, you can find written in the annals of the kings of Israel. 16 Then Menahem, starting from Tirzah, attacked Tiphsah and all the people who were in it and its territory. Because they did not open their gates to him, he attacked it and cut open every pregnant woman.
Menahem Son of Gadi, King of Israel
17 In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel in Samaria and ruled for ten years. 18 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. All his days he did not turn from the sins which Jeroboam son of Nebat caused Israel to commit. 19 Pul[c] king of Assyria came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul one thousand talents[d] of silver for supporting him and strengthening his hold over the kingdom. 20 Menahem exacted the silver from Israel, from every wealthy man—fifty shekels[e] from each man—to give to the king of Assyria. Then the king of Assyria left. He did not remain in the land.
21 As for the rest of Menahem’s acts and everything he did, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Israel? 22 Menahem rested with his fathers. Then his son Pekahiah became king in his place.
Pekahiah Son of Menahem, King of Israel
23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria for two years. 24 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn from the sins which Jeroboam son of Nebat caused Israel to commit. 25 Then Pekah son of Remaliah, his military advisor, conspired against him and struck him down in the fortified part of the king’s palace in Samaria, along with Argob and Arieh. Fifty men from Gilead were with Pekah when he killed Pekahiah and became king in his place. 26 As for the rest of Pekahiah’s acts and everything he did, you can find them written in the annals of the kings of Israel.
Pekah Son of Remaliah, King of Israel
27 In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria and ruled for twenty years. 28 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not turn from the sins which Jeroboam son of Nebat caused Israel to commit.
29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Ma’akah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee—all the land of Naphtali. He exiled them to Assyria.
30 Then Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He struck him down and killed him. Then he became king in his place in the twenty-second year of Jotham son of Uzziah.
31 As for the rest of Pekah’s acts and everything he did, you can find them written in the annals of the kings of Israel.
Jotham Son of Uzziah, King of Judah
32 In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham son of Uzziah king of Judah became king. 33 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled for sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok.
34 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, like everything that his father Uzziah had done. 35 But the high places were still not removed. The people were still offering sacrifices and burning incense on the high places. He built the upper gate for the House of the Lord.
36 As for the rest of Jotham’s acts, the things he did, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Judah? 37 In those days, the Lord began to send Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah. 38 Jotham rested with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David. Then his son Ahaz became king in his place.
Ahaz Son of Jotham, King of Judah
16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham, king of Judah, became king. 2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years. He did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God, as his father David had done. 3 He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made his son pass through the fire, according to the shameful practices of the nations which the Lord had driven out before the people of Israel. 4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every leafy tree.
5 Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem for war. They laid siege to Ahaz, but they could not defeat him. 6 At that time, Rezin king of Aram recovered Elat for Edom,[f] and he drove the people of Judah away from Elat. Then Edomites[g] came to Elat, and they have lived there to this day.
7 So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath Pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come and save me from the hand of the king of Aram and from the hand of the king of Israel, who have come up against me.” 8 Then Ahaz took the silver and the gold which were found in the House of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s palace, and he sent them to the king of Assyria as tribute. 9 So the king of Assyria listened to him and attacked Damascus. He exiled the inhabitants to Kir. He also killed Rezin.
The Altar of Ahaz
10 King Ahaz went to meet Tiglath Pileser king of Assyria in Damascus. He saw the altar which was in Damascus, and King Ahaz sent a model of the altar and instructions for making one like it to Uriah the priest. 11 So Uriah the priest built this altar. Uriah the priest did just as King Ahaz had instructed him from Damascus before King Ahaz returned from Damascus. 12 When the king returned from Damascus, he saw the altar. He approached it and ascended it. 13 He offered whole burnt offerings and grain offerings. He poured out drink offerings, and he sprinkled the blood of his fellowship offerings on the altar.
14 He moved the bronze altar, which had been in the presence of the Lord, away from its location in front of the temple building, from between his altar and the Lord’s house, and he put it on the north side of his altar.
15 Then King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, “Present the morning burnt offering, the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt offering, his grain offering, and all the people’s burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings on the great altar. Sprinkle all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifices on it. But the bronze altar will be mine for divination.” 16 So Uriah the priest did everything just as King Ahaz commanded.
17 Then King Ahaz cut off the side panels of the carts, and he removed the basins that were on them. He took the sea down from its position on the bronze cattle that were under it and put it on a stone pavement. 18 In deference to the king of Assyria, he also removed the Sabbath canopy that had been built for the house[h] and removed the king’s entrance on the outside of the Lord’s house.
19 As for the rest of the acts of Ahaz, the things he did, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Judah? 20 Ahaz rested with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the City of David. Then his son Hezekiah became king in his place.
The Seven Sons of Sceva
13 Then some Jewish exorcists who went from place to place tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits. They said, “I command you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches to come out!” 14 It was the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I am acquainted with Paul, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them, overpowered them, and exercised such complete domination over all of them that they fled from that house naked and wounded.
17 This became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. They were all overcome with fear, and they held the name of the Lord Jesus in high honor. 18 Also many of those who had become believers came forward, confessing and admitting their actions. 19 And a large number of those who had practiced magic arts[a] collected their books and burned them in front of everyone. They added up the cost of the books and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver.[b] 20 In this way the word of the Lord was growing and gaining strength.
21 After all this had happened, Paul resolved in his spirit[c] to go to Jerusalem by traveling through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must also see Rome.” 22 After sending two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, he stayed in the province of Asia for a while.
The Riot in Ephesus
23 During that time there was more than a minor disturbance about the Way. 24 A certain silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little income for the craftsmen. 25 He called them together, along with the workers in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity comes from this income. 26 You also see and hear that not merely in Ephesus but throughout almost the entire province of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a large number of people. He says that gods made by hands are not gods at all! 27 Not only is there danger that our trade may be discredited, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be considered worthless. Then she will suffer the loss of her magnificence, although she is worshipped by the whole province of Asia and the world.”
28 When they heard this, they were filled with rage and began to shout, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 The city was filled with confusion, and with one goal in mind they rushed to the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions. 30 Paul wanted to enter the public assembly, but the disciples would not let him. 31 Even some of the provincial officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.
32 Some were shouting one thing, others another, because the assembly was in confusion. Most of them did not even know why they had come together. 33 They made Alexander come out of the crowd.[d] It was the Jews who pushed him forward. Alexander motioned with his hand and wanted to make his defense to the assembly. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single cry rose from all of them. For about two hours, they kept shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35 After the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the keeper of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image that fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these things cannot be denied, you need to be quiet and not do anything rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our[e] goddess. 38 If Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them press charges against one another. 39 If you want to pursue something about other matters,[f] it should be settled in the legal assembly. 40 For we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, because we will not be able to give any reason for this disorderly mob.” 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
Psalm 147
Praise Him for Providing for His People
The Creator Restores His People
1 Praise the Lord.[a]
How good it is to make music to our God.
Yes, praise is pleasant and fitting!
2 The one who builds Jerusalem is the Lord.
He assembles the outcasts of Israel.
3 He is the one who heals the brokenhearted
and who bandages their wounds.
4 He counts the number of the stars.
He calls them all by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power.
To his understanding there is no limit.
6 The one who sustains the humble is the Lord.
He pushes the wicked down to the ground.
The Creator Loves His People
7 Respond to the Lord with thanksgiving.
Make music to our God on the lyre.
8 He is the one who covers the sky with clouds.
He determines rain for the earth.
He makes grass sprout on the mountains.
9 He gives their food to the cattle
and to the young ravens when they call.
10 He is not impressed by the strength of the horse.
He is not pleased with the legs of a man.
11 The Lord is pleased with those who fear him,
those who wait for his mercy.
The Creator Reveals His Word
12 Worship the Lord, O Jerusalem.
Praise your God, O Zion,
13 because he strengthens the bars on your gates.
He blesses your children within you.
14 He brings peace to your borders.
He satisfies you with the best wheat.
15 He sends his message to the earth.
His word runs swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool.
He scatters frost like ashes.
17 He sends his hail like pieces of bread.
Who can stand in the face of his cold winds?
18 He sends his word, and the ice melts.
He breathes on the snow.[b] The waters flow.[c]
19 He reveals his words to Jacob,
his statutes and his judgments to Israel.
20 He has not done this for any other nation.
They do not know his judgments.
Praise the Lord.
4 The words from a man’s mouth are deep waters.
The fountain of wisdom is a flowing stream.
5 It is not good to show favoritism to a wicked person
in order to deprive a righteous person of justice.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.