Old/New Testament
Jehoram Succeeds Jehoshaphat(A)
21 Jehoshaphat died, as had his ancestors, and was buried in the City of David alongside his ancestors. His son Jehoram became king in his place. 2 Jehoshaphat’s sons, Jehoram’s[a] brothers, included Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah,[b] Michael, and Shephatiah. All of these were sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Israel.
3 Their father gave them many gifts made of silver, and gold, as well as valuable things, along with fortified cities in Judah, but he passed the kingdom to Jehoram because Jehoram was his firstborn. 4 But after Jehoram had assumed the throne and consolidated his rule over his father’s kingdom, he executed all of his brothers, along with some of the rulers of Israel. 5 Jehoram was 32 years old when he became king, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 6 He lived like[c] the kings of Israel, following the example of Ahab’s dynasty, since he had married Ahab’s daughter, and he practiced what the Lord considered to be evil. 7 Nevertheless, the Lord was unwilling to destroy David’s dynasty because of the covenant that he had made with David, especially since he had promised to give him and to his sons the reigning presence of an heir[d] forever.
Edom Revolts(B)
8 Nevertheless, Edom revolted against Judah’s rule and set up their own king to rule them during Jehoram’s reign.[e] 9 So Jehoram invaded Edom[f] with his commanders and his chariots by night and killed the Edomites who had surrounded him and his chariot commanders. 10 Edom remains in revolt against Judah to this day. Libnah revolted against Jehoram’s rule, too, because he had abandoned the Lord God of his ancestors. 11 In addition to all of this, he built high places in the mountains of Judah, led the inhabitants of Jerusalem into cultic sexual immorality, and made Judah go astray.
Elijah Writes a Letter
12 After this, a letter arrived from Elijah the prophet. It said:
“This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: ‘You haven’t lived like your father Jehoshaphat and like King Asa of Judah. 13 Instead, you have lived like the kings of Israel by causing Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit cultic sexual immorality—just like Ahab’s dynasty did! And you’ve killed your brothers who were better than you—your own father’s dynasty! 14 Look what’s going to happen! The Lord is going to strike your people, your children, your wives, and everything you own with a massive tragedy. 15 And as for you, you will suffer from a serious disease of your bowels. Eventually, day-by-day you will excrete your own bowels because of this disease.”
16 The Lord also provoked the attitude of the Philistines and the Arabs who bordered the Ethiopians against Jehoram, 17 and they attacked Judah, invading it and carried off everything he owned in his royal palace, along with all of his sons and wives except for his youngest son Jehoahaz.[g]
Jehoram’s Illness and Death(C)
18 After all of this happened, the Lord struck him in his bowels with an incurable illness. 19 In due course, as time passed, two years later[h] his bowels came out because of his sickness and he died in agony. His people lit no memorial bonfire for him as they had done for his ancestors. 20 Jehoram[i] was 32 years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years. He left this earth[j]—to nobody’s regret—and they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
Ahaziah Succeeds Jehoram(D)
22 The residents of Jerusalem made Jehoram’s[k] son Ahaziah[l] king in his place after the raiding party that had invaded the city with the Arabs had killed all of the older sons. That’s how Jehoram’s son Ahaziah became king of Judah. 2 Ahaziah was 22[m] years old when he became king, and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, Omri’s granddaughter.
3 He followed the example[n] of Ahab’s dynasty because his mother gave him evil counsel. 4 So he practiced what the Lord considered to be evil, just like Ahab’s dynasty had done, because after his father died, he was given advice that resulted in his destruction. 5 He followed their counsel and accompanied Ahab’s son Joram, king of Israel, to wage war against King Hazael of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. But the Arameans wounded Joram, 6 so he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds that he had received at Ramah in the battle against King Hazael of Aram. King Ahaziah of Judah, Jehoram’s son, went to visit Ahab’s son Joram, because he was wounded.
Ahaziah is Executed(E)
7 God used Ahaziah’s visit to Joram to destroy Ahaziah. As soon as he arrived, Ahaziah[o] went out with Joram to attack Nimshi’s son Jehu, whom the Lord had appointed to eliminate Ahab’s dynasty. 8 And that’s exactly what happened. While Jehu was punishing[p] Ahab’s dynasty, he located the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers who were ministering to Ahaziah, and he put them to death. 9 Jehu[q] also searched for Ahaziah, had him apprehended while Ahaziah[r] was hiding out in Samaria, and had Ahaziah[s] brought to him. Jehu[t] had Ahaziah[u] executed and buried. It was said of Jehu,[v] “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with all of his heart.” As a result, there was no one left in the household of Ahaziah strong enough to reign in the kingdom.
Athaliah’s Revolt(F)
10 As soon as Ahaziah’s mother Athaliah learned that her son had died, she set out to destroy the entire royal family of Judah. 11 However, the king’s daughter Jehoshabeath took Ahaziah’s son Joash away from the king’s children who were about to be assassinated and hid him and his nurse in a bedroom. That’s how King Jehoram’s daughter Jehoshabeath, who was also the priest Jehoiada’s wife and Ahaziah’s sister, hid him from Athaliah. As a result, she was not able to kill him. 12 Joash[w] remained with them for six years, hidden in God’s Temple while Athaliah reigned over the land.
Jesus the Way to the Father
14 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Believe[a] in God, believe also in me. 2 There are many rooms in my Father’s house. If there weren’t, I wouldn’t have told you that I am going away to prepare a place for you, would I? 3 And since[b] I’m going away to prepare a place for you, I’ll come back again and welcome you into my presence, so that you may be where I am. 4 You know where I am going, and you know the way.”
5 Thomas asked him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you have known me, you will also know my Father. From now on you know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip told him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will satisfy us.”
9 “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me?” Jesus asked him. “The person who has seen me has seen the Father. So how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 You believe, don’t you, that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I don’t speak on my own. It is the Father who dwells in me and who carries out his work. 11 Believe me, I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe me[c] because of what I’ve been doing.[d] 12 Truly, I tell all of you[e] emphatically, the one who believes in me will also do what I’m doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I’m going to the Father. 13 I’ll do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me[f] for anything in my name, I will do it.”
The Promise of the Helper
15 “If you love me, keep[g] my commandments. 16 I will ask the Father to give[h] you another Helper, to be with you always. 17 He is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor recognizes him. But you recognize him, because he lives with you and will be in[i] you. 18 I’m not going to forsake you like orphans. I will come back to you.
19 “In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that time, you’ll know that I am in my Father, that you are in me, and that I am in you. 21 The person who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I, too, will love him and reveal myself to him.”
22 Judas (not Iscariot) asked him, “Lord, how is it that you are going to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?”
23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. Then my Father will love him, and we will go to him and make our home within him. 24 The one who doesn’t love me doesn’t keep my words. The words that you’re hearing me say are not mine, but come from the Father who sent me.
25 “I have told you this while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything that I have told you. 27 I’m leaving you at peace. I’m giving you my own peace. I’m not giving it to you as the world gives. So don’t let your hearts be troubled, and don’t be afraid. 28 You have heard me tell you, ‘I’m going away, but I’m coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I’m going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am. 29 I’ve told you this now, before I leave, so that when I do leave, you will believe. 30 I won’t talk with you much longer, because the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me.[j] 31 But I’m doing what the Father has commanded me, to let the world know that I love the Father. Get up! Let us leave this place.”
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