Old/New Testament
Hoshea Reigns over Israel
17 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, (A)Hoshea the son of Elah became king over Israel in Samaria and reigned nine years. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, only not as the kings of Israel who were before him. 3 (B)Shalmaneser king of Assyria went up (C)against him, and Hoshea became his servant and paid him tribute. 4 But the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea, who had sent messengers to So king of Egypt and had offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; therefore the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison.
5 Then the king of Assyria went up against the whole land and he went up to (D)Samaria and besieged it three years.
Israel Exiled to Assyria
6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, (E)the king of Assyria captured Samaria and (F)took Israel away into exile to Assyria, and (G)settled them in Halah and Habor, on the river of (H)Gozan, and (I)in the cities of the Medes.
Israel Rejects Yahweh
7 Now (J)this happened because the sons of Israel had sinned against Yahweh their God—(K)who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt—(L)and they had [a]feared other gods 8 and (M)walked in the statutes of the nations whom Yahweh had dispossessed from before the sons of Israel, and in the statutes (N)of the kings of Israel which they had made. 9 And the sons of Israel [b]did things secretly which were not right against Yahweh their God. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their cities, from (O)watchtower to fortified city. 10 (P)And they set for themselves sacred pillars and [c](Q)Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, 11 and there they burned incense on all the high places as the nations did which Yahweh had taken away into exile before them; and they did evil things provoking Yahweh to anger. 12 And they served idols, (R)concerning which Yahweh had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.” 13 Yet (S)Yahweh warned Israel and Judah (T)by the hand of all His prophets and (U)every seer, saying, “(V)Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by the hand of My slaves the prophets.” 14 However, they did not listen, but (W)stiffened their neck [d]like their fathers, who did not believe in Yahweh their God. 15 (X)They also rejected His statutes and (Y)His covenant which He cut with their fathers and His warnings with which He warned them. And (Z)they followed vanity and (AA)became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which (AB)Yahweh had commanded them not to do like them. 16 And they forsook all the commandments of Yahweh their God and made for themselves molten images, even (AC)two calves, and (AD)made an [e]Asherah and (AE)worshiped all the host of heaven and (AF)served Baal. 17 Then (AG)they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and (AH)practiced divination and omens, and (AI)sold themselves to do what is evil in the sight of Yahweh, provoking Him to anger. 18 So Yahweh was very angry with Israel and (AJ)caused them to depart from His [f]presence; (AK)none was left except the tribe of Judah alone.
19 Also (AL)Judah did not keep the commandments of Yahweh their God, but (AM)walked in the statutes [g]which Israel had made. 20 So Yahweh rejected all the seed of Israel and afflicted them and (AN)gave them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them [h]from His presence.
21 When (AO)He had torn Israel from the house of David, (AP)they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then (AQ)Jeroboam drove Israel away from following Yahweh and made them sin a great sin. 22 And the sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them 23 (AR)until Yahweh caused Israel to depart from His presence, (AS)as He spoke through all His slaves the prophets. (AT)So Israel went into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day.
Exiled Men in the Cities of Samaria
24 (AU)And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon and from Cuthah and from [i](AV)Avva and from (AW)Hamath and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities. 25 Now it happened at the beginning of their settlement there, that they (AX)did not fear Yahweh; therefore Yahweh sent lions among them which were killing them. 26 So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have taken away into exile and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the god of the land; so he has sent lions among them, and behold, they are putting them to death because they do not know the custom of the god of the land.”
27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Take there one of the priests whom you took away into [j]exile and let [k]him go and live there; and let him instruct them the custom of the god of the land.” 28 So one of the priests whom they had taken away into exile from Samaria came and settled at Bethel, and instructed them how they should fear Yahweh.
29 But each nation was still making gods of its own and put them (AY)in the houses of the high places which the people of Samaria had made, each nation in their cities in which they lived. 30 (AZ)And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31 and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and (BA)the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to (BB)Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of the (BC)Sepharvaim. 32 (BD)They were also fearing Yahweh and [l](BE)appointed from among all of themselves priests of the high places, and they were acting for them in the houses of the high places. 33 They were fearing Yahweh and serving their own gods according to the custom of the nations from among whom they had been taken away into exile.
34 To this day they are acting according to the earlier customs: they are not fearing Yahweh; they are not acting according to their statutes or their judgments or the law, or the commandment which Yahweh commanded the sons of Jacob, (BF)whom He named Israel; 35 with whom Yahweh cut a covenant and commanded them, saying, “(BG)You shall not fear other gods, nor (BH)worship them nor (BI)serve them nor sacrifice to them. 36 But Yahweh, (BJ)who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with (BK)an outstretched arm, (BL)Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall worship, and to Him you shall sacrifice. 37 And the statutes and the judgments and the law and the commandment which He wrote for you, (BM)you shall be careful to do forever; and you shall not fear other gods. 38 And the covenant that I have cut with you, (BN)you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. 39 But Yahweh your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” 40 However, they did not listen, but they were acting according to their earlier custom. 41 (BO)So while these nations were fearing Yahweh, they also were serving their graven images; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers acted, so they are acting this way to this day.
Hezekiah Reigns over Judah
18 Now it happened (BP)in the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah king of Israel, that (BQ)Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king. 2 He was (BR)twenty-five years old when he became king; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Abi, the daughter of Zechariah. 3 (BS)And he did what was right in the sight of Yahweh, according to all that David his father had done. 4 (BT)He took away the high places and shattered the sacred pillars and cut down the [m]Asherah. And he broke in pieces (BU)the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel were burning incense to it; and it was called [n]Nehushtan. 5 (BV)He trusted in Yahweh, the God of Israel; (BW)so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him. 6 So he (BX)clung to Yahweh; he did not turn away from following Him, but kept His commandments, which Yahweh had commanded Moses.
Hezekiah Prospers
7 (BY)And Yahweh was with him; wherever he went he prospered. And (BZ)he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8 (CA)He struck the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from (CB)watchtower to fortified city.
9 Now in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, (CC)Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it. 10 And at the end of three years they captured it; in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was (CD)the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was captured. 11 Then the king of Assyria took Israel away into exile to Assyria, and put them in (CE)Halah and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, 12 because they (CF)did not listen to the voice of Yahweh their God, but trespassed against His covenant, even all that Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded; they would neither listen nor do it.
Sennacherib Comes Up Against Judah
13 (CG)Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them. 14 Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “(CH)I have done wrong. Turn away from me; whatever penalty you give to me I will bear.” So the king of Assyria set a penalty on Hezekiah king of Judah [o]three hundred talents of silver and [p]thirty talents of gold. 15 (CI)Thus Hezekiah gave him all the silver which was found in the house of Yahweh and in the treasuries of the king’s house. 16 At that time Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of Yahweh and from the doorposts, which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
17 Then the king of Assyria sent (CJ)Tartan and Rab-saris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a heavy military force to Jerusalem. So they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they went up, they came and stood by the (CK)conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway of the [q]fuller’s field. 18 Then they called to the king, and (CL)Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and (CM)Shebnah the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, came out to them.
19 Then Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, “(CN)What is this trust that you have? 20 You say (but they are [r]only empty words), ‘I have counsel and might for the war.’ Now on whom do you trust, (CO)that you have rebelled against me? 21 Now behold, you [s](CP)trust in the staff of this crushed reed, even on Egypt; on which if a man leans, it will go into his [t]hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 22 But if you say to me, ‘We trust in Yahweh our God,’ is it not He whose high places and (CQ)whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’? 23 So now, [u]come, make a bargain with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to give riders for them. 24 How then can you [v]turn away one [w]official of the least of my master’s servants, and trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 25 So now, have I come up [x]without the approval of Yahweh against this place to make it a ruin? Yahweh said to me, ‘Go up against this land and make it a ruin.’”’”
26 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah and Joah, said to Rabshakeh, “Speak now to your servants in Aramaic, for we [y]understand it; and do not speak with us in [z](CR)Judean in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 27 But Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me only to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, doomed to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?”
28 Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in Judean, [aa]saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria. 29 Thus says the king, ‘(CS)Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you from [ab]his hand; 30 and do not let Hezekiah make you trust in Yahweh, saying, “Yahweh will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria, “[ac]Make your peace with me and come out to me, and eat (CT)each of his vine and each of his fig tree and drink each of the waters of his own cistern, 32 until I come and take you away (CU)to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive oil and honey, that you may live and not die.” But do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you, saying, “Yahweh will deliver us.” 33 (CV)Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 34 (CW)Where are the gods of Hamath and (CX)Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and [ad](CY)Ivvah? When have they delivered Samaria from my hand? 35 Who among all the gods of the lands [ae]have delivered their land from my hand, (CZ)that Yahweh would deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’”
36 But the people were silent and answered him not a word, for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.” 37 Then (DA)Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah (DB)with their clothes torn and told him the words of Rabshakeh.
19 And this is the judgment, that (A)the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for (B)their deeds were evil. 20 (C)For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light lest his deeds be exposed. 21 But he who (D)practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been done by God.”
John the Baptist’s Last Witness
22 After these things Jesus and His (E)disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and (F)baptizing. 23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized— 24 for (G)John had not yet been thrown into prison.
25 Therefore there arose a debate between John’s disciples and a Jew about (H)purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “(I)Rabbi, He who was with you (J)beyond the Jordan, to whom you (K)have borne witness, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.” 27 John answered and said, “(L)A man can receive nothing unless it (M)has been given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves [a]are my witnesses that I said, ‘(N)I am not the [b]Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ 29 He who has the bride is (O)the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this (P)joy of mine has been made full. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
31 “(Q)He who comes from above is above all, (R)he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. (S)He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 What He has seen and heard, of that He (T)bears witness; and (U)no one receives His witness. 33 He who has received His witness (V)has set his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For He whom God has (W)sent speaks the words of God; [c](X)for He gives the Spirit without measure. 35 (Y)The Father loves the Son and (Z)has given all things into His hand. 36 He who (AA)believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who (AB)does not [d]obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
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