Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A psalm by David.

The Fall of Samaria

⁹ In Hezekiah’s fourth year as king (which was the seventh year in the reign of King Hoshea, son of Elah of Israel) King Shalmaneser of Assyria attacked Samaria, blockaded it, ¹⁰ and captured it at the end of three years. Samaria was taken in Hezekiah’s sixth year as king (which was Hoshea’s ninth year as king of Israel). ¹¹ The king of Assyria took the Israelites to Assyria as captives. He put them in Halah, along the Habor River in Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. ¹² This happened because they refused to obey the Lord their God and disregarded the conditions of the promise ^[a] he made to them. They refused to obey everything that Moses, the Lord’s servant, had commanded.

The Lord Rescues Judah from the Assyrians^(A)

¹³ In Hezekiah’s fourteenth year as king, King Sennacherib of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. ¹⁴ Then King Hezekiah of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish: “I have done wrong. Go away, and leave me alone. I’ll pay whatever penalty you give me.”

So the king of Assyria demanded that King Hezekiah of Judah pay 22,500 pounds of silver and 2,250 pounds of gold. ¹⁵ Hezekiah gave him all the silver that could be found in the Lord’s temple and in the royal palace treasury. ¹⁶ At that time Hezekiah stripped ⌞the gold⌟ off the doors and doorposts of the Lord’s temple. (⌞Earlier⌟ Hezekiah had them covered ⌞with gold⌟.) He gave the gold to the king of Assyria.

¹⁷ Then the king of Assyria sent his commander-in-chief, his quartermaster, and his field commander with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They came there and stood at the channel for the Upper Pool on the road to the Laundryman’s Field. ¹⁸ When they called for King Hezekiah, Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace and was the son of Hilkiah, Shebnah the scribe, and Joah, who was the royal historian and the son of Asaph, went out to the field commander.

Guidelines for Serving Christ

⁶ You are a good servant of Christ Jesus when you point these things out to our brothers and sisters. Then you will be nourished by the words of the Christian faith and the excellent teachings which you have followed closely. ⁷ Don’t have anything to do with godless myths that old women like to tell. Rather, train yourself to live a godly life. ⁸ Training the body helps a little, but godly living helps in every way. Godly living has the promise of life now and in the world to come. ⁹ This is a statement that can be trusted and deserves complete acceptance. ¹⁰ Certainly, we work hard and struggle to live a godly life, because we place our confidence in the living God. He is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

¹¹ Insist on these things and teach them. ¹² Don’t let anyone look down on you for being young. Instead, make your speech, behavior, love, faith, and purity an example for other believers. ¹³ Until I get there, concentrate on reading ⌞Scripture⌟ in worship, giving encouraging messages, and teaching people. ¹⁴ Don’t neglect the gift which you received through prophecy when the spiritual leaders ^[a] placed their hands on you ⌞to ordain you⌟. ¹⁵ Practice these things. Devote your life to them so that everyone can see your progress. ¹⁶ Focus on your life and your teaching. Continue to do what I’ve told you. If you do this, you will save yourself and those who hear you.