Prophecy Against Jeroboam
1 At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. 2 And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Arise, and disguise yourself, that it not be known that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Behold, nAhijah the prophet is there, who said of me that I should be king over this people. 3 oTake with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what shall happen to the child.”
4 Jeroboam’s wife did so. She arose and went to Shiloh and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were pdim because of his age. 5 And the Lord said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. Thus and thus shall you say to her.”
When she came, she pretended to be another woman. 6 But when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another? For I am charged with unbearable news for you. 7 Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: q“Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over my people Israel 8 and rtore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, and yet you have not been like my servant David, swho kept my commandments and followed me with all his heart, doing only that which was right in my eyes, 9 but you have done evil above all who were before you and have gone and made for yourself other gods and metal images, provoking me to anger, and have cast me behind your back, 10 therefore behold, tI will bring harm upon the house of Jeroboam and will ucut off from Jeroboam every male, both bond and free in Israel, and will burn up the house of Jeroboam, as a man burns up dung until it is all gone. 11 vAnyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat, for the Lord has spoken it.”’ 12 Arise therefore, go to your house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die. 13 And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because win him there is found something pleasing to the Lord, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam. 14 Moreover, the Lord will raise up for himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam today. And henceforth, 15 xthe Lord will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water, and yroot up Israel out of this good land that he gave to their fathers and zscatter them beyond the Euphrates,1 because they have made their Asherim, provoking the Lord to anger. 16 And he will give Israel up abecause of the bsins of Jeroboam, cwhich he sinned and made Israel to sin.”
17 Then Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed and came to dTirzah. And as she came to the threshold of the house, the child died. 18 And all Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the prophet.
The Death of Jeroboam
19 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the eBook of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 20 And the time that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years. And he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place.
Rehoboam Reigns in Judah
21 fNow Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the Lord had gchosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to hput his name there. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. 22 And Judah did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and they iprovoked him to jealousy with their sins that they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. 23 jFor they also built for themselves high places and kpillars and Asherim lon every high hill and under every green tree, 24 and there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did maccording to all the abominations of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.
25 In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, nShishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 26 He took away the otreasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house. He took away everything. He also took away all the pshields of gold that Solomon had made, 27 and King Rehoboam made in their place shields of bronze, and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house. 28 And as often as the king went into the house of the Lord, the guard carried them and brought them back to the guardroom.
29 Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam and all that he did, are they not written in the qBook of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 30 And there was rwar between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. 31 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. And Abijam his son reigned in his place.
Abijam Reigns in Judah
1 sNow in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah. 2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 3 And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not twholly true to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father. 4 Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a ulamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem, 5 because vDavid did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, wexcept in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 6 Now there was xwar between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. 7 The rest of the acts of Abijam and all that he did, are they not written in the yBook of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. 8 And Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place.
Tremble at the Presence of the Lord
1 jWhen Israel went out from Egypt,
the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2 kJudah became his sanctuary,
Israel his dominion.
3 lThe sea looked and fled;
mJordan turned back.
4 The mountains nskipped like rams,
the hills like lambs.
5 What ails you, O sea, that you flee?
O Jordan, that you turn back?
6 O mountains, that you skip like rams?
O hills, like lambs?
7 oTremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 pwho turns the rock into a pool of water,
the qflint into a spring of water.
Put On the New Self
1 If then you have been draised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, eseated at the right hand of God. 2 fSet your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For gyou have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 hWhen Christ who is your1 life appears, then you also will appear with him iin glory.
5 jPut to death therefore what is earthly in you:2 sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, kwhich is idolatry. 6 lOn account of these the wrath of God is coming.3 7 mIn these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But nnow you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 oDo not lie to one another, seeing that you have pput off the qold self4 with its practices 10 and have rput on the snew self, which is being trenewed in knowledge uafter the image of its creator. 11 Here there is vnot Greek and Jew, wcircumcised and uncircumcised, xbarbarian, Scythian, yslave,5 free; but Christ is all, and in all.
12 zPut on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, acompassionate hearts, bkindness, chumility, dmeekness, and epatience, 13 bearing with one another and, fif one has a complaint against another, gforgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And habove all these put on love, which ibinds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the jpeace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were kcalled in lone body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and madmonishing one another in all wisdom, nsinging psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And owhatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the pname of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Rules for Christian Households
18 qWives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 rHusbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. 20 sChildren, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 tFathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 22 uBondservants, obey in everything those who are your vearthly masters,6 not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, wfearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, xas for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the yinheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is zno partiality.
1 Masters, treat your bondservants7 justly and fairly, aknowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
Further Instructions
2 bContinue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, cpray also for us, that God may open to us a ddoor for the word, to declare the emystery of Christ, fon account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is ghow I ought to speak.
5 hWalk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 iLet your speech always be gracious, jseasoned with salt, kso that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Final Greetings
7 lTychicus will tell you all about my activities. mHe is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant8 in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may nencourage your hearts, 9 and with him oOnesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.
10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of pthe circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always qstruggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand rmature and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14 sLuke the beloved physician greets you, as does tDemas. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers9 at Laodicea, and to Nympha and uthe church in her house. 16 And vwhen this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. 17 And say to wArchippus, “See that you xfulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”
18 yI, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. zGrace be with you.
