2 Kings 12–13; John 20

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2 Kings 12–13

In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash1 began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. And Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him. Nevertheless, rthe high places were not taken away; the people continued to sacrifice and make offerings on the high places.

Jehoash Repairs the Temple

Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the holy things sthat is brought into the house of the Lord, the money for which each man is assessedthe money from the assessment of personsand tthe money that a man’s heart prompts him to bring into the house of the Lord, let the priests take, each from his donor, and let them repair the house wherever any need of repairs is discovered. But by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, the priests had made no repairs on the house. Therefore King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and said to them, Why are you not repairing the house? Now therefore take no more money from your donors, but hand it over for the repair of the house. So the priests agreed that they should take no more money from the people, and that they should not repair the house.

Then Jehoiada the priest took ua chest and bored a hole in the lid of it and set it beside the altar on the right side as one entered the house of the Lord. And the priests who guarded the threshold put in it all the money that was brought into the house of the Lord. 10 And whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king’s secretary and the high priest came up and they bagged and counted vthe money that was found in the house of the Lord. 11 Then they would give the money that was weighed out into the hands of the workmen who had the oversight of the house of the Lord. And they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the house of the Lord, 12 and wto the masons and the stonecutters, as well as to buy timber and quarried stone for making repairs on the house of the Lord, and for any outlay for the repairs of the house. 13 xBut there were not made for the house of the Lord ybasins of silver, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, or any vessels of gold, or of silver, from the money that was brought into the house of the Lord, 14 for that was given to the workmen who were repairing the house of the Lord with it. 15 And zthey did not ask for an accounting from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to pay out to the workmen, for they dealt honestly. 16 The money from athe guilt offerings and the money from the bsin offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord; cit belonged to the priests.

17 At that time dHazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath and took it. But when Hazael set his face eto go up against Jerusalem, 18 Jehoash king of Judah ftook all the sacred gifts that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah his fathers, the kings of Judah, had dedicated, gand his own sacred gifts, and all the gold that was found in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house, and sent these to Hazael king of Syria. Then Hazael went away from Jerusalem.

The Death of Joash

19 Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 20 hHis servants arose and made a conspiracy iand struck down Joash in the house of jMillo, on the way that goes down to Silla. 21 It was kJozacar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of kShomer, his servants, who struck him down, so that he died. And they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, land Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

Jehoahaz Reigns in Israel

In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned seventeen years. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, mwhich he made Israel to sin; he did not depart from them. nAnd the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them continually into the hand of oHazael king of Syria and into the hand of pBen-hadad the son of Hazael. Then Jehoahaz qsought the favor of the Lord, and the Lord listened to him, rfor he saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Syria oppressed them. (Therefore the Lord gave Israel sa savior, so that they escaped from the hand of the Syrians, and the people of Israel lived in ttheir homes as formerly. Nevertheless, they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, mwhich he made Israel to sin, but walked2 in them; and uthe Asherah also remained in Samaria.) For there was not left to Jehoahaz an army of more than fifty horsemen and ten chariots and ten thousand footmen, for the king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like the dust vat threshing. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? So Jehoahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria, and Joash his son reigned in his place.

Jehoash Reigns in Israel

10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash3 the son of Jehoahaz began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years. 11 He also did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, mwhich he made Israel to sin, but he walked in them. 12 wNow the rest of the acts of Joash xand all that he did, yand the might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 13 So Joash slept with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne. And Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

The Death of Elisha

14 Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, crying, zMy father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen! 15 And Elisha said to him, Take a bow and arrows. So he took a bow and arrows. 16 Then he said to the king of Israel, Draw the bow, and he drew it. And Elisha laid his hands on the king’s hands. 17 And he said, Open the window eastward, and he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot, and he shot. And he said, The Lord’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria! For you shall fight the Syrians in aAphek until you have made an end of them. 18 And he said, Take the arrows, and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, Strike the ground with them. And he struck three times and stopped. 19 Then bthe man of God was angry with him and said, You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only cthree times.

20 So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of dMoabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. 21 And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.

22 eNow Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23 fBut the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them, gand he turned toward them, hbecause of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, nor has he cast them from his presence until now.

24 When Hazael king of Syria died, Ben-hadad his son became king in his place. 25 Then Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again from Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities ithat he had taken from Jehoahaz his father in war. jThree times Joash defeated him and recovered the cities of Israel.


John 20

The Resurrection

eNow on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that fthe stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, gthe one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and hwe do not know where they have laid him. iSo Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw jthe linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and kthe face cloth, which had been on Jesus’1 head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, lwho had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet mthey did not understand the Scripture, nthat he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And oshe saw ptwo angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, qWoman, why are you weeping? She said to them, rThey have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him. 14 Having said this, she turned around and ssaw Jesus standing, tbut she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, uWoman, why are you weeping? vWhom are you seeking? Supposing him to be wthe gardener, she said to him, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away. 16 Jesus said to her, Mary. She turned and said to him in Aramaic,2 xRabboni! (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to ymy brothers and say to them, zI am ascending to my Father and your Father, to amy God and your God. 18 Mary Magdalene bwent and announced to the disciples, I have seen the Lordand that he had said these things to her.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

19 cOn the evening dof that day, the first day of the week, ethe doors being locked where the disciples were ffor fear of the Jews,3 Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, gPeace be with you. 20 When he had said this, hhe showed them his hands and his side. Then ithe disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, Peace be with you. As jthe Father has sent me, keven so I am sending you. 22 And when he had said this, he lbreathed on them and said to them, mReceive the Holy Spirit. 23 nIf you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.

Jesus and Thomas

24 Now oThomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin,4 was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, We have seen the Lord. But he said to them, pUnless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. qAlthough the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, qPeace be with you. 27 Then he said to Thomas, rPut your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe. 28 Thomas answered him, sMy Lord and my God! 29 Jesus said to him, Have you believed because you have seen me? tBlessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

The Purpose of This Book

30 uNow Jesus did many other signs vin the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 wbut these are written so that you may xbelieve that Jesus is the Christ, ythe Son of God, and that by believing zyou may have life ain his name.