2 Kings 14; 2 Timothy 4; Hosea 7; Psalms 120–122

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2 Kings 14

Amaziah Reigns in Judah

kIn the lsecond year of Joash the son of Joahaz, king of Israel, mAmaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not like David his father. He did in all things as Joash his father had done. nBut the high places were not removed; othe people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. And as soon as the royal power was pfirmly in his hand, he struck down his servants qwho had struck down the king his father. But he did not put to death the children of the murderers, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, where the Lord commanded, rFathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. But each one shall die for his own sin.

sHe struck down ten thousand Edomites in tthe Valley of Salt and took uSela by storm, and called it vJoktheel, which is its name to this day.

wThen Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash1 the son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, xlet us look one another in the face. And Jehoash king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah, yA thistle on Lebanon sent to a cedar on Lebanon, saying, Give your daughter to my son for a wife, and a wild beast of Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thistle. 10 You have indeed zstruck down Edom, aand your heart has lifted you up. Be content with your glory, and stay at home, for why should you provoke trouble so that you fall, you and Judah with you?

11 But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah xfaced one another in battle at bBeth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah. 12 And Judah was defeated by Israel, cand every man fled to his home. 13 And Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem for four hundred cubits,2 from dthe Ephraim Gate to ethe Corner Gate. 14 And he seized fall the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house, also hostages, and he returned to Samaria.

15 gNow the rest of the acts of Jehoash that he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 16 And Jehoash slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel, and Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.

17 hAmaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. 18 Now the rest of the deeds of Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 19 And they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to iLachish. But they sent after him to Lachish and put him to death there. 20 And they brought him on horses; and he was buried in Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David. 21 And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. 22 He built jElath and restored it to Judah, after the king slept with his fathers.

Jeroboam II Reigns in Israel

23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. 24 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, kwhich he made Israel to sin. 25 lHe restored the border of Israel mfrom Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of nthe Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant oJonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from pGath-hepher. 26 For the Lord qsaw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, rfor there was none left, bond or free, and there was none to help Israel. 27 sBut the Lord had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

28 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did, and his might, how he fought, and how he restored tDamascus and uHamath to Judah in Israel, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 29 And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, the kings of Israel, and Zechariah his son reigned in his place.


2 Timothy 4

Preach the Word

hI charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, iwho is to judge the living and the dead, and by jhis appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; kreprove, rebuke, and lexhort, with complete patience and teaching. mFor the time is coming when people will not endure nsound1 teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and owill turn away from listening to the truth and pwander off into myths. As for you, qalways be sober-minded, rendure suffering, do the work of san evangelist, tfulfill your ministry.

For uI am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my vdeparture has come. wI have fought the good fight, xI have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is ylaid up for me zthe crown of righteousness, which the Lord, athe righteous judge, will award to me on bthat day, and not only to me but also to all cwho have loved his appearing.

Personal Instructions

dDo your best to come to me soon. 10 For eDemas, fin love with gthis present world, hhas deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia,2 iTitus to Dalmatia. 11 hLuke alone is with me. Get jMark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. 12 kTychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. 14 lAlexander the coppersmith did me great harm; mthe Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. 16 At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. nMay it not be charged against them! 17 But othe Lord stood by me and pstrengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and qall the Gentiles might hear it. So rI was rescued sfrom the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. tTo him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

19 Greet uPrisca and Aquila, and vthe household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left wTrophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. 21 xDo your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers.3

22 The Lord be ywith your spirit. zGrace be with you.4


Hosea 7

xwhen I would heal Israel,

the iniquity of Ephraim is revealed,

and the evil deeds of ySamaria,

for zthey deal falsely;

the thief breaks in,

and the bandits raid outside.

But they do not consider

that aI remember all their evil.

Now btheir deeds surround them;

cthey are before my face.

By their evil dthey make dthe king glad,

and the princes by their treachery.

eThey are all adulterers;

they are like a heated oven

whose baker ceases to stir the fire,

from the kneading of the dough

until it is leavened.

On the day of four king, the princes

became sick with the heat of wine;

he stretched out his hand with mockers.

For with hearts like an oven gthey approach their intrigue;

all night their anger smolders;

in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.

All of them are hot as an oven,

and they devour their rulers.

All htheir kings ihave fallen,

and none of them calls upon me.

Ephraim jmixes himself with the peoples;

Ephraim is a cake not turned.

kStrangers devour his strength,

and lhe knows it not;

gray hairs are sprinkled upon him,

and lhe knows it not.

10  mThe pride of Israel testifies to his face;1

nyet they do not return to the Lord their God,

nor seek him, for all this.

11  Ephraim is like a dove,

osilly and without sense,

calling to pEgypt, going to qAssyria.

12  As they go, rI will spread over them my net;

I will bring them down like birds of the heavens;

sI will discipline them taccording to the report made to their congregation.

13  uWoe to them, for they have strayed from me!

Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against me!

vI would redeem them,

but wthey speak lies against me.

14  xThey do not cry to me from the heart,

but ythey wail upon their beds;

for grain and wine they gash themselves;

they rebel against me.

15  Although zI trained and strengthened their arms,

yet they devise evil against me.

16  They areturn, but not upward;2

they are blike a treacherous bow;

their princes shall fall by the sword

because of cthe insolence of their tongue.

This shall be their derision din the land of Egypt.


Psalms 120–122

Deliver Me, O Lord

A Song of mAscents.

In my distress I called to the Lord,

and he answered me.

Deliver me, O Lord,

from lying lips,

from a deceitful tongue.

What shall be given to you,

nand what more shall be done to you,

you deceitful tongue?

oA warrior’s psharp arrows,

with glowing qcoals of the broom tree!

Woe to me, that I sojourn in rMeshech,

that I dwell among sthe tents of tKedar!

Too long have I had my dwelling

among those who hate peace.

uI am for peace,

but when I speak, they are for war!

My Help Comes from the Lord

A Song of mAscents.

I vlift up my eyes to wthe hills.

From where does my help come?

xMy help comes from the Lord,

who ymade heaven and earth.

He will not zlet your foot be moved;

he who akeeps you will not slumber.

Behold, he who keeps Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;

the Lord is your bshade on your cright hand.

dThe sun shall not estrike you by day,

nor the moon by night.

The Lord will akeep you from all evil;

he will akeep your life.

The Lord will keep

your fgoing out and your coming in

from this time forth and forevermore.

Let Us Go to the House of the Lord

A Song of mAscents. Of David.

I was glad when they said to me,

gLet us go to the house of the Lord!

Our feet have been standing

within your gates, O Jerusalem!

Jerusalemhbuilt as a city

that is ibound firmly together,

to which the tribes jgo up,

the tribes of the Lord,

as was kdecreed for1 Israel,

to give thanks to the name of the Lord.

There lthrones for judgment were set,

the thrones of the house of David.

mPray for the peace of Jerusalem!

May they be secure who love you!

Peace be within your nwalls

and security within your ntowers!

For my brothers and companions’ sake

I will say, oPeace be within you!

For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,

I will pseek your good.