2 Chronicles 24 Cross References - NSB

¹ Joash began to rule when he was seven years old. He ruled for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother was Zibiah from Beersheba. ² Joash did what was right in the sight of Jehovah, as long as the priest Jehoiada lived. ³ Jehoiada procured two wives for Joash and he had sons and daughters. ⁴ Joash wanted to renovate Jehovah’s Temple. ⁵ He gathered the priests and the Levites and said to them: »Go to the cities of Judah, and collect money throughout Israel to repair the Temple of your God every year. Do it immediately!« But the Levites did not do it immediately. ⁶ The king called for the chief priest Jehoiada and asked him: »Why have you not required the Levites to bring the contributions from Judah and Jerusalem? Jehovah’s servant Moses and the assembly required Israel to give contributions for the use of the Tent of Testimony of God’s promise.« ⁷ The sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into God’s Temple and used all the holy things of Jehovah’s Temple to worship other gods, the Baals. ⁸ The king issued an order. They made a box and placed it outside the gate of Jehovah’s Temple. ⁹ They issued a proclamation in Judah and Jerusalem that the contributions should be brought to Jehovah. Moses required Israel to make contributions while they were in the desert. ¹⁰ All the officials and all the people were filled with joy. They brought money and dropped it into the box until it was full. ¹¹ When the Levites brought the box to the king’s officers and they saw a lot of money. The king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer would empty the box and put it back in its place. They would do this every day. They collected a lot of money. ¹² The king and Jehoiada gave the money to the foremen who were working on Jehovah’s Temple. They hired masons and carpenters to renovate Jehovah’s Temple. They also hired men who worked with iron and bronze to repair Jehovah’s Temple. ¹³ The men worked and the project progressed under the foremen’s guidance. They restored God’s Temple to its proper condition and reinforced it. ¹⁴ When the repairs were finished, the remaining gold and silver was given to the king and Jehoiada. They used it to have bowls and other utensils made for the Temple. As long as Jehoiada was alive, sacrifices were offered regularly at the Temple. ¹⁵ He died at the very old age of one hundred thirty years. ¹⁶ He was buried in the royal tombs in Jerusalem. This was because he had done so much good for the people of Israel, for God, and for the Temple. ¹⁷ After the death of Jehoiada the priest, the leaders of Judah went to Joash and talked him into doing what they wanted. ¹⁸ The people of Judah stopped worshiping in the Temple of Jehovah God. They started worshiping idols and the symbols of the goddess Asherah. These sinful things made Jehovah God angry with the people of Judah and Jerusalem, ¹⁹ However he still sent prophets who warned them to turn back to him. The people refused to listen. ²⁰ God’s Spirit spoke to Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. Zechariah told everyone that God was saying: »Why are you disobeying me and my Laws? This will only bring punishment! You have deserted me, so now I will desert you.« ²¹ They plotted against Zechariah. Then they followed the king’s order and stoned him to death in the courtyard of Jehovah’s Temple. ²² King Joash forgot that Zechariah’s father had always been a loyal friend. So when the people of Judah plotted to kill Zechariah, Joash joined them and gave orders for them to stone him to death in the courtyard of the Temple. As Zechariah was dying, he said: »I pray that Jehovah will see this and punish all of you.« ²³ The Aramean army attacked Joash at year’s end. They came to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the people’s leaders. The Arameans sent all the loot they took from Judah and Jerusalem to the king of Damascus. ²⁴ The Aramean army came with a small number of men. Jehovah handed Joash’s large army over to them because Joash’s soldiers had abandoned Jehovah the God of their ancestors. So the Arameans carried out Jehovah’s judgment on Joash. ²⁵ The Arameans withdrew. They left him suffering from many wounds. His own officials plotted against him for murdering the son of the priest Jehoiada. They killed Joash in his bed and buried him in the City of David. But they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings. ²⁶ These were the men who conspired against him: Zabad, son of an Ammonite woman named Shimeath, and Jehozabad, son of a Moabite woman named Shimrith. ²⁷ The record about his sons, the many divine revelations against him, and the rebuilding of God’s Temple is in the notes made in the Book of the Kings. His son Amaziah succeeded him as king.

¹⁹ Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah.

⁵ »I will require your lifeblood as an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. I will demand an accounting from each man for the life of his fellow man.

¹⁵ »As for yourself, you shall go to your ancestors in peace. You shall be buried at a good old age.

²¹ He lived in the wilderness of Paran. His mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

⁴ »Instead, you will go to the land of my relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.«

⁸ Then he took his last breath and died at a very old age. After a long and full life, he joined his ancestors in death.

⁹ Jacob answered: »My life of wandering has lasted a hundred and thirty years. Those years have been few and difficult, unlike the long years of my ancestors in their wanderings.«

³⁸ »Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two one year old lambs each day, continuously. ³⁹ »Offer one lamb in the morning and offer the other lamb at twilight. ⁴⁰ »Make an offering of eight cups of flour mixed with one quart of virgin olive oil with the first lamb. Offer one quart of wine for a drink offering with the other lamb. ⁴¹ »You will offer the other lamb at twilight. Offer it with the same grain offering and the same drink offering as in the morning, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to Jehovah. ⁴² »It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the doorway of the tent of meeting before Jehovah. That is where I will meet with you to speak to you.

¹² »When you take a census of the people of Israel, each man is to pay me a price for his life. This to insure that no disaster will come on him while the census is being taken. ¹³ »Everyone included in the census must pay the required amount of money. It should be weighed according to the official standard. Everyone must pay this as an offering to me. ¹⁴ »Every man being counted in the census who is twenty years old or older is to pay me this amount. ¹⁵ »The rich man is not to pay more. The poor man is not to pay less, when they pay this amount for their lives. ¹⁶ »Collect this money from the people of Israel and spend it for the upkeep of the tent of meeting. This tax will be the payment for their lives. I will remember to protect them.«

⁵⁰ »Put the Levites in charge of the tent of God’s words, including the equipment for the tent and everything else having to do with the tent. The Levites will carry the tent and all its equipment. They will take care of the tent and camp around it.

¹³ »Instead tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim.

⁸ »‘Five of you will be able to defeat a hundred, and a hundred will be able to defeat ten thousand.

²⁵ »‘I will bring war on you to get revenge for my promise you rejected. When you gather in your cities, I will send plagues on you and you will fall under the control of your enemy.

³⁷ »‘They will stumble over each other. Yet no one will be after them. They will not be able to stand up to their enemies.

² »Instruct the Israelites to present to God at the appointed time the required food offerings that are pleasing to him. ³ »‘These are the food offerings that are to be presented to Jehovah: for the daily burnt offering, two one-year-old male lambs without any defects. ⁴ »‘Offer the first lamb in the morning, and the second in the evening, ⁵ each with a grain offering of two pounds of flour, mixed with two pints of the best olive oil. ⁶ »‘This is the daily offering that is completely burned. It was first offered at Mount Sinai as a food offering, an odor pleasing to Jehovah. ⁷ »‘As the wine offering with the first lamb, pour out at the altar two pints of wine. ⁸ »‘Offer the second lamb in the evening in the same way as the morning offering, together with its wine offering. It also is a food offering, an odor pleasing to Jehovah. ⁹ »‘On the Sabbath day offer two one-year-old male lambs without any defects, four pounds of flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering, and the wine offering. ¹⁰ »‘This burnt offering is to be offered every Sabbath in addition to the daily offering with its wine offering. ¹¹ »‘At the beginning of each of your months you shall present a burnt offering to Jehovah: two bulls and one ram, seven male lambs one year old without defect. ¹² »‘With each bull there will be a grain offering of twenty-four cups of flour mixed with olive oil, with each ram a grain offering of sixteen cups of flour mixed with olive oil. ¹³ »‘With each one-year-old lamb a grain offering of eight cups of flour mixed with olive oil. This is a burnt offering, a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to Jehovah. ¹⁴ »‘The wine offering that goes with each bull will be two quarts of wine, with each ram one and one half quarts of wine, and with each lamb one quart of wine. This will be the monthly burnt offering for every month of the year. ¹⁵ »‘In addition to the daily burnt offering with its wine offering, one male goat must be offered to Jehovah as an offering for sin. ¹⁶ »‘Jehovah’s Passover is the fourteenth day of the first month. ¹⁷ »‘The feast of unleavened bread in the fifteenth of this same month. For seven days you must eat only unleavened bread. ¹⁸ »‘There will be a holy assembly on the first day. Do not do any regular work. ¹⁹ »‘Instead, bring Jehovah an offering by fire, a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old lambs, all of them without defects. ²⁰ »‘In addition to them bring grain offerings of flour mixed with olive oil. Bring twenty-four cups for each bull, sixteen cups for each ram, ²¹ and eight cups for each of the seven lambs. ²² »‘Also bring one male goat as an offering for sin to pay compensation for wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah. ²³ »‘Offer these in addition to the morning burnt offering. ²⁴ »‘Bring all these offerings on each of the seven days. They are food. They are offerings by fire, a soothing aroma to Jehovah. They will be offered in addition to the daily burnt offering and the wine offering that goes with it. ²⁵ »‘On the seventh day you must have a holy assembly. You must not do any regular work. ²⁶ »‘During the Festival of Weeks, you must have a holy assembly. On that day you must not do any regular work. Bring Jehovah your new grain offering, the first produce harvested from your fields. ²⁷ »‘Offer a burnt offering as an odor pleasing to Jehovah: two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all without any defects. ²⁸ »‘Offer the proper grain offering of flour mixed with olive oil: six pounds with each bull, four pounds with the ram, ²⁹ and two pounds with each lamb.

⁴¹ Moses asked: »Why are you disobeying Jehovah’s command? Your plan will not work!

⁷ Moses put the staffs in Jehovah’s presence in the tent of the testimony. ⁸ The next day Moses went into the tent. He found that Aaron’s staff for the tribe of Levi had not only begun to grow, but it had also blossomed and produced ripe almonds.

² »Bring the other Levites from your ancestor’s tribe to join you and help you and your sons serve in front of the tent of the words of my promise.

²⁵ »Jehovah will cause you to be stricken before your enemies. You will go out one way against them, and flee seven ways from them. You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

⁴⁸ »You will serve your enemies whom Jehovah will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you.

²⁵ »Then men will say: ‘Because they forsook the covenant of Jehovah, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. ²⁶ »‘They served other gods and worshiped them. These are gods whom they have not known and whom he had not allotted to them.

²⁷ »I know how rebellious you are. You are impossible to deal with. While I am alive and still with you, you are rebelling against Jehovah. How much more rebellious will you be after I die?

¹⁵ »Jeshurun (Israel) grew fat and disrespectful. You got fat! You were stuffed! You over eat! He abandoned the God who made him and scornfully treated the rock of his salvation. ¹⁶ »They made God furious because they worshiped foreign gods and angered him (stirred up his zeal) because they worshiped worthless idols. ¹⁷ »They sacrificed to demons that are not God. They served gods they did not know. These were new gods who came from nearby, gods your ancestors never worshiped.

³⁰ »Why were a thousand defeated by one? Why ten thousand by only two? Jehovah their God abandoned them! Their mighty God gave them up.

³⁵ »Vengeance and retribution belong to me. (Vengeance is mine, I will repay.) Their foot shall slide in time, for the day of their calamity is at hand. The things to come on them come quickly.

²⁰ »Remember how Achan son of Zerah would not obey the command about the things condemned to destruction. The whole assembly of Israel was punished for that. Achan was not the only one who died because of his sin.

⁸ »There was war in the land when the Israelites chose new gods. Of the forty thousand men in Israel, did anyone carry shield or spear?

³⁴ The Spirit of Jehovah took control of Gideon. He blew a trumpet to call the men of the clan of Abiezer to follow him.

³⁰ »Jehovah, the God of Israel says: ‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your father should walk before me all the days of your life.’« Now Jehovah says: »Far be it from me. I will honor those who honor me. I will not regard those who think little of me.

¹³ »You did a foolish thing,« Samuel told Saul. »You did not follow the command of Jehovah your God. If you had, Jehovah would have established your kingdom over Israel from generation to generation (for a very long time). ¹⁴ »Your kingdom will not last. Jehovah searched for a man after his own heart. Jehovah appointed him as ruler of his people. This is because you did not follow the command of Jehovah.«

⁹ »‘Why have you disobeyed my commands? Why did you do this evil thing? You had Uriah killed in battle! You let the Ammonites kill him. Then you took his wife! ¹⁰ »‘In every generation some of your descendants will die a violent death because you have disobeyed me and have taken Uriah’s wife.

¹ Jehovah became angry at Israel again. He provoked David to turn against Israel. He said: »Go count the people of Israel and Judah.«

³ Joab answered reluctantly: »Your Majesty, may Jehovah your God make the people of Israel a hundred times more numerous than they are now. May you live to see him do it. But why does Your Majesty want to do this?«

¹⁰ David died and was buried in David's City.

⁵⁰ dishes, snuffers, bowls, saucers, incense burners of pure gold, the gold sockets for the doors of the inner room (the Most Holy Place), and the doors of the temple.

¹⁵ Solomon also had eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountains. There were seventy thousand men to carry the stones.

⁴ When Solomon was old he allowed his heart to be turned away to other gods by his wives. His heart was no longer true to Jehovah his God as the heart of his father David had been. ⁵ Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Zidonians, and Milcom, the disgusting god of the Ammonites.

⁹ »You have committed far greater sins than those who ruled before you. You have rejected me and have aroused my anger by making idols and metal images to worship.

²³ They built places of worship for false gods. They put up stone pillars and symbols of Asherah to worship on the hills and under shady trees.

²² Then the prophet came up to the king of Israel, and said: »Now make yourself strong. Be careful what you do. Otherwise a year from now the king of Aram will come up against you again.«

²⁶ So, a year later, Benhadad got the Syrians (Aramaeans) together and went to Aphek to make war on Israel.

²⁰ They took his body on horseback and buried him with his fathers in Jerusalem, the town of David.

¹³ Jehovah sent his messengers and prophets to warn Israel and Judah: »Abandon your evil ways and obey my commands. The commandments contained in the Law I gave to your ancestors. I handed them on to you through my servants the prophets.« ¹⁴ They would not obey. They were stubborn like their ancestors. They did not trust in Jehovah their God. ¹⁵ They refused to obey his instructions. They did not keep the covenant he made with their ancestors. They disregarded his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves. They followed the customs of the surrounding nations, disobeying Jehovah’s command not to imitate them.

²¹ Jehoash was seven years old when he became king.

² Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah all his days, because he was guided by the teaching of Jehoiada the priest.

⁴ Jehoash said to the priests: »All the money of the holy things, which comes into the house of Jehovah, the amount fixed for every man's payment, and all the money given by any man freely by motivation of his heart,

⁴ Jehoash said to the priests: »All the money of the holy things, which comes into the house of Jehovah, the amount fixed for every man's payment, and all the money given by any man freely by motivation of his heart, ⁵ »Let the priests take, every man from his friends and neighbors, to make good what is damaged in the Temple, wherever it is to be seen.« ⁶ But in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, the priests had not made good the damaged parts of the Temple. ⁷ He called in Jehoiada and the other priests and asked them: »Why are you not repairing the Temple? From now on you are not to keep the money you receive. You must hand it over, so that the repairs can be made.« ⁸ The priests agreed to this and also agreed not to make the repairs in the Temple. ⁹ Then Jehoiada took a box, made a hole in the lid, and placed the box by the altar, on the right side as one enters the Temple. The priests on duty at the entrance put in the box all the money given by the worshipers. ¹⁰ Whenever there was a large amount of money in the box, the royal secretary and the High Priest would come, melt down the silver, and weigh it. ¹¹ After recording the exact amount, they would hand the silver over to the men in charge of the work in the Temple. These would pay the carpenters, the builders, ¹² the masons, and the stonecutters, buy the timber and the stones used in the repairs, and pay all other necessary expenses. ¹³ None of the money was used to pay for making silver cups, bowls, trumpets, or tools for tending the lamps, or any other article of silver or of gold. ¹⁴ It was all used to pay the workers and to buy the materials used in the repairs.

¹⁷ King Hazael of Syria attacked the city of Gath and conquered it. Then he decided to attack Jerusalem. ¹⁸ King Jehoash of Judah took all the offerings that his predecessors Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah had dedicated to Jehovah, added to them his own offerings and all the gold in the treasuries of the Temple and the palace, and sent them all as a gift to King Hazael, who then led his army away from Jerusalem.

¹⁸ King Jehoash of Judah took all the offerings that his predecessors Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah had dedicated to Jehovah, added to them his own offerings and all the gold in the treasuries of the Temple and the palace, and sent them all as a gift to King Hazael, who then led his army away from Jerusalem.

²⁰ His own officials plotted against him and killed him at the House of the Mound on the road that goes down to Silla. ²¹ Jehoash's officials Jozacar, son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad, son of Shomer, executed him. They buried him with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Amaziah succeeded him as king.

²¹ Jehoash's officials Jozacar, son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad, son of Shomer, executed him. They buried him with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Amaziah succeeded him as king.

¹⁹ Conspiracy was plotted against him in Jerusalem. He went in flight to Lachish, but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there.

¹¹ Jehoram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, ¹² Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son,

¹⁸ Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, who later became a leader among the Thirty, and he said: »We are yours, David! We are on your side, son of Jesse. Peace and prosperity be with you, and success to all who help you, for your God is the one who helps you.« So David let them join him, and he made them officers over his troops.

⁵ David said: »My son Solomon is young and inexperienced. The house to be built for Jehovah should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for it. So David made extensive preparations before his death.«

¹ When David was old and full of years, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.

⁹ »You my son Solomon, learn to know your father’s God. Serve Jehovah wholeheartedly and willingly because he searches every heart and understands every thought we have. If you dedicate your life to serving him, he will accept you. On the other hand if you abandon him, he will reject you from then on.

⁹ The people gave willingly to Jehovah and were happy that so much had been given. King David also was extremely happy.

²⁹ The rest of the acts of Solomon from first to last are written in the records of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah from Shiloh, and in Iddo the seer’s visions about Jeroboam son of Nebat.

⁸ He ignored the advice the elders gave him. He sought advice from the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. ⁹ He asked: »What is your advice? How should we respond to these people who are asking me to lighten the burden my father put on them?« ¹⁰ The young men who had grown up with him answered: »This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is heavier than my father’s whole body.

²² The history of Abijah, including how he lived, is written by the prophet Iddo.

¹ God’s Spirit came to Azariah, son of Oded. ² Azariah went to Asa and said: »Listen to me Asa and all you men from Judah and Benjamin. Jehovah is with you when you are with him. If you will dedicate your lives to serve him, he will accept you. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you.

⁸ »The Ethiopians and the Libyans, did they have large armies with many chariots and cavalry troops? But because you relied on Jehovah he gave you victory over them. ⁹ »The eyes of Jehovah keep close watch over the entire world. He gives strength (shows His strength) to (in behalf of) those whose hearts are loyal to him. You have acted foolishly! Therefore from now on you will always be at war.«

¹¹ All the events of Asa’s reign from beginning to end are recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

² A prophet, Jehu son of Hanani, went to meet the king. He said to him: »Do you think it is right to help those who are wicked and to take the side of those who hate Jehovah? What you have done has brought Jehovah’s anger upon you.

² They went around Judah, gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah and the leaders of the families of Israel, and came to Jerusalem. ³ The entire assembly made an agreement with the king in God’s Temple. Then Jehoiada said to them: Here is the king’s son. He should be king, as Jehovah said about David’s descendants. ⁴ You must do this: One third of you, the priests and Levites who are on duty on the day of worship, must guard the gates. ⁵ Another third must be at the royal palace. And another third must be at Foundation Gate. All the people must be in the courtyards of Jehovah’s Temple. ⁶ Only the priests and Levites who are on duty should come into Jehovah’s Temple. They may enter because they are holy. The other people should follow Jehovah’s regulations. ⁷ The Levites should surround the king. Each man should have his weapon in his hand. Kill anyone who tries to come into the Temple. Stay with the king wherever he goes. ⁸ The Levites and all the Judeans did what the priest Jehoiada had ordered them. Each took his men who were coming on duty on the day of worship as well as those who were about to go off duty. Jehoiada did not dismiss the priestly divisions. ⁹ Jehoiada gave the commanders the spears and the small and large shields. They once belonged to King David but were now in God’s Temple. ¹⁰ The troops stood with their weapons drawn. They were stationed around the king, the altar and the Temple. They were located from the south side to the north side of the Temple. ¹¹ Then they brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him. They gave him the testimony and made him king. Jehoiada and his sons anointed him. They said: »Long live the king!«

¹¹ Then they brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him. They gave him the testimony and made him king. Jehoiada and his sons anointed him. They said: »Long live the king!« ¹² Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king. She entered into the house of Jehovah to the people. ¹³ She saw the king was standing by his pillar at the entrance. The captains and the trumpeters were beside the king. All the people of the land rejoiced and blew trumpets. The singers with their musical instruments lead the praise. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and said: »This is treason! Treason!« ¹⁴ Jehoiada did not want Athaliah killed in the Temple area. He called out the army officers and said: »Take her out between the rows of guards. Kill anyone who tries to rescue her.« ¹⁵ They seized her and took her to the palace. There at the Horse Gate they killed her. ¹⁶ The priest Jehoiada had King Joash and the people join him. They made a covenant that they would be Jehovah’s people. ¹⁷ Then they all went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols. Then they killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars. ¹⁸ Jehoiada put the priests and Levites in charge of the work of the Temple. They were to carry out the duties assigned to them by King David. This included burning the sacrifices offered to Jehovah in accordance with the Law of Moses. They were also in charge of the music and the celebrations. ¹⁹ Jehoiada appointed gatekeepers for the gates of Jehovah’s temple. That way no one who was unclean for any reason could enter. ²⁰ He took the company commanders, the nobles, the people’s governors, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king from Jehovah’s Temple. They went through Upper Gate to the royal palace and seated the king on the royal throne. The nobles, the governors of the people, and ²¹ all the people of the land celebrated. The city was quiet because they had killed Athaliah with a sword.

⁴ Joash wanted to renovate Jehovah’s Temple.

⁶ The king called for the chief priest Jehoiada and asked him: »Why have you not required the Levites to bring the contributions from Judah and Jerusalem? Jehovah’s servant Moses and the assembly required Israel to give contributions for the use of the Tent of Testimony of God’s promise.«

¹² The king and Jehoiada gave the money to the foremen who were working on Jehovah’s Temple. They hired masons and carpenters to renovate Jehovah’s Temple. They also hired men who worked with iron and bronze to repair Jehovah’s Temple.

¹⁵ He died at the very old age of one hundred thirty years. ¹⁶ He was buried in the royal tombs in Jerusalem. This was because he had done so much good for the people of Israel, for God, and for the Temple. ¹⁷ After the death of Jehoiada the priest, the leaders of Judah went to Joash and talked him into doing what they wanted.

¹⁷ After the death of Jehoiada the priest, the leaders of Judah went to Joash and talked him into doing what they wanted. ¹⁸ The people of Judah stopped worshiping in the Temple of Jehovah God. They started worshiping idols and the symbols of the goddess Asherah. These sinful things made Jehovah God angry with the people of Judah and Jerusalem,

¹⁸ The people of Judah stopped worshiping in the Temple of Jehovah God. They started worshiping idols and the symbols of the goddess Asherah. These sinful things made Jehovah God angry with the people of Judah and Jerusalem, ¹⁹ However he still sent prophets who warned them to turn back to him. The people refused to listen. ²⁰ God’s Spirit spoke to Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. Zechariah told everyone that God was saying: »Why are you disobeying me and my Laws? This will only bring punishment! You have deserted me, so now I will desert you.«

²⁰ God’s Spirit spoke to Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. Zechariah told everyone that God was saying: »Why are you disobeying me and my Laws? This will only bring punishment! You have deserted me, so now I will desert you.« ²¹ They plotted against Zechariah. Then they followed the king’s order and stoned him to death in the courtyard of Jehovah’s Temple. ²² King Joash forgot that Zechariah’s father had always been a loyal friend. So when the people of Judah plotted to kill Zechariah, Joash joined them and gave orders for them to stone him to death in the courtyard of the Temple. As Zechariah was dying, he said: »I pray that Jehovah will see this and punish all of you.«

¹ Amaziah began to rule at age twenty-five. He ruled for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jehoaddan from Jerusalem. ² He did what Jehovah considered right, but he did not do it wholeheartedly.

¹¹ »They are now paying us back by coming to force us out of your land that you gave to us. ¹² »You are our God. Will you judge them? We do not have the strength to face this large crowd that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, so we are looking to you.«

¹⁴ Then Jehovah’s Spirit came to Jahaziel. He was the son of Zechariah, grandson of Benaiah, great-grandson of Jeiel, whose father was Mattaniah, a Levite descended from Asaph.

³⁴ Everything else about Jehoshaphat from first to last is written in the records of Jehu, son of Hanani, which is included in the Book of the Kings of Israel.

² Jehoram son of King Jehoshaphat of Judah had six brothers: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael, and Shephatiah.

¹³ Instead, you have followed the ways of the kings of Israel. You, like Ahab’s family, have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to chase after foreign gods as if they were prostitutes. You have killed your brothers, your father’s family. Your brothers were better than you.

¹⁶ Later Jehovah caused the Philistines and the Arabs who lived near the Ethiopians to become angry with Jehoram. ¹⁷ They invaded Judah and stole the royal property from the palace. They led Jehoram’s wives and sons away as prisoners. The only one left behind was Ahaziah, his youngest son. ¹⁸ After this happened; Jehovah struck Jehoram with an incurable stomach disease. ¹⁹ Two years later Jehoram died in terrible pain. No bonfire was built to honor him. The people had done this for his ancestors, but not him. ²⁰ Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king. He ruled eight years from Jerusalem. He died, and no one even felt sad. He was buried in Jerusalem, but not in the royal tombs.

³ Ahaziah also followed the ways of Ahab’s family, because his mother gave him advice that led him to sin. ⁴ He did what Jehovah considered evil the same as Ahab’s family had done. After his father died, they advised him to do what Ahab’s family had done. They did this to destroy him.

⁶ He returned to the city of Jezreel to recover from his wounds. Ahaziah went there to visit him.

⁸ Jehu carried out God’s sentence on the dynasty. He came across a group made up of Judean leaders and of Ahaziah’s nephews that had accompanied Ahaziah on his visit. Jehu killed them all.

¹ After a six-year wait Jehoiada the priest decided that it was time to take action. He made a pact with five army officers: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri.

⁴ He did what Jehovah considered right, as his father Amaziah had done. ⁵ He dedicated his life to serving God in the days of Zechariah. Zechariah taught him to respect God. As long as he dedicated his life to serve God, Jehovah gave him success.

¹³ They said to the army: »Do not bring the prisoners here. You will make us responsible for this sin against Jehovah. Do you intend to add to all our sins? Jehovah is very angry at Israel because we have already sinned.«

²² When he had this trouble, King Ahaz became more unfaithful to Jehovah! ²³ He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus. These were the gods who had defeated him. He thought: »The gods of the kings of Aram are helping them. I will sacrifice to them so that they will help me. But they ruined him and all Israel.« ²⁴ Ahaz collected the utensils in God’s Temple. He cut them up and closed the doors to Jehovah’s Temple. He made altars for himself on every corner in Jerusalem.

²⁷ Ahaz slept in death with his ancestors. He was buried in the city of Jerusalem because they did not put him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah succeeded him as king.

³ In the first month of his first year as king, he opened the doors of Jehovah’s temple and repaired them.

⁸ »Jehovah was angry with Judah and Jerusalem. He made them something that shocks and terrifies people and that people ridicule, as you can see with your own eyes.

⁸ In his eighteenth year as king as he was making the land and the temple clean, Josiah sent Shaphan, son of Azaliah, Maaseiah, the mayor of the city, and Joah, the royal historian and son of Joahaz, to repair the Temple of Jehovah his God. ⁹ They came to the chief priest Hilkiah and gave him the money that had been brought into God’s Temple. It was the money that the Levite doorkeepers had collected from the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim, from all who were left in Israel, from everyone in the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and from the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

⁹ They came to the chief priest Hilkiah and gave him the money that had been brought into God’s Temple. It was the money that the Levite doorkeepers had collected from the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim, from all who were left in Israel, from everyone in the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and from the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁰ They gave the money to the foremen who were in charge of Jehovah’s Temple. These foremen gave it to the workmen who were restoring and repairing the Temple. ¹¹ These workers included carpenters and builders. They were to buy quarried stones and wood for the fittings and beams of the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to become run-down.

¹⁴ All the officials, the priests, and the people became increasingly unfaithful and followed all the disgusting practices of the nations. Although Jehovah made the Temple in Jerusalem holy, they made the Temple unclean. ¹⁵ Jehovah the God of their ancestors repeatedly sent messages through his prophets because he wanted to spare his people and his dwelling place. ¹⁶ They mocked God’s messengers. They despised his words, and made fun of his prophets until Jehovah became angry with his people. He could no longer heal them.

²⁰ This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah. He did what was good and right and true to Jehovah his God.

²⁵ But Hezekiah was conceited. So he did not repay Jehovah for his kindness. Jehovah became angry with him, with Judah, and with Jerusalem.

³ He rebuilt the illegal places of worship that his father Hezekiah had torn down. He set up altars dedicated to other gods such as the Baals. He erected a pole dedicated to the goddess Asherah as King Ahab of Israel had done. Manasseh, like Ahab, worshiped and served the entire army of heaven. ⁴ He built altars in Jehovah’s Temple, of which Jehovah said: »My name will be in Jerusalem from generation to generation.« ⁵ He built altars for the entire army of heaven in the two courtyards of Jehovah’s Temple. ⁶ He burned his son as a sacrifice in the valley of Ben Hinnom, he consulted fortunetellers, and he cast evil spells. He also practiced witchcraft, and appointed royal mediums and psychics. He did many things that made Jehovah furious. ⁷ Manasseh had a carved idol made. Then he set it up in God’s Temple, where God had said to David and his son Solomon: »I have chosen this temple and Jerusalem from all the tribes of Israel. I will put my name here from generation to generation.

⁷ When the Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites, heard that the building of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and the broken places were being made good, they were very angry.

²⁶ »But they were hard-hearted, and went against your authority. They turned their backs on your law, and murdered your prophets. These prophets gave witness against them with the purpose of turning them back again to you. They did much to make you angry.

¹⁴ Nehemiah’s prayer: »Keep me in mind, O my God, in connection with this, and do not let the good which I have done for the house of my God and its worship go from your memory completely.«

⁶ Esther said: »Our hater and attacker is this evil Haman.« Then Haman was full of fear before the king and the queen.

²⁶ »You will come to your grave at a very old age like a stack of hay in its season.

¹⁴ You have seen trouble and grief and placed them under your control. The victim entrusts himself to you. You alone have been the helper of orphans.

¹⁰ Listen you kings, be wise (show discernment) and be warned you rulers of the earth. ¹¹ Serve Jehovah with deep respect and rejoice with trembling.

¹⁰ The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. ¹¹ Men will say: Truly there is a reward for the righteous. Truly there is a God who judges the earth.

³⁶ They flattered him with their mouths and lied to him with their tongues. ³⁷ Their hearts were not loyal to him. They were not faithful to his promise.

¹⁰ The days of our lives are seventy or eighty years if we are in good health. But the best of them bring trouble and misery. Indeed, they are soon gone, and we fly away.

¹⁶ I will satisfy you with a long life. I will show you my salvation.

⁷ For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today hear His voice! ⁸ Do not harden your hearts, as in the day of strife, as in the day of testing in the wilderness.

⁶ I said: »You are god-like ones. You are all sons of the Most High. (John 1:1) ⁷ »But you will certainly die like humans and fall like any prince.«

¹² Then they believed his words. They sang His praise. ¹³ They quickly forgot his works and they did not wait for his counsel.

⁴ In return for my love, they accuse me, but I pray for them.

⁷ The memory of the righteous is blessed. The name of the wicked will waste away.

²¹ She seduced him with her persuasive words. She forced him with her flattering lips. ²² He immediately goes after her. He is like a bull that goes to the slaughter. Or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, ²³ Till a dart strikes through his liver. The bird hurries to the snare without knowing it would cost his life.

¹³ Offer evil for good and evil will not depart from your house.

¹⁹ A gossip reveals secrets. So avoid a man who speaks flattering words.

⁸ As he who binds a stone in a sling, so is he who gives honor to a fool.

²⁸ A lying tongue hates those afflicted by it and a flattering mouth works ruin.

²² Though you grind a fool in mortar his foolishness will not depart from him.

⁵ A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.

¹² If a ruler listens to lies, all his servants are wicked.

⁵ »They come from a far country, from the extremities of the heavens (horizons). Jehovah and his instruments of indignation come to destroy the whole land.

²³ Give ear and hear my voice. Listen and hear my speech.

¹³ »These people praise me with their words,« said Jehovah, »but they never draw near to me in their hearts (deepest thoughts). Their reverence for me comes from the repetitious tradition of men.

¹⁷ One thousand people will flee when one person threatens them. You will flee when five threaten you. Then you will be left alone like a flagpole on top of a mountain, like a signpost on a hill.

⁵ »How horrible it will be for Assyria! It is the rod of my anger. My fury is in the staff of the Assyrians' hands. ⁶ »I send him against a godless nation. I commission him against the people of my fury to capture booty and to seize plunder, and to trample them down like mud (clay) in the streets.

²³ Will any of you listen to this? From now on will you listen with care?

⁴ »Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation. The law will go out from me. My justice will become a light to the nations.

³ Give ear and come to me; listen to me, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.

¹⁹ »Your own wickedness will correct you. Your apostasies (unfaithful ways) will punish you! You should know and see how evil and bitter it is for you when you abandon Jehovah your God! You do not respect (reverence) me,« says the Sovereign Lord Jehovah of Hosts.

¹⁸ »You brought this on yourself. This is your punishment. It is bitter. It breaks your heart.«

¹⁹ »‘They will ask: ‘Why has Jehovah our God done all this to us?’ Answer them: »You have abandoned me and served foreign gods in your land. So you will serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.«’«

²⁵ »Your wickedness has turned these things away. Your sins have kept good things away from you.

²⁵ »Since the day your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have sent you all my servants the prophets, daily rising early and sending them. ²⁶ »Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear. Instead they stiffened their neck (became stubborn). They did more evil than their fathers.

⁵ You greeted the one who gladly does right and remembers your ways. You were angry because we sinned. We continued to sin for a long time. Can we still be saved?

¹⁹ I was like an unquestioning lamb brought to the slaughter. I did not know that they were plotting against me. They were saying: »Let us destroy the tree with its fruit. Let us cut Jeremiah off from this world of the living so that we will not be reminded of him anymore.« ²⁰ O Jehovah of Hosts, you are a fair judge. You test motives and thoughts. I want to see you take revenge on them. For that reason I presented my case to you.

¹⁸ Then they said: »Come and let us devise plans against Jeremiah. Surely the law is not going to be lost to the priest, nor counsel to the wise man, nor the divine word to the prophet! Come on and let us strike him with our tongue, and let us pay no attention to any of his words.«

⁴ »Jehovah has sent all his servants the prophets to you. Yet, you have not listened or paid attention to them.« ⁵ The prophets said: »Turn from your evil ways and the evil you have done, and live in the land that Jehovah permanently gave to you and your ancestors.

⁵ »‘»You are to pay attention to the words of my servants, the prophets, whom I kept sending to you. You have never obeyed what they said.

¹⁴ »I am in your hand (power)! Do with me whatever you think is fair and right. ¹⁵ »But if you put me to death, you and everyone else in Jerusalem will be guilty of murdering an innocent man. This is because everything I spoke came from Jehovah.«

¹⁰ »Even if you would defeat the entire Babylonian army so that they had only a few badly wounded men left in their tents, they would get up and burn down this city!«’«

⁴ The officials went to the king and said: »This man must be put to death. By talking like this he is making the soldiers in the city lose their courage. He is doing the same thing to everyone else left in the city. He is not trying to help the people. He only wants to hurt them.« ⁵ King Zedekiah answered: »Very well, then, do what you want to with him. I cannot stop you.« ⁶ So they took me and let me down by ropes into Prince Malchiah's well, which was in the palace courtyard. There was no water in the well, only mud, and I sank down in it.

⁵⁶ A destroyer will attack Babylon, its soldiers will be captured, and their bows and arrows will be broken. I Jehovah am a God who punishes evil. I will certainly punish them.

⁴ »‘I kept sending you my servants the prophets, who told you not to do this terrible thing that I hate. ⁵ »‘But you would not listen or pay any attention. You would not give up your evil practice of sacrificing to other gods.

¹⁷ »‘You took your beautiful gold and silver jewelry that I had given you and made male idols for yourself. Then you committed adultery with them. ¹⁸ »‘You took off your embroidered clothes and covered the idols with them. You offered my olive oil and incense in their presence. ¹⁹ »‘You also offered them sweet and fragrant sacrifices. You gave flour, olive oil, and honey-all the food that I gave you to eat. This is what happened,’ declares the Lord Jehovah.« ²⁰ »‘You took your sons and daughters, who belonged to me, and you sacrificed them as food to idols. Was your prostitution not enough? ²¹ »‘You slaughtered my children and presented them as burnt offerings to idols.

² While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar commanded to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the Temple in Jerusalem. This way the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines, might drink from them. ³ Then they brought the gold vessels that were taken out of the Temple of the House of God that was at Jerusalem. The king and his lords, his wives and his concubines, drank from them. ⁴ They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, silver, copper, iron, wood, and of stone.

²³ »You lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of his house before you and your lords, wives and concubines. They drank wine from them. You praise the gods of silver and gold, of copper, iron, wood, and stone, which you do not see, nor hear, nor know. You have not glorified the God whose hand holds your breath and life.

³² »Those who act wickedly against the covenant will be perverted by flatteries. However, the people who know their God will be strong and act effectively.

⁸ »She did not know that I gave her the grain, the new wine and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they used for Baal. ⁹ »Therefore I will take back my grain at that time, and my new wine in the season. I will pluck away my wool and my flax that should have covered her nakedness.

¹³ »I will punish her for the days in which she burned incense to the Baals, when she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and went after her lovers, and forgot me,« said Jehovah.

¹⁰ »The princes of Judah are like them that remove the landmark. I will pour my wrath upon them like water. ¹¹ »Ephraim is oppressed. He is crushed in judgment because he was content to walk after man's command.

¹⁴ »For I will be to Ephraim as a lion. And I will be like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear and go away. I will carry off and there will be none to deliver.

¹² You are from everlasting, O Jehovah my God, my Holy One, You are eternal. O Jehovah, you have appointed them (the Chaldean) to execute judgment. You, O Rock, have established them for correction.

⁴ »I will use my power against Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will destroy followers of Baal in this place. I will remove the names of the pagan (idolatrous) priests along with my priests. ⁵ »I will remove those who bow down to worship the host of heaven on the housetops and those who bow down and swear to Jehovah and yet swear by Malcolm. ⁶ »The same for those who have turned back from following Jehovah, and those who have not sought Jehovah or inquired of Him.«

³ ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it nothing in your eyes?’

¹¹ »They refused to pay heed, turned a stubborn shoulder (resisted), and stopped their ears, that they might not hear. ¹² »They made their hearts hard like flint and would not listen to the law, and the words that Jehovah of Hosts sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Great anger came from Jehovah of Hosts!« ¹³ »‘I cried, and they would not listen. Now they will cry, and I will not listen,’ said Jehovah of Hosts! ¹⁴ ‘I will scatter them with a whirlwind among the nations that they have not known. Thus the land was desolate after them, so that no man passed through nor returned. They tread down the pleasant land and made it desolate.’«

⁹ »He that has ears let him hear.«

¹⁵ »‘The heart of this people is callous and dull. Their ears are plugged. They cannot hear. They closed their eyes and cannot see. They cannot see nor hear nor understand with their heart. They should turn around and I would heal them.’ ¹⁶ »Happy and blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.

²⁴ They arrived at Capernaum. The collectors of the two-drachma tax asked Peter: »Does your master make payment of the Temple tax? ²⁵ He said: »Yes.« When he entered the house, Jesus said to him: »What is your opinion, Simon? Who pays the tax assessed by the kings of the earth? Is it from their sons or from other people?« ²⁶ When he said: »From other people,« Jesus replied: »Are the sons free of tax? ²⁷ »We will not cause them trouble. Go to the sea, and let down a hook, and take the first fish you catch. You will see money (a stater coin) in its mouth. Give it to them for me and for you.«

⁴ He answered: »Have you not read, that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female? ⁵ »For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. The two shall become one flesh. ⁶ »So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What God has joined together, let no man pull apart (separate)!« ⁷ They asked him: »Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, to send her away?« ⁸ He answered: »Moses allowed you to send your wives away because of your hardness of heart. It was not allowed from the beginning.

³⁵ »The workmen attacked his servants, striking one with a stone and killing the other.

³⁴ »Look! I am sending you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will torture and kill. Others you will torment and persecute from city to city. ³⁵ »You are responsible for all the righteous blood shed on earth. That includes the blood of the righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the altar.

³⁵ »You are responsible for all the righteous blood shed on earth. That includes the blood of the righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the altar. ³⁶ »I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation (those living at that time). ³⁷ »Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you kill the prophets and stone the messengers who are sent to you! How often I wanted to gather your children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings. But you were not willing!

¹⁶ »The same is so of the word sown upon the rocky places. When they have heard the word and receive it with joy, ¹⁷ they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while. They stumble when tribulation or persecution arise.

⁴¹ He sat down near the collection boxes and observed how the crowd dropped money into the boxes. Many that were rich dropped in much.

¹ As he left the temple one of his disciples said to him: »Teacher look at these stones and the great buildings!« ² Jesus said: »See these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another. They will all be thrown down.«

⁴⁷ »Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. ⁴⁸ »Therefore you are witnesses and consent to the works of your fathers. They killed them and you build their tombs. ⁴⁹ »It is for this reason the wisdom of God said, ‘I send to them prophets and apostles and they will persecute and kill some of them.’ ⁵⁰ »The blood of all the prophets shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation. ⁵¹ »This includes the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. I tell you it will be required of this generation.

⁵¹ »This includes the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. I tell you it will be required of this generation.

³¹ »Abraham said: If they would not listen to Moses and the prophets, they would not listen to someone from the dead.«

¹⁵ When he was healed, one of them came back and praised God in a loud voice. ¹⁶ He fell on his face at Jesus feet and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. ¹⁷ Jesus answered: »Were all ten cleansed? Where are the nine? ¹⁸ »Were the others not willing to return with this foreigner to give glory to God?

⁹ He told the people an illustration: »A man planted a vineyard. He rented it to tenants and went to another country for a long time. ¹⁰ »At harvest time he sent a servant to the renters to collect fruit of the vineyard. The renters beat him, and sent him away empty. ¹¹ »He sent another servant who was also treated shamefully, beaten and sent away empty. ¹² »A third servant was sent. They wounded him and threw him out. ¹³ »The owner of the vineyard said, what should I do? I will send my beloved son. Maybe they will respect him. ¹⁴ »When the renters saw him they reasoned that this is the heir, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. ¹⁵ »They threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

³² Jesus replied to them: »I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of those works do you stone me?«

²⁹ »Men and brothers let me freely speak to you about the patriarch David that he is dead and buried. His grave is with us to this day.

⁴⁵ They sold their possessions and goods, and distributed them to all men, as every man had need. ⁴⁶ They continued daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house. They ate their food with gladness and singleness of heart. ⁴⁷ As they praised God, they had favor with all the people. God added to the congregation daily those being saved.

⁴⁴ »Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking to Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.

⁵⁸ They threw him out of the city, and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet. His name was Saul. ⁵⁹ They stoned Stephen. He called out: »Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!«

²⁹ »I know that after my departing grievous wolves will enter in among you, not sparing the flock. ³⁰ »Such men will arise from among you speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them.

² Out of severe affliction they have an abundance of joy and their deep poverty abounds in the riches of their generosity.

² On one day of the week let every one of you set something aside, as God has prospered you, that there be no contributions collected when I come. (Greek: heis, number one)

⁷ Let each man do according as he has purposed in his heart: not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver.

⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words. It is because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

⁸ Then the evil (lawless) one will be revealed. The Lord Jesus will put him to death with the breath of his mouth, and destroy him by the manifestation (brightness) (advent) (revelation) of his coming. (Greek: parousia: presence, return, being near)

¹⁴ Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: God will render to him according to his works.

¹⁶ At first no one defended me. They all abandoned me. May it not be counted against them.

¹⁰ For God is not unrighteous (unjust) to forget your work and the love you showed for his name. You ministered to the holy ones and continue to minister.

¹⁵ I will be diligent so that every time after my departure you will remember these things.

²⁰ »'But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads my servants astray so that they commit immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.

⁹ When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the persons who were slaughtered because of the word of God, and for the witness they gave. ¹⁰ They cried with a loud voice, saying: »How long, O Lord, holy and true, before you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?« ¹¹ Each of them was given a white robe. They were told that they should rest for a little while. [They were to wait] until the [number] of their fellow servants and their brothers, who would be killed, as they were, should be fulfilled.

⁶ »They have shed the blood of the holy ones and prophets. You give them blood to drink for they deserve it.«

²⁰ »Rejoice over her, you heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God pronounced judgment for you against her.«

² »True and righteous are his judgments: for he has judged the great harlot, who corrupted the earth with her fornication. And has avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.«