Day 228 of 365

2 Chr 26:1–28:27

26:1 All the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah.

26:2 He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers.

26:3 Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jechiliah, of Jerusalem.

26:4 He did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.

26:5 He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the vision of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.

26:6 He went forth and warred against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities in the country of Ashdod, and among the Philistines.

26:7 God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians who lived in Gur Baal, and the Meunim.

26:8 The Ammonites gave tribute to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entrance of Egypt; for he grew exceeding strong.

26:9 Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them.

26:10 He built towers in the wilderness, and dug out many cisterns, for he had much livestock; in the lowland also, and in the plain: and he had farmers and vineyard keepers in the mountains and in the fruitful fields; for he loved farming.

26:11 Moreover Uzziah had an army of fighting men, who went out to war by bands, according to the number of their reckoning made by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king's captains.

26:12 The whole number of the heads of fathers' households, even the mighty men of valor, was two thousand and six hundred.

26:13 Under their hand was an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, who made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy.

26:14 Uzziah prepared for them, even for all the army, shields, and spears, and helmets, and coats of mail, and bows, and stones for slinging.

26:15 He made in Jerusalem engines, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and on the battlements, with which to shoot arrows and great stones. His name spread far abroad; for he was marvelously helped, until he was strong.

26:16 But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up, so that he did corruptly, and he trespassed against the Lord his God; for he went into the Lord's temple to burn incense on the altar of incense.

26:17 Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him eighty priests of the Lord, who were valiant men:

26:18 and they resisted Uzziah the king, and said to him, "It isn't for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary; for you have trespassed; neither shall it be for your honor from the Lord God."

26:19 Then Uzziah was angry; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense; and while he was angry with the priests, the leprosy broke forth in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the altar of incense.

26:20 Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked on him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out quickly from there; yes, himself hurried also to go out, because the Lord had struck him.

26:21 Uzziah the king was a leper to the day of his death, and lived in a separate house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land.

26:22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, wrote.

26:23 So Uzziah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the field of burial which belonged to the kings; for they said, "He is a leper." Jotham his son reigned in his place.

27:1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok.

27:2 He did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah had done: however he did not enter into the Lord's temple. The people still did corruptly.

27:3 He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord, and on the wall of Ophel he built much.

27:4 Moreover he built cities in the hill country of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers.

27:5 He fought also with the king of the children of Ammon, and prevailed against them. The children of Ammon gave him the same year one hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. The children of Ammon gave that much to him in the second year also, and in the third.

27:6 So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God.

27:7 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars, and his ways, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

27:8 He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.

27:9 Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Ahaz his son reigned in his place.

28:1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and he did not do that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, like David his father;

28:2 but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for the Baals.

28:3 Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.

28:4 He sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

28:5 Therefore the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they struck him, and carried away of his a great multitude of captives, and brought them to Damascus. He was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with a great slaughter.

28:6 For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed in Judah one hundred twenty thousand in one day, all of them valiant men; because they had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers.

28:7 Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son, and Azrikam the ruler of the house, and Elkanah who was next to the king.

28:8 The children of Israel carried away captive of their brothers two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.

28:9 But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria, and said to them, "Behold, because the Lord, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he has delivered them into your hand, and you have slain them in a rage which has reached up to heaven.

28:10 Now you purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bondservants and bondmaids for yourselves. Aren't there even with you trespasses of your own against the Lord your God?

28:11 Now hear me therefore, and send back the captives, that you have taken captive from your brothers; for the fierce wrath of the Lord is on you."

28:12 Then some of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who came from the war,

28:13 and said to them, "You shall not bring in the captives here: for you purpose that which will bring on us a trespass against the Lord, to add to our sins and to our trespass; for our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel."

28:14 So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the assembly.

28:15 The men who have been mentioned by name rose up, and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all who were naked among them, dressed them, gave them sandals, and gave them something to eat and to drink, anointed them, carried all the feeble of them on donkeys, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria.

28:16 At that time king Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria to help him.

28:17 For again the Edomites had come and struck Judah, and carried away captives.

28:18 The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland, and of the Negev of Judah, and had taken Beth Shemesh, and Aijalon, and Gederoth, and Soco with its towns, and Timnah with its towns, Gimzo also and its towns: and they lived there.

28:19 For the Lord brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he had dealt wantonly in Judah, and trespassed severely against the Lord.

28:20 Tilgath Pilneser king of Assyria came to him, and distressed him, but did not strengthen him.

28:21 For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of the Lord, and out of the house of the king and of the princes, and gave it to the king of Assyria: but it did not help him.

28:22 In the time of his distress, he trespassed yet more against the Lord, this same king Ahaz.

28:23 For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, which struck him; and he said, "Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, so I will sacrifice to them, that they may help me." But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.

28:24 Ahaz gathered together the vessels of God's house, and cut in pieces the vessels of God's house, and shut up the doors of the house of the Lord; and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem.

28:25 In every city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked to anger the Lord, the God of his fathers.

28:26 Now the rest of his acts, and all his ways, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

28:27 Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem; for they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

2 Pet 2:1–22

1 But false prophets also arose among the people, as false teachers will also be among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction.

2 Many will follow their immoral ways, and as a result, the way of the truth will be maligned.

3 In covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words: whose sentence now from of old does not linger, and their destruction is not asleep.

4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down to the lower parts of hell, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;

5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others, a proclaimer of righteousness, when he brought a flood on the world of the ungodly;

6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly;

7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was very distressed by the lustful life of the wicked

8 (for that righteous man dwelling among them, was tormented in his righteous soul from day to day with seeing and hearing lawless deeds):

9 the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment;

10 but chiefly those who walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement, and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries;

11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not bring a railing judgment against them before the Lord.

12 But these, as unreasoning creatures, born natural animals to be taken and destroyed, speaking evil in matters about which they are ignorant, will in their destroying surely be destroyed,

13 suffering the penalty as the wages of evil; people who count it pleasure to revel in the daytime, spots and blemishes, reveling in their deceit while they feast with you;

14 having eyes full of adultery, and who cannot cease from sin; enticing unsettled souls; having a heart trained in greed; children of cursing;

15 forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of wrongdoing;

16 but he was rebuked for his own disobedience. A mute donkey spoke with a man's voice and stopped the madness of the prophet.

17 These are wells without water, and mists driven by a storm; for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved.

18 For, uttering great swelling words of emptiness, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by licentiousness, those who barely escape from those who live in error;

19 promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for a man is brought into bondage by whoever overcomes him.

20 For if, after they have escaped the defilement of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in it and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.

21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.

22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb, "The dog turns to his own vomit again," and "the sow that has washed to wallowing in the mire."

Job 5:1–7

1 "Call now; is there any who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?

2 For resentment kills the foolish man, and jealousy kills the simple.

3 I have seen the foolish taking root, but suddenly I cursed his habitation.

4 His children are far from safety. They are crushed in the gate. Neither is there any to deliver them,

5 whose harvest the hungry eats up, and take it even out of the thorns. The snare gapes for their substance.

6 For affliction doesn't come forth from the dust, neither does trouble spring out of the ground;

7 but man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.