Day 231 of 365

2 Chr 32:1–33:25

32:1 After these things, and this faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came, and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fortified cities, and thought to win them for himself.

32:2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem,

32:3 he took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the springs which were outside of the city; and they helped him.

32:4 So many people gathered together, and they stopped all the springs, and the brook that flowed through the midst of the land, saying, "Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?"

32:5 He took courage, and built up all the wall that was broken down, and raised it up to the towers, and the other wall outside, and strengthened Millo in the city of David, and made weapons and shields in abundance.

32:6 He set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the broad place at the gate of the city, and spoke comfortably to them, saying,

32:7 "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude who is with him; for there is a greater with us than with him.

32:8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles." The people rested themselves on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

32:9 After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem, (now he was before Lachish, and all his power with him), to Hezekiah king of Judah, and to all Judah who were at Jerusalem, saying,

32:10 Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria, "In whom do you trust, that you remain under siege in Jerusalem?

32:11 Doesn't Hezekiah persuade you, to give you over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, 'The Lord our God will deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria?'

32:12 Hasn't the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, 'You shall worship before one altar, and on it you shall burn incense?'

32:13 Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of the lands in any way able to deliver their land out of my hand?

32:14 Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of my hand?

32:15 Now therefore do not let Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you in this way, neither believe him; for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of my hand, and out of the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you out of my hand?"

32:16 His servants spoke yet more against the Lord God, and against his servant Hezekiah.

32:17 He also wrote letters insulting the Lord, the God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, "As the gods of the nations of the lands, which have not delivered their people out of my hand, so shall the God of Hezekiah not deliver his people out of my hand."

32:18 They cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them, and to trouble them; that they might take the city.

32:19 They spoke of the God of Jerusalem, as of the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the work of men's hands.

32:20 Hezekiah the king, and Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz, prayed because of this, and cried to heaven.

32:21 The Lord sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty men of valor, and the leaders and captains, in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. When he had come into the house of his god, those who came forth from his own bowels killed him there with the sword.

32:22 Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side.

32:23 Many brought gifts to the Lord to Jerusalem, and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah; so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations from thenceforth.

32:24 In those days Hezekiah was sick even to death: and he prayed to the Lord; and he spoke to him, and gave him a sign.

32:25 But Hezekiah did not render again according to the benefit done to him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath on him, and on Judah and Jerusalem.

32:26 Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come on them in the days of Hezekiah.

32:27 Hezekiah had a very great amount of riches and honor: and he provided him treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all kinds of goodly vessels;

32:28 storehouses also for the increase of grain and new wine and oil; and stalls for all kinds of animals, and flocks in folds.

32:29 Moreover he provided him cities, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance; for God had given him very much substance.

32:30 This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper spring of the waters of Gihon, and brought them straight down on the west side of the city of David. Hezekiah prospered in all his works.

32:31 However concerning the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.

32:32 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his good deeds, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz, in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

32:33 Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the ascent of the tombs of the sons of David: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honor at his death. Manasseh his son reigned in his place.

33:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.

33:2 He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the nations whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.

33:3 For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; and he reared up altars for the Baals, and made Asheroth, and worshiped all the army of the sky, and served them.

33:4 He built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord said, "My name shall be in Jerusalem forever."

33:5 He built altars for all the army of the sky in the two courts of the house of the Lord.

33:6 He also made his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom; and he practiced sorcery, and used enchantments, and practiced sorcery, and dealt with those who had familiar spirits, and with wizards: he worked much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.

33:7 He set the engraved image of the idol, which he had made, in God's house, of which God said to David and to Solomon his son, "In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name forever:

33:8 neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from off the land which I have appointed for your fathers, if only they will observe to do all that I have commanded them, even all the law and the statutes and the ordinances given by Moses."

33:9 Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that they did more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel did.

33:10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh, and to his people; but they gave no heed.

33:11 Therefore the Lord brought on them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh in chains, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.

33:12 When he was in distress, he begged the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers.

33:13 He prayed to him; and he was entreated by him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.

33:14 Now after this he built an outer wall to the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance at the fish gate; and he encircled Ophel with it, and raised it up to a very great height: and he put valiant captains in all the fortified cities of Judah.

33:15 He took away the foreign gods, and the idol out of the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built in the mountain of the house of the Lord, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city.

33:16 He built up the altar of the Lord, and offered thereon sacrifices of peace offerings and of thanksgiving, and commanded Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel.

33:17 Nevertheless the people sacrificed still in the high places, but only to the Lord their God.

33:18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, behold, they are written among the acts of the kings of Israel.

33:19 His prayer also, and how God was entreated of him, and all his sin and his trespass, and the places in which he built high places, and set up the Asherim and the engraved images, before he humbled himself: behold, they are written in the history of Hozai.

33:20 So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house: and Amon his son reigned in his place.

33:21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned two years in Jerusalem.

33:22 He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as did Manasseh his father; and Amon sacrificed to all the engraved images which Manasseh his father had made, and served them.

33:23 He did not humble himself before the Lord, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but this same Amon trespassed more and more.

33:24 His servants conspired against him, and put him to death in his own house.

33:25 But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place.

1 John 2:15–29

15 Do not love the world, neither the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the Father's love is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not the Father's, but is the world's.

17 The world is passing away with its lusts, but he who does God's will remains forever.

18 Little children, these are the end times, and as you heard that the Anti-Christ is coming, even now many anti-Christs have arisen. By this we know that it is the final hour.

19 They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have continued with us. But they left, that they might be revealed that none of them belong to us.

20 You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.

21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.

22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the Anti-Christ, he who denies the Father and the Son.

23 Whoever denies the Son, the same does not have the Father. He who confesses the Son has the Father also.

24 As for you, let that remain in you which you heard from the beginning. If that which you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will remain in the Son, and in the Father.

25 This is the promise which he promised us, the eternal life.

26 These things I have written to you concerning those who would lead you astray.

27 As for you, the anointing which you received from him remains in you, and you do not need for anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, you remain in him.

28 Now, little children, remain in him, that when he appears, we may have boldness, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of him.

Job 5:22–6:7

5:22 At destruction and famine you shall laugh, neither shall you be afraid of the animals of the earth.

5:23 For you shall be in league with the stones of the field. The animals of the field shall be at peace with you.

5:24 You shall know that your tent is in peace. You shall visit your fold, and shall miss nothing.

5:25 You shall know also that your seed shall be great, Your offspring as the grass of the earth.

5:26 You shall come to your grave in a full age, like a shock of grain comes in its season.

5:27 Look this, we have searched it, so it is. Hear it, and know it for your good."

6:1 Then Job answered,

6:2 "Oh that my anguish were weighed, and all my calamity laid in the balances!

6:3 For now it would be heavier than the sand of the seas, therefore have my words been rash.

6:4 For the arrows of the Almighty are within me. My spirit drinks up their poison. The terrors of God set themselves in array against me.

6:5 Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass? Or does the ox low over his fodder?

6:6 Can that which has no flavor be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

6:7 My soul refuses to touch them. They are as loathsome food to me.