Day 232 of 365

2 Chr 34:1–33

1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.

2 He did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father, and did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the Asherim, and the engraved images, and the molten images.

4 They broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence; and the incense altars that were on high above them he cut down; and the Asherim, and the engraved images, and the molten images, he broke in pieces, and made dust of them, and strewed it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.

5 He burnt the bones of the priests on their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem.

6 He did this in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, even to Naphtali, around in their ruins.

7 He broke down the altars, and beat the Asherim and the engraved images into powder, and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel, and returned to Jerusalem.

8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God.

9 They came to Hilkiah the high priest, and delivered the money that was brought into God's house, which the Levites, the keepers of the threshold, had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin, and of the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

10 They delivered it into the hand of the workmen who had the oversight of the house of the Lord; and the workmen who labored in the house of the Lord gave it to mend and repair the house;

11 even to the carpenters and to the builders gave they it, to buy cut stone, and timber for couplings, and to make beams for the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed.

12 The men did the work faithfully: and their overseers were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set it forward; and others of the Levites, all who were skillful with instruments of music.

13 Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and set forward all who did the work in every kind of service: and of the Levites there were scribes, and officers, and porters.

14 When they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of the Lord given by Moses.

15 Hilkiah answered Shaphan the scribe, "I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord." Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.

16 Shaphan carried the book to the king, and moreover brought back word to the king, saying, "All that was committed to your servants, they are doing.

17 They have emptied out the money that was found in the house of the Lord, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and into the hand of the workmen."

18 Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, "Hilkiah the priest has delivered me a book." Shaphan read therein before the king.

19 It happened, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he tore his clothes.

20 The king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying,

21 "Go inquire of the Lord for me, and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found; for great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book."

22 So Hilkiah, and they whom the king had commanded, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she lived in Jerusalem in the second quarter;) and they spoke to her to that effect.

23 She said to them, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: 'Tell the man who sent you to me,

24 "Thus says the Lord, 'Behold, I will bring disaster on this place, and on its inhabitants, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah.

25 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore is my wrath poured out on this place, and it shall not be quenched.'"'

26 But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus you shall tell him, 'Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: "As touching the words which you have heard,

27 because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God, when you heard his words against this place, and against its inhabitants, and have humbled yourself before me, and have torn your clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard you," says the Lord.

28 "Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, neither shall your eyes see all the disaster that I will bring on this place, and on its inhabitants."'" They brought back word to the king.

29 Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.

30 The king went up to the house of the Lord, and all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, both great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the Lord.

31 The king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book.

32 He caused all who were found in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand. The inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.

33 Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all who were found in Israel to serve, even to serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not depart from following the Lord, the God of their fathers.

1 John 3:1–24

1 Behold, how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this cause the world does not know us, because it did not know him.

2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet revealed what we will be. We know that, when he is revealed, we will be like him; for we will see him just as he is.

3 Everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, even as he is pure.

4 Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness.

5 You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him is no sin.

6 Whoever remains in him does not sin. Whoever sins hasn't seen him, neither knows him.

7 Little children, let no one lead you astray. He who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was revealed, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

9 Whoever is born of God does not commit sin, because his seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

10 In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever does not do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who does not love his brother.

11 For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;

12 unlike Cain, who was of the evil one, and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

13 Do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you.

14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who does not love remains in death.

15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.

16 By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

17 But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart of compassion against him, how does the love of God remain in him?

18 Little children, let us not love in word only, neither with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.

19 And by this we will know that we are of the truth, and persuade our heart before him,

20 because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

21 Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness toward God;

22 and whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight.

23 This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he commanded us.

24 He who keeps his commandments remains in him, and he in him. By this we know that he remains in us, by the Spirit which he gave us.

Ps 99:1–9

1 The Lord reigns! Let the peoples tremble. He sits enthroned among the cherubim. Let the earth be moved.

2 The Lord is great in Zion. He is high above all the peoples.

3 Let them praise your great and awesome name. He is Holy!

4 The King's strength also loves justice. You do establish equity. You execute justice and righteousness in Jacob.

5 Exalt the Lord our God. Worship at his footstool. He is Holy!

6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel among those who call on his name; they called on the Lord, and he answered them.

7 He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud. They kept his testimonies, the statute that he gave them.

8 You answered them, Lord our God. You are a God who forgave them, although you took vengeance for their doings.

9 Exalt the Lord, our God. Worship at his holy hill, for the Lord, our God, is holy!