Today's Reading

¹Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's place in Jerusalem.

²Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.

³The king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem, and fined the land one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.

⁴The king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Neco took Joahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.

⁵Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God.

⁶Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.

⁷Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.

⁸Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

⁹Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.

¹⁰At the return of the year king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the Lord, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.

¹¹Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem:

¹²and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God; he did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord.

¹³He also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord, the God of Israel.

¹⁴Moreover all the chiefs of the priests, and the people, trespassed very greatly after all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted the house of the Lord which he had made holy in Jerusalem.

¹⁵The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent to them by his messengers, rising up early and sending, because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place:

¹⁶but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, until there was no remedy.

¹⁷Therefore he brought on them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or gray-headed: he gave them all into his hand.

¹⁸All the vessels of God's house, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon.

¹⁹They burnt God's house, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels of it.

²⁰He carried those who had escaped from the sword away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:

²¹to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. As long as it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

²²Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,

²³"Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, 'The Lord, the God of heaven, has given all the kingdoms of the earth to me; and he has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all his people, the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up.'"

¹Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,

²"Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, 'The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

³Whoever there is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord, the God of Israel (he is God), which is in Jerusalem.

⁴Whoever is left, in any place where he lives, let the men of his place help him with silver, with gold, with goods, and with animals, besides the freewill offering for God's house which is in Jerusalem.'"

⁵Then the heads of fathers' households of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, even all whose spirit God had stirred to go up rose up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.

⁶All those who were around them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with animals, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.

⁷Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out of Jerusalem, and had put in the house of his gods;

⁸even those, Cyrus king of Persia brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.

⁹This is the number of them: thirty platters of gold, one thousand platters of silver, twenty-nine knives,

¹⁰thirty bowls of gold, silver bowls of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels one thousand.

¹¹All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. Sheshbazzar brought all these up, when the captives were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

¹Now these are the children of the province, who went up out of the captivity of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his city;

²who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:

³The children of Parosh, two thousand one hundred seventy-two.

⁴The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy-two.

⁵The children of Arah, seven hundred seventy-five.

⁶The children of Pahathmoab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred twelve.

⁷The children of Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.

⁸The children of Zattu, nine hundred forty-five.

⁹The children of Zaccai, seven hundred sixty.

¹⁰The children of Bani, six hundred forty-two.

¹¹The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty-three.

¹²The children of Azgad, one thousand two hundred twenty-two.

¹³The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty-six.

¹⁴The children of Bigvai, two thousand fifty-six.

¹⁵The children of Adin, four hundred fifty-four.

¹⁶The children of Ater, of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.

¹⁷The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty-three.

¹⁸The children of Jorah, one hundred twelve.

¹⁹The children of Hashum, two hundred twenty-three.

²⁰The children of Gibbar, ninety-five.

²¹The children of Bethlehem, one hundred twenty-three.

²²The men of Netophah, fifty-six.

²³The men of Anathoth, one hundred twenty-eight.

²⁴The children of Azmaveth, forty-two.

²⁵The children of Kiriath Arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred forty-three.

²⁶The children of Ramah and Geba, six hundred twenty-one.

²⁷The men of Michmas, one hundred twenty-two.

²⁸The men of Bethel and Ai, two hundred twenty-three.

²⁹The children of Nebo, fifty-two.

³⁰The children of Magbish, one hundred fifty-six.

³¹The children of the other Elam, one thousand two hundred fifty-four.

³²The children of Harim, three hundred twenty.

³³The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty-five.

³⁴The children of Jericho, three hundred forty-five.

³⁵The children of Senaah, three thousand six hundred thirty.

³⁶The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy-three.

³⁷The children of Immer, one thousand fifty-two.

³⁸The children of Pashhur, one thousand two hundred forty-seven.

³⁹The children of Harim, one thousand seventeen.

⁴⁰The Levites: the children of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the children of Hodaviah, seventy-four.

⁴¹The singers: the children of Asaph, one hundred twenty-eight.

⁴²The children of the porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, in all one hundred thirty-nine.

⁴³The Nethinim: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth,

⁴⁴the children of Keros, the children of Siaha, the children of Padon,

⁴⁵the children of Lebanah, the children of Hagabah, the children of Akkub,

⁴⁶the children of Hagab, the children of Shamlai, the children of Hanan,

⁴⁷the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar, the children of Reaiah,

⁴⁸the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda, the children of Gazzam,

⁴⁹the children of Uzza, the children of Paseah, the children of Besai,

⁵⁰the children of Asnah, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephisim,

⁵¹the children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,

⁵²the children of Bazluth, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha,

⁵³the children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Temah,

⁵⁴the children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha.

⁵⁵The children of Solomon's servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Hassophereth, the children of Peruda,

⁵⁶the children of Jaalah, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel,

⁵⁷the children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth Hazzebaim, the children of Ami.

⁵⁸All the Nethinim, and the children of Solomon's servants, were three hundred ninety-two.

⁵⁹These were those who went up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer; but they could not show their fathers' houses, and their seed, whether they were of Israel:

⁶⁰the children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred fifty-two.

⁶¹Of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Hakkoz, the children of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name.

⁶²These sought their place among those who were registered by genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were they deemed polluted and put from the priesthood.

⁶³The governor said to them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, until there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim.

⁶⁴The whole assembly together was forty-two thousand three hundred sixty,

⁶⁵besides their male servants and their female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty-seven: and they had two hundred singing men and singing women.

⁶⁶Their horses were seven hundred thirty-six; their mules, two hundred forty-five;

⁶⁷their camels, four hundred thirty-five; their donkeys, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.

⁶⁸Some of the heads of fathers' households, when they came to the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, offered willingly for God's house to set it up in its place:

⁶⁹they gave after their ability into the treasury of the work sixty-one thousand darics of gold, and five thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priests' garments.

⁷⁰So the priests, and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinim, lived in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.

¹When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the mystery of God.

²For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

³I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.

⁴My speech and my proclaiming were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

⁵that your faith would not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

⁶We speak wisdom, however, among those who are full grown; yet a wisdom not of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, who are coming to nothing.

⁷But we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom that has been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds for our glory,

⁸which none of the rulers of this world has known. For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

⁹But as it is written, "Things which an eye did not see, and an ear did not hear, which did not enter into the heart of man, these God has prepared for those who love him."

¹⁰But to us, God revealed them through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

¹¹For who among men knows the things of a man, except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God, except God's Spirit.

¹²But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that were freely given to us by God.

¹³Which things also we speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things.

¹⁴Now the natural man does not receive the things of God's Spirit, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

¹⁵But he who is spiritual discerns all things, and he himself is judged by no one.

¹⁶"For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him?" But we have Christ's mind.

¹Praise Yah! Praise the name of the Lord! Praise him, you servants of the Lord,

²you who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of our God's house.

³Praise Yah, for the Lord is good. Sing praises to his name, for that is pleasant.

⁴For Yah has chosen Jacob for himself; Israel for his own possession.

⁵For I know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is above all gods.

⁶Whatever the Lord pleased, that he has done, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps;

⁷who causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth; who makes lightnings with the rain; who brings forth the wind out of his treasuries;

⁸Who struck the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and animal;

⁹Who sent signs and wonders into the midst of you, Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his servants;

¹⁰who struck many nations, and killed mighty kings,

¹¹Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan,

¹²and gave their land for a heritage, a heritage to Israel, his people.

¹³Your name, Lord, endures forever; your renown, Lord, throughout all generations.

¹⁴For the Lord will judge his people, and have compassion on his servants.

¹⁵The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.

¹⁶They have mouths, but they can't speak. They have eyes, but they can't see.

¹⁷They have ears, but they can't hear; neither is there any breath in their mouths.

¹⁸Those who make them will be like them; yes, everyone who trusts in them.

¹⁹House of Israel, praise the Lord! House of Aaron, praise the Lord!

²⁰House of Levi, praise the Lord! You who fear the Lord, praise the Lord!

²¹Blessed be the Lord from Zion, Who dwells at Jerusalem. Praise Yah!

¹A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but accurate weights are his delight.

²When pride comes, then comes shame, but with humility comes wisdom.

³The integrity of the upright shall guide them, but the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them.

⁴Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.

⁵The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way, but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.

⁶The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them, but the unfaithful will be trapped by evil desires.

⁷When a wicked man dies, hope perishes, and expectation of power comes to nothing.

⁸A righteous person is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked takes his place.

⁹With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, but the righteous will be delivered through knowledge.

¹⁰When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices. When the wicked perish, there is shouting.

¹¹By the blessing of the upright, the city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.

¹²One who despises his neighbor is void of wisdom, but a man of understanding holds his peace.

¹³One who brings gossip betrays a confidence, but one who is of a trustworthy spirit is one who keeps a secret.

¹⁴Where there is no wise guidance, the nation falls, but in the multitude of counselors there is victory.

¹⁵He who is collateral for a stranger will suffer for it, but he who refuses pledges of collateral is secure.

¹⁶A gracious woman obtains honor, but violent men obtain riches.

¹⁷The merciful man does good to his own soul, but he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.

¹⁸Wicked people earn deceitful wages, but one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.

¹⁹He who is truly righteous gets life. He who pursues evil gets death.

²⁰Those who are perverse in heart are an abomination to the Lord, but those whose ways are blameless are his delight.

²¹Most certainly, the evil man will not be unpunished, but the seed of the righteous will be delivered.

²²Like a gold ring in a pig's snout, is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

²³The desire of the righteous is only good. The expectation of the wicked is wrath.

²⁴There is one who scatters, and increases yet more. There is one who withholds more than is appropriate, but gains poverty.

²⁵The liberal soul shall be made fat. He who waters shall be watered also himself.

²⁶People curse someone who withholds grain, but blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.

²⁷He who diligently seeks good seeks favor, but he who searches after evil, it shall come to him.

²⁸He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf.

²⁹He who troubles his own house shall inherit the wind. The foolish shall be servant to the wise of heart.

³⁰The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life. He who is wise wins souls.

³¹Behold, the righteous shall be repaid in the earth; how much more the wicked and the sinner!