The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord raises up those who are bowed down. The Lord loves the righteous. Psalm 146:8

2 Kings 13-14

2 Kings 13

Jehoahaz’s Wicked Reign in Israel

¹ In the 23^rd year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria for seventeen years. ² He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he caused Israel to commit. He did not depart from it. ³ The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria and into the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael, continually.

⁴ Jehoahaz sought the Lord, and the Lord listened to him, for he saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Syria oppressed them. ⁵ The Lord gave Israel a savior so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians, and the Israelites lived in their tents as before.

⁶ Nevertheless they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, which he caused Israel to commit but walked in them, and the Asherah also remained in Samaria. ⁷ For he did not leave to Jehoahaz any more than 50 horsemen, ten chariots, and 10,000 footmen, for the king of Syria destroyed them and made them like the dust in threshing.

⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ⁹ Jehoahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria, and Joash his son reigned in his place.

¹⁰ In the 37^th year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz began to reign over Israel in Samaria for sixteen years. ¹¹ He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he caused Israel to commit, but he walked in them.

¹² Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, and the might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ¹³ Joash rested with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne. Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

Elisha’s Final Prophecy

¹⁴ Now Elisha became sick with the illness from which he died, and Joash the king of Israel came down to him and wept over him and said, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!”

¹⁵ Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows,” and he took bow and arrows for himself.

¹⁶ He said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow,” and he put his hand on it. Elisha laid his hands on the king’s hands.

¹⁷ He said, “Open the window eastward,” and he opened it.

Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” and he shot.

Elisha said,

“This is the Lord’s arrow of victory,
the arrow of victory over Syria,
for you will strike the Syrians in Aphek
until you have consumed them.”

¹⁸ He said, “Take the arrows,” and the king took them.

He said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground,” and he struck three times and stopped.

¹⁹ The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times. Then you would have struck Syria until you had consumed it, whereas now you will strike Syria just three times.”

²⁰ Elisha died, and they buried him.

Now the bands of the Moabites used to invade the land at the coming in of the year. ²¹ As they were burying a man they saw a band of raiders, and they threw the man into Elisha’s tomb. As soon as the man touched Elisha’s bones, he revived and stood up on his feet.

²² Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. ²³ But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them and had respect for them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He would not destroy them, and he did not cast them from his presence as yet.

²⁴ Hazael king of Syria died, and Benhadad his son reigned in his place. ²⁵ Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken from the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Joash struck him three times and recovered the cities of Israel.

2 Kings 14

Amaziah’s Good Reign in Judah

¹ In the second year of Joash son of Joahaz king of Israel Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah began to reign. ² He was 25 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem.

³ He did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not like David his father. He did according to all that Joash his father had done. ⁴ However the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense in the high places. ⁵ As soon as the kingdom was established in his hand, he killed his servants who had slain the king his father, ⁶ but the children of the murderers, he did not put to death, according to that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, as the Lord commanded, saying, “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers, but every man shall die for his own sin.”

⁷ He killed 10,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt and took Sela by war and called it Joktheel to this day. ⁸ Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let’s meet one another face to face.”

⁹ Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thistle that was in Lebanon sent a message to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as wife.’ Then a wild animal that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thistle. ¹⁰ You have indeed struck Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Enjoy the glory of it, but stay at home, for why should you meddle to your harm, that you fall, you and Judah with you?’ ” ¹¹ But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah met face to face at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah.

¹² Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man fled to his tent. ¹³ Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh, and came to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, 600 feet. ¹⁴ He took all the gold and silver and all the vessels that were found in the house of the Lord and in the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.

Jeroboam II Succeeds Jehoash in Israel

¹⁵ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did and his might and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ¹⁶ Jehoash rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel, and Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.

Uzziah Succeeds Amaziah in Judah

¹⁷ Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. ¹⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ¹⁹ They formed a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish, but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. ²⁰ They brought him on horses, and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David.

²¹ All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah. ²² He built Elath and restored it to Judah. After that the king rested with his fathers.

Jeroboam II Reigns in Israel

²³ In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria for 41 years. ²⁴ He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he caused Israel to commit. ²⁵ He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which he spoke through his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath Hepher. ²⁶ For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter for all, slave and free, and there was no helper for Israel. ²⁷ The Lord did not say that he would blot out the name of Israel from under the heavens, but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

²⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did and his might, how he fought and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath, which had belonged to Judah, for Israel, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ²⁹ Jeroboam rested with his fathers, with the kings of Israel, and Zechariah his son reigned in his place.

Acts 18:23-19:12

Paul’s Third Missionary Journey

²³ Having spent some time there, he departed and went through the region of Galatia, and Phrygia, in order, establishing all the disciples.

²⁴ Now a certain Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus. He was mighty in the Scriptures. ²⁵ This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately, the things concerning Jesus, although he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶ He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

²⁷ When he had determined to pass over into Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to receive him. When he had come, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace, ²⁸ for he powerfully refuted the Jews, publicly showing by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.

Acts 19

The Holy Spirit Received at Ephesus

¹ While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper country, came to Ephesus and found certain disciples. ² He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
They said to him, “No, we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

³ He said, “Into what then were you baptized?”
They said, “Into John’s baptism.”

⁴ Paul said, “John indeed baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Jesus.”

⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke with other languages and prophesied. ⁷ They were about twelve men in all.

Paul Ministers in Ephesus

⁸ He entered into the synagogue and spoke boldly for a period of three months, reasoning and persuading about the things concerning the Kingdom of God.

⁹ But when some had become hardened and disobedient, speaking badly about the Way before the crowds, he departed from them and separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ This continued for two years, so that all those who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

¹¹ God worked special miracles through the hands of Paul, ¹² so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out.

Psalm 146

Praise the Lord, My Soul

¹ Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, my soul.
² While I live, I will praise the Lord.
I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist.

³ Do not put your trust in princes,
each a son of man in whom there is no help.
⁴ His spirit departs, and he returns to the earth.
On that very day, his thoughts perish.

⁵ Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
whose hope is in the Lord, his God,
⁶ who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps truth forever,
⁷ who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord frees the prisoners.
⁸ The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord raises up those who are bowed down.
The Lord loves the righteous.
⁹ The Lord preserves the foreigners.
He upholds the fatherless and widow,
but he turns the way of the wicked upside down.

¹⁰ The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!

Proverbs 18:2-3

² A fool has no delight in understanding,
but only in revealing his own opinion.
³ When wickedness comes, contempt also comes,
and with shame comes disgrace.

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