ARKCODEX
2 Kings
Ch. 15
King Uzziah of Judah
1In the twenty-seventh year of the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel, Uzziah son of Amaziah became king of Judah
2at the age of sixteen, and he ruled in Jerusalem for fifty-two years. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem.
3Following the example of his father, he did what was pleasing to the Lord.
4But the pagan places of worship were not destroyed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.
5The Lord struck Uzziah with a dreaded skin disease that stayed with him the rest of his life. He lived in a separate house, relieved of all duties, while his son Jotham governed the country.
6Everything else that Uzziah did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah.
7Uzziah died and was buried in the royal burial ground in David's City, and his son Jotham succeeded him as king.
King Zechariah of Israel
8In the thirty-eighth year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam II became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for six months.
9He, like his predecessors, sinned against the Lord. He followed the wicked example of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin.
10Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against King Zechariah, assassinated him at Ibleam, and succeeded him as king.
11Everything else that Zechariah did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel.
12So the promise was fulfilled which the Lord had made to King Jehu: “Your descendants down to the fourth generation will be kings of Israel.”
King Shallum of Israel
13In the thirty-ninth year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Shallum son of Jabesh became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for one month.
14Menahem son of Gadi went from Tirzah to Samaria, assassinated Shallum, and succeeded him as king.
15Everything else that Shallum did, including an account of his conspiracy, is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel.
16As Menahem was on his way from Tirzah, he completely destroyed the city of Tappuah, its inhabitants, and the surrounding territory, because the city did not surrender to him. He even ripped open the bellies of all the pregnant women.
King Menahem of Israel
17In the thirty-ninth year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for ten years.
18He sinned against the Lord, for until the day of his death he followed the wicked example of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin.
19Tiglath Pileser, the emperor of Assyria, invaded Israel, and Menahem gave him thirty-eight tons of silver to gain his support in strengthening Menahem's power over the country.
20Menahem got the money from the rich men of Israel by forcing each one to contribute fifty pieces of silver. So Tiglath Pileser went back to his own country.
21Everything else that Menahem did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel.
22He died and was buried, and his son Pekahiah succeeded him as king.
King Pekahiah of Israel
23In the fiftieth year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for two years.
24He sinned against the Lord, following the wicked example of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin.
25An officer of Pekahiah's forces, Pekah son of Remaliah, plotted with fifty men from Gilead, assassinated Pekahiah in the palace's inner fortress in Samaria, and succeeded him as king.
26Everything else that Pekahiah did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel.
King Pekah of Israel
27In the fifty-second year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for twenty years.
28He sinned against the Lord, following the wicked example of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin.
29It was while Pekah was king that Tiglath Pileser, the emperor of Assyria, captured the cities of Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, and Hazor, and the territories of Gilead, Galilee, and Naphtali, and took the people to Assyria as prisoners.
30In the twentieth year of the reign of Jotham son of Uzziah as king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah plotted against King Pekah, assassinated him, and succeeded him as king.
31Everything else that Pekah did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Israel.
King Jotham of Judah
32In the second year of the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah as king of Israel, Jotham son of Uzziah became king of Judah
33at the age of twenty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years. His mother was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.
34Following the example of his father Uzziah, Jotham did what was pleasing to the Lord.
35But the pagan places of worship were not destroyed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. It was Jotham who built the North Gate of the Temple.
36Everything else that Jotham did is recorded in The History of the Kings of Judah.
37It was while he was king that the Lord first sent King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel to attack Judah.
38Jotham died and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City, and his son Ahaz succeeded him as king.
Jonah
Ch. 1–4
Jonah Disobeys the Lord
1One day the Lord spoke to Jonah son of Amittai.
2He said, “Go to Nineveh, that great city, and speak out against it; I am aware of how wicked its people are.”
3Jonah, however, set out in the opposite direction in order to get away from the Lord. He went to Joppa, where he found a ship about to go to Spain. He paid his fare and went aboard with the crew to sail to Spain, where he would be away from the Lord.
4But the Lord sent a strong wind on the sea, and the storm was so violent that the ship was in danger of breaking up.
5The sailors were terrified and cried out for help, each one to his own god. Then, in order to lessen the danger, they threw the cargo overboard. Meanwhile, Jonah had gone below and was lying in the ship's hold, sound asleep.
6The captain found him there and said to him, “What are you doing asleep? Get up and pray to your god for help. Maybe he will feel sorry for us and spare our lives.”
7The sailors said to each other, “Let's draw lots and find out who is to blame for getting us into this danger.” They did so, and Jonah's name was drawn.
8So they said to him, “Now, then, tell us! Who is to blame for this? What are you doing here? What country do you come from? What is your nationality?”
9“I am a Hebrew,” Jonah answered. “I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made land and sea.”
10Jonah went on to tell them that he was running away from the Lord. The sailors were terrified, and said to him, “That was an awful thing to do!”
11The storm was getting worse all the time, so the sailors asked him, “What should we do to you to stop the storm?”
12Jonah answered, “Throw me into the sea, and it will calm down. I know it is my fault that you are caught in this violent storm.”
13Instead, the sailors tried to get the ship to shore, rowing with all their might. But the storm was becoming worse and worse, and they got nowhere.
14So they cried out to the Lord, “O Lord, we pray, don't punish us with death for taking this man's life! You, O Lord, are responsible for all this; it is your doing.”
15Then they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea, and it calmed down at once.
16This made the sailors so afraid of the Lord that they offered a sacrifice and promised to serve him.
17At the Lord's command a large fish swallowed Jonah, and he was inside the fish for three days and three nights.
Jonah 2
Jonah's Prayer
1From deep inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God:
2“In my distress, O Lord, I called to you, and you answered me. From deep in the world of the dead I cried for help, and you heard me.
3You threw me down into the depths, to the very bottom of the sea, where the waters were all around me, and all your mighty waves rolled over me.
4I thought I had been banished from your presence and would never see your holy Temple again.
5The water came over me and choked me; the sea covered me completely, and seaweed wrapped around my head.
6I went down to the very roots of the mountains, into the land whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, brought me back from the depths alive.
7When I felt my life slipping away, then, O Lord, I prayed to you, and in your holy Temple you heard me.
8Those who worship worthless idols have abandoned their loyalty to you.
9But I will sing praises to you; I will offer you a sacrifice and do what I have promised. Salvation comes from the Lord!”
10Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah up on the beach, and it did.
Jonah 3
Jonah Obeys the Lord
1Once again the Lord spoke to Jonah.
2He said, “Go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to the people the message I have given you.”
3So Jonah obeyed the Lord and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to walk through it.
4Jonah started through the city, and after walking a whole day, he proclaimed, “In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!”
5The people of Nineveh believed God's message. So they decided that everyone should fast, and all the people, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth to show that they had repented.
6When the king of Nineveh heard about it, he got up from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth, and sat down in ashes.
7He sent out a proclamation to the people of Nineveh: “This is an order from the king and his officials: No one is to eat anything; all persons, cattle, and sheep are forbidden to eat or drink.
8All persons and animals must wear sackcloth. Everyone must pray earnestly to God and must give up their wicked behavior and their evil actions.
9Perhaps God will change his mind; perhaps he will stop being angry, and we will not die!”
10God saw what they did; he saw that they had given up their wicked behavior. So he changed his mind and did not punish them as he had said he would.
Jonah 4
Jonah's Anger and God's Mercy
1Jonah was very unhappy about this and became angry.
2So he prayed, “Lord, didn't I say before I left home that this is just what you would do? That's why I did my best to run away to Spain! I knew that you are a loving and merciful God, always patient, always kind, and always ready to change your mind and not punish.
3Now then, Lord, let me die. I am better off dead than alive.”
4The Lord answered, “What right do you have to be angry?”
5Jonah went out east of the city and sat down. He made a shelter for himself and sat in its shade, waiting to see what would happen to Nineveh.
6Then the Lord God made a plant grow up over Jonah to give him some shade, so that he would be more comfortable. Jonah was extremely pleased with the plant.
7But at dawn the next day, at God's command, a worm attacked the plant, and it died.
8After the sun had risen, God sent a hot east wind, and Jonah was about to faint from the heat of the sun beating down on his head. So he wished he were dead. “I am better off dead than alive,” he said.
9But God said to him, “What right do you have to be angry about the plant?” Jonah replied, “I have every right to be angry—angry enough to die!”
10The Lord said to him, “This plant grew up in one night and disappeared the next; you didn't do anything for it and you didn't make it grow—yet you feel sorry for it!
11How much more, then, should I have pity on Nineveh, that great city. After all, it has more than 120,000 innocent children in it, as well as many animals!”
Psalms
Ch. 138
A Prayer of Thanksgiving
1I thank you, Lord, with all my heart; I sing praise to you before the gods.
2I face your holy Temple, bow down, and praise your name because of your constant love and faithfulness, because you have shown that your name and your commands are supreme.
3You answered me when I called to you; with your strength you strengthened me.
4All the kings in the world will praise you, Lord, because they have heard your promises.
5They will sing about what you have done and about your great glory.
6Even though you are so high above, you care for the lowly, and the proud cannot hide from you.
7When I am surrounded by troubles, you keep me safe. You oppose my angry enemies and save me by your power.
8You will do everything you have promised; Lord, your love is eternal. Complete the work that you have begun.