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Jeroboam’s Son Dies
14 At that time Jeroboam’s son Abijah became very sick. 2 So Jeroboam said to his wife, “Go to Shiloh to see the prophet Ahijah. He is the one who said I would become king of Israel. But ·dress [disguise] yourself so people won’t know you are my wife. 3 Take the prophet ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.” 4 So the king’s wife did as he said and went to Ahijah’s home in Shiloh.
Now Ahijah was very old and ·blind [L his eyes were dim]. 5 The Lord said to him, “Jeroboam’s son is sick, and Jeroboam’s wife is coming to ask you about him. When she arrives, she will pretend to be ·someone else [another woman].” Then the Lord told Ahijah ·what to say [to say such and such/thus and thus].
6 When Ahijah heard her walking to the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why are you pretending to be ·someone else [another woman]? I have ·bad [heavy] news for you. 7 Go back and tell Jeroboam ·that this is what [T thus says] the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jeroboam, I ·chose [exalted; raised; promoted] you from among all the people and made you the leader of my people Israel. 8 I ·tore [ripped] the kingdom away from David’s ·family [L house], and I gave it to you. But you ·are not [have not been] like my servant David, who always obeyed my commands and followed me with all his heart. He did only what ·I said was right [L what was right in my eyes/sight]. 9 But you have done more evil than ·anyone who ruled [all who were] before you. You have ·quit following me [turned your back on me; L thrown me behind your back] and have made other gods and idols of metal. This has ·made me very angry [provoked/aroused my anger], 10 so I will soon bring ·disaster [calamity] to ·your family [L the house of Jeroboam]. I will ·kill [L cut off] all the men ·in your family [L from Jeroboam], both ·slaves [bond] and free men. I will ·destroy [or sweep away] your family as ·completely as fire burns up [or one sweeps away] ·manure [dung]. 11 Anyone from your family who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the ·fields [country] will be eaten by the ·birds [vultures; L birds of the air/sky]. The Lord has spoken.’”
12 Then Ahijah said to Jeroboam’s wife, “Go home now. As soon as you enter your city, ·your son [the child/boy] will die, 13 and all Israel will ·be sad [mourn] for him and bury him. He is the only one of Jeroboam’s family who will ·be buried [have a proper burial; L come to the grave], because he is the only one in ·the king’s family [L Jeroboam’s house] ·who pleased the Lord, the God of Israel [in whom the Lord, the God of Israel, found something good].
14 “The Lord will ·put [raise up] a new king over Israel, who will ·destroy [L cut off] Jeroboam’s ·family [L house], ·and this will happen soon [from this day on; L this day, what, even now?; C the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain]. 15 Then the Lord will ·punish [shake; L strike] Israel, which will be like reeds ·swaying [shaking] in the water. The Lord will ·pull up [uproot] Israel from this good land, the land he gave their ancestors. He will scatter Israel beyond the Euphrates River, because he is angry with the people. They ·made the Lord angry [aroused/provoked the Lord to anger] when they set up ·idols to worship Asherah [L Asherahs; C sacred trees or poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah]. 16 Jeroboam sinned, and then he made the people of Israel sin. So the Lord will ·let the people of Israel be defeated [abandon/give up Israel].”
17 Then Jeroboam’s wife left and returned to Tirzah. As ·soon as she entered [L she crossed the threshold of] her home, the boy died. 18 After they buried him, all Israel ·had a time of sadness [mourned] for him, ·just as the Lord had said [according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke] ·through [L by the hand of] his servant, the prophet Ahijah.
19 Everything else Jeroboam did, his wars and how he ruled, ·is [L is it not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals] of the kings of Israel [C a history book now lost]. 20 He served [reigned] as king for twenty-two years. Then he ·died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors], and his son Nadab ·became king [reigned] in his place.
The Death of Rehoboam(A)
21 Solomon’s son Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king of Judah. His mother was Naamah from Ammon. Rehoboam ·ruled [reigned] in Jerusalem for seventeen years. (The Lord had chosen that city from all the ·land [L tribes] of Israel ·as the place where he would be worshiped [L in which to put his name].)
22 The people of Judah did ·what the Lord said was wrong [L evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. Their sins ·made the Lord very angry, even more angry than he had been at what [provoked/aroused his resentment/jealousy more than anything] their ancestors had done. 23 The people built ·places to worship gods [L high places; 3:2] and pillars and Asherah ·idols [poles; 14:15] on every high hill and under every ·green [luxuriant; spreading] tree. 24 There were even male prostitutes [C associated with pagan cults] in the land. They ·acted like [imitated/committed the detestable acts/abominations of] the people God had ·driven out of [dispossessed from] the land before the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel].
25 During the fifth year Rehoboam was king, Shishak king of Egypt [C ruler of Egypt 935–914 bc] ·attacked [came against] Jerusalem. 26 He took the treasures from the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and the king’s ·palace [L house]. He took everything, even the gold shields Solomon had made. 27 So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to put in their place and ·gave [entrusted; committed] them to the commanders of the guards for the ·palace gates [L doorway/entrance of the king’s house]. 28 Whenever the king went to the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord, the guards carried the shields. Later, they would put them back in the guardroom.
29 ·Everything [L Is not everything…?] else King Rehoboam did is written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 14:19] of the kings of Judah. 30 There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam ·the whole time [continually; constantly]. 31 Rehoboam, son of Naamah from Ammon, ·died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors] and was buried with his ·ancestors [fathers] in the City of David [C Jerusalem], and his son Abijam[a] [C a pejorative name for Abijah; see 15:1] became king in his place.
Abijam King of Judah(B)
15 Abijam [C “My father is the Sea” (symbol of chaos); compare Abijah (“My father is the Lord”) in 2 Chr. 13:1] became king of Judah during the eighteenth year Jeroboam son of Nebat was king of Israel. 2 Abijam ruled in Jerusalem for three years. His mother was Maacah daughter of Abishalom [C David’s son Absalom]. 3 He ·did [committed; L walked in] all the same sins his father before him had ·done [committed]. ·Abijam was not faithful [L His heart was not fully/wholly devoted] to the Lord his God as David, his ·great-grandfather [L father; C in the sense of ancestor], had been. 4 ·Because the Lord loved David [For David’s sake], the Lord gave him a ·kingdom [L lamp; C possibly a metaphor for the reign of a king] in Jerusalem and allowed him to have a son to be king after him. The Lord also ·kept Jerusalem safe [strengthened/established Jerusalem]. 5 David did what ·the Lord said was right [L was right in the eyes/sight of the Lord] and ·obeyed [L had not turned aside from] his commands all his ·life [L days], except ·the one time when David sinned ·against [in the case/matter of] Uriah the Hittite [2 Sam. 11–12].
6 There was war between ·Abijam[b] and Jeroboam during Abijam’s lifetime. 7 Everything else Abijam did is written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 14:19] of the kings of Judah. There was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. 8 Abijam ·died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors] and was buried in the City of David [C Jerusalem], and his son Asa became king in his place.
Asa King of Judah
9 During the twentieth year Jeroboam was king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah. 10 His ·grandmother’s [mother’s; C in the sense of ancestor] name was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom [15:2]. Asa ruled in Jerusalem for forty-one years.
11 Asa did what ·the Lord said was right [L was right in the eyes/sight of the Lord], as his ·ancestor [L father] David had done. 12 He ·forced the male prostitutes at the worship places to leave the country [expelled/banished the male cult prostitutes from the land; 14:24]. He also took away the idols that his ·ancestors [fathers] had made. 13 His ·grandmother [mother; ancestor] Maacah had made a ·terrible [obscene; repulsive; abominable] Asherah ·idol [pole; 14:15], so Asa removed her from being queen mother. He cut down ·that idol [her obscene/repulsive/abominable image/pole] and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 14 The ·places of worship to gods [L high places; 3:2] were not removed. Even so, Asa was ·faithful [devoted; true] to the Lord all his life. 15 Asa brought into the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord the gifts he and his father had ·given [dedicated]: gold, silver, and utensils.
16 There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all ·the time they were kings [their days]. 17 Baasha ·attacked [invaded; L went up against] Judah, and he ·made the town of Ramah strong [fortified Ramah] so he could keep people from leaving or entering ·Judah, Asa’s country [L Asa, king of Judah].
18 Asa took the rest of the silver and gold from the treasuries of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and ·his own palace [L the treasuries of the king’s house] and gave it to his ·officers [officials; servants]. Then he sent them to Ben-Hadad son of Tabrimmon, who was the son of Hezion. Ben-Hadad was the king of Aram and ·ruled [lived] in the city of Damascus. Asa said, 19 “Let there be a treaty between you and me as there was between my father and your father. I am sending you a gift of silver and gold. Break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will ·leave my land [withdraw from me].”
20 Ben-Hadad ·agreed with [listened to] King Asa, so he sent the commanders of his armies ·to attack [against] the towns of Israel. They defeated the towns of Ijon, Dan, and Abel Beth Maacah, as well as all ·Galilee [L Kinnereth] and the area of Naphtali. 21 When Baasha heard about these attacks, he stopped ·building up [fortifying] Ramah and ·returned [withdrew] to Tirzah. 22 Then King Asa gave an ·order [proclamation] to all the people of Judah; everyone had to help carry away all the stones and ·wood [timber] Baasha had used in building Ramah, and they used them to build up Geba and Mizpah in the land of Benjamin.
23 Everything else Asa did—his ·victories [power] and the cities he built—·is [L are they not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 14:19] of the kings of Judah. When he became old, he got a disease in his feet. 24 After Asa ·died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors], he was buried with his ·ancestors [fathers] in the City of David [C Jerusalem], his ·ancestor [father]. Then Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son, ·became king [reigned] in his place.
Peter Teaches Cornelius
10 At Caesarea [C a coastal city, 25 miles south of Mount Carmel; a center of Roman government for Palestine] there was a man named Cornelius, ·an officer [L a centurion; C an officer in charge of about a hundred soldiers] in the Italian ·group of the Roman army [L cohort; regiment; C a cohort was about six hundred soldiers]. 2 Cornelius was a ·religious [pious; godly] man. He and all ·the other people who lived in his house [his household] ·worshiped the true God [L feared God; C “God-fearers” were Gentiles who worshiped the one true God of Israel]. He gave much of his money to ·the poor [or the Jewish people; L the people] and prayed to God often. 3 ·One afternoon about three o’clock [L About the ninth hour of the day], Cornelius clearly saw a vision. An angel of God came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
4 Cornelius stared at the angel. He ·became afraid [was terrified] and said, “What do you want, ·Lord [or sir]?”
The angel said, “·God has heard your prayers. He has seen that you give to the poor, and he remembers you [L Your prayers and your alms have gone up to God as a memorial/memorial offering]. 5 Send some men now to Joppa [9:36] to bring back a man named Simon who is also called Peter. 6 He is staying [as a guest] with a man, ·also named Simon, who is a tanner [or named Simon Byrseus; 9:43] and has a house beside the sea.” 7 When the angel who spoke to Cornelius left, Cornelius called two of his ·servants [household slaves/servants] and a soldier, a ·religious [devout; pious; godly] man who ·worked for him [or was on his staff; or was loyal to him]. 8 Cornelius explained everything to them and sent them to Joppa.
9 About ·noon [L the sixth hour] the next day as they ·came near Joppa [L journeyed and drew near the city], Peter was going up to the roof [C in ancient Israel flat roofs were used as living spaces and for storage] to pray. 10 He was hungry and wanted to eat, but while the food was being prepared, he ·had a vision [or fell into a trance]. 11 He saw heaven opened and ·something [an object] coming down that looked like a big sheet being lowered to earth by its four corners. 12 In it were all kinds of ·animals [L four-footed creatures], reptiles, and birds [L of the air/sky]. 13 Then a voice said to Peter, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.”
14 But Peter said, “·No [Absolutely not], Lord! I have never eaten food that is ·unholy [profane; common] or ·unclean [ritually defiled; C the OT food laws differentiated Israelites from Gentiles; Lev. 11; Ezek. 4:13–15].”
15 But the voice said to him again, “God has made these things clean, so don’t call them ·‘unholy’ [‘profane’; ‘common’]!” 16 This happened three times, and at once the ·sheet [L object; thing] was taken back to heaven.
17 While Peter was ·wondering [perplexed about] what this vision meant, [L look; T behold] the men Cornelius sent had found Simon’s house and were standing at the gate. 18 They asked, “Is ·Simon Peter [L Simon who is called Peter] staying [as a guest] here?”
19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “·Listen [L Look; T Behold], three men are looking for you. 20 [So; L But] Get up and go downstairs. Go with them without ·doubting [or hesitation], because I have sent them to you.”
21 So Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are ·looking [searching] for. Why did you come here?”
22 They said, “A holy angel spoke to Cornelius, ·an army officer [L a centurion] and a ·good [righteous] man; he ·worships [L fears] God. ·All the people [L The whole Jewish nation] ·respect [speak well of; L testify to] him. The angel told Cornelius to ask you to come to his house so that he can hear what you have to say.” 23 So Peter ·asked [invited] the men to come in and ·spend the night [L entertained them as guests; C an unusual gesture, since Jews would not normally invite Gentiles into their homes].
The next day Peter got ·ready [up] and went with them, and some of the ·followers [Jewish believers; L brothers] from Joppa joined him.
The Love of God’s People
A song ·for going up to worship [of ascents; C perhaps sung while traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate an annual religious festival like Passover]. Of David.
133 ·It is [L How] good and pleasant
when ·God’s people [L brothers] live together [C in unity]!
2 It is like ·perfumed [fine] oil on the head
and running down his beard [Ex. 30:22–33].
It ran down Aaron’s beard
and on to the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Mount Hermon [C in the extreme north of Israel]
falling on the hills of ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple].
There the Lord ·gives [L commanded] his blessing
of life forever.
7 ·Fools should not be proud [or It is not right for fools to be good speakers],
and ·rulers [honorable people] should not ·be liars [L have lying lips].
8 ·Some people think they can pay others to do anything they ask [L A bribe is a magic stone in the eyes of those who give it].
·They think it will work every time [L It grants success to all who use it].
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