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32 At that time the Lord began to ·make Israel smaller [cut/trim off parts of Israel]. Hazael defeated the Israelites ·in all the land [throughout the territory] of Israel, 33 taking all the land east of the Jordan known as the land of Gilead. (It was the region of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh.) He took land from Aroer by the Arnon Ravine through Gilead to Bashan.
34 The other things Jehu did—everything he did and all his ·victories [achievements; power]—·are [L are they not…?] recorded in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 1:18] of the kings of Israel. 35 Jehu ·died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors] and was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoahaz became king in his place. 36 Jehu ·was king [reigned] over Israel in Samaria for twenty-eight years.
Athaliah and Joash(A)
11 When Ahaziah’s mother, Athaliah, ·saw [learned] that her son was dead, she ·killed [destroyed] all the royal ·family [offspring; C in order to claim power herself; she was a granddaughter of Omri, king of Israel; 8:26]. 2 But Jehosheba, King Jehoram’s daughter and Ahaziah’s sister, took Joash [C about a year old], Ahaziah’s son [C Joash was also known as Jehoash]. She stole him away from among the other sons of the king who were about to be murdered. She put Joash and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah, so he was not ·killed [murdered]. 3 He hid with her in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord for six years. During that time Athaliah ·ruled [reigned over] the land.
4 In the seventh year Jehoiada sent for the ·commanders [captains] of groups of a hundred men, as well as the Carites [C mercenaries, probably a palace guard like the Kerethites and the Pelethites; 2 Sam. 8:18; 20:23]. He brought them together in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and ·made [L cut] an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with them. There, in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord, he ·made them promise loyalty [put them under oath], and then he showed them the king’s son. 5 He commanded them, “This is what you must do. A third of you who go on duty on the Sabbath will guard the king’s ·palace [L house]. 6 A third of you will be at the Sur Gate, and another third will be at the gate behind the guard. This way you will guard the ·Temple [L house]. 7 The two groups who go off duty on the Sabbath must ·protect [stand guard/watch over] the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord for the king. 8 ·All of you must stand around [Surround] the king, with weapons in hand. Kill anyone who ·comes near [tries to break your ranks]. Stay ·close to [with] the king when he goes out and when he comes in.”
9 The ·commanders [captains] over a hundred men ·obeyed [did] everything Jehoiada the priest had commanded. Each one took his men who came on duty on the Sabbath and those who went off duty on the Sabbath, and they came to Jehoiada the priest. 10 He gave the commanders the spears and shields that had belonged to King David and that were kept in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord.
Joash Becomes King
11 Then each guard took his place with his weapons in his hand. ·There were guards [They stretched] from the ·south [L right] side of the ·Temple [L house] to the ·north [L left] side. They stood by the altar and the ·Temple [L house] and around the king. 12 Jehoiada brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him and gave him a copy of the ·agreement [covenant; testimony]. They ·appointed him king and poured olive oil on [anointed] him. Then they clapped their hands and ·said [shouted], “Long live the king!”
13 When Athaliah heard the noise of the guards and the people, she went to them at the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. 14 She looked, and there was the king, standing by the pillar [C a symbol of authority], as the custom was. The ·officers [commanders; captains] and trumpeters were standing beside him, and all the people of the land were ·very happy [rejoicing] and were blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes [C a sign of mourning or distress] and screamed, “·Traitors! Traitors! [Treason! Treason!]”
15 Jehoiada the priest gave orders to the ·commanders [captains] of a hundred men, who led the army. He said, “·Surround her with soldiers [Take her out under guard; L Bring her out between the ranks] and kill with a sword anyone who follows her.” For he had said, “Don’t put Athaliah to death in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord.” 16 So they ·caught [seized] her ·when she came [and took her] to the horses’ entrance near the ·palace [L king’s house]. There she was put to death.
17 Then Jehoiada ·made [L cut] an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] between the Lord and the king and the people that they would be the Lord’s people. He also made an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] between the king and the people. 18 All the people of the land went to the ·temple [L house] of Baal and tore it down, smashing the altars and idols. They also killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars.
Then Jehoiada the priest ·placed [stationed; posted] guards at the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. 19 He took with him the ·commanders [captains] of a hundred men and the ·Carites [C mercenaries; v. 4], the royal bodyguards, as well as the guards and all the people of the land. Together they ·took [brought; escorted] the king out of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and went into the ·palace [king’s house] through the gate of the guards. Then the king sat on the ·royal throne [throne of the kings]. 20 So all the people of the land ·were very happy [rejoiced], and Jerusalem ·had peace [was quiet/calm], because Athaliah had been put to death with the sword at the ·palace [L king’s house].
21 Joash was seven years old when he became king.
Joash’s Reign(B)
12 Joash became king of Judah in Jehu’s seventh year as king of Israel, and he ·ruled [reigned] for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah, and she was from Beersheba. 2 Joash did ·what the Lord said was right [L right in the sight of the Lord] as long as Jehoiada the priest ·taught [instructed] him. 3 But the ·places where gods were worshiped [L high places; C worship sites that became associated with pagan worship or inappropriate worship of God] were not removed; the people still made sacrifices and burned incense there.
Joash Repairsthe Temple
4 Joash said to the priests, “Take all the money brought as offerings to the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. This includes the money each person ·owes in taxes [is assessed] and the money ·each person promises [from personal vows] or ·brings freely [money brought voluntarily] to the Lord. 5 Each priest will take the money from ·the people he serves [donors; or acquaintances; or the treasurers]. Then the priests must ·repair [restore] any damage they find in the ·Temple [L house].”
6 But by the twenty-third year Joash was king, the priests still had not ·repaired [restored] the ·Temple [L house]. 7 So King Joash called for Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and said to them, “Why aren’t you ·repairing the damage of [restoring] the ·Temple [L house]? Don’t take any more money from ·the people you serve [donors; or acquaintances; or the treasurers], but hand over the money for the ·repair [restoration] of the ·Temple [L house].” 8 The priests agreed not to take any more money from the people and not to ·repair [restore] the ·Temple [L house] themselves.
9 Jehoiada the priest took a box and made a hole in the ·top of it [lid]. Then he put it by the altar, on the right side as the people came into the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. The priests guarding the ·doorway [entrance; threshold] put all the money brought to the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord into the box.
10 Each time the priests saw that the box was full of money, the king’s royal secretary and the high priest came. They counted the money that had been brought to the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord, and they put it into bags. 11 Next they weighed the money and gave it to the people in charge of the work on the ·Temple [L house]. With it they paid the carpenters and the builders who worked on the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord, 12 as well as the ·bricklayers [masons] and stonecutters. They also used the money to buy timber and cut stone to ·repair the damage of [restore] the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. It paid for ·everything [anything else that was used].
13 The money brought into the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord was not used to make silver cups, ·wick trimmers [snuffers], bowls, trumpets, or gold or silver vessels. 14 They paid the money to the workers, who used it to ·repair [restore] the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. 15 They did not ·demand to know how the money was spent [require an accounting], because the workers were honest. 16 The money from the ·penalty [guilt] offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord, because it belonged to the priests.
Joash Saves Jerusalem(C)
17 About this time Hazael king of Aram attacked Gath and captured it. Then he ·went [L set his face] to attack Jerusalem. 18 Joash king of Judah took all the ·holy things [sacred objects; votive gifts] ·given [dedicated] by his ·ancestors [fathers], the kings of Judah—Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah. He also took his own ·holy things [sacred objects; votive gifts] as well as the gold that was found in the treasuries of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and the gold from the ·palace [L king’s house]. Joash sent all this treasure to Hazael king of Aram, who ·turned away [withdrew] from Jerusalem.
19 Everything else Joash did ·is [L is it not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 1:18] of the kings of Judah. 20 His officers ·made plans [conspired; plotted] against him and ·killed [assassinated] him at Beth Millo on the road down to Silla. 21 The officers who ·killed [assassinated] him were Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer. Joash was buried with his ·ancestors [fathers] in the City of David [C Jerusalem], and Amaziah, his son, became king in his place.
Paul in Corinth
18 ·Later [L After this] Paul left Athens and went to Corinth [C a city about thirty miles southwest of Athens]. 2 Here he ·met [L found] a Jew named Aquila ·who had been born in [or whose family was from; a native of] the country of Pontus [C a province just south of the Black Sea in northeast Asia Minor]. But Aquila and his wife, Priscilla, had recently moved to Corinth from Italy, because Claudius [C Roman emperor from ad 41–54] commanded that all Jews must leave Rome [C an edict issued in ad 49 because of rioting, perhaps between Jews and Jewish Christians]. Paul ·went to visit [or came in contact with; or approached] Aquila and Priscilla. 3 [L And] Because they were ·tentmakers [or leatherworkers], just as he was, he stayed with them and worked with them. 4 Every Sabbath day he ·talked [reasoned; argued] with the Jews and Greeks in the synagogue, trying ·to persuade them to believe in Jesus [L to persuade them].
5 Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia [C the northern region of Greece] and joined Paul in Corinth. After this, Paul ·spent all his time telling people the Good News [L devoted himself to (preaching) the word], ·showing [testifying to] the Jews that Jesus is the Christ [Messiah; 17:3]. 6 But they ·would not accept Paul’s teaching [L opposed/resisted him] and ·said some evil things [or reviled him; or blasphemed; 13:45]. So he shook off the dust from his clothes [C a sign of protest and that he was done with them, leaving them to God’s judgment; 13:51] and said to them, “·If you are not saved, it will be your own fault [L Your blood is on your heads]! ·I have done all I can do [or My conscience is clear; L I am innocent/pure]! ·After this [From now on], I will go to ·other nations [the Gentiles].” 7 Paul left ·the synagogue [L there] and moved into the home of a man named Titius Justus, next to the synagogue. This man worshiped God [C a Gentile “God-fearer,” who worshiped the true God of Israel; 10:2; 13:43; 17:4]. 8 Crispus was the ·leader [official] of that synagogue, and he and all the people ·living in his house [of his household] believed in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also listened to Paul and believed and were baptized.
9 During the night, the Lord told Paul in a vision [10:9–16; 16:9–10]: “Don’t be afraid. ·Continue talking to people [Speak out] and don’t be ·quiet [silent]. 10 [L For] I am with you, and no one will [L lay a hand on you to] ·hurt [or do evil to] you because many of my people are in this city [Deut. 31:6; Josh. 1:5; Is. 41:10; 43:5; Jer. 1:7–9].” 11 Paul stayed there [C in Corinth] for a year and a half, teaching God’s word to the people.
Paul Is Brought Before Gallio
12 When Gallio was the ·governor [L proconsul; C from ad 51 to 52] of Achaia [C a Roman province in present-day southern Greece], ·some people [L the Jews] ·came together [made a united attack] against Paul and took him to the ·court [tribunal; judgment seat]. 13 They said, “This man is ·teaching [L persuading] people to worship God in a way that is against our law.”
14 Paul was about to ·say something [L open his mouth], but Gallio spoke [L to the Jews], saying, “I would [L reasonably; justifiably] listen to you [L O Jews,] if you were complaining about a crime or some ·wrong [evil wrongdoing; moral evil]. 15 But the things you are saying are only questions about words and names [C the debate over whether Jesus is the Messiah]—arguments about your own law. ·So you must solve this problem [L See to it] yourselves. I don’t want to be a judge of these things.” 16 And ·Gallio [L he] ·made them leave [threw them out of] the ·court [tribunal; judgment seat].
17 Then they[a] [C probably Greeks, using the opportunity to vent their dislike for the Jewish population; less likely, the Jews, angry at Sosthenes for losing the case] all grabbed Sosthenes [C perhaps the person mentioned in 1 Cor. 1:1], the ·leader [official] of the synagogue, and beat him there before the ·court [tribunal; judgment seat]. But this ·did not bother [was of no concern to; was ignored by] Gallio.
Paul Returns to Antioch
18 Paul stayed with the ·believers [L brothers (and sisters)] for many more days. Then he ·left [said farewell] and sailed for Syria, with Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchrea [C a port city east of Corinth] Paul cut off his hair [C a ritual sometimes performed when a promise was accomplished; perhaps this was a Nazirite vow; Num. 6:1–21], because he had made a ·promise to God [L vow]. 19 Then they went to Ephesus [C a major city across the Aegean Sea in western Asia Minor], where Paul left ·Priscilla and Aquila [L them]. While Paul was there, he went into the synagogue and talked [or argued; reasoned] with the ·people [L Jews]. 20 When they asked him to stay with them longer, he ·refused [declined]. 21 But as he ·left [said farewell], he said, “I will come back to you again if God ·wants me to [wills].” And so he sailed away from Ephesus.
22 When Paul landed at Caesarea [C a port city to the west of Jerusalem on the Mediterranean], he went [L up] and gave greetings to the ·church in Jerusalem [L the church; C the Greek does not mention Jerusalem, but going “up” implies the church in Jerusalem; less likely, it could be the church in Caesarea]. After that, Paul went [L down] to Antioch [C in Syria; the church that sent Paul out].
Praise to God the King
A psalm of praise. Of David.
145 I ·praise your greatness [exalt you], my God the King;
I will ·praise [bless] ·you [L your name] forever and ever.
2 I will ·praise [bless] you every day;
I will praise ·you [L your name] forever and ever.
3 The Lord is great and ·worthy of our praise [greatly to be praised; 48:1];
·no one can understand how great he is [L there is no searching out/limit to his greatness].
4 ·Parents [L A generation] will ·tell their children [L praise to a generation] what you have done.
They will ·retell [proclaim] your mighty acts,
5 ·wonderful majesty, and glory [L and the majestic glory of your splendor; C God’s manifest presence].
And I will ·think about [meditate on] your ·miracles [wonderful works].
6 They will tell about the ·amazing things you do [L might of your awesomeness],
and I will ·tell [recount] how great you are.
7 They will ·remember [bubble forth with] ·your great goodness [L the remembrance of your goodness]
and will sing about your ·fairness [righteousness].
8 The Lord is ·kind [gracious] and ·shows mercy [compassionate].
He ·does not become angry quickly [is slow to anger] but ·is full of love [has great loyalty].
9 The Lord is good to everyone;
he is ·merciful [compassionate] to all he has made [86:15; 103:8; Ex. 34:6–7; Neh. 9:17, 31; Joel 2:13; Jon. 4:2].
10 Lord, everything you have made will ·praise [bless] you;
·those who belong to you [your saints/loyal ones] will bless you.
11 They will tell about the glory of your kingdom
and will speak about your ·power [strength].
12 Then everyone will know the mighty things you do
and the glory and ·majesty [splendor] of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom ·will go on and on [L is an eternal kingdom],
and you will rule ·forever [L from generation to generation; Dan. 4:3].
The Lord ·will keep all his promises [L is faithful/true in all his words];
he is loyal to all he has made.[a]
14 The Lord ·helps [supports] those who have ·been defeated [L fallen]
and ·takes care of [L lifts up] those who are ·in trouble [bowed down].
15 ·All living things look to you for food [L The eyes of all look to you],
and you give ·it [L their food] to them at the right time.
16 You open your hand,
and you satisfy the desire of all living things [Matt. 6:25–27].
17 ·Everything the Lord does is right [L The Lord is righteous in all his ways].
He is loyal ·to all he has made [or in all his deeds].
18 The Lord is ·close [near] to everyone who ·prays to [calls on] him,
to all who ·truly pray to him [call on him in truth/faithfulness].
19 He ·gives those who respect him what they want [L accomplishes the desire of all who fear him; Prov. 1:7].
He listens when they cry, and he ·saves them [gives them victory].
20 The Lord ·protects [guards; keeps] everyone who loves him,
but he will destroy the wicked.
21 ·I will praise [L My mouth will speak the praise of] the Lord.
Let ·everyone [L all flesh] ·praise [bless] his holy name forever.
18 ·Unfriendly [Antisocial; Lonely] people ·are selfish [L seek their own longings/desires]
and ·hate [L break out against] all good sense.
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