The Daily Audio Bible

³² In those days Adonai began to reduce the size of Israel. For Hazael defeated them throughout the territory of Israel, ³³ from the Jordan eastward in all the land of Gilead—the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the Manassites—from Aroer by the Arnon Valley up to Gilead and Bashan.

³⁴ Now the rest of the acts of Jehu and all that he did and all his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ³⁵ Then Jehu slept with his fathers and they buried him in Samaria. And his son Jehoahaz became king in his place. ³⁶ The days of Jehu’s reign over Israel in Samaria were 28 years.

Wicked Queen Athaliah Overthrown

11 Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal offspring. ² But Jehosheba, daughter of King Joram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being put to death. She put him and his nurse in the bedroom, so he was hidden from Athaliah, so that he was not killed. ³ He remained with her, hidden in the House of Adonai for six years, while Athaliah was reigning over the country.

⁴ Now in the seventh year, Jehoiada sent and fetched the captains of the hundreds, of both the Carites and the guards, and had them come to him in the House of Adonai. After he cut a covenant with them and put them under oath in the House of Adonai, he showed them the king’s son. ⁵ Then he commanded them saying, “This is what you will do: one-third of you—those going on duty on Shabbat—keeps watch over the palace. ⁶ Then another third will be stationed at the Sur Gate and the last third will be at the gate behind the guards—so you will keep watch over the house on every side. ⁷ Your other two divisions, who are off duty on Shabbat, will also keep watch over the House of Adonai for the king. ⁸ So you are to surround the king on every side—every man with his weapons in his hand—whoever breaks through the ranks must be put to death. You must be with the king in his comings and goings.”

⁹ So the captains of hundreds did all that Jehoiada the kohen commanded. Each of the captains took his men—those who were on duty on Shabbat and those who were off duty on Shabbat—and presented themselves to Jehoiada the kohen. ¹⁰ The kohen delivered to the captains of hundreds the spear and shields that belonged to King David that were in the House of Adonai. ¹¹ So the guards stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, from the right side of the House to the left side of the House, by the altar and the House, around the king on every side.

¹² Then he brought out the king’s son and put the crown and the insignia on him, and so they proclaimed him king and anointed him. Then they clapped their hands and shouted, “Long live the king!”

¹³ When Athaliah heard the noise of the guards and the people, she came to the people in the House of Adonai. ¹⁴ She looked and behold, the king was standing by the pillar, as was the custom, with the captains and the trumpets beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, “Treason, treason!”

¹⁵ Then Jehoiada the kohen ordered the captains of hundreds, appointed over the army, and said to them, “Bring her out between the ranks—whoever follows her, put him to death with the sword.” For the kohen said, “Let her not be put to death in the House of Adonai.”

¹⁶ So they laid hands on her, and brought her to the horses’ entry of the royal palace, where she was put to death.

¹⁷ Then Jehoiada cut a covenant between Adonai and the king and the people—that they would be Adonai’s people—and also between the king and the people. ¹⁸ Next, all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They broke his altars and his images into pieces thoroughly, and slew Mattan, the priest of Baal, before the altars. Moreover, the kohen appointed officers over the House of Adonai. ¹⁹ Then he took the captains over hundreds, the Carites, the guard, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the House of Adonai, and came by the way of the gate of the guards to the royal palace. So he sat on the royal throne. ²⁰ Then all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet—they had already slain Athaliah with the sword in the royal palace.

Jehoash Restores the Temple

12 Jehoash was seven years old when he became king. ² Jehoash began his reign in the seventh year of Jehu and he reigned 40 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba. ³ Now Jehoash did what was right in Adonai’s eyes all his days, just as Jehoiada the kohen instructed him. ⁴ The high places, however, were not taken away. The people were still sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.

⁵ Then Jehoash said to the kohanim, “All the money of the sacred donations brought to the House of Adonai—the money in exchange for each person’s valuation, as well as all the money that anyone’s heart prompts him to bring to the House of Adonai— ⁶ let the kohanim receive it, each from one of the treasurers, so they may repair the damage to the House wherever any damage is found.”

⁷ But by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, the kohanim still had not repaired the damage to the House. ⁸ Then King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the kohen and the other kohanim, and said to them, “Why are you not repairing the damage to the House? Now therefore, take no more money from your treasurers, but hand it over for the damage to the House.” ⁹ The kohanim agreed that they would take no more money from the people, nor would they repair the damage of the House.

¹⁰ But Jehoiada the kohen took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and placed it beside the altar, on the right side as one entered the House of Adonai. The priestly guards of the threshold deposited there all the money that was brought to the House of Adonai. ¹¹ Whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the royal scribe and the kohen gadol would come up, put the money in bags and count the money that was found in the House of Adonai. ¹² Then they would give the money that was weighed out into the hands of those who did the work, who had been overseeing the House of Adonai—they, in turn, would pay it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the House of Adonai, ¹³ and to the masons and the stonecutters, and for buying timber and cut stone to repair the damage to Adonai’s House, and for all that was laid out for the House to repair it.

¹⁴ But there were no silver cups, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, and no vessels of gold or vessels of silver made for the House of Adonai from the money brought to the House of Adonai. ¹⁵ For they gave it to those that did the work, and with it they repaired the House of Adonai. ¹⁶ They did not check on the men to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, for they dealt faithfully. ¹⁷ The money from the guilt offering and money from the sin offering was not brought into the House of Adonai—it was for the kohanim.

¹⁸ Then King Hazael of Aram marched and attacked Gath and captured it, and next Hazael set his face to march against Jerusalem. ¹⁹ But King Jehoash of Judah took all the sacred objects that his fathers Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred objects, and all the gold that was found in the treasuries of the House of Adonai and in the royal palace, and sent them to King Hazael of Aram, so he withdrew from Jerusalem.

²⁰ Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ²¹ But his courtiers arose, conspired against him and assassinated Joash at Beth-Millo, on the way that goes down to Silla.

Many Respond in Corinth

18 After these things, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. ² There he found a Jewish man named Aquila—a native of Pontus having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all Jewish people to leave Rome. Paul went to see them; ³ and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and began working, for by trade they were tent-makers. ⁴ And he was debating every Shabbat in the synagogue, trying to persuade both Jewish and Greek people.

⁵ Now when Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul became occupied with the message, urgently testifying to the Jewish people that Yeshua is the Messiah. ⁶ But when they resisted and reviled him, he shook out his garments^[a] and said, “Your blood be upon your own heads—I am clean!^[b] From now on, I will go to the Gentiles.”

⁷ After leaving there, Paul went into the house of a man named Titius Justus, a God-fearer whose house was next door to the synagogue. ⁸ Crispus, the synagogue leader, put his faith in the Lord, along with his whole household. And many of the Corinthians, upon hearing, were believing and being immersed.

⁹ Now the Lord said to Paul through a vision in the night, “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent! ¹⁰ For I am with you and no one shall attack you to harm you—many people in this city are for Me.” ¹¹ So he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

¹² But while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jewish leaders made a united attack against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat, ¹³ saying, “This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the Torah.”

¹⁴ But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jewish people, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or a vicious crime, there would be a reason to put up with you, O Jews. ¹⁵ But since it is issues about words, names, and your own law, see to it yourselves. I do not wish to be a judge of these.” ¹⁶ And he drove them from the judgment seat. ¹⁷ Then they all grabbed Sosthenes, the synagogue leader, and began beating him in front of the judgment seat. But Gallio paid no attention to these things.

Sailing East to Revisit Communities

¹⁸ Paul, having stayed many more days, said farewell to the brothers and set sail to Syria, and with him were Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchrea Paul had his hair cut off, for he was keeping a vow. ¹⁹ When they arrived at Ephesus, Paul left Priscilla and Aquila there. But he himself went into the synagogue and debated with the Jewish people. ²⁰ When they asked him to stay longer, he declined, ²¹ instead taking leave of them while saying, “God willing, I’ll return to you again.”

He set sail from Ephesus. ²² After landing at Caesarea, he went up and greeted Messiah’s community; then he went down to Antioch.

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