The Daily Audio Bible

The Death of Jehu

³² In those days the Lord began to trim off parts of Israel, and Hazael struck them in all the territory of Israel: ³³ from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, the Reubenites, the Manassites from Aroer, which is by the River Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.

³⁴ Now the rest of the deeds of Jehu, all he did and all his power, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?

³⁵ So Jehu slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Jehoahaz his son became king in his place. ³⁶ The days that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria were twenty-eight years.

Athaliah Reigns in Judah^(A)

11 Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she rose up and destroyed all the royal descendants. ² But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash^[a] the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being murdered; and they hid him and his nurse in the bedroom, from Athaliah, so that he was not killed. ³ He was with her, hidden in the house of the Lord for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

Joash Anointed King of Judah

⁴ But in the seventh year Jehoiada sent word and took the captains of hundreds from the Carites and the guards and brought them to him in the house of the Lord. He made a covenant with them, put them under oath in the house of the Lord, and then showed them the king’s son. ⁵ He commanded them, saying, “This is the thing that you shall do: One-third of your unit, those who come on duty on the Sabbath, will guard the king’s house. ⁶ One-third will be at the gate of Sur, and one-third will be at the gate behind the guards. You will take turns guarding the house. ⁷ Two of your companies from all who go out on the Sabbath will keep watch over the house of the Lord for the king. ⁸ You will encircle the king, each man with his weapons in his hand, and the one that comes within the ranks must be killed. They must be with the king when he goes out and comes in.”

⁹ The captains of hundreds did according to everything that Jehoiada the priest commanded. Each took his men, those who came on duty on the Sabbath, with those that went off duty on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. ¹⁰ And the priest gave to the captains of hundreds spears and shields which belonged to King David that were in the house of the Lord. ¹¹ The guards stood, each with his weapons in his hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, along the altar and the house, surrounding the king.

¹² Then he brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him and gave him the testimony. They made him king and anointed him. Then they clapped their hands and said, “Live, O king!”

The Death of Athaliah

¹³ Then Athaliah heard the sound of the guards and the people, so she came to the people in the house of the Lord. ¹⁴ Then she looked, and the king was standing by a pillar according to custom, the captains and the trumpeters by the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. So Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, “Conspiracy, conspiracy!”

¹⁵ But Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds, those appointed over the forces, “Bring her out of the house to the ranks, and kill with the sword whoever follows her.” For the priest had said, “Let her not be killed in the house of the Lord.” ¹⁶ So they laid hands on her, and she came through the horses’ entrance into the king’s house. Then she was put to death there.

¹⁷ Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people, that they should be the people of the Lord, and also between the king and the people. ¹⁸ Then all the people of the land entered the house of Baal and broke down its altars. His images they thoroughly broke in pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.

The priest put appointees over the house of the Lord. ¹⁹ He took the captains of hundreds, the Carites, the guards, and all the people of the land. Then they brought down the king from the house of the Lord and marched through the gate of the guards to the king’s house. Then he sat on the throne of the kings. ²⁰ All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet. They had killed Athaliah with the sword at the king’s house.

²¹ Jehoash^[b] was seven years old when he became king.

Jehoash Repairs the Temple^(B)

12 In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash became king. He reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. ² Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all his days because Jehoiada the priest instructed him. ³ However, the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and made offerings in the high places.

⁴ Now Jehoash said to the priests, “All the consecrated money that is brought into the house of the Lord, the money for which each man is currently assessed, and all the money that is brought voluntarily to the house of the Lord, ⁵ let the priests receive it, each from his donor, and repair the damages to the house wherever damages are found.”

⁶ But in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash the priests had not repaired the damages to the house. ⁷ Then King Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and said to them, “Why have you not repaired the damages to the house? So now money will no longer be taken from your donors. You will give it over for the damages to the house.” ⁸ The priests agreed that they should take no more money from the people, nor repair the damages of the house.

⁹ So Jehoiada the priest took a chest, made a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the house of the Lord. The priests guarding the threshold put there all the money that was brought into the house of the Lord. ¹⁰ Whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king’s scribe and the high priest went up, emptied it, and counted the money that was found in the house of the Lord. ¹¹ They gave the money that was weighed out into the hands of the workers who were appointed to the house of the Lord. Then they paid it out to the carpenters and builders working on the house of the Lord, ¹² to the masons and stonecutters, and to buy timber and cut stone to repair the damages to the house of the Lord, that is, whatever went out for repairs to the house.

¹³ But for the house of the Lord silver bowls, snuffers, sprinkling basins, trumpets, and all the gold and silver vessels were not made with any of the money that was brought into the house of the Lord, ¹⁴ for they gave it to the workmen, and they repaired the house of the Lord with it. ¹⁵ They did not settle accounts with the men in whose hand they gave the money to give to the workmen, for they dealt faithfully. ¹⁶ The money from the guilt offerings and the money from the sin offerings were not brought into the house of the Lord. It belonged to the priests.

Hazael Threatens Jerusalem

¹⁷ Then Hazael king of Aram went up, fought against Gath, and seized it. Then Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. ¹⁸ So Jehoash king of Judah took all the consecrated things that Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated and his own consecrated things, all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the Lord and in the king’s house, and sent it to Hazael king of Aram. Then Hazael went away from Jerusalem.

The Death of Joash

¹⁹ Now the rest of the deeds of Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? ²⁰ His servants rose up, made a conspiracy, and struck Joash in the house of Millo, which goes down to Silla. ²¹ Jozabad the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him, and he died. They buried him with his fathers in the City of David. Then Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

Paul in Corinth

18 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. ² He found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to them. ³ And because he was of the same trade, he remained with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. ⁴ He lectured in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded Jews and Greeks.

⁵ When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul was pressed by the Spirit and testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. ⁶ But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be upon your heads. I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

⁷ Then he departed from there and entered the house of a man named Justus, one who worshipped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. ⁸ Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians, who heard, believed and were baptized.

⁹ The Lord spoke to Paul in the night through a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent. ¹⁰ For I am with you, and no one shall attack you and hurt you, for I have many people in this city.” ¹¹ So for a year and six months he sat among them, teaching the word of God.

¹² When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews in unity attacked Paul and brought him to court, ¹³ saying, “This man is persuading men to worship God contrary to the law.”

¹⁴ When Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, “O Jews, if it were a matter of a misdemeanor or serious crime, I would rightly bear with you. ¹⁵ But if it is a question of words and names and your law, look into it yourselves. For I do not intend to be a judge of these matters.” ¹⁶ So he drove them out of court. ¹⁷ Then all the Greeks seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But none of these things mattered to Gallio.

Paul’s Return to Antioch

¹⁸ Yet Paul remained many days. He had his hair cut in Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow. Then, bidding farewell to the brothers, he sailed to Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. ¹⁹ He arrived at Ephesus and left them there. But he himself went into the synagogue and lectured the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to remain for a while longer, he did not consent, ²¹ but, bidding farewell, said, “I must by all means attend this upcoming feast in Jerusalem, but I will return to you if God wills.” And he set sail from Ephesus. ²² When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.

Psalm 145

A Psalm of Praise. Of David.