2 Chronicles 13; 2 Chronicles 14; John 12:1-26

1 In the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam, Abia reigned over Juda.

2 Three years he reigned in Jerusalem, and his mother’s name was Michaia, the daughter of Uriel of Gabaa: and there was war between Abia and Jeroboam.

3 And when Abia had begun battle, and had with him four hundred thousand most valiant and chosen men, Jeroboam put his army in array against him, eight hundred thousand men, who were also chosen and most valiant for war.

4 And Abia stood upon mount Semeron, which was in Ephraim, and said: Hear me, O Jeroboam, and all Israel:

5 Do you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave to David the kingdom over Israel for ever, to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?

6 And Jeroboam the son of Nabat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up: and rebelled against his lord.

7 And there were gathered to him vain men, and children of Belial: and they prevailed against Roboam the son of Solomon: for Roboam was unexperienced, and of a fearful heart, and could not resist them.

8 And now you say that you are able to withstand the kingdom of the Lord, which he possesseth by the sons of David, and you have a great multitude of people, and golden calves, which Jeroboam hath made you for gods.

9 And you have cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites: and you have made you priests, like all the nations of the earth: whosoever cometh and consecrateth his hand with a bullock of the herd, and with seven rams, is made a priest of those who are no gods.

10 But the Lord is our God, whom we forsake not, and the priests who minister to the Lord are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites are in their order.

11 And they offer holocausts to the Lord, every day, morning and evening, and incense made according to the ordinance of the law, and the loaves are set forth on a most clean table, and there is with us the golden candlestick, and the lamps thereof, to be lighted always in the evening: for we keep the precepts of the Lord our God, whom you have forsaken.

12 Therefore God is the leader in our army, and his priests who sound with trumpets, and resound against you: O children of Israel, fight not against the Lord the God of your fathers, for it is not good for you.

13 While he spoke these things, Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind him. And while he stood facing the enemies, he encompassed Juda, who perceived it not, with his army.

14 And when Juda looked back, they saw the battle coming upon them both before and behind, and they cried to the Lord: and the priests began to sound with the trumpets.

15 And all the men of Juda shouted: and behold when they shouted, God terrified Jeroboam, and all Israel that stood against Abia and Juda.

16 And the children of Israel fled before Juda, and the Lord delivered them into their hand.

17 And Abia and his people slew them with a great slaughter, and there fell wounded of Israel five hundred thousand valiant men.

18 And the children of Israel were brought down, at that time, and the children of Juda were exceedingly strengthened, because they had trusted in the Lord the God of their fathers.

19 And Abia pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Bethel and her daughters, and Jesana with her daughters, Ephron also and her daughters.

20 And Jeroboam was not able to resist any more, in the days of Abia: and the Lord struck him, and he died.

21 But Abia, being strengthened in his kingdom, took fourteen wives: and begot two and twenty sons, and sixteen daughters.

22 And the rest of the acts of Abia, and of his ways and works, are written diligently in the book of Addo the prophet.

1 And Abia slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: an Asa his son reigned in his stead: in his days the land was quiet ten years.

2 And Asa did that which was good and pleasing in the sight of his God, and he destroyed the altars of foreign worship, and the high places.

3 And broke the statues, and cut down the groves.

4 And he commanded Juda to seek the Lord the God of their fathers, and to do the law, and all the commandments.

5 And he took away out of all the cities of Juda the altars, and temples, and reigned in peace.

6 He built also strong cities in Juda, for he was quiet, and there had no wars risen in his time, the Lord giving peace.

7 And he said to Juda: Let us build these cities, and compass them with walls, and fortify them with towers, and gates, and bars, while all is quiet from wars, because we have sought the Lord the God of our fathers, and he hath given us peace round about. So they built, and there was no hinderance in building.

8 And Asa had in his army of men that bore shields and spears of Juda three hundred thousand, and of Benjamin that bore shields and drew bows, two hundred and eighty thousand, all these were most valiant men.

9 And Zara the Ethiopian came out against them with his army of ten hundred thousand men, and with three hundred chariots: and he came as far as Maresa.

10 And Asa went out to meet him, and set his army in array for battle in the vale of Sephata, which is near Maresa:

11 And he called upon the Lord God, and said: Lord, there is no difference with thee, whether thou help with few, or with many: help us, O Lord our God: for with confidence in thee, and in thy name we are come against this multitude. O Lord thou art our God, let not man prevail against thee.

12 And the Lord terrified the Ethiopians before Asa and Juda: and the Ethiopians fled.

13 And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them to Gerara: and the Ethiopians fell even to utter destruction, for the Lord slew them, and his army fought against them, and they were destroyed. And they took abundance of spoils,

14 And they took all the cities round about Gerara: for a great fear was come upon all men: and they pillaged the cities, and carried off much booty.

15 And they destroyed the sheepcotes, and took an infinite number of cattle, and of camels: and returned to Jerusalem.

1 Jesus therefore, six days before the pasch, came to Bethania, where Lazarus had been dead, whom Jesus raised to life.

2 And they made him a supper there: and Martha served. But Lazarus was one of them that were at table with him.

3 Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of right spikenard, of great price, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

4 Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, he that was about to betray him, said:

5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor?

6 Now he said this not because he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief and, having the purse, carried the things that were put therein.

7 Jesus therefore said: Let her alone, that she may keep it against the day of my burial.

8 For the poor you have always with you: but me you have not always.

9 A great multitude therefore of the Jews knew that he was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.

10 But the chief priests thought to kill Lazarus also:

11 Because many of the Jews, by reason of him, went away and believed in Jesus.

12 And on the next day, a great multitude that was come to the festival day, when they had heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

13 Took branches of palm trees and went forth to meet him and cried Hosanna. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, the king of Israel.

14 And Jesus found a young ass and sat upon it, as it is written:

15 Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold thy king cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.

16 These things his disciples did not know at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of him and that they had done these things to him.

17 The multitude therefore gave testimony, which was with him, when he called Lazarus out of the grave and raised him from the dead.

18 For which reason also the people came to meet him, because they heard that he had done this miracle.

19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves: Do you see that we prevail nothing? Behold, the whole world is gone after him.

20 Now there were certain Gentiles among them, who came up to adore on the festival day.

21 These therefore came to Philip, who was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying: Sir, we would see Jesus.

22 Philip cometh and telleth Andrew. Again Andrew and Philip told Jesus.

23 But Jesus answered them, saying: The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified.

24 Amen, amen, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground die,

25 Itself remaineth alone. But if it die it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it and he that hateth his life in this world keepeth it unto life eternal.

26 If any man minister to me, let him follow me: and where I am, there also shall my minister be. If any man minister to me, him will my Father honour.