John 1:19-34; 1 Chronicles 7; 1 Chronicles 8; Zephaniah 3

John 1:19-34

19 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"

20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."

21 And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No."

22 Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?"

23 He said: "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the Lord," ' as the prophet Isaiah said."

24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.

25 And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"

26 John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.

27 It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."

28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

30 This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'

31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."

32 And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.

33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'

34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."

1 Chronicles 7

1 The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron--four in all.

2 The sons of Tola were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Jibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their father's house. The sons of Tola were mighty men of valor in their generations; their number in the days of David was twenty-two thousand six hundred.

3 The son of Uzzi was Izrahiah, and the sons of Izrahiah were Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Ishiah. All five of them were chief men.

4 And with them, by their generations, according to their fathers' houses, were thirty-six thousand troops ready for war; for they had many wives and sons.

5 Now their brethren among all the families of Issachar were mighty men of valor, listed by their genealogies, eighty-seven thousand in all.

6 The sons of Benjamin were Bela, Becher, and Jediael--three in all.

7 The sons of Bela were Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri--five in all. They were heads of their fathers' houses, and they were listed by their genealogies, twenty-two thousand and thirty-four mighty men of valor.

8 The sons of Becher were Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jerimoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. All these are the sons of Becher.

9 And they were recorded by genealogy according to their generations, heads of their fathers' houses, twenty thousand two hundred mighty men of valor.

10 The son of Jediael was Bilhan, and the sons of Bilhan were Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tharshish, and Ahishahar.

11 All these sons of Jediael were heads of their fathers' houses; there were seventeen thousand two hundred mighty men of valor fit to go out for war and battle.

12 Shuppim and Huppim were the sons of Ir, and Hushim was the son of Aher.

13 The sons of Naphtali were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum, the sons of Bilhah.

14 The descendants of Manasseh: his Syrian concubine bore him Machir the father of Gilead, the father of Asriel.

15 Machir took as his wife the sister of Huppim and Shuppim, whose name was Maachah. The name of Gilead's grandson was Zelophehad, but Zelophehad begot only daughters.

16 (Maachah the wife of Machir bore a son, and she called his name Peresh. The name of his brother was Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rakem.

17 The son of Ulam was Bedan.) These were the descendants of Gilead the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh.

18 His sister Hammoleketh bore Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah.

19 And the sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.

20 The sons of Ephraim were Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eladah his son, Tahath his son,

21 Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead. The men of Gath who were born in that land killed them because they came down to take away their cattle.

22 Then Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him.

23 And when he went in to his wife, she conceived and bore a son; and he called his name Beriah, because tragedy had come upon his house.

24 Now his daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper Beth Horon and Uzzen Sheerah;

25 and Rephah was his son, as well as Resheph, and Telah his son, Tahan his son,

26 Laadan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son,

27 Nun his son, and Joshua his son.

28 Now their possessions and dwelling places were Bethel and its towns: to the east Naaran, to the west Gezer and its towns, and Shechem and its towns, as far as Ayyah and its towns;

29 and by the borders of the children of Manasseh were Beth Shean and its towns, Taanach and its towns, Megiddo and its towns, Dor and its towns. In these dwelt the children of Joseph, the son of Israel.

30 The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah.

31 The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel, who was the father of Birzaith.

32 And Heber begot Japhlet, Shomer, Hotham, and their sister Shua.

33 The sons of Japhlet were Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. These were the children of Japhlet.

34 The sons of Shemer were Ahi, Rohgah, Jehubbah, and Aram.

35 And the sons of his brother Helem were Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal.

36 The sons of Zophah were Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah,

37 Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Jithran, and Beera.

38 The sons of Jether were Jephunneh, Pispah, and Ara.

39 The sons of Ulla were Arah, Haniel, and Rizia.

40 All these were the children of Asher, heads of their fathers' houses, choice men, mighty men of valor, chief leaders. And they were recorded by genealogies among the army fit for battle; their number was twenty-six thousand.

1 Chronicles 8

1 Now Benjamin begot Bela his firstborn, Ashbel the second, Aharah the third,

2 Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth.

3 The sons of Bela were Addar, Gera, Abihud,

4 Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah,

5 Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.

6 These are the sons of Ehud, who were the heads of the fathers' houses of the inhabitants of Geba, and who forced them to move to Manahath:

7 Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera who forced them to move. He begot Uzza and Ahihud.

8 And Shaharaim had children in the country of Moab, after he had sent away Hushim and Baara his wives.

9 By Hodesh his wife he begot Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam,

10 Jeuz, Sachiah, and Mirmah. These were his sons, heads of their fathers' houses.

11 And by Hushim he begot Abitub and Elpaal.

12 The sons of Elpaal were Eber, Misham, and Shemed, who built Ono and Lod with its towns;

13 and Beriah and Shema, who were heads of their fathers' houses of the inhabitants of Aijalon, who drove out the inhabitants of Gath.

14 Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth,

15 Zebadiah, Arad, Eder,

16 Michael, Ispah, and Joha were the sons of Beriah.

17 Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber,

18 Ishmerai, Jizliah, and Jobab were the sons of Elpaal.

19 Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi,

20 Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel,

21 Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath were the sons of Shimei.

22 Ishpan, Eber, Eliel,

23 Abdon, Zichri, Hanan,

24 Hananiah, Elam, Antothijah,

25 Iphdeiah, and Penuel were the sons of Shashak.

26 Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah,

27 Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zichri were the sons of Jeroham.

28 These were heads of the fathers' houses by their generations, chief men. These dwelt in Jerusalem.

29 Now the father of Gibeon, whose wife's name was Maacah, dwelt at Gibeon.

30 And his firstborn son was Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab,

31 Gedor, Ahio, Zecher,

32 and Mikloth, who begot Shimeah. They also dwelt alongside their relatives in Jerusalem, with their brethren.

33 Ner begot Kish, Kish begot Saul, and Saul begot Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal.

34 The son of Jonathan was Merib-Baal, and Merib-Baal begot Micah.

35 The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz.

36 And Ahaz begot Jehoaddah; Jehoaddah begot Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begot Moza.

37 Moza begot Binea, Raphah his son, Eleasah his son, and Azel his son.

38 Azel had six sons whose names were these: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel.

39 And the sons of Eshek his brother were Ulam his firstborn, Jeush the second, and Eliphelet the third.

40 The sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor--archers. They had many sons and grandsons, one hundred and fifty in all. These were all sons of Benjamin.

Zephaniah 3

1 Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, To the oppressing city!

2 She has not obeyed His voice, She has not received correction; She has not trusted in the Lord, She has not drawn near to her God.

3 Her princes in her midst are roaring lions; Her judges are evening wolves That leave not a bone till morning.

4 Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people; Her priests have polluted the sanctuary, They have done violence to the law.

5 The Lord is righteous in her midst, He will do no unrighteousness. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He never fails, But the unjust knows no shame.

6 "I have cut off nations, Their fortresses are devastated; I have made their streets desolate, With none passing by. Their cities are destroyed; There is no one, no inhabitant.

7 I said, 'Surely you will fear Me, You will receive instruction'-- So that her dwelling would not be cut off, Despite everything for which I punished her. But they rose early and corrupted all their deeds.

8 "Therefore wait for Me," says the Lord, "Until the day I rise up for plunder; My determination is to gather the nations To My assembly of kingdoms, To pour on them My indignation, All my fierce anger; All the earth shall be devoured With the fire of My jealousy.

9 "For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, That they all may call on the name of the Lord, To serve Him with one accord.

10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, The daughter of My dispersed ones, Shall bring My offering.

11 In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds In which you transgress against Me; For then I will take away from your midst Those who rejoice in your pride, And you shall no longer be haughty In My holy mountain.

12 I will leave in your midst A meek and humble people, And they shall trust in the name of the Lord.

13 The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness And speak no lies, Nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; For they shall feed their flocks and lie down, And no one shall make them afraid."

14 Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!

15 The Lord has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You shall see disaster no more.

16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: "Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak.

17 The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

18 "I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly, Who are among you, To whom its reproach is a burden.

19 Behold, at that time I will deal with all who afflict you; I will save the lame, And gather those who were driven out; I will appoint them for praise and fame In every land where they were put to shame.

20 At that time I will bring you back, Even at the time I gather you; For I will give you fame and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I return your captives before your eyes," Says the Lord.