Mark 15:21-47; 1 Kings 11; Hosea 13

Mark 15:21-47

21 They forced a man coming in from the country, who was passing by, to carry Jesus' cross. He was Simon, a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus.

22 And they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means Skull Place).

23 They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it.

24 Then they crucified Him and divided His clothes, casting lots for them to decide what each would get.

25 Now it was nine in the morning when they crucified Him.

26 The inscription of the charge written against Him was THE KING OF THE JEWS

27 They crucified two criminals with Him, one on His right and one on His left. [

28 So the Scripture was fulfilled that says: And He was counted among outlaws. ]

29 Those who passed by were yelling insults at Him, shaking their heads, and saying, "Ha! The One who would demolish the sanctuary and build it in three days,

30 save Yourself by coming down from the cross!"

31 In the same way, the chief priests with the scribes were mocking Him to one another and saying, "He saved others; He cannot save Himself!

32 Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe." Even those who were crucified with Him were taunting Him.

33 When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.

34 And at three Jesus cried out with a loud voice, " Eloi, Eloi, lemá sabachtháni ?" which is translated, " My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? "

35 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "Look, He's calling for Elijah!"

36 Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, fixed it on a reed, offered Him a drink, and said, "Let's see if Elijah comes to take Him down!"

37 But Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed His last.

38 Then the curtain of the sanctuary was split in two from top to bottom.

39 When the centurion, who was standing opposite Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, "This man really was God's Son!"

40 There were also women looking on from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.

41 When He was in Galilee, they would follow Him and help Him. Many other women had come up with Him to Jerusalem.

42 When it was already evening, because it was preparation day (that is, the day before the Sabbath),

43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Sanhedrin who was himself looking forward to the kingdom of God, came and boldly went in to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body.

44 Pilate was surprised that He was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him whether He had already died.

45 When he found out from the centurion, he gave the corpse to Joseph.

46 After he bought some fine linen, he took Him down and wrapped Him in the linen. Then he placed Him in a tomb cut out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb.

47 Now Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were watching where He was placed.

1 Kings 11

1 King Solomon loved many foreign women in addition to Pharaoh's daughter: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women

2 from the nations that the Lord had told the Israelites about, "Do not intermarry with them, and they must not intermarry with you, because they will turn you away [from Me] to their gods." Solomon was deeply attached to these women and loved [them].

3 He had 700 wives who were princesses and 300 concubines, and they turned his heart away [from the Lord].

4 When Solomon was old, his wives seduced him [to follow] other gods. His heart was not completely with the Lord his God, as his father David's heart had been.

5 Solomon followed Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom, the detestable idol of the Ammonites.

6 Solomon did what was evil in the Lord's sight, and unlike his father David, he did not completely follow the Lord.

7 At that time, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the detestable idol of Moab, and for Milcom, the detestable idol of the Ammonites on the hill across from Jerusalem.

8 He did the same for all his foreign wives, who were burning incense and offering sacrifices to their gods.

9 The Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.

10 He had commanded him about this, so that he would not follow other gods, but Solomon did not do what the Lord had commanded.

11 Then the Lord said to Solomon, "Since you have done this and did not keep My covenant and My statutes, which I commanded you, I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.

12 However, I will not do it during your lifetime because of your father David; I will tear it out of your son's hand.

13 Yet, I will not tear the entire kingdom away from him. I will give one tribe to your son because of my servant David and because of Jerusalem that I chose."

14 So the Lord raised up Hadad the Edomite as an enemy against Solomon. He was of the royal family in Edom.

15 Earlier, when David was in Edom, Joab, the commander of the army, had gone to bury the dead and had struck down every male in Edom.

16 For Joab and all Israel had remained there six months, until he had killed every male in Edom.

17 Hadad fled to Egypt, along with some Edomites from his father's servants. At the time Hadad was a small boy.

18 Hadad and his men set out from Midian and went to Paran. They took men with them from Paran and went to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave Hadad a house, ordered that he [be given] food, and gave him land.

19 Pharaoh liked Hadad so much that he gave him a wife, the sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes.

20 Tahpenes' sister gave birth to Hadad's son Genubath. Tahpenes [herself] weaned him in Pharaoh's palace, and Genubath [lived] there along with Pharaoh's sons.

21 When Hadad heard in Egypt that David rested with his fathers and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, "Let me leave, so I can go to my own country."

22 But Pharaoh asked him, "What do you lack here with me for you to want to go back to your own country?" "Nothing," he replied, "but please let me leave."

23 God raised up Rezon son of Eliada as an enemy against Solomon. Rezon had fled from his master Hadadezer king of Zobah

24 and gathered men to himself. He became captain of a raiding party when David killed the Zobaites. He went to Damascus, lived there, and became king in Damascus.

25 Rezon was Israel's enemy throughout Solomon's reign, adding to the trouble Hadad [had caused]. He ruled over Aram, but he loathed Israel.

26 Now Solomon's servant, Jeroboam son of Nebat, was an Ephraimite from Zeredah. His widowed mother's name was Zeruah. Jeroboam rebelled against Solomon,

27 and this is the reason he rebelled against the king: Solomon had built the supporting terraces [and] repaired the opening in the wall of the city of his father David.

28 Now the man Jeroboam was capable, and Solomon noticed the young man because he was getting things done. So he appointed him over the entire labor force of the house of Joseph.

29 During that time, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met Jeroboam on the road as Jeroboam came out of Jerusalem. Now Ahijah had wrapped himself with a new cloak, and the two of them were alone in the open field.

30 Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he had on, tore it into 12 pieces,

31 and said to Jeroboam, "Take 10 pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord God of Israel says: 'I am about to tear the kingdom out of Solomon's hand. I will give you 10 tribes,

32 but one tribe will remain his because of my servant David and because of Jerusalem, the city I chose out of all the tribes of Israel.

33 For they have abandoned Me; they have bowed the knee to Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, to Chemosh, the god of Moab, and to Milcom, the god of the Ammonites. They have not walked in My ways to do right in My eyes and to carry out My statutes and My judgments as his father David did.

34 " 'However, I will not take the whole kingdom from his hand but will let him be ruler all the days of his life because of My servant David, whom I chose and who kept My commandments and My statutes.

35 I will take 10 tribes of the kingdom from his son's hand and give them to you.

36 I will give one tribe to his son, so that My servant David will always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city I chose for Myself to put My name there.

37 I will appoint you, and you will reign as king over all you want, and you will be king over Israel.

38 " 'After that, if you obey all I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight in order to keep My statutes and My commandments as My servant David did, I will be with you. I will build you a lasting dynasty just as I built for David, and I will give you Israel.

39 I will humble David's descendants, because of [their unfaithfulness], but not forever.' "

40 Therefore, Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but he fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, where he remained until Solomon's death.

41 The rest of the events of Solomon's [reign], along with all his accomplishments and his wisdom, are written about in the Book of Solomon's Events.

42 The length of Solomon's reign in Jerusalem over all Israel totaled 40 years.

43 Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam became king in his place.

Hosea 13

1 When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling; he was exalted in Israel. But he incurred guilt through Baal and died.

2 Now they continue to sin and make themselves a cast image, idols skillfully made from their silver, all of them the work of craftsmen. People say about them, "Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves."

3 Therefore, they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes, like chaff blown from a threshing floor, or like smoke from a window.

4 I have been the Lord your God ever since the land of Egypt; you know no God but Me, and no Savior exists besides Me.

5 I knew you in the wilderness, in the land of drought.

6 When they had pasture, they became satisfied; they were satisfied, and their hearts became proud. Therefore they forgot Me.

7 So I will be like a lion to them; I will lurk like a leopard on the path.

8 I will attack them like a bear robbed of her cubs and tear open the rib cage over their hearts. I will devour them there like a lioness, like a wild beast that would rip them open.

9 I will destroy you, Israel; you have no help but Me.

10 Where now is your king, that he may save you in all your cities, and the rulers you demanded, saying: Give me a king and leaders?

11 I give you a king in My anger and take away [a king] in My wrath.

12 Ephraim's guilt is preserved; his sin is stored up.

13 Labor pains come on him. He is not a wise son; when the time comes, he will not be born.

14 I will ransom them from the power of Sheol. I will redeem them from death. Death, where are your barbs? Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from My eyes.

15 Although he flourishes among [his] brothers, an east wind will come, a wind from the Lord rising up from the desert. His water source will fail, and his spring will run dry. The wind will plunder the treasury of every precious item.

16 Samaria will bear her guilt because she has rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to pieces, and their pregnant women ripped open.