John 18; John 19:1-16; 2 Chronicles 29; Psalms 85

John 18

1 After Jesus had said these things, He went out with His disciples across the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden, and He and His disciples went into it.

2 Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with His disciples.

3 So Judas took a company of soldiers and some temple police from the chief priests and the Pharisees and came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.

4 Then Jesus, knowing everything that was about to happen to Him, went out and said to them, "Who is it you're looking for?"

5 "Jesus the Nazarene," they answered. "I am He," Jesus told them. Judas, who betrayed Him, was also standing with them.

6 When He told them, "I am He," they stepped back and fell to the ground.

7 Then He asked them again, "Who is it you're looking for?" "Jesus the Nazarene," they said.

8 "I told you I am [He]," Jesus replied. "So if you're looking for Me, let these men go."

9 This was to fulfill the words He had said: "I have not lost one of those You have given Me."

10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear. (The slave's name was Malchus.)

11 At that, Jesus said to Peter, "Sheathe your sword! Am I not to drink the cup the Father has given Me?"

12 Then the company of soldiers, the commander, and the Jewish temple police arrested Jesus and tied Him up.

13 First they led Him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.

14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was advantageous that one man should die for the people.

15 Meanwhile Simon Peter was following Jesus, as was another disciple. That disciple was an acquaintance of the high priest; so he went with Jesus into the high priest's courtyard.

16 But Peter remained standing outside by the door. So the other disciple, the one known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the girl who was the doorkeeper and brought Peter in.

17 Then the slave girl who was the doorkeeper said to Peter, "You aren't one of this man's disciples too, are you?" "I am not!" he said.

18 Now the slaves and the temple police had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold. They were standing there warming themselves, and Peter was standing with them, warming himself.

19 The high priest questioned Jesus about His disciples and about His teaching.

20 "I have spoken openly to the world," Jesus answered him. "I have always taught in the synagogue and in the temple complex, where all the Jews congregate, and I haven't spoken anything in secret.

21 Why do you question Me? Question those who heard what I told them. Look, they know what I said."

22 When He had said these things, one of the temple police standing by slapped Jesus, saying, "Is this the way you answer the high priest?"

23 "If I have spoken wrongly," Jesus answered him, "give evidence about the wrong; but if rightly, why do you hit Me?"

24 Then Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, "You aren't one of His disciples too, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not!"

26 One of the high priest's slaves, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, "Didn't I see you with Him in the garden?"

27 Peter then denied it again. Immediately a rooster crowed.

28 Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to the governor's headquarters. It was early morning. They did not enter the headquarters themselves; otherwise they would be defiled and unable to eat the Passover.

29 Then Pilate came out to them and said, "What charge do you bring against this man?"

30 They answered him, "If this man weren't a criminal, we wouldn't have handed Him over to you."

31 So Pilate told them, "Take Him yourselves and judge Him according to your law." "It's not legal for us to put anyone to death," the Jews declared.

32 They said this so that Jesus' words might be fulfilled signifying what sort of death He was going to die.

33 Then Pilate went back into the headquarters, summoned Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"

34 Jesus answered, "Are you asking this on your own, or have others told you about Me?"

35 "I'm not a Jew, am I?" Pilate replied. "Your own nation and the chief priests handed You over to me. What have You done?"

36 "My kingdom is not of this world," said Jesus. "If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I wouldn't be handed over to the Jews. As it is, My kingdom does not have its origin here."

37 "You are a king then?" Pilate asked. "You say that I'm a king," Jesus replied. "I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice."

38 "What is truth?" said Pilate. After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, "I find no grounds for charging Him.

39 You have a custom that I release one [prisoner] to you at the Passover. So, do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?"

40 They shouted back, "Not this man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.

John 19:1-16

1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged.

2 The soldiers also twisted together a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and threw a purple robe around Him.

3 And they repeatedly came up to Him and said, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and were slapping His face.

4 Pilate went outside again and said to them, "Look, I'm bringing Him outside to you to let you know I find no grounds for charging Him."

5 Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"

6 When the chief priests and the temple police saw Him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!" Pilate responded, "Take Him and crucify Him yourselves, for I find no grounds for charging Him."

7 "We have a law," the Jews replied to him, "and according to that law He must die, because He made Himself the Son of God."

8 When Pilate heard this statement, he was more afraid than ever.

9 He went back into the headquarters and asked Jesus, "Where are You from?" But Jesus did not give him an answer.

10 So Pilate said to Him, "You're not talking to me? Don't You know that I have the authority to release You and the authority to crucify You?"

11 "You would have no authority over Me at all," Jesus answered him, "if it hadn't been given you from above. This is why the one who handed Me over to you has the greater sin."

12 From that moment Pilate made every effort to release Him. But the Jews shouted, "If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Anyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar!"

13 When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside. He sat down on the judge's bench in a place called the Stone Pavement (but in Hebrew Gabbatha).

14 It was the preparation day for the Passover, and it was about six in the morning. Then he told the Jews, "Here is your king!"

15 But they shouted, "Take Him away! Take Him away! Crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Should I crucify your king?" "We have no king but Caesar!" the chief priests answered.

16 So then, because of them, he handed Him over to be crucified. Therefore they took Jesus away.

2 Chronicles 29

1 Hezekiah was 25 years old when he became king; he reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.

2 He did what was right in the Lord's sight just as his ancestor David had done.

3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the Lord's temple and repaired them.

4 Then he brought in the priests and Levites and gathered them in the eastern public square.

5 He said to them, "Hear me, Levites. Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord God of your ancestors. Remove everything detestable from the holy place.

6 For our fathers were unfaithful and did what is evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They abandoned Him, turned their faces away from the Lord's tabernacle, and turned their backs on Him.

7 They also closed the doors of the vestibule, extinguished the lamps, did not burn incense, and did not offer burnt offerings in the holy place of the God of Israel.

8 Therefore, the wrath of the Lord was on Judah and Jerusalem, and He made them an object of terror, horror, and hissing, as you see with your own eyes.

9 Our fathers fell by the sword, and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity because of this.

10 It is in my heart now to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel so that His fierce wrath may turn away from us.

11 My sons, don't be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in His presence, to serve Him, and to be His ministers and burners of incense."

12 Then the Levites stood up: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah from the Kohathites; Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel from the Merarites; Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah from the Gershonites;

13 Shimri and Jeuel from the Elizaphanites; Zechariah and Mattaniah from the Asaphites;

14 Jehiel and Shimei from the Hemanites; Shemaiah and Uzziel from the Jeduthunites.

15 They gathered their brothers together, consecrated themselves, and went according to the king's command by the words of the Lord to cleanse the Lord's temple.

16 The priests went to the entrance of the Lord's temple to cleanse it. They took all the detestable things they found in the Lord's sanctuary to the courtyard of the Lord's temple. Then the Levites received them and took them outside to the Kidron Valley.

17 They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the Lord's [temple]. They consecrated the Lord's temple for eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.

18 Then they went inside to King Hezekiah and said, "We have cleansed the whole temple of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table for the rows [of the bread of the Presence] and all its utensils.

19 All the utensils that King Ahaz rejected during his reign when he became unfaithful we have set up and consecrated. They are in front of the altar of the Lord."

20 King Hezekiah got up early, gathered the city officials, and went up to the Lord's temple.

21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. Then he told the descendants of Aaron, the priests, to offer them on the altar of the Lord.

22 So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. They slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar. They slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar.

23 Then they brought the sin offering goats right into the presence of the king and the congregation, who laid their hands on them.

24 The priests slaughtered the goats and put their blood on the altar for a sin offering, to make atonement for all Israel, for the king said that the burnt offering and sin offering were for all Israel.

25 Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the Lord's temple with cymbals, harps, and lyres according to the command of David, Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet. For the command was from the Lord through His prophets.

26 The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.

27 Then Hezekiah ordered that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. When the burnt offerings began, the song of the Lord and the trumpets began, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel.

28 The whole assembly was worshiping, singing the song, and blowing the trumpets-all of this [continued] until the burnt offering was completed.

29 When the burnt offerings were completed, the king and all those present with him bowed down and worshiped.

30 Then King Hezekiah and the officials told the Levites to sing praise to the Lord in the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with rejoicing and bowed down and worshiped.

31 Hezekiah concluded, "Now you are consecrated to the Lord. Come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the Lord's temple." So the congregation brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all those with willing hearts brought burnt offerings.

32 The number of burnt offerings the congregation brought was 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the Lord.

33 Six hundred bulls and 3,000 sheep were consecrated.

34 However, since there were not enough priests, they weren't able to skin all the burnt offerings, so their Levite brothers helped them until the work was finished and until the priests consecrated themselves. For the Levites were more conscientious to consecrate themselves than the priests were.

35 Furthermore, the burnt offerings were abundant, along with the fat of the fellowship offerings and with the drink offerings for the burnt offering. So the service of the Lord's temple was established.

36 Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over how God had prepared the people, for it had come about suddenly.

Psalms 85

1 Lord, You showed favor to Your land; You restored Jacob's prosperity.

2 You took away Your people's guilt; You covered all their sin. Selah

3 You withdrew all Your fury; You turned from Your burning anger.

4 Return to us, God of our salvation, and abandon Your displeasure with us.

5 Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger for all generations?

6 Will You not revive us again so that Your people may rejoice in You?

7 Show us Your faithful love, Lord, and give us Your salvation.

8 I will listen to what God will say; surely the Lord will declare peace to His people, His godly ones, and not let them go back to foolish ways.

9 His salvation is very near those who fear Him, so that glory may dwell in our land.

10 Faithful love and truth will join together; righteousness and peace will embrace.

11 Truth will spring up from the earth, and righteousness will look down from heaven.

12 Also, the Lord will provide what is good, and our land will yield its crops.

13 Righteousness will go before Him to prepare the way for His steps.