2 Kings 10; 2 Kings 11; 2 Kings 12; John 1:29-51

1 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the senior officers of the city, the elders, and the guardians of Ahab's sons.

2 The letters said: "Your master's sons are in your possession, along with horses and chariots, a fortified city, and weapons. Now when this letter reaches you,

3 look for the best and most capable of your master's sons. Place him on his father's throne. Then fight for your master's family."

4 But they were frozen with fear. They said, "Not even two kings could resist him! How can we?"

5 So the palace administrator, the mayor, the elders, and the guardians sent a letter back to Jehu that read, "We are your servants. We will do whatever you tell us. We won't make anyone king. Do whatever seems right to you."

6 Jehu wrote them a second letter: "If you are loyal to me and ready to obey me, take the heads of your master's sons and bring them to me at Jezreel at this time tomorrow." Now the king's seventy sons were with the city leaders who were raising them.

7 So when the letter came to them, they took the king's sons and slaughtered all seventy of them. They placed their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.

8 A messenger came and told Jehu, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons." He responded, "Pile them in two stacks at the entrance of the gate where they will stay until morning."

9 In the morning he went out and stood there to address all the people. "You are innocent. I'm the one who plotted against my master and killed him, but who killed all these people?

10 Know this: Nothing that the LORD has said against Ahab's dynasty will fail to come true. The LORD has done what he said he would do, speaking through his servant Elijah."

11 Then Jehu struck down all those belonging to Ahab's family who were left in Jezreel, so that not one of his leaders, close acquaintances, or priests remained.

12 Next Jehu set out for Samaria. Beth-eked of the Shepherds was on his way.

13 There Jehu met up with the brothers of Judah's King Ahaziah. "Who are you?" he asked. "We're Ahaziah's relatives," they replied. "We've come down for a visit with the king's sons and the queen mother's sons."

14 Jehu then commanded, "Take them alive!" His soldiers took them alive, then slaughtered them at the well of Beth-eked. There were forty-two of them, but not one was left.

15 Jehu departed from there and encountered Rechab's son Jehonadab. Jehu greeted him, and asked, "Are you as committed to me as I am to you?" Jehonadab responded, "Yes, I am." "If so," said Jehu, "then give me your hand." So Jehonadab put out his hand, and Jehu pulled him up into the chariot.

16 Jehu said, "Come with me and see my zeal for the LORD." So Jehu had Jehonadab ride with him in his chariot.

17 When Jehu arrived in Samaria, he killed all those belonging to Ahab who were left in Samaria until they were completely wiped out, in agreement with the LORD's word that was spoken to Elijah.

18 Then Jehu gathered all the people, saying to them, "Ahab served Baal a little. Jehu will serve him a great deal!

19 So invite all of Baal's prophets, all his worshippers, and all his priests to come to me. Don't leave anyone out, because I have a great sacrifice planned for Baal. Anyone who doesn't show up won't survive." But Jehu was lying so that he could wipe out Baal's worshippers.

20 Jehu called for a holy assembly for Baal, and it was done.

21 Jehu then sent word throughout Israel. All Baal's worshippers came. No one stayed away. They entered Baal's temple until it was packed from one end to the other.

22 Then Jehu said to the person in charge of the vestments, "Bring out the special clothes for all Baal's worshippers." So he brought out robes for them.

23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab, Rechab's son, entered Baal's temple. They said to Baal's worshippers, "Make sure there are no worshippers of the LORD here with you. There should be only Baal worshippers."

24 Then they went in to offer sacrifices and entirely burned offerings. But Jehu had stationed eighty soldiers outside and told them, "I'm handing these people over to you. Whoever lets even one of them escape will pay for it with his life."

25 So when Jehu finished offering the entirely burned offering, he said to the guards and the officers, "Go in and kill everyone! Don't let anyone escape!" They killed the Baal worshippers without mercy. The guards and the officers then disposed of the bodies and entered the inner part of Baal's temple.

26 They brought the sacred pillar out of Baal's temple and burned it.

27 They tore down Baal's sacred pillar and destroyed Baal's temple, turning it into a public restroom, which is what it still is today.

28 This is how Jehu eliminated Baal from Israel.

29 However, Jehu didn't deviate from the sins that Jeroboam, Nebat's son, had caused Israel to commit—specifically, the gold calves that were in Bethel and Dan.

30 The LORD said to Jehu: Because you've done well by doing what is right in my eyes, treating Ahab's family as I wished, your descendants will sit on Israel's throne for four generations.

31 But Jehu wasn't careful to keep the LORD God of Israel's Instruction with all his heart. He didn't deviate from the sins that Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.

32 In those days the LORD began to reduce Israel's size. Hazael struck them down in every region of Israel:

33 from the Jordan River eastward, throughout the land of Gilead (Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh), and from Aroer by the Arnon Valley (that is, Gilead) and Bashan.

34 The rest of Jehu's deeds, all that he accomplished, and all his powerful acts, aren't they written in the official records of Israel's kings?

35 Jehu lay down with his ancestors. He was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoahaz succeeded him as king.

36 Jehu had ruled over Israel for twenty-eight years in Samaria.

1 When Athaliah, Ahaziah's mother, learned of her son's death, she immediately destroyed the entire royal family.

2 But Jehosheba, King Jehoram's daughter and Ahaziah's sister, secretly took Ahaziah's son Jehoash from the rest of the royal children who were about to be murdered and hid him in a bedroom along with his nurse. In this way Jehoash was hidden from Athaliah and wasn't murdered.

3 He remained hidden with his nurse in the LORD's temple for six years while Athaliah ruled the country.

4 But in the seventh year Jehoiada sent for the commanders of the Carites and of the guards and had them come to him at the LORD's temple. He made a covenant with them, and made them swear a solemn pledge in the LORD's temple. Then he showed them the king's son.

5 He commanded them, "This is what you must do: A third of you coming on sabbath duty will guard the palace,

6 a second third will be at the Sur Gate, and the final third will be at the gate behind the guards. You will take turns guarding the temple.

7 You who are in the first two groups that usually go off duty on the Sabbath should also guard the LORD's temple to protect the king.

8 Surround the king completely, each of you with your weapons drawn. Whoever comes near your ranks must be killed. Stay near the king wherever he goes."

9 The unit commanders did everything that Jehoiada the priest ordered. They each took charge of those men reporting for duty on the Sabbath as well as those going off duty on the Sabbath. They came to the priest Jehoiada.

10 Then the priest gave the unit commanders King David's spears and shields, which were kept in the LORD's temple.

11 The guards, each with their weapons drawn, then took up positions near the temple and the altar, stretching from the south side of the temple to the north side to protect the king. Everyone was holding his weapons, surrounding the king.

12 Jehoiada then brought out the king's son, crowned him, gave him the royal law, and made him king and anointed him, as everyone applauded and cried out, "Long live the king!"

13 When Athaliah heard the noise made by the guard and the people, she went to the people at the LORD's temple

14 and saw the king standing by the royal pillar, as was the custom, with the commanders and trumpeters beside the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Athaliah ripped her clothes and screamed, "Treason! Treason!"

15 Then the priest Jehoiada ordered the unit commanders who were in charge of the army: "Take her out under guard," he told them, "and kill anyone who follows her." This was because the priest had said, "She must not be executed in the LORD's temple."

16 They arrested her when she reached the entrance of the Horse Gate at the royal palace. She was executed there.

17 Jehoiada then made a covenant between the LORD, the king, and the people, that the people would belong to the LORD. The king and the people also made a covenant.

18 Then all the people of the land went to Baal's temple and tore it down, smashing its altars and images into pieces. They executed Mattan, Baal's priest, in front of the altars. The priest Jehoiada posted guards at the LORD's temple.

19 Then he took the unit commanders, the Carites, the guards, and all the people of the land, and they led the king down from the LORD's temple, processing through the Guards' Gate to the palace, where the king sat upon the royal throne.

20 All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was at peace now that Athaliah had been executed at the palace.

21 Jehoash was 7 years old when he became king.

1 He became king in Jehu's seventh year, and he ruled for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah; she was from Beer-sheba.

2 Jehoash always did what was right in the LORD's eyes, because the priest Jehoiada was his teacher.

3 However, the shrines were not removed. People kept sacrificing and burning incense at them.

4 Jehoash said to the priests, "Collect all the currently available money relating to holy things that is brought to the temple—some is money people pay to redeem persons according to their assessed value. Collect all the money brought to the LORD's temple that people offer voluntarily.

5 The priests should take the money from their donors and use it to repair the temple wherever such a need for repair is discovered."

6 But by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, the priests still hadn't repaired the temple.

7 So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests together. "Why haven't you repaired the temple?" he asked them. "Stop taking money from your donors; instead, give it directly for temple repairs."

8 The priests agreed that they wouldn't take any more money from the people nor be responsible for temple repairs.

9 Then the priest Jehoiada took a box, made a hole in its lid, and placed it beside the altar, to the right as one enters the LORD's temple. The priests who stood watch at the door put all the money brought to the LORD's temple in the box.

10 As soon as they saw that a large amount of money was in the box, the royal scribe and the high priest would come, count the money that was in the temple, and put it in a bag.

11 They would then hand over the money that had been counted to those who supervised the work on the temple. These supervisors then paid money to those who worked on the LORD's temple: carpenters, builders,

12 masons, and stonecutters. The money was used to purchase wood and quarried stone to repair the LORD's temple and for every other cost involved in repairing it.

13 But the money that was brought to the LORD's temple was not used to make silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets, or any gold or silver object for the LORD's temple.

14 Instead, it was given directly to those who did the repair work; they used it to repair the LORD's temple.

15 There was no need to check on those who received the money and paid the workers, because they acted honestly.

16 Now as for the money for compensation and purification offerings, it wasn't brought to the LORD's temple. It belonged to the priests.

17 About this same time, Aram's King Hazael came up, attacked Gath, and captured it. Next Hazael decided to march against Jerusalem.

18 Judah's King Jehoash took all the holy objects that had been dedicated by his ancestors–Judah's kings Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah—along with the holy objects he himself had dedicated, as well as all the gold in the treasure rooms of the LORD's temple and the palace, and he sent them to Aram's King Hazael. Hazael then pulled back from Jerusalem.

19 The rest of Jehoash's deeds and all that he accomplished, aren't they written in the official records of Judah's kings?

20 Jehoash's officials plotted a conspiracy and killed him at Beth-millo on the road that goes down to Silla.

21 It was Jozacar son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer, his officials, who struck him so that he died. He was buried with his ancestors in David's City. His son Amaziah succeeded him as king.

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

30 This is the one about whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is really greater than me because he existed before me.'

31 Even I didn't recognize him, but I came baptizing with water so that he might be made known to Israel."

32 John testified, "I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove, and it rested on him.

33 Even I didn't recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit coming down and resting is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'

34 I have seen and testified that this one is God's Son."

35 The next day John was standing again with two of his disciples.

36 When he saw Jesus walking along he said, "Look! The Lamb of God!"

37 The two disciples heard what he said, and they followed Jesus.

38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he asked, "What are you looking for?" They said, "Rabbi (which is translated Teacher), where are you staying?"

39 He replied, "Come and see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon.

40 One of the two disciples who heard what John said and followed Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.

41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Christ ).

42 He led him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter).

43 The next day Jesus wanted to go into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him,

44 "Follow me."Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.

45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law and the Prophets: Jesus, Joseph's son, from Nazareth."

46 Nathanael responded, "Can anything from Nazareth be good?" Philip said, "Come and see."

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, "Here is a genuine Israelite in whom there is no deceit."

48 Nathanael asked him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree."

49 Nathanael replied, "Rabbi, you are God's Son. You are the king of Israel."

50 Jesus answered, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these!

51 I assure you that you will see heaven open and God's angels going up to heaven and down to earth on the Human One."