2 Kings 15; 2 Kings 16; John 3:1-18

1 Azariah, Amaziah's son, became king of Judah in the twenty-seventh year of Israel's King Jeroboam.

2 He was 16 years old when he became king, and he ruled for fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem.

3 He did what was right in the LORD's eyes, just as his father Amaziah had done.

4 However, the shrines weren't removed. People kept sacrificing and burning incense at them.

5 Now the LORD afflicted the king with a skin disease that he had until his dying day, so he lived in a separate house. The king's son Jotham supervised the palace administration and governed the people of the land.

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

7 Azariah died and was buried with his ancestors in David's City. His son Jotham succeeded him as king.

8 Zechariah, Jeroboam's son, became king of Israel in Samaria in the thirty-eighth year of Judah's King Azariah. He ruled for six months.

9 He did what was evil in the LORD's eyes, just as his ancestors had done. He didn't deviate from the sins that Jeroboam, Nebat's son, had caused Israel to commit.

10 Shallum, Jabesh's son, plotted against Zechariah. He struck him down in public, murdering him. Shallum then succeeded him as king.

11 The rest of Zechariah's deeds are written in the official records of Israel's kings.

12 This was exactly what the LORD spoke to Jehu: Your descendants will sit on Israel's throne for four generations. And that's exactly what happened.

13 Shallum, Jabesh's son, became king in the thirty-ninth year of Judah's King Uzziah. He ruled for one month in Samaria.

14 Menahem, Gadi's son, went up from Tirzah and came to Samaria. He struck down Jabesh's son Shallum in Samaria, murdering him. Menahem then succeeded him as king.

15 The rest of Shallum's deeds and the conspiracy he plotted are written in the official records of Israel's kings.

16 Menahem then moved from Tirzah and attacked Tiphsah, all its citizens, and its neighboring areas. Because they wouldn't surrender, he attacked and ripped open all its pregnant women.

17 Menahem, Gadi's son, became king of Israel in the thirty-ninth year of Judah's King Azariah. He ruled for ten years in Samaria.

18 He did what was evil in the LORD's eyes. Throughout his life, he didn't deviate from the sins that Jeroboam, Nebat's son, had caused Israel to commit.

19 When Assyria's King Tiglath-pileser marched against the land, Menahem gave Tiglath-pileser one thousand silver kikkars in order to become his ally and to strengthen his hold on the kingdom.

20 Menahem taxed Israel for this money. All the wealthy people had to give fifty silver shekels each to Assyria's king. So Assyria's king went home and didn't stay there in the land.

21 The rest of Menahem's deeds and all that he accomplished, aren't they written in the official records of Israel's kings?

22 Menahem lay down with his ancestors. His son Pekahiah succeeded him as king.

23 Pekahiah, Menahem's son, became king of Israel in the fiftieth year of Judah's King Azariah. He ruled for two years in Samaria.

24 He did what was evil in the LORD's eyes. He didn't deviate from the sins that Jeroboam, Nebat's son, had caused Israel to commit.

25 Pekah, Remaliah's son and Pekahiah's officer, plotted against him. Pekah struck Pekahiah in Samaria at the palace fortress, along with Argob and Arieh. Pekah had fifty Gileadites with him. He murdered Pekahiah and succeeded him as king.

26 The rest of Pekahiah's deeds and all that he accomplished are written in the official records of Israel's kings.

27 Pekah, Remaliah's son, became king of Israel in the fifty-second year of Judah's King Azariah. Pekah ruled for twenty years in Samaria.

28 He did what was evil in the LORD's eyes. He didn't deviate from the sins that Jeroboam, Nebat's son, had caused Israel to commit.

29 In the days of Israel's King Pekah, Assyria's King Tiglath-pileser came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, and Hazor. He also captured Gilead, Galilee, and all the land of Naphtali. He sent the people into exile to Assyria.

30 Then Hoshea, Elah's son, plotted against Pekah, Remaliah's son. He struck Pekah down, murdering him. Hoshea became king after Pekah in the twentieth year of Uzziah's son Jotham.

31 The rest of Pekah's kingship and all that he accomplished are written in the official records of Israel's kings.

32 Jotham, Uzziah's son, became king of Judah in the second year of Israel's King Pekah, Remaliah's son.

33 Jotham was 25 years old when he became king, and he ruled for sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerusha; she was Zadok's daughter.

34 Jotham did what was right in the LORD's eyes, just as his father Uzziah had done.

35 However, he didn't remove the shrines. The people continued to sacrifice and burn incense at them. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the LORD's temple.

36 The rest of Jotham's deeds, aren't they written in the official records of Judah's kings?

37 It was in those days that the LORD began to send Aram's King Rezin and Pekah, Remaliah's son, against Judah.

38 Jotham died and was buried with his ancestors in David's City. His son Ahaz succeeded him as king.

1 Ahaz, Jotham's son, became king of Judah in the seventeenth year of Pekah, Remaliah's son.

2 Ahaz was 20 years old when he became king, and he ruled for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He didn't do what was right in the LORD's eyes, unlike his ancestor David.

3 Instead, he walked in the ways of Israel's kings. He even burned his own son alive, imitating the detestable practices of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

4 He also sacrificed and burned incense at the shrines on every hill and beneath every shady tree.

5 Then Aram's King Rezin and Israel's King Pekah, Remaliah's son, came up to Jerusalem to fight. They surrounded Ahaz, but they weren't able to defeat him.

6 At that time Aram's King Rezin recovered Elath for the Arameans, driving the Judeans out of Elath. The Edomites came to Elath and settled there, and that's still the case now.

7 Ahaz sent messengers to Assyria's King Tiglath-pileser, saying, "I'm your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the power of the kings of Aram and Israel. Both of them are attacking me!"

8 And Ahaz took the silver and the gold that was in the LORD's temple and in the palace treasuries, and sent a gift to Assyria's king.

9 The Assyrian king heard the request and marched against Damascus. He captured it and sent its citizens into exile to Kir. He also killed Rezin.

10 Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet up with Assyria's King Tiglath-pileser. King Ahaz noticed the altar that was in Damascus, and he sent the altar's plan and details for its construction to the priest Uriah.

11 Uriah built the altar, following the plans that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus; he had it finished before King Ahaz returned from Damascus.

12 When the king arrived from Damascus, he inspected the altar. He came close to it, then went up on it,

13 burning his entirely burned offering and grain offering, pouring out his drink offering, and sprinkling the blood of his well-being sacrifices on the altar.

14 As for the bronze altar that used to stand before the LORD, Ahaz moved it away from the front of the temple where it had stood between the main altar and the LORD's temple. He put it on the north side of the new altar.

15 Then King Ahaz ordered the priest Uriah, saying, “Burn the following sacrifices on the main altar: in the morning, the entirely burned offering; in the evening, the grain offering; the king's entirely burned offering and his grain offering; the entirely burned offering for all the people of the land, their grain offering, and their drink offerings. "Sprinkle all the blood of the entirely burned offerings and all the blood of the sacrifices on it. I will use the bronze altar for seeking guidance."

16 Uriah the priest did everything that King Ahaz commanded.

17 King Ahaz cut off the side panels from the stands and removed the basins from them. He took the Sea down from the bronze bulls that were under it and put it on a stone pavement.

18 He also took away the sabbath canopy that had been built in the temple. He removed the royal entrance outside the LORD's temple. This was done because of the Assyrian king.

19 The rest of Ahaz's deeds, aren't they written in the official records of Judah's kings?

20 Ahaz died and was buried with his ancestors in David's City. His son Hezekiah succeeded him as king.

1 There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a Jewish leader.

2 He came to Jesus at night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could do these miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him."

3 Jesus answered, "I assure you, unless someone is born anew, it's not possible to see God's kingdom."

4 Nicodemus asked, "How is it possible for an adult to be born? It's impossible to enter the mother's womb for a second time and be born, isn't it?"

5 Jesus answered, "I assure you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, it's not possible to enter God's kingdom.

6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Don't be surprised that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.'

8 God's Spirit blows wherever it wishes. You hear its sound, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going. It's the same with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

9 Nicodemus said, "How are these things possible?"

10 “Jesus answered, “You are a teacher of Israel and you don't know these things?

11 I assure you that we speak about what we know and testify about what we have seen, but you don't receive our testimony.

12 If I have told you about earthly things and you don't believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?

13 No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Human One.

14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so must the Human One be lifted up

15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.

16 God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won't perish but will have eternal life.

17 God didn't send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

18 Whoever believes in him isn't judged; whoever doesn't believe in him is already judged, because they don't believe in the name of God's only Son.