2 Chronicles 17 - 18, Matthew 12, Psalm 11

Jehoshaphat Reigns over Judah

17^aJehoshaphat his son then became king in his place, and strengthened himself over Israel. ²And he put military forces in all ^athe fortified cities of Judah, and put garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim ^bwhich Asa his father had captured.

Jehoshaphat’s Kingdom Established

³And Yahweh was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the ways of his father David’s earlier days and did not seek the Baals, ⁴but sought the God of his father, walked in His commandments, ^aand did not act as Israel did. ⁵So Yahweh established the kingdom in his hand, and all Judah brought presents to Jehoshaphat, and ^ahe had great riches and honor. ⁶And ¹his heart took great pride in the ways of Yahweh, and again he ^atook away the high places and the ²Asherim from Judah.

⁷Then in the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah, ^ato teach in the cities of Judah; ⁸and with them ^athe Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests. ⁹And they taught in Judah, having ^athe book of the law of Yahweh with them; and they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

¹⁰Now ^athe dread of Yahweh was on all the kingdoms of the lands which were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. ¹¹Indeed, some of the Philistines ^abrought presents and silver as their tax burden to Jehoshaphat; the Arabians also brought him flocks, 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats. ¹²So Jehoshaphat grew greater and greater, and he built fortresses and store cities in Judah. ¹³And he had large supplies in the cities of Judah, and men of war, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem. ¹⁴This was their muster according to their fathers’ households: of Judah, commanders of thousands, Adnah was the commander, and with him 300,000 mighty men of valor;

¹⁵and next to him was Johanan the commander, and with him 280,000; ¹⁶and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, ^awho volunteered for Yahweh, and with him 200,000 mighty men of valor; ¹⁷and of Benjamin, Eliada a mighty man of valor, and with him 200,000 equipped with bow and shield; ¹⁸and next to him Jehozabad, and with him 180,000 armed for military duty.

¹⁹These are they who attended on the king, apart from ^athose whom the king put in the fortified cities through all Judah.

Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab

18Now ^aJehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and he allied himself by marriage with Ahab. ²^aAnd some years later he went down to Ahab at Samaria. And Ahab sacrificed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and the people who were with him, and incited him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. ³And Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?” And he said to him, “I am as you are, and my people as your people, and we will be with you in the battle.”

⁴Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire ¹first for the word of Yahweh.” ⁵Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.” ⁶But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not yet a prophet of Yahweh here that we may inquire of him?” ⁷And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Yahweh, but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me but always evil. He is Micaiah, son of Imla.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.”

Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab

⁸Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Hasten to bring Micaiah son of Imla.” ⁹Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, clothed in their royal garments, and they were sitting ^aat the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹⁰And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are consumed.’” ¹¹All the prophets were also prophesying thus, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, and Yahweh will give it into the hand of the king.”

¹²Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold, the words of the prophets, as if from one mouth, are good to the king. So please let your word be like one of them and speak that which is good.” ¹³But Micaiah said, “As Yahweh lives, ^awhat my God says, that I shall speak.”

¹⁴Then he came to the king, and the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And he said, “Go up and succeed, and they will be given into your hand.” ¹⁵Then the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of Yahweh?” ¹⁶So he said, “I saw all IsraelScattered on the mountains,^aLike sheep which have no shepherd;And Yahweh said,‘These have no master.Let each of them return to his house in peace.’”

¹⁷So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not say to you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

¹⁸Then Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of Yahweh. ^aI saw Yahweh sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right and on His left. ¹⁹“And Yahweh said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel so that he will go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that. ²⁰“Then a ^aspirit came forward and stood before Yahweh and said, ‘I will entice him.’ And Yahweh said to him, ‘How?’ ²¹“And he said, ‘I will go out and be ^aa lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You shall entice him and also prevail. Go out and do so.’ ²²“So now, behold, ^aYahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets, but Yahweh has spoken calamity against you.”

²³Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah approached and ^astruck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “¹How did the Spirit of Yahweh pass from me to speak to you?” ²⁴And Micaiah said, “Behold, you will see on that day when you enter an inner room to hide.” ²⁵Then the king of Israel said, “^aTake Micaiah and return him to Amon ^bthe ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son; ²⁶and say, ‘Thus says the king, “^aPut this man in prison and feed him ¹sparingly with bread and water until I return safely.”’” ²⁷And Micaiah said, “If you indeed return safely, Yahweh has not spoken by me.” And he said, “^aListen, all you people.”

The Death of Ahab

²⁸So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead. ²⁹And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you put on your garments.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. ³⁰Now the king of Aram had commanded the commanders of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with small or great, but with the king of Israel alone.” ³¹Now it happened that when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel,” and they turned to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat ^acried out, and Yahweh helped him, and God incited them away from him. ³²So it happened that when the commanders of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. ³³Now a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel ¹in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of the chariot, “Turn ²around and take me out of the ³fight, for I am severely wounded.” ³⁴Now the battle raged that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot in front of the Arameans until the evening; and at sunset he died.

Lord of the Sabbath

12^aAt that ¹time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to ^bpick the heads of grain and eat. ²But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples do what ^ais not lawful to do on a Sabbath.” ³But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions, ⁴how he entered the house of God, and ^athey ate the ¹consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? ⁵“Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple ¹break the Sabbath and are innocent? ⁶“But I say to you that something ^agreater than the temple is here. ⁷“But if you had known what this ¹means, ‘^aI desire ²compassion, and not a sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. ⁸“For ^athe Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Jesus Heals a Man on the Sabbath

⁹^aAnd departing from there, He went into their synagogue. ¹⁰And behold, a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned ¹Jesus, saying, “^aIs it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse Him. ¹¹And He said to them, “^aWhat man ¹is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? ¹²“^aHow much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do ¹good on the Sabbath.” ¹³Then He *said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” ^aHe stretched it out, and it was restored to ¹normal, like the other. ¹⁴But going out, the Pharisees ^atook counsel together against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

¹⁵But Jesus, ¹aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and ^aHe healed them all, ¹⁶and ^awarned them not to make Him known, ¹⁷in order that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled, saying,

¹⁸“^aBehold, My ¹Servant whom I ²have chosen;^bMy Beloved in whom My soul ³is well-pleased;^cI will put My Spirit upon Him,^dAnd He shall proclaim ⁴justice to the ⁵Gentiles.¹⁹“^aHe will not quarrel, nor cry out;Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.²⁰“^aA battered reed He will not break off,And a smoldering wick He will not put out,Until He ¹leads ²justice to victory.²¹“^aAnd in His name the ¹Gentiles will hope.”

A Kingdom Divided

²²^aThen a ^bdemon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to ¹Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. ²³And all the crowds were astounded, and were saying, “Can this man really be the ^aSon of David?” ²⁴But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man does not ^acast out demons except by ¹Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”

²⁵^aAnd ^bknowing their thoughts He said to them, “¹Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and ²any city or house divided against itself will not stand. ²⁶“And if ^aSatan casts out Satan, he ¹is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? ²⁷“And if I ^aby ¹Beelzebul cast out demons, ^bby whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges. ²⁸“But ^aif I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. ²⁹“Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

³⁰“^aHe who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

³¹“^aTherefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. ³²“^aAnd whoever ¹speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever ²speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in ^bthis age or in the age to come.

The Heart Is Revealed by Words

³³“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for ^athe tree is known by its fruit. ³⁴“^aYou brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak ¹what is good? ^bFor the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. ³⁵“^aThe good man brings out of his good treasure ¹what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure ²what is evil. ³⁶“But I tell you that every ¹careless word that people ²speak, they shall give an accounting for it in ^athe day of judgment. ³⁷“For ¹by your words you will be justified, and ²by your words you will be condemned.”

The Sign of Jonah

³⁸Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered and said to Him, “Teacher, ^awe want to see ¹a sign from You.” ³⁹But He answered and said to them, “^aAn evil and adulterous generation eagerly seeks for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; ⁴⁰for just as ^aJonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will ^bthe Son of Man be ^cthree days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ⁴¹“^aThe men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because ^bthey repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, ^csomething greater than Jonah is here. ⁴²“^aThe Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, ^bsomething greater than Solomon is here.

⁴³“^aNow when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. ⁴⁴“Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. ⁴⁵“Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and ^athe last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

⁴⁶^aWhile He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His ^bmother and ^cbrothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. ⁴⁷¹Now someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.” ⁴⁸But ¹Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” ⁴⁹And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! ⁵⁰“For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

Yahweh Is in His Holy Temple

For the choir director. Of David.

In Yahweh I ^atake refuge;How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your ^bmountain;²For, behold, the wicked ^abend the bow,They ¹^,^bmake ready their arrow upon the stringTo ^cshoot in darkness at the upright in heart.³“If the ^afoundations are destroyed,What can the righteous do?”⁴Yahweh is in His ^aholy temple; ¹Yahweh’s ^bthrone is in heaven;His ^ceyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.⁵Yahweh ^atests the righteous,But ^bthe wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.⁶May He ^arain ¹snares upon the wicked;^bFire and brimstone and ^cburning wind will be the portion of ^dtheir cup.⁷For Yahweh is ^arighteous, ^bHe loves ¹righteousness;The upright will ^cbehold His face.