Luke 5:33-39
[33]
And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer
prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and
drink.” [34] And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast
while the bridegroom is with them? [35] The days will come when the
bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those
days.” [36] He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a
new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the
new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. [37] And no one
puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst
the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. [38]
But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. [39] And no one after
drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”
Philippians 2:19-30
[19]
I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may
be cheered by news of you. [20] For I have no one like him, who will be
genuinely concerned for your welfare. [21] For they all seek their own
interests, not those of Jesus Christ. [22] But you know Timothy’s proven
worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel.
[23] I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go
with me, [24] and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come
also.
[25]
I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and
fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my
need, [26] for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed
because you heard that he was ill. [27] Indeed he was ill, near to
death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also,
lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. [28] I am the more eager to send
him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may
be less anxious. [29] So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and
honor such men, [30] for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking
his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.
Psalm 119:145-152
[145] With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O LORD!
I will keep your statutes.
[146] I call to you; save me,
that I may observe your testimonies.
[147] I rise before dawn and cry for help;
I hope in your words.
[148] My eyes are awake before the watches of the night,
that I may meditate on your promise.
[149] Hear my voice according to your steadfast love;
O LORD, according to your justice give me life.
[150] They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose;
they are far from your law.
[151] But you are near, O LORD,
and all your commandments are true.
[152] Long have I known from your testimonies
that you have founded them forever.
2 Kings 12
[1]
In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash began to reign, and he reigned
forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. [2]
And Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all his days,
because Jehoiada the priest instructed him. [3] Nevertheless, the high
places were not taken away; the people continued to sacrifice and make
offerings on the high places.
[4]
Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the holy things that is
brought into the house of the LORD, the money for which each man is
assessed—the money from the assessment of persons—and the money that a
man’s heart prompts him to bring into the house of the LORD, [5] let the
priests take, each from his donor, and let them repair the house
wherever any need of repairs is discovered.” [6] But by the twenty-third
year of King Jehoash, the priests had made no repairs on the house. [7]
Therefore King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other
priests and said to them, “Why are you not repairing the house? Now
therefore take no more money from your donors, but hand it over for the
repair of the house.” [8] So the priests agreed that they should take no
more money from the people, and that they should not repair the house.
[9]
Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in the lid of it
and set it beside the altar on the right side as one entered the house
of the LORD. And the priests who guarded the threshold put in it all the
money that was brought into the house of the LORD. [10] And whenever
they saw that there was much money in the chest, the king’s secretary
and the high priest came up and they bagged and counted the money that
was found in the house of the LORD. [11] Then they would give the money
that was weighed out into the hands of the workmen who had the oversight
of the house of the LORD. And they paid it out to the carpenters and
the builders who worked on the house of the LORD, [12] and to the masons
and the stonecutters, as well as to buy timber and quarried stone for
making repairs on the house of the LORD, and for any outlay for the
repairs of the house. [13] But there were not made for the house of the
LORD basins of silver, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, or any vessels of
gold, or of silver, from the money that was brought into the house of
the LORD, [14] for that was given to the workmen who were repairing the
house of the LORD with it. [15] And they did not ask for an accounting
from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to pay out to the
workmen, for they dealt honestly. [16] The money from the guilt
offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the
house of the LORD; it belonged to the priests.
[17]
At that time Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath and
took it. But when Hazael set his face to go up against Jerusalem, [18]
Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred gifts that Jehoshaphat and
Jehoram and Ahaziah his fathers, the kings of Judah, had dedicated, and
his own sacred gifts, and all the gold that was found in the treasuries
of the house of the LORD and of the king’s house, and sent these to
Hazael king of Syria. Then Hazael went away from Jerusalem.
[19]
Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, are they not
written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? [20] His
servants arose and made a conspiracy and struck down Joash in the house
of Millo, on the way that goes down to Silla. [21] It was Jozacar the
son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, who
struck him down, so that he died. And they buried him with his fathers
in the city of David, and Amaziah his son reigned in his place.
2 Kings 13
[1]
In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah,
Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he
reigned seventeen years. [2] He did what was evil in the sight of the
LORD and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made
Israel to sin; he did not depart from them. [3] And the anger of the
LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them continually into the
hand of Hazael king of Syria and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of
Hazael. [4] Then Jehoahaz sought the favor of the LORD, and the LORD
listened to him, for he saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of
Syria oppressed them. [5] (Therefore the LORD gave Israel a savior, so
that they escaped from the hand of the Syrians, and the people of Israel
lived in their homes as formerly. [6] Nevertheless, they did not depart
from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin,
but walked in them; and the Asherah also remained in Samaria.) [7] For
there was not left to Jehoahaz an army of more than fifty horsemen and
ten chariots and ten thousand footmen, for the king of Syria had
destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing. [8] Now the
rest of the acts of Jehoahaz and all that he did, and his might, are
they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
[9] So Jehoahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria,
and Joash his son reigned in his place.
[10]
In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of
Jehoahaz began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen
years. [11] He also did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did
not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made
Israel to sin, but he walked in them. [12] Now the rest of the acts of
Joash and all that he did, and the might with which he fought against
Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the
Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? [13] So Joash slept with his fathers,
and Jeroboam sat on his throne. And Joash was buried in Samaria with
the kings of Israel.
[14]
Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to
die, Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, crying,
“My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” [15]
And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he took a bow and
arrows. [16] Then he said to the king of Israel, “Draw the bow,” and he
drew it. And Elisha laid his hands on the king’s hands. [17] And he
said, “Open the window eastward,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said,
“Shoot,” and he shot. And he said, “The LORD’s arrow of victory, the
arrow of victory over Syria! For you shall fight the Syrians in Aphek
until you have made an end of them.” [18] And he said, “Take the
arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike
the ground with them.” And he struck three times and stopped. [19] Then
the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five
or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made
an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.”
[20]
So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to
invade the land in the spring of the year. [21] And as a man was being
buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into
the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha,
he revived and stood on his feet.
[22]
Now Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.
[23] But the LORD was gracious to them and had compassion on them, and
he turned toward them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, and would not destroy them, nor has he cast them from his
presence until now.
[24]
When Hazael king of Syria died, Ben-hadad his son became king in his
place. [25] Then Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again from Ben-hadad
the son of Hazael the cities that he had taken from Jehoahaz his father
in war. Three times Joash defeated him and recovered the cities of
Israel.
