Luke 3:1-20
[1]
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate
being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his
brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and
Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, [2] during the high priesthood of Annas
and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the
wilderness. [3] And he went into all the region around the Jordan,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. [4] As
it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
[5] Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall become straight,
and the rough places shall become level ways,
[6] and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
[7] He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by
him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to
come? [8] Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to
say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God
is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. [9] Even now
the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that
does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
[10]
And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” [11] And he answered
them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and
whoever has food is to do likewise.” [12] Tax collectors also came to be
baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” [13] And he said
to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” [14] Soldiers
also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do
not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be
content with your wages.”
[15]
As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their
hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, [16] John
answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is
mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to
untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. [17] His
winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to
gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with
unquenchable fire.”
[18]
So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people.
[19] But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias,
his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done,
[20] added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.
Ephesians 4:25-32
[25]
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the
truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. [26] Be
angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, [27] and
give no opportunity to the devil. [28] Let the thief no longer steal,
but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that
he may have something to share with anyone in need. [29] Let no
corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for
building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who
hear. [30] And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were
sealed for the day of redemption. [31] Let all bitterness and wrath and
anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all
malice. [32] Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Psalm 119:65-72
[65] You have dealt well with your servant,
O LORD, according to your word.
[66] Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
for I believe in your commandments.
[67] Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I keep your word.
[68] You are good and do good;
teach me your statutes.
[69] The insolent smear me with lies,
but with my whole heart I keep your precepts;
[70] their heart is unfeeling like fat,
but I delight in your law.
[71] It is good for me that I was afflicted,
that I might learn your statutes.
[72] The law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
1 Kings 13
[1]
And behold, a man of God came out of Judah by the word of the LORD to
Bethel. Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make offerings. [2] And
the man cried against the altar by the word of the LORD and said, “O
altar, altar, thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the
house of David, Josiah by name, and he shall sacrifice on you the
priests of the high places who make offerings on you, and human bones
shall be burned on you.’” [3] And he gave a sign the same day, saying,
“This is the sign that the LORD has spoken: ‘Behold, the altar shall be
torn down, and the ashes that are on it shall be poured out.’” [4] And
when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against
the altar at Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar,
saying, “Seize him.” And his hand, which he stretched out against him,
dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself. [5] The altar
also was torn down, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according
to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. [6]
And the king said to the man of God, “Entreat now the favor of the LORD
your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” And the
man of God entreated the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him
and became as it was before. [7] And the king said to the man of God,
“Come home with me, and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.”
[8] And the man of God said to the king, “If you give me half your
house, I will not go in with you. And I will not eat bread or drink
water in this place, [9] for so was it commanded me by the word of the
LORD, saying, ‘You shall neither eat bread nor drink water nor return by
the way that you came.’” [10] So he went another way and did not return
by the way that he came to Bethel.
[11]
Now an old prophet lived in Bethel. And his sons came and told him all
that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told to their
father the words that he had spoken to the king. [12] And their father
said to them, “Which way did he go?” And his sons showed him the way
that the man of God who came from Judah had gone. [13] And he said to
his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him
and he mounted it. [14] And he went after the man of God and found him
sitting under an oak. And he said to him, “Are you the man of God who
came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” [15] Then he said to him, “Come
home with me and eat bread.” [16] And he said, “I may not return with
you, or go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water with
you in this place, [17] for it was said to me by the word of the LORD,
‘You shall neither eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by the
way that you came.’” [18] And he said to him, “I also am a prophet as
you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying,
‘Bring him back with you into your house that he may eat bread and drink
water.’” But he lied to him. [19] So he went back with him and ate
bread in his house and drank water.
[20]
And as they sat at the table, the word of the LORD came to the prophet
who had brought him back. [21] And he cried to the man of God who came
from Judah, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of
the LORD and have not kept the command that the LORD your God commanded
you, [22] but have come back and have eaten bread and drunk water in
the place of which he said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,”
your body shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’” [23] And after
he had eaten bread and drunk, he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom
he had brought back. [24] And as he went away a lion met him on the
road and killed him. And his body was thrown in the road, and the donkey
stood beside it; the lion also stood beside the body. [25] And behold,
men passed by and saw the body thrown in the road and the lion standing
by the body. And they came and told it in the city where the old prophet
lived.
[26]
And when the prophet who had brought him back from the way heard of it,
he said, “It is the man of God who disobeyed the word of the LORD;
therefore the LORD has given him to the lion, which has torn him and
killed him, according to the word that the LORD spoke to him.” [27] And
he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And they saddled it.
[28] And he went and found his body thrown in the road, and the donkey
and the lion standing beside the body. The lion had not eaten the body
or torn the donkey. [29] And the prophet took up the body of the man of
God and laid it on the donkey and brought it back to the city to mourn
and to bury him. [30] And he laid the body in his own grave. And they
mourned over him, saying, “Alas, my brother!” [31] And after he had
buried him, he said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave in
which the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones. [32] For
the saying that he called out by the word of the LORD against the altar
in Bethel and against all the houses of the high places that are in the
cities of Samaria shall surely come to pass.”
[33]
After this thing Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but made
priests for the high places again from among all the people. Any who
would, he ordained to be priests of the high places. [34] And this thing
became sin to the house of Jeroboam, so as to cut it off and to destroy
it from the face of the earth.
1 Kings 14
[1]
At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. [2] And Jeroboam
said to his wife, “Arise, and disguise yourself, that it not be known
that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Behold, Ahijah the
prophet is there, who said of me that I should be king over this people.
[3] Take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to
him. He will tell you what shall happen to the child.”
[4]
Jeroboam’s wife did so. She arose and went to Shiloh and came to the
house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because
of his age. [5] And the LORD said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of
Jeroboam is coming to inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick.
Thus and thus shall you say to her.”
When
she came, she pretended to be another woman. [6] But when Ahijah heard
the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, he said, “Come in,
wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another? For I am charged
with unbearable news for you. [7] Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the
LORD, the God of Israel: “Because I exalted you from among the people
and made you leader over my people Israel [8] and tore the kingdom away
from the house of David and gave it to you, and yet you have not been
like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with all
his heart, doing only that which was right in my eyes, [9] but you have
done evil above all who were before you and have gone and made for
yourself other gods and metal images, provoking me to anger, and have
cast me behind your back, [10] therefore behold, I will bring harm upon
the house of Jeroboam and will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both
bond and free in Israel, and will burn up the house of Jeroboam, as a
man burns up dung until it is all gone. [11] Anyone belonging to
Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone who dies in
the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat, for the LORD has
spoken it.”’ [12] Arise therefore, go to your house. When your feet
enter the city, the child shall die. [13] And all Israel shall mourn for
him and bury him, for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave,
because in him there is found something pleasing to the LORD, the God of
Israel, in the house of Jeroboam. [14] Moreover, the LORD will raise up
for himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam
today. And henceforth, [15] the LORD will strike Israel as a reed is
shaken in the water, and root up Israel out of this good land that he
gave to their fathers and scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because
they have made their Asherim, provoking the LORD to anger. [16] And he
will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and
made Israel to sin.”
[17]
Then Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed and came to Tirzah. And as she
came to the threshold of the house, the child died. [18] And all Israel
buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of the LORD, which
he spoke by his servant Ahijah the prophet.
[19]
Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred and how he reigned,
behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of
Israel. [20] And the time that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years.
And he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place.
[21]
Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was
forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen
years in Jerusalem, the city that the LORD had chosen out of all the
tribes of Israel, to put his name there. His mother’s name was Naamah
the Ammonite. [22] And Judah did what was evil in the sight of the LORD,
and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins that they committed,
more than all that their fathers had done. [23] For they also built for
themselves high places and pillars and Asherim on every high hill and
under every green tree, [24] and there were also male cult prostitutes
in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations
that the LORD drove out before the people of Israel.
[25]
In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up
against Jerusalem. [26] He took away the treasures of the house of the
LORD and the treasures of the king’s house. He took away everything. He
also took away all the shields of gold that Solomon had made, [27] and
King Rehoboam made in their place shields of bronze, and committed them
to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the door of the
king’s house. [28] And as often as the king went into the house of the
LORD, the guard carried them and brought them back to the guardroom.
[29]
Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam and all that he did, are they not
written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? [30] And
there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. [31] And
Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the
city of David. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. And Abijam his
son reigned in his place.
