2 Chronicles 22

• 1. The people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, Jehoram's youngest son, king in his place, since the raiders, who came with the Arabs into the camp, had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign.
• 2. Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother's name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri.
• 3. He too walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother encouraged him in doing wrong.
• 4. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, as the house of Ahab had done, for after his father's death they became his advisers, to his undoing.
• 5. He also followed their counsel when he went with Joram son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram;
• 6. so he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds they had inflicted on him at Ramoth in his battle with Hazael king of Aram. Then Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab because he had been wounded.
• 7. Through Ahaziah's visit to Joram, God brought about Ahaziah's downfall. When Ahaziah arrived, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.
• 8. While Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's relatives, who had been attending Ahaziah, and he killed them.
• 9. He then went in search of Ahaziah, and his men captured him while he was hiding in Samaria. He was brought to Jehu and put to death. They buried him, for they said, "He was a son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart." So there was no one in the house of Ahaziah powerful enough to retain the kingdom.
• 10. When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family of the house of Judah.
• 11. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes who were about to be murdered and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Because Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of the priest Jehoiada, was Ahaziah's sister, she hid the child from Athaliah so she could not kill him.
• 12. He remained hidden with them at the temple of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.

2 Chronicles 23

• 1. In the seventh year Jehoiada showed his strength. He made a covenant with the commanders of units of a hundred: Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zicri.
• 2. They went throughout Judah and gathered the Levites and the heads of Israelite families from all the towns. When they came to Jerusalem,
• 3. the whole assembly made a covenant with the king at the temple of God. Jehoiada said to them, "The king's son shall reign, as the LORD promised concerning the descendants of David.
• 4. Now this is what you are to do: A third of you priests and Levites who are going on duty on the Sabbath are to keep watch at the doors,
• 5. a third of you at the royal palace and a third at the Foundation Gate, and all the other men are to be in the courtyards of the temple of the LORD.
• 6. No one is to enter the temple of the LORD except the priests and Levites on duty; they may enter because they are consecrated, but all the other men are to guard what the LORD has assigned to them.
• 7. The Levites are to station themselves around the king, each man with his weapons in his hand. Anyone who enters the temple must be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes."
• 8. The Levites and all the men of Judah did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each one took his men-those who were going on duty on the Sabbath and those who were going off duty-for Jehoiada the priest had not released any of the divisions.
• 9. Then he gave the commanders of units of a hundred the spears and the large and small shields that had belonged to King David and that were in the temple of God.
• 10. He stationed all the men, each with his weapon in his hand, around the king-near the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple.
• 11. Jehoiada and his sons brought out the king's son and put the crown on him; they presented him with a copy of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him and shouted, "Long live the king!"
• 12. When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and cheering the king, she went to them at the temple of the LORD.
• 13. She looked, and there was the king, standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and singers with musical instruments were leading the praises. Then Athaliah tore her robes and shouted, "Treason! Treason!"
• 14. Jehoiada the priest sent out the commanders of units of a hundred, who were in charge of the troops, and said to them: "Bring her out between the ranks and put to the sword anyone who follows her." For the priest had said, "Do not put her to death at the temple of the LORD."
• 15. So they seized her as she reached the entrance of the Horse Gate on the palace grounds, and there they put her to death.
• 16. Jehoiada then made a covenant that he and the people and the king would be the LORD's people.
• 17. All the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.
• 18. Then Jehoiada placed the oversight of the temple of the LORD in the hands of the priests, who were Levites, to whom David had made assignments in the temple, to present the burnt offerings of the LORD as written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and singing, as David had ordered.
• 19. He also stationed doorkeepers at the gates of the LORD's temple so that no one who was in any way unclean might enter.
• 20. He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people and all the people of the land and brought the king down from the temple of the LORD. They went into the palace through the Upper Gate and seated the king on the royal throne,
• 21. and all the people of the land rejoiced. And the city was quiet, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword.

Revelation 10

• 1. Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars.
• 2. He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,
• 3. and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke.
• 4. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down."
• 5. Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven.
• 6. And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, "There will be no more delay!
• 7. But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets."
• 8. Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: "Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."
• 9. So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey."
• 10. I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour.
• 11. Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."

Zechariah 6

• 1. I looked up again-and there before me were four chariots coming out from between two mountains-mountains of bronze!
• 2. The first chariot had red horses, the second black,
• 3. the third white, and the fourth dappled-all of them powerful.
• 4. I asked the angel who was speaking to me, "What are these, my lord?"
• 5. The angel answered me, "These are the four spirits of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world.
• 6. The one with the black horses is going toward the north country, the one with the white horses toward the west, and the one with the dappled horses toward the south."
• 7. When the powerful horses went out, they were straining to go throughout the earth. And he said, "Go throughout the earth!" So they went throughout the earth.
• 8. Then he called to me, "Look, those going toward the north country have given my Spirit rest in the land of the north."
• 9. The word of the LORD came to me:
• 10. "Take silver and gold from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon. Go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah.
• 11. Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak.
• 12. Tell him this is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the LORD.
• 13. It is he who will build the temple of the LORD, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.'
• 14. The crown will be given to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of the LORD.
• 15. Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the LORD, and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the LORD your God."

New International Version

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