2 Chronicles 26

• 1. The people of Judah then crowned Amaziah's sixteen-year-old son, Uzziah, as their next king.
• 2. After his father's death, Uzziah rebuilt the town of Elath and restored it to Judah.
• 3. Uzziah was sixteen when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother was Jecoliah, from Jerusalem.
• 4. He did what was pleasing in the LORD's sight, just as his father, Amaziah, had done.
• 5. Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. And as long as the king sought the LORD, God gave him success.
• 6. He declared war on the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. Then he built new towns in the Ashdod area and in other parts of Philistia.
• 7. God helped him not only with his wars against the Philistines, but also in his battles with the Arabs of Gur and in his wars with the Meunites.
• 8. The Meunites paid annual tribute to him, and his fame spread even to Egypt, for he had become very powerful.
• 9. Uzziah built fortified towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate, and at the angle in the wall.
• 10. He also constructed forts in the wilderness and dug many water cisterns, because he kept great herds of livestock in the foothills of Judah and on the plains. He was also a man who loved the soil. He had many workers who cared for his farms and vineyards, both on the hillsides and in the fertile valleys.
• 11. Uzziah had an army of well-trained warriors, ready to march into battle, unit by unit. This great army of fighting men had been mustered and organized by Jeiel, the secretary of the army, and his assistant, Maaseiah. They were under the direction of Hananiah, one of the king's officials.
• 12. Twenty-six hundred clan leaders commanded these regiments of seasoned warriors.
• 13. The army consisted of 307,500 men, all elite troops. They were prepared to assist the king against any enemy.
• 14. Uzziah provided the entire army with shields, spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and sling stones.
• 15. And he produced machines mounted on the walls of Jerusalem, designed by brilliant men to shoot arrows and hurl stones from the towers and the corners of the wall. His fame spread far and wide, for the LORD helped him wonderfully until he became very powerful.
• 16. But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the LORD his God by entering the sanctuary of the LORD's Temple and personally burning incense on the altar.
• 17. Azariah the high priest went in after him with eighty other priests of the LORD, all brave men.
• 18. They confronted King Uzziah and said, "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD. That is the work of the priests alone, the sons of Aaron who are set apart for this work. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have sinned. The LORD God will not honor you for this!"
• 19. Uzziah was furious and refused to set down the incense burner he was holding. But as he was standing there with the priests before the incense altar in the LORD's Temple, leprosy suddenly broke out on his forehead.
• 20. When Azariah and the other priests saw the leprosy, they rushed him out. And the king himself was eager to get out because the LORD had struck him.
• 21. So King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in isolation, excluded from the Temple of the LORD. His son Jotham was put in charge of the royal palace, and he governed the people of the land.
• 22. The rest of the events of Uzziah's reign, from beginning to end, are recorded by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.
• 23. So Uzziah died, and since he had leprosy, he was buried nearby in a burial field belonging to the kings. Then his son Jotham became the next king.

Revelation 13

• 1. And now in my vision I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horns. And written on each head were names that blasphemed God.
• 2. This beast looked like a leopard, but it had bear's feet and a lion's mouth! And the dragon gave him his own power and throne and great authority.
• 3. I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery--but the fatal wound was healed! All the world marveled at this miracle and followed the beast in awe.
• 4. They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they worshiped the beast. "Is there anyone as great as the beast?" they exclaimed. "Who is able to fight against him?"
• 5. Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do what he wanted for forty-two months.
• 6. And he spoke terrible words of blasphemy against God, slandering his name and all who live in heaven, who are his temple.
• 7. And the beast was allowed to wage war against God's holy people and to overcome them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation.
• 8. And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life, which belongs to the Lamb who was killed before the world was made.
• 9. Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand.
• 10. The people who are destined for prison will be arrested and taken away. Those who are destined for death will be killed. But do not be dismayed, for here is your opportunity to have endurance and faith.
• 11. Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, and he spoke with the voice of a dragon.
• 12. He exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and those who belong to this world to worship the first beast, whose death-wound had been healed.
• 13. He did astounding miracles, such as making fire flash down to earth from heaven while everyone was watching.
• 14. And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people of the world to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life.
• 15. He was permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die.
• 16. He required everyone--great and small, rich and poor, slave and free--to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead.
• 17. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name.
• 18. Wisdom is needed to understand this. Let the one who has understanding solve the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666.

Zechariah 9

• 1. This is the message from the LORD against the land of Aram and the city of Damascus, for the eyes of all humanity, including the people of Israel, are on the LORD.
• 2. Doom is certain for Hamath, near Damascus, and for the cities of Tyre and Sidon, too, though they are so clever.
• 3. Tyre has built a strong fortress and has piled up so much silver and gold that it is as common as dust in the streets!
• 4. But now the Lord will strip away Tyre's possessions and hurl its fortifications into the Mediterranean Sea. Tyre will be set on fire and burned to the ground.
• 5. The city of Ashkelon will see Tyre fall and will be filled with fear. Gaza will shake with terror, and so will Ekron, for their hopes will be dashed. Gaza will be conquered and its king killed, and Ashkelon will be completely deserted.
• 6. Foreigners will occupy the city of Ashdod. Thus, I will destroy the pride of the Philistines.
• 7. They will no longer eat meat with blood in it or feed on other forbidden foods. All the surviving Philistines will worship our God and be adopted as a new clan in Judah. And the Philistines of Ekron will join my people, just as the Jebusites once did.
• 8. I will guard my Temple and protect it from invading armies. I am closely watching their movements. No foreign oppressor will ever again overrun my people's land.
• 9. Rejoice greatly, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey--even on a donkey's colt.
• 10. I will remove the battle chariots from Israel and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and I will destroy all the weapons used in battle. Your king will bring peace to the nations. His realm will stretch from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
• 11. Because of the covenant I made with you, sealed with blood, I will free your prisoners from death in a waterless dungeon.
• 12. Come back to the place of safety, all you prisoners, for there is yet hope! I promise this very day that I will repay you two mercies for each of your woes!
• 13. Judah is my bow, and Israel is my arrow! Jerusalem is my sword, and like a warrior, I will brandish it against the Greeks.
• 14. The LORD will appear above his people; his arrows will fly like lightning! The Sovereign LORD will sound the trumpet; he will go out against his enemies like a whirlwind from the southern desert.
• 15. The LORD Almighty will protect his people, and they will subdue their enemies with sling stones. They will shout in battle as though drunk with wine, shedding the blood of their enemies. They will be filled with blood like a bowl, drenched with blood like the corners of the altar.
• 16. When that day arrives, the LORD their God will rescue his people, just as a shepherd rescues his sheep. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown.
• 17. How wonderful and beautiful they will be! The young men and women will thrive on the abundance of grain and new wine.

New Living Translation: 356 of 365 days.