Bible Reading Plan

Chapter 11

Athaliah Queen of Judah

^1 (C1)When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and eliminated all the royal ^(F1)children.² But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, ^(C1)took Joash the son of Ahaziah and abducted him from among the king's sons who were being put to death, and put him and his nurse in the bedroom. So they hid him from Athaliah, and he was not put to death.³ So he was kept hidden with her in the house of the LORD for six years, while Athaliah was reigning over the land.

^4 (C1)Now in the seventh year Jehoiada sent orders and brought the captains of hundreds of ^(C2)the Carites and of the ^(F1)guards, and brought them to himself at the house of the LORD. Then he made a covenant with them and put them under oath at the house of the LORD, and showed them the king's son.⁵ And he commanded them, saying, "This is the thing that you shall do: ^(C1)a third of you, who come in on the Sabbath and keep watch over the king's house⁶ (a third also shall be at the gate Sur, and a third at the gate behind the ^(F1)guards), ^(F2)shall keep watch over the house ^(F3)for defense.⁷ "And two parts of you, all who go out on the Sabbath, shall also keep watch over the house of the LORD for the king.⁸ "Then you shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand; and whoever comes within the ranks shall be put to death. And ^(C1)you are to be with the king when he goes out and when he comes in."

⁹ So the captains of hundreds ^(C1)acted in accordance with everything that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And each one of them took his men who were to come in on the Sabbath, along with those who were to go out on the Sabbath, and they came to Jehoiada the priest.¹⁰ Then ^(C1)the priest gave the captains of hundreds the spears and shields that had been King David's, which were in the house of the LORD.¹¹ The ^(F1)guards stood, each with his weapons in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, by the altar and by the house, around the king.¹² Then he brought the king's son out, and ^(C1)put the crown on him and gave him ^(C2)the testimony; and they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, "^(C3)Long live the king!"

^13 (C1)When Athaliah heard the noise of the guards and of the people, she came to the people at the house of the LORD.¹⁴ And she looked, and behold, the king was standing ^(C1)by the pillar according to the custom, with the captains and the ^(F1)trumpeters beside the king; and ^(C2)all the people of the land were joyful and were blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah ^(C3)tore her clothes and cried out, "^(C4)Conspiracy! Conspiracy!"¹⁵ And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds who were appointed over the army and said to them, "Bring her out between the ranks, and whoever follows her, put to death with the sword!" For the priest said, "She is not to be put to death at the house of the LORD."¹⁶ So they ^(F1)seized her, and when ^(F2)they brought her to the horses' entrance of the king's house, she was ^(C1)put to death there.

¹⁷ Then ^(C1)Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD, the king, and the people, that they would be the LORD'S people, and ^(C2)between the king and the people.¹⁸ And all the people of the land came to ^(C1)the house of Baal and tore it down; they thoroughly smashed ^(C2)his altars and his images in pieces, and they ^(C3)killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. Then the priest appointed sentries over the house of the LORD.¹⁹ And he took the captains of hundreds and the ^(C1)Carites, and the ^(F1)guards and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down from the house of the LORD, and came by way of ^(C2)the gate of the ^(F1)guards to the king's house. And he sat on the throne of the kings.²⁰ So ^(C1)all the people of the land rejoiced and the city was ^(F1)peaceful. For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword at the king's house.

^21 (F1)(C1)Jehoash was seven years old when he became king.

Chapter 12

Jehoash (Joash) Reigns over Judah

¹ In the seventh year of Jehu, ^(F1)(C1)Jehoash became king, and he reigned for forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba.² Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all his days that Jehoiada the priest instructed him.³ Only ^(C1)the high places did not end; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

The Temple to Be Repaired

⁴ Then Jehoash said to the priests, "All the money of the sacred offerings ^(C1)which is brought into the house of the LORD, in current money, both ^(C2)the money of each man's assessment and all the money ^(F1)which anyone's heart prompts him to bring into the house of the LORD,⁵ the priests are to take it for themselves, each from his ^(F1)acquaintance; and they shall repair ^(F2)damage to the house wherever ^(F2)any damage is found."

⁶ But it came about that in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, ^(C1)the priests had not repaired any damage to the house.⁷ So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest, and the other priests, and said to them, "Why do you not repair damage to the house? Now then, you are not to take any more money from your ^(F1)acquaintances, but give it up for the damage to the house."⁸ The priests then agreed that they would not take any more money from the people, nor would they ^(F1)repair damage to the house.

⁹ Instead, ^(C1)Jehoiada the priest ^(F1)took a chest and drilled a hole in its lid and put it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into 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 When they saw that there was a great amount of money in the chest, ^(C1)the king's scribe and the high priest went up and tied it up in bags, and counted the money that was found in the house of the LORD.¹¹ And they handed the money which was assessed over to those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of the LORD; and they ^(F1)paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the house of the LORD;¹² and ^(C1)to the masons and the stonecutters, and for buying timber and cut stone to repair the damage to the house of the LORD, and for everything that ^(F1)was laid out for the house to repair it.¹³ However ^(C1)there were not made for the house of the LORD ^(C2)silver cups, shears, bowls, trumpets, any receptacles of gold, or receptacles of silver from the money which was brought into the house of the LORD;¹⁴ for they gave that to those who did the work, and with it they repaired the house of the LORD.¹⁵ Moreover, ^(C1)they did not require an accounting from the men into whose hands they gave the money to pay to those who did the work, because they acted faithfully.¹⁶ The ^(C1)money from the guilt offerings and ^(C2)the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the LORD; ^(C3)it belonged to the priests.

¹⁷ Then ^(C1)Hazael the king of Aram went up and fought against Gath and captured it, and ^(C2)Hazael ^(F1)was intent on going up against Jerusalem.¹⁸ So ^(C1)Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred offerings that Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had consecrated, and ^(C2)his own sacred offerings, and all the gold that was found among the treasuries of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent them to Hazael king of Aram. Then he withdrew from Jerusalem.

Joash (Jehoash) Succeeded by Amaziah in Judah

¹⁹ Now as for the rest of the acts of Joash and everything that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?²⁰ And ^(C1)his servants rose up and formed a conspiracy; and they ^(C2)struck and killed Joash at ^(C3)the house of Millo as he was going down to Silla.²¹ For Jozacar the son of Shimeath and Jehozabad the son of ^(C1)Shomer, his servants, struck him and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and his son ^(C2)Amaziah became king in his place.

Chapter 13

Kings of Israel: Jehoahaz and Jehoash

¹ In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel at Samaria, and he reigned for seventeen years.² He did evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, ^(C1)into which he misled Israel; he did not turn from them.^3 (C1)So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He continually handed them over to ^(C2)Hazael king of Aram, and to ^(C3)Ben-hadad, the son of Hazael.⁴ Then ^(C1)Jehoahaz appeased the LORD, and the LORD listened to him; for ^(C2)He saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Aram oppressed them.⁵ And the LORD gave Israel a ^(F1)(C1)savior, so that they ^(F2)escaped from under the hand of the Arameans; and the sons of Israel lived in their tents as previously.⁶ Nevertheless they did not abandon the sins of the house of Jeroboam, ^(C1)into which he misled Israel; rather, they walked in ^(F1)them; and ^(C2)the ^(F2)Asherah also remained standing in Samaria.⁷ For he left to Jehoahaz no more of the ^(F1)army than fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand infantry, because the king of Aram had eliminated them and ^(C1)made them like the dust at threshing.⁸ Now as for 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 And Jehoahaz ^(F1)lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria; and his son Joash became king in his place.

¹⁰ In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, ^(F1)Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned for sixteen years.¹¹ He did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not turn away from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel; rather, he walked in ^(F1)them.^12 (C1)Now as for the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, and his 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 ^(F1)lay down with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne; and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

Death of Elisha

¹⁴ When Elisha ^(F1)became sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over ^(F2)him and said, "^(C1)My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!"¹⁵ And Elisha said to him, "Take a bow and arrows." So he ^(F1)took a bow and arrows.¹⁶ Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, "Lay your hand on the bow." And he laid his hand on it, then Elisha put his hands on the king's hands.¹⁷ And he said, "Open the window toward the east," and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot!" So he shot. And he said, "The LORD'S arrow of victory, and the arrow of victory over Aram; for you will ^(F1)defeat the Arameans at ^(C1)Aphek until you have put an end to them."¹⁸ Then he said, "Take the arrows," and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground," and he struck it three times and ^(F1)stopped.¹⁹ Then ^(C1)the man of God became angry at him and said, "You should have struck five or six times, then you would have struck Aram until you put an end to it. But now you shall strike Aram ^(C2)only three times."

²⁰ And Elisha died, and they buried him. Now ^(C1)the marauding bands of the Moabites would invade the land ^(F1)in the spring of the year.²¹ And as they were burying a man, behold, they saw a marauding band; and they threw the man into the grave of Elisha. And when the man ^(F1)touched the bones of Elisha he ^(C1)revived and stood up on his feet.

²² Now ^(C1)Hazael king of Aram had oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.²³ But the ^(C1)LORD was gracious to them and ^(C2)had compassion on them and turned to them because of ^(C3)His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and He was unwilling to eliminate them or cast them away from His presence until now.

²⁴ When Hazael king of Aram died, his son Ben-hadad became king in his place.²⁵ Then ^(C1)Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz again took from the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken in war from the hand of his father Jehoahaz. ^(C2)Three times Joash ^(F1)defeated him and recovered the cities of Israel.

Chapter 14

Amaziah Reigns over Judah

^1 (C1)In the second year of Joash son of Joahaz king of Israel, ^(C2)Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah became king.² He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem.³ He did what was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like his father David; he acted in accordance with everything that his father Joash had done.⁴ Only ^(C1)the high places were not eliminated; ^(C2)the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.⁵ Now it came about, as soon as the kingdom was firmly in his hand, that he ^(F1)(C1)killed his servants who had ^(F1)killed the king, his father.⁶ But he did not put the sons of ^(F1)the murderers to death, in ^(F2)obedience to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, as the LORD commanded, saying, "^(C1)The fathers shall not be put to death for the sons, nor the sons be put to death for the fathers; but ^(C2)each shall be put to death for his own sin."

⁷ He ^(F1)killed ten thousand of the Edomites in ^(C1)the Valley of Salt, and took ^(C2)Sela by war, and named it ^(C3)Joktheel, as it is to this day.

^8 (C1)Then Amaziah sent messengers to ^(F1)Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "^(C2)Come, let's face each other in combat."⁹ But Jehoash king of Israel sent messengers to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, "^(C1)The thorn bush that was in Lebanon sent word to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son ^(F1)in marriage.' But a wild animal that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thorn bush.¹⁰ "^(C1)You have indeed ^(F1)defeated Edom, and ^(C2)your heart ^(F2)is elated. Enjoy the glory and stay home; for why should you get involved in trouble so that you would fall, you and Judah with you?"<