Bible Reading Plan

2 Chronicles 21

Chapter 21

Jehoram Succeeds Jehoshaphat in Judah

^1 (C1)Then Jehoshaphat ^(F1)lay down with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and his son Jehoram became king in his place.² He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, ^(F1)Azaryahu, Michael, and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king ^(C1)of Israel.³ Their father gave them many gifts of silver, gold, and precious things, ^(C1)with fortified cities in Judah; but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.

⁴ Now when Jehoram had ^(F1)taken over the kingdom of his father and gathered courage, he ^(C1)killed all his brothers with the sword, and some of the leaders of Israel as well.^5 (C1)Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem.^6 (C1)He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, ^(C2)for Ahab's daughter was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the LORD.⁷ Yet the LORD was not willing to destroy the house of David because of the covenant which He had made with David, ^(C1)and because He had promised to give a lamp to him and his sons forever.

Revolt against Judah

⁸ In his days ^(C1)Edom broke away ^(F1)from the rule of Judah, and appointed a king over themselves.⁹ Then Jehoram crossed over with his commanders and all his chariots with him. And he got up at night and struck and killed the Edomites who were surrounding him, and the commanders of the chariots.¹⁰ So Edom revolted ^(F1)against Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time ^(F2)against his rule because he had abandoned the LORD God of his fathers.¹¹ Furthermore, ^(C1)he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem ^(C2)to be unfaithful, and led Judah astray.

¹² Then a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, "This is what the LORD, the God of your father David says: 'Because ^(C1)you have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat ^(C2)and the ways of Asa king of Judah,¹³ but ^(C1)have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to be unfaithful ^(C2)as the house of Ahab was unfaithful, and you ^(C3)have also killed your brothers, ^(F1)your own family, who were better than you,¹⁴ behold, the LORD is going to strike your people, your sons, your wives, and all your possessions with a great plague;¹⁵ and ^(C1)you will suffer ^(F1)severe sickness, a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the sickness, day by day.'"

¹⁶ Then ^(C1)the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and ^(C2)the Arabs who ^(F1)bordered the Ethiopians;¹⁷ and they came against Judah and invaded it, and carried away all the possessions found in the king's house together with his sons and his wives, so that no son was left to him except ^(F1)(C1)Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.

¹⁸ So after all this the LORD struck him ^(C1)in his intestines with an incurable sickness.¹⁹ Now it came about in the course of time, at the end of two years, that his bowels came out because of his sickness, and he died in great pain. And his people did not make a funeral fire for him like ^(C1)the fire for his fathers.²⁰ He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eight years; and he departed ^(F1)(C1)with no one's regret, and they buried him in the city of David, ^(C2)but not in the tombs of the kings.

Obadiah 1

Chapter 1

Edom Will Be Humbled

¹ The vision of Obadiah.

This is what the Lord ^(F1)GOD says concerning ^(C1)Edom—
^(C2)We have heard a report from the LORD,
And a ^(C3)messenger has been sent among the nations saying,
"^(C4)Arise, and let's go up against her for battle"—

² "Behold, I will make you ^(C1)small among the nations;
You are greatly despised.

³ "The ^(C1)arrogance of your heart has deceived you,
The one who lives in the clefts of ^(F1)the ^(C2)rock,
On the height of his dwelling place,
Who says in his heart,
'^(C3)Who will bring me down to earth?'

⁴ "Though you ^(C1)make your home high like the eagle,
Though you set your nest among the ^(C2)stars,
From there I will bring you down," declares the LORD.

⁵ "If ^(C1)thieves came to you,
If ^(F1)robbers by night—
Oh how you will be ruined!—
Would they not steal only ^(F2)until they had enough?
If grape-pickers came to you,
^(C2)Would they not leave some gleanings?

⁶ "Oh how Esau will be ^(C1)searched,
And his hidden treasures searched out!

⁷ "All the ^(C1)people ^(F1)allied with you
Will send you to the border,
And the people at peace with you
Will deceive you and overpower you.
They who eat your ^(C2)bread
Will set an ambush for you.
(There is ^(C3)no understanding ^(F2)in him.)

⁸ "Will I not on that day," declares the LORD,
"^(C1)Eliminate wise men from Edom,
And understanding from the mountain of Esau?

⁹ "Then your ^(C1)warriors will be filled with terror, ^(C2)Teman,
So that everyone will be ^(C3)eliminated from the mountain of Esau by murder.

¹⁰ "Because of ^(C1)violence to your brother Jacob,
Shame will cover you,
^(C2)And you will be eliminated forever.

¹¹ "On the day that you ^(C1)stood aloof,
On the day that strangers carried off his wealth,
And foreigners entered his gate
And ^(C2)cast lots for Jerusalem—
^(C3)You too were as one of them.

¹² "^(C1)Do not ^(F1)gloat over your brother's day,
The day of his misfortune.
And ^(C2)do not rejoice over the sons of Judah
On the day of their destruction;
Yes, ^(C3)do not ^(F2)boast
On the day of their distress.

¹³ "Do not enter the gate of My people
On the ^(C1)day of their disaster.
You indeed, do not ^(F1)gloat over their catastrophe
On the day of their disaster.
And do not ^(C2)lay a hand on their wealth
On the day of their disaster.

¹⁴ "Do not ^(C1)stand at the crossroads
To eliminate their survivors;
And do not hand over their refugees
On the day of their distress.

The Day of the LORD and the Future

¹⁵ "For the ^(C1)day of the LORD is near for all the nations.
^(C2)Just as you have done, it will be done to you.
Your ^(C3)dealings will return on your own head.

¹⁶ "For just as you ^(C1)drank on ^(C2)My holy mountain,
All the nations ^(C3)will drink continually.
They will drink ^(F1)to the last drop,
And become as if they had never existed.

¹⁷ "But on Mount ^(C1)Zion there will be those who escape,
And it will be holy.
And the house of Jacob will ^(F1)(C2)possess their ^(F2)property.

¹⁸ "Then the house of Jacob will be a ^(C1)fire,
And the house of Joseph a flame;
But the house of Esau will be like stubble.
And they will set ^(F1)them on fire and consume ^(F1)them,
So that there will be ^(C2)no survivor of the house of Esau,"
For the LORD has spoken.

¹⁹ Then those of the ^(F1)Negev will ^(F2)(C1)possess the mountain of Esau,
And those of the ^(F3)Shephelah the ^(C2)Philistine plain;
Also, ^(C3)they will ^(F2)possess the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria,
And Benjamin the territory of Gilead.

²⁰ And the exiles of this army of the sons of Israel,
Who are among the Canaanites as far as ^(C1)Zarephath,
And the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad,
Will ^(F1)possess the ^(C2)cities of the Negev.

^21 (F1)The ^(C1)deliverers will ascend Mount Zion
To judge the mountain of Esau,
And the ^(C2)kingdom will be the LORD'S.

2 Corinthians 8

Chapter 8

Great Generosity

¹ Now, brothers and sisters, we make known to you the grace of God which has been ^(C1)given in the churches of ^(C2)Macedonia,² that in a ^(F1)great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the ^(C1)wealth of their liberality.³ For I testify that ^(C1)according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave voluntarily,⁴ begging us with much urging for the ^(C1)favor ^(F1)of participation in the ^(F2)(C2)support of the ^(F3)saints,⁵ and this, not as we had ^(F1)expected, but they first ^(C1)gave themselves to the Lord and to us by ^(C2)the will of God.⁶ So we ^(C1)urged ^(C2)Titus that as he had previously ^(C3)made a beginning, so he would also complete in you ^(C4)this gracious work as well.

⁷ But just as you ^(C1)excel ^(C2)in everything, in faith, speaking, knowledge, and in all earnestness and in the ^(F1)love we inspired in you, see that you also ^(C1)excel in this gracious work.⁸ I ^(C1)am not saying this as a command, but as proving, through the earnestness of others, the sincerity of your love as well.⁹ For you know ^(C1)the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ^(C2)though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.¹⁰ I ^(C1)give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin ^(C2)a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it.¹¹ But now finish ^(F1)doing it also, so that just as there was the ^(C1)willingness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability.¹² For if the willingness is present, it is acceptable ^(C1)according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.¹³ For this is not for the relief of others and for your hardship, but by way of equality—¹⁴ at this present time your abundance will serve as assistance for ^(C1)their need, so that their abundance also may ^(F1)serve as assistance for ^(C1)your need, so that there may be equality;¹⁵ as it is written: "^(C1)THE ONE WHO HAD GATHERED MUCH DID NOT HAVE TOO MUCH, AND THE ONE WHO HAD GATHERED LITTLE DID NOT HAVE TOO LITTLE."

¹⁶ But ^(C1)thanks be to God who ^(C2)puts the same earnestness in your behalf in the heart of ^(C3)Titus.¹⁷ For he not only accepted our ^(C1)appeal, but being himself very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord.¹⁸ We have sent along with him ^(C1)the brother whose fame in the things of the ^(C2)gospel has spread through ^(C3)all the churches;^19 (C1)and not only that, but he has also been ^(C2)appointed by the churches to travel with us in ^(C3)this gracious work, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our ^(C4)readiness,^20 (F1)taking precaution so that no one will discredit us in our administration of this generous gift;²¹ for we ^(C1)have regard for what is honorable, not only in ^(C2)the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of other people.²² We have sent with them our brother, whom we have often tested and found diligent in many things, but now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you.²³ As for ^(C1)Titus, he is my ^(C2)partner and fellow worker ^(F1)among you; as for our ^(C3)brothers, they are ^(F2)(C4)messengers of the churches, ^(C5)a glory to Christ.²⁴ Therefore, ^(F1)openly before the churches, ^(F2)show them the proof of your love and of our ^(C1)reason for boasting about you.