2 Chronicles 13

Abijah's War with Jeroboam
 ¹  Abijah began to rule over Judah in the eighteenth year of Jeroboam's reign in Israel.  ²  He reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother was Maacah, [2]  the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah.
  Then war broke out between Abijah and Jeroboam.  ³  Judah, led by King Abijah, fielded 400,000 select warriors, while Jeroboam mustered 800,000 select troops from Israel.
   ⁴  When the army of Judah arrived in the hill country of Ephraim, Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim and shouted to Jeroboam and all Israel: "Listen to me!  ⁵  Don't you realize that the LORD, the God of Israel, made a lasting covenant [5]  with David, giving him and his descendants the throne of Israel forever?  ⁶  Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, a mere servant of David's son Solomon, rebelled against his master.  ⁷  Then a whole gang of scoundrels joined him, defying Solomon's son Rehoboam when he was young and inexperienced and could not stand up to them.
   ⁸  "Do you really think you can stand against the kingdom of the LORD that is led by the descendants of David? You may have a vast army, and you have those gold calves that Jeroboam made as your gods.  ⁹  But you have chased away the priests of the LORD (the descendants of Aaron) and the Levites, and you have appointed your own priests, just like the pagan nations. You let anyone become a priest these days! Whoever comes to be dedicated with a young bull and seven rams can become a priest of these so-called gods of yours!
   ¹⁰  "But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not abandoned him. Only the descendants of Aaron serve the LORD as priests, and the Levites alone may help them in their work.  ¹¹  They present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the LORD every morning and evening. They place the Bread of the Presence on the holy table, and they light the gold lampstand every evening. We are following the instructions of the LORD our God, but you have abandoned him.  ¹²  So you see, God is with us. He is our leader. His priests blow their trumpets and lead us into battle against you. O people of Israel, do not fight against the LORD, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed!"
   ¹³  Meanwhile, Jeroboam had secretly sent part of his army around behind the men of Judah to ambush them.  ¹⁴  When Judah realized that they were being attacked from the front and the rear, they cried out to the LORD for help. Then the priests blew the trumpets,  ¹⁵  and the men of Judah began to shout. At the sound of their battle cry, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel and routed them before Abijah and the army of Judah.
   ¹⁶  The Israelite army fled from Judah, and God handed them over to Judah in defeat.  ¹⁷  Abijah and his army inflicted heavy losses on them; 500,000 of Israel's select troops were killed that day.  ¹⁸  So Judah defeated Israel on that occasion because they trusted in the LORD, the God of their ancestors.  ¹⁹  Abijah and his army pursued Jeroboam's troops and captured some of his towns, including Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, along with their surrounding villages.
   ²⁰  So Jeroboam of Israel never regained his power during Abijah's lifetime, and finally the LORD struck him down and he died.  ²¹  Meanwhile, Abijah of Judah grew more and more powerful. He married fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.
   ²²  The rest of the events of Abijah's reign, including his words and deeds, are recorded in The Commentary of Iddo the Prophet.

2 Chronicles 14

Early Years of Asa's Reign
 ¹   [1] When Abijah died, he was buried in the City of David. Then his son Asa became the next king. There was peace in the land for ten years.  ²   [2] Asa did what was pleasing and good in the sight of the LORD his God.  ³  He removed the foreign altars and the pagan shrines. He smashed the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah poles.  ⁴  He commanded the people of Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his law and his commands.  ⁵  Asa also removed the pagan shrines, as well as the incense altars from every one of Judah's towns. So Asa's kingdom enjoyed a period of peace.  ⁶  During those peaceful years, he was able to build up the fortified towns throughout Judah. No one tried to make war against him at this time, for the LORD was giving him rest from his enemies.
   ⁷  Asa told the people of Judah, "Let us build towns and fortify them with walls, towers, gates, and bars. The land is still ours because we sought the LORD our God, and he has given us peace on every side." So they went ahead with these projects and brought them to completion.
   ⁸  King Asa had an army of 300,000 warriors from the tribe of Judah, armed with large shields and spears. He also had an army of 280,000 warriors from the tribe of Benjamin, armed with small shields and bows. Both armies were composed of well-trained fighting men.
   ⁹  Once an Ethiopian [9]  named Zerah attacked Judah with an army of 1,000,000 men [9]  and 300 chariots. They advanced to the town of Mareshah,  ¹⁰  so Asa deployed his armies for battle in the valley north of Mareshah. [10]   ¹¹  Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God, "O LORD, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde. O LORD, you are our God; do not let mere men prevail against you!"    ¹²  So the LORD defeated the Ethiopians [12]  in the presence of Asa and the army of Judah, and the enemy fled.  ¹³  Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar, and so many Ethiopians fell that they were unable to rally. They were destroyed by the LORD and his army, and the army of Judah carried off a vast amount of plunder.
   ¹⁴  While they were at Gerar, they attacked all the towns in that area, and terror from the LORD came upon the people there. As a result, a vast amount of plunder was taken from these towns, too.  ¹⁵  They also attacked the camps of herdsmen and captured many sheep, goats, and camels before finally returning to Jerusalem.

<<  13:2 As in most Greek manuscripts and Syriac version (see also 2 Chr 11:20-21; 1 Kgs 15:2); Hebrew reads Micaiah, a variant spelling of Maacah.
<<  13:5 Hebrew a covenant of salt.
<<  14:1 Verse 14:1 is numbered 13:23 in the Hebrew text.
<<  14:2 Verses 14:2-15 are numbered 14:1-14 in Hebrew text.
<<  14:9a Hebrew a Cushite. 14:9b Or an army of thousands and thousands; Hebrew reads an army of a thousand thousands.
<<  14:10 Or in the Zephathah Valley near Mareshah.
<<  14:12 Hebrew Cushites; also in 14:13.

John 12 : 1-26

Jesus Anointed at Bethany
 ¹  Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead.  ²  A dinner was prepared in Jesus' honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate [2]  with him.  ³  Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus' feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.    ⁴  But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said,  ⁵  "That perfume was worth a year's wages. [5]  It should have been sold and the money given to the poor."  ⁶  Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples' money, he often stole some for himself.
   ⁷  Jesus replied, "Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial.  ⁸  You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."
   ⁹  When all the people [9]  heard of Jesus' arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead.  ¹⁰  Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too,  ¹¹  for it was because of him that many of the people had deserted them [11]  and believed in Jesus.

Jesus' Triumphant Entry
 ¹²  The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors  ¹³  took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted,

"Praise God! [13] 
Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD!
Hail to the King of Israel!" [13] 

 ¹⁴  Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said:

 ¹⁵  "Don't be afraid, people of Jerusalem. [15] 
Look, your King is coming,
  riding on a donkey's colt." [15] 

   ¹⁶  His disciples didn't understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him.
   ¹⁷  Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others [17]  about it.  ¹⁸  That was the reason so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign.  ¹⁹  Then the Pharisees said to each other, "There's nothing we can do. Look, everyone [19]  has gone after him!"

Jesus Predicts His Death
 ²⁰  Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration  ²¹  paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, "Sir, we want to meet Jesus."  ²²  Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus.
   ²³  Jesus replied, "Now the time has come for the Son of Man [23]  to enter into his glory.  ²⁴  "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels — a plentiful harvest of new lives."  ²⁵  Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.  ²⁶  "Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me."

<<  12:2 Or who reclined.
<<  12:3 Greek took 1 litra [327 grams].
<<  12:5 Greek worth 300 denarii. A denarius was equivalent to a laborer's full day's wage.
<<  12:9 Greek Jewish people; also in 12:11.
<<  12:11 Or had deserted their traditions; Greek reads had deserted.
<<  12:13a Greek Hosanna, an exclamation of praise adapted from a Hebrew expression that means "save now." 12:13b Ps 118:25-26; Zeph 3:15.
<<  12:15a Greek daughter of Zion. 12:15b Zech 9:9.
<<  12:17 Greek were testifying.
<<  12:19 Greek the world.
<<  12:23 "Son of Man" is a title Jesus used for himself.