2 Chronicles 9, Jude 1, Zephaniah 1, Luke 23

2 Chronicles 9,

1 When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. Arriving with a very great caravan-with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones-she came to Solomon and talked with him about all she had on her mind.
 
2 Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her.
 
3 When the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, as well as the palace he had built,
 
4 the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, the cupbearers in their robes and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed.
 
5 She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true.
 
6 But I did not believe what they said until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard.
 
7 How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!
 
8 Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on his throne as king to rule for the LORD your God. Because of the love of your God for Israel and his desire to uphold them forever, he has made you king over them, to maintain justice and righteousness."
 
9 Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
 
10 (The men of Hiram and the men of Solomon brought gold from Ophir; they also brought algumwood and precious stones.
 
11 The king used the algumwood to make steps for the temple of the LORD and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. Nothing like them had ever been seen in Judah.)
 
12 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for; he gave her more than she had brought to him. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.
 
13 The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,
 
14 not including the revenues brought in by merchants and traders. Also all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land brought gold and silver to Solomon.
 
15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred bekas of hammered gold went into each shield.
 
16 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three hundred bekas of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.
 
17 Then the king made a great throne inlaid with ivory and overlaid with pure gold.
 
18 The throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to it. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them.
 
19 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom.
 
20 All King Solomon's goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon's day.
 
21 The king had a fleet of trading ships manned by Hiram's men. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.
 
22 King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.
 
23 All the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.
 
24 Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift-articles of silver and gold, and robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.
 
25 Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.
 
26 He ruled over all the kings from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt.
 
27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills.
 
28 Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and from all other countries.
 
29 As for the other events of Solomon's reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the records of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat?
 
30 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.
 
31 Then he rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king.

Jude 1,

1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ:
 
2 Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.
 
3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.
 
4 For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
 
5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.
 
6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home-these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.
 
7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
 
8 In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings.
 
9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"
 
10 Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals-these are the very things that destroy them.
 
11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion.
 
12 These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm-shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted-twice dead.
 
13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
 
14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones
 
15 to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him."
 
16 These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.
 
17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.
 
18 They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires."
 
19 These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
 
20 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.
 
21 Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
 
22 Be merciful to those who doubt;
 
23 snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear-hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
 
24 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy-
 
25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Zephaniah 1,

1 The word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:
 
2 "I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth," declares the LORD.
 
3 "I will sweep away both men and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. The wicked will have only heaps of rubble when I cut off man from the face of the earth," declares the LORD.
 
4 "I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all who live in Jerusalem. I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal, the names of the pagan and the idolatrous priests-
 
5 those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host, those who bow down and swear by the LORD and who also swear by Molech,
 
6 those who turn back from following the LORD and neither seek the LORD nor inquire of him.
 
7 Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day of the LORD is near. The LORD has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited.
 
8 On the day of the LORD's sacrifice I will punish the princes and the king's sons and all those clad in foreign clothes.
 
9 On that day I will punish all who avoid stepping on the threshold, who fill the temple of their gods with violence and deceit.
 
10 "On that day," declares the LORD, "a cry will go up from the Fish Gate, wailing from the New Quarter, and a loud crash from the hills.
 
11 Wail, you who live in the market district ; all your merchants will be wiped out, all who trade with silver will be ruined.
 
12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, 'The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.'
 
13 Their wealth will be plundered, their houses demolished. They will build houses but not live in them; they will plant vineyards but not drink the wine.
 
14 "The great day of the LORD is near-near and coming quickly. Listen! The cry on the day of the LORD will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior there.
 
15 That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness,
 
16 a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers.
 
17 I will bring distress on the people and they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like filth.
 
18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the LORD's wrath. In the fire of his jealousy the whole world will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth."

Luke 23

1 Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate.
 
2 And they began to accuse him, saying, "We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king."
 
3 So Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the king of the Jews?" "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.
 
4 Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no basis for a charge against this man."
 
5 But they insisted, "He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here."
 
6 On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean.
 
7 When he learned that Jesus was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.
 
8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle.
 
9 He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer.
 
10 The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him.
 
11 Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate.
 
12 That day Herod and Pilate became friends-before this they had been enemies.
 
13 Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people,
 
14 and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him.
 
15 Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death.
 
16 Therefore, I will punish him and then release him."
 
17 NONE
 
18 With one voice they cried out, "Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!"
 
19 (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)
 
20 Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again.
 
21 But they kept shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"
 
22 For the third time he spoke to them: "Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him."
 
23 But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed.
 
24 So Pilate decided to grant their demand.
 
25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.
 
26 As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.
 
27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.
 
28 Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.
 
29 For the time will come when you will say, 'Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!'
 
30 Then " 'they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!" '
 
31 For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?"
 
32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.
 
33 When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals-one on his right, the other on his left.
 
34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
 
35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."
 
36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar
 
37 and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."
 
38 There was a written notice above him, which read : THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
 
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"
 
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence?
 
41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."
 
42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
 
43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
 
44 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour,
 
45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.
 
46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.
 
47 The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man."
 
48 When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away.
 
49 But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
 
50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man,
 
51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God.
 
52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body.
 
53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid.
 
54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.
 
55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it.
 
56 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.