2 Chronicles 11, 12, Revelation 2, Zephaniah 3, John 1

2 Chronicles 11, 12,

1 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered the house of Judah and Benjamin-a hundred and eighty thousand fighting men-to make war against Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam.
 
2 But this word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God:
 
3 "Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah and to all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin,
 
4 'This is what the LORD says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.' " So they obeyed the words of the LORD and turned back from marching against Jeroboam.
 
5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built up towns for defense in Judah:
 
6 Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
 
7 Beth Zur, Soco, Adullam,
 
8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,
 
9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
 
10 Zorah, Aijalon and Hebron. These were fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin.
 
11 He strengthened their defenses and put commanders in them, with supplies of food, olive oil and wine.
 
12 He put shields and spears in all the cities, and made them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin were his.
 
13 The priests and Levites from all their districts throughout Israel sided with him.
 
14 The Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and property, and came to Judah and Jerusalem because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the LORD.
 
15 And he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat and calf idols he had made.
 
16 Those from every tribe of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the LORD, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the LORD, the God of their fathers.
 
17 They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon three years, walking in the ways of David and Solomon during this time.
 
18 Rehoboam married Mahalath, who was the daughter of David's son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of Jesse's son Eliab.
 
19 She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah and Zaham.
 
20 Then he married Maacah daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza and Shelomith.
 
21 Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than any of his other wives and concubines. In all, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
 
22 Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah to be the chief prince among his brothers, in order to make him king.
 
23 He acted wisely, dispersing some of his sons throughout the districts of Judah and Benjamin, and to all the fortified cities. He gave them abundant provisions and took many wives for them.

1 After Rehoboam's position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the LORD.
 
2 Because they had been unfaithful to the LORD, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam.
 
3 With twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen and the innumerable troops of Libyans, Sukkites and Cushites that came with him from Egypt,
 
4 he captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.
 
5 Then the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had assembled in Jerusalem for fear of Shishak, and he said to them, "This is what the LORD says, 'You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandon you to Shishak.' "
 
6 The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, "The LORD is just."
 
7 When the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, this word of the LORD came to Shemaiah: "Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will soon give them deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak.
 
8 They will, however, become subject to him, so that they may learn the difference between serving me and serving the kings of other lands."
 
9 When Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem, he carried off the treasures of the temple of the LORD and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including the gold shields Solomon had made.
 
10 So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned these to the commanders of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace.
 
11 Whenever the king went to the LORD's temple, the guards went with him, bearing the shields, and afterward they returned them to the guardroom.
 
12 Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the LORD's anger turned from him, and he was not totally destroyed. Indeed, there was some good in Judah.
 
13 King Rehoboam established himself firmly in Jerusalem and continued as king. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel in which to put his Name. His mother's name was Naamah; she was an Ammonite.
 
14 He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the LORD.
 
15 As for the events of Rehoboam's reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the records of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer that deal with genealogies? There was continual warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam.
 
16 Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. And Abijah his son succeeded him as king.

Revelation 2,

1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:
 
2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.
 
3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
 
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.
 
5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
 
6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
 
7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
 
8 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.
 
9 I know your afflictions and your poverty-yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
 
10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
 
11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.
 
12 "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.
 
13 I know where you live-where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city-where Satan lives.
 
14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.
 
15 Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
 
16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
 
17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.
 
18 "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
 
19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
 
20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.
 
21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.
 
22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.
 
23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
 
24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you):
 
25 Only hold on to what you have until I come.
 
26 To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations-
 
27 'He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery'- just as I have received authority from my Father.
 
28 I will also give him the morning star.
 
29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Zephaniah 3,

1 Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled!
 
2 She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD, she does not draw near to her God.
 
3 Her officials are roaring lions, her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning.
 
4 Her prophets are arrogant; they are treacherous men. Her priests profane the sanctuary and do violence to the law.
 
5 The LORD within her is righteous; he does no wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame.
 
6 "I have cut off nations; their strongholds are demolished. I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are destroyed; no one will be left-no one at all.
 
7 I said to the city, 'Surely you will fear me and accept correction!' Then her dwelling would not be cut off, nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did.
 
8 Therefore wait for me," declares the LORD, "for the day I will stand up to testify. I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them-all my fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger.
 
9 "Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder.
 
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings.
 
11 On that day you will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from this city those who rejoice in their pride. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill.
 
12 But I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust in the name of the LORD.
 
13 The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid."
 
14 Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!
 
15 The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.
 
16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp.
 
17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."
 
18 "The sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you; they are a burden and a reproach to you.
 
19 At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame.
 
20 At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes," says the LORD.

John 1

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
 
2 He was with God in the beginning.
 
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
 
4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
 
5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
 
6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.
 
7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.
 
8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
 
9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
 
10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.
 
11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
 
12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-
 
13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
 
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
 
15 John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' "
 
16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.
 
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
 
18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.
 
19 Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was.
 
20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ."
 
21 They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No."
 
22 Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"
 
23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.' "
 
24 Now some Pharisees who had been sent
 
25 questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"
 
26 "I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know.
 
27 He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."
 
28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
 
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
 
30 This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'
 
31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."
 
32 Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.
 
33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'
 
34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."
 
35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples.
 
36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"
 
37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.
 
38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?" They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?"
 
39 "Come," he replied, "and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.
 
40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus.
 
41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ).
 
42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter).
 
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."
 
44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.
 
45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote-Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
 
46 "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip.
 
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false."
 
48 "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."
 
49 Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."
 
50 Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that."
 
51 He then added, "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."