October 17
2Chronicles 28 & Mark 2
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2Chronicles 28

Chapter 28

28:1Ahaz was 20 years old when he became king and reigned 16 years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the Lord's sight like his ancestor David, 2for he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and made cast images of the Baals. 3He burned incense in the Valley of Hinnom and burned his children in the fire, imitating the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites. 4He sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
5So the Lord his God handed Ahaz over to the king of Aram. He attacked him and took many captives to Damascus.
Ahaz was also handed over to the king of Israel, who struck him with great force: 6Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 in Judah in one day-all brave men-because they had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors. 7An Ephraimite warrior named Zichri killed the king's son Maaseiah, Azrikam governor of the palace, and Elkanah who was second to the king. 8Then the Israelites took 200,000 captives from their brothers-women, sons, and daughters. They also took a great deal of plunder from them and brought it to Samaria.
9A prophet of the Lord named Oded was there. He went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, "Look, the Lord God of your ancestors handed them over to you because of His wrath against Judah, but you slaughtered them in a rage that has reached heaven. 10Now you plan to reduce the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, to slavery. Are you not also guilty before Yahweh your God? 11Listen to me and return the captives you took from your brothers, for the Lord's burning anger is on you."
12So some men who were leaders of the Ephraimites-Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai-stood in opposition to those coming from the war. 13They said to them, "You must not bring the captives here, for you plan to bring guilt on us from the Lord to add to our sins and our guilt. For we have much guilt, and burning anger is on Israel."
14The army left the captives and the plunder in the presence of the officers and the congregation. 15Then the men who were designated by name took charge of the captives and provided clothes for their naked ones from the plunder. They clothed them, gave them sandals, food and drink, dressed their wounds, and provided donkeys for all the feeble. The Israelites brought them to Jericho, the City of Palms, among their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria.
16At that time King Ahaz asked the king of Assyria for help. 17The Edomites came again, attacked Judah, and took captives. 18The Philistines also raided the cities of the Judean foothills and the Negev of Judah and captured Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco and its villages, Timnah and its villages, Gimzo and its villages, and they lived there. 19For the Lord humbled Judah because of King Ahaz of Judah, who threw off restraint in Judah and was unfaithful to the Lord. 20Then Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came against Ahaz; he oppressed him and did not give him support. 21Although Ahaz plundered the Lord's temple and the palace of the king and of the rulers and gave the plunder to the king of Assyria, it did not help him.
22At the time of his distress, King Ahaz himself became more unfaithful to the Lord. 23He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him; he said, "Since the gods of the kings of Aram are helping them, I will sacrifice to them so that they will help me." But they were the downfall of him and of all Israel.
24Then Ahaz gathered up the utensils of God's temple, cut them into pieces, shut the doors of the Lord's temple, and made himself altars on every street corner in Jerusalem. 25He made high places in every city of Judah to offer incense to other gods, and he provoked the Lord, the God of his ancestors.
26As for the rest of his deeds and all his ways, from beginning to end, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried in the city, in Jerusalem, but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah became king in his place.

Mark 2

Chapter 2

2:1When He entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that He was at home. 2So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and He was speaking the message to them. 3Then they came to Him bringing a paralytic, carried by four men. 4Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above where He was. And when they had broken through, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying.
5Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
6But some of the scribes were sitting there, thinking to themselves: 7"Why does He speak like this? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
8Right away Jesus understood in His spirit that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 9Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, pick up your mat, and walk'? 10But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins," He told the paralytic, 11"I tell you: get up, pick up your mat, and go home."
12Immediately he got up, picked up the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded and gave glory to God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"
13Then Jesus went out again beside the sea. The whole crowd was coming to Him, and He taught them. 14Then, moving on, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and He said to him, "Follow Me!" So he got up and followed Him.
15While He was reclining at the table in Levi's house, many tax collectors and sinners were also guests with Jesus and His disciples, because there were many who were following Him. 16When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked His disciples, "Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
17When Jesus heard this, He told them, "Those who are well don't need a doctor, but the sick do need one. I didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners."
18Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. People came and asked Him, "Why do John's disciples and the Pharisees' disciples fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"
19Jesus said to them, "The wedding guests cannot fast while the groom is with them, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast. 20But the time will come when the groom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. 21No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new patch pulls away from the old cloth, and a worse tear is made. 22And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost as well as the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins."
23On the Sabbath He was going through the grainfields, and His disciples began to make their way picking some heads of grain. 24The Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"
25He said to them, "Have you never read what David and those who were with him did when he was in need and hungry- 26how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest and ate the sacred bread-which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests-and also gave some to his companions?" 27Then He told them, "The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. 28Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

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