October 22
2Chronicles 31 & Mark 5
Hide/Show Verse Numbers

2Chronicles 31

Chapter 31

31:1When all this was completed, all Israel who had attended went out to the cities of Judah and broke up the sacred pillars, chopped down the Asherah poles, and tore down the high places and altars throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, to the last one. Then all the Israelites returned to their cities, each to his own possession.
2Hezekiah reestablished the divisions of the priests and Levites for the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, for ministry, for giving thanks, and for praise in the gates of the camp of the Lord, each division corresponding to his service among the priests and Levites. 3The king contributed from his own possessions for the regular morning and evening burnt offerings, the burnt offerings of the Sabbaths, of the New Moons, and of the appointed feasts, as written in the law of the Lord. 4He told the people who lived in Jerusalem to give a contribution for the priests and Levites so that they could devote their energy to the law of the Lord. 5When the word spread, the Israelites gave liberally of the best of the grain, new wine, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field, and they brought in an abundance, a tenth of everything. 6As for the Israelites and Judahites who lived in the cities of Judah, they also brought a tenth of the cattle and sheep, and a tenth of the dedicated things that were consecrated to the Lord their God. They gathered them into large piles. 7In the third month they began building up the piles, and they finished in the seventh month. 8When Hezekiah and his officials came and viewed the piles, they praised the Lord and His people Israel.
9Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the piles. 10Azariah, the chief priest of the household of Zadok, answered him, "Since they began bringing the offering to the Lord's temple, we eat and are satisfied and there is plenty left over because the Lord has blessed His people; this abundance is what is left over."
11Hezekiah told them to prepare chambers in the Lord's temple, and they prepared them. 12The offering, the tenth, and the dedicated things were brought faithfully. Conaniah the Levite was the officer in charge of them, and his brother Shimei was second. 13Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah were deputies under the authority of Conaniah and his brother Shimei by appointment of King Hezekiah and of Azariah the chief official of God's temple.
14Kore son of Imnah the Levite, the keeper of the East Gate, was over the freewill offerings to God to distribute the contribution to the Lord and the consecrated things. 15Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah in the cities of the priests were to faithfully distribute it under his authority to their brothers by divisions, whether large or small. 16In addition, they distributed it to males registered by genealogy three years old and above; to all who would enter the Lord's temple for their daily duty, for their service in their responsibilities according to their divisions. 17They distributed also to those recorded by genealogy of the priests by their ancestral families and the Levites 20 years old and above, by their responsibilities in their divisions; 18to those registered by genealogy-with all their infants, wives, sons, and daughters-of the whole assembly (for they had faithfully consecrated themselves as holy); 19and to the descendants of Aaron, the priests, in the common fields of their cities, in each and every city. There were men who were registered by name to distribute a portion to every male among the priests and to every Levite recorded by genealogy.
20Hezekiah did this throughout all Judah. He did what was good and upright and true before the Lord his God. 21He was diligent in every deed that he began in the service of God's temple, in the instruction and the commands, in order to seek his God, and he prospered.

Mark 5

Chapter 5

5:1Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes. 2As soon as He got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs and met Him. 3He lived in the tombs. No one was able to restrain him anymore-even with chains- 4because he often had been bound with shackles and chains, but had snapped off the chains and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5And always, night and day, he was crying out among the tombs and in the mountains and cutting himself with stones.
6When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt down before Him. 7And he cried out with a loud voice, "What do You have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You before God, don't torment me!" 8For He had told him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!"
9"What is your name?" He asked him.
"My name is Legion," he answered Him, "because we are many." 10And he kept begging Him not to send them out of the region.
11Now a large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside. 12The demons begged Him, "Send us to the pigs, so we may enter them." 13And He gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs, and the herd of about 2,000 rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned there. 14The men who tended them ran off and reported it in the town and the countryside, and people went to see what had happened. 15They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon-possessed by the legion, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16The eyewitnesses described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and told about the pigs. 17Then they began to beg Him to leave their region.
18As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed kept begging Him to be with Him. 19But He would not let him; instead, He told him, "Go back home to your own people, and report to them how much the Lord has done for you and how He has had mercy on you." 20So he went out and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and they were all amazed.
21When Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him while He was by the sea. 22One of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at His feet 23and kept begging Him, "My little daughter is at death's door. Come and lay Your hands on her so she can get well and live."
24So Jesus went with him, and a large crowd was following and pressing against Him. 25A woman suffering from bleeding for 12 years 26had endured much under many doctors. She had spent everything she had and was not helped at all. On the contrary, she became worse. 27Having heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His robe. 28For she said, "If I can just touch His robes, I'll be made well!" 29Instantly her flow of blood ceased, and she sensed in her body that she was cured of her affliction.
30At once Jesus realized in Himself that power had gone out from Him. He turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My robes?"
31His disciples said to Him, "You see the crowd pressing against You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"
32So He was looking around to see who had done this. 33Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came with fear and trembling, fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth. 34"Daughter," He said to her, "your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be free from your affliction."
35While He was still speaking, people came from the synagogue leader's house and said, "Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher anymore?"
36But when Jesus overheard what was said, He told the synagogue leader, "Don't be afraid. Only believe." 37He did not let anyone accompany Him except Peter, James, and John, James's brother. 38They came to the leader's house, and He saw a commotion-people weeping and wailing loudly. 39He went in and said to them, "Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep."
40They started laughing at Him, but He put them all outside. He took the child's father, mother, and those who were with Him, and entered the place where the child was. 41Then He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!"). 42Immediately the girl got up and began to walk. (She was 12 years old.) At this they were utterly astounded. 43Then He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this and said that she should be given something to eat.

Daily Comments