Day 130 The Bible in a Year (Orthodox canon)

2 Chronicles 18

1 And Josaphat had yet great wealth and glory, and he connected himself by marriage with the house of Achaab. 2 And he went down after a term of years to Achaab to Samaria: and Achaab slew for him sheep and calves, in abundance, and for the people with him, and he much desired him to go up with him to Ramoth of the country of Galaad. 3 And Achaab king of Israel said to Josaphat king of Juda, Wilt thou go with me to Ramoth of the country of Galaad? And he said to him, As I [am], so also [art] thou, as thy people, [so] also [is] my people with thee for the war. 4 And Josaphat said to the king of Israel, Seek, I pray thee, the Lord to-day. 5 And the king of Israel gathered the prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, Shall I go to Ramoth Galaad to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up, and God shall deliver [it] into the hands of the king. 6 And Josaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides, that we may enquire of him? 7 And the king of Israel said to Josaphat, There is yet one man by whom to enquire of the Lord; but I hate him, for he does not prophesy concerning me for good, for all his days [are] for evil: this [is] Michaias the son of Jembla. And Josaphat said, Let not the king say so. 8 And the king called an eunuch, and said, [Fetch] quickly Michaias the son of Jembla. 9 And the king of Israel and Josaphat king of Juda were sitting each on his throne, and clothed in their robes, sitting in the open space at the entrance of the gate of Samaria: and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 10 And Sedekias son of Chanaan made for himself iron horns, and said, Thus saith the Lord, With these thou shalt thrust Syria until it be consumed. 11 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth Galaad, and thou shalt prosper; and the Lord shall deliver it into the hands of the king. 12 And the messenger that went to call Michaias spoke to him, saying, Behold, the prophets have spoken favourably concerning the king with one mouth; let now, I pray thee, thy words be as [the words] of one of them, and do thou speak good things. 13 And Michaias said, [As] the Lord lives, whatever God shall say to me, that will I speak. 14 And he came to the king, and the king said to him, Michaias, shall I go up to Ramoth Galaad to battle, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go up, and thou shalt prosper, and they shall be given into your hands. 15 And the king said to him, How often shall I solemnly charge thee that thou speak to me nothing but truth in the name of the Lord? 16 And he said, I saw Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep without a shepherd: and the Lord said, These have no commander; let each return to his home in peace. 17 And the king of Israel said to Josaphat, Said I not to thee, that he would not prophesy concerning me good, but evil? 18 But he said, Not so. Hear ye the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven stood by on his right hand and on his left. 19 And the Lord said, Who will deceive Achaab king of Israel, that he may go up, and fall in Ramoth Galaad? And one spoke this way, and another spoke that way. 20 And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will deceive him. And the Lord said, Whereby? 21 And he said, I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And [the Lord] said, Thou shalt deceive [him], and shalt prevail: go forth, and do so. 22 And now, behold, the Lord has put a false spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets, and the Lord has spoken evil against thee. 23 Then Sedekias the son of Chanaan drew near, and smote Michaias on the cheek, and said to him, By what way passed the Spirit of the Lord from me to speak to thee? 24 And Michaias said, Behold, thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go from chamber to chamber to hide thyself. 25 And the king of Israel said, Take Michaias, and carry him back to Emer the governor of the city, and to Joas the captain, the king's son; 26 and ye shall say, Thus said the king, Put this fellow into the prison-house, and let him eat the bread of affliction, and [drink] the water of affliction, until I return in peace. 27 And Michaias said, If thou do at all return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me. And he said, Hear, all ye people. 28 So the king of Israel, and Josaphat king of Juda, went up to Ramoth Galaad. 29 And the king of Israel said to Josaphat, Disguise me, and I will enter into the battle: and do thou put on my raiment. So the king of Israel disguised himself, and entered into the battle. 30 Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the chariots that were with him, saying, Fight neither against small nor great, but only against the king of Israel. 31 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Josaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel: and they compassed him about to fight against him: and Josaphat cried out, and the Lord delivered him; and God turned them away from him. 32 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned away from him. 33 And a man drew a bow with a good aim, and smote the king of Israel between the lungs and the breastplate: and he said to the charioteer, Turn thine hand, drive me out of the battle, for I am wounded. 34 And the battle turned in that day; and the king of Israel remained on the chariot against Syria until evening, and died at sunset.

2 Chronicles 19

1 And Josaphat king of Juda returned to his house at Jerusalem. 2 And there went out to meet him Jeu the prophet the son of Anani, and said to him, King Josaphat, dost thou help a sinner, or act friendly towards one hated of the Lord? Therefore has wrath come upon thee from the Lord. 3 Nevertheless [some] good things have been found in thee, forasmuch as thou didst remove the groves from the land of Juda, and didst direct thine heart to seek after the Lord. 4 And Josaphat dwelt in Jerusalem: and he again went out among the people from Bersabee to the mount of Ephraim, and turned them back to the Lord God of their fathers. 5 And he appointed judges in all the strong cities of Juda, city by city. 6 And he said to the judges, Take good heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the Lord, and with you are matters of judgment. 7 And now let the fear of the Lord be upon you, and be wary, and do [your duty]: for there is no unrighteousness with the Lord our God, neither [is it for him] to respect persons, nor to take bribes. 8 Moreover Josaphat appointed in Jerusalem some of the priests, and Levites, and heads of houses of Israel, for the judgment of the Lord, and to judge the dwellers in Jerusalem. 9 And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of the Lord, in truth and with a perfect heart. 10 Whatsoever man of your brethren that dwell in their cities [shall bring] the cause that comes before you, between blood [and] blood, and between precept and commandment, and ordinances and judgments, ye shall even decide for them; so they shall not sin against the Lord, and there shall not be wrath upon you, and upon your brethren: thus ye shall do, and ye shall not sin. 11 And, behold, Amarias the priest is head over you in every matter of the Lord; and Zabdias the son of Ismael is head over the house of Juda in every matter of the king; and the scribes and Levites are before you: be strong and active, and the Lord shall be with the good.

2 Chronicles 20

1 And after this came the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them [some] of the Minæans, against Josaphat to battle. 2 And they came and told Josaphat, saying, There is come against thee a great multitude from Syria, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Asasan Thamar, this is Engadi. 3 And Josaphat was alarmed, and set his face to seek the Lord earnestly, and he proclaimed a fast in all Juda. 4 And Juda gathered themselves together to seek after the Lord: even from all the cities of Juda they came to seek the Lord. 5 And Josaphat stood up in the assembly of Juda in Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, in front of the new court. 6 And he said, O Lord God of my fathers, art not thou God in heaven above, and art not thou Lord of all the kingdoms of the nations? and [is there] not in thy hand the might of dominion, and there is no one who can resist thee? 7 Art not thou the Lord that didst destroy the inhabitants of this land before the face of thy people Israel, and didst give it to thy beloved seed of Abraham for ever? 8 And they dwelt in it, and built in it a sanctuary to thy name, saying, 9 If there should come upon us evils, sword, judgment, pestilence, famine, we will stand before this house, and before thee, (for thy name [is] upon this house,) and we will cry to thee because of the affliction, and thou shalt hear, and deliver. 10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon, and Moab, and mount Seir, with regard to whom thou didst not permit Israel to pass through their border, when they had come out of the land of Egypt, (for they turned away from them, and did not destroy them;)— 11 yet now, behold, they make attempts against us, to come forth to cast us out from our inheritance which thou gavest us. 12 O Lord our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no strength to resist this great multitude that is come against us; and we know not what we shall do to them: but our eyes are toward thee. 13 And all Juda was standing before the Lord, and their children, and their wives. 14 And Oziel the [son] of Zacharias, of the children of Banaias, of the sons of Eleïel the sons of Matthanias the Levite, of the sons of Asaph,—upon him came the Spirit of the Lord in the assembly: 15 and he said, Hear ye, all Juda, and the dwellers in Jerusalem, and king Josaphat: Thus saith the Lord to you, even you, Fear not, neither be alarmed, before all this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. 16 To-morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the ascent of Assis, and ye shall find them at the extremity of the river of the wilderness of Jeriel. 17 It is not for you to fight: understand these things, and see the deliverance of the Lord with you, Juda and Jerusalem: fear not, neither be afraid to go forth to-morrow to meet them; and the Lord shall be with you. 18 And Josaphat bowed with his face [to the ground] with all Juda and the dwellers in Jerusalem, [and] they fell before the Lord to worship the Lord. 19 And the Levites of the children of Caath, and [they] of the sons of Core, rose up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high. 20 And they rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Thecoe: and as they went out, Josaphat stood and cried, and said, Hear me, Juda, and the dwellers in Jerusalem; put your trust in the Lord God, and your trust shall be honoured; trust in his prophet, and ye shall prosper. 21 And he took counsel with the people, and set appointed men to sing psalms and praises, to give thanks, and sing the holy songs of praise in going forth before the host: and they said, Give thanks to the Lord, for his mercy [endures] for ever. 22 And when they began the praise and thanksgiving, the Lord caused the children of Ammon to fight against Moab, and [the inhabitants of] mount Seir that came out against Juda; and they were routed. 23 Then the children of Ammon and Moab rose up against the dwellers in mount Seir, to destroy and consume them; and when they had made an end of [destroying] the inhabitants of Seir, they rose up against one another so that they were utterly destroyed. 24 And Juda came to the watch-tower of the wilderness, and looked, and saw the multitude, and, behold, [they were] all fallen dead upon the earth, not one escaped. 25 And Josaphat and his people went out to spoil them, and they found much cattle, and furniture, and spoils, and precious things: and they spoiled them, and they were three days gathering the spoil, for it was abundant. 26 And it came to pass on the fourth day they were gathered to the Valley of Blessing; for there they blessed the Lord: therefore they called the name of that place the Valley of Blessing, until this day. 27 And all the men of Juda returned to Jerusalem, and Josaphat led them with great joy; for the Lord gave them joy over their enemies. 28 And they entered into Jerusalem with lutes and harps and trumpets, [going] into the house of the Lord. 29 And there was a terror of the Lord upon all the kingdoms of the land, when they heard that the Lord fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 And the kingdom of Josaphat was at peace; and his God gave him rest round about. 31 And Josaphat reigned over Juda, being thirty-five years [old] when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Azuba, daughter of Sali. 32 And he walked in the ways of his father Asa, and turned not aside from doing that which was right in the sight of the Lord. 33 Nevertheless the high places yet remained; and as yet the people did not direct their heart to the Lord God of their fathers. 34 And the rest of the acts of Josaphat, the first and the last, behold, they are written in the history of Jeu [the son] of Anani, who wrote the book of the kings of Israel. 35 And afterwards Josaphat king of Juda entered into an alliance with Ochozias king of Israel, (now this was an unrighteous man,) 36 by acting [with] and going to him, to build ships to go to Tharsis: and he built ships in Gasion Gaber. 37 And Eliezer the [son] of Dodia of Marisa prophesied against Josaphat, saying, Forasmuch as thou hast allied thyself with Ochozias, the Lord has broken thy work, and thy vessels have been wrecked. And they could not go to Tharsis.

Acts 4

1 As they spoke to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came to them, 2 being upset because they taught the people and proclaimed in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 They laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was now evening. 4 But many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. 5 In the morning, their rulers, elders, and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was there, with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and as many as were relatives of the high priest. 7 When they had stood Peter and John in the middle of them, they inquired, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “You rulers of the people and elders of Israel, 9 if we are examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 may it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, this man stands here before you whole in him. 11 He is ‘the stone which was regarded as worthless by you, the builders, which has become the head of the corner.’ 12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved!” 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled. They recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 Seeing the man who was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, 16 saying, “What shall we do to these men? Because indeed a notable miracle has been done through them, as can be plainly seen by all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we can’t deny it. 17 But so that this spreads no further among the people, let’s threaten them, that from now on they don’t speak to anyone in this name.” 18 They called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, judge for yourselves, 20 for we can’t help telling the things which we saw and heard.” 21 When they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people; for everyone glorified God for that which was done. 22 For the man on whom this miracle of healing was performed was more than forty years old. 23 Being let go, they came to their own company and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard it, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord and said, “O Lord, you are God, who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them; 25 who by the mouth of your servant David, said, ‘Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing? 26 The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers plot together, against the Lord, and against his Christ.’ 27 “For truly, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, 28 to do whatever your hand and your counsel foreordained to happen. 29 Now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of your holy Servant Jesus.” 31 When they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were gathered together. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. 32 The multitude of those who believed were of one heart and soul. Not one of them claimed that anything of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 With great power, the apostles gave their testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Great grace was on them all. 34 For neither was there among them any who lacked, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and distribution was made to each, according as anyone had need. 36 Joses, who by the apostles was also called Barnabas (which is, being interpreted, Son of Encouragement), a Levite, a man of Cyprus by race, 37 having a field, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.