Day 132 The Bible in a Year (Orthodox canon)

2 Chronicles 24

1 Joas was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Sabia of Beersabee. 2 And Joas did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jodae the priest. 3 And Jodae took to himself two wives, and they bore sons and daughters. 4 And it came to pass afterward that it came into the heart of Joas to repair the house of the Lord. 5 And he gathered the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out into the cities of Juda, and collect money of all Israel to repair the house of the Lord from year to year, and make haste to speak [of it]. But the Levites hasted not. 6 And king Joas called Jodae the chief, and said to him, Why hast thou not looked after the Levites, so that they should bring from Juda and Jerusalem that which was prescribed by Moses the man of God, when he assembled Israel at the tabernacle of witness? 7 For Gotholia was a transgressor, and her sons tore down the house of God; for they offered the holy things of the house of the Lord to Baalim. 8 And the king said, Let a box be made, and let it be put at the gate of the house of the Lord without. 9 And let [men] proclaim in Juda and in Jerusalem, that [the people] should bring to the Lord, as Moses the servant of God spoke concerning Israel in the wilderness. 10 And all the princes and all the people gave, and brought in, and cast into the box until it was filled. 11 And it came to pass, when they brought in the box to the officers of the king by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that the money was more than sufficient, then came the king's scribe, and the officer of the high priest, and emptied the box, and restored it to its place. Thus they did day by day, and collected much money. 12 And the king and Jodae the priest gave it to the workmen employed in the service of the house of the Lord, and they hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the Lord, also smiths and braziers to repair the house of the Lord. 13 And the workmen wrought, and the works prospered in their hands, and they established the house of the Lord on its foundation, and strengthened [it]. 14 And when they had finished [it], they brought to the king and to Jodae the remainder of the money, and they made vessels for the house of the Lord, vessels of service for whole-burnt-offerings, and gold and silver [censers]: and they offered up whole-burnt-offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of Jodae. 15 And Jodae grew old, being full of days, and he died, being a hundred and thirty years old at his death. 16 And they buried him with the kings in the city of David, because he had dealt well with Israel, and with God and his house. 17 And it came to pass after the death of Jodae, [that] the princes of Juda went in, and did obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened to them. 18 And they forsook the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served the Astartes and idols: and there was wrath upon Juda and Jerusalem in that day. 19 Yet he sent prophets to them, to turn them to the Lord; but they hearkened not: and he testified to them, but they obeyed not. 20 And the Spirit of God came upon Azarias the son of Jodae the priest, and he stood up above the people, and said, Thus saith the Lord, Why do ye transgress the commandments of the Lord? so shall ye not prosper; for ye have forsaken the Lord, and he will forsake you. 21 And they conspired against him, and stoned him by command of king Joas in the court of the Lord's house. 22 So Joas remembered not the kindness which his father Jodae had exercised towards him, but slew his son. And as he died, he said, The Lord look upon [it], and judge. 23 And it came to pass after the end of the year, [that] the host of Syria went up against him, and came against Juda and Jerusalem: and they slew all the chiefs of the people among the people, and all their spoils they sent to the king of Damascus. 24 For the army of Syria came with few men, yet God gave into their hands a very large army, because they had forsaken the God of their fathers; and he brought judgments on Joas. 25 And after they had departed from him, when they had left him in sore diseases, then his servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jodae the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchre of the kings. 26 And they that conspired against him were Zabed the son of Samaath the Ammanite, and Jozabed the son of Samareth the Moabite. 27 And all his sons, and the five came to him: and the other [matters], behold, they are written in the book of the kings. And Amasias his son reigned in his stead.

2 Chronicles 25

1 Amasias began to reign when he was twenty and five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name [was] Joadaen of Jerusalem. 2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart. 3 And it came to pass, when the kingdom was established in his hand, that he slew his servants who had slain the king his father. 4 But he slew not their sons, according to the covenant of the law of the Lord, as it is written, [and] as the Lord commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, and the sons shall not die for the fathers, but they shall die each for his own sin. 5 And Amasias assembled the house of Juda, and appointed them according to the houses of their families for captains of thousands and captains of hundreds in all Juda and Jerusalem: and he numbered them from twenty years old and upwards, and found them three hundred thousand able to go out to war, holding spear and shield. 6 Also he hired of Israel a hundred thousand mighty [men for] a hundred talents of silver. 7 And there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the host of Israel go with thee; for the Lord is not with Israel, [even] all the sons of Ephraim. 8 For if thou shalt undertake to strengthen [thyself] with these, then the Lord shall put thee to flight before the enemies: for it is of the Lord both to strengthen and to put to flight. 9 And Amasias said to the man of God, But what shall I do [for] the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God said, The Lord can give thee much more than these. 10 And Amasias separated from the army that came to him from Ephraim, that they might go away to their place; and they were very angry with Juda, and they returned to their place with great wrath. 11 And Amasias strengthened [himself], and took his people, and went to the valley of salt, and smote there the children of Seir ten thousand. 12 And the children of Juda took ten thousand prisoners, and they carried them to the top of the precipice, and cast them headlong from the top of the precipice, and they were all dashed to pieces. 13 And the men of the host whom Amasias sent back so that they should not go with him to battle, [went] and attacked the cities of Juda, from Samaria to Bæthoron; and they smote three thousand among them, and took much spoil. 14 And it came to pass, after Amasias had returned from smiting Idumea, that he brought home the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up for himself as gods, and bowed down before them, and he sacrificed to them. 15 And the anger of the Lord came upon Amasias, and he sent him a prophet, and he said to him, Why hast thou sought the gods of the people, which have not rescued their own people out of thine hand? 16 And it came to pass when the prophet was speaking to him, that he said to him, Have I made thee king's counsellor? take heed lest thou be scourged: and the prophet forebore, and said, I know that [God] is disposed against thee to destroy thee, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not hearkened to my counsel. 17 And Amasias king of Juda took counsel, and sent to Joas, son of Joachaz, son of Jeu, king of Israel, saying, Come, and let us look one another in the face. 18 And Joas king of Israel sent to Amasias king of Juda, saying, The thistle that was in Libanus sent to the cedar that was in Libanus, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife; but, behold, the wild beasts of the field that are in Libanus shall come: and the wild beasts did come, and trod down the thistle. 19 Thou hast said, Behold, I have smitten Idumea, and thy stout heart exalts thee: now stay at home; for why dost thou implicate thyself in mischief, that thou shouldest fall, and Juda with thee? 20 Nevertheless Amasias hearkened not, for it was of the Lord to deliver him into [the enemy's] hands, because he sought after the gods of the Idumeans. 21 So Joas king of Israel went up; and they saw one another, he and Amasias king of Juda, in Bæthsamys, which is of Juda. 22 And Juda was put to flight before Israel, and they fled every man to his tent. 23 And Joas king of Israel took prisoner Amasias king of Juda, [son] of Joas, son of Joachaz, in Bæthsamys, and brought him to Jerusalem; and he pulled down [part] of the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits. 24 And [he took] all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the Lord and with Abdedom, and the treasures of the king's house, and the hostages, and he returned to Samaria. 25 And Amasias the [son] of Joas king of Juda lived after the death of Joas the [son] of Joachaz king of Israel fifteen years. 26 And the rest of the acts of Amasias, the first and the last, lo! are they not written in the book of the kings of Juda and Israel? 27 And at the time when Amasias departed from the Lord, then they formed a conspiracy against him; and he fled from Jerusalem to Lachis: and they sent after him to Lachis, and slew him there. 28 And they took him up on horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city of David.

2 Chronicles 26

1 Then all the people of the land took Ozias, and he was sixteen years old, and they made him king in the room of his father Amasias. 2 He built Ælath, he recovered it to Juda, after the king slept with his fathers. 3 Ozias began to reign at the age of sixteen years, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jechelia of Jerusalem. 4 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Amasias his father did. 5 And he sought the Lord in the days of Zacharias, who understood the fear of the Lord; and in his days he sought the Lord, and the Lord prospered him. 6 And he went out and fought against the Philistines, and pulled down the walls of Geth, and the walls of Jabner, and the walls of Azotus, and he built cities [near] Azotus, and among the Philistines. 7 And the Lord strengthened him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt on the rock, and against the Minæans. 8 And the Minæans gave gifts to Ozias; and his fame spread as far as the entering in of Egypt, for he strengthened [himself] exceedingly. 9 And Ozias built towers in Jerusalem, both at the gate of the corner and at the valley gate, and at the corners, and he fortified them. 10 And he built towers in the wilderness, and dug many wells, for he had many cattle in the low country and in the plain; and vinedressers in the mountain country and in Carmel: for he was a husbandman. 11 And Ozias had a host of warriors, and that went out orderly to war, and returned orderly in number; and their number was [made] by the hand of Jeiel the scribe, and Maasias the judge, by the hand of Ananias the king's deputy. 12 The whole number of the chiefs of families of the mighty men of war [was] two thousand six hundred; 13 and with them was a warrior force, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred: these waged war mightily to help the king against [his] enemies. 14 And Ozias prepared for them, [even] for all the host, shields, and spears, and helmets, and breastplates, and bows, and slings for stones. 15 And he made in Jerusalem machines invented by a wise contriver, to be upon the towers and upon the corners, to cast darts and great stones: and [the fame] of their preparation was heard at a distance; for he was wonderfully helped, till he was strong. 16 And when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction; and he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. 17 And there went in after him Azarias the priest, and with him eighty priests of the Lord, mighty men. 18 And they withstood Ozias the king, and said to him, [It is] not for thee, Ozias, to burn incense to the Lord, but only for the priests the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to sacrifice: go forth of the sanctuary, for thou hast departed from the Lord; and this shall not be for glory to thee from the Lord God. 19 And Ozias was angry, and in his hand [was] the censer to burn incense in the temple: and when he was angry with the priests, then the leprosy rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, over the altar of incense. 20 And Azarias the chief priest, and the [other] priests, turned [to look] at him, and, behold, he [was] leprous in his forehead; and they got him hastily out thence, for he also hasted to go out, because the Lord had rebuked him. 21 And Ozias the king was a leper to the day of his death, and he dwelt [as] a leper in a separate house; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord: and Joathan his son [was set] over his kingdom, judging the people of the land. 22 And the rest of the acts of Ozias, the first and the last, [are] written by Jessias the prophet. 23 And Ozias slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the burial [place] of the kings, for they said, He is a leper; and Joatham his son reigned in his stead.

Acts 6

1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, a complaint arose from the Hellenists against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily service. 2 The twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not appropriate for us to forsake the word of God and serve tables. 3 Therefore, select from among you, brothers, seven men of good report, full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. 4 But we will continue steadfastly in prayer and in the ministry of the word.” 5 These words pleased the whole multitude. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch, 6 whom they set before the apostles. When they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. 7 The word of God increased and the number of the disciples greatly multiplied in Jerusalem. A great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. 8 Stephen, full of faith and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. 9 But some of those who were of the synagogue called “The Libertines”, and of the Cyrenians, of the Alexandrians, and of those of Cilicia and Asia arose, disputing with Stephen. 10 They weren’t able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. 11 Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and came against him and seized him, then brought him in to the council, 13 and set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking blasphemous words against this holy place and the law. 14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, and will change the customs which Moses delivered to us.” 15 All who sat in the council, fastening their eyes on him, saw his face like it was the face of an angel.