Day 136 The Bible in a Year (Orthodox canon)

2 Chronicles 36

1 And the people of the land took Joachaz the son of Josias, and anointed him, and made him king over Jerusalem in the room of his father. 2 Joachaz [was] twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem: 2a and his mother's name was Amital, daughter of Jeremias of Lobna. 2b And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. 2c And Pharao Nechao bound him in Deblatha in the land of Æmath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem. 3 And the king brought him over to Egypt; and imposed a tribute on the land, a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 4 And Pharao Nechao made Eliakim the son of Josias king over Juda in the room of his father Josias, and changed his name [to] Joakim. And Pharao Nechao took his brother Joachaz and brought him into Egypt, and he died there: 4a but [he] had given the silver and the gold to Pharao. At that time the land began to be taxed to give the money at the command of Pharao; and every one as he could borrowed the silver and the gold of the people of the land, to give to Pharao Nechao. 5 Joachim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name [was] Zechora, daughter of Nerias of Rama. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers did. 5a In his days came Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon into the land, and he served him three years, and [then] revolted from him. 5b And the Lord sent against them the Chaldeans, and plundering parties of Syrians, and plundering parties of the Moabites, and of the children of Ammon, and of Samaria; but after this they departed, according to the word of the Lord by the hand of his servants the prophets. 5c Nevertheless the wrath of the Lord was upon Juda, so that they should be removed from his presence, because of the sins of Manasses in all that he did, 5d and for the innocent blood which Joakim shed, for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; yet the Lord would not utterly destroy them. 6 And Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him with brazen fetters, and carried him away to Babylon. 7 And he carried away a part of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and put them in his temple in Babylon. 8 And the rest of the acts of Joakim, and all that he did, behold, [are] not these things written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Juda? And Joakim slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in Ganozae: and Jechonias his son reigned in his stead. 9 Jechonias [was] eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem, and did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. 10 And at the turn of the year, king Nabuchodonosor sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the precious vessels of the house of the Lord, and made Sedekias his father's brother king over Juda and Jerusalem. 11 Sedekias [was] twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God: he was not ashamed before the prophet Jeremias, nor because of the word of the Lord; 13 in that he rebelled against king Nabuchodonosor, which he adjured him by God [not to do]: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart, so as not to return to the Lord God of Israel. 14 And all the great men of Juda, and the priests, and the people of the land transgressed abundantly in the abominations of the heathen, and polluted the house of the Lord which [was] in Jerusalem. 15 And the Lord God of their fathers sent by the hand of his prophets; rising early and sending his messengers, for he spared his people, and his sanctuary. 16 Nevertheless they sneered at his messengers, and set at nought his words, and mocked his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose up against his people, till there was no remedy. 17 And he brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, and slew their young men with the sword in the house of his sanctuary, and did not spare Sedekias, and had no mercy upon their virgins, and they led away their old men: he delivered all things into their hands. 18 And all the vessels of the house of God, the great and the small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and all the treasures of the king and the great men; he brought all to Babylon. 19 And he burnt the house of the Lord, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt its palaces with fire, and [utterly destroyed] every beautiful vessel. 20 And he carried away the remnant to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until [the establishment of] the kingdom of the Medes. 21 That the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremias might be fulfilled, until the land should enjoy its sabbaths in resting [and] sabbath keeping all the days of its desolation, till the accomplishment of seventy years. 22 In the first year of Cyrus king of the Persians, after the fulfilment of the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremias, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of the Persians, and told him to make proclamation in writing throughout all his kingdom, saying, 23 Thus says Cyrus king of the Persians to all the kingdoms of the earth, The Lord God of heaven has given me [power], and he has commanded me to build a house to him in Jerusalem, in Judea. Who [is there] of you of all his people? his God shall be with him, and let him go up.

Prayer of Manasseh 1

1 O Lord Almighty, the God of our fathers Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and of their righteous seed; 2 that hast made the heaven and the earth with all their adornment; 3 that hast bound the sea with the word of thy commandment; that hast closed the abyss and sealed it with thy fearful and glorious name; 4 whom all things revere and tremble before the face of thy power, 5 because the magnificence of thy glory is unendurable and irresistible the wrath of thy threatening against sinners: 6 the mercy of thy promise is both immeasurable and inscrutable; 7 for thou art the Lord most high, compassionate, longsuffering, and most merciful, repenting of the evils of men. Thou, Lord, according to the abundance of thy goodness, hast proclaimed repentance and forgiveness to those that have sinned against thee, and in the multitude of thy kindnesses thou hast decreed for sinners repentance unto salvation. 8 Surely thou, O Lord, the God of the just, hast not appointed repentance for the just, for Abraham and Isaac and Jacob who have not sinned against thee; but thou hast appointed repentance for me a sinner: 9 for I have sinned above the number of the sand of the sea. My transgressions are multiplied, O Lord, they are multiplied, and I am not worthy to look at or see the height of heaven, for the multitude of my iniquities, 10 being bowed down by many iron bonds, so that I cannot uplift my head, and there is no release for me, because I have provoked thy anger, and have done evil before thee, not doing thy will, nor keeping thy commandments, but setting up abominations and multiplying offences. 11 And now I bend the knee of my heart, beseeching thy goodness: 12 I have sinned, Lord, I have sinned, and I acknowledge my transgressions: 13 but I pray and beseech thee, release me, Lord, release me, and destroy me not with my transgressions; keep not evils for me in anger for ever, nor condemn me to the lowest parts of the earth: because thou art God, the God of the repenting; 14 and in me thou wilt shew all thy benevolence, for that me unworthy thou wilt save, according to thy great mercy: 15 and I will praise thee continually all the days of my life: for all the host of the heavens sings to thee, and thine is the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Esdras 1

1 And Josias held the feast of the passover in Jerusalem unto his Lord, and offered the passover the fourteenth day of the first month; 2 having set the priests according to their daily courses, being arrayed in long garments, in the temple of the Lord. 3 And he spake unto the Levites, the holy ministers of Israel, that they should hallow themselves unto the Lord, to set the holy ark of the Lord in the house that king Solomon the [son] of David had built: 4 [and said], Ye shall no more bear the ark upon your shoulders: now therefore serve the Lord your God, and minister unto his people Israel, and prepare you after your families and kindreds, 5 according as David the king of Israel prescribed, and according to the magnificence of Solomon his son: and standing in the temple according to the several dignity of the families of you the Levites, who minister in the presence of your brethren the children of Israel, 6 offer the passover in order, and make ready the sacrifices for your brethren, and keep the passover according to the commandment of the Lord, which was given unto Moses. 7 And unto the people that was found [there] Josias gave thirty thousand lambs and kids, and three thousand calves: these things were given of the king's allowance, according as he promised, to the people, to the priests and to the Levites. 8 And Helkias, Zacharias, and Syelus, the governors of the temple, gave to the priests for the passover two thousand and six hundred sheep, and three hundred calves. 9 And Jeconias, and Samaias, and Nathanael his brother, and Assabias, and Ochiel, and Joram, captains over thousands, gave to the Levites for the passover five thousand sheep, [and] seven hundred calves. 10 And when these things were done, the priests and Levites, having the unleavened bread, stood in very comely order according to the kindreds, 11 and according to the several dignities of the fathers, before the people, to offer to the Lord, as it is written in the book of Moses: and thus [did they] in the morning. 12 And they roasted the passover with fire, as appertaineth: as for the sacrifices, they sod them in brass pots and pans with a good savour, 13 and set them before all the people: and afterward they prepared for themselves, and for the priests their brethren, the sons of Aaron. 14 For the priests offered the fat until night: and the Levites prepared for themselves, and the priests their brethren, the sons of Aaron. 15 The holy singers also, the sons of Asaph, were in their order, according to the appointment of David, to wit, Asaph, Zacharias, and Jeduthun, who was of the king's retinue. 16 Moreover the porters [were] at every gate; it was not lawful for any to go from his ordinary service: for their brethren the Levites prepared for them. 17 Thus were the things that belonged to the sacrifices of the Lord accomplished in that day, that they might hold the passover, 18 and offer sacrifices upon the altar of the Lord, according to the commandment of king Josias. 19 So the children of Israel which were present held the passover at that time, and the feast of sweet bread seven days. 20 And such a passover was not kept in Israel since the time of the prophet Samuel. 21 Yea, all the kings of Israel held not such a passover as Josias, and the priests, and the Levites, and the Jews, held with all Israel that were found dwelling at Jerusalem. 22 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josias was this passover kept. 23 And the works of Josias were upright before his Lord with an heart full of godliness. 24 As for the things that came to pass in his time, they were written in former times, concerning those that sinned, and did wickedly against the Lord above all people and kingdoms, and how they grieved him exceedingly, so that the words of the Lord rose up against Israel. 25 Now after all these acts of Josias it came to pass that Pharaoh the king of Egypt came to raise war at Carcamys upon Euphrates: and Josias went out against him. 26 But the king of Egypt sent to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, O king of Judea? 27 I am not sent out from the Lord God against thee; for my war is upon Euphrates: and now the Lord is with me, yea the Lord is with me hasting me forward: depart from me, and be not against the Lord. 28 Howbeit Josias did not turn back his chariot from him, but undertook to fight with him, not regarding the words of the prophet Jeremy spoken by the mouth of the Lord: 29 but joined battle with him in the plain of Mageddo, and the princes came against king Josias. 30 Then said the king unto his servants, Carry me away out of the battle; for I am very weak. And immediately his servants took him away out of the battle. 31 Then gat he up upon his second chariot; and being brought back to Jerusalem died, and was buried in his father's sepulchre. 32 And in all Jewry they mourned for Josias, yea, Jeremy the prophet lamented for Josias, and the chief men with the women made lamentation for him unto this day: and this was given out for an ordinance to be done continually in all the nation of Israel. 33 These things are written in the book of the stories of the kings of Judah, and every one of the acts that Josias did, and his glory, and his understanding in the law of the Lord; and the things that he had done before, and the things now recited, are reported in the book of the kings of Israel and Judea. 34 And the people took Joachaz the son of Josias, and made [him] king instead of Josias his father when he was twenty and three years old. 35 And he reigned in Judea and in Jerusalem three months: and then the king of Egypt deposed him from reigning in Jerusalem. 36 And he set a tax upon the land of an hundred talents of silver and one talent of gold. 37 The king of Egypt also made king Joacim his brother king of Judea and Jerusalem. 38 And he bound Joacim and the nobles: but Zaraces his brother he apprehended, and brought him out of Egypt. 39 Five and twenty years old was Joacim when he was made king in the land of Judea and Jerusalem; and he did evil before the Lord. 40 Wherefore against him Nabuchodonosor the king of Babylon came up, and bound him with a chain of brass, and carried him into Babylon. 41 Nabuchodonosor also took of the holy vessels of the Lord, and carried them away, and set them in his own temple at Babylon. 42 But those things that are recorded of him, and of his uncleanness and impiety, are written in the chronicles of the kings. 43 And Joacim his son reigned in his stead: he was made king being eighteen years old; 44 and reigned but three months and ten days in Jerusalem; and did evil before the Lord. 45 So after a year Nabuchodonosor sent and caused him to be brought into Babylon with the holy vessels of the Lord. 46 And made Sedecias king of Judea and Jerusalem, when he was one and twenty years old; and he reigned eleven years: 47 and he did evil also in the sight of the Lord, and cared not for the words that were spoken unto him by the prophet Jeremy from the mouth of the Lord. 48 And after that king Nabuchodonosor had made him to swear by the name of the Lord, he forswore himself, and rebelled; and hardening his neck, and his heart, he transgressed the laws of the Lord God of Israel. 49 The governors also of the people and of the priests did many things against the laws, and passed all the pollutions of all nations, and defiled the temple of the Lord, which was sanctified in Jerusalem. 50 Nevertheless the God of their fathers sent by his messenger to call them back, because he spared them and his tabernacle also. 51 But they had his messengers in derision; and, in the day that the Lord spake unto them, they made a sport of his prophets: 52 so far forth, that he, being wroth with his people for their great ungodliness, commanded the kings of the Chaldees to come up against them; 53 who slew their young men with the sword, yea, even within the compass of their holy temple, and spared neither young man nor maid, old man nor child, among them; for he delivered all into their hands. 54 And they took all the holy vessels of the Lord, both great and small, with the vessels of the ark of God, and the king's treasures, and carried them away into Babylon. 55 As for the house of the Lord, they burnt it, and brake down the walls of Jerusalem, and set fire upon her towers: 56 and as for her glorious things, they never ceased till they had consumed and brought them all to nought; and the people that were not slain with the sword he carried into Babylon: 57 who became servants to him and his children, till the Persians reigned, to fulfil the word of the Lord spoken by the mouth of Jeremy: 58 until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths, the whole time of her desolation shall she rest, until the full term of seventy years.