2 Kings 23:36–24:17

23:36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah, from Rumah. 37He did evil in the sight of the Lord as his ancestors had done.

24:1 During Jehoiakim’s reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked. Jehoiakim was his subject for three years, but then he rebelled against him. 2The Lord sent against him Babylonian, Syrian, Moabite, and Ammonite raiding bands; he sent them to destroy Judah, just as in the Lord’s message that he had announced through his servants the prophets. 3Just as the Lord had announced, he rejected Judah because of all the sins that Manasseh had committed. 4Because he killed innocent people and stained Jerusalem with their blood, the Lord was unwilling to forgive them.

5The rest of the events of Jehoiakim’s reign and all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 6He passed away and his son Jehoiachin replaced him as king. 7The king of Egypt did not march out from his land again, for the king of Babylon conquered all the territory that the king of Egypt had formerly controlled between the Stream of Egypt and the Euphrates River.

8Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan, from Jerusalem. 9He did evil in the sight of the Lord as his ancestors had done.

10At that time the generals of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon marched to Jerusalem and besieged the city. 11King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to the city while his generals were besieging it. 12King Jehoiachin of Judah, along with his mother, his servants, his officials, and his eunuchs surrendered to the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon, in the eighth year of his reign, took Jehoiachin prisoner. 13Nebuchadnezzar took from there all the riches in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace. He removed all the gold items that King Solomon of Israel had made for the Lord’s temple, just as the Lord had warned. 14He deported all the residents of Jerusalem, including all the officials and all the soldiers (10,000 people in all). This included all the craftsmen and those who worked with metal. No one was left except for the poorest among the people of the land. 15He deported Jehoiachin from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with the king’s mother and wives, his eunuchs, and the high-ranking officials of the land. 16The king of Babylon deported to Babylon all the soldiers (there were 7,000), as well as 1,000 craftsmen and metal workers. This included all the best warriors. 17The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in Jehoiachin’s place. He renamed him Zedekiah.

Ps. 59

59:1 For the music director, according to the al-tashcheth style; a prayer of David, written when Saul sent men to surround his house and murder him.

Deliver me from my enemies, my God.

Protect me from those who attack me.

2Deliver me from evildoers.

Rescue me from violent men.

3For look, they wait to ambush me;

powerful men stalk me,

but not because I have rebelled or sinned, O Lord.

4Though I have done nothing wrong, they are anxious to attack.

Spring into action and help me. Take notice of me.

5You, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,

rouse yourself and punish all the nations.

Have no mercy on any treacherous evildoers. (Selah)

6They return in the evening;

they growl like dogs

and prowl around outside the city.

7Look, they hurl insults at me

and openly threaten to kill me,

for they say,

“Who hears?”

8But you, O Lord, laugh in disgust at them;

you taunt all the nations.

9You are my source of strength. I will wait for you.

For God is my refuge.

10The God who loves me will help me;

God will enable me to triumph over my enemies.

11Do not strike them dead suddenly,

because then my people might forget the lesson.

Use your power to make them homeless vagabonds and then bring them down,

O Lord who shields us.

12They speak sinful words.

So let them be trapped by their own pride

and by the curses and lies they speak.

13Angrily wipe them out. Wipe them out so they vanish.

Let them know that God rules

over Jacob and to the ends of the earth. (Selah)

14They return in the evening;

they growl like dogs

and prowl around outside the city.

15They wander around looking for something to eat;

they refuse to sleep until they are full.

16As for me, I will sing about your strength;

I will praise your loyal love in the morning.

For you are my refuge

and my place of shelter when I face trouble.

17You are my source of strength. I will sing praises to you.

For God is my refuge, the God who loves me.

Matt. 27:1–14

27:1 When it was early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people plotted against Jesus to execute him. 2They tied him up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

3Now when Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus had been condemned, he regretted what he had done and returned the 30 silver coins to the chief priests and the elders, 4saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood!” But they said, “What is that to us? You take care of it yourself!” 5So Judas threw the silver coins into the temple and left. Then he went out and hanged himself. 6The chief priests took the silver and said, “It is not lawful to put this into the temple treasury, since it is blood money.” 7After consulting together they bought the Potter’s Field with it, as a burial place for foreigners. 8For this reason that field has been called the “Field of Blood” to this day. 9Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the 30 silver coins, the price of the one whose price had been set by the people of Israel, 10and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”

11Then Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” 12But when he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he did not respond. 13Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear how many charges they are bringing against you?” 14But he did not answer even one accusation, so that the governor was quite amazed.