2 Kings 10:18–11:3

10:18 Jehu assembled all the people and said to them, “Ahab worshiped Baal a little; Jehu will worship him with great devotion. 19So now, bring to me all the prophets of Baal, as well as all his servants and priests. None of them must be absent, for I am offering a great sacrifice to Baal. Any of them who fails to appear will lose his life.” But Jehu was tricking them so he could destroy the servants of Baal. 20Then Jehu ordered, “Make arrangements for a celebration for Baal.” So they announced it. 21Jehu sent invitations throughout Israel, and all the servants of Baal came; not one was absent. They arrived at the temple of Baal and filled it up from end to end. 22Jehu ordered the one who was in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out robes for all the servants of Baal.” So he brought out robes for them. 23Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Rekab went to the temple of Baal. Jehu said to the servants of Baal, “Make sure there are no servants of the Lord here with you; there must be only servants of Baal.” 24They went inside to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed 80 men outside. He had told them, “If any of the men inside gets away, you will pay with your lives!”

25When he finished offering the burnt sacrifice, Jehu ordered the royal guard and officers, “Come in and strike them down! Don’t let any escape!” So the royal guard and officers struck them down with the sword and left their bodies lying there. Then they entered the inner sanctuary of the temple of Baal. 26They hauled out the sacred pillar of the temple of Baal and burned it. 27They demolished the sacred pillar of Baal and the temple of Baal; it is used as a latrine to this very day. 28So Jehu eradicated Baal worship from Israel.

29However, Jehu did not repudiate the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had encouraged Israel to commit; the golden calves remained in Bethel and Dan. 30The Lord said to Jehu, “You have done well. You have accomplished my will and carried out my wishes with regard to Ahab’s dynasty. Therefore four generations of your descendants will rule over Israel.” 31But Jehu did not carefully and wholeheartedly obey the law of the Lord God of Israel. He did not repudiate the sins which Jeroboam had encouraged Israel to commit.

32In those days the Lord began to reduce the size of Israel’s territory. Hazael attacked their eastern border. 33He conquered all the land of Gilead, including the territory of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh, extending all the way from the Aroer in the Arnon Valley through Gilead to Bashan.

34The rest of the events of Jehu’s reign, including all his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 35Jehu passed away and was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoahaz replaced him as king. 36Jehu reigned over Israel for 28 years in Samaria.

11:1 When Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, she was determined to destroy the entire royal line. 2So Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Ahaziah’s son Joash and stole him away from the rest of the royal descendants who were to be executed. She hid him and his nurse in the room where the bed covers were stored. So he was hidden from Athaliah and escaped execution. 3He hid out with his nurse in the Lord’s temple for six years, while Athaliah was ruling over the land.

Ps. 39

39:1 For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.

I decided, “I will watch what I say

and make sure I do not sin with my tongue.

I will put a muzzle over my mouth

while in the presence of an evil person.”

2I was stone silent;

I held back the urge to speak.

My frustration grew;

3my anxiety intensified.

As I thought about it, I became impatient.

Finally I spoke these words:

4“O Lord, help me understand my mortality

and the brevity of life.

Let me realize how quickly my life will pass.

5Look, you make my days short lived,

and my life span is nothing from your perspective.

Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but vapor. (Selah)

6Surely people go through life as mere ghosts.

Surely they accumulate worthless wealth

without knowing who will eventually haul it away.”

7But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying?

You are my only hope!

8Deliver me from all my sins of rebellion.

Do not make me the object of fools’ insults.

9I am silent and cannot open my mouth

because of what you have done.

10Please stop wounding me.

You have almost beaten me to death.

11You severely discipline people for their sins;

like a moth you slowly devour their strength.

Surely all people are a mere vapor. (Selah)

12Hear my prayer, O Lord.

Listen to my cry for help.

Do not ignore my sobbing.

For I am a resident foreigner with you,

a temporary settler, just as all my ancestors were.

13Turn your angry gaze away from me, so I can be happy

before I pass away.

Matt. 20:1–16

20:1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2And after agreeing with the workers for the standard wage, he sent them into his vineyard. 3When it was about nine o’clock in the morning, he went out again and saw others standing around in the marketplace without work. 4He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and I will give you whatever is right.’ 5So they went. When he went out again about noon and three o’clock that afternoon, he did the same thing. 6And about five o’clock that afternoon he went out and found others standing around, and said to them, ‘Why are you standing here all day without work?’ 7They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go and work in the vineyard too.’ 8When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages starting with the last hired until the first.’ 9When those hired about five o’clock came, each received a full day’s pay. 10And when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more. But each one also received the standard wage. 11When they received it, they began to complain against the landowner, 12saying, ‘These last fellows worked one hour, and you have made them equal to us who bore the hardship and burning heat of the day.’ 13And the landowner replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am not treating you unfairly. Didn’t you agree with me to work for the standard wage? 14Take what is yours and go. I want to give to this last man the same as I gave to you. 15Am I not permitted to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 16So the last will be first, and the first last.”