2 Chron. 32:1–19

32:1 After these faithful deeds were accomplished, King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah. He besieged the fortified cities, intending to seize them. 2When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had invaded and intended to attack Jerusalem, 3he consulted with his advisers and military officers about stopping up the springs outside the city, and they supported him. 4A large number of people gathered together and stopped up all the springs and the stream that flowed through the district. They reasoned, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” 5Hezekiah energetically rebuilt every broken wall. He erected towers and an outer wall and fortified the terrace of the City of David. He made many weapons and shields.

6He appointed military officers over the army and assembled them in the square at the city gate. He encouraged them, saying, 7“Be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic because of the king of Assyria and this huge army that is with him. We have with us one who is stronger than those who are with him. 8He has with him mere human strength, but the Lord our God is with us to help us and fight our battles!” The army was encouraged by the words of King Hezekiah of Judah.

9Afterward King Sennacherib of Assyria, while attacking Lachish with all his military might, sent his messengers to Jerusalem. The message was for King Hezekiah of Judah and all the people of Judah who were in Jerusalem. It read: 10“This is what King Sennacherib of Assyria says: ‘Why are you so confident that you remain in Jerusalem while it is under siege? 11Hezekiah says, “The Lord our God will rescue us from the power of the king of Assyria.” But he is misleading you, and you will die of hunger and thirst! 12Hezekiah is the one who eliminated the Lord’s high places and altars and then told Judah and Jerusalem, “At one altar you must worship and offer sacrifices.” 13Are you not aware of what I and my predecessors have done to all the nations of the surrounding lands? Have the gods of the surrounding lands actually been able to rescue their lands from my power? 14Who among all the gods of these nations whom my predecessors annihilated was able to rescue his people from my power that your God would be able to rescue you from my power? 15Now don’t let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this. Don’t believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to rescue his people from my power or the power of my predecessors. So how can your gods rescue you from my power?’”

16Sennacherib’s servants further insulted the Lord God and his servant Hezekiah. 17He wrote letters mocking the Lord God of Israel and insulting him with these words: “The gods of the surrounding nations could not rescue their people from my power. Neither can Hezekiah’s god rescue his people from my power.” 18They called out loudly in the Judahite dialect to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, trying to scare and terrify them so they could seize the city. 19They talked about the God of Jerusalem as if he were one of the man-made gods of the nations of the earth.

Ps. 106:1–23

106:1 Praise the Lord.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

and his loyal love endures.

2Who can adequately recount the Lord’s mighty acts

or relate all his praiseworthy deeds?

3How blessed are those who promote justice

and do what is right all the time.

4Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people.

Pay attention to me, when you deliver,

5so I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,

rejoice along with your nation,

and boast along with the people who belong to you.

6We have sinned like our ancestors;

we have done wrong, we have done evil.

7Our ancestors in Egypt failed to appreciate your miraculous deeds.

They failed to remember your many acts of loyal love,

and they rebelled at the sea, by the Red Sea.

8Yet he delivered them for the sake of his reputation

that he might reveal his power.

9He shouted at the Red Sea and it dried up;

he led them through the deep water as if it were a desert.

10He delivered them from the power of the one who hated them

and rescued them from the power of the enemy.

11The water covered their enemies;

not even one of them survived.

12They believed his promises;

they sang praises to him.

13They quickly forgot what he had done;

they did not wait for his instructions.

14In the wilderness they had an insatiable craving for meat;

they challenged God in the wastelands.

15He granted their request,

then struck them with a disease.

16In the camp they resented Moses

and Aaron the Lord’s holy priest.

17The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;

it engulfed the group led by Abiram.

18Fire burned their group;

the flames scorched the wicked.

19They made an image of a calf at Horeb

and worshiped a metal idol.

20They traded their majestic God

for the image of an ox that eats grass.

21They rejected the God who delivered them,

the one who performed great deeds in Egypt,

22amazing feats in the land of Ham,

mighty acts by the Red Sea.

23He threatened to destroy them,

but Moses, his chosen one, interceded with him

and turned back his destructive anger.

Luke 16:1–13

16:1 Jesus also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who was informed of accusations that his manager was wasting his assets. 2So he called the manager in and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn in the account of your administration, because you can no longer be my manager.’ 3Then the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking my position away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m too ashamed to beg. 4I know what to do so that when I am put out of management, people will welcome me into their homes.’ 5So he contacted his master’s debtors one by one. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6The man replied, ‘100 measures of olive oil.’ The manager said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write 50.’ 7Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ The second man replied, ‘100 measures of wheat.’ The manager said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write 80.’ 8The master commended the dishonest manager because he acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their contemporaries than the people of light. 9And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth, so that when it runs out, you will be welcomed into the eternal homes.

10“The one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11If then you haven’t been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will entrust you with the true riches? 12And if you haven’t been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you your own? 13No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”