Daily Readings for September 6

Daily Readings for September 6
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2Kings 11

1.Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal. 2.But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who were slain, even him and his nurse, and put them in the bedroom; and they hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not slain; 3.He was with her hidden in the house of Yahweh six years. Athaliah reigned over the land. 4.In the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the captains over hundreds of the Carites and of the guard, and brought them to him into the house of Yahweh; and he made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of Yahweh, and showed them the king's son. 5.He commanded them, saying, "This is the thing that you shall do: a third part of you, who come in on the Sabbath, shall be keepers of the watch of the king's house; 6.A third part shall be at the gate Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard. So you shall keep the watch of the house, and be a barrier. 7.The two companies of you, even all who go out on the Sabbath, shall keep the watch of the house of Yahweh around the king. 8.You shall surround the king, every man with his weapons in his hand; and he who comes within the ranks, let him be slain. Be with the king when he goes out, and when he comes in."

9.The captains over hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded; and they took every man his men, those who were to come in on the Sabbath, with those who were to go out on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest. 10.The priest delivered to the captains over hundreds the spears and shields that had been king David's, which were in the house of Yahweh. 11.The guard stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, along by the altar and the house, around the king. 12.Then he brought out the king's son, and put the crown on him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, "Long live the king!"

13.When Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people into the house of Yahweh: 14.and she looked, and behold, the king stood by the pillar, as the tradition was, and the captains and the trumpets by the king; and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes, and cried, "Treason! Treason!"

15.Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds who were set over the army, and said to them, "Bring her out between the ranks. Kill him who follows her with the sword." For the priest said, "Don't let her be slain in the house of Yahweh." 16.So they made way for her; and she went by the way of the horses' entry to the king's house. She was slain there. 17.Jehoiada made a covenant between Yahweh and the king and the people, that they should be Yahweh's people; between the king also and the people. 18.All the people of the land went to the house of Baal, and broke it down; his altars and his images broke they in pieces thoroughly, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. The priest appointed officers over the house of Yahweh. 19.He took the captains over hundreds, and the Carites, and the guard, and all the people of the land; and they brought down the king from the house of Yahweh, and came by the way of the gate of the guard to the king's house. He sat on the throne of the kings. 20.So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet. Athaliah they had slain with the sword at the king's house. 21.Jehoash was seven years old when he began to reign.

2Kings 12

1.In the seventh year of Jehu began Jehoash to reign; and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba. 2.Jehoash did that which was right in the eyes of Yahweh all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3.However the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places. 4.Jehoash said to the priests, "All the money of the holy things that is brought into the house of Yahweh, in current money, the money of the persons for whom each man is rated, and all the money that it comes into any man's heart to bring into the house of Yahweh, 5.let the priests take it to them, every man from his acquaintance; and they shall repair the breaches of the house, wherever any breach shall be found."

6.But it was so, that in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house. 7.Then king Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and for the other priests, and said to them, "Why don't you repair the breaches of the house? Now therefore take no more money from your treasurers, but deliver it for the breaches of the house."

8.The priests consented that they should take no more money from the people, neither repair the breaches of the house. 9.But Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of Yahweh: and the priests who kept the threshold put therein all the money that was brought into the house of Yahweh. 10.It was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king's scribe and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags and counted the money that was found in the house of Yahweh. 11.They gave the money that was weighed out into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of Yahweh: and they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders, who worked on the house of Yahweh, 12.and to the masons and the stone cutters, and for buying timber and cut stone to repair the breaches of the house of Yahweh, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it. 13.But there were not made for the house of Yahweh cups of silver, snuffers, basins, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into the house of Yahweh; 14.for they gave that to those who did the work, and repaired therewith the house of Yahweh. 15.Moreover they didn't demand an accounting from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to give to those who did the work; for they dealt faithfully. 16.The money for the trespass offerings, and the money for the sin offerings, was not brought into the house of Yahweh: it was the priests'. 17.Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it; and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. 18.Jehoash king of Judah took all the holy things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own holy things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of Yahweh, and of the king's house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem. 19.Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 20.His servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and struck Joash at the house of Millo, on the way that goes down to Silla. 21.For Jozacar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, struck him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

Ezekiel 2

1.He said to me, Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you. 2.The Spirit entered into me when he spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard him who spoke to me. 3.He said to me, Son of man, I send you to the children of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me even to this very day. 4.The children are impudent and stiff-hearted: I am sending you to them; and you shall tell them, Thus says the Lord⁴ Yahweh. 5.They, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house), yet shall know that there has been a prophet among them. 6.You, son of man, don't be afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you, and you do dwell among scorpions: don't be afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house. 7.You shall speak my words to them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear; for they are most rebellious. 8.But you, son of man, hear what I tell you; don't be rebellious like that rebellious house: open your mouth, and eat that which I give you. 9.When I looked, behold, a hand was put forth to me; and, behold, a scroll of a book was therein; 10.He spread it before me: and it was written within and without; and there were written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

2Corinthians 8

1.Moreover, brothers, we make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the assemblies of Macedonia; 2.how that in much proof of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded to the riches of their liberality. 3.For according to their power, I testify, yes and beyond their power, they gave of their own accord, 4.begging us with much entreaty to receive this grace and the fellowship in the service to the saints. 5.This was not as we had hoped, but first they gave their own selves to the Lord, and to us through the will of God. 6.So we urged Titus, that as he made a beginning before, so he would also complete in you this grace. 7.But as you abound in everything, in faith, utterance, knowledge, all earnestness, and in your love to us, see that you also abound in this grace. 8.I speak not by way of commandment, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity also of your love. 9.For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich. 10.I give a judgment in this: for this is expedient for you, who were the first to start a year ago, not only to do, but also to be willing. 11.But now complete the doing also, that as there was the readiness to be willing, so there may be the completion also out of your ability. 12.For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what you have, not according to what you don't have. 13.For this is not that others may be eased and you distressed, 14.but for equality. Your abundance at this present time supplies their lack, that their abundance also may become a supply for your lack; that there may be equality. 15.As it is written, "He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack."⁸

16.But thanks be to God, who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus. 17.For he indeed accepted our exhortation, but being himself very earnest, he went out to you of his own accord. 18.We have sent together with him the brother whose praise in the Good News is known through all the assemblies. 19.Not only so, but who was also appointed by the assemblies to travel with us in this grace, which is served by us to the glory of the Lord himself, and to show our readiness. 20.We are avoiding this, that any man should blame us concerning this abundance which is administered by us. 21.Having regard for honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. 22.We have sent with them our brother, whom we have many times proved earnest in many things, but now much more earnest, by reason of the great confidence which he has in you. 23.As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for you. As for our brothers, they are the apostles of the assemblies, the glory of Christ. 24.Therefore show the proof of your love to them in front of the assemblies, and of our boasting on your behalf.

2Corinthians 9

1.It is indeed unnecessary for me to write to you concerning the service to the saints, 2.for I know your readiness, of which I boast on your behalf to them of Macedonia, that Achaia has been prepared for a year past. Your zeal has stirred up very many of them. 3.But I have sent the brothers that our boasting on your behalf may not be in vain in this respect, that, just as I said, you may be prepared, 4.so that I won't by any means, if there come with me any of Macedonia and find you unprepared, we (to say nothing of you) should be disappointed in this confident boasting. 5.I thought it necessary therefore to entreat the brothers that they would go before to you, and arrange ahead of time the generous gift that you promised before, that the same might be ready as a matter of generosity, and not of greediness. 6.Remember this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7.Let each man give according as he has determined in his heart; not grudgingly, or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8.And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that you, always having all sufficiency in everything, may abound to every good work. 9.As it is written, "He has scattered abroad, he has given to the poor. His righteousness remains forever."⁹

10.Now may he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness; 11.you being enriched in everything to all liberality, which works through us thanksgiving to God. 12.For this service of giving that you perform not only makes up for lack among the saints, but abounds also through many givings of thanks to God; 13.seeing that through the proof given by this service, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the Good News of Christ, and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all; 14.while they themselves also, with supplication on your behalf, yearn for you by reason of the exceeding grace of God in you. 15.Now thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift!