Journey Through Joshua

Acts 20 | Encouragement in Goodbyes

You Have a Kinsman Redeemer: A Study of Ruth

Anger Management and Relationships

Heart-Tongues

The Discipline of Service and Stewardship

Hebrews | Reading Plan + Study Questions

This Changes Everything               … and It’s in You!

Be Kind to You: 3 Days of Self-Kindness

Unity

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2CH">
 <div class="chapter ch13" data-usfm="2CH.13">
 <div class="label">13</div><div class="s1">Abijah King of Judah</div><div class="p"> 1In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam, Abijah became king of Judah, 2and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother&#8217;s name was Maakah,#13:2 Most Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also 11:20 and 1 Kings 15:2); Hebrew Micaiah a daughter#13:2 Or granddaughter of Uriel of Gibeah.</div><div class="p">There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3Abijah went into battle with an army of four hundred thousand able fighting men, and Jeroboam drew up a battle line against him with eight hundred thousand able troops.</div><div class="p"> 4Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, &#8220;Jeroboam and all Israel, listen to me! 5Don&#8217;t you know that the Lord, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt? 6Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, an official of Solomon son of David, rebelled against his master. 7Some worthless scoundrels gathered around him and opposed Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young and indecisive and not strong enough to resist them.</div><div class="p"> 8&#8220;And now you plan to resist the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hands of David&#8217;s descendants. You are indeed a vast army and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made to be your gods. 9But didn&#8217;t you drive out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and make priests of your own as the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may become a priest of what are not gods.</div><div class="p"> 10&#8220;As for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who serve the Lord are sons of Aaron, and the Levites assist them. 11Every morning and evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the Lord. They set out the bread on the ceremonially clean table and light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. We are observing the requirements of the Lord our God. But you have forsaken him. 12God is with us; he is our leader. His priests with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you. People of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah the ambush was behind them. 14Judah turned and saw that they were being attacked at both front and rear. Then they cried out to the Lord. The priests blew their trumpets 15and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. At the sound of their battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16The Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hands. 17Abijah and his troops inflicted heavy losses on them, so that there were five hundred thousand casualties among Israel&#8217;s able men. 18The Israelites were subdued on that occasion, and the people of Judah were victorious because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors.</div><div class="p"> 19Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took from him the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah and Ephron, with their surrounding villages. 20Jeroboam did not regain power during the time of Abijah. And the Lord struck him down and he died.</div><div class="p"> 21But Abijah grew in strength. He married fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.</div><div class="p"> 22The other events of Abijah&#8217;s reign, what he did and what he said, are written in the annotations of the prophet Iddo.</div>
 </div>
 </div>
</div>

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2CH">
 <div class="chapter ch14" data-usfm="2CH.14">
 <div class="label">14</div><div class="p"> # In Hebrew texts 14:1 is numbered 13:23, and 14:2-15 is numbered 14:1-14. 1And Abijah rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. Asa his son succeeded him as king, and in his days the country was at peace for ten years.</div><div class="s1">Asa King of Judah</div><div class="p"> 2Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. 3He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles.#14:3 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah; here and elsewhere in 2 Chronicles 4He commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands. 5He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him. 6He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the Lord gave him rest.</div><div class="p"> 7&#8220;Let us build up these towns,&#8221; he said to Judah, &#8220;and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God; we sought him and he has given us rest on every side.&#8221; So they built and prospered.</div><div class="p"> 8Asa had an army of three hundred thousand men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men.</div><div class="p"> 9Zerah the Cushite marched out against them with an army of thousands upon thousands and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. 10Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.</div><div class="p"> 11Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, &#8220;Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, 13and Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushed before the Lord and his forces. The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder. 14They destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for the terror of the Lord had fallen on them. They looted all these villages, since there was much plunder there. 15They also attacked the camps of the herders and carried off droves of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.</div>
 </div>
 </div>
</div>

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2CH">
 <div class="chapter ch15" data-usfm="2CH.15">
 <div class="label">15</div><div class="s1">Asa&#8217;s Reform</div><div class="p"> 1The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded. 2He went out to meet Asa and said to him, &#8220;Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 3For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. 4But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them. 5In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. 6One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. 7But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of#15:8 Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint and verse 1); Hebrew does not have Azariah son of. Oded the prophet, he took courage. He removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the portico of the Lord&#8217;s temple.</div><div class="p"> 9Then he assembled all Judah and Benjamin and the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who had settled among them, for large numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.</div><div class="p"> 10They assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa&#8217;s reign. 11At that time they sacrificed to the Lord seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats from the plunder they had brought back. 12They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul. 13All who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, were to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman. 14They took an oath to the Lord with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns. 15All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.</div><div class="p"> 16King Asa also deposed his grandmother Maakah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah. Asa cut it down, broke it up and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 17Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa&#8217;s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life. 18He brought into the temple of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.</div><div class="p"> 19There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa&#8217;s reign.</div>
 </div>
 </div>
</div>

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2CH">
 <div class="chapter ch16" data-usfm="2CH.16">
 <div class="label">16</div><div class="s1">Asa&#8217;s Last Years</div><div class="p"> 1In the thirty-sixth year of Asa&#8217;s reign Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.</div><div class="p"> 2Asa then took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the Lord&#8217;s temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus. 3&#8220;Let there be a treaty between me and you,&#8221; he said, &#8220;as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim#16:4 Also known as Abel Beth Maakah and all the store cities of Naphtali. 5When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and abandoned his work. 6Then King Asa brought all the men of Judah, and they carried away from Ramah the stones and timber Baasha had been using. With them he built up Geba and Mizpah.</div><div class="p"> 7At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: &#8220;Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. 8Were not the Cushites#16:8 That is, people from the upper Nile region and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen#16:8 Or charioteers? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand. 9For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison. At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people.</div><div class="p"> 11The events of Asa&#8217;s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 12In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians. 13Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his ancestors. 14They buried him in the tomb that he had cut out for himself in the City of David. They laid him on a bier covered with spices and various blended perfumes, and they made a huge fire in his honor.</div>
 </div>
 </div>
</div>

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2CH">
 <div class="chapter ch17" data-usfm="2CH.17">
 <div class="label">17</div><div class="s1">Jehoshaphat King of Judah</div><div class="p"> 1Jehoshaphat his son succeeded him as king and strengthened himself against Israel. 2He stationed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah and put garrisons in Judah and in the towns of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.</div><div class="p"> 3The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the ways of his father David before him. He did not consult the Baals 4but sought the God of his father and followed his commands rather than the practices of Israel. 5The Lord established the kingdom under his control; and all Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so that he had great wealth and honor. 6His heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord; furthermore, he removed the high places and the Asherah poles from Judah.</div><div class="p"> 7In the third year of his reign he sent his officials Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel and Micaiah to teach in the towns of Judah. 8With them were certain Levites&#8212;Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah and Tob-Adonijah&#8212;and the priests Elishama and Jehoram. 9They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the Lord; they went around to all the towns of Judah and taught the people.</div><div class="p"> 10The fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not go to war against Jehoshaphat. 11Some Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabs brought him flocks: seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred goats.</div><div class="p"> 12Jehoshaphat became more and more powerful; he built forts and store cities in Judah 13and had large supplies in the towns of Judah. He also kept experienced fighting men in Jerusalem. 14Their enrollment by families was as follows:</div><div class="b"></div><div class="li1">From Judah, commanders of units of 1,000:</div><div class="li2">Adnah the commander, with 300,000 fighting men;</div><div class="li2"> 15next, Jehohanan the commander, with 280,000;</div><div class="li2"> 16next, Amasiah son of Zikri, who volunteered himself for the service of the Lord, with 200,000.</div><div class="li1"> 17From Benjamin:</div><div class="li2">Eliada, a valiant soldier, with 200,000 men armed with bows and shields;</div><div class="li2"> 18next, Jehozabad, with 180,000 men armed for battle.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="m"> 19These were the men who served the king, besides those he stationed in the fortified cities throughout Judah.</div>
 </div>
 </div>
</div>

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2CH">
 <div class="chapter ch18" data-usfm="2CH.18">
 <div class="label">18</div><div class="s1">Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab</div><div class="p"> 1Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage. 2Some years later he went down to see Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle for him and the people with him and urged him to attack Ramoth Gilead. 3Ahab king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, &#8220;Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?&#8221;</div><div class="p">Jehoshaphat replied, &#8220;I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will join you in the war.&#8221; 4But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, &#8220;First seek the counsel of the Lord.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5So the king of Israel brought together the prophets&#8212;four hundred men&#8212;and asked them, &#8220;Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;Go,&#8221; they answered, &#8220;for God will give it into the king&#8217;s hand.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6But Jehoshaphat asked, &#8220;Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, &#8220;There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;The king should not say such a thing,&#8221; Jehoshaphat replied.</div><div class="p"> 8So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, &#8220;Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. 10Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns, and he declared, &#8220;This is what the Lord says: &#8216;With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. &#8220;Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious,&#8221; they said, &#8220;for the Lord will give it into the king&#8217;s hand.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, &#8220;Look, the other prophets without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13But Micaiah said, &#8220;As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what my God says.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14When he arrived, the king asked him, &#8220;Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;Attack and be victorious,&#8221; he answered, &#8220;for they will be given into your hand.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15The king said to him, &#8220;How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16Then Micaiah answered, &#8220;I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, &#8216;These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, &#8220;Didn&#8217;t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18Micaiah continued, &#8220;Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing on his right and on his left. 19And the Lord said, &#8216;Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?&#8217;</div><div class="p">&#8220;One suggested this, and another that. 20Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, &#8216;I will entice him.&#8217;</div><div class="p">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;By what means?&#8217; the Lord asked.</div><div class="p"> 21&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,&#8217; he said.</div><div class="p">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;You will succeed in enticing him,&#8217; said the Lord. &#8216;Go and do it.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 22&#8220;So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. &#8220;Which way did the spirit from#18:23 Or Spirit of the Lord go when he went from me to speak to you?&#8221; he asked.</div><div class="p"> 24Micaiah replied, &#8220;You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inner room.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 25The king of Israel then ordered, &#8220;Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king&#8217;s son, 26and say, &#8216;This is what the king says: Put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 27Micaiah declared, &#8220;If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.&#8221; Then he added, &#8220;Mark my words, all you people!&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Ahab Killed at Ramoth Gilead</div><div class="p"> 28So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. 29The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, &#8220;I will enter the battle in disguise, but you wear your royal robes.&#8221; So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.</div><div class="p"> 30Now the king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders, &#8220;Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.&#8221; 31When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, &#8220;This is the king of Israel.&#8221; So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him. God drew them away from him, 32for when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they stopped pursuing him.</div><div class="p"> 33But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the breastplate and the scale armor. The king told the chariot driver, &#8220;Wheel around and get me out of the fighting. I&#8217;ve been wounded.&#8221; 34All day long the battle raged, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. Then at sunset he died.</div>
 </div>
 </div>
</div>

The Bible Study: 6 MonthsSample

Scripture

About this Plan

Related Plans