Church Planting in the Book of Acts

BibleProject | Sermon on the Mount

Acts 10:9-33 | When God Has a New Way

7-Day Devotional: Torn Between Two Worlds – Embracing God’s Gifts Amid Unmet Longings

Leading With Faith in the Hard Places

Praying Like Jesus

God in the Midst of Depression

How to Overcome Temptation

You Are Not Alone.

EquipHer Vol. 12: "From Success to Significance"

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">
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 <div class="label">25</div><div class="s1">Amaziah King of Judah</div><div class="p"> 1Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother&#8217;s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. 2He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly. 3After the kingdom was firmly in his control, he executed the officials who had murdered his father the king. 4Yet he did not put their children to death, but acted in accordance with what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the Lord commanded: &#8220;Parents shall not be put to death for their children, nor children be put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.&#8221;#25:4 Deut. 24:16</div><div class="p"> 5Amaziah called the people of Judah together and assigned them according to their families to commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin. He then mustered those twenty years old or more and found that there were three hundred thousand men fit for military service, able to handle the spear and shield. 6He also hired a hundred thousand fighting men from Israel for a hundred talents#25:6 That is, about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons; also in verse 9 of silver.</div><div class="p"> 7But a man of God came to him and said, &#8220;Your Majesty, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the Lord is not with Israel&#8212;not with any of the people of Ephraim. 8Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9Amaziah asked the man of God, &#8220;But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?&#8221;</div><div class="p">The man of God replied, &#8220;The Lord can give you much more than that.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10So Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. They were furious with Judah and left for home in a great rage.</div><div class="p"> 11Amaziah then marshaled his strength and led his army to the Valley of Salt, where he killed ten thousand men of Seir. 12The army of Judah also captured ten thousand men alive, took them to the top of a cliff and threw them down so that all were dashed to pieces.</div><div class="p"> 13Meanwhile the troops that Amaziah had sent back and had not allowed to take part in the war raided towns belonging to Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon. They killed three thousand people and carried off great quantities of plunder.</div><div class="p"> 14When Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods, bowed down to them and burned sacrifices to them. 15The anger of the Lord burned against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, who said, &#8220;Why do you consult this people&#8217;s gods, which could not save their own people from your hand?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16While he was still speaking, the king said to him, &#8220;Have we appointed you an adviser to the king? Stop! Why be struck down?&#8221;</div><div class="p">So the prophet stopped but said, &#8220;I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17After Amaziah king of Judah consulted his advisers, he sent this challenge to Jehoash#25:17 Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash; also in verses 18, 21, 23 and 25 son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel: &#8220;Come, let us face each other in battle.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: &#8220;A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, &#8216;Give your daughter to my son in marriage.&#8217; Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle underfoot. 19You say to yourself that you have defeated Edom, and now you are arrogant and proud. But stay at home! Why ask for trouble and cause your own downfall and that of Judah also?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20Amaziah, however, would not listen, for God so worked that he might deliver them into the hands of Jehoash, because they sought the gods of Edom. 21So Jehoash king of Israel attacked. He and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth Shemesh in Judah. 22Judah was routed by Israel, and every man fled to his home. 23Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah,#25:23 Hebrew Jehoahaz, a variant of Ahaziah at Beth Shemesh. Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate&#8212;a section about four hundred cubits#25:23 That is, about 600 feet or about 180 meters long. 24He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the temple of God that had been in the care of Obed-Edom, together with the palace treasures and the hostages, and returned to Samaria.</div><div class="p"> 25Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. 26As for the other events of Amaziah&#8217;s reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel? 27From the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord, they conspired against him in Jerusalem and he fled to Lachish, but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there. 28He was brought back by horse and was buried with his ancestors in the City of Judah.#25:28 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac (see also 2 Kings 14:20) David</div>
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 <div class="label">1</div><div class="s1">Jonah Flees From the Lord</div><div class="p"> 1The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2&#8220;Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 4Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 5All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.</div><div class="p">But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6The captain went to him and said, &#8220;How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7Then the sailors said to each other, &#8220;Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.&#8221; They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8So they asked him, &#8220;Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9He answered, &#8220;I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10This terrified them and they asked, &#8220;What have you done?&#8221; (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)</div><div class="p"> 11The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, &#8220;What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12&#8220;Pick me up and throw me into the sea,&#8221; he replied, &#8220;and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14Then they cried out to the Lord, &#8220;Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man&#8217;s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.&#8221; 15Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.</div><div class="s1">Jonah&#8217;s Prayer</div><div class="p"> 17Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.</div>
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 <div class="label">2</div><div class="nb"> # In Hebrew texts 2:1 is numbered 1:17, and 2:1-10 is numbered 2:2-11. 1From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 2He said:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;In my distress I called to the Lord,</div><div class="q2">and he answered me.</div><div class="q1">From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,</div><div class="q2">and you listened to my cry.</div><div class="q1"> 3You hurled me into the depths,</div><div class="q2">into the very heart of the seas,</div><div class="q2">and the currents swirled about me;</div><div class="q1">all your waves and breakers</div><div class="q2">swept over me.</div><div class="q1"> 4I said, &#8216;I have been banished</div><div class="q2">from your sight;</div><div class="q1">yet I will look again</div><div class="q2">toward your holy temple.&#8217;</div><div class="q1"> 5The engulfing waters threatened me,#2:5 Or waters were at my throat</div><div class="q2">the deep surrounded me;</div><div class="q2">seaweed was wrapped around my head.</div><div class="q1"> 6To the roots of the mountains I sank down;</div><div class="q2">the earth beneath barred me in forever.</div><div class="q1">But you, Lord my God,</div><div class="q2">brought my life up from the pit.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 7&#8220;When my life was ebbing away,</div><div class="q2">I remembered you, Lord,</div><div class="q1">and my prayer rose to you,</div><div class="q2">to your holy temple.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 8&#8220;Those who cling to worthless idols</div><div class="q2">turn away from God&#8217;s love for them.</div><div class="q1"> 9But I, with shouts of grateful praise,</div><div class="q2">will sacrifice to you.</div><div class="q1">What I have vowed I will make good.</div><div class="q2">I will say, &#8216;Salvation comes from the Lord.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="label">1</div><div class="p"> 1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p">To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia:</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"> 2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.</div><div class="s1">Praise to the God of All Comfort</div><div class="p"> 3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.</div><div class="p"> 8We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters,#1:8 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God&#8217;s family; also in 8:1; 13:11. about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.</div><div class="s1">Paul&#8217;s Change of Plans</div><div class="p"> 12Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity#1:12 Many manuscripts holiness and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God&#8217;s grace. 13For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that, 14as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus.</div><div class="p"> 15Because I was confident of this, I wanted to visit you first so that you might benefit twice. 16I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia, and then to have you send me on my way to Judea. 17Was I fickle when I intended to do this? Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say both &#8220;Yes, yes&#8221; and &#8220;No, no&#8221;?</div><div class="p"> 18But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not &#8220;Yes&#8221; and &#8220;No.&#8221; 19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us&#8212;by me and Silas#1:19 Greek Silvanus, a variant of Silas and Timothy&#8212;was not &#8220;Yes&#8221; and &#8220;No,&#8221; but in him it has always been &#8220;Yes.&#8221; 20For no matter how many promises God has made, they are &#8220;Yes&#8221; in Christ. And so through him the &#8220;Amen&#8221; is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.</div><div class="p"> 23I call God as my witness&#8212;and I stake my life on it&#8212;that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. 24Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.</div>
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