Bible Readings for June 28, 2019

Today our passages are 2 Kings 13:1–14:29; Acts 18:23–19:12; Psalm 146:1-10; and Proverbs 18:2-3. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version. If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Street, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below. 

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2 Kings 13-14:29 (Contemporary English Version)

2 Kings 13

King Jehoahaz of Israel

 ¹Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel in the twenty-third year of Joash's rule in Judah. Jehoahaz ruled seventeen years from Samaria ²and disobeyed the LORD by doing wrong. He never stopped following the example of Jeroboam, who had caused the Israelites to sin.     ³The LORD was angry at the Israelites, so he let King Hazael of Syria and his son Benhadad rule over them for a long time. ⁴Jehoahaz prayed to the LORD for help, and the LORD saw how terribly Hazael was treating the Israelites. He answered Jehoahaz ⁵by sending Israel a leader who rescued them from the Syrians, ^[a] and the Israelites lived in peace as they had before. ^6-7But Hazael had defeated Israel's army so badly that Jehoahaz had only ten chariots, fifty cavalry troops, and ten thousand regular soldiers left in his army. The Israelites kept sinning and following the example of Jeroboam's family. They did not tear down the sacred poles ^[b] that had been set up in Samaria for the worship of the goddess Asherah. ⁸Everything else Jehoahaz did while he was king, including his brave deeds, is written in The History of the Kings of Israel. ⁹Jehoahaz died and was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoash became king.     

King Jehoash of Israel

 ¹⁰Jehoash became king of Israel in the thirty-seventh year of Joash's rule in Judah, and he ruled sixteen years from Samaria. ¹¹He disobeyed the LORD by doing just like Jeroboam, who had caused the Israelites to sin.     ¹²Everything else Jehoash did while he was king, including his war against King Amaziah of Judah, is written in The History of the Kings of Israel. ¹³Jehoash died and was buried in Samaria beside the other Israelite kings. His son Jeroboam then became king.     

Elisha the Prophet Dies

 ¹⁴Some time before the death of King Jehoash, Elisha the prophet was very sick and about to die. Jehoash went in and stood beside him, crying. He said, "Master, what will Israel's chariots and cavalry be able to do without you?" ^[c] ^15-16"Grab a bow and some arrows," Elisha told him, "and hold them in your hand." Jehoash grabbed the bow and arrows and held them. Elisha placed his hand on the king's hand ¹⁷and said, "Open the window facing east." When it was open, Elisha shouted, "Now shoot!" Jehoash shot an arrow and Elisha said, "That arrow is a sign that the LORD will help you completely defeat the Syrian army at Aphek."     ¹⁸Elisha said, "Pick up the arrows and hit the ground with them." Jehoash grabbed the arrows and hit the ground three times, then stopped. ¹⁹Elisha became angry at the king and exclaimed, "If you had struck it five or six times, you would completely wipe out the Syrians. Now you will defeat them only three times."
    ²⁰Elisha died and was buried.
   Every year in the spring, Moab's leaders sent raiding parties into Israel. ²¹Once, while some Israelites were burying a man's body, they saw a group of Moabites. The Israelites quickly threw the body into Elisha's tomb and ran away. As soon as the man's body touched the bones of Elisha, the man came back to life and stood up.     

Israel Defeats Syria

 ²²Israel was under the power of King Hazael of Syria during the entire rule of Jehoahaz. ²³But the LORD was kind to the Israelites and showed them mercy because of his solemn agreement with their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In fact, he has never turned his back on them or let them be completely destroyed.     ²⁴Hazael died, and his son Benhadad then became king of Syria. ²⁵King Jehoash of Israel attacked and defeated the Syrian army three times. He took back from Benhadad all the towns Hazael had captured in battle from his father Jehoahaz.
    

2 Kings 14

King Amaziah of Judah

(2 Chronicles 25.1-24)

 ¹Amaziah son of Joash became king of Judah in the second year of Jehoash's rule in Israel. ²Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled twenty-nine years from Jerusalem, which was also the hometown of his mother Jehoaddin.     ³Amaziah followed the example of his father Joash by obeying the LORD and doing right. But he was not as faithful as his ancestor David. ⁴Amaziah did not destroy the local shrines, and they were still used as places for offering sacrifices.
    ⁵As soon as Amaziah had control of Judah, he arrested and killed the officers who had murdered his father. ⁶But the children of those officers were not killed. The LORD had commanded in the Law of Moses that only the people who sinned were to be punished, not their parents or children. ^[d] ⁷While Amaziah was king, he killed ten thousand Edomite soldiers in Salt Valley. He captured the town of Sela and renamed it Joktheel, which is still its name.
    ⁸One day, Amaziah sent a message to King Jehoash of Israel: "Come out and face me in battle!"
    ⁹Jehoash sent back this reply:
   Once upon a time, a small thornbush in Lebanon announced that his son was going to marry the daughter of a large cedar tree. But a wild animal came along and trampled the small bush.
    ¹⁰Amaziah, you think you're so powerful because you defeated Edom. Go ahead and celebrate--but stay at home. If you cause any trouble, both you and your kingdom of Judah will be destroyed.
    ¹¹But Amaziah refused to listen. So Jehoash and his troops marched to the town of Beth-Shemesh in Judah to attack Amaziah and his troops. ¹²During the battle, Judah's army was crushed. Every soldier from Judah ran back home, ¹³and Jehoash captured Amaziah.
   Jehoash then marched to Jerusalem and broke down the city wall from Ephraim Gate to Corner Gate, a section about six hundred feet long. ¹⁴He took the gold and silver, as well as everything of value from the LORD's temple and the king's treasury. He took hostages, then returned to Samaria.
    ¹⁵Everything else Jehoash did while he was king, including his brave deeds and how he defeated King Amaziah of Judah, is written in The History of the Kings of Israel. ¹⁶Jehoash died and was buried in Samaria beside the other Israelite kings. His son Jeroboam then became king.
    ¹⁷Fifteen years after Jehoash died, ^18-20some people in Jerusalem plotted against Amaziah. He was able to escape to the town of Lachish, but another group of people caught him and killed him there. His body was taken back to Jerusalem on horseback and buried beside his ancestors.
   Everything else Amaziah did while he was king is written in The History of the Kings of Judah. ²¹After his death the people of Judah made his son Azariah king, even though he was only sixteen at the time. ²²Azariah was the one who later recaptured and rebuilt the town of Elath.     

King Jeroboam the Second of Israel

 ²³Jeroboam son of Jehoash became king of Israel in the fifteenth year of Amaziah's rule in Judah. Jeroboam ruled forty-one years from Samaria. ²⁴He disobeyed the LORD by following the evil example of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused the Israelites to sin.     ²⁵Jeroboam extended the boundaries of Israel from Lebo-Hamath in the north to the Dead Sea in the south, just as the LORD had promised his servant Jonah son of Amittai, who was a prophet from Gath-Hepher. ²⁶The LORD helped Jeroboam do this because he had seen how terribly the Israelites were suffering, whether slave or free, and no one was left to help them. ²⁷And since the LORD had promised that he would not let Israel be completely destroyed, he helped Jeroboam rescue them.
    ²⁸Everything else Jeroboam did while he was king, including his brave deeds and how he recaptured the towns of Damascus and Hamath, ^[e] is written in The History of the Kings of Israel. ²⁹Jeroboam died and was buried, and his son Zechariah became king. 

Footnotes:

1. 2 Kings 13:5 by sending. . . the Syrians: The name of this leader is not given, but it may refer to Elisha the prophet, King Jehoash of Israel, or his son King Jeroboam.
2. 2 Kings 13:6 sacred poles: Or "trees," used as symbols of Asherah, the goddess of fertility.
3. 2 Kings 13:14 Master. . . without you: Or "Master, you were like chariots and cavalry for Israel!"
4. 2 Kings 14:6 The LORD had commanded. . . children: See Deuteronomy 24.16.
5. 2 Kings 14:28 how he recaptured. . . Hamath: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

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Acts 18:23-19:12 (Contemporary English Version)

²³After staying there for a while, he left and visited several places in Galatia and Phrygia. He helped the followers there to become stronger in their faith.     

Apollos in Ephesus

 ²⁴A Jewish man named Apollos came to Ephesus. Apollos had been born in the city of Alexandria. He was a very good speaker and knew a lot about the Scriptures. ²⁵He also knew much about the Lord's Way, ^[a] and he spoke about it with great excitement. What he taught about Jesus was right, but all he knew was John's message about baptism. ²⁶Apollos started speaking bravely in the Jewish meeting place. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him to their home and helped him understand God's Way even better.     ²⁷Apollos decided to travel through Achaia. So the Lord's followers wrote letters, encouraging the followers there to welcome him. After Apollos arrived in Achaia, he was a great help to everyone who had put their faith in the Lord Jesus because of God's kindness. ²⁸He got into fierce arguments with the Jewish people, and in public he used the Scriptures to prove that Jesus is the Messiah.
    

Acts 19

Paul in Ephesus

 ¹While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled across the hill country to Ephesus, where he met some of the Lord's followers. ²He asked them, "When you put your faith in Jesus, were you given the Holy Spirit?"    "No!" they answered. "We have never even heard of the Holy Spirit."
    ³"Then why were you baptized?" Paul asked.
   They answered, "Because of what John taught." ^[b] ⁴Paul replied, "John baptized people so that they would turn to God. But he also told them that someone else was coming, and that they should put their faith in him. Jesus is the one that John was talking about." ⁵After the people heard Paul say this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶Then Paul placed his hands on them. The Holy Spirit was given to them, and they spoke unknown languages and prophesied. ⁷There were about twelve men in this group.
    ⁸For three months Paul went to the Jewish meeting place and talked bravely with the people about God's kingdom. He tried to win them over, ⁹but some of them were stubborn and refused to believe. In front of everyone they said terrible things about God's Way. Paul left and took the followers with him to the lecture hall of Tyrannus. He spoke there every day ¹⁰for two years, until every Jew and Gentile ^[c] in Asia had heard the Lord's message. 

The Sons of Sceva

 ¹¹God gave Paul the power to work great miracles. ¹²People even took handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched Paul's body, and they carried them to everyone who was sick. All of the sick people were healed, and the evil spirits went out.     

Footnotes:

1. Acts 18:25 the Lord's Way: See the note at 9.2.
2. Acts 19:3 Then why were you baptized?. . . Because of what John taught: Or "In whose name were you baptized?. . . We were baptized in John's name."
3. Acts 19:10 Gentile(s): The text has "Greek(s)" (see the note at 14.1).

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Psalm 146:1-10 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 146

Shout Praises to the LORD

 ¹Shout praises to the LORD!    With all that I am,
   I will shout his praises.
    ²I will sing
   and praise
   the LORD God
   for as long as I live.
    ³You can't depend on anyone,
   not even a great leader.
    ⁴Once they die and are buried,
   that will be the end
   of all their plans.
    ⁵The LORD God of Jacob blesses
   everyone
   who trusts him
   and depends on him.
    ⁶God made heaven and earth;
   he created the sea
   and everything else.
   God always keeps his word.
    ⁷He gives justice to the poor
   and food to the hungry.
   The LORD sets prisoners free
    ⁸and heals blind eyes.
   He gives a helping hand
   to everyone who falls.
   The LORD loves good people
    ⁹and looks after strangers.
   He defends the rights
   of orphans and widows,
   but destroys the wicked.
    ¹⁰The LORD God of Zion
   will rule forever!
   Shout praises to the LORD!

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Proverbs 18:2-3 (Contemporary English Version)

²Fools have no desire to learn;
   they would much rather
   give their own opinion.
    ³Wrongdoing leads to shame
   and disgrace.

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Verse of the Day

“The Lord isn't slow about keeping his promises, as some people think he is. In fact, God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost.” - 2 Peter 3:9 

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

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Thought for the Day

Delta blues guitarist and singer, David “Honeyboy” Edwards wrote, “The blues is nothing but a story... The verses which are sung in the blues is a true story, what people are doing... what they all went through. It's not just a song, see?”

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A Joke for Today 

Juan comes up to the Mexican border on his bicycle. He's got two large bags over his shoulders.

The guard stops him and says, "What's in the bags?"

"Sand," answered Juan.

The guard says, "We'll just see about that, get off the bike." The guard takes the bags and rips them apart; he empties them out and finds nothing in them but sand.

He detains Juan overnight and has the sand analyzed, only to discover that there is nothing but pure sand in the bags.

The guard releases Juan, puts the sand into new bags, hefts them onto the man''s shoulders, and lets him cross the border.

A week later, the same thing happens. The guard asks, "What have you got?"

"Sand," says Juan.

The guard does his thorough examination and discovers that the bags contain nothing but sand.

He gives the sand back to Juan, and Juan crosses the border on his bicycle.

This sequence of events if repeated every day for three years. Finally, Juan doesn't show up one day and the guard meets him in a Cantina in Mexico.

"Hey, Buddy," says the guard, "I know you are smuggling something. It's driving me crazy. It's all I think about. I can't sleep. Just between you and me, what are you smuggling?"

Juan sips his beer and says, "Bicycles."