15 verses
15He blessed Joseph, and said, "The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my life long to this day, 16the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads, and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac. Let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth." 17When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him. He held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.
18Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father; for this is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head." 19His father refused, and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also will become a people, and he also will be great. However, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his offspring will become a multitude of nations." 20He blessed them that day, saying, "In you will Israel bless, saying, 'God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh'" He set Ephraim before Manasseh.
21Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you, and bring you again to the land of your fathers.
22Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow."
1Jacob called to his sons, and said: "Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.
2Assemble yourselves, and hear, you sons of Jacob. Listen to Israel, your father.
3"Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength; excelling in dignity, and excelling in power.
4Boiling over as water, you won't excel; because you went up to your father's bed, then defiled it. He went up to my couch.
5"Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords are weapons of violence.
6My soul, don't enter their council. My glory, don't be united to their assembly; for in their anger they killed men. In their self-will they hamstrung cattle.
7Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
26 verses
22Behold, the servants of David and Joab came from a foray, and brought in a great spoil with them: but Abner was not with David in Hebron; for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace.
23When Joab and all the army who was with him had come, they told Joab, saying, Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him away, and he is gone in peace.
24Then Joab came to the king, and said, "What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why is it that you have sent him away, and he is quite gone?
25You know Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive you, and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you do." 26When Joab had come out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah; but David didn't know it.
27When Abner had returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him quietly, and struck him there in the body, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.
28Afterward, when David heard it, he said, "I and my kingdom are guiltless before ForeverOne forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner.
29Let it fall on the head of Joab, and on all his father's house. Let there not fail from the house of Joab one who has an issue, or who is a leper, or who leans on a staff, or who falls by the sword, or who lacks bread." 30So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.
31David said to Joab, and to all the people who were with him, Tear your clothes, and clothe yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. King David followed the bier.
32They buried Abner in Hebron: and the king lifted up his voice, and wept at the grave of Abner; and all the people wept.
33The king lamented for Abner, and said, "Should Abner die as a fool dies?
34Your hands were not bound, nor your feet put into fetters. As a man falls before the children of iniquity, so you fell." All the people wept again over him.
35All the people came to cause David to eat bread while it was yet day; but David swore, saying, "May God so deal with me, and even more, if I taste bread, or anything else, until the sun goes down." 36All the people took notice of it, and it pleased them; as whatever the king did pleased all the people.
37So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not of the king to kill Abner the son of Ner.
38The king said to his servants, "Don't you know that there a prince and a great man has fallen today in Israel?
39Today I am weak, though anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah are too hard for me. May ForeverOne reward the evildoer according to his wickedness."
1When [Ishbosheth], Saul's son, heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands became feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled.
2[Ishbosheth], Saul's son, [had] two men who were captains of bands: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin (for Beeroth also is reckoned to Benjamin: 3and the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and have lived as foreigners there until today).
4Now Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son who was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the news came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel; and his nurse took him up, and fled: and as she made haste to flee, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.
5The sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, as he took his rest at noon.
6They came there into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they struck him in the body: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
7Now when they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him, and killed him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and went by the way of the Arabah all night.
8They brought the head of Ishbosheth to David to Hebron, and said to the king, "Behold, the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life! ForeverOne has avenged my lord the king today of Saul, and of his offspring."
17 verses
1Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok.
2He did what was right in the eyes of ForeverOne, according to all that his father Uzziah had done: however he didn't enter into the temple of ForeverOne. The people still acted corruptly.
3He built the upper gate of the house of ForeverOne, and on the wall of Ophel he built much.
4Moreover he built cities in the hill country of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers.
5He fought also with the king of the children of Ammon, and prevailed against them. The children of Ammon gave him the same year one hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. So much the children of Ammon rendered to him, in the second year also, and in the third.
6So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before ForeverOne his God.
7Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars, and his ways, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
8He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.
9Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Ahaz his son reigned in his place.
1Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and he didn't do what was right in the eyes of ForeverOne, like David his father; 2but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for the Baals.
3Moreover he burned incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom ForeverOne threw out before the children of Israel.
4He sacrificed and burned incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.
5Therefore ForeverOne his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they struck him, and carried away of his a great multitude of captives, and brought them to Damascus. He was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with a great slaughter.
6For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed in Judah one hundred twenty thousand in one day, all of them valiant men; because they had forsaken ForeverOne, the God of their fathers.
7Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son, and Azrikam the ruler of the house, and Elkanah who was next to the king.
8The children of Israel carried away captive of their brothers two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.
13 verses
10The multitudes asked him, "What then must we do?" 11He answered them, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none. He who has food, let him do likewise." 12Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, "Teacher, what must we do?" 13He said to them, "Collect no more than what is appointed to you." 14Soldiers also asked him, saying, "What about us? What must we do?" He said to them, "Extort from no one by violence, neither accuse anyone wrongfully. Be content with your wages." 15As the people were in expectation, and all men reasoned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he was the AnointedOne, 16John answered them all, "I indeed baptize you with water, but he comes who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to loosen. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire, 17whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into his barn; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." 18Then with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people, 19but Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evil things which Herod had done, 20added this also to them all, that he shut up John in prison.
21Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus also had been baptized, and was praying. The sky was opened, 22and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form like a dove on him; and a voice came out of the sky, saying "You are my dear Son. In you I am well pleased."
