Today's Readings and Stuff -- Monday, 23 July 2018

A good Monday is wished to all.
Alarm went of at 06:00 today.  I thought I was retired and didn't have to deal with that anymore?  Guess I was wrong.  (Not for the first time, and probably not for the last).  So ... we rolled out, dressed, availed ourselves of some provender, and headed next door.  Niece was to be to work at 08:00. so leaving by 07:30, so we were there by 07:10.
The assignment was to "watch" the kids.  Both still sleeping (thank You, Lord!).  So I hauled Wife's bag of "stuff" over, then came back to start a week's worth of laundry, etc.  At 09:00, I took another coffee over to her.  Kids still sleeping.
At 09:20, I arrived 10 minutes early at the agreed meeting place, a local Dunkin Donuts by the Interstate, to meet my sister and her husband for our twice-per-year hour long get-together.  A good time was had by all.  And then they headed out en route to central Virginia, a good 6-hour drive.  So that's done.
And I returned to helping Wife "watch" the kids, especially the VERY energetic 1-year-old boy.  Periodically I'd run over here and change loads in the laundry, etc. so that campaign is concluded for the moment.
And, at long last, Niece came home, beating husband by a good 30 minutes (he's got a far longer drive, but after being unemployed for six weeks, isn't complaining).  And Wife and I were free to come home, collapse in our respective chairs, and rest a bit. 
I read in Genesis of the ages of Abraham and Sarah when Isaac was born.  Abraham was a good 30  years older than I am now, and Sarah wasn't too terribly far behind.  But they had servants, which helped, I guess.  Betcha the servants were younger than me.



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Today, the finale of the Chronicles, chapters 35 and 36.

Well, they can't say that they weren't warned.  They were, MANY times.  Sometimes they --  a few of them -- did listen.  Their neighbors and families, often not.  So when they were gone, back to the old ways.  The ways of the nations around them.
Here we see the fall of the kingdom.
Now, bear in mind, all seemed lost.  But the Lord hadn't forgotten them.  He still had plans for them.  One proof of that is this entire text, the Chronicles, which was pretty much written to remind them of the history, to be a guide for WHEN they returned.  Which, as we will see here, happened.

2nd Chronicles 35

1Moreover Josiah kept a passover unto the Lord in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.

2And he set the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to the service of the house of the Lord,

3And said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the Lord, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; it shall not be a burden upon your shoulders: serve now the Lord your God, and his people Israel,

4And prepare yourselves by the houses of your fathers, after your courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son.

5And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the families of the fathers of your brethren the people, and after the division of the families of the Levites.the families of the fathers: Heb. the house of the fathersthe people: Heb. the sons of the people

6So kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

7And Josiah gave to the people, of the flock, lambs and kids, all for the passover offerings, for all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks: these were of the king's substance.gave: Heb. offered

8And his princes gave willingly unto the people, to the priests, and to the Levites: Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, rulers of the house of God, gave unto the priests for the passover offerings two thousand and six hundred small cattle, and three hundred oxen.gave willingly: Heb. offered, etc.

9Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethaneel, his brethren, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, chief of the Levites, gave unto the Levites for passover offerings five thousand small cattle, and five hundred oxen.gave: Heb. offered

10So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their place, and the Levites in their courses, according to the king's commandment.

11And they killed the passover, and the priests sprinkled the blood from their hands, and the Levites flayed them.

12And they removed the burnt offerings, that they might give according to the divisions of the families of the people, to offer unto the Lord, as it is written in the book of Moses. And so did they with the oxen.

13And they roasted the passover with fire according to the ordinance: but the other holy offerings sod they in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and divided them speedily among all the people.divided…: Heb. made them run

14And afterward they made ready for themselves, and for the priests: because the priests the sons of Aaron were busied in offering of burnt offerings and the fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared for themselves, and for the priests the sons of Aaron.

15And the singers the sons of Asaph were in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the porters waited at every gate; they might not depart from their service; for their brethren the Levites prepared for them.place: Heb. station

16So all the service of the Lord was prepared the same day, to keep the passover, and to offer burnt offerings upon the altar of the Lord, according to the commandment of king Josiah.

17And the children of Israel that were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days.present: Heb. found

18And there was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.present: Heb. found

19In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover kept.

20After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him.temple: Heb. house

21But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.the house…: Heb. the house of my war

22Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Neco from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.

23And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded.wounded: Heb. made sick

24His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.in one…: or, among the sepulchres

25And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.

26Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his goodness, according to that which was written in the law of the Lord,goodness: Heb. kindnesses

27And his deeds, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

2nd Chronicles 36

1Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's stead in Jerusalem.

2Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.

3And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and condemned the land in an hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.put…: Heb. removed him

4And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Neco took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.

5Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God.

6Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.fetters: or, chains

7Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.

8Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.Jehoiachin: also called, Jeconiah, or, Coniah

9Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.

10And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the Lord, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.when…: Heb. at the return of the yeargoodly…: Heb. vessels of desireZedekiah…: or, Mattaniah, his father's brother

11Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.

12And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord.

13And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel.

14Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.

15And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place:by: Heb. by the hand ofbetimes: that is, continually and carefully

16But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lordarose against his people, till there was no remedy.remedy: Heb. healing

17Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldeans, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand.

18And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon.

19And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.

20And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:them…: Heb. the remainder from the sword

21To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.

22Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,

23Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The Lord his God be with him, and let him go up.

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Psalm 125

A Song of degrees.

1They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.

2As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.

3For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.the wicked: Heb. wickedness

4Do good, O Lord, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts.

5As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the Lordshall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity: but peace shall be upon Israel.

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1st Corinthians 13

Today, what is often referred to as the "Love Chapter" in Corinthians.  Some translators use the word "charity" here, others use "love".

1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

11When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.