Psalms  119:130  

The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

Ramnath Gunupudi

Jesus Questioned About Fasting 
33 They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.” 
34 Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? 
35 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.” 
36 He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. 
37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. 
38 No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. 
39 And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’”

Jesus Questioned About Fasting
33 They said to him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.”
34 Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? 
35 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.”
36 He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. 
37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. 
38 No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. 
39 And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’”

Jesus Questioned About Fasting - Luke 5:33-39

NIV 
Jesus Talks About the Holy Spirit 
37 The last day of the festival came. It was the most important day. On that day Jesus stood up and said loudly, “Whoever is thirsty may come to me and drink. 
38 If anyone believes in me, rivers of living water will flow out from their heart. That is what the Scriptures say.” 
39 Jesus was talking about the Spirit. The Spirit had not yet been given to people, because Jesus had not yet been raised to glory. But later, those who believed in Jesus would receive the Spirit. 
The People Argue About Jesus 
40 When the people heard the things that Jesus said, some of them said, “This man really is the Prophet.a” 
41 Other people said, “He is the Messiah.” 
And others said, “The Messiah will not come from Galilee. 
42 The Scriptures say that the Messiah will come from the family of David. And they say that he will come from Bethlehem, the town where David lived.” 
43 So the people did not agree with each other about Jesus. 
44 Some of the people wanted to arrest him. But no one tried to do it. 
The Jewish Leaders Refuse to Believe 
45 The Temple police went back to the leading priests and the Pharisees. The priests and the Pharisees asked, “Why didn’t you bring Jesus?” 
46 The Temple police answered, “We have never heard anyone say such amazing things!” 
47 The Pharisees answered, “So he has fooled you too! 
48 You don’t see any of the leaders or any of us Pharisees believing in him, do you? 
49 But those people out there know nothing about the law. They are under God’s curse!” 
50 But Nicodemus was there in that group. He was the one who had gone to see Jesus before.b He said, 
51 “Our law will not let us judge anyone without first hearing them and finding out what they have done.” 
52 The Jewish leaders answered, “You must be from Galilee too! Study the Scriptures. You will find nothing about a prophetc coming from Galilee.” 
A Woman Caught in Adultery 
53 Then they all left and went home. 
 
NKJV 
The Promise of the Holy Spirit 
37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 
38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those [g]believing in Him would receive; for the [h]Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. 
Who Is He? 
40 Therefore [i]many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” 
But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee? 
42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?” 
43 So there was a division among the people because of Him. 
44 Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him. 
 
Rejected by the Authorities 
45 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?” 
46 The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man!” 
47 Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived? 
48 Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? 
49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” 
50 Nicodemus (he who came to [j]Jesus [k]by night, being one of them) said to them, 
51 “Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?” 
52 They answered and said to him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet [l]has arisen out of Galilee.” 
An Adulteress Faces the Light of the World 
53 [m]And everyone went to his own house.

NIV
Jesus Talks About the Holy Spirit
37 The last day of the festival came. It was the most important day. On that day Jesus stood up and said loudly, “Whoever is thirsty may come to me and drink. 
38 If anyone believes in me, rivers of living water will flow out from their heart. That is what the Scriptures say.” 
39 Jesus was talking about the Spirit. The Spirit had not yet been given to people, because Jesus had not yet been raised to glory. But later, those who believed in Jesus would receive the Spirit.
The People Argue About Jesus
40 When the people heard the things that Jesus said, some of them said, “This man really is the Prophet.a”
41 Other people said, “He is the Messiah.”
And others said, “The Messiah will not come from Galilee. 
42 The Scriptures say that the Messiah will come from the family of David. And they say that he will come from Bethlehem, the town where David lived.” 
43 So the people did not agree with each other about Jesus. 
44 Some of the people wanted to arr

Promise of the Holy Spirit - John 7:37-53

20 “You are demon-possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?” 
21 Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. 
22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. 
23 Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? 
24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” 
 
Division Over Who Jesus Is 
25 At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? 
26 Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah? 
27 But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.” 
28 Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, 
29 but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.” 
30 At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?” 
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him. 
33 Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me. 
34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.” 
35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? 
36 What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”

20 “You are demon-possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”
21 Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. 
22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. 
23 Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? 
24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”

Division Over Who Jesus Is
25 At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? 
26 Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah? 
27 But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”
28 Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you kno

Jesus is Messiah - John 7:20-36

Opposition to the Rebuilding 
1 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, 
2 they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” 
3 But Zerubbabel, Joshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.” 
4 Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building.[a] 
5 They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia. 
24 Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia. 
Ezra 5:1-17 
Tattenai’s Letter to Darius 
5 Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 2 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, supporting them. 
3 At that time Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates went to them and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish it?” 4 They[a] also asked, “What are the names of those who are constructing this building?” 5 But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received. 
6 This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates, the officials of Trans-Euphrates, sent to King Darius. 
7 The report they sent him read as follows: 
 
To King Darius: 
Cordial greetings. 
8 The king should know that we went to the district of Judah, to the temple of the great God. The people are building it with large stones and placing the timbers in the walls. The work is being carried on with diligence and is making rapid progress under their direction. 
9 We questioned the elders and asked them, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish it?” 
10 We also asked them their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information. 
11 This is the answer they gave us: 
“We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, one that a great king of Israel built and finished. 
12 But because our ancestors angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon. 
13 “However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild this house of God. 
14 He even removed from the temple[b] of Babylon the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple[c] in Babylon. Then King Cyrus gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor, 
15 and he told him, ‘Take these articles and go and deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem. And rebuild the house of God on its site.’ 
16 “So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem. From that day to the present it has been under construction but is not yet finished.” 
17 Now if it pleases the king, let a search be made in the royal archives of Babylon to see if King Cyrus did in fact issue a decree to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in this matter.

Opposition to the Rebuilding
1 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, 
2 they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.”
3 But Zerubbabel, Joshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.”
4 Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building.[a] 
5 They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.
24 Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the secon

Ezra 4:1-5,24 & 5 :1-17 - Rebuilding the Temple

ERV 
Jesus and His Brothers 
1 After this, Jesus traveled around the country of Galilee. He did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jewish leaders there wanted to kill him. 
2 It was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters. 
3 So his brothers said to him, “You should leave here and go to the festival in Judea. Then your followers there can see the miracles you do. 
4 If you want to be well known, you must not hide what you do. So, if you can do such amazing things, let the whole world see you do them.” 
5 Jesus’ brothers said this because even they did not believe in him. 
6 Jesus said to them, “The right time for me has not yet come, but any time is right for you to go. 
7 The world cannot hate you. But the world hates me, because I tell the people in the world that they do evil things. 
8 So you go to the festival. I will not go now, because the right time for me has not yet come.” 
9 After Jesus said this, he stayed in Galilee. 
10 So his brothers left to go to the festival. After they left, Jesus went too, but he did not let people see him. 
11 At the festival the Jewish leaders were looking for him. They said, “Where is that man?” 
12 There was a large group of people there. Many of them were talking secretly to each other about Jesus. Some people said, “He is a good man.” But others said, “No, he fools the people.” 
13 But no one was brave enough to talk about him openly. They were afraid of the Jewish leaders. 
Jesus Teaches in Jerusalem 
14 When the festival was about half finished, Jesus went to the Temple area and began to teach. 
15 The Jewish leaders were amazed and said, “How did this man learn so much? He never had the kind of teaching we had!” 
16 Jesus answered, “What I teach is not my own. My teaching comes from the one who sent me. 
17 People who really want to do what God wants will know that my teaching comes from God. They will know that this teaching is not my own. 
18 If I taught my own ideas, I would just be trying to get honor for myself. But if I am trying to bring honor to the one who sent me, I can be trusted. Anyone doing that is not going to lie. 
19 Moses gave you the law, right? But you don’t obey that law. If you do, then why are you trying to kill me?” 
20 The people answered, “A demon is making you crazy! We are not trying to kill you.” 
 
NIV 
Jesus Goes to the Festival of Tabernacles 
1 After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want[a] to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. 
2 But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, 
3 Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. 
4 No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” 
5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him. 
6 Therefore Jesus told them, “My time is not yet here; for you any time will do. 
7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. 
8 You go to the festival. I am not[b] going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.” 
9 After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee. 
10 However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. 
11 Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, “Where is he?” 
12 Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” 
13 But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders. 
Jesus Teaches at the Festival 
14 Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. 15 The Jews there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?” 
16 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. 
17 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 
18 Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. 
19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?” 
20 “You are demon-possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”

ERV
Jesus and His Brothers
1 After this, Jesus traveled around the country of Galilee. He did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jewish leaders there wanted to kill him. 
2 It was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters. 
3 So his brothers said to him, “You should leave here and go to the festival in Judea. Then your followers there can see the miracles you do. 
4 If you want to be well known, you must not hide what you do. So, if you can do such amazing things, let the whole world see you do them.” 
5 Jesus’ brothers said this because even they did not believe in him.
6 Jesus said to them, “The right time for me has not yet come, but any time is right for you to go. 
7 The world cannot hate you. But the world hates me, because I tell the people in the world that they do evil things. 
8 So you go to the festival. I will not go now, because the right time for me has not yet come.” 
9 After Jesus said this, he stayed in Galilee.
10 So his brothers left to go to the festival. After

Jesus Goes to the Festival of Tabernacles - John 7:1-20

Proverbs 28:1-15 - BLESSINGS &amp; COURAGE OF WISDOM

Gedaliah, Governor of Judah 
22 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon left some people in the land of Judah. There was a man named Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan. Nebuchadnezzar made Gedaliah governor over the people in Judah. 
23 The army captains were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth from Netophah, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite. These army captains and their men heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, so they went to Mizpah to meet with him. 
24 Gedaliah made promises to these officers and their men. He said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the Babylonian officers. Stay here and serve the king of Babylon. Then everything will be all right with you.” 
25 Ishmael son of Nethaniah son of Elishama was from the king’s family. In the seventh month, Ishmael and ten of his men attacked Gedaliah and killed all the men of Judah and Babylonians who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah. 
26 Then the army officers and all the people ran away to Egypt. Everyone, from the least important to the most important, ran away because they were afraid of the Babylonians. 
27 Later, Evil Merodach became the king of Babylon. He let King Jehoiachin of Judah out of prison. This happened in the 37th year after Jehoiachin was captured. This was on the 27th day of the twelfth month from the time that Evil Merodach began to rule. 
28 Evil Merodach was kind to Jehoiachin. He gave him a more important place to sit than the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 
29 Evil Merodach let Jehoiachin stop wearing prison clothes. And every day for the rest of his life, he ate at the same table with the king. 
30 And each day, for as long as Jehoiachin lived, the king gave him enough money to pay for whatever he needed.

Gedaliah, Governor of Judah
22 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon left some people in the land of Judah. There was a man named Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan. Nebuchadnezzar made Gedaliah governor over the people in Judah.
23 The army captains were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth from Netophah, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite. These army captains and their men heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, so they went to Mizpah to meet with him. 
24 Gedaliah made promises to these officers and their men. He said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the Babylonian officers. Stay here and serve the king of Babylon. Then everything will be all right with you.”
25 Ishmael son of Nethaniah son of Elishama was from the king’s family. In the seventh month, Ishmael and ten of his men attacked Gedaliah and killed all the men of Judah and Babylonians who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah. 
26 Then the army officers and all the people ran away to E

2 Kings 25:22-30 - Nebuchadnezzar ,Gedaliah, Governor of Judah

19 Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) became very quiet for a while. What he was thinking bothered him. So the king said, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream or its meaning make you afraid.” 
Then Belteshazzar answered the king, “My lord, I wish the dream were about your enemies, and I wish the meaning of the dream were about those against you. 
20-21 You saw a tree in your dream. The tree grew large and strong. Its top touched the sky, and it could be seen from all over the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, and it had plenty of fruit. The fruit gave plenty of food for everyone. It was a home for the wild animals, and its branches were nesting places for the birds. You saw that tree. 
22 King, you are that tree! You have become great and powerful. You are like the tall tree that touched the sky—your power reaches to the far parts of the earth. 
23 “King, you saw a holy angel coming down from heaven. He said, ‘Cut the tree down and destroy it. Put a band of iron and bronze around the stump and leave the stump and its roots in the ground. Leave it in the grass in the field. It will become wet with dew. He will live like a wild animal. Seven seasons will pass while he is like this.’ 
24 “King, this is the meaning of the dream. God Most High has commanded these things to happen to my lord the king: 
25 King Nebuchadnezzar, you will be forced to go away from people. You will live among the wild animals. You will eat grass like cattle, and you will become wet with dew. Seven seasons will pass, and then you will learn this lesson. You will learn God Most High rules over human kingdoms and gives them to whoever he wants. 
26 “The command to leave the stump of the tree and its roots in the ground means this: Your kingdom will be given back to you. This will happen when you learn that Most High God rules your kingdom. 
27 So, King, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Stop doing bad things and be kind to poor people. Then you might continue to be successful.” 
28 All these things happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. 
29-30 Twelve months after the dream, King Nebuchadnezzar was walking on the roof[a] of his palace in Babylon. While on the roof, the king said, “Look at Babylon! I built this great city. It is my palace. I built this great place by my power. I built this place to show how great I am.” 
31 The words were still in his mouth when a voice came from heaven. The voice said, “King Nebuchadnezzar, these things will happen to you: Your power as king has been taken away from you. 
32 You will be forced to go away from people. You will live with the wild animals and eat grass like an ox. Seven seasons will pass before you learn your lesson. Then you will learn that God Most High rules over human kingdoms and gives them to whoever he wants.” 
33 These things happened immediately. Nebuchadnezzar was forced to go away from people. He began eating grass like an ox. He became wet from dew. His hair grew long like the feathers of an eagle, and his nails grew long like the claws of a bird. 
34 Then at the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up toward heaven, and I was in my right mind again. Then I gave praise to God Most High. I gave honor and glory to him who lives forever. 
God rules forever! 
 His kingdom continues for all generations. 
35 People on earth 
 are not really important. 
God does what he wants 
 with the powers of heaven 
 and the people on earth. 
No one can stop his powerful hand 
 or question what he does. 
36 At that time God gave me my right mind again, and he gave back my great honor and power as king. My advisors and the royal people began to ask my advice again. I became the king again—even greater and more powerful than before. 
37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, give praise, honor, and glory to the King of Heaven. Everything he does is right. He is always fair, and he is able to make proud people humble!

19 Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) became very quiet for a while. What he was thinking bothered him. So the king said, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream or its meaning make you afraid.”
Then Belteshazzar answered the king, “My lord, I wish the dream were about your enemies, and I wish the meaning of the dream were about those against you. 
20-21 You saw a tree in your dream. The tree grew large and strong. Its top touched the sky, and it could be seen from all over the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, and it had plenty of fruit. The fruit gave plenty of food for everyone. It was a home for the wild animals, and its branches were nesting places for the birds. You saw that tree. 
22 King, you are that tree! You have become great and powerful. You are like the tall tree that touched the sky—your power reaches to the far parts of the earth.
23 “King, you saw a holy angel coming down from heaven. He said, ‘Cut the tree down and destroy it. Put a band of iron and bronze around the s

Daniel 4:19-37 - Nebuchadnezzar-Daniel Explains the Second Dream

1 So King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and all his army came to fight against Jerusalem. This happened on the 10th day of the tenth month of Zedekiah’s ninth year as king. Nebuchadnezzar put his army around Jerusalem to stop people from going in and out of the city. Then he built a wall of dirt around the city. 
2 His army stayed around Jerusalem until Zedekiah’s eleventh year as king of Judah. 
3 The famine was getting worse and worse in the city. By the 9th day of the fourth month, there was no more food for the common people in the city. 
4 Nebuchadnezzar’s army finally broke through the city wall. That night King Zedekiah and all his soldiers ran away. They used the secret gate that went through the double walls. It was by the king’s garden. The enemy soldiers were all around the city, but Zedekiah and his men escaped on the road to the desert. 
5 The Babylonian army chased King Zedekiah and caught him near Jericho. All of Zedekiah’s soldiers left him and ran away. 
6 The Babylonians took King Zedekiah to the king of Babylon at Riblah. The Babylonians decided to punish Zedekiah. 
7 They killed Zedekiah’s sons in front of him. Then they put out Zedekiah’s eyes. They put chains on him and took him to Babylon. 
Jerusalem Is Destroyed 
8 Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem on the 7th day of the fifth month of his nineteenth year as king of Babylon. The captain of Nebuchadnezzar’s best soldiers was Nebuzaradan. 
9 Nebuzaradan burned the Lord’s Temple, the king’s palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem. He destroyed even the largest houses. 
10 Then the Babylonian army that was with Nebuzaradan pulled down the walls around Jerusalem. 11 Nebuzaradan captured all the people who were still left in the city. He took all the people as prisoners, even those who had tried to surrender. 
12 He let only the poorest of the common people stay there. He let them stay so that they could take care of the grapes and other crops. 
13 The Babylonian soldiers broke into pieces all the bronze things in the Lord’s Temple. They broke the bronze columns, the bronze carts, and the large bronze tank[a] that were in the Lord’s Temple. Then they took all of that bronze to Babylon. 
14 The Babylonians also took the pots, the shovels, the tools for trimming the lamps, the spoons, and all the bronze dishes that were used in the Temple. 
15 Nebuzaradan took all the firepans and bowls. He took all the things made of gold for the gold. And he took everything made of silver for the silver. 
16-17 So Nebuzaradan took the large bronze tank and the 2 bronze columns. (Each column was about 31 feet[b] tall. The capitals on the columns were over 5 feet[c] tall. They were made from bronze and had a design like a net and pomegranates. Both columns had the same kind of design.) He also took the carts that Solomon made for the Lord’s Temple. The bronze from these things was too heavy to be weighed. 
The People of Judah Taken as Prisoners 
18 From the Temple, Nebuzaradan took Seraiah the high priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three men who guarded the entrance. 
19 From the city Nebuzaradan took one official who was in charge of the army and five of the king’s advisors[d] who were still in the city. He took one secretary of the commander of the army who was in charge of counting the common people and choosing some of them to be soldiers and 60 people who just happened to be in the city. 
20-21 Then Nebuzaradan took all these people to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the area of Hamath. The king of Babylon killed them there at Riblah. And the people of Judah were led away as prisoners from their land.

1 So King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and all his army came to fight against Jerusalem. This happened on the 10th day of the tenth month of Zedekiah’s ninth year as king. Nebuchadnezzar put his army around Jerusalem to stop people from going in and out of the city. Then he built a wall of dirt around the city. 
2 His army stayed around Jerusalem until Zedekiah’s eleventh year as king of Judah. 
3 The famine was getting worse and worse in the city. By the 9th day of the fourth month, there was no more food for the common people in the city.
4 Nebuchadnezzar’s army finally broke through the city wall. That night King Zedekiah and all his soldiers ran away. They used the secret gate that went through the double walls. It was by the king’s garden. The enemy soldiers were all around the city, but Zedekiah and his men escaped on the road to the desert. 
5 The Babylonian army chased King Zedekiah and caught him near Jericho. All of Zedekiah’s soldiers left him and ran away.
6 The Babylonians to

2 Kings 25:1-21 - Nebuchadnezzar - Jerusalem Is Destroyed

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream About a Tree 
1 King Nebuchadnezzar sent this letter to the many nations and language groups living around the world. 
Greetings: 
2 I am very happy to tell you about the miracles and wonderful things that the Most High God did for me. 
3 God has done amazing miracles! 
 He has done powerful miracles! 
His kingdom continues forever; 
 his rule will continue for all generations. 
4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at my palace. I was happy and successful. 
5 I had a dream that made me afraid. I was lying on my bed, and I saw pictures and visions in my mind. These things made me very afraid. 
6 So I gave an order that all the wise men of Babylon be brought to me to tell me what my dream meant. 
7 When the men of magic and the Chaldeans came, I told them about the dream, but they could not tell me what it meant. 
8 Finally, Daniel came to me. (I gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar to honor my god. The spirit of the holy gods is in him.) I told him about my dream. 
9 I said, “Belteshazzar, you are the most important of all the men of magic. I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you. I know there is no secret that is too hard for you to understand. This was what I dreamed. Tell me what it means. 
10 These are the visions I saw while I was lying in my bed: I looked, and there in front of me was a tree standing in the middle of the earth. The tree was very tall. 
11 The tree grew large and strong. The top of the tree touched the sky.[a] It could be seen from anywhere on earth. 
12 The leaves of the tree were beautiful. It had much good fruit on it. And on the tree was plenty of food for everyone. The wild animals found shelter under the tree, and the birds lived in its branches. Every animal ate from the tree. 
13 “I was looking at those things in the vision while lying on my bed. And then I saw a holy angel coming down from heaven. 
14 He spoke very loud and said, ‘Cut down the tree, and cut off its branches. Strip off its leaves. Scatter its fruit around. The animals that are under the tree will run away. The birds that are in its branches will fly away. 
15 But let the stump and roots stay in the ground. Put a band of iron and bronze around it. The stump and roots will stay in the field with the grass all around it. It will live among the wild animals and plants in the fields. It will become wet with dew. 
16 He will not think like a man any longer. He will have the mind of an animal. Seven seasons will pass while he is like this.’ 
17 “Holy angels announced this punishment so that all the people on earth may know that God Most High rules over human kingdoms. God gives those kingdoms to whoever he wants, and he chooses humble people to rule them. 
18 “That is what I, King Nebuchadnezzar, dreamed. Now, Belteshazzar,[b] tell me what it means. None of the wise men in my kingdom can tell me what that dream means. But Belteshazzar, you can interpret the dream because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream About a Tree
1 King Nebuchadnezzar sent this letter to the many nations and language groups living around the world.
Greetings:
2 I am very happy to tell you about the miracles and wonderful things that the Most High God did for me.
3 God has done amazing miracles!
    He has done powerful miracles!
His kingdom continues forever;
    his rule will continue for all generations.
4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at my palace. I was happy and successful. 
5 I had a dream that made me afraid. I was lying on my bed, and I saw pictures and visions in my mind. These things made me very afraid. 
6 So I gave an order that all the wise men of Babylon be brought to me to tell me what my dream meant. 
7 When the men of magic and the Chaldeans came, I told them about the dream, but they could not tell me what it meant. 
8 Finally, Daniel came to me. (I gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar to honor my god. The spirit of the holy gods is in him.) I told him about my dream. 
9 I said, “Belt

Daniel 4:1-18 - Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream About a Tree

Nebuchadnezzar Captures Jerusalem 
8 Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he began to rule. He ruled three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan from Jerusalem. 
9 Jehoiachin did what the Lord said was wrong. He did all the same things that his father had done. 
10 At that time the officers of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and surrounded it. 
11 Then King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to the city. 
12 King Jehoiachin of Judah went out to meet the king of Babylon. His mother, his officers, leaders, and officials also went with him. Then the king of Babylon captured Jehoiachin. This was during the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s rule. 
13 Nebuchadnezzar took from Jerusalem all the treasures in the Lord’s Temple and all the treasures in the king’s palace. He cut up all the golden dishes that King Solomon of Israel had put in the Lord’s Temple. This happened just as the Lord had said. 
14 Nebuchadnezzar captured all the people of Jerusalem, including the leaders and other wealthy people. He took 10,000 people and made them prisoners. He took all the skilled workers and craftsmen. No one was left, except the poorest of the common people. 
15 Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin to Babylon as a prisoner. He also took the king’s mother, his wives, officers, and the leading men of the land. He took them from Jerusalem to Babylon as prisoners. 
16 There were 7000 soldiers. Nebuchadnezzar took all the soldiers and 1000 of the skilled workers and craftsmen. All these men were trained soldiers, ready for war. The king of Babylon took them to Babylon as prisoners. 
King Zedekiah 
17 The king of Babylon made Mattaniah the new king. Mattaniah was Jehoiachin’s uncle. He changed his name to Zedekiah.

Nebuchadnezzar Captures Jerusalem
8 Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he began to rule. He ruled three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan from Jerusalem. 
9 Jehoiachin did what the Lord said was wrong. He did all the same things that his father had done.
10 At that time the officers of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and surrounded it. 
11 Then King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to the city. 
12 King Jehoiachin of Judah went out to meet the king of Babylon. His mother, his officers, leaders, and officials also went with him. Then the king of Babylon captured Jehoiachin. This was during the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s rule.
13 Nebuchadnezzar took from Jerusalem all the treasures in the Lord’s Temple and all the treasures in the king’s palace. He cut up all the golden dishes that King Solomon of Israel had put in the Lord’s Temple. This happened just as the Lord had said.
14 Nebuchadnezzar captured all the people of Jerusalem, in

2 Kings 24 : 8-17 - Nebuchadnezzar Captures Jerusalem

2 Kings 23:31-37, 24:1-7 - Nebuchadnezzar Comes to Judah  & Jehoahaz Becomes King of Judah

Daniel Interprets the Dream 
24 Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.” 
25 Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means.” 
26 The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?” 
27 Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, 
28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these: 
29 “As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. 
30 As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind. 
31 “Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. 
32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 
33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. 
34 While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. 
35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. 
36 “This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. 
37 Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; 
38 in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold. 
39 “After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. 
40 Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. 
41 Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. 
42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 
43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay. 
44 “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 
45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. 
“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.” 
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. 
47 The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.” 
48 Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. 
 49 Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.

Daniel Interprets the Dream
24 Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.”
25 Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means.”
26 The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?”
27 Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, 
28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these:
29 “As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. 
30 As for me, th

Daniel 2:24-49 - Nebuchadnezzar - Daniel Tells What the Dream Means

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[c]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[d]” 
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 
31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 
32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 
33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 
34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 
35 The next day he took out two denarii[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” 
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” 
At the Home of Martha and Mary 
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[c]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[d]”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 
31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 
32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 
33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw

Parable of the Good Samaritan - Luke 10:25-38

NIV 
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream 
1 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. 
2 So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers a to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king, 
3 he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means. b ” 
4 Then the astrologers answered the king, c “May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.” 
5 The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. 
6 But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.” 
7 Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.” 
8 Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: 
9 If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.” 
10 The astrologers answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. 
11 What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.” 
12 This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. 
13 So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death. 
14 When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. 
15 He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. 
16 At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him. 
17 Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 
18 He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 
19 During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven 
20 and said: 
“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; 
wisdom and power are his. 
21 He changes times and seasons; 
he deposes kings and raises up others. 
He gives wisdom to the wise 
and knowledge to the discerning. 
22 He reveals deep and hidden things; 
he knows what lies in darkness, 
and light dwells with him. 
23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: 
You have given me wisdom and power, 
you have made known to me what we asked of you, 
you have made known to us the dream of the king.”

NIV
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
1 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep.      
2 So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers a to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king, 
3 he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means. b ”
4 Then the astrologers answered the king, c “May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”
5 The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. 
6 But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.”
7 Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”
8 Then the king a

Daniel 2:1-23 - Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

ERV 
19 Amon was 22 years old when he began to rule. He ruled two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz from Jotbah. 
20 Amon did what the Lord said was wrong, just as his father Manasseh had done. 
21 Amon lived just as his father had lived. He worshiped and served the same idols his father had worshiped. 
22 Amon left the Lord, the God of his ancestors, and did not live the way the Lord wanted. 
23 Amon’s servants made plans against him and killed him in his palace. 
24 The common people killed all the officers who made plans against King Amon. Then the people made Amon’s son Josiah the new king after him. 
25 The other things that Amon did are written in the book, The History of the Kings of Judah. 
26 Amon was buried in his grave at the Garden of Uzza. His son Josiah became the new king.

ERV 19 Amon was 22 years old when he began to rule. He ruled two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Meshullemeth ...

2 Kings 21:19-26 - Amon’s Short Rule

24 There are four things on the earth that are small but very wise: 
25 Ants are small and weak, but they save their food all summer; 
26 badgers are small animals, but they make their homes in the rocks; 
27 locusts have no king, but they are able to work together; 
28 lizards are small enough to catch with your hands, but you can find them living in kings’ palaces. 
 
33 Stirring milk causes butter to form. Hitting someone’s nose causes blood to flow. And making people angry causes trouble.

24 There are four things on the earth that are small but very wise: 25 Ants are small and weak, but they save their food all summer; ...

Proverbs 30:24-28,33 - Four things on the earth that are small but very wise

ERV 
Jesus Is Lord Over the Sabbath Day 
(Mt. 12:1–8; Mk. 2:23–28) 
1 One time on a Sabbath day, Jesus was walking through some grain fields. His followers picked the grain, rubbed it in their hands, and ate it. 
2 Some Pharisees said, “Why are you doing that? It is against the Law of Moses to do that on the Sabbath day.” 
3 Jesus answered, “You have read about what David did when he and the people with him were hungry. 
4 David went into God’s house. He took the bread that was offered to God and ate it. And he gave some of the bread to the people with him. This was against the Law of Moses, which says that only the priests can eat that bread.” 
5 Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, “The Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath day.” 
 
NIV 
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath 
1 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. 
2 Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” 
3 Jesus answered them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 
4 He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” 5 Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

ERV
Jesus Is Lord Over the Sabbath Day
(Mt. 12:1–8; Mk. 2:23–28)
1 One time on a Sabbath day, Jesus was walking through some grain fields. His followers picked the grain, rubbed it in their hands, and ate it. 
2 Some Pharisees said, “Why are you doing that? It is against the Law of Moses to do that on the Sabbath day.”
3 Jesus answered, “You have read about what David did when he and the people with him were hungry. 
4 David went into God’s house. He took the bread that was offered to God and ate it. And he gave some of the bread to the people with him. This was against the Law of Moses, which says that only the priests can eat that bread.” 
5 Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, “The Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath day.”

NIV
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
1 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. 
2 Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabba

Jesus Is Lord Over the Sabbath Day - Luke 6:1-5

1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to rule. He ruled 55 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. 
2 Manasseh did what the Lord said was wrong. He did the terrible things the other nations did. (And the Lord forced those nations to leave their country when the Israelites came.) 
3 Manasseh rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed. He also built altars for Baal and made an Asherah pole, just as King Ahab of Israel had done. Manasseh worshiped and served the stars of heaven. 
4 He built altars to honor false gods in the Lord’s Temple. (This is the place the Lord was talking about when he said, “I will put my name in Jerusalem.”) 
5 Manasseh built altars for the stars of heaven in the two courtyards of the Lord’s Temple. 
6 He sacrificed his own son and burned him on the altar.[a] He used different ways of trying to know the future. He visited mediums and wizards. 
Manasseh did more and more things that the Lord saw as evil, which made the Lord angry. 
7 Manasseh made a carved statue of Asherah. He put this statue in the Temple. The Lord had said to David and to David’s son Solomon about this Temple: “I have chosen Jerusalem from all the cities in Israel. I will put my name in the Temple in Jerusalem forever. 
8 I will not cause the Israelites to leave the land that I gave to their ancestors. I will let the people stay in their land if they obey everything I commanded them and all the teachings that my servant Moses gave them.” 
9 But the people did not listen to God. Manasseh did more evil things than all the nations that lived in Canaan before Israel came. And the Lord destroyed those nations when the Israelites came to take their land. 
10 The Lord used his servants the prophets to say this: 
11 “King Manasseh of Judah has done these hated things and has done more evil than the Amorites before him. He also has caused Judah to sin because of his idols. 
12 So the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Look! I will bring so much trouble against Jerusalem and Judah that anyone who hears about it will be shocked.[b] 
13 I will stretch the measuring line of Samaria[c] and the plumb line[d] of Ahab’s family over Jerusalem. A man wipes a dish, and then he turns it upside down. I will do that to Jerusalem. 
14 There will still be a few of my people left, but I will leave them. I will give them to their enemies. Their enemies will take them as prisoners—they will be like the valuable things soldiers take in war. 15 This is because my people did what I said was wrong. They have made me angry with them since the day their ancestors came up out of Egypt. 
16 And Manasseh killed many innocent people. He filled Jerusalem from one end to another with blood. And all these sins are in addition to the sins that caused Judah to sin. Manasseh caused Judah to do what the Lord said was wrong.’” 
17 All the things that Manasseh did, including the sins that he committed, are written in the book, The History of the Kings of Judah. 
 
2 Chronicles 33:12-17 
12 When these troubles came to him, Manasseh begged for help from the Lord his God. He humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. 
13 Manasseh prayed to God and begged him for help. God heard his begging and felt sorry for him, so he let Manasseh return to Jerusalem and to his throne. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was the true God. 
14 After that happened, Manasseh built an outer wall for the City of David. This wall went to the west of Gihon Spring in Kidron Valley, to the entrance of the Fish Gate, and around the hill of Ophel.[a] He made the wall very tall. Then he put officers in all the fortresses in Judah. 
15 Manasseh took away the strange idol gods, and he took the idol out of the Lord’s Temple. He took away all the altars he had built on the Temple hill, and in Jerusalem. Manasseh threw all the altars out of the city of Jerusalem. 
16 Then he set up the Lord’s altar and offered fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it. He gave a command for all the people of Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. 
17 The people continued to offer sacrifices at the high places, but their sacrifices were only to the Lord their God.

1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to rule. He ruled 55 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah. 2 ...

2 Kings 21:1-17 &amp; 2 Chronicles 33:12-17 - Manasseh Begins His Evil Rule Over Judah

20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard. 
21 This is the word that the Lord hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. 
22 Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel. 
23 By thy messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, and into the forest of his Carmel. 
24 I have digged and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of besieged places. 
25 Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps. 
26 Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the house tops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up. 
27 But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me. 
28 Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest. 
29 And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof. 
30 And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. 
31 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this. 
32 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it. 
33 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord. 
34 For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake. 
35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. 
36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. 
37 And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.

20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.
21 This is the word that the Lord hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.
22 Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.
23 By thy messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, and into the forest of his Carmel.
24 I have digged and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of besieged places.
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