← Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Jackie Hill Perry
Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Jackie Hill Perry
July 29 (2 Chronicles 29–30; Psalm 25; Mark 4)
00:16:14
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- [00:01]
Narrator
A reading from the book of 2 Chronicles. Hezekiah began to reign when he was 25 years old, and he reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord according to all that David his father, had done in the first year of his reign, in the first month he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. He brought in the priests and the Levites and assembled them in the square on the east and and said to them, hear me, Levites, now consecrate yourselves and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth from the holy place. For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They have forsaken him and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord and turned their backs. They also shut the doors of the vestibule and put out the lamps and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. Therefore the wrath of the Lord came on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has made them an object of horror, of astonishment, and of hissing, as you see with your own eyes. For behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, in order that his fierce anger may turn away from us. My sons, do not now be negligent, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him and to be his ministers and make offerings to him. Then the Levites arose. Maath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites, and of the sons of Merari, Kish, the son of Abdai and Azariah, the son of Jehalalel, and of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimah and Eden, the son of Joah, and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimeri and Jeueuel, and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah, and of the sons of Heman, Jehueel and Shimei, and of the sons of Jeduthan, Shemaiah and Uzziel. They gathered their brothers and consecrated themselves and went in as the king had commanded by the words of the Lord to cleanse the house of the Lord. The priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord to cleanse it. And they brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the Lord and into the court of the house of the Lord. And the Levites took it and carried it out to the brook Kidron. They began to consecrate on the first day of the first month. And on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the Lord. Then for eight days they consecrated the house of the Lord, and on the 16th day of the first month they finished. Then they went in to Hezekiah the king and said, we have cleansed all the house of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table for the shewbread and all its utensils, all the utensils that King Ahaz discarded in his reign when he was faithless, we have made ready and consecrated. And behold, they are before the altar of the Lord. Then Hezekiah the king rose early and gathered the officials of the city and went up to the house of the Lord. And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah. And he commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Lord. So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests received the blood and threw it against the altar. And they slaughtered the rams, and their blood was thrown against the altar. And they slaughtered the lambs and their blood was thrown against the altar. Then the goats for the sin offering were brought to the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them. And the priests slaughtered them and made a sin offering with their blood on the altar to make atonement for all Israel. For the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel. And he stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres according to the commandment of David and of Gad the king's seer, and of Nathan the prophet. For the commandment was from the Lord through his prophets. The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. Then Hezekiah commanded that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song to the Lord began also. And the trumpets accompanied by the instruments of David, king of Israel. The whole assembly worshiped and the singers sang and the trumpeters sounded. All this continued until the burnt offering was finished. When the offering was finished, the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped. And Hezekiah the king and the officials commanded the Levites to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the Seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and worshiped. Then Hezekiah said, you have now consecrated yourselves to the Lord. Come near. Bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the Lord. And the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings. And all who were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings. The number of the burnt offerings that the assembly brought was 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs. All these were for a burnt offering to the Lord. And and the consecrated offerings were 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep. But the priests were too few and could not flay all the burnt offerings. So until other priests had consecrated themselves their brothers, the Levites helped them until the work was finished. For the Levites were more upright in heart than the priests in consecrating themselves. Besides the great number of burnt offerings, there was the fat of the peace offerings, and there were the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. Thus the service of the house of the Lord was restored. And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because God had provided for the people. For the thing came about suddenly. Hezekiah sent to all Israel in Judah and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to keep the passover to the Lord, the God of Israel. For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the passover in the second month, for they could not keep it at that time because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient number, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem. And the plan seemed right to the king and all the assembly. So they decreed to make a proclamation throughout all Israel from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come and keep the passover to the Lord, the God of Israel at Jerusalem, for they had not kept it as often as prescribed. So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying, o people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the Lord God of their fathers, so that he made them a desolation, as you see. Do not now be stiff necked as your fathers were. But yield yourselves to the Lord and come to his sanctuary, where which he has consecrated forever and serve the Lord your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you if you return to him. So the couriers went from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun. But they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. However, some men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord. And many people came together in Jerusalem to keep the feast of Unleavened bread. In the second month, a very great assembly they set to work and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem. And all the altars for burning incense they took away and threw into the brook Kidron. And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the 14th day of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed so that they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings into the house of the Lord. They took their accustomed posts according to the law of Moses, the man of God, the priests, through the blood that they received from the hand of the Levites. For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean to consecrate it to the Lord. For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, may the good Lord pardon everyone who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary's rules of cleanness. And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. And the people of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of Unleavened bread seven days with great gladness. And the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with all their might to the Lord. And Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good skill in the service of the Lord. So they ate the food of the festival for seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the Lord, the God of their fathers. Then the whole assembly agreed together to keep the feast for another seven days. So they kept it for another seven days with gladness. For Hezekiah king of Judah, gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for offerings. And the princes gave the assembly 1,000.
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Reader
Bulls and 10,000 sheep.
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Narrator
And the priests consecrated themselves in great numbers. The whole assembly of Judah and the priests and the Levites, and the whole assembly that came out of Israel, and the sojourners who came out of the land of Israel, and and the sojourners who lived in Judah rejoiced. So there was great joy in Jerusalem. For since the time of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy habitation in heaven. A reading from the Book of Psalms.
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Reader
Of David to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul, O my God, and you I trust. Let me not be put to shame. Let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed none who wait for you shall be put to shame. They shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. Make me to know your ways, O Lord. Teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation. For you I wait all the day long. Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions according to your steadfast love. Remember me for the sake of your goodness, O Lord. Good and upright is the Lord, therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. For your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. Turn to me and be gracious to me. For I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged. Bring me out of my distresses, consider my affliction and my trouble, and Forgive all my sins. Consider how many are my foes and with what violent hatred they hate me. O guard my soul and deliver me. Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you. Redeem, Israel. O God. Out of all his troubles, a reading.
- [11:37]
Narrator
Of the Gospel According to Mark.
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Reader
Again he began to teach beside the sea, and a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea. And the whole crowd was beside the sea, on the land. And he was teaching them many things in parables. And in his teaching he said to them, listen. Behold, a sower went out to sow.
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Narrator
And as he sowed, some seed fell.
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Reader
Along the path and and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. And he said, he who has ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was alone, those around him with the 12 asked him about the parables. And he said to them, to you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God. But for those outside, everything is in parables, so that they may indeed see, but not perceive, and may indeed hear, but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven. And he said to them, do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the Word. And these are the ones along the path where the Word is sown. When they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear the Word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while. Then when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the Word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the Word. But the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the Word and accept it and bear fruit thirtyfold and Sixtyfold and a hundredfold. And he said to them, is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed and not on a stand. For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest. Nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. And he said to them, pay attention to what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And he said, the kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows. He knows not how the earth produces by itself. First the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come. And he said, with what can we.
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Narrator
Compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it?
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Reader
It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth. Yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade. With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples. He explained everything. On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, let us go across to the other side. And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was, and other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose. And the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith? And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?