2 Chronicles Chapter 23
Showing all 21 verses for 2 Chronicles Chapter 23.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"And in the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah the son of Obed, and Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, into covenant with him. "
"In the seventh year, Jehoiada acted boldly and brought the commanders of hundreds - Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat son of Zichri - into a formal agreement with him."
When the time comes to act against injustice, I want you to act wisely, not recklessly - build trust with others who share your conviction rather than going it alone. Courage and careful preparation aren't opposites; they work best together.
"And they went about in Judah, and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the chief of the fathers of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. "
"They travelled throughout Judah and gathered the Levites from all the towns of Judah, along with the heads of the family clans of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem."
The most lasting change usually isn't imposed by one person alone but built together with people who represent the wider community. I encourage you to bring others in when you're working towards something good and important - shared conviction carries more weight and more staying power.
"And all the congregation made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said unto them, Behold, the king’s son shall reign, as the LORD hath said of the sons of David. "
"The whole assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. Jehoiada said to them, "Here is the king's son - he will reign, just as the LORD promised concerning the descendants of David.""
When you commit to a cause, it helps to know you're standing on something bigger and older than your own moment - a truth or promise worth honouring, not just a personal preference. Ground your important commitments in something solid enough to hold you steady when things get difficult.
"This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you entering on the sabbath, of the priests and of the Levites, shall be porters of the doors; "
"Jehoiada said, "This is what you must do: a third of you - the priests and Levites coming on duty for the sabbath - will be gatekeepers at the doors."
Good intentions need good planning to succeed - I don't ask you to be naive about the practical steps needed to do right by others. Think carefully and specifically about how to carry out what you believe in, not just that you believe in it.
"And a third part shall be at the king’s house; and a third part at the gate of the foundation: and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the LORD. "
"A third will be at the king's house, and a third at the Foundation Gate; and all the people will be in the courtyards of the LORD's house."
When something truly matters, I want you to give it your full, careful attention - covering the angles, not leaving things to chance. Half-hearted effort towards something important often costs more in the end than the extra care would have.
"But let none come into the house of the LORD, save the priests, and they that minister of the Levites; they shall go in, for they are holy: but all the people shall keep the watch of the LORD. "
"But no one may enter the LORD's house except the priests and the Levites who are serving - they may go in, because they are set apart for that role - but all the other people must keep to the LORD's instructions and stay outside."
Even when you're pursuing something urgent and important, I don't want you to abandon your other values to get there faster. How you do something right still matters, not just that you eventually get the right outcome.
"And the Levites shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whosoever else cometh into the house, he shall be put to death: but be ye with the king when he cometh in, and when he goeth out. "
"The Levites are to surround the king closely, each carrying his weapon, and anyone else who comes into the house must be put to death. Stay with the king wherever he goes, in and out."
Protecting the vulnerable sometimes calls for real strength and resolve, not passivity. I don't ask you to be soft when someone innocent is in genuine danger - courage in defence of the defenceless is a form of love, not a contradiction of it.
"So the Levites and all Judah did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest had commanded, and took every man his men that were to come in on the sabbath, with them that were to go out on the sabbath: for Jehoiada the priest dismissed not the courses. "
"So the Levites and all Judah did exactly as Jehoiada the priest had commanded. Each of them took his men, both those coming on duty for the sabbath and those going off duty, because Jehoiada did not dismiss the existing shifts."
Big, important changes usually depend on many people faithfully doing their small part exactly as needed, not just one dramatic gesture. I value quiet faithfulness to a shared task as much as any bold, visible act.
"Moreover Jehoiada the priest delivered to the captains of hundreds spears, and bucklers, and shields, that had been king David’s, which were in the house of God. "
"Jehoiada the priest gave the commanders of hundreds the spears, small shields and shields that had belonged to King David, which were kept in the house of God."
Sometimes drawing strength from what came before you - the wisdom, faith, or courage of those who went before - equips you for the challenges of today. I want you to see your own heritage, whatever form it takes, as a resource you can lean on, not just history to admire from a distance.
"And he set all the people, every man having his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, along by the altar and the temple, by the king round about. "
"He positioned all the people, each with his weapon in hand, from the south side of the temple to the north side, along the altar and the temple, surrounding the king."
When you're responsible for protecting something precious - whether a person, a relationship, or a cause - I want you to give it your full diligence, not a half-measure. Thoroughness born of love is never wasted effort.
"Then they brought out the king’s son, and put upon him the crown, and gave him the testimony, and made him king. And Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and said, God save the king. "
"Then they brought out the king's son, put the crown on him, gave him the testimony (a copy of the law), and made him king. Jehoiada and his sons anointed him and said, "Long live the king!""
True authority, whatever form it takes in your life, works best when it's guided by principles bigger than personal preference or convenience. I want you to hold whatever influence or responsibility you have accountable to something higher than your own impulses.
"Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people into the house of the LORD: "
"When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and celebrating the king, she went to the people at the LORD's house."
Things done in secret, whether good or corrupt, tend eventually to come into the light one way or another. I encourage you to live in a way that you're not afraid of that moment when it comes - build a life you don't need to keep hidden.
"And she looked, and, behold, the king stood at his pillar at the entering in, and the princes and the trumpets by the king: and all the people of the land rejoiced, and sounded with trumpets, also the singers with instruments of musick, and such as taught to sing praise. Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and said, Treason, Treason. "
"She looked and saw the king standing by his pillar at the entrance, with the officials and trumpeters beside him, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets, with singers and musicians leading the praise. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, "Treason! Treason!""
Watch for the moment when someone in the wrong accuses others of exactly what they themselves have done - it's a common pattern, and I want you to see through it rather than be confused by it. Stand by what's genuinely right even when the person losing power tries to reframe the story.
"Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds that were set over the host, and said unto them, Have her forth of the ranges: and whoso followeth her, let him be slain with the sword. For the priest said, Slay her not in the house of the LORD. "
"Jehoiada the priest brought out the commanders of hundreds who were in charge of the army and said to them, "Take her out through the ranks, and put to the sword anyone who follows her." For the priest had said, "Do not kill her inside the LORD's house.""
Even when confronting real wrongdoing, and even when strong action is necessary, I want you to hold onto your own principles about where the line is - don't let urgency or anger erase the boundaries that matter to you. Justice pursued without integrity in method can become its own kind of wrong.
"So they laid hands on her; and when she was come to the entering of the horse gate by the king’s house, they slew her there. "
"So they seized her, and when she reached the entrance of the Horse Gate near the king's house, they killed her there."
I don't take pleasure in anyone's downfall, even someone who caused great harm - but I also don't pretend that real consequences for real wrongdoing don't exist. What matters more to me is what you do with the chance you still have, right now, to choose differently.
"And Jehoiada made a covenant between him, and between all the people, and between the king, that they should be the LORD’s people. "
"Jehoiada then made a covenant between himself, all the people, and the king, that they would be the LORD's people."
Fixing a bad situation at the top rarely solves everything on its own - real, lasting change usually needs everyone involved to recommit to what actually matters. I want you to think beyond just removing what's wrong towards actively choosing and renewing what's right.
"Then all the people went to the house of Baal, and brake it down, and brake his altars and his images in pieces, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. "
"Then all the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down, smashing its altars and images, and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars."
Real change in your life usually requires more than good intentions - it means actually removing the things that have been leading you astray, even when that's uncomfortable or costly. I ask you to be as thorough in dismantling what harms you as you are in claiming to want something better.
"Also Jehoiada appointed the offices of the house of the LORD by the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had distributed in the house of the LORD, to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as it was ordained by David. "
"Jehoiada also assigned responsibility for the LORD's house to the priests and Levites, following the arrangement David had established, to offer burnt offerings to the LORD as written in the Law of Moses, with joy and singing, just as David had ordained."
I don't want you to define your life only by what you've stopped doing wrong - fill that space with something genuinely good, joyful, and life-giving. Removing harm is only half the work; building something worth having is the other, equally important half.
"And he set the porters at the gates of the house of the LORD, that none which was unclean in any thing should enter in. "
"He also stationed gatekeepers at the gates of the LORD's house so that no one who was ceremonially unclean in any way could enter."
Some things in your life are worth protecting with real boundaries - not out of fear, but out of respect for what they mean to you. I want you to know it's alright to guard what matters, rather than letting everything and everyone in without thought.
"And he took the captains of hundreds, and the nobles, and the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought down the king from the house of the LORD: and they came through the high gate into the king’s house, and set the king upon the throne of the kingdom. "
"He took the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought the king down from the LORD's house; they went through the upper gate into the king's house and set the king on the royal throne."
When something good and right is finally accomplished, I want you to let it be a shared moment, not something you claim only for yourself. Genuine victories are usually made richer, not diminished, by including everyone who had a stake in seeing them happen.
"And all the people of the land rejoiced: and the city was quiet, after that they had slain Athaliah with the sword. "
"All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was calm and peaceful again, now that Athaliah had been put to death by the sword."
Doing the hard, right thing - even when it takes years of patient waiting and careful courage, as it did for Jehoiada - really can lead to genuine peace in the end. I want you to trust that persistence in doing right is never wasted, even when the outcome feels far away.