Monday in Epiphany

18Verse 18. Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. 19Verse 19. And Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done. 20Verse 20. For because of the anger of the LORD, all this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He finally banished them from His presence. And Zedekiah also rebelled against the king of Babylon. 1Verse 1. So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it. 2Verse 2. And the city was kept under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year. 3Verse 3. By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city was so severe that the people of the land had no food. 4Verse 4. Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden. They headed toward the Arabah, 5Verse 5. but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and his whole army deserted him. 6Verse 6. The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment on him. 7Verse 7. And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon. 8Verse 8. On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign over Babylon, Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. 9Verse 9. He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem — every significant building. 10Verse 10. And the whole army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem. 11Verse 11. Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon and the rest of the population. 12Verse 12. But the captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and fields. 13Verse 13. Moreover, the Chaldeans broke up the bronze pillars and stands and the bronze Sea in the house of the LORD, and they carried the bronze to Babylon. 14Verse 14. They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes, and all the articles of bronze used in the temple service. 15Verse 15. The captain of the guard also took away the censers and sprinkling bowls— anything made of pure gold or fine silver. 16Verse 16. As for the two pillars, the Sea, and the movable stands that Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the weight of the bronze from all these articles was beyond measure. 17Verse 17. Each pillar was eighteen cubits tall. The bronze capital atop one pillar was three cubits high, with a network of bronze pomegranates all around. The second pillar, with its network, was similar. 18Verse 18. The captain of the guard also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of second rank, and the three doorkeepers. 19Verse 19. Of those still in the city, he took a court official who had been appointed over the men of war, as well as five royal advisors. He also took the scribe of the captain of the army, who had enlisted the people of the land, and sixty men who were found in the city. 20Verse 20. Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21Verse 21. There at Riblah in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land.

20Verse 20. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21Verse 21. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22Verse 22. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23Verse 23. But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him. 24Verse 24. Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. 25Verse 25. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26Verse 26. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27Verse 27. For “God has put everything under His feet.” Now when it says that everything has been put under Him, this clearly does not include the One who put everything under Him. 28Verse 28. And when all things have been subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will be made subject to Him who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all. 29Verse 29. If these things are not so, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30Verse 30. And why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31Verse 31. I face death every day, brothers, as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32Verse 32. If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for human motives, what did I gain? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33Verse 33. Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34Verse 34. Sober up as you ought, and stop sinning; for some of you are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame.