Jesus Appears to Seven
Disciples
John 21 Jesus
later appeared to his disciples along the shore of Lake
Tiberias. 2Simon Peter, Thomas the Twin,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, and the brothers James
and John, were there, together with two other disciples. 3Simon
Peter said, "I'm going fishing!"
The
others said, "We will go with you." They went
out in their boat. But they didn't catch a thing that
night.
4Early
the next morning Jesus stood on the shore, but the
disciples did not realize who he was. 5Jesus
shouted, "Friends, have you caught anything?"
"No!"
they answered.
6So
he told them, "Let your net down on the right side
of your boat, and you will catch some fish."
They
did, and the net was so full of fish that they could not
drag it up into the boat.
7Jesus'
favorite disciple told Peter, "It's the Lord!"
When Simon heard that it was the Lord, he put on the
clothes that he had taken off while he was working. Then
he jumped into the water. 8The boat was only
about a hundred yards from shore. So the other disciples
stayed in the boat and dragged in the net full of fish.
9When
the disciples got out of the boat, they saw some bread
and a charcoal fire with fish on it. 10Jesus
told his disciples, "Bring some of the fish you just
caught." 11Simon Peter got back into the
boat and dragged the net to shore. In it were one hundred
fifty-three large fish, but still the net did not rip.
12Jesus
said, "Come and eat!" But none of the disciples
dared ask who he was. They knew he was the Lord. 13Jesus
took the bread in his hands and gave some of it to his
disciples. He did the same with the fish. 14This
was the third time that Jesus appeared to his disciples
after he was raised from death.
Jesus and Peter
15When
Jesus and his disciples had finished eating, he asked,
"Simon son of John, do you love me more than the
others do?"
Simon
Peter answered, "Yes, Lord, you know I do!"
"Then
feed my lambs," Jesus said.
16Jesus
asked a second time, "Simon son of John, do you love
me?"
Peter
answered, "Yes, Lord, you know I love you!"
"Then
take care of my sheep," Jesus told him.
17Jesus
asked a third time, "Simon son of John, do you love
me?"
Peter
was hurt because Jesus had asked him three times if he
loved him. So he told Jesus, "Lord, you know
everything. You know I love you."
Jesus
replied, "Feed my sheep. 18I tell you for
certain that when you were a young man, you dressed
yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you
are old, you will hold out your hands. Then others will
wrap your belt around you and lead you where you don't
want to go."
19Jesus
said this to tell how Peter would die and bring honor to
God. Then he said to Peter, "Follow me!"
Jesus and His Favorite Disciple
20Peter
turned and saw Jesus' favorite disciple following them.
He was the same one who had sat next to Jesus at the meal
and had asked, "Lord, who is going to betray
you?" 21When Peter saw that disciple, he
asked Jesus, "Lord, what about him?"
22Jesus
answered, "What is it to you, if I want him to live
until I return? You must follow me." 23So
the rumor spread among the other disciples that this
disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say he would
not die. He simply said, "What is it to you, if I
want him to live until I return?"
24This
disciple is the one who told all of this. He wrote it,
and we know he is telling the truth.
25Jesus
did many other things. If they were all written in books,
I don't suppose there would be room enough in the whole
world for all the books.
King Manasseh of Judah
(2 Kings 21.1-9, 17, 18)
2 Chronicles 33 Manasseh
was twelve years old when he became king of Judah, and he
ruled fifty-five years from Jerusalem. 2Manasseh
disobeyed the LORD by following the
disgusting customs of the nations that the LORD had forced out of Israel. 3He
rebuilt the local shrines that his father Hezekiah had
torn down. He built altars for the god Baal and set up
sacred poles for worshiping the goddess Asherah. And he
faithfully worshiped the stars in the sky.
4In
the temple, where only the LORD was
supposed to be worshiped, Manasseh built altars for pagan
gods 5and for the stars. He placed these
altars in both courtyards of the temple 6-7and
even set up a stone image of a foreign god. Manasseh
practiced magic and witchcraft; he asked fortunetellers
for advice and sacrificed his own sons in Hinnom Valley.
He did many other sinful things and made the LORD very angry.
Years
ago, God had told David and Solomon:
Jerusalem is the place I prefer above all
others in Israel. It belongs to me, and there in the
temple I will be worshiped forever. 8If my
people will faithfully obey all the laws and teaching
I gave to my servant Moses, I will never again force
them to leave the land I gave to their ancestors.
9But
the people of Judah and Jerusalem listened to Manasseh
and did even more sinful things than the nations the LORD had wiped out.
10The
LORD tried to warn Manasseh and the
people about their sins, but they ignored the warning. 11So
he let Assyrian army commanders invade Judah and capture
Manasseh. They put a hook in his nose and tied him up in
chains, and they took him to Babylon. 12While
Manasseh was held captive there, he asked the LORD God to forgive him and to help him. 13The
LORD listened to Manasseh's prayer
and saw how sorry he was, and so he let him go back to
Jerusalem and rule as king. Manasseh knew from then on
that the LORD was God.
14Later,
Manasseh rebuilt the eastern section of Jerusalem's outer
wall and made it taller. This section went from Gihon
Valley north to Fish Gate and around the part of the city
called Mount Ophel. He also assigned army officers to
each of the fortified cities in Judah.
15Manasseh
also removed the idols and the stone image of the foreign
god from the temple, and he gathered the altars he had
built near the temple and in other parts of Jerusalem. He
threw all these things outside the city. 16Then
he repaired the LORD's altar and
offered sacrifices to thank him and sacrifices to ask his
blessing. He gave orders that everyone in Judah must
worship the LORD God of Israel. 17The
people obeyed Manasseh, but they worshiped the LORD at their own shrines.
18Everything
else Manasseh did while he was king, including his prayer
to the LORD God and the warnings
from his prophets, is written in The History of the
Kings of Israel. 19Hozai wrote a lot about
Manasseh, including his prayer and God's answer. But
Hozai also recorded the evil things Manasseh did before
turning back to God, as well as a list of places where
Manasseh set up idols, and where he built local shrines
and places to worship Asherah. 20Manasseh died
and was buried near the palace, and his son Amon became
king.
King Amon of Judah
(2 Kings 21.19-26)
21Amon
was twenty-two years old when he became king of Judah,
and he ruled from Jerusalem for two years. 22Amon
disobeyed the LORD, just as his
father Manasseh had done, and he worshiped and offered
sacrifices to the idols his father had made. 23Manasseh
had turned back to the LORD, but
Amon refused to do that. Instead, he sinned even more
than his father.
24Some
of Amon's officials plotted against him and killed him in
his palace. 25But the people of Judah killed
the murderers of Amon and made his son Josiah king.
Psalm 89
[A special psalm by Ethan the Ezrahite.]
The LORD's
Agreement with David
1Our LORD, I will sing
of your love forever.
Everyone yet to be born
will hear me praise your faithfulness.
2I
will tell them,
"God's love can always be trusted,
and his faithfulness lasts as long as the heavens."
3You
said, "David, my servant, is my chosen one,
and this is the agreement I made with him:
4David,
one of your descendants will always be king."
5Our
LORD, let the heavens now praise
your miracles,
and let all of your angels praise your faithfulness.
6None
who live in the heavens can compare with you.
7You
are the most fearsome of all who live in heaven;
all the others fear and greatly honor you.
8You
are LORD God All-Powerful!
No one is as loving and faithful as you are.
9You
rule the roaring sea and calm its waves.
10You
crushed the monster Rahab,
and with your powerful arm
you scattered your enemies.
11The
heavens and the earth belong to you.
And so does the world with all its people
because you created them 12and everything
else.
Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon gladly praise you.
13 You are
strong and mighty!
14Your
kingdom is ruled by justice and fairness
with love and faithfulness leading the way.
15Our
LORD, you bless those who join in
the festival
and walk in the brightness of your presence.
16We
are happy all day because of you,
and your saving power brings honor to us.
17Your
own glorious power makes us strong,
and because of your kindness, our strength increases.
18Our
LORD and our King, the Holy One of
Israel,
you are truly our shield.
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