Bible in a Year.

On day 181, we reflect on the history of the Divided Kingdom. In 2 Kings 15, we see the challenges faced by the kings of Judah and Israel. Jonah 1-4 presents us with God's message of repentance to Nineveh and the prophet's resistance to the divine mission. Psalm 138 reminds us of the Lord's faithfulness and steadfast love, which honors those who sincerely seek Him.

1. In the seven and twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Azarias son of Amasias, king of Juda.

2. He was sixteen years old, when he began to reign, and he reigned two and fifty years in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Jechelia of Jerusalem.

3. And he did that which was pleasing before the Lord, according to all that his father Amasias had done.

4. But the high places he did not destroy: for the people sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.

5. And the Lord struck the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and he dwelt in a free house apart: but Joatham the king's soil governed the palace, and judged the people of the land.

6. And the rest of the acts of Azarias, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Juda?

7. And Azarias slept with his fathers: and they buried him with his ancestors in the city of David, and Joatham his son reigned in his stead.

8. In the eight and thirtieth year of Azarias king of Juda, reigned Zacharias son of Jeroboam over Israel in Samaria six months:

9. And he did that which is evil before the Lord, as his fathers had done: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nabat who made Israel to sin.

10. And Sellum the son of Jabes conspired against him: and struck him publicly and killed him, and reigned in his place.

11. Now the rest of the acts of Zacharias, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

12. This was the word of the Lord, which he spoke to Jehu, saying: Thy children to the fourth generation shall sit upon the throne of Israel. And so it came to pass.

13. Sellum the son of Jabes began to reign in the nine and thirtieth year of Azarias king of Juda: and reigned one month in Samaria.

14. And Manahem the son of Gadi went up from Thersa: and he came into Samaria, and struck Sellum the son of Jabes in Samaria, and slew him, and reigned in his stead.

15. And the rest of the acts of Sellum, and his conspiracy, which he made, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

16. Then Manahem destroyed Thapsa and all that were in it and the borders thereof from Thersa, because they would not open to him: and he slew all the women thereof that were with child, and ripped them up.

17. In the nine and thirtieth year of Azarias king of Juda, reigned Manahem son of Gadi over Israel ten years in Samaria.

18. And he did that which was evil before the Lord: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, who made Israel to sin all his days.

19. And Phul king of the Assyrians came into the land, and Manahem gave Phul a thousand talents of silver, to aid him and to establish him in the kingdom.

20. And Manahem laid a tax upon Israel, on all that were mighty and rich, to give the king of the Assyrians, each man fifty sides of silver: so the king of the Assyrians turned back, and did not stay in the land.

21. And the rest of the acts of Manahem, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

22. And Manahem slept with his fathers: and Phaceia his son reigned in his stead.

23. In the fiftieth year of Azarias king of Juda reigned Phaceia the son of Manahem over Israel in Samaria two years.

24. And he did that which was evil before the Lord: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, who made Israel to sin.

25. And Phacee the son of Romelia, his captain conspired against him, and smote him in Samaria, in the tower of the king's house, near Argob, and near Arie, and with him fifty men of the sons of the Galaadites, and he slew him and reigned in his stead.

26. And the rest of the acts of Phaceia, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

27. In the two and fiftieth year of Azarias king of Juda reigned Phacee the son of Romelia over Israel in Samaria twenty years.

28. And he did that which was evil before the Lord: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, who made Israel to sin.

29. In the days of Phacee king of Israel came Theglathphalasar king of Assyria, and took Aion, and Abel Domum Maacha and Janoe, and Cedes, and Asor, and Galaad, and Galilee, and all the land of Nephtali: and carried them captives into Assyria.

30. Now Osee son of Ela conspired, and formed a plot against Phacee, the son of Romelia, and struck him, and slew him: and reigned in his stead in the twentieth year of Joatham the son of Ozias.

31. But the rest of the acts of Phaces, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel?

32. In the second year of Phacee the son of Romelia king of Israel reigned Joatham son of Ozias king of Juda.

33. He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Jerusa, the daughter of Sadoc.

34. And he did that which was right before the Lord: according to all that his father Ozias had done, so did he.

35. But the high places he took not away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places: he built the highest gate of the house of the Lord.

36. But the rest of the acts of Joatham, end all that he did, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Juda?

37. In those days the Lord began to send into Juda Basin king of Syria, and Phacee the son of Romelia.

38. And Joatham slept with his fathers, and was buried with them in the city of David his father, and Achaz his son reigned in his stead.

Chapter 1

1. Now the word of the Lord came to Jonas the son of Amathi, saying:

2. Arise, and go to Ninive the great city, and preach in it: for the wickedness thereof is come up before me.

3. And Jonas rose up to flee into Tharsis from the face of the Lord, and he went down to Joppe, and found a ship going to Tharsis: and he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them to Tharsis from the face of the Lord.

4. But the Lord sent a great wind into the sea: and a great tempest was raised in the sea, and the ship was in danger to be broken.

5. And the mariners were afraid, and the men cried to their god: and they cast forth the wares that were in the ship, into the sea, to lighten it of them: and Jones went down into the inner part of the ship, and fell into a deep sleep.

6. And the shipmaster came to him, and said to him: Why art thou fast asleep? rise up, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think of us, that we may not perish.

7. And they said every one to his fellow: Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know why this evil is upon us. And they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonas.

8. And they said to him: Tell us for what cause this evil is upon us, what is thy business? of what country art thou? and whither goest thou? or of what people art thou?

9. And he said to them: I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord the God of heaven, who made both the sea and the dry land.

10. And the men were greatly afraid, and they said to him: Why hast thou done this? (for the men knew that he fled from the face of the Lord: because he had told them.)

11. And they said to him: What shall we do to thee, that the sea may be calm to us? for the sea flowed and swelled.

12. And he said to them: Take me up, and cast me into the sea, and the sea shall be calm to you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

13. And the men rowed hard to return to land, but they were not able: because the sea tossed and swelled upon them.

14. And they cried to the Lord, and said: We beseech thee, O Lord, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee.

15. And they took Jonas, and cast him into the sea, and the sea ceased from raging.

16. And the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and sacrificed victims to the Lord, and made vows.

Chapter 2

1. Now the Lord prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonas: and Jonas was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

2. And Jonas prayed to the Lord his God out of the belly of the fish.

3. And he said: I cried out of my affliction to the Lord, and he heard me: I cried out of the belly of hell, and thou hast heard my voice.

4. And thou hast cast me forth into the deep in the heart of the sea, and a flood hath compassed me: all thy billows, and thy waves have passed over me.

5. And I said: I am cast away out of the sight of thy eyes: but yet I shall see thy holy temple again.

6. The waters compassed me about even to the soul: the deep hath closed me round about, the sea hath covered my head.

7. I went down to the lowest parts of the mountains: the bars of the earth have shut me up for ever: and thou wilt bring up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.

8. When my soul was in distress within me, I remembered the Lord: that my prayer may come to thee, unto thy holy temple.

9. They that are vain observe vanities, forsake their own mercy.

10. But I with the voice of praise will sacrifice to thee: I will pay whatsoever I have vowed for my salvation to the Lord.

11. And the Lord spoke to the fish: and it vomited out Jonas upon the dry land.

Chapter 3

1. And the word of the Lord came to Jonas the second time, saying:

2. Arise, and go to Ninive the great city: and preach in it the preaching that I bid thee.

3. And Jonas arose, and went to Ninive, according to the word of the Lord: now Ninive was a great city of three days' journey.

4. And Jonas began to enter into the city one day's journey: and he cried, and said: Yet forty days, and Ninive shall be destroyed.

5. And the men of Ninive believed in God: and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least.

6. And the word came to the king of Ninive; and he rose up out of his throne, and cast away his robe from him, and was clothed with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

7. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published in Ninive from the mouth of the king and of his princes, saying: Let neither men nor beasts, oxen nor sheep, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water.

8. And let men and beasts be covered with sackcloth, and cry to the Lord with all their strength, and let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the iniquity that is in their hands.

9. Who can tell if God will turn, and forgive: and will turn away from his fierce anger, and we shall not perish?

10. And God saw their works, that they were turned from their evil way: and God had mercy with regard to the evil which he had said that he would do to them, and he did it not.

Chapter 4

1. And Jonas was exceedingly troubled, and was angry:

2. And he prayed to the Lord, and said: I beseech thee, O Lord, is not this what I said, when I was yet in my own country? therefore I went before to flee into Tharsis: for I know that thou art a gracious and merciful God, patient, and of much compassion, and easy to forgive evil.

3. And now, O Lord, I beseech thee take my life from me: for it is better for me to die than to live.

4. And the Lord said: Dost thou think thou hast reason to be angry?

5. Then Jonas went out of the city, and sat toward the east side of the city: and he made himself a booth there, and he sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would befall the city.

6. And the Lord God prepared an ivy, and it came up over the head of Jonas, to be a shadow over his head, and to cover him (for he was fatigued): and Jonas was exceeding glad of the ivy.

7. But God prepared a worm, when the morning arose on the following day: and it struck the ivy and it withered.

8. And when the sun was risen, the Lord commanded a hot and burning wind: and the sun beat upon the head of Jonas, and he broiled with the heat: and he desired for his soul that he might die, and said: It is better for me to die than to live.

9. And the Lord said to Jonas: Dost thou think thou hast reason to be angry, for the ivy? And he said: I am angry with reason even unto death.

10. And the Lord said: Thou art grieved for the ivy, for which thou hast not laboured, nor made it to grow, which in one night came up, and in one night perished.

11. And shall not I spare Ninive, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons that know not how to distinguish between their right hand and their left, and many beasts?

1. I will praise thee, O lord, with my whole heart: for thou hast heard the words of my mouth. I will sing praise to thee in the sight of his angels:

2. I will worship towards thy holy temple, and I will give glory to thy name. For thy mercy, and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy holy name above all.

3. In what day soever I shall call upon thee, hear me: thou shall multiply strength in my soul.

4. May all the kings of the earth give glory to thee: for they have heard all the words of thy mouth.

5. And let them sing in the ways of the Lord: for great is the glory of the Lord.

6. For the Lord is high, and looketh on the low: and the high he knoweth afar off.

7. If I shall walk in the midst of tribulation, thou wilt quicken me: and thou hast stretched forth thy hand against the wrath of my enemies: and thy right hand hath saved me.

8. The Lord will repay for me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: O despise not the work of thy hands.