Israel’s Future Blessing

Uzziah Succeeds Amaziah in Judah

26 And all the people of Judah took ^[a]Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah. ² He built Eloth and restored it to Judah after the king slept with his fathers. ³ Uzziah was ^(A)sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was ^[b]Jechiliah of Jerusalem. ⁴ He did right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Amaziah had done. ^5 (B)He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, ^(C)who had understanding ^[c]through the vision of God; and ^[d](D)as long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him.

Uzziah Succeeds in War

⁶ Now he went out and ^(E)warred against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities in the area of Ashdod and among the Philistines. ^7 (F)God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians who lived in Gur-baal, and the Meunites. ⁸ The Ammonites also gave ^(G)tribute to Uzziah, and his ^[e]fame extended to the border of Egypt, for he became very strong. ⁹ Moreover, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at ^(H)the Corner Gate and at the ^(I)Valley Gate and at the corner buttress and fortified them. ¹⁰ He built towers in the wilderness and ^(J)hewed many cisterns, for he had much livestock, both in the ^[f]lowland and in the plain. He also had plowmen and vinedressers in the hill country and the fertile fields, for he loved the soil. ¹¹ Moreover, Uzziah had an army ready for battle, which ^[g]entered combat by divisions according to the number of their muster, ^[h]prepared by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the official, under the direction of Hananiah, one of the king’s officers. ¹² The total number of the heads of the ^[i]households, of valiant warriors, was 2,600. ¹³ Under their direction was an ^[j]elite army of ^(K)307,500, who could wage war with great power, to help the king against the enemy. ¹⁴ Moreover, Uzziah prepared ^[k]for all the army shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows and sling stones. ¹⁵ In Jerusalem he made engines of war invented by skillful men to be on the towers and on the corners for the purpose of shooting arrows and great stones. Hence his ^[l]fame spread afar, for he was marvelously helped until he was strong.

Pride Is Uzziah’s Undoing

¹⁶ But ^(L)when he became strong, his heart was so ^[m]proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the Lord his God, for ^(M)he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. ¹⁷ Then ^(N)Azariah the priest entered after him and with him eighty priests of the Lord, valiant men. ^18 (O)They opposed Uzziah the king and said to him, “^(P)It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, ^(Q)but for the priests, the sons of Aaron who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful and will have no honor from the Lord God.” ¹⁹ But Uzziah, with a censer in his hand for burning incense, was enraged; and while he was enraged with the priests, ^(R)the leprosy broke out on his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the altar of incense. ²⁰ Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous on his forehead; and they hurried him out of there, and he himself also hastened to get out because the Lord had smitten him. ^21 (S)King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death; and he lived in ^(T)a separate house, being a leper, for he was cut off from the house of the Lord. And Jotham his son was over the king’s house judging the people of the land.

²² Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first to last, the prophet ^(U)Isaiah, the son of Amoz, has written. ²³ So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers ^(V)in the field of the grave which belonged to the kings, for they said, “He is a leper.” And Jotham his son became king in his place.

Jotham Succeeds Uzziah in Judah

27 ^(W)Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok. ² He did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah had done; ^(X)however he did not enter the temple of the Lord. But the people continued acting corruptly. ³ He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord, and he built extensively the wall of ^(Y)Ophel. ⁴ Moreover, he built ^(Z)cities in the hill country of Judah, and he built fortresses and towers on the wooded hills. ⁵ He fought also with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed over them so that the Ammonites gave him during that year one hundred talents of silver, ten thousand ^[n]kors of wheat and ten thousand of barley. The Ammonites also paid him this amount in the second and in the third year. ^6 (AA)So Jotham became mighty because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God. ^7 (AB)Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, even all his wars and his acts, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. ⁸ He was ^(AC)twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. ⁹ And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and Ahaz his son became king in his place.

Confidence in God’s Protection.

For the choir director; on a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.

Laborers in the Vineyard

20 “For ^(A)the kingdom of heaven is like ^[a]a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his ^(B)vineyard. ² When he had agreed with the laborers for a ^[b]denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³ And he went out about the ^[c]third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; ⁴ and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went. ⁵ Again he went out about the ^[d]sixth and the ninth hour, and did ^[e]the same thing. ⁶ And about the ^[f]eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he *said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ ⁷ They *said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He *said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’

⁸ “When ^(C)evening came, the ^[g]owner of the vineyard *said to his ^(D)foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’ ⁹ When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a ^[h]denarius. ¹⁰ When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; ^[i]but each of them also received a denarius. ¹¹ When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, ¹² saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the ^(E)scorching heat of the day.’ ¹³ But he answered and said to one of them, ‘^(F)Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. ¹⁵ Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your ^(G)eye ^[j]envious because I am ^[k]generous?’ ¹⁶ So ^(H)the last shall be first, and the first last.”

Death, Resurrection Foretold

^17 (I)As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them, ¹⁸ “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man ^(J)will be ^[l]delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, ¹⁹ and ^(K)will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on ^(L)the third day He will be raised up.”

Preferment Asked

^20 (M)Then the mother of ^(N)the sons of Zebedee came to ^[m]Jesus with her sons, ^(O)bowing down and making a request of Him. ²¹ And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She *said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine ^(P)may sit one on Your right and one on Your left.” ²² But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able ^(Q)to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They *said to Him, “We are able.” ²³ He *said to them, “^(R)My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, ^(S)but it is for those for whom it has been ^(T)prepared by My Father.”

²⁴ And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers. ^25 (U)But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. ²⁶ It is not this way among you, ^(V)but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; ²⁸ just as ^(W)the Son of Man ^(X)did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His ^[n]life a ransom for many.”

Sight for the Blind

^29 (Y)As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. ³⁰ And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord, ^(Z)have mercy on us, ^(AA)Son of David!” ³¹ The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, ^(AB)Son of David, have mercy on us!” ³² And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” ³³ They *said to Him, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.” ³⁴ Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.