Thematic Bible: Church and state


Thematic Bible



And in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the captains over hundreds of the Carites and of the guard, and brought them to him into the house of LORD. And he made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house o And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do: a third part of you, who come in on the Sabbath, shall be keepers of the watch of the king's house; and a third part shall be at the gate Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard. So shall ye keep the watch of the house, and be a barrier. read more.
And the two companies of you, even all who go forth on the Sabbath, shall keep the watch of the house of LORD around the king. And ye shall encompass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand. And he who comes within the ranks, let him be slain. And be ye with the king when he goes out, and when he comes in. And the captains over hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded. And every man took his men, those who were to come in on the Sabbath, with those who were to go out on the Sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the pr And the priest delivered to the captains over hundreds the spears and shields that had been king David's, which were in the house of LORD. And the guard stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, along by the altar and the house, by the king round about. Then he brought out the king's son, and put the crown upon him, and [gave him] the testimony. And they made him king, and anointed him. And they clapped their hands, and said, Live, O king.

And LORD said to Samuel, How long will thou mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill thy horn with oil, and go. I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for me a king among And Samuel said, How do I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me. And LORD said, Take a heifer with thee, and say, I have come to sacrifice to LORD. And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shall do. And thou shall anoint to me him whom I name to thee. read more.
And Samuel did that which LORD spoke, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, Do thou come peaceably? And he said, Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to LORD. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. And it came to pass, when they came, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely LORD's anointed is before him. But LORD said to Samuel, Do not look on his countenance, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For [LORD sees] not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but LORD looks on the heart. Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither has LORD chosen this man. Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither has LORD chosen this man. And Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, LORD has not chosen these men. And Samuel said to Jesse, Are all thy sons here? And he said, There remains yet the youngest, and, behold, he is keeping the sheep. And Samuel said to Jesse, Send and fetch him, for we will not sit down till he comes here. And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and of a beautiful countenance, and fine to look upon. And LORD said, Arise, anoint him, for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him, Gird up thy loins, and take this vial of oil in thy hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. And when thou come there, look out there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brothers, and carry him to an inner chamber. Then take the vial of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus says LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and delay not. read more.
So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. And when he came, behold, the captains of the army were sitting. And he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, To which of us all? And he said, To thee, O captain. And he arose, and went into the house. And he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, Thus says LORD, the God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of LORD, even over Israel. And thou shall smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of LORD, at the hand of Jezebel. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish. And I will cut off from Ahab every man-child, and him who is shut up and him who is left at large in Israel. And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled. Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord, and one said to him, Is all well? Why did this mad fellow come to thee? And he said to them, Ye know the man and what his talk was. And they said, It is not true; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus he spoke to me, saying, Thus says LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then they hastened, and every man took his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew the trumpet, saying, Jehu is king. So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram was keeping Ramoth-gilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria. But king Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If this be your mind, then let none escape and go forth out of the city to So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel, for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah came down to see Joram. Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take a horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace? So one went on horseback to meet him, and said, Thus says the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What have thou to do with peace? Turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The messenger came to them, but he does not come b Then he sent out a second on horseback who came to them, and said, Thus says the king, Is it peace? And Jehu answered, What have thou to do with peace? Turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, He came to them, and does not come back. And the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously. And Joram said, Make ready. And they made his chariot ready. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu, and found him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite. And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many? And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah. And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and smote Joram between his arms. And the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot. Then [Jehu] said to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, LORD laid this burden upon him: Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, says LORD, and I will requite thee in this plot, says LORD. Now therefore take and cast him into the plot [of ground], according to the word of LORD.


And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel [had appointed], but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattered from him. And Saul said, Bring here the burnt-offering to me, and the peace-offerings. And he offered the burnt-offering. And it came to pass that, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt-offering, behold, Samuel came, and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him. read more.
And Samuel said, What have thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines assembled themselves together at Michmash, therefore I said, Now the Philistines will come down upon me to Gilgal, and I have not entreated the favor of LORD. I forced myself therefore, and offered the burnt-offering. And Samuel said to Saul, Thou have done foolishly. Thou have not kept the commandment of LORD thy God, which he commanded thee. For now LORD would have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever, but now thy kingdom shall not continue. LORD has sought for him a man after his own heart, and LORD has appointed him to be prince over his people, because thou have not kept that which LORD commanded thee.

But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up, so that he did corruptly, and he trespassed against LORD his God. For he went into the temple of LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense. And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him eighty priests of LORD, who were valiant men. And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said to him, It does not pertain to thee, Uzziah, to burn incense to LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary. For thou have tre read more.
Then Uzziah was angry. And he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, the leprosy broke forth in his forehead before the priests in the house of LORD, beside the altar of incense. And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead. And they thrust him out quickly from there. Yea, he himself also hastened to go out, because LORD had smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper to the day of his death, and dwelt in a separate house, being a leper. For he was cut off from the house of LORD, and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land.


And prepare yourselves after your fathers' houses by your divisions, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son.


Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth has LORD, the God of heaven, given me. And he has charged me to build a house for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all his people, LORD


And he did that which was evil in the sight of LORD after the abominations of the nations whom LORD cast out before the sons of Israel. For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down. And he reared up altars for the Baalim, and made Asheroth, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. And he built altars in the house of LORD, of which LORD said, In Jerusalem shall my name be forever. read more.
And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of LORD. He also made his sons to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom. And he practiced augury, and used enchantments, and practiced sorcery, and dealt with psychics, and with wizards. He wrought much evil in the sight And he set the graven image of the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from off the land which I have appointed for your fathers, if only they will observe to do all that I have commanded them, even all the law and the statutes and the ordinances [give And Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that they did evil more than the nations did whom LORD destroyed before the sons of Israel.

And he took away the foreign gods, and the idol out of the house of LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of LORD, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city. And he built up the altar of LORD, and offered on it sacrifices of peace-offerings and of thanksgiving, and commanded Judah to serve LORD, the God of Israel. Nevertheless the people still sacrificed in the high places, but only to LORD their God.


And Samuel said, What then means this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to LORD thy God, and the rest we have utterly destroyed. Then Samuel said to Saul, Stop, and I will tell thee what LORD has said to me this night. And he said to him, Say on. read more.
And Samuel said, Though thou were little in thine own sight, were thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel? And LORD anointed thee king over Israel. And LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. Why then did thou not obey the voice of LORD, but did fly upon the spoil, and did that which was evil in the sight of LORD? And Saul said to Samuel, Yes, I have obeyed the voice of LORD, and have gone the way which LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the devoted things, to sacrifice to LORD thy God in Gilgal. And Samuel said, Has LORD as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Because thou have rejected the word of LORD, he has also rejected thee from being king. And Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of LORD, and thy words, because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me that I may worship LORD. And Samuel said to Saul, I will not return with thee, for thou have rejected the word of LORD, and LORD has rejected thee from being king over Israel. And as Samuel turned about to go away, [Saul] laid hold upon the skirt of his robe, and it tore. And Samuel said to him, LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and has given it to a neighbor of thine, who is better than thou. And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent, for he is not a man that he should repent. Then he said, I have sinned. Yet honor me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship LORD thy God. So Samuel turned again after Saul, and Saul worshipped LORD. Then Samuel said, Bring ye here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came to him cheerfully. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. And Samuel said, As thy sword has made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before LORD in Gilgal. Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul. And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death, for Samuel mourned for Saul, and LORD regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.


Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. And the king went up to the house of LORD, and all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, both great and small. And he read in their ears all the words of the book o And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before LORD, to walk after LORD, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the coven read more.
And he caused all who were found in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand [to it]. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the sons of Israel, and made all who were found in Israel to serve, even to serve LORD their God. All his days they did not depart from following


And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah. And they will kill me, and return to Rehoboam king of Judah. Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold. And he said to them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. read more.
And he set the one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. And this thing became a sin, for the people went [to worship] before the one, even to Dan. And he made houses of high places, and made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that is in Judah, and he went up to the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And he placed in B And he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart. And he ordained a feast for the sons of Israel, and went up to the altar to


And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and saw the altar that was at Damascus. And king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the form of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship And Urijah the priest built an altar. According to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so Urijah the priest made it until the coming of king Ahaz from Damascus. And when the king came from Damascus, the king saw the altar. And the king drew near to the altar, and offered thereon. read more.
And he burnt his burnt-offering and his meal-offering, and poured his drink-offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace-offerings, upon the altar. And the brazen altar, which was before LORD, he brought from the forefront of the house, from between his altar and the house of LORD, and put it on the north side of his altar. And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt-offering, and the evening meal-offering, and the king's burnt-offering, and his meal-offering, with the burnt-offering of all the people Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded.


And the king said to Abiathar the priest, Get thee to Anathoth, to thine own fields, for thou are worthy of death. But I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou bore the ark of lord LORD before David my father, and be So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest to LORD, that he might fulfill the word of LORD, which he spoke concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.


And Joash said to the priests, All the money of the hallowed things that is brought into the house of LORD, in current money, the money of the persons for whom each man is rated, and all the money that it come in any man's heart to let the priests take it to them, every man from his acquaintance, and they shall repair the broken parts of the house wherever any breach shall be found. But it was so, that in the twenty-third year of king Joash the priests had not repaired the broken parts of the house. read more.
Then king Joash called for Jehoiada the priest, and for the [other] priests, and said to them, Why do ye not repair the broken parts of the house? Now therefore take no [more] money from your acquaintance, but deliver it for the br And the priests consented that they should take no [more] money from the people, neither repair the broken parts of the house. But Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as a man comes into the house of LORD. And the priests who kept the threshold put in it all the money that was And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king's scribe and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags and counted the money that was found in the house of LORD. And they gave the money that was weighed out into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of LORD. And they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked upon the house of LORD, and to the masons and the hewers of stone, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the broken parts of the house of LORD, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it. But there were not made for the house of LORD cups of silver, snuffers, basins, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into the house of LORD, for they gave that to those who did the work, and with it repaired the house of LORD. Moreover they did not reckon with the men into whose hand they delivered the money to give to those who did the work, for they dealt faithfully. The money for the trespass-offerings, and the money for the sin-offerings, was not brought into the house of LORD; it was the priests'. Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it. And Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. And Joash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house o


And Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and the Levites after their divisions, every man according to his service, both the priests and the Levites, for burnt-offerings and for peace-offerings, to minister, and to give Also [he appointed] the king's portion of his substance for the burnt-offerings, [namely], for the morning and evening burnt-offerings, and the burnt-offerings for the Sabbaths, and for the new moons, and for the set feasts, as it Moreover he commanded the people who dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might give themselves to the law of LORD. read more.
And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the sons of Israel gave in abundance the first-fruits of grain, new wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field. And they brought in the tithe of all things abundantly. And the sons of Israel and Judah, who dwelt in the cities of Judah, they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of dedicated things which were consecrated to LORD their God, and laid them by heaps. In the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month. And when Hezekiah and the rulers came and saw the heaps, they blessed LORD, and his people Israel. Then Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps. And Azariah the chief priest, of the house of Zadok, answered him and said, Since they began to bring the oblations into the house of LORD, we have eaten and had enough, and have plenty left. For LORD has blessed his people, and th Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of LORD, and they prepared them. And they brought in the oblations and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully. And Conaniah the Levite was ruler over them, and Shimei his brother was second. And Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Eliel, and Ismachiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah, were overseers under the hand of Conaniah and Shimei his brother, by the appointment of Hezekiah the kin And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the porter at the east [gate], was over the freewill-offerings of God, to distribute the oblations of LORD, and the most holy things. And under him were Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, in their office of trust, to give to their brothers by divisions, as well to the great as to the small, besides those who were reckoned by genealogy of males, from three years old and upward, even everyone that entered into the house of LORD, as the duty of every day required, for their service in their offices according to their div and those who were reckoned by genealogy of the priests by their fathers' houses, and the Levites from twenty years old and upward, in their offices by their divisions, and those who were reckoned by genealogy of all their little ones, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, through all the congregation. For in their office of trust they sanctified themselves in holiness. Also for the sons of Aaron the priests, who were in the fields of the suburbs of their cities, in every city, there were men who were mentioned by name, to give portions to all the males among the priests, and to all who were recko


And Samuel said to Saul, LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel. Now therefore hearken thou to the voice of the words of LORD. Thus says LORD of hosts, I have remembered that which Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way when he came up out of Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not, but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and donkey. read more.
And Saul summoned the people, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.


Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house of the archives where the treasures were laid up in Babylon. And there was found at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of Media, a roll, and in it was thus written for a record: In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king made a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be built--the place where they offer sacrifices--and let the foundations of it be strongly laid, the height read more.
with three courses of great stones, and a course of new timber. And let the expenses be given out of the king's house. And also let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought to Babylon, be restored, and brought again to the temple which is at Jerusalem, ever Now therefore, Tattenai, governor beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and your companions the Apharsachites, who are beyond the River, be ye far from there: Let the work of this house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in its place. Moreover I make a decree what ye shall do to these elders of the Jews for the building of this house of God: That of the king's goods, even of the tribute beyond the River, expenses be given with all diligence to these men, that th And that which they have need of, both young bullocks, and rams, and lambs, for burnt-offerings to the God of heaven, [also] wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the word of the priests who are at Jerusalem, let it be given the that they may offer sacrifices of sweet savor to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons. Also I have made a decree, that whoever shall alter this word, let a beam be pulled out from his house, and let him be lifted up and fastened thereon, and let his house be made a dunghill for this. And the God who has caused his name to dwell there overthrow all kings and peoples who shall put forth their hand to alter [the same], to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree, let it be done Then Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their companions, because of what Darius the king had sent, did accordingly with all diligence. And the elders of the Jews built and prospered, through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the dec


Then Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not that LORD has anointed thee to be prince over his inheritance?


Also we certify to you, that concerning any of the priests and Levites, the singers, porters, Nethinim, or servants of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll, upon them.


And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have heard [that] which thou have sent to me. I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir.