14 ^[a]And Abijah rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. Asa his son succeeded him as king, and in his days the country was at peace for ten years.

Asa King of Judah^(A)

² Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.^{(B) 3} He removed the foreign altars^(C) and the high places, smashed the sacred stones^(D) and cut down the Asherah poles.^{[b](E) 4} He commanded Judah to seek the Lord,^(F) the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands. ⁵ He removed the high places^(G) and incense altars^(H) in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him. ⁶ He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the Lord gave him rest.^(I)

⁷ “Let us build up these towns,” he said to Judah, “and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God; we sought him and he has given us rest^(J) on every side.” So they built and prospered.

⁸ Asa had an army of three hundred thousand^(K) men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men.

⁹ Zerah the Cushite^(L) marched out against them with an army of thousands upon thousands and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.^{(M) 10} Asa went out to meet him, and they took up battle positions in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.

¹¹ Then Asa called^(N) to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us,^(O) Lord our God, for we rely^(P) on you, and in your name^(Q) we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail^(R) against you.”

¹² The Lord struck down^(S) the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, ¹³ and Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar.^(T) Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushed^(U) before the Lord and his forces. The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder.^{(V) 14} They destroyed all the villages around Gerar, for the terror^(W) of the Lord had fallen on them. They looted all these villages, since there was much plunder there. ¹⁵ They also attacked the camps of the herders and carried off droves of sheep and goats and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

A Prophecy Against the King of Tyre

28 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man^(A), say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

⁶ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

¹¹ The word of the Lord came to me: ¹² “Son of man, take up a lament^(S) concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

A Prophecy Against Sidon

²⁰ The word of the Lord came to me: ²¹ “Son of man, set your face against^(AK) Sidon;^(AL) prophesy against her ²² and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

²⁴ “‘No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns.^(AQ) Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.

²⁵ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I gather^(AR) the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered,^(AS) I will be proved holy^(AT) through them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob.^{(AU) 26} They will live there in safety^(AV) and will build houses and plant^(AW) vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment^(AX) on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.^(AY)’”

A Prophecy Against Egypt

Judgment on Pharaoh

29 In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day, the word of the Lord came to me:^{(AZ) 2} “Son of man, set your face against^(BA) Pharaoh king of Egypt^(BB) and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.^{(BC) 3} Speak to him and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

⁶ Then all who live in Egypt will know that I am the Lord.

“‘You have been a staff of reed^(BK) for the people of Israel. ⁷ When they grasped you with their hands, you splintered^(BL) and you tore open their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke and their backs were wrenched.^[d](BM)

⁸ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will bring a sword against you and kill both man and beast.^{(BN) 9} Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

“‘Because you said, “The Nile^(BO) is mine; I made it,^(BP)” ¹⁰ therefore I am against you^(BQ) and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt^(BR) a ruin and a desolate waste^(BS) from Migdol^(BT) to Aswan,^(BU) as far as the border of Cush.^{[e](BV) 11} The foot of neither man nor beast will pass through it; no one will live there for forty years.^{(BW) 12} I will make the land of Egypt desolate^(BX) among devastated lands, and her cities will lie desolate forty years among ruined cities. And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries.^(BY)

¹³ “‘Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the nations where they were scattered. ¹⁴ I will bring them back from captivity and return them to Upper Egypt,^(BZ) the land of their ancestry. There they will be a lowly^(CA) kingdom.^{(CB) 15} It will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself above the other nations.^(CC) I will make it so weak that it will never again rule over the nations. ¹⁶ Egypt will no longer be a source of confidence^(CD) for the people of Israel but will be a reminder^(CE) of their sin in turning to her for help.^(CF) Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.^(CG)’”

Nebuchadnezzar’s Reward

¹⁷ In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me:^{(CH) 18} “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar^(CI) king of Babylon drove his army in a hard campaign against Tyre; every head was rubbed bare^(CJ) and every shoulder made raw.^(CK) Yet he and his army got no reward from the campaign he led against Tyre. ¹⁹ Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king^(CL) of Babylon, and he will carry off its wealth. He will loot and plunder^(CM) the land as pay for his army.^{(CN) 20} I have given him Egypt^(CO) as a reward for his efforts because he and his army did it for me, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(CP)

²¹ “On that day I will make a horn^[f](CQ) grow for the Israelites, and I will open your mouth^(CR) among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.^(CS)”

Jesus Has Risen^(A)

24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared^(B) and went to the tomb. ² They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.^{(C) 4} While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning^(D) stood beside them. ⁵ In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:^{(E) 7} ‘The Son of Man^(F) must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”^{(G) 8} Then they remembered his words.^(H)

⁹ When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. ¹⁰ It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them^(I) who told this to the apostles.^{(J) 11} But they did not believe^(K) the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. ¹² Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves,^(L) and he went away,^(M) wondering to himself what had happened.

On the Road to Emmaus

¹³ Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles^[a] from Jerusalem.^{(N) 14} They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. ¹⁵ As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them;^{(O) 16} but they were kept from recognizing him.^(P)

¹⁷ He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

They stood still, their faces downcast. ¹⁸ One of them, named Cleopas,^(Q) asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

¹⁹ “What things?” he asked.

“About Jesus of Nazareth,”^(R) they replied. “He was a prophet,^(S) powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. ²⁰ The chief priests and our rulers^(T) handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; ²¹ but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.^(U) And what is more, it is the third day^(V) since all this took place. ²² In addition, some of our women amazed us.^(W) They went to the tomb early this morning ²³ but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. ²⁴ Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”^(X)

²⁵ He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”^{(Y) 27} And beginning with Moses^(Z) and all the Prophets,^(AA) he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.^(AB)

²⁸ As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. ²⁹ But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.

³⁰ When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it^(AC) and began to give it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him,^(AD) and he disappeared from their sight. ³² They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us^(AE) while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures^(AF) to us?”

³³ They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together ³⁴ and saying, “It is true! The Lord^(AG) has risen and has appeared to Simon.”^{(AH) 35} Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.^(AI)

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

³⁶ While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”^(AJ)

³⁷ They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.^{(AK) 38} He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? ³⁹ Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see;^(AL) a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

⁴⁰ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. ⁴¹ And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” ⁴² They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³ and he took it and ate it in their presence.^(AM)

⁴⁴ He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you:^(AN) Everything must be fulfilled^(AO) that is written about me in the Law of Moses,^(AP) the Prophets^(AQ) and the Psalms.”^(AR)

⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer^(AS) and rise from the dead on the third day,^{(AT) 47} and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name^(AU) to all nations,^(AV) beginning at Jerusalem.^{(AW) 48} You are witnesses^(AX) of these things. ⁴⁹ I am going to send you what my Father has promised;^(AY) but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

The Ascension of Jesus

⁵⁰ When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany,^(AZ) he lifted up his hands and blessed them. ⁵¹ While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.^{(BA) 52} Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. ⁵³ And they stayed continually at the temple,^(BB) praising God.