Daily Mass Readings for June 22, 2026: Gospel — Mt 7,1-5

⁵ The king of Assyria marched through the whole land. He attacked Samaria and besieged it for three years. ⁶ In the ninth year of Hoshea’s reign, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the people of Israel to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor (the river of Gozan), and in the cities of the Medes. ⁷ This happened because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who brought them up from the land of Egypt and freed them from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods; ⁸ they observed the practices of the nations whom the Lord had driven out from before them, and followed the example of the kings of Israel. 1 3 :¹ In the twenty-third year of the reign of Judah’s King Joash son of Ahaziah, Jehu’s son Jehoahaz became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for 1 ⁷ years. ² He did evil in the sight of the Lord. He continued in the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who had encouraged Israel to sin; he did not repudiate those sins. ³ The Lord was furious with Israel and handed them over to King Hazael of Syria and to Hazael’s son Ben Hadad for many years. ⁴ Jehoahaz asked for the Lord’s mercy, and the Lord responded favorably, for he saw that Israel was oppressed by the king of Syria. ⁵ The Lord provided a deliverer for Israel, and they were freed from Syria’s power. The Israelites once more lived in security. ⁶ But they did not repudiate the sinful ways of the family of Jeroboam, who encouraged Israel to sin; they continued in those sins. There was even an Asherah pole standing in Samaria. ⁷ Jehoahaz had no army left except for 5 ⁰ horsemen, 1 ⁰ chariots, and 1 0 ,000 foot soldiers. The king of Syria had destroyed his troops and trampled on them as dust. ⁸ The rest of the events of Jehoahaz’s reign, including all his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. ⁹ Jehoahaz passed away and was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoash replaced him as king. 1 ⁰ In the thirty-seventh year of King Jehoash’s reign over Judah, Jehoahaz’s son Jehoash became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for 1 ⁶ years. 1 ¹ He did evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin; he continued in those sins. 1 ² The rest of the events of Jehoash’s reign, including all his accomplishments and his successful war with King Amaziah of Judah, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 1 ³ Jehoash passed away and Jeroboam succeeded him on the throne. Jehoash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. 1 ⁴ Now Elisha had a terminal illness. King Jehoash of Israel went down to visit him. He wept before him and said, “My father, my father! The chariot and horsemen of Israel!” 1 ⁵ Elisha told him, “Take a bow and some arrows,” and he did so. 1 ⁶ Then Elisha told the king of Israel, “Aim the bow.” He did so, and Elisha placed his hands on the king’s hands. 1 ⁷ Elisha said, “Open the east window,” and he did so. Elisha said, “Shoot!” and he did so. Elisha said, “This arrow symbolizes the victory the Lord will give you over Syria. You will annihilate Syria in Aphek!” 1 ⁸ Then Elisha said, “Take the arrows,” and he did so. He told the king of Israel, “Strike the ground!” He struck the ground three times and stopped. 1 ⁹ The prophet got angry at him and said, “If you had struck the ground five or six times, you would have annihilated Syria! But now, you will defeat Syria only three times.” 2 ⁰ Elisha died and was buried. Moabite raiding parties invaded the land at the beginning of the year. 2 ¹ One day some men were burying a man when they spotted a raiding party. So they threw the dead man into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the dead man came to life and stood on his feet. 2 ² Now King Hazael of Syria oppressed Israel throughout Jehoahaz’s reign. 2 ³ But the Lord had mercy on them and felt pity for them. He extended his favor to them because of the promise he had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He has been unwilling to destroy them or remove them from his presence to this very day. 2 ⁴ When King Hazael of Syria died, his son Ben Hadad replaced him as king. 2 ⁵ Jehoahaz’s son Jehoash took back from Ben Hadad son of Hazael the cities that he had taken from his father Jehoahaz in war. Jehoash defeated him three times and recovered the Israelite cities. 1 4 :¹ In the second year of the reign of Israel’s King Joash son of Joahaz, Joash’s son Amaziah became king over Judah. ² He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jehoaddan, who was from Jerusalem. ³ He did what the Lord approved, but not like David his ancestor had done. He followed the example of his father Joash. ⁴ But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. ⁵ When he had secured control of the kingdom, he executed the servants who had assassinated his father. ⁶ But he did not execute the sons of the assassins. He obeyed the Lord’s commandment as recorded in the scroll of the law of Moses, “Fathers must not be put to death for what their sons do, and sons must not be put to death for what their fathers do. A man must be put to death only for his own sin.” ⁷ He defeated 1 0 ,000 Edomites in the Salt Valley; he captured Sela in battle and renamed it Joktheel, a name it has retained to this very day. ⁸ Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel. He said, “Come, let’s meet face to face.” ⁹ King Jehoash of Israel sent this message back to King Amaziah of Judah, “A thornbush in Lebanon sent this message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal of Lebanon came by and trampled down the thorn. 1 ⁰ You thoroughly defeated Edom, and it has gone to your head! Gloat over your success, but stay in your palace. Why bring calamity on yourself? Why bring down yourself and Judah along with you?” 1 ¹ But Amaziah would not heed the warning, so King Jehoash of Israel attacked. He and King Amaziah of Judah met face to face in Beth Shemesh of Judah. 1 ² Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man ran back home. 1 ³ King Jehoash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah, son of Jehoash son of Ahaziah, in Beth Shemesh. He attacked Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate—a distance of about 6 0 ⁰ feet. 1 ⁴ He took away all the gold and silver, all the items found in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace, and some hostages. Then he went back to Samaria. 1 ⁵ The rest of the events of Jehoash’s reign, including all his accomplishments and his successful war with King Amaziah of Judah, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 1 ⁶ Jehoash passed away and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Jeroboam replaced him as king. 1 ⁷ King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah lived for 1 ⁵ years after the death of King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz of Israel. 1 ⁸ The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 1 ⁹ Conspirators plotted against him in Jerusalem, so he fled to Lachish. But they sent assassins after him, and they killed him there. 2 ⁰ His body was carried back by horses, and he was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors in the City of David. 2 ¹ All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in his father Amaziah’s place. 2 ² Azariah built up Elat and restored it to Judah after the king had passed away. 2 ³ In the fifteenth year of the reign of Judah’s King Amaziah son of Joash, Jeroboam son of Joash became king over Israel. He reigned for 4 ¹ years in Samaria. 2 ⁴ He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 2 ⁵ He restored the border of Israel from Lebo Hamath in the north to the sea of the rift valley in the south, just as in the message from the Lord God of Israel that he had announced through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher. 2 ⁶ The Lord saw Israel’s intense suffering; everyone was weak and incapacitated and Israel had no deliverer. 2 ⁷ The Lord had not decreed that he would blot out Israel’s memory from under heaven, so he delivered them through Jeroboam son of Joash. 2 ⁸ The rest of the events of Jeroboam’s reign, including all his accomplishments, his military success in restoring Israelite control over Damascus and Hamath, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 2 ⁹ Jeroboam passed away and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Zechariah replaced him as king. 1 5 :¹ In the twenty-seventh year of King Jeroboam’s reign over Israel, Amaziah’s son Azariah became king over Judah. ² He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for 5 ² years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah, who was from Jerusalem. ³ He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Amaziah had done. ⁴ But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. ⁵ The Lord afflicted the king with an illness; he suffered from a skin disease until the day he died. He lived in separate quarters, while his son Jotham was in charge of the palace and ruled over the people of the land. ⁶ The rest of the events of Azariah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. ⁷ Azariah passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Jotham replaced him as king. ⁸ In the thirty-eighth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Jeroboam’s son Zechariah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for six months. ⁹ He did evil in the sight of the Lord, as his ancestors had done. He did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 1 ⁰ Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against him; he assassinated him in Ibleam and took his place as king. 1 ¹ The rest of the events of Zechariah’s reign are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 1 ² His assassination fulfilled the Lord’s message to Jehu, “Four generations of your descendants will rule on Israel’s throne.” And that is how it happened. 1 ³ Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of King Uzziah’s reign over Judah. He reigned for one month in Samaria. 1 ⁴ Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah to Samaria and attacked Shallum son of Jabesh. He killed him and took his place as king. 1 ⁵ The rest of the events of Shallum’s reign, including the conspiracy he organized, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 1 ⁶ At that time Menahem came from Tirzah and attacked Tiphsah. He struck down all who lived in the city and the surrounding territory, because they would not surrender. He even ripped open the pregnant women. 1 ⁷ In the thirty-ninth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel. He reigned for 1 ⁰ years in Samaria. 1 ⁸ He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who encouraged Israel to sin. During his reign, 1 ⁹ Pul king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem paid him 1 ,000 talents of silver to gain his support and to solidify his control of the kingdom. 2 ⁰ Menahem got this silver by taxing all the wealthy men in Israel; he took 5 ⁰ shekels of silver from each one of them and paid it to the king of Assyria. Then the king of Assyria left; he did not stay there in the land. 2 ¹ The rest of the events of Menahem’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 2 ² Menahem passed away and his son Pekahiah replaced him as king. 2 ³ In the fiftieth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Menahem’s son Pekahiah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for two years. 2 ⁴ He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 2 ⁵ His officer Pekah son of Remaliah conspired against him. He and 5 ⁰ Gileadites assassinated Pekahiah, as well as Argob and Arieh, in Samaria in the fortress of the royal palace. Pekah then took his place as king. 2 ⁶ The rest of the events of Pekahiah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 2 ⁷ In the fifty-second year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for twenty years. 2 ⁸ He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 2 ⁹ During Pekah’s reign over Israel, King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the territory of Naphtali. He deported the people to Assyria. 3 ⁰ Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He assassinated him and took his place as king, in the twentieth year of the reign of Jotham son of Uzziah. 3 ¹ The rest of the events of Pekah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 3 ² In the second year of the reign of Israel’s King Pekah son of Remaliah, Uzziah’s son Jotham became king over Judah. 3 ³ He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. 3 ⁴ He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Uzziah had done. 3 ⁵ But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. He built the Upper Gate to the Lord’s temple. 3 ⁶ The rest of the events of Jotham’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 3 ⁷ In those days the Lord prompted King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah to attack Judah. 3 ⁸ Jotham passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor David. His son Ahaz replaced him as king. 1 8 :¹ In the third year of the reign of Israel’s King Hoshea son of Elah, Ahaz’s son Hezekiah became king over Judah. ² He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Abi, the daughter of Zechariah. ³ He did what the Lord approved, just as his ancestor David had done. ⁴ He eliminated the high places, smashed the sacred pillars to bits, and cut down the Asherah pole. He also demolished the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been offering incense to it; it was called Nehushtan. ⁵ He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; in this regard there was none like him among the kings of Judah either before or after. ⁶ He was loyal to the Lord and did not abandon him. He obeyed the commandments that the Lord had given to Moses. ⁷ The Lord was with him; he succeeded in all his endeavors. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to submit to him. ⁸ He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city. ⁹ In the fourth year of King Hezekiah’s reign (it was the seventh year of the reign of Israel’s King Hoshea, son of Elah), King Shalmaneser of Assyria marched up against Samaria and besieged it. 1 ⁰ After three years he captured it (in the sixth year of Hezekiah’s reign); in the ninth year of King Hoshea’s reign over Israel, Samaria was captured. 1 ¹ The king of Assyria deported the people of Israel to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor (the river of Gozan), and in the cities of the Medes. 1 ² This happened because they did not obey the Lord their God and broke his covenant with them. They did not pay attention to and obey all that Moses, the Lord’s servant, had commanded. 1 ³ In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, King Sennacherib of Assyria marched up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 1 ⁴ King Hezekiah of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria, who was at Lachish, “I have violated our treaty. If you leave, I will do whatever you demand.” So the king of Assyria demanded that King Hezekiah of Judah pay 3 0 ⁰ talents of silver and 3 ⁰ talents of gold. 1 ⁵ Hezekiah gave him all the silver in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace. 1 ⁶ At that time King Hezekiah of Judah stripped the metal overlays from the doors of the Lord’s temple and from the posts that he had plated and gave them to the king of Assyria. 1 ⁷ The king of Assyria sent his commanding general, the chief eunuch, and the chief adviser from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, along with a large army. They went up and arrived at Jerusalem. They went and stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. 1 ⁸ They summoned the king, so Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna, the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went out to meet them. 1 ⁹ The chief adviser said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: “What is your source of confidence? 2 ⁰ Your claim to have a strategy and military strength is just empty talk. In whom are you trusting that you would dare to rebel against me? 2 ¹ Now look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If a man leans for support on it, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him. 2 ² Perhaps you will tell me, ‘We are trusting in the Lord our God.’ But Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship at this altar in Jerusalem.’ 2 ³ Now make a deal with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you 2 ,000 horses, provided you can find enough riders for them. 2 ⁴ Certainly you will not refuse one of my master’s minor officials and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen. 2 ⁵ Furthermore it was by the command of the Lord that I marched up against this place to destroy it. The Lord told me, ‘March up against this land and destroy it.’”’” 2 ⁶ Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to the chief adviser, “Speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Don’t speak with us in the Judahite dialect in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 2 ⁷ But the chief adviser said to them, “My master did not send me to speak these words only to your master and to you. His message is also for the men who sit on the wall, for they will eat their own excrement and drink their own urine along with you.” 2 ⁸ The chief adviser then stood there and called out loudly in the Judahite dialect, “Listen to the message of the great king, the king of Assyria. 2 ⁹ This is what the king says: ‘Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you, for he is not able to rescue you from my hand! 3 ⁰ Don’t let Hezekiah talk you into trusting in the Lord when he says, “The Lord will certainly rescue us; this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 3 ¹ Don’t listen to Hezekiah!’ For this is what the king of Assyria says, ‘Send me a token of your submission and surrender to me. Then each of you may eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, 3 ² until I come and take you to a land just like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive oil and honey. Then you will live and not die. Don’t listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, “The Lord will rescue us.” 3 ³ Have any of the gods of the nations actually rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria? 3 ⁴ Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Indeed, did any gods rescue Samaria from my power? 3 ⁵ Who among all the gods of the lands has rescued their lands from my power? So how can the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power?’” 3 ⁶ The people were silent and did not respond, for the king had ordered, “Don’t respond to him.” 3 ⁷ Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and reported to him what the chief adviser had said.