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2 Kings 1-2

Elijah Confronts the King and His Commanders

After Ahab died, Moab rebelled against Israel.[a] Ahaziah fell through a window lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria and was injured. He sent messengers with these orders,[b] “Go, ask[c] Baal Zebub,[d] the god of Ekron, if I will survive this injury.”

But the angel of the Lord told Elijah the Tishbite, “Get up; go to meet the messengers from the king of Samaria. Say this to them: ‘You must think there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are on your way to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub the god of Ekron.[e] Therefore this is what the Lord has said, “You will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die!”’” So Elijah went on his way.

When the messengers returned to the king,[f] he asked them, “Why have you returned?” They replied,[g] “A man came up to meet us. He told us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘You must think there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are sending for an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron.[h] Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.’”’” The king[i] asked them, “Describe the appearance[j] of this man who came up to meet you and told you these things.” They replied,[k] “He was a hairy[l] man and had a leather belt[m] tied around his waist.” The king[n] said, “He is Elijah the Tishbite.”

The king[o] sent a captain and his fifty soldiers[p] to retrieve Elijah.[q] The captain[r] went up to him while he was sitting on the top of a hill.[s] He told him, “Prophet,[t] the king says, ‘Come down!’” 10 Elijah replied to the captain,[u] “If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Fire then came down[v] from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers.

11 The king[w] sent another captain and his fifty soldiers to retrieve Elijah. He went up and told him,[x] “Prophet, this is what the king says, ‘Come down at once!’”[y] 12 Elijah replied to them,[z] “If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Fire from God[aa] came down from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers.

13 The king[ab] sent a third captain and his fifty soldiers. This third captain went up and fell[ac] on his knees before Elijah. He begged for mercy, “Prophet, please have respect for my life and for the lives of these fifty servants of yours. 14 Indeed,[ad] fire came down from the sky and consumed the two captains who came before me, along with their men.[ae] So now, please have respect for my life.” 15 The angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him. Don’t be afraid of him.” So he got up and went down[af] with him to the king.

16 Elijah said to the king,[ag] “This is what the Lord has said, ‘You sent messengers to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. Is it because there is no God in Israel from whom you can seek a message? Therefore[ah] you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.’”[ai]

17 And he did die in keeping with the Lord’s message that he had spoken through Elijah. In the second year of the reign of King Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat over Judah, Ahaziah’s brother Jehoram replaced him as king of Israel, because he had no son.[aj] 18 The rest of the events of Ahaziah’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.[ak]

Elijah Makes a Swift Departure

Just before[al] the Lord took Elijah up to heaven in a windstorm, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal. Elijah told Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. Some members of the prophetic guild[am] in Bethel came out to Elisha and said, “Do you know that today the Lord is going to take your master from you?”[an] He answered, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he replied, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho. Some members of the prophetic guild in Jericho approached Elisha and said, “Do you know that today the Lord is going to take your master from you?” He answered, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

Elijah said to him, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he replied, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they traveled on together. The fifty members of the prophetic guild went and stood opposite them at a distance, while Elijah and Elisha[ao] stood by the Jordan. Elijah took his cloak, folded it up, and hit the water with it. The water divided, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “What can I do for you,[ap] before I am taken away from you?” Elisha answered, “May I receive a double portion of the prophetic spirit that energizes you?”[aq] 10 Elijah[ar] replied, “That’s a difficult request![as] If you see me taken from you, may it be so, but if you don’t, it will not happen.”

11 As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a fiery chariot[at] pulled by fiery horses appeared.[au] They went between Elijah and Elisha,[av] and Elijah went up to heaven in a windstorm. 12 While Elisha was watching, he was crying out, “My father, my father! The chariot and horsemen of Israel!”[aw] Then he could no longer see him. He grabbed his clothes and tore them in two. 13 He picked up Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen off him, and went back and stood on the shore of the Jordan. 14 He took the cloak that had fallen off Elijah,[ax] hit the water with it, and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” When he hit the water, it divided and Elisha crossed over.

15 When the members of the prophetic guild in Jericho, who were standing at a distance,[ay] saw him do this, they said, “The spirit that energized Elijah[az] rests upon Elisha.” They went to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him. 16 They said to him, “Look, there are fifty capable men with your servants. Let them go and look for your master, for the wind sent from the Lord[ba] may have carried him away and dropped him on one of the hills or in one of the valleys.” But Elisha[bb] replied, “Don’t send them out.” 17 But they were so insistent that he became embarrassed. So he said, “Send them out.” They sent the fifty men out, and they looked for three days, but could not find Elijah.[bc] 18 When they came back, Elisha[bd] was staying in Jericho. He said to them, “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t go’?”

Elisha Demonstrates His Authority

19 The men of the city said to Elisha, “Look, the city has a good location, as our[be] master can see. But the water is bad and the land doesn’t produce crops.”[bf] 20 Elisha[bg] said, “Get me a new jar and put some salt in it.” So they got it. 21 He went out to the spring and threw the salt in. Then he said, “This is what the Lord has said, ‘I have purified[bh] this water. It will no longer cause death or fail to produce crops.’”[bi] 22 The water has been pure to this very day, just as Elisha prophesied.[bj]

23 He went up from there to Bethel. As he was traveling up the road, some young boys[bk] came out of the city and made fun of him, saying, “Go on up, baldy! Go on up, baldy!” 24 When he turned around and saw them, he called God’s judgment down on them.[bl] Two female bears came out of the woods and ripped forty-two of the boys to pieces. 25 From there he traveled to Mount Carmel and then back to Samaria.[bm]

Acts 13:42-14:7

42 As Paul and Barnabas[a] were going out,[b] the people[c] were urging[d] them to speak about these things[e] on the next Sabbath. 43 When the meeting of the synagogue[f] had broken up,[g] many of the Jews and God-fearing proselytes[h] followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking with them and were persuading[i] them[j] to continue[k] in the grace of God.

44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city assembled together to hear the word of the Lord.[l] 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy,[m] and they began to contradict[n] what Paul was saying[o] by reviling him.[p] 46 Both Paul and Barnabas replied courageously,[q] “It was necessary to speak the word of God[r] to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy[s] of eternal life, we[t] are turning to the Gentiles.[u] 47 For this[v] is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have appointed[w] you to be a light[x] for the Gentiles, to bring salvation[y] to the ends of the earth.’”[z] 48 When the Gentiles heard this, they began to rejoice[aa] and praise[ab] the word of the Lord, and all who had been appointed for eternal life[ac] believed. 49 So the word of the Lord was spreading[ad] through the entire region. 50 But the Jews incited[ae] the God-fearing women of high social standing and the prominent men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and threw them out[af] of their region. 51 So after they shook[ag] the dust off their feet[ah] in protest against them, they went to Iconium.[ai] 52 And the disciples were filled with joy[aj] and with the Holy Spirit.

Paul and Barnabas at Iconium

14 The same thing happened in Iconium[ak] when Paul and Barnabas[al] went into the Jewish synagogue[am] and spoke in such a way that a large group[an] of both Jews and Greeks believed. But the Jews who refused to believe[ao] stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds[ap] against the brothers. So they stayed there[aq] for a considerable time, speaking out courageously for the Lord, who testified[ar] to the message[as] of his grace, granting miraculous signs[at] and wonders to be performed through their hands. But the population[au] of the city was divided; some[av] sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. When both the Gentiles and the Jews (together with their rulers) made[aw] an attempt to mistreat[ax] them and stone them,[ay] Paul and Barnabas[az] learned about it[ba] and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra[bb] and Derbe[bc] and the surrounding region. There[bd] they continued to proclaim[be] the good news.

Psalm 139

Psalm 139[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

139 O Lord, you examine me[b] and know me.
You know when I sit down and when I get up;
even from far away you understand my motives.
You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest;[c]
you are aware of everything I do.[d]
Certainly[e] my tongue does not frame a word
without you, O Lord, being thoroughly aware of it.[f]
You squeeze me in from behind and in front;
you place your hand on me.
Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension;
it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it.[g]
Where can I go to escape your Spirit?
Where can I flee to escape your presence?[h]
If I were to ascend[i] to heaven, you would be there.
If I were to sprawl out[j] in Sheol, there you would be.[k]
If I were to fly away[l] on the wings of the dawn,[m]
and settle down on the other side[n] of the sea,
10 even there your hand would guide me,
your right hand would grab hold of me.
11 If I were to say, “Certainly the darkness will cover me,[o]
and the light will turn to night all around me,”[p]
12 even the darkness is not too dark for you to see,[q]
and the night is as bright as[r] day;
darkness and light are the same to you.[s]
13 Certainly[t] you made my mind and heart;[u]
you wove me together[v] in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing.[w]
You knew me thoroughly;[x]
15 my bones were not hidden from you,
when[y] I was made in secret
and sewed together in the depths of the earth.[z]
16 Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb.[aa]
All the days ordained for me
were recorded in your scroll
before one of them came into existence.[ab]
17 How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts about me, O God![ac]
How vast is their sum total.[ad]
18 If I tried to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
Even if I finished counting them,
I would still have to contend with you.[ae]
19 If only[af] you would kill the wicked, O God!
Get away from me, you violent men![ag]
20 They[ah] rebel against you[ai] and act deceitfully;[aj]
your enemies lie.[ak]
21 O Lord, do I not hate those who hate you,
and despise those who oppose you?[al]
22 I absolutely hate them;[am]
they have become my enemies.
23 Examine me, O God, and probe my thoughts.[an]
Test me, and know my concerns.[ao]
24 See if there is any idolatrous way[ap] in me,
and lead me in the everlasting way.[aq]

Proverbs 17:19-21

19 The one who loves a quarrel loves transgression;[a]
whoever builds his gate high seeks destruction.[b]
20 The one who has a perverse heart[c] does not find good,[d]
and the one who is deceitful in speech[e] falls into trouble.
21 Whoever brings a fool[f] into the world[g] does so[h] to his grief,
and the father of a fool has no joy.[i]

New English Translation (NET)

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