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Ben Hadad Lays Siege to Samaria
20 Then Ben Hadad king of Aram, along with thirty-two kings, mobilized his whole army with their horses and chariots. He went up and laid siege to Samaria and fought against it. 2 He sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel in the city, 3 who said to him, “This is what Ben Hadad says. Your silver and your gold are mine. The best of your wives and your children are mine.”
4 The king of Israel answered, “Just as you have said, my lord the king, I and all that I own are yours.”
5 The messengers came a second time and said, “This is what Ben Hadad says. I did indeed send word to you, saying, ‘You must give me your silver and your gold and your wives and your children.’ 6 So at this time tomorrow, I will send my servants to you, and they will search your palace and the houses of your officials, and they will gather up everything that you value and take it away.”
7 The king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land. “See how this man is looking for trouble. When he sent for my wives and my children, my silver and my gold, I did not refuse him.”
8 All the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen and do not agree to this!”
9 So he told Ben Hadad’s messengers, “Say this to your lord the king. Everything which you demanded of your servant the first time, I will do, but this thing I cannot do.” So the messengers brought his message back to the king.
10 Then Ben Hadad sent word to him: “May the gods punish me severely and even double it, if the dust left from Samaria will be enough to give a handful to each of those who follow me.”
11 The king of Israel answered, “Tell him that someone who is putting his armor on should not boast like someone who is taking it off.”
12 When he heard this message, Ben Hadad and his kings were in their tents drinking. He said to his servants, “Get ready!” and they took up positions against the city.
13 But then, at that time, a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says. Do you see all of this huge horde?[a] Look, I am giving it into your hands today. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”
14 Then Ahab said, “Through whom will this happen?”
The prophet answered, “This is what the Lord says. It will be through the young officers from the provinces.”
He said, “Who will start the battle?”
He said, “You will.”
15 So Ahab inspected the young officers from the provinces and found that there were two hundred thirty-two. After inspecting them he inspected the whole army. The Israelites numbered seven thousand men. 16 They marched out at noon while Ben Hadad was getting drunk in his tent, along with the thirty-two kings who were supporting him. 17 So the young officers from the provinces marched out first. Ben Hadad sent out scouts, who told him, “Men are marching out of Samaria!”
18 Ben Hadad said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive! Even if they have come out for war, take them alive!” 19 But when the young officers from the provinces and the army that was with them marched out, 20 each of them killed his opponent. Then the Arameans fled, and Israel pursued them. Ben Hadad king of Aram fled on a horse with his charioteers.[b]
21 The king of Israel marched out and attacked the horses and chariots. He inflicted a great defeat on Aram.
Ben Hadad Attacks Aphek
22 Afterward the prophet approached the king of Israel and said to him, “Strengthen your position and consider carefully what you should do, because next spring the king of Aram will attack you.”
23 The king of Aram’s officials said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they defeated us. But if we fight them on the plain, we will certainly defeat them. 24 Now do this. Remove the kings from their positions as field commanders, and replace them with military officers. 25 Then raise an army like the army you lost—horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then if we fight them on the plain, we will certainly defeat them.” The king listened to them and did what they recommended.
26 When spring came, Ben Hadad mobilized the army of Aram and went up to Aphek to wage war against Israel. 27 The Israelites also were mobilized and given provisions, and they went out to confront the Arameans. The Israelites camped across from them, like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans filled the land.
28 Then the man of God approached and said to the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says. Because the Arameans said, ‘The Lord is a god of the hills, but not a god of the valleys,’ I will give all of this huge horde into your hands. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”
29 So they camped opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day the battle was joined by both armies. The Israelites struck down the Arameans—one hundred thousand foot soldiers in one day. 30 The survivors fled to the city of Aphek, and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the survivors. Ben Hadad also fled and went into the city, to an inner room.
Ahab Spares Ben Hadad
31 Then his officials said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful. So let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads and go out to the king of Israel. Maybe he will spare your life.”
32 So they wrapped sackcloth around their waists and put ropes on their heads, and they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant, Ben Hadad, says, ‘Please spare my life.’”
Ahab said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”[c]
33 The men took this as a good omen, so they quickly latched on to what he said and responded, “Ben Hadad is your brother.”
Then Ahab said, “Go get him.” So Ben Hadad came out to him, and Ahab brought him up into his chariot.
34 Ben Hadad said to him, “I will return the cities that my father took from your father, and you may put your own trading centers in Damascus, just as my father put them in Samaria.”
Then Ahab said, “Under these terms, I release you.” So he made a treaty[d] with Ben Hadad and let him go.
God’s Judgment on Ahab
35 Then by the word of the Lord one of the sons of the prophets[e] said to his neighbor, “Strike me, please.” But the man refused to strike him. 36 So he said to him, “Because you did not listen to the voice of the Lord, when you leave me, a lion will kill you.” When he left him, a lion found him and killed him.
37 Then he found another man and said, “Strike me, please.” The man struck him and wounded him. 38 The prophet went and stood before the king at the road and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.
39 When the king was passing by, the prophet shouted to the king, “Your servant went out in the middle of the battle. Then someone brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man. If you can’t account for him, then it will be your life for his life, or you will have to pay a talent of silver.’ 40 But while your servant was busy doing this and that, all of a sudden the man was gone!”
Then the king of Israel said to him, “That is your sentence. You have pronounced it on yourself.”
41 Then he quickly removed the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized that he was one of the prophets.
42 He said to the king, “This is what the Lord says. Because you set a man free, whom I had devoted to destruction, it will be your life for his life and your people for his people.” 43 The king of Israel headed for his palace sullen and angry, and he arrived in Samaria.
Naboth’s Vineyard
21 Some time passed after these events.
Naboth from Jezre’el had a vineyard in Jezre’el, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard so I can use it as a vegetable garden, because it is beside my house, and I will give you a better vineyard in exchange. Or if you prefer, I will give you the purchase price in silver.”
3 But Naboth said to Ahab, “May I be cursed by the Lord, if I were to give you the inheritance from my fathers.”
4 Ahab went to his house sullen and angry because of what Naboth from Jezre’el had said to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” Ahab lay down on his bed and turned his face away and would not eat anything.
5 Then his wife Jezebel came to him and said, “Why is your spirit so sullen, and why don’t you eat?”
6 Then he told her, “I said to Naboth from Jezre’el, ‘Sell your vineyard to me, or if you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’”
7 Then his wife Jezebel said to him, “Are you now acting like the king over Israel? Get up! Eat something, and cheer up. I will give you the vineyard of Naboth from Jezre’el.”
8 Then Jezebel wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal. She sent the letters to the elders and nobles who were living in the city with Naboth. 9 She wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast and then seat Naboth at the head of the people. 10 Seat two wicked, worthless men opposite him and have them testify, ‘You cursed God and the king!’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”
11 The men of the city—the elders and the nobles who lived there—did exactly as Jezebel had commanded them, exactly as she had written in the letters she had sent them. 12 They proclaimed a fast and then seated Naboth at the head of the people. 13 They brought two wicked, worthless men and seated them opposite him. The wicked men testified against Naboth before the people, “Naboth cursed God and the king!” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death. 14 Then they sent word to Jezebel, “Naboth has been stoned to death.”
15 When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Go and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth from Jezre’el, which he refused to sell to you, because Naboth is no longer alive but dead.” 16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he went and took possession of the vineyard of Naboth from Jezre’el.
The Lord Condemns Ahab
17 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah from Tishbe:
18 Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. Right now he is in Naboth’s vineyard because he has gone down to take possession of it.
19 You are to tell him: This is what the Lord says. Have you committed murder and seized this man’s property?
Then you will say to him: This is what the Lord says. In the place where dogs licked Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick your blood also.
20 Then Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, my enemy?”
Elijah said, “I have found you, because you sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, who says, 21 ‘I am bringing disaster against you, and I will burn you up. I will cut off from Ahab in Israel all those who urinate against the wall,[f] both bound and free.[g] 22 I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Ba’asha son of Ahijah, because you have provoked me to anger and caused Israel to sin.’
23 “Concerning Jezebel the Lord says, ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezre’el.’ 24 The dead who belong to Ahab in the city the dogs will eat, and the dead in the country the birds of the air will eat.”
25 There had never been anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, incited by his wife Jezebel. 26 He committed obscene acts by following filthy idols, like everything that the Amorites had done, for which the Lord drove them out before the people of Israel. 27 But when Ahab heard these words, he cried out and tore his clothes. He put on sackcloth and fasted. He slept in sackcloth and went around in a subdued manner.
28 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah from Tishbe, saying, 29 “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring this disaster during his days, but during the days of his son I will bring disaster upon his house.”
24 But the word of God continued to grow and increase.
25 After Barnabas and Saul had completed their relief mission in Jerusalem, they returned[a] and brought along John, who is called Mark.
The Holy Spirit Calls Paul and Barnabas
13 Now in the church at Antioch there were some prophets and teachers: Barnabas; Simeon, who was called Niger; Lucius of Cyrene; Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch; and Saul. 2 While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, after they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them off.
4 So they were sent out by the Holy Spirit and went down to Seleucia. From there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. They also had John as their assistant.
6 When they had traveled through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came across a sorcerer, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. The proconsul summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God.
8 Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit and looking straight at him, 10 said, “You are full of every kind of deceit and fraud, you son of the Devil, you enemy of all righteousness! Will you never stop twisting the straight paths of the Lord? 11 Now look! The hand of the Lord is against you. You will be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the sun.”
Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he went around looking for someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul saw what happened, he believed. He was amazed at the teaching of the Lord.
At Pisidian Antioch
13 Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John, however, left them and returned to Jerusalem. 14 But they went on from Perga and arrived at Antioch in Pisidia. They went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. 15 After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Gentlemen,[b] brothers, if you have a word of encouragement for the people, say it.”
Psalm 137
Beside the Rivers of Babylon
Sorrow for Jerusalem
1 Beside the rivers[a] of Babylon,
there we sat, and, yes, we wept as we remembered Zion.
2 There we hung up our lyres on the willows,
3 because there our captors asked us for words of a song,
and our tormentors asked for a happy song:
“Sing for us one of the songs of Zion!”
Zeal for Zion
4 How can we sing a song of the Lord on foreign soil?
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget how to play music.[b]
6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not exalt Jerusalem above my highest joy.
Zeal for God’s Vengeance
7 Remember the day of Jerusalem, O Lord,
against the descendants of Edom[c] who said,
“Tear it down, tear it down to its foundations!”
8 Daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed,
how blessed is the one who repays you
with the same deeds you did against us.
9 How blessed is the one who seizes your children
and dashes them against the cliff.
16 Why hand a fool money to buy wisdom,
since he has no aptitude for using it?
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.