The Daily Audio Bible
Today's audio is from the NET. Switch to the NET to read along with the audio.
The Widow’s Land Restored
8 Now Elisha said to the woman whose son he had brought back to life, “You and your household, make preparations and leave, and stay in whatever other country you can, for the Lord has decreed a famine that will be in the land for seven years.” 2 So the woman got up and did just as the man of God said. She and her household went and lived in the land of the Philistines for seven years. 3 At the end of seven years, the woman returned from the land of the Philistines. Then she went to appeal to the king to get back her house and her fields.
4 The king had told Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, “Tell me all the great things which Elisha has done.”
5 While he was telling the king how Elisha had brought the dead boy back to life, the very woman whose son he had brought back to life was coming to appeal to the king about her house and her fields. Then Gehazi said, “My lord the king, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha brought back to life.”
6 Then the king asked the woman about it, and she told him. So the king appointed a high official to her case, saying, “Return everything which is hers and all the produce of her fields, from the day she left the land until now.”
Hazael Assassinates Ben Hadad
7 Elisha went to Damascus while Ben Hadad the king of Aram was sick. The king was told, “The man of God has come here.”
8 So the king said to Hazael, “Take a gift and go to meet the man of God. You will inquire of the Lord through him, asking whether I will survive this sickness.”
9 Hazael went to meet him. He took a gift of forty camel loads of all the goods of Damascus, and he came and stood before Elisha and said, “Your son, Ben Hadad, king of Aram, sent me to you to say, ‘Will I survive this sickness?’”
10 Then Elisha said to him, “Go and say to him, ‘You will certainly survive,’ but the Lord has shown me that he will really die.” 11 Then Elisha stared straight at him until Hazael was embarrassed. Then the man of God wept.
12 Hazael said, “Why is my lord weeping?”
Then he said, “Because I know the evil you will do to the people of Israel. You will set fire to their fortified cities. You will kill their young men with the sword. You will dash their children to pieces, and you will rip open their pregnant women.”
13 Then Hazael said, “But what is your servant, a mere dog, that he could do such a great thing?”
Then Elisha said, “The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram.”
14 Hazael then left Elisha and went to his master, and the king said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?”
He said, “He told me that you will certainly survive.”
15 But the next day, he took a thick cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it on the king’s face so that he died. Then Hazael became king in his place.
Jehoram (Joram) Son of Jehoshaphat, King of Judah
16 In the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab, the king of Israel, while Jehoshaphat was king of Judah,[a] Jehoram[b] son of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, became king. 17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he was king for eight years in Jerusalem. 18 He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did, because the daughter of Ahab was his wife. So he did evil in the eyes of the Lord. 19 But for the sake of his servant David, the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah, because he had said that he would give a lamp to David and to his sons forever.
20 During his days, Edom broke away from the control of Judah and set a king over themselves. 21 So Joram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. At night he rose up and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but his army fled to their tents.[c] 22 So Edom has been in revolt against Judah to this day. Libnah also rebelled at the same time.
23 As for the rest of Joram’s acts and everything he did, are they not written in the Book of the Annals the Kings of Judah? 24 Joram rested with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the City of David. Then his son Ahaziah became king in his place.
Ahaziah Son of Jehoram, King of Judah
25 In the twelfth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah became king. 26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he ruled as king in Jerusalem for one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, granddaughter of Omri, king of Israel. 27 He walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as the house of Ahab had done, because he was a son-in-law of the house of Ahab.
28 He went with Joram son of Ahab to wage war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram. 29 So King Joram returned to Jezre’el to recover from the wounds which the Arameans inflicted on him at Ramoth Gilead when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram son of Ahab in Jezre’el because he had been wounded.
Jehu Anointed King of Israel
9 Then Elisha called one of the sons of the prophets and told him, “Hike up your garments for travel,[d] and take this flask of oil in your hand and go to Ramoth Gilead. 2 When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go in and have him excuse himself from his associates[e] and bring him into an inner room. 3 Take the flask of oil, pour it out on his head, and say, ‘This is what the Lord says. I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and flee. Do not delay!”
4 So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead. 5 When he got there, he found the commanders of the army sitting together.
He said, “I have a message for you, commander.”
Then Jehu said, “For which of us?”
He answered, “For you, commander.”
6 So Jehu got up and went into the house. Then the servant poured the oil on his head and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says. I anoint you king over the Lord’s people Israel. 7 You will strike down the house of your master Ahab, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the servants of the Lord that was shed by Jezebel. 8 The whole house of Ahab will perish. In Israel I will cut off from Ahab those who urinate against the wall,[f] both bound and free.[g] 9 I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Ba’asha son of Ahijah. 10 The dogs will eat Jezebel on the plot of ground in Jezre’el, and no one will bury her.” Then he opened the door and fled.
11 Then Jehu went out to the rest of the king’s officers. They said to him, “Is everything all right? Why did that madman come to you?”
He said to them, “You know the man and how he talks.”
12 But they said, “That’s not true! Tell us!”
So he said, “He told me this and that, and then he said, ‘This is what the Lord says. I anoint you king over Israel.’”
13 Each man quickly took his cloak. Then they placed them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the ram’s horn and said, “Jehu is king!”
Paul and Silas Put in Prison
16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us. She had a spirit that foretold the future, and she made a large profit for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 As she followed Paul and us, she kept crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you[a] the way to be saved.” 18 When she kept doing this for many days, Paul became so annoyed that he turned to the spirit and said, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very moment.
19 When her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. 20 They had brought them to the magistrates and said, “These men are throwing our city into a state of confusion. They are Jews, 21 and they are teaching customs that are not lawful for us to accept or practice, since we are Romans.”
22 When the crowd also joined in the attack against them, the magistrates tore off their clothes and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had beaten them severely, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to guard them securely. 24 Because he received such a command, the jailer threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
The Earthquake and the Jailer’s Conversion
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Instantly all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw that the prison doors were opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, because he thought that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted with a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself, because we are all here!”
29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling in front of Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them outside and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus[b] and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his home. 33 At the same hour of the night, he took them and washed their wounds. Without delay, he and all his family were baptized. 34 Then he brought Paul and Silas into his house and set food before them. He rejoiced, because he and his whole household had come to believe in God.
Released From Prison
35 At daybreak the magistrates sent officers, saying, “Release those men!” 36 The jailer reported these words to Paul: “The magistrates have sent orders that you should be released. So come out now and go in peace.”
37 But Paul said to them, “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now they are releasing us secretly? Absolutely not! Let them come themselves and escort us out!”
38 The officers reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39 So they came and apologized to them. As they escorted them out, they requested that they leave the city. 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house. They saw the brothers, encouraged them, and then left.
Psalm 143
Do Not Bring Your Servant Into Judgment
Heading
A psalm by David.
Prayer for Forgiveness
1 Lord, hear my prayer.
Give ear to my cry for mercy.
In your faithfulness, answer me in your righteousness.
2 Do not bring charges against your servant,
because no one living can be righteous before you.
The Problem
3 For the enemy pursues my soul.
He crushes my life to the ground.
He makes me dwell in dark places like those long dead,
4 so my spirit grows faint inside me.
Within me my heart is devastated.
The Reason for Hope
5 I remember the days of long ago.
I meditate on all your works,
and I consider what your hands have done.
6 I spread out my hands to you. Interlude
My soul thirsts for you like a weary land.
The Prayer
7 Hurry! Answer me, Lord.
My spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me,
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
8 Let me hear about your mercy in the morning,
for I trust in you.
Teach me the way that I should go,
for I lift up my soul to you.
9 Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord,
for I hide myself in you.
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
May your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
11 For the sake of your name, O Lord, preserve my life.
In your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
12 In your mercy, wipe out my enemies,
and destroy all who threaten my life,
for I am your servant.
26 It is not good to impose a fine on a righteous person
nor to flog officials because of their uprightness.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.