Bible in 90 Days Plan

¹In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah.

²He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Maacah [grand]daughter of Abishalom ( Absalom).

³He walked in all the sins [of idol worship] that his father [Rehoboam] committed before him; and his heart was not entirely devoted to the LORD his God, like the heart of his father (forefather) David.

⁴Nevertheless, for David's sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp (descendant on the throne) in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him and establishing Jerusalem,

⁵because David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of [the betrayal of] Uriah the Hittite.

⁶There was war between Rehoboam [Abijam's father] and Jeroboam all the days of Rehoboam's life.

⁷Now as for the rest of the acts of Abijam and everything that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

⁸Abijam slept with his fathers [in death] and they buried him in the City of David. Asa his son became king in his place.

⁹So in the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign as king over Judah.

¹⁰He reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His [great-grand]mother was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom (Absalom).

¹¹Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did his father (forefather) David.

¹²He expelled the male cult prostitutes (sodomites) from the land and removed all the idols that his fathers [Solomon, Rehoboam, and Abijam] had made.

¹³He also deposed his [great-grand]mother Maacah from being queen mother, because she had made a horrid (obscene, vulgar) image for [the goddess] Asherah. Asa cut down her horrid image, and burned it by the Brook Kidron.

¹⁴But the high places [of idol worship] were not removed. Nevertheless, Asa's heart was entirely devoted to the LORD all his days.

¹⁵He brought the things which his father had dedicated and the things which he had dedicated into the house of the LORD—silver, gold, and utensils and accessories.

¹⁶Now there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

¹⁷Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah [north of Jerusalem], in order to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.

¹⁸Then Asa took all the silver and gold left in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the treasuries of the palace of the king and handed them over to his servants. And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Aram (Syria), who lived in Damascus, saying,

¹⁹"Let there be a treaty between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold; go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me."

²⁰So Ben-hadad listened to king Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all Chinneroth [the region of the Sea of Galilee], along with all the land of Naphtali.

²¹When Baasha heard about it, he stopped fortifying Ramah and stayed in Tirzah.

²²Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah—none was exempt—and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had built [the fortifications]. And King Asa built with them [border fortresses at] Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah.

²³Now as for the rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, everything that he did, and the cities which he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But during the time of his old age he had a foot disease.

²⁴Asa slept with his fathers [in death] and was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David. Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.

²⁵Now Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel for two years.

²⁶He did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father [Jeroboam] and in his sin [of idolatry], with which he made Israel sin.

²⁷Baasha the son of Ahijah of the house (tribe) of Issachar conspired against Nadab, and Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, while Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon.

²⁸So Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place.

²⁹As soon as he was king, Baasha struck down all the household of Jeroboam. He did not leave for Jeroboam anyone alive, but he destroyed them in accordance with the word of the LORD which He had spoken through His servant Ahijah the Shilonite—

³⁰because of the sins committed by Jeroboam and which he made Israel commit, and because he provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger.

³¹Now as for the rest of Nadab's acts and everything that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

³²There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

³³In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah became king over all Israel in Tirzah [the capital city], and reigned twenty-four years.

³⁴He did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin [of idolatry] with which he made Israel sin.

¹Now the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying,

²"Because I exalted you [Baasha] from the dust and made you leader over My people Israel, and you walked in the way of Jeroboam and made My people Israel sin, provoking Me to anger with their sins [of idol worship],

³behold, I am going to sweep away Baasha and his household (family), and I will make your house (royal line) like that of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

⁴The dogs will eat anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat anyone belonging to him who dies in the field."

⁵Now as for the rest of the acts of Baasha, what he did and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

⁶Baasha slept with his fathers [in death] and was buried in Tirzah. Elah his son became king in his place.

⁷Moreover, the word of the LORD came against Baasha and his household through the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani, both for all the evil that Baasha did in the sight of the LORD in provoking Him to anger with the work of his hands (idolatry), in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he [willingly] destroyed it (the family of Jeroboam).

⁸In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two years.

⁹His servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against Elah. Now Elah was in Tirzah, getting drunk in the house of Arza, who was in charge of the [king's] household in Tirzah.

¹⁰Then Zimri came in and struck and killed Elah in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and became king in his place.

¹¹When he became king, as soon as he sat on his throne, he killed the entire household of Baasha; he did not leave a single male [alive], either of his relatives or his friends.

¹²Thus Zimri destroyed the entire household of Baasha, in accordance with the word of the LORD which He spoke against Baasha through Jehu the prophet,

¹³for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, which they committed, and made Israel commit, provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their idols.

¹⁴Now as for the rest of the acts of Elah and everything that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

¹⁵In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned [over Israel] for seven days at Tirzah. Now the troops were camped against Gibbethon, [a city] which belonged to the Philistines,

¹⁶and the people who were camped heard it said, "Zimri has conspired and has also struck down the king." So all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp.

¹⁷Then Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah.

¹⁸When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the fortress of the king's palace; and while inside, he set fire to the king's palace and died,

¹⁹because of the sins he had committed, doing evil in the sight of the LORD, by walking in the way of Jeroboam, and because of his sin he caused Israel to sin.

²⁰Now as for the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his [treasonous] conspiracy which he committed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

²¹Then the people of Israel were divided in half. Half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king, and the other half followed Omri.

²²But the people who followed Omri prevailed over the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri became king.

²³In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel and reigned for twelve years. He reigned six years at Tirzah.

²⁴Omri bought the hill Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver, and he built a city on the hill [and fortified it], and named the city which he built Samaria, after the owner of the hill, Shemer.

²⁵But Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, and acted more wickedly than all who came before him.

²⁶He walked in all the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and in his sin, which he made Israel commit, provoking the LORD God of Israel, [to anger] with their idols.

²⁷Now as for the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might which he showed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

²⁸So Omri slept with his fathers [in death] and was buried in Samaria. Ahab his son became king in his place.

²⁹Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria for twenty-two years.

³⁰Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD more than all [the kings] who were before him.

³¹It came about, as if it had been a trivial thing for Ahab to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him.

³²So he erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal which he built in Samaria.

³³Ahab also made the Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

³⁴In his days, Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations with the loss of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the LORD, which He spoke through Joshua the son of Nun.

¹Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by My word."

²And the word of the LORD came to him, saying,

³"Go from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan [River].

⁴You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to sustain you there [with food]."

⁵So he went and did in accordance with the word of the LORD; he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan.

⁶And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he would drink from the brook.

⁷It happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

⁸Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying,

⁹"Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you."

¹⁰So he set out and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks [for firewood]. He called out to her and said, "Please bring me a little water in a jar, so that I may drink."

¹¹As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand."

¹²But she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar. See, I am gathering a few sticks so that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it [as our last meal] and die."

¹³Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said. Just make me a little bread from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son.

¹⁴For this is what the LORD God of Israel says: 'The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted nor shall the jar of oil be empty until the day that the LORD sends rain [again] on the face of the earth.'"

¹⁵She went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days.

¹⁶The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, in accordance the word of the LORD which He spoke through Elijah.

¹⁷It happened after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick; and his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.

¹⁸So she said to Elijah, "What [problem] is there between you and me, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to mind and to put my son to death?"

¹⁹He said to her, "Give me your son." Then he took him from her arms and carried him up to the upper room where he was living, and laid him on his own bed.

²⁰He called to the LORD and said, "O LORD my God, have You brought further tragedy to the widow with whom I am staying, by causing her son to die?"

²¹Then he stretched himself out upon the child three times, and called to the LORD and said, "O LORD my God, please let this child's life return to him."

²²The LORD heard the voice of Elijah, and the life of the child returned to him and he revived.

²³Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the [lower part of the] house and gave him to his mother; and Elijah said, "See, your son is alive."

²⁴Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth."

¹Now it happened after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, "Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth."

²So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria.

³Ahab called Obadiah who was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly;

⁴for when Jezebel destroyed the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water.)

⁵Then Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go into the land to all the sources of water and to all the streams; perhaps we may find grass and keep the horses and mules alive, and not have to kill some of the cattle."

⁶So they divided the land between them to survey it. Ahab went one way by himself and Obadiah went another way by himself.

⁷As Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him. He recognized him and fell face downward [out of respect] and said, "Is it you, my lord Elijah?"

⁸He answered him, "It is I. Go tell your master, 'Elijah is here.'"

⁹But he said, "What sin have I committed, that you would hand over your servant to Ahab to put me to death?

¹⁰As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent messengers to seek you; and when they said, 'He is not here,' Ahab made the kingdom or nation swear that they had not found you.

¹¹And now you are saying, 'Go, tell your master, "Behold, Elijah [is here]."'

¹²And as soon as I leave you, the Spirit of the LORD will carry you to a place I do not know; so when I come to tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill me. Yet your servant has [reverently] feared the LORD from my youth.

¹³Has it not been told to my lord [Elijah] what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid a hundred of the Lord's prophets by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water?

¹⁴And now you are saying, 'Go, tell your master, "Elijah is here"'; and he will kill me."

¹⁵Elijah said, "As the LORD of hosts (armies) lives, before whom I stand, I will certainly show myself to Ahab today."

¹⁶So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

¹⁷When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Are you the one who is bringing disaster on Israel?"

¹⁸Elijah said, "I have not brought disaster on Israel, but you and your father's household have, by abandoning (rejecting) the commandments of the LORD and by following the Baals.

¹⁹Now then, send word and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of [the goddess] Asherah, who eat at [Queen] Jezebel's table."

²⁰So Ahab sent word to all the Israelites and assembled the [pagan] prophets together at Mount Carmel.

²¹Elijah approached all the people and said, "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people [of Israel] did not answer him [so much as] a word.

²²Then Elijah said to the people, "I alone remain a prophet of the LORD, while Baal's prophets are 450 men.

²³Now let them give us two oxen, and let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood, and I will not put a fire under it.

²⁴Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the god who answers by fire, He is God." And all the people answered, "It is well spoken."

²⁵Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, since there are many of you; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it."

²⁶So they took the bull that was given to them and prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "O Baal, hear and answer us." But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they had made.

²⁷At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, "Cry out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied, or he is out [at the moment], or he is on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened!"

²⁸So they cried out with a loud voice [to get Baal's attention] and cut themselves with swords and lances in accordance with their custom, until the blood flowed out on them.

²⁹As midday passed, they played the part of prophets and raved dramatically until the time for offering the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention.

³⁰Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me." So all the people approached him. And he repaired and rebuilt the [old] altar of the LORD that had been torn down [by Jezebel].

³¹Then Elijah took twelve stones in accordance with the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, "Israel shall be your name."

³²So with the stones Elijah built an altar in the name of the LORD. He made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two measures of seed.

³³Then he laid out the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood.

³⁴And he said, "Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering and the wood." And he said, "Do it the second time." And they did it the second time. And he said, "Do it the third time." And they did it a third time.

³⁵The water flowed around the altar, and he also filled the trench with water.

³⁶At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached [the altar] and said, "O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (Jacob), let it be known today that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and that I have done all these things at Your word.

³⁷Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back [to You]."

³⁸Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood, and even the stones and the dust; it also licked up the water in the trench.

³⁹When all the people saw it, they fell face downward; and they said, "The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!"

⁴⁰Then Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape." They seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and [as God's law required] killed them there.

⁴¹Now Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of the roar of an abundance of rain."

⁴²So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he crouched down to the earth and put his face between his knees,

⁴³and he said to his servant, "Go up, look toward the sea." So he went up and looked and said, "There is nothing." Elijah said, "Go back" seven times.

⁴⁴And at the seventh time the servant said, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is coming up from the sea." And Elijah said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the rain shower does not stop you.'"

⁴⁵In a little while the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and there were heavy showers. And Ahab mounted and rode [his chariot] and went [inland] to Jezreel.

⁴⁶Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah [giving him supernatural strength]. He girded up his loins and outran Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel [nearly twenty miles].

¹Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets [of Baal] with the sword.

²Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me, and even more, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the life of one of them."

³And Elijah was afraid and arose and ran for his life, and he came to Beersheba which belongs to Judah, and he left his servant there.

⁴But he himself traveled a day's journey into the wilderness, and he came and sat down under a juniper tree and asked [God] that he might die. He said, "It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers."

⁵He lay down and slept under the juniper tree, and behold, an angel touched him and said to him, "Get up and eat."

⁶He looked, and by his head there was a bread cake baked on hot coal, and a pitcher of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again.

⁷Then the angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, "Get up, and eat, for the journey is too long for you [without adequate sustenance]."

⁸So he got up and ate and drank, and with the strength of that food he traveled forty days and nights to Horeb (Sinai), the mountain of God.

⁹There he came to a cave and spent the night in it; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

¹⁰He said, "I have been very zealous (impassioned) for the LORD God of hosts (armies) [proclaiming what is rightfully and uniquely His]; for the sons of Israel have abandoned (broken) Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I, only I, am left; and they seek to take away my life."

¹¹So He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD was passing by, and a great and powerful wind was tearing out the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind, [there was] an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

¹²After the earthquake, [there was] a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire, [there was] the sound of a gentle blowing.

¹³When Elijah heard the sound, he wrapped his face in his mantle (cloak) and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

¹⁴He said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts (armies), because the sons of Israel have abandoned (broken) Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I, only I, am left; and they seek to take away my life."

¹⁵The LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram (Syria);

¹⁶and you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and anoint Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place.

¹⁷It shall come about that Jehu shall put to death whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, and Elisha shall put to death whoever escapes the sword of Jehu.

¹⁸Yet I will leave 7,000 [survivors] in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed down to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him."

¹⁹So Elijah departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. Elijah went over to him and threw his mantle (coat) on him.

²⁰He left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, "Please let me kiss my father and mother [goodbye], then I will follow you." And he said to him, "Go on back; for what have I done to [stop] you?"

²¹So Elisha left him and went back. Then he took a pair of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their meat with the implements of the oxen [as fuel], and gave the meat to the people, and they ate. Then he stood and followed Elijah, and served him.

¹Ben-hadad king of Aram (Syria) gathered all his army together; thirty-two kings were [allied] with him, with horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria [Israel's capital], and fought against it.

²Then he sent messengers to the city to Ahab king of Israel; and he said to him, "Thus says Ben-hadad:

³'Your silver and your gold are mine; your wives and your children, even the fairest, also are mine [as conditions of peace].'"

⁴The king of Israel [conceded his defeat and] answered, "By your word, my lord, O king, I am yours, and all that I have."

⁵The messengers returned and said, "Thus says Ben-hadad: 'I indeed sent word to you, saying, "You shall give me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children,"

⁶but about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants; and they will take with their hands (confiscate) whatever is desirable in your eyes and carry it away.'"

⁷Then the king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said, "Please observe and see how this man is seeking our destruction. For he sent messengers to me for my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, and I did not refuse him."

⁸All the elders and all the people said to him, "Do not listen or consent [to this additional demand]."

⁹So he said to Ben-hadad's messengers, "Tell my lord the king, 'Every demand you first sent to your servant I will do, but I cannot do this [additional] thing [as a condition of peace].'" And the messengers left; then they brought him word again.

¹⁰Ben-hadad sent word to him and said, "May the gods do so to me, and more also, if there is enough dust left of Samaria for handfuls for all the [armed] people who follow me."

¹¹The king of Israel answered, "Tell him, 'A man who puts on [his armor to go to battle] should not boast like the man who takes it off [after the battle has been won].'"

¹²When Ben-hadad heard this message, as he and the kings were drinking in the temporary shelters, he said to his servants, "Station yourselves." So they stationed themselves against the city [of Samaria].

¹³Then a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, "Thus says the LORD: 'Have you seen all this great army? Behold, I will hand them over to you, and you shall know [without any doubt] that I am the LORD.'"

¹⁴Ahab said, "By whom?" And he said, "Thus says the LORD: 'By the young men [the attendants or bodyguards] of the governors of the districts.'" Then Ahab said, "Who shall begin the battle?" And he answered, "You."

¹⁵Then Ahab assembled and counted the young men of the governors of the districts, and there were 232. After them he assembled and counted all the people, all the sons of Israel, 7,000.

¹⁶They went out at noon, while Ben-hadad was getting drunk in the temporary shelters, he and the thirty-two kings who were helping him.

¹⁷The young men of the governors of the districts went out first; and Ben-hadad sent men out and they told him, saying, "Men have come out of Samaria."

¹⁸And he said, "Whether they have come out for peace or for war, take them alive."

¹⁹So these young men of the governors of the districts went out of the city, and the army followed them.

²⁰And each one killed his man; and the Arameans (Syrians) fled and Israel pursued them. Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen.

²¹The king of Israel went out and struck [the riders of] the horses and chariots, and killed the Arameans in a great slaughter.

²²Then the prophet approached the king of Israel and said to him, "Go, strengthen yourself and observe and see what you have to do; for at the first of next year the king of Aram (Syria) will come up against you."

²³Now the servants of the king of Aram said to him, "Israel's god is a god of the hills; that is why they were stronger than we. But let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they.

²⁴Do this: remove the [thirty-two allied] kings, each from his place, and put captains in their place,

²⁵and assemble an army like the army that you have lost in battle, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they." And he listened to their words and did so.

²⁶At the first of the year [in spring], Ben-hadad assembled and counted the Arameans (Syrians) and went up to Aphek [east of the Sea of Galilee] to fight against Israel.

²⁷The sons of Israel were counted and given provisions, and they went to meet them. The Israelites camped before the enemy like two little flocks of goats [with everything against them, except God], and the Arameans filled the country.

²⁸A man of God approached and said to the king of Israel, "Thus says the LORD, 'Because the Arameans have said, "The LORD is a god of the hills, but He is not a god of the valleys," I will give this great army into your hand, and you shall know [by experience] that I am the LORD.'"

²⁹So they camped opposite each other for seven days. Then on the seventh day the battle began, and the sons of Israel killed 100,000 of the Aramean foot soldiers in a single day.

³⁰But the rest ran to the city of Aphek, and the [city] wall fell on 27,000 of the men who were left. Ben-hadad escaped and came into the city, going into an inner chamber [to hide].

³¹But his servants said to him, "We have heard that the kings of the house (royal line) of Israel are merciful kings. Please let us put sackcloth around our loins and ropes on our necks [as symbols of submission], and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will spare your life."

³²So they put sackcloth around their loins and ropes on their necks, and came to the king of Israel and said, "Your servant Ben-hadad says, 'Please let me live.'" And Ahab asked, "Is he still alive? He is my brother."

³³Now the men took it as a good omen, and quickly understanding his meaning said, "Yes, your brother Ben-hadad lives." Then the king said, "Go, bring him." Then Ben-hadad came out to him, and Ahab had him come up into the chariot.

³⁴Ben-hadad [tempting him] said to him, "I will restore the cities which my father took from your father; and you may set up bazaars (shops) of your own in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria." Then, Ahab replied, "I will let you go with this covenant (treaty)." So he made a covenant with him and let him go.

³⁵Now a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to another by the word of the LORD, "Please strike me." But the man refused to strike him.

³⁶Then the prophet said to him, "Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as you leave me, a lion will kill you." And as soon as he left him, a lion found him and killed him.

³⁷Then the prophet found another man and said, "Please strike me." So the man struck him hard, wounding him.

³⁸So the prophet left and waited for King Ahab by the road, and disguised himself [as a wounded soldier] with a bandage over his eyes.

³⁹As the king passed by, the prophet called out to the king and said, "Your servant went out into the middle of the battle, and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, 'Guard this man; if for any reason he is missing, then your life shall be required for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.'

⁴⁰But while your servant was busy here and there, he [escaped and] was gone." And the king of Israel said to him, "Such is your own judgment (verdict); you have determined it."

⁴¹Then the prophet quickly removed the bandage from his eyes, and [Ahab] the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.

⁴²He said to the king, "Thus says the LORD: 'Because you have released from your hand the man [Ben-hadad] whom I had devoted to destruction, your life shall be required for his life, and your people for his people.'"

⁴³So the king of Israel went to his house resentful and sullen, and came to Samaria.

¹Now it came about after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, close beside the [winter] palace of Ahab king of Samaria;

²Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, "Give me your vineyard, so that I may have it for a garden of vegetables and herbs, because it is near my house. I will give you a better vineyard for it, or, if you prefer, I will give you what it is worth in money."

³But Naboth said to Ahab, "The LORD forbid me that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you."

⁴So Ahab [already upset by the Lord's message] came into his house [feeling more] resentful and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him; for he had said, "I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers." And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face, and would not eat any food.

⁵Then Jezebel his wife came to him and asked him, "Why is your spirit so troubled that you have not eaten?"

⁶And he said to her, "Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, 'Give me your vineyard for money; or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it.' But he answered, 'I will not give you my vineyard.'"

⁷Jezebel his wife said to him, "Do you now reign over Israel? Get up, eat food, and let your heart rejoice; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite."

⁸So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city.

⁹Now in the letters she wrote, "Proclaim a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people;

¹⁰and seat two worthless and unprincipled men opposite him, and have them testify against him, saying, 'You cursed God and the king.' Then take him out and stone him to death."

¹¹So the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived there, did as Jezebel had sent word to them, just as it was written in the letters which she had sent to them.

¹²They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the people.

¹³Two worthless and unprincipled men came in and sat down opposite him; and they testified against Naboth before the people, saying, "Naboth cursed and renounced God and the king." Then they brought him outside the city and stoned him to death.

¹⁴Then they sent word to Jezebel, saying, "Naboth has been stoned to death."

¹⁵When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, she said to Ahab, "Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite which he refused to sell you, because Naboth is no longer alive, but dead."

¹⁶When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

¹⁷Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

¹⁸"Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria. Behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession of it.

¹⁹You shall speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "Have you murdered and also taken possession [of the victim's property]?"' And you shall speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the Lord: "In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will lick up your blood as well."'"

²⁰Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, O my enemy?" And he answered, "I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD.

²¹Behold [says the LORD], I am bringing evil (catastrophe) on you, and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free in Israel;

²²and I will make your house (descendants) like that of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for provoking Me to anger and making Israel sin.

²³The LORD also spoke in regard to Jezebel, saying, 'The dogs will eat [the body of] Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.'

²⁴The dogs will eat anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city, and the birds of the air will eat anyone who dies in the field."

²⁵There certainly was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife incited him.

²⁶He acted very repulsively in following idols, in accordance with everything the Amorites had done, whom the LORD expelled [from the land] before the sons of Israel.

²⁷Now when Ahab heard these words [of Elijah], he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly (mourning).

²⁸Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

²⁹"Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil (catastrophe) in his lifetime, but in his son's days I will bring evil upon his house."

¹Aram (Syria) and Israel continued without war for three years.

²In the third year Jehoshaphat king of Judah came down to the king of Israel.

³Now the king of Israel said to his servants, "Do you know that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, yet we are still doing nothing to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?"

⁴And Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?" Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."

⁵But Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire first for the word of the LORD."

⁶Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or should I not?" And they said, "Go up, for the LORD has handed it over to the king."

⁷But Jehoshaphat [doubted and] said, "Is there not another prophet of the LORD here whom we may ask?"

⁸The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is one more man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD, but I hate him, because he never prophesies good news for me, but only evil." But Jehoshaphat said, "May the king not say that [Micaiah only tells bad news]."

⁹Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, "Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah."

¹⁰Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were each sitting on his throne, dressed in their [royal] robes, [in an open place] at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them.

¹¹Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, "Thus says the LORD: 'With these you will gore the Arameans (Syrians) until they are destroyed.'"

¹²All the prophets were prophesying in the same way [to please Ahab], saying, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead and be successful, for the LORD will hand it over to the king."

¹³Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, " Listen carefully, the words of the prophets are unanimously favorable to the king. Please let your words be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably."

¹⁴But Micaiah said, "As the LORD lives, I will speak what the LORD says to me."

¹⁵So when he came to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go against Ramoth-gilead in battle, or shall we not?" And he answered him, "Go up and be successful, for the LORD will hand it over to the king."

¹⁶But the king [doubted him and] said to him, "How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?"

¹⁷And he said, "I saw all Israel Scattered upon the mountains, Like sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, 'These have no master. Let each of them return to his house in peace.'"

¹⁸Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"

¹⁹Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host (army) of heaven standing by Him on His right hand and on His left.

²⁰The LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said this, while another said that.

²¹Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice him.'

²²The LORD said to him, 'How?' And he said, 'I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Then the LORD said, 'You are to entice him and also succeed. Go and do so.'

²³Now then, behold, the LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these prophets; and the LORD has proclaimed disaster against you."

²⁴But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah approached and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, "How did the Spirit of the LORD pass from me to speak to you?"

²⁵Micaiah said, "Behold, you shall see on that day [of the king's defeat] when you enter an inner room [looking for a place] to hide yourself."

²⁶Then the king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah and return him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king's son,

²⁷and say, 'Thus says the king, "Put this man in prison, and feed him sparingly with the bread and water until I return safely."'"

²⁸Micaiah said, "If you indeed return safely, the LORD has not spoken by me." Then he said, "Listen, all you people."

²⁹So [Ahab] the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.

³⁰The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and enter the battle, but you put on your [royal] clothing." So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle.

³¹Now the king of Aram (Syria) had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, "Do not fight with [anyone, either] small or great, but with [Ahab] the king of Israel alone."

³²When the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "Surely it is the king of Israel." They turned to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat shouted out [in fear].

³³When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

³⁴But one man drew a bow at random and struck the king of Israel in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn around and take me out of the fight, because I have been seriously wounded."

³⁵The battle raged that day, and [Ahab] the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans (Syrians). And in the evening he died, and the blood from his wound ran down into the bottom of the chariot.

³⁶Then about sundown a resounding cry passed throughout the army, saying, "Every man to his city and every man to his own country!"

³⁷So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria.

³⁸They washed the chariot by the pool [on the outskirts] of Samaria, where the prostitutes bathed, and the dogs licked up his blood, in accordance with the word of the LORD which He had spoken.

³⁹Now the rest of Ahab's acts, and everything that he did, the ivory palace which he built and all the cities which he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

⁴⁰So Ahab slept with his fathers [in death], and Ahaziah his son became king in his place.

⁴¹Now Jehoshaphat the son of Asa became king over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.

⁴²Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

⁴³He walked in all the ways of Asa his father, without turning from them, doing right in the sight of the LORD. However, the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

⁴⁴Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.

⁴⁵Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, his might which he displayed and how he made war, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

⁴⁶And the remnant of the sodomites (male cult prostitutes) who remained in the days of his father Asa, Jehoshaphat expelled from the land.

⁴⁷Now there was no king in Edom; a deputy (governor) was [serving as] king.

⁴⁸Jehoshaphat had [large cargo] ships of Tarshish constructed to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go, because the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber.

⁴⁹Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Let my servants go with your servants in the ships," But Jehoshaphat was unwilling and refused.

⁵⁰Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers [in death] and was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David, and Jehoram his son became king in his place.

⁵¹Ahaziah the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel for two years.

⁵²He did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the [idolatrous] way of his father [Ahab] and of his mother [Jezebel], and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin.

⁵³He served Baal and worshiped him, and he provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger, in accordance with everything that his father [Ahab] had done.

¹Now Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.

²Ahaziah [the king of Israel] fell through the lattice (grid) in his upper chamber which was in Samaria, and became sick [from the injury]. So he sent messengers, saying to them, "Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, if I will recover from this sickness."

³But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, " Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?'

⁴Therefore this is what the LORD says: 'You [Ahaziah] will not leave the bed on which you lie, but you will certainly die.'" So Elijah departed.

⁵When the messengers returned to Ahaziah, he said to them, "Why have you returned [so soon]?"

⁶They replied, "A man came up to meet us and said to us, 'Go, return to the king who sent you and tell him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you send to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not leave the bed on which you lie, but you will certainly die.'"'"

⁷The king asked them, "What was the appearance of the man who came up to meet you and said these things to you?"

⁸They answered him, "He was a hairy man with a [wide] leather band bound around his loins." And Ahaziah said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite."

⁹Then the king sent to Elijah a captain of fifty with his fifty [fighting men to seize the prophet]. And he went up to him, and behold, he was sitting on the top of a hill. And the captain said to him, "Man of God, the king says, 'Come down.'"

¹⁰Elijah replied to the captain of fifty, "So if I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty [fighting men]." Then fire fell from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

¹¹So King Ahaziah again sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty [fighting men]. And he said to him, "Man of God, thus says the king, 'Come down quickly.'"

¹²Elijah answered them, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty [fighting men]." And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

¹³So Ahaziah again sent a captain of a third fifty with his fifty [fighting men]. And the third captain of fifty went up and came bowed down on his knees before Elijah, and begged him [for compassion] and said to him, "O man of God, please let my life and the lives of your servants, these fifty, be precious in your sight.

¹⁴Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the first two captains of fifty with their fifties; but now let my life be precious in your sight."

¹⁵The angel of the LORD said to Elijah, "Go down with him; do not be afraid of him." So he stood and went down with him to the king.

¹⁶Then Elijah said to Ahaziah, "Thus says the LORD: 'Since you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word?—therefore you will not leave the bed on which you lie, but will certainly die.'"

¹⁷So Ahaziah [the son of King Ahab] died in accordance with the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And because he had no son, Jehoram [his younger brother] became king [of Israel, the northern kingdom] in his place in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah [the southern kingdom].

¹⁸Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

¹When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal.

²And Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Bethel." But Elisha replied, "As the LORD lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel.

³Now the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?" He said, "Yes, I know it; be quiet [about it]."

⁴Elijah said to him, "Elisha, please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the LORD lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho.

⁵The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?" And he answered, "Yes, I know it; be quiet [about it]."

⁶Elijah said to him, "Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the LORD lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on.

⁷Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood opposite them [to watch] at a distance; and the two of them stood by the Jordan.

⁸And Elijah took his mantle (coat) and rolled it up and struck the waters, and they were divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

⁹And when they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you." And Elisha said, "Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me."

¹⁰He said, "You have asked for a difficult thing. However, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so."

¹¹As they continued along and talked, behold, a chariot of fire with horses of fire [appeared suddenly and] separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.

¹²Elisha saw it and cried out, "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!" And he no longer saw Elijah. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces [in grief].

¹³He picked up the mantle of Elijah that fell off him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan.

¹⁴He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, "Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" And when he too had struck the waters, they divided this way and that, and Elisha crossed over.

¹⁵When the sons of the prophets who were [watching] opposite at Jericho saw him, they said, "The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha." And they came to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him [in respect].

¹⁶Then they said to Elisha, "Behold now, there are among your servants fifty strong men; please let them go and search for your master. It may be that the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and cast him on some mountain or into some valley." And he said, "You shall not send anyone."

¹⁷But when they urged him until he was embarrassed [to refuse them], he said, "Send them." So they sent fifty men, and they searched for three days but did not find Elijah.

¹⁸They returned to Elisha while he was staying at Jericho; and he said to them, "Did I not tell you, 'Do not go'?"

¹⁹Then the men of the city said to Elisha, "Look, this city is in a pleasant place, as my lord [Elisha] sees; but the water is bad and the land is barren."

²⁰He said, "Bring me a new jar, and put salt in it." So they brought it to him.

²¹Then Elisha went to the spring of water and threw the salt in it and said, "Thus says the LORD: 'I [not the salt] have purified and healed these waters; there shall no longer be death or barrenness because of it.'"

²²So the waters have been purified to this day, in accordance with the word spoken by Elisha.

²³Then Elisha went up from Jericho to Bethel. On the way, young boys came out of the city and mocked him and said to him, "Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!"

²⁴When he turned around and looked at them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore to pieces forty-two of the boys.

²⁵Elisha went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

¹Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.

²He did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like his father and mother; for he put away the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made.

³Nevertheless, he continued in the [idolatrous] sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin; he did not depart from them.

⁴Mesha the king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he used to pay [an annual tribute] to the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams.

⁵But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.

⁶So King Jehoram left Samaria at that time and assembled all [the fighting men of] Israel.

⁷Then he went and sent word to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?" And he replied, "I will go; I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."

⁸Jehoram said, "Which way shall we go up?" Jehoshaphat answered, "The way through the Wilderness of Edom."

⁹So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. They made a circuit of seven days' journey, but there was no water for the army or for the cattle that followed them.

¹⁰Then the king of Israel said, "We are doomed, for the LORD has called these three kings to be handed over to Moab."

¹¹But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there no prophet of the LORD here from whom we may inquire of the LORD?" One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, "Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who used to pour water over Elijah's hands."

¹²Jehoshaphat said, "The word of the LORD is with him." So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to Elisha.

¹³Now Elisha said to the king of Israel, "What business do you have with me? Go to the prophets of your [wicked] father [Ahab] and to the prophets of your [pagan] mother [Jezebel]." But the king of Israel said to him, "No, for the LORD has called these three kings together to be handed over to Moab."

¹⁴Elisha said, "As the LORD of hosts (armies) lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I have regard for Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you [king of Israel].

¹⁵But now bring me a musician." And it came about while the musician played, that the hand (power) of the LORD came upon Elisha.

¹⁶He said, "Thus says the LORD, 'Make this valley (the Arabah) full of trenches.'

¹⁷For thus says the LORD, 'You will not see wind or rain, yet that valley will be filled with water, so you and your cattle and your other animals may drink.

¹⁸This is but a simple thing in the sight of the LORD; He will also hand over the Moabites to you.

¹⁹You shall strike every fortified city and every choice (principal) city, and cut down every good tree and stop up all sources of water, and ruin every good piece of land with stones.'"

²⁰It happened in the morning, when the sacrifice was offered, that suddenly water came [miraculously] from the area of Edom, and the country was filled with water.

²¹Now all the Moabites heard that the [three] kings had come up to fight against them, and all who were able to put on armor, as well as those who were older, were summoned and stood [together in battle formation] at the border.

²²When they got up early the next morning, the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water across from them as red as blood.

²³And they said, "This is blood! Clearly the kings have fought together, and have killed one another. Now then, Moab, to the spoil [and the plunder of the dead soldiers]!"

²⁴But when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and struck the Moabites, so that they fled before them; and they went forward into the land, killing the Moabites [as they went].

²⁵They destroyed the [walls of the] cities, and each man threw a stone on every piece of good land, covering it [with stones]. And they stopped up all the springs of water and cut down all the good trees, until they left nothing in Kir-hareseth [Moab's capital city] but its stones. Then the [stone] slingers surrounded the city and destroyed it.

²⁶When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom; but they could not.

²⁷Then the king of Moab took his eldest son, who was to reign in his place, and offered him [publicly] as a burnt offering [to Chemosh] on the [city] wall [horrifying everyone]. And there was great wrath against Israel, and Israel's allies [Judah and Edom] withdrew from King Jehoram and returned to their own land.

¹Now one of the wives of a man of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha [for help], saying "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant [reverently] feared the LORD; but the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves [in payment for a loan]."

²Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have [of value] in the house?" She said, "Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a [small] jar of [olive] oil."

³Then he said, "Go, borrow containers from all your neighbors, empty containers—and not just a few.

⁴Then you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out [the oil you have] into all these containers, and you shall set aside each one when it is full."

⁵So she left him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing her the containers as she poured [the oil].

⁶When the containers were all full, she said to her son, "Bring me another container." And he said to her, "There is not a one left." Then the oil stopped [multiplying].

⁷Then she came and told the man of God. He said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest."

⁸Now there came a day when Elisha went over to Shunem, where there was a prominent and influential woman, and she persuaded him to eat a meal. Afterward, whenever he passed by, he stopped there for a meal.

⁹She said to her husband, "Behold, I sense that this is a holy man of God who frequently passes our way.

¹⁰Please, let us make a small, fully-walled upper room [on the housetop] and put a bed there for him, with a table, a chair, and a lampstand. Then whenever he comes to visit us, he can turn in there."

¹¹One day he came there and turned in to the upper room and lay down to rest.

¹²And he said to Gehazi his servant, "Call this Shunammite." So he called her and she stood before him.

¹³Now he said to Gehazi, "Say to her now, 'You have gone to all this trouble for us; what can I do for you? Would you like to be mentioned to the king or to the captain of the army?'" She answered, "I live among my own people [in peace and security and need no special favors]."

¹⁴Later Elisha said, "What then is to be done for her?" Gehazi answered, "Well, she has no son and her husband is old."

¹⁵He said, "Call her." So Gehazi called her, and she [came and] stood in the doorway.

¹⁶Elisha said, "At this season next year, you will embrace a son." She said, "No, my lord. O man of God, do not lie to your maidservant."

¹⁷But the woman conceived and gave birth to a son at that season the next year, just as Elisha had said to her.

¹⁸When the child was grown, the day came that he went out to his father, to the reapers.

¹⁹But he said to his father, "My head, my head." The man said to his servant, "Carry him to his mother."

²⁰When he had carried and brought him to his mother, he sat on her lap until noon, and then he died.

²¹She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door [of the small upper room] behind him and left.

²²Then she called to her husband and said, "Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so that I may run to the man of God and return."

²³He said, "Why are you going to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath." And she said, "It will be all right."

²⁴Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, "Drive [the animal] fast; do not slow down the pace for me unless I tell you."

²⁵So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel. When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to Gehazi his servant, "Look, there is the Shunammite woman.

²⁶Please run now to meet her and ask her, 'Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?'" And she answered, "It is well."

²⁷When she came to the mountain to the man of God, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi approached to push her away; but the man of God said, "Let her alone, for her soul is desperate and troubled within her; and the LORD has hidden the reason from me and has not told me."

²⁸Then she said, "Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say, 'Do not give me false hope'?"

²⁹Then he said to Gehazi, " Gird up your loins (prepare now!) and take my staff in your hand, and go [to the woman's house]; if you meet any man [along the way], do not greet him and if a man greets you, do not [stop to] answer him; and lay my staff on the face of the boy [as soon as you reach the house]."

³⁰The mother of the child said, "As the LORD lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you." So Elisha arose and followed her.

³¹Gehazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff on the boy's face, but there was no sound or response [from the boy]. So he turned back to meet Elisha and told him, "The boy has not awakened (revived)."

³²When Elisha came into the house, the child was dead and lying on his bed.

³³So he went in, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the LORD.

³⁴Then he went up and lay on the child and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. And as he stretched himself out on him and held him, the boy's skin became warm.

³⁵Then he returned and walked in the house once back and forth, and went up [again] and stretched himself out on him; and the boy sneezed seven times and he opened his eyes.

³⁶Then Elisha called Gehazi and said, "Call this Shunammite." So he called her. And when she came to him, he said, "Pick up your son."

³⁷She came and fell at his feet, bowing herself to the ground [in respect and gratitude]. Then she picked up her son and left.

³⁸Elisha came back to Gilgal during a famine in the land. The sons of the prophets were sitting before him, and he said to his servant, "Put on the large pot and cook stew for the sons of the prophets."

³⁹Then one [of them] went into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine and gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and came and cut them up into the pot of stew, although they did not know what they were.

⁴⁰So they served it for the men to eat. But as they ate the stew, they cried out, "O man of God, there is death in the pot." And they could not eat it.

⁴¹But he said, "Bring flour." And he threw it into the pot and said, "Serve it for the people so that they may eat." Then there was nothing harmful in the pot.

⁴²Now [at another time] a man from Baal-shalisha came and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley bread, and fresh ears of grain [in the husk] in his sack. And Elisha said, "Give it to the people [affected by the famine] so that they may eat."

⁴³His servant said, "How am I to set [only] this before a hundred [hungry] men?" He said, "Give it to the people so that they may eat, for thus says the LORD, 'They shall eat and have some left.'"

⁴⁴So he set it before them, and they ate and left some, in accordance with the word of the LORD.

¹Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram (Syria), was considered a great man by his king, and was highly respected because through Naaman the LORD had given victory to Aram (Syria). He was also a man of courage, but he was a leper.

²The Arameans (Syrians) had gone out in bands [as raiders] and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she waited on Naaman's wife [as a servant].

³She said to her mistress, "I wish that my master [Naaman] were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would heal him of his leprosy."

⁴Naaman went in and told his master [the king], "The girl who is from the land of Israel said such and such."

⁵Then the king of Aram (Syria) said, "Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel (Jehoram the son of Ahab)." So he left and took with him ten talents of silver and 6,000 shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing.

⁶And he brought the letter to the king of Israel. It said, "And now when this letter comes to you, I will have sent my servant Naaman to you, so that you may heal him of his leprosy."

⁷When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes [in shock and outrage at the request] and said, "Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends to me [a request] to heal a man of his leprosy? Just consider [what he is asking] and see how he is seeking an opportunity [for a battle] with me."

⁸Now when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent word to the king, asking, "Why have you torn your clothes? Just let Naaman come to me, and he shall know that there is a [true] prophet in Israel."

⁹So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stopped at the entrance of Elisha's house.

¹⁰Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean."

¹¹But Naaman was furious and went away and said, "Indeed! I thought 'He would at least come out to [see] me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place [of leprosy] and heal the leper.'

¹²Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus [in Aram], better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage.

¹³Then his servants approached and said to him, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he has said to you, 'Wash, and be clean?'"

¹⁴So he went down and plunged himself into the Jordan seven times, just as the man of God had said; and his flesh was restored like that of a little child and he was clean.

¹⁵Then Naaman returned to the man of God, he and all the people in his group, and stood before him. He said, "Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; so now accept a blessing and gift from your servant."

¹⁶But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will accept nothing." He urged him to take it, but Elisha refused.

¹⁷Naaman said, "If not, then please, let your servant be given a load of earth for a team of mules; for [from this day on] your servant will no longer offer a burnt offering nor a sacrifice to other gods, but only to the LORD, [the God of Israel].

¹⁸In this matter may the LORD pardon your servant: when my master [the king] goes into the house of [his god] Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand and I bow in the house of Rimmon, when I bow down in the house of Rimmon, may the LORD pardon your servant in this matter [of attending the king when he worships]."

¹⁹Elisha said to him, "Go in peace." So Naaman departed and was a good distance away from him,

²⁰when Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, "My master has spared this Naaman the Aramean (Syrian), by not accepting from him what he brought. As the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him."

²¹So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and said, "Is all well?"

²²And he said, "All is well. My master has sent me to say, 'Just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothes.'"

²³Naaman said, "Please take two talents." And he urged him [to accept], and tied up two talents of silver in two bags with two changes of clothes and gave them to two of his servants; and they carried them in front of Gehazi.

²⁴When he came to the hill, he took them from their hand and put them in the house [for safekeeping]; and he sent the men away, and they left.

²⁵Then he went in and stood before his master. Elisha asked him, "Where have you been, Gehazi?" He said, "Your servant went nowhere."

²⁶Elisha said to him, "Did my heart not go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a [proper] time to accept money and clothing and olive orchards and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants?

²⁷Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever." So Gehazi departed from his presence, a leper as white as snow.