Bible in 90 Days Plan

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

²and he reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.

³Abijam walked in all the sins his father before him had committed, and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God as his ancestor David had been.

⁴But for the sake of David, the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up his son after him and by preserving Jerusalem.

⁵For David did what was right in the LORD’s sight, and he did not turn aside from anything he had commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hethite.

⁶There had been war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of Rehoboam’s life.

⁷The rest of the events of Abijam’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings. There was also war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

⁸Abijam rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. His son Asa became king in his place.

⁹In the twentieth year of Israel’s King Jeroboam, Asa became king of Judah,

¹⁰and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His grandmother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.

¹¹Asa did what was right in the LORD’s sight, as his ancestor David had done.

¹²He banished the male cult prostitutes from the land and removed all of the idols that his fathers had made.

¹³He also removed his grandmother Maacah from being queen mother because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. Asa chopped down her obscene image and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

¹⁴The high places were not taken away, but Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his entire life.

¹⁵He brought his father’s consecrated gifts and his own consecrated gifts into the LORD’s temple: silver, gold, and utensils.

¹⁶There was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel throughout their reigns.

¹⁷Israel’s King Baasha went to war against Judah. He built Ramah in order to keep anyone from leaving or coming to King Asa of Judah.

¹⁸So Asa withdrew all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the LORD’s temple and the treasuries of the royal palace and gave it to his servants. Then King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon son of Hezion king of Aram who lived in Damascus, saying,

¹⁹“There is a treaty between me and you, between my father and your father. Look, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold. Go and break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel so that he will withdraw from me.”

²⁰Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel. He attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, all Chinnereth, and the whole land of Naphtali.

²¹When Baasha heard about it, he quit building Ramah and stayed in Tirzah.

²²Then King Asa gave a command to everyone without exception in Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had built it with. Then King Asa built Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah with them.

²³The rest of all the events of Asa’s reign, along with all his might, all his accomplishments, and the cities he built, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings. But in his old age he developed a disease in his feet.

²⁴Then Asa rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of his ancestor David. His son Jehoshaphat became king in his place.

²⁵Nadab son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Judah’s King Asa; he reigned over Israel two years.

²⁶Nadab did what was evil in the LORD’s sight and walked in the ways of his father and the sin he had caused Israel to commit.

²⁷Then Baasha son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against Nadab, and Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon of the Philistines while Nadab and all Israel were besieging Gibbethon.

²⁸In the third year of Judah’s King Asa, Baasha killed Nadab and reigned in his place.

²⁹When Baasha became king, he struck down the entire house of Jeroboam. He did not leave Jeroboam any survivors but destroyed his family according to the word of the LORD he had spoken through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite.

³⁰This was because Jeroboam had angered the LORD God of Israel by the sins he had committed and had caused Israel to commit.

³¹The rest of the events of Nadab’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.

³²There was war between Asa and King Baasha of Israel throughout their reigns.

³³In the third year of Judah’s King Asa, Baasha son of Ahijah became king over all Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah twenty-four years.

³⁴He did what was evil in the LORD’s sight and walked in the ways of Jeroboam and the sin he had caused Israel to commit.

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

²“Because I raised you up from the dust and made you ruler over my people Israel, but you have walked in the ways of Jeroboam and have caused my people Israel to sin, angering me with their sins,

³take note: I will eradicate Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat:

⁴Anyone who belongs to Baasha and dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and anyone who is his and dies in the field, the birds will eat.”

⁵The rest of the events of Baasha’s reign, along with all his accomplishments and might, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.

⁶Baasha rested with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah became king in his place.

⁷But through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani the word of the LORD also had come against Baasha and against his house because of all the evil he had done in the LORD’s sight. His actions angered the LORD, and Baasha’s house became like the house of Jeroboam, because he had struck it down.

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

⁹His servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him while Elah was in Tirzah getting drunk in the house of Arza, who was in charge of the household at Tirzah.

¹⁰In the twenty-seventh year of Judah’s King Asa, Zimri went in, struck Elah down, killing him. Then Zimri became king in his place.

¹¹When he became king, as soon as he was seated on his throne, Zimri struck down the entire house of Baasha. He did not leave a single male, including his kinsmen and his friends.

¹²So Zimri destroyed the entire house of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD he had spoken against Baasha through the prophet Jehu.

¹³This happened because of all the sins of Baasha and those of his son Elah, which they committed and caused Israel to commit, angering the LORD God of Israel with their worthless idols.

¹⁴The rest of the events of Elah’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.

¹⁵In the twenty-seventh year of Judah’s King Asa, Zimri became king for seven days in Tirzah. Now the troops were encamped against Gibbethon of the Philistines.

¹⁶When these troops heard that Zimri had not only conspired but had also struck down the king, then all Israel made Omri, the army commander, king over Israel that very day in the camp.

¹⁷Omri along with all Israel marched up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah.

¹⁸When Zimri saw that the city was captured, he entered the citadel of the royal palace and burned it down over himself. He died

¹⁹because of the sin he committed by doing what was evil in the LORD’s sight and by walking in the ways of Jeroboam and the sin he caused Israel to commit.

²⁰The rest of the events of Zimri’s reign, along with the conspiracy that he instigated, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.

²¹At that time the people of Israel were divided: half the people followed Tibni son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri.

²²However, the people who followed Omri proved stronger than those who followed Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri became king.

²³In the thirty-first year of Judah’s King Asa, Omri became king over Israel, and he reigned twelve years. He reigned six years in Tirzah,

²⁴then he bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for 150 pounds of silver, and he built up the hill. He named the city he built Samaria based on the name Shemer, the owner of the hill.

²⁵Omri did what was evil in the LORD’s sight; he did more evil than all who were before him.

²⁶He walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat in every respect and continued in his sins that he caused Israel to commit, angering the LORD God of Israel with their worthless idols.

²⁷The rest of the events of Omri’s reign, along with his accomplishments and the might he exercised, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.

²⁸Omri rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab became king in his place.

²⁹Ahab son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Judah’s King Asa; Ahab son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years.

³⁰But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the LORD’s sight more than all who were before him.

³¹Then, as if following the sin of Jeroboam son of Nebat were not enough, he married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and then proceeded to serve Baal and bow in worship to him.

³²He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria.

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

³⁴During his reign, Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho. At the cost of Abiram his firstborn, he laid its foundation, and at the cost of Segub his youngest, he finished its gates, according to the word of the LORD he had spoken through Joshua son of Nun.

¹Now Elijah the Tishbite, from the Gilead settlers, said to Ahab, “As the LORD God of Israel lives, in whose presence I stand, there will be no dew or rain during these years except by my command!”

²Then the word of the LORD came to him:

³“Leave here, turn eastward, and hide at the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan.

⁴You are to drink from the wadi. I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.”

⁵So he proceeded to do what the LORD commanded. Elijah left and lived at the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan.

⁶The ravens kept bringing him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening, and he would drink from the wadi.

⁷After a while, the wadi dried up because there had been no rain in the land.

⁸Then the word of the LORD came to him:

⁹“Get up, go to Zarephath that belongs to Sidon and stay there. Look, I have commanded a woman who is a widow to provide for you there.”

¹⁰So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow gathering wood. Elijah called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup and let me drink.”

¹¹As she went 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 don’t have anything baked — only a handful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil in the jug. Just now, I am gathering a couple of sticks in order to go prepare it for myself and my son so we can eat it and die.”

¹³Then Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid; go and do as you have said. But first make me a small loaf from it and bring it out to me. Afterward, you may make some for yourself and your son,

¹⁴for this is what the LORD God of Israel says, ‘The flour jar will not become empty and the oil jug will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the surface of the land.’”

¹⁵So she proceeded to do according to the word of Elijah. Then the woman, Elijah, and her household ate for many days.

¹⁶The flour jar did not become empty, and the oil jug did not run dry, according to the word of the LORD he had spoken through Elijah.

¹⁷After this, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. His illness got worse until he stopped breathing.

¹⁸She said to Elijah, “Man of God, why are you here? Have you come to call attention to my iniquity so that my son is put to death?”

¹⁹But Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him from her arms, brought him up to the upstairs room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed.

²⁰Then he cried out to the LORD and said, “LORD my God, have you also brought tragedy on the widow I am staying with by killing her son?”

²¹Then he stretched himself out over the boy three times. He cried out to the LORD and said, “LORD my God, please let this boy’s life come into him again!”

²²So the LORD listened to Elijah, and the boy’s life came into him again, and he lived.

²³Then Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upstairs room into the house, and gave him to his mother. Elijah said, “Look, your son is alive.”

²⁴Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know you are a man of God and the LORD’s word from your mouth is true.”

¹After a long time, the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year: “Go and present yourself to Ahab. I will send rain on the surface of the land.”

²So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria.

³Ahab called for Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. Obadiah was a man who greatly feared the LORD

⁴and took a hundred prophets and hid them, fifty men to a cave, and provided them with food and water when Jezebel slaughtered the LORD’s prophets.

⁵Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go throughout the land to every spring and to every wadi. Perhaps we’ll find grass so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to destroy any cattle.”

⁶They divided the land between them in order to cover it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other way by himself.

⁷While Obadiah was walking along the road, Elijah suddenly met him. When Obadiah recognized him, he fell facedown and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?”

⁸“It is I,” he replied. “Go tell your lord, ‘Elijah is here!’”

⁹But Obadiah said, “What sin have I committed, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put me to death?

¹⁰As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent someone to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear they had not found you.

¹¹“Now you say, ‘Go tell your lord, “Elijah is here!”’

¹²But when I leave you, the Spirit of the LORD may carry you off to some place I don’t know. Then when I go report to Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the LORD from my youth.

¹³Wasn’t it reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel slaughtered the LORD’s prophets? I hid a hundred of the prophets of the LORD, fifty men to a cave, and I provided them with food and water.

¹⁴Now you say, ‘Go tell your lord, “Elijah is here!” ’ He will kill me!”

¹⁵Then Elijah said, “As the LORD of Armies lives, in whose presence I stand, today I will present myself to Ahab.”

¹⁶Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him. Then Ahab went to meet Elijah.

¹⁷When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, the one ruining Israel?”

¹⁸He replied, “I have not ruined Israel, but you and your father’s family have, because you have abandoned the LORD’s commands and followed the Baals.

¹⁹Now summon all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

²⁰So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel.

²¹Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him. But if Baal, follow him.” But the people didn’t answer him a word.

²²Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the LORD, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men.

²³Let two bulls be given to us. They are to choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire.

²⁴Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers with fire, he is God.” All the people answered, “That’s fine.”

²⁵Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god but don’t light the fire.”

²⁶So they took the bull that he gave them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound; no one answered. Then they danced around the altar they had made.

²⁷At noon Elijah mocked them. He said, “Shout loudly, for he’s a god! Maybe he’s thinking it over; maybe he has wandered away; or maybe he’s on the road. Perhaps he’s sleeping and will wake up!”

²⁸They shouted loudly, and cut themselves with knives and spears, according to their custom, until blood gushed over them.

²⁹All afternoon they kept on raving until the offering of the evening sacrifice, but there was no sound; no one answered, no one paid attention.

³⁰Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near me.” So all the people approached him. Then he repaired the LORD’s altar that had been torn down:

³¹Elijah took twelve stones — according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, “Israel will be your name”  —

³²and he built an altar with the stones in the name of the LORD. Then he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold about four gallons.

³³Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. He said, “Fill four water pots with water and pour it on the offering to be burned and on the wood.”

³⁴Then he said, “A second time!” and they did it a second time. And then he said, “A third time!” and they did it a third time.

³⁵So the water ran all around the altar; he even filled the trench with water.

³⁶At the time for offering the evening sacrifice, the prophet Elijah approached the altar and said, “LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that you are God in Israel and I am your servant, and that at your word I have done all these things.

³⁷Answer me, LORD! Answer me so that this people will know that you, the LORD, are God and that you have turned their hearts back.”

³⁸Then the LORD’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.

³⁹When all the people saw it, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, he is God! The LORD, he is God!”

⁴⁰Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let even one of them escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon and slaughtered them there.

⁴¹Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a rainstorm.”

⁴²So Ahab went to eat and drink, but Elijah went up to the summit of Carmel. He bent down on the ground and put his face between his knees.

⁴³Then he said to his servant, “Go up and look toward the sea.” So he went up, looked, and said, “There’s nothing.” Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”

⁴⁴On the seventh time, he reported, “There’s a cloud as small as a man’s hand coming up from the sea.” Then Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Get your chariot ready and go down so the rain doesn’t stop you.’”

⁴⁵In a little while, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and there was a downpour. So Ahab got in his chariot and went to Jezreel.

⁴⁶The power of the LORD was on Elijah, and he tucked his mantle under his belt and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

¹Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.

²So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods punish me and do so severely if I don’t make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow!”

³Then Elijah became afraid and immediately ran for his life. When he came to Beer-sheba that belonged to Judah, he left his servant there,

⁴but he went on a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. He said, “I have had enough! LORD, take my life, for I’m no better than my fathers.”

⁵Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. Suddenly, an angel touched him. The angel told him, “Get up and eat.”

⁶Then he looked, and there at his head was a loaf of bread baked over hot stones, and a jug of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again.

⁷Then the angel of the LORD returned for a second time and touched him. He said, “Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.”

⁸So he got up, ate, and drank. Then on the strength from that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.

⁹He entered a cave there and spent the night. Suddenly, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁰He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of Armies, but the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are looking for me to take my life.”

¹¹Then he said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the LORD’s presence.” At that moment, the LORD passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. 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 a voice, a soft whisper.

¹³When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Suddenly, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁴“I have been very zealous for the LORD God of Armies,” he replied, “but the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they’re looking for me to take my life.”

¹⁵Then the LORD said to him, “Go and return by the way you came to the Wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, you are to anoint Hazael as king over Aram.

¹⁶You are to anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah as prophet in your place.

¹⁷Then Jehu will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Jehu.

¹⁸But I will leave seven thousand in Israel  — every knee that has not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

¹⁹Elijah left there and found Elisha son of Shaphat as he was plowing. Twelve teams of oxen were in front of him, and he was with the twelfth team. Elijah walked by him and threw his mantle over him.

²⁰Elisha left the oxen, ran to follow Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and mother, and then I will follow you.” “Go on back,” he replied, “for what have I done to you?”

²¹So he turned back from following him, took the team of oxen, and slaughtered them. With the oxen’s wooden yoke and plow, he cooked the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he left, followed Elijah, and served him.

¹Now King Ben-hadad of Aram assembled his entire army. Thirty-two kings, along with horses and chariots, were with him. He marched up, besieged Samaria, and fought against it.

²He sent messengers into the city to King Ahab of Israel and said to him, “This is what Ben-hadad says:

³‘Your silver and your gold are mine! And your best wives and children are mine as well!’”

⁴Then the king of Israel answered, “Just as you say, my lord the king: I am yours, along with all that I have.”

⁵The messengers then returned and said, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘I have sent messengers to you, saying: You are to give me your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children.

⁶But at this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your palace and your servants’ houses. They will lay their hands on and take away whatever is precious to you.’”

⁷Then the king of Israel called for all the elders of the land and said, “Recognize that this one is only looking for trouble, for he demanded my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, and I didn’t turn him down.”

⁸All the elders and all the people said to him, “Don’t listen or agree.”

⁹So he said to Ben-hadad’s messengers, “Say to my lord the king, ‘Everything you demanded of your servant the first time, I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’” So the messengers left and took word back to him.

¹⁰Then Ben-hadad sent messengers to him and said, “May the gods punish me and do so severely if Samaria’s dust amounts to a handful for each of the people who follow me.”

¹¹The king of Israel answered, “Say this: ‘Don’t let the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off.’”

¹²When Ben-hadad heard this response, while he and the kings were drinking in their quarters, he said to his servants, “Take your positions.” So they took their positions against the city.

¹³A prophet approached King Ahab of Israel and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Do you see this whole huge army? Watch, I am handing it over to you today so that you may know that I am the LORD.’”

¹⁴Ahab asked, “By whom?” And the prophet said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘By the young men of the provincial leaders.’” Then he asked, “Who is to start the battle?” He said, “You.”

¹⁵So Ahab mobilized the young men of the provincial leaders, and there were 232. After them he mobilized all the Israelite troops: 7,000.

¹⁶They marched out at noon while Ben-hadad and the thirty-two kings who were helping him were getting drunk in their quarters.

¹⁷The young men of the provincial leaders marched out first. Then Ben-hadad sent out scouts, and they reported to him, saying, “Men are marching out of Samaria.”

¹⁸So he said, “If they have marched out in peace, take them alive, and if they have marched out for battle, take them alive.”

¹⁹The young men of the provincial leaders and the army behind them marched out from the city,

²⁰and each one struck down his opponent. So the Arameans fled and Israel pursued them, but King Ben-hadad of Aram escaped on a horse with the cavalry.

²¹Then the king of Israel marched out and attacked the cavalry and the chariots. He inflicted a severe slaughter on Aram.

²²The prophet approached the king of Israel and said to him, “Go and strengthen yourself, then consider carefully what you should do, for in the spring the king of Aram will attack you.”

²³Now the king of Aram’s servants said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hill country. That’s why they were stronger than we were. Instead, we should fight with them on the plain; then we will certainly be stronger than they are.

²⁴Also do this: remove each king from his position and appoint captains in their place.

²⁵Raise another army for yourself like the army you lost — horse for horse, chariot for chariot — and let’s fight with them on the plain; and we will certainly be stronger than they are.” The king listened to them and did it.

²⁶In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to battle Israel.

²⁷The Israelites mobilized, gathered supplies, and went to fight them. The Israelites camped in front of them like two little flocks of goats, while the Arameans filled the landscape.

²⁸Then the man of God approached and said to the king of Israel, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the Arameans have said: The LORD is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys, I will hand over all this whole huge army to you. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

²⁹They camped opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day, the battle took place, and the Israelites struck down the Arameans — one hundred thousand foot soldiers in one day.

³⁰The ones who remained fled into the city of Aphek, and the wall fell on those twenty-seven thousand remaining men. Ben-hadad also fled and went into an inner room in the city.

³¹His servants said to him, “Consider this: we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. So let’s put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and let’s go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life.”

³²So they dressed with sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, went to the king of Israel, and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please spare my life.’” So he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”

³³Now the men were looking for a sign of hope, so they quickly picked up on this and responded, “Yes, it is your brother Ben-hadad.” Then he said, “Go and bring him.” So Ben-hadad came out to him, and Ahab had him come up into the chariot.

³⁴Then Ben-hadad said to him, “I restore to you the cities that my father took from your father, and you may set up marketplaces for yourself in Damascus, like my father set up in Samaria.” Ahab responded, “On the basis of this treaty, I release you.” So he made a treaty with him and released him.

³⁵One of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow prophet by the word of the LORD, “Strike me!” But the man refused to strike him.

³⁶He told him, “Because you did not listen to the LORD, mark my words: When you leave me, a lion will kill you.” When he left him, a lion attacked and killed him.

³⁷The prophet found another man and said to him, “Strike me!” So the man struck him, inflicting a wound.

³⁸Then the prophet went and waited for the king on the road. He disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.

³⁹As the king was passing by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant marched out into the middle of the battle. Suddenly, a man turned aside and brought someone to me and said, ‘Guard this man! If he is ever missing, it will be your life in place of his life, or you will weigh out seventy-five pounds of silver.’

⁴⁰But while your servant was busy here and there, he disappeared.” The king of Israel said to him, “That will be your sentence; you yourself have decided it.”

⁴¹He quickly removed the bandage from his eyes. The king of Israel recognized that he was one of the prophets.

⁴²The prophet said to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you released from your hand the man I had set apart for destruction, it will be your life in place of his life and your people in place of his people.’”

⁴³The king of Israel left for home resentful and angry, and he entered Samaria.

¹Some time passed after these events. Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard; it was in Jezreel next to the palace of King Ahab of Samaria.

²So Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard so I can have it for a vegetable garden, since it is right next to my palace. I will give you a better vineyard in its place, or if you prefer, I will give you its value in silver.”

³But Naboth said to Ahab, “I will never give my fathers’ inheritance to you.”

⁴So Ahab went to his palace resentful and angry because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had told him. He had said, “I will not give you my fathers’ inheritance.” He lay down on his bed, turned his face away, and didn’t eat any food.

⁵Then his wife Jezebel came to him and said to him, “Why are you so upset that you refuse to eat?”

⁶“Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite,” he replied. “I told him: Give me your vineyard for silver, or if you wish, I will give you a vineyard in its place. But he said, ‘I won’t give you my vineyard! ’”

⁷Then his wife Jezebel said to him, “Now, exercise your royal power over Israel. Get up, eat some food, and be happy. For I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

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

⁹In the letters, she wrote: Proclaim a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people.

¹⁰Then seat two wicked men opposite him and have them testify against him, saying, “You have cursed God and the king!” Then take him out and stone him to death.

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

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

¹³The two wicked men came in and sat opposite him. Then the wicked men testified against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed God and the king!” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones.

¹⁴Then they sent word to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned to death.”

¹⁵When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite who refused to give it to you for silver, since Naboth isn’t alive, but dead.”

¹⁶When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up 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:

¹⁸“Get up and go to meet King Ahab of Israel, who is in Samaria. He’s in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it.

¹⁹Tell him, ‘This is what the LORD says: Have you murdered and also taken possession? ’ Then tell him, ‘This is what the LORD says: In the place where the dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, the dogs will also lick up your blood!’”

²⁰Ahab said to Elijah, “So, my enemy, you’ve found me, have you?” He replied, “I have found you because you devoted yourself to do what is evil in the LORD’s sight.

²¹This is what the LORD says: ‘I am about to bring disaster on you and will eradicate your descendants: I will wipe out all of Ahab’s males, both slave and free, in Israel;

²²I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have angered me and caused Israel to sin.’

²³The LORD also speaks of Jezebel: ‘The dogs will eat Jezebel in the plot of land at Jezreel:

²⁴Anyone who belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and anyone who dies in the field, the birds will eat.’”

²⁵Still, there was no one like Ahab, who devoted himself to do what was evil in the LORD’s sight, because his wife Jezebel incited him.

²⁶He committed the most detestable acts by following idols as the Amorites had, whom the LORD had dispossessed before the Israelites.

²⁷When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth over his body, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and walked around subdued.

²⁸Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite:

²⁹“Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? I will not bring the disaster during his lifetime, because he has humbled himself before me. I will bring the disaster on his house during his son’s lifetime.”

¹There was a lull of three years without war between Aram and Israel.

²However, in the third year, King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to visit the king of Israel.

³The king of Israel had said to his servants, “Don’t you know that Ramoth-gilead is ours, but we’re doing nothing to take it from the king of Aram?”

⁴So he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight Ramoth-gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied 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, “First, please ask what the LORD’s will is.”

⁶So the king of Israel gathered the prophets, about four hundred men, and asked them, “Should I go against Ramoth-gilead for war or should I refrain?” They replied, “March up, and the Lord will hand it over to the king.”

⁷But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet of the LORD here anymore? Let’s ask him.”

⁸The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man who can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies good about me, but only disaster. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” “The king shouldn’t say that!” Jehoshaphat replied.

⁹So the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Hurry and get Micaiah son of Imlah!”

¹⁰Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah, clothed in royal attire, were each sitting on his own throne. They were on the threshing floor at the entrance to the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying in front of them.

¹¹Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah made iron horns and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘You will gore the Arameans with these until they are finished off.’”

¹²And all the prophets were prophesying the same: “March up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for the LORD will hand it over to the king.”

¹³The messenger who went to call Micaiah instructed him, “Look, the words of the prophets are unanimously favorable for the king. So let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably.”

¹⁴But Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, I will say whatever the LORD says to me.”

¹⁵So he went to the king, and the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth-gilead for war, or should we refrain?” Micaiah told him, “March up and succeed. The LORD will hand it over to the king.”

¹⁶But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear not to tell me anything but the truth in the name of the LORD?”

¹⁷So Micaiah said: I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd. And the LORD said, “They have no master; let everyone return home in peace.”

¹⁸So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he never prophesies good about me, but only disaster?”

¹⁹Then Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and the whole heavenly army was standing by him at his right hand and at his left hand.

²⁰And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? ’ So one was saying this and another was saying that.

²¹“Then a spirit came forward, stood in the LORD’s presence, and said, ‘I will entice him.’

²²“The LORD asked him, ‘How?’ “He said, ‘I will go and become a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ “Then he said, ‘You will certainly entice him and prevail. Go and do that.’

²³“You see, the LORD has put a lying spirit into the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you.”

²⁴Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah came up, hit Micaiah on the cheek, and demanded, “Did the Spirit of the LORD leave me to speak to you?”

²⁵Micaiah replied, “You will soon see when you go to hide in an inner chamber on that day.”

²⁶Then the king of Israel ordered, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king’s son,

²⁷and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this guy in prison and feed him only a little bread and water until I come back safely.’”

²⁸But Micaiah said, “If you ever return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me.” Then he said, “Listen, all you people!”

²⁹Then the king of Israel and Judah’s King Jehoshaphat went up to Ramoth-gilead.

³⁰But the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your royal attire.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.

³¹Now the king of Aram had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone at all except the king of Israel.”

³²When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they shouted, “He must be the king of Israel!” So they turned to fight against him, but Jehoshaphat cried out.

³³When the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

³⁴But a man drew his bow without taking special aim and struck the king of Israel through the joints of his armor. So he said to his charioteer, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded!”

³⁵The battle raged throughout that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. He died that evening, and blood from his wound flowed into the bottom of the chariot.

³⁶Then the cry rang out in the army as the sun set, declaring: Each man to his own city, and each man to his own land!

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

³⁸Then someone washed the chariot at the pool of Samaria. The dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes bathed in it, according to the word of the LORD that he had spoken.

³⁹The rest of the events of Ahab’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, including the ivory palace he built, and all the cities he built, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.

⁴⁰Ahab rested with his fathers, and his son Ahaziah became king in his place.

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

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

⁴³He walked in all the ways of his father Asa; he did not turn away from them but did what was right in the LORD’s sight. However, the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

⁴⁴Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.

⁴⁵The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, along with the might he exercised and how he waged war, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.

⁴⁶He eradicated from the land the rest of the male cult prostitutes who were left from the days of his father Asa.

⁴⁷There was no king in Edom; a deputy served as king.

⁴⁸Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go because the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber.

⁴⁹At that time, Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships,” but Jehoshaphat was not willing.

⁵⁰Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the city of his ancestor David. His son Jehoram became king in his place.

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

⁵²He did what was evil in the LORD’s sight. He walked in the ways of his father, in the ways of his mother, and in the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin.

⁵³He served Baal and bowed in worship to him. He angered the LORD God of Israel just as his father had done.

¹After Ahab’s death, Moab rebelled against Israel.

²Ahaziah had fallen through the latticed window of his upstairs room in Samaria and was injured. So he sent messengers, instructing them, “Go inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this injury.”

³But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go and 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 will not get up from your sickbed; you will certainly die.’” Then Elijah left.

⁵The messengers returned to the king, who asked them, “Why have you come back?”

⁶They replied, “A man came to meet us and said, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and declare to him: This is what the LORD says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you’re sending these men to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore, you will not get up from your sickbed; you will certainly die.’”

⁷The king asked them, “What sort of man came up to meet you and spoke those words to you?”

⁸They replied, “A hairy man with a leather belt around his waist.” He said, “It’s Elijah the Tishbite.”

⁹So King Ahaziah sent a captain with his fifty men to Elijah. When the captain went up to him, he was sitting on top of the hill. He announced, “Man of God, the king declares, ‘Come down! ’”

¹⁰Elijah responded to the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.

¹¹So the king sent another captain with his fifty men to Elijah. He took in the situation and announced, “Man of God, this is what the king says: ‘Come down immediately! ’”

¹²Elijah responded, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” So a divine fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.

¹³Then the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. The third captain went up and fell on his knees in front of Elijah and begged him, “Man of God, please let my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours be precious to you.

¹⁴Already fire has come down from heaven and consumed the first two captains with their companies, but this time let my life be precious to you.”

¹⁵The angel of the LORD said to Elijah, “Go down with him. Don’t be afraid of him.” So he got up and went down with him to the king.

¹⁶Then Elijah said to King Ahaziah, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron — is it because there is no God in Israel for you to inquire of his will? — you will not get up from your sickbed; you will certainly die.’”

¹⁷Ahaziah died according to the word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken. Since he had no son, Joram became king in his place. This happened in the second year of Judah’s King Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat.

¹⁸The rest of the events of Ahaziah’s reign, along with his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.

¹The time had come for the LORD to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal,

²and Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the LORD is sending me on to Bethel.” But Elisha replied, “As the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

³Then the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?” He said, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

⁴Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here; the LORD is sending me to Jericho.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.

⁵Then the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho came up to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?” He said, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

⁶Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the LORD is sending me to the Jordan.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.

⁷Fifty men from the sons of the prophets came and stood observing them at a distance while the two of them stood by the Jordan.

⁸Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water, which parted to the right and left. Then the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

⁹When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken from you.” So Elisha answered, “Please, let me inherit two shares of your spirit.”

¹⁰Elijah replied, “You have asked for something difficult. If you see me being taken from you, you will have it. If not, you won’t.”

¹¹As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire with horses of fire suddenly appeared and separated the two of them. Then Elijah went up into heaven in the whirlwind.

¹²As Elisha watched, he kept crying out, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” When he could see him no longer, he took hold of his own clothes, tore them in two,

¹³picked up the mantle that had fallen off Elijah, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.

¹⁴He took the mantle Elijah had dropped, and he struck the water. “Where is the LORD God of Elijah?” he asked. He struck the water himself, and it parted to the right and the left, and Elisha crossed over.

¹⁵When the sons of the prophets from Jericho who were observing saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” They came to meet him and bowed down to the ground in front of him.

¹⁶Then the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Since there are fifty strong men here with your servants, please let them go and search for your master. Maybe the Spirit of the LORD has carried him away and put him on one of the mountains or into one of the valleys.” He answered, “Don’t send them.”

¹⁷However, they urged him to the point of embarrassment, so he said, “Send them.” They sent fifty men, who looked for three days but did not find him.

¹⁸When they returned to him in Jericho where he was staying, he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?”

¹⁹The men of the city said to Elisha, “My lord can see that even though the city’s location is good, the water is bad and the land unfruitful.”

²⁰He replied, “Bring me a new bowl and put salt in it.” After they had brought him one,

²¹Elisha went out to the spring, threw salt in it, and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘I have healed this water. No longer will death or unfruitfulness result from it.’”

²²Therefore, the water still remains healthy today according to the word that Elisha spoke.

²³From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking up the path, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, chanting, “Go up, baldy! Go up, baldy!”

²⁴He turned around, looked at them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the children.

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

¹Joram son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria during the eighteenth year of Judah’s King Jehoshaphat, and he reigned twelve years.

²He did what was evil in the LORD’s sight, but not like his father and mother, for he removed the sacred pillar of Baal his father had made.

³Nevertheless, Joram clung to the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit. He did not turn away from them.

⁴King Mesha of Moab was a sheep breeder. He used to pay the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams,

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

⁶So King Joram marched out from Samaria at that time and mobilized all Israel.

⁷Then he sent a message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” Jehoshaphat said, “I will go. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”

⁸He asked, “Which route should we take?” He replied, “The route of the Wilderness of Edom.”

⁹So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom set out. After they had traveled their indirect route for seven days, they had no water for the army or the animals with them.

¹⁰Then the king of Israel said, “Oh no, the LORD has summoned these three kings, only to hand them over to Moab.”

¹¹But Jehoshaphat said, “Isn’t there a prophet of the LORD here? Let’s inquire of the LORD through him.” One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat, who used to pour water on Elijah’s hands, is here.”

¹²Jehoshaphat affirmed, “The word of the LORD is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went to him.

¹³However, Elisha said to King Joram of Israel, “What do we have in common? Go to the prophets of your father and your mother!” But the king of Israel replied, “No, because it is the LORD who has summoned these three kings to hand them over to Moab.”

¹⁴Elisha responded, “By the life of the LORD of Armies, before whom I stand: If I did not have respect for King Jehoshaphat of Judah, I wouldn’t look at you; I would not take notice of you.

¹⁵Now, bring me a musician.” While the musician played, the LORD’s hand came on Elisha.

¹⁶Then he said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Dig ditch after ditch in this wadi.’

¹⁷For the LORD says, ‘You will not see wind or rain, but the wadi will be filled with water, and you will drink — you and your cattle and your animals.’

¹⁸This is easy in the LORD’s sight. He will also hand Moab over to you.

¹⁹Then you will attack every fortified city and every choice city. You will cut down every good tree and stop up every spring. You will ruin every good piece of land with stones.”

²⁰About the time for the grain offering the next morning, water suddenly came from the direction of Edom and filled the land.

²¹All Moab had heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. So all who could bear arms, from the youngest to the oldest, were summoned and took their stand at the border.

²²When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water, and the Moabites saw that the water across from them was red like blood.

²³“This is blood!” they exclaimed. “The kings have crossed swords and their men have killed one another. So, to the spoil, Moab!”

²⁴However, when the Moabites came to Israel’s camp, the Israelites attacked them, and they fled from them. So Israel went into the land attacking the Moabites.

²⁵They would destroy the cities, and each of them would throw a stone to cover every good piece of land. They would stop up every spring and cut down every good tree. This went on until only the buildings of Kir-hareseth were left. Then men with slings surrounded the city and attacked it.

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

²⁷So he took his firstborn son, who was to become king in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering on the city wall. Great wrath was on the Israelites, and they withdrew from him and returned to their land.

¹One of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, has died. You know that your servant feared the LORD. Now the creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves.”

²Elisha asked her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.”

³Then he said, “Go out and borrow empty containers from all your neighbors. Do not get just a few.

⁴Then go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour oil into all these containers. Set the full ones to one side.”

⁵So she left. After she had shut the door behind her and her sons, they kept bringing her containers, and she kept pouring.

⁶When they were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another container.” But he replied, “There aren’t any more.” Then the oil stopped.

⁷She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go sell the oil and pay your debt; you and your sons can live on the rest.”

⁸One day Elisha went to Shunem. A prominent woman who lived there persuaded him to eat some food. So whenever he passed by, he stopped there to eat.

⁹Then she said to her husband, “I know that the one who often passes by here is a holy man of God,

¹⁰so let’s make a small, walled-in upper room and put a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp there for him. Whenever he comes, he can stay there.”

¹¹One day he came there and stopped at the upstairs room to lie down.

¹²He ordered his attendant Gehazi, “Call this Shunammite woman.” So he called her and she stood before him.

¹³Then he said to Gehazi, “Say to her, ‘Look, you’ve gone to all this trouble for us. What can we do for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army? ’” She answered, “I am living among my own people.”

¹⁴So he asked, “Then what should be done for her?” Gehazi answered, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.”

¹⁵“Call her,” Elisha said. So Gehazi called her, and she stood in the doorway.

¹⁶Elisha said, “At this time next year you will have a son in your arms.” Then she said, “No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your servant.”

¹⁷The woman conceived and gave birth to a son at the same time the following year, as Elisha had promised her.

¹⁸The child grew and one day went out to his father and the harvesters.

¹⁹Suddenly he complained to his father, “My head! My head!” His father told his servant, “Carry him to his mother.”

²⁰So he picked him up and took him to his mother. The child sat on her lap until noon and then died.

²¹She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut him in, and left.

²²She summoned her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so I can hurry to the man of God and come back again.”

²³But he said, “Why go to him today? It’s not a New Moon or a Sabbath.” She replied, “Everything is all right.”

²⁴Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Go fast; don’t slow the pace for me unless I tell you.”

²⁵So she came to the man of God at Mount Carmel. When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to his attendant Gehazi, “Look, there’s the Shunammite woman.

²⁶Run out to meet her and ask, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your son all right? ’” And she answered, “Everything’s all right.”

²⁷When she came up to the man of God at the mountain, she clung to his feet. Gehazi came to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone — she is in severe anguish, and the LORD has hidden it from me. He hasn’t told me.”

²⁸Then she said, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Didn’t I say, ‘Do not lie to me?’”

²⁹So Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tuck your mantle under your belt, take my staff with you, and go. If you meet anyone, don’t stop to greet him, and if a man greets you, don’t answer him. Then place my staff on the boy’s face.”

³⁰The boy’s mother said to Elisha, “As the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her.

³¹Gehazi went ahead of them and placed the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or sign of life, so he went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy didn’t wake up.”

³²When Elisha got to the house, he discovered the boy lying dead on his bed.

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

³⁴Then he went up and lay on the boy: he put mouth to mouth, eye to eye, hand to hand. While he bent down over him, the boy’s flesh became warm.

³⁵Elisha got up, went into the house, and paced back and forth. Then he went up and bent down over him again. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.

³⁶Elisha called Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite woman.” He called her and she came. Then Elisha said, “Pick up your son.”

³⁷She came, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; she picked up her son and left.

³⁸When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. The sons of the prophets were sitting before him. He said to his attendant, “Put on the large pot and make stew for the sons of the prophets.”

³⁹One went out to the field to gather herbs and found a wild vine from which he gathered as many wild gourds as his garment would hold. Then he came back and cut them up into the pot of stew, but they were unaware of what they were.

⁴⁰They served some for the men to eat, but when they ate the stew they cried out, “There’s death in the pot, man of God!” And they were unable to eat it.

⁴¹Then Elisha said, “Get some flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Serve it for the people to eat.” And there was nothing bad in the pot.

⁴²A man from Baal-shalishah came to the man of God with his sack full of twenty loaves of barley bread from the first bread of the harvest. Elisha said, “Give it to the people to eat.”

⁴³But Elisha’s attendant asked, “What? Am I to set this before a hundred men?” “Give it to the people to eat,” Elisha said, “for this is what the LORD says: ‘They will eat, and they will have some left over.’”

⁴⁴So he set it before them, and as the LORD had promised, they ate and had some left over.

¹Naaman, commander of the army for the king of Aram, was a man important to his master and highly regarded because through him, the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man was a valiant warrior, but he had a skin disease.

²Aram had gone on raids and brought back from the land of Israel a young girl who served Naaman’s wife.

³She said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his skin disease.”

⁴So Naaman went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had said.

⁵Therefore, the king of Aram said, “Go, and I will send a letter with you to the king of Israel.” So he went and took with him 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and ten sets of clothing.

⁶He brought the letter to the king of Israel, and it read: When this letter comes to you, note that I have sent you my servant Naaman for you to cure him of his skin disease.

⁷When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and asked, “Am I God, killing and giving life that this man expects me to cure a man of his skin disease? Recognize that he is only picking a fight with me.”

⁸When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Have him come to me, and he will know there is a prophet in Israel.”

⁹So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house.

¹⁰Then Elisha sent him a messenger, who said, “Go wash seven times in the Jordan and your skin will be restored and you will be clean.”

¹¹But Naaman got angry and left, saying, “I was telling myself: He will surely come out, stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the skin disease.

¹²Aren’t Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and left in a rage.

¹³But 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 should you do it when he only tells you, ‘Wash and be clean’?”

¹⁴So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the command of the man of God. Then his skin was restored and became like the skin of a small boy, and he was clean.

¹⁵Then Naaman and his whole company went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, “I know there’s no God in the whole world except in Israel. Therefore, please accept a gift from your servant.”

¹⁶But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, in whose presence I stand, I will not accept it.” Naaman urged him to accept it, but he refused.

¹⁷Naaman responded, “If not, please let your servant be given as much soil as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will no longer offer a burnt offering or a sacrifice to any other god but the LORD.

¹⁸However, in a particular matter may the LORD pardon your servant: When my master, the king of Aram, goes into the temple of Rimmon to bow in worship while he is leaning on my arm, and I have to bow in the temple of Rimmon — when I bow in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD pardon your servant in this matter.”

¹⁹So he said to him, “Go in peace.” After Naaman had traveled a short distance from Elisha,

²⁰Gehazi, the attendant of Elisha the man of God, thought, “My master has let this Aramean Naaman off lightly 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 asked, “Is everything all right?”

²²Gehazi said, “It’s all right. My master has sent me to say, ‘I have just now discovered that two young men from the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them seventy-five pounds of silver and two sets of clothing.’”

²³But Naaman insisted, “Please, accept one hundred fifty pounds.” He urged Gehazi and then packed one hundred fifty pounds of silver in two bags with two sets of clothing. Naaman gave them to two of his attendants who carried them ahead of Gehazi.

²⁴When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the gifts from them and deposited them in the house. Then he dismissed the men, and they left.

²⁵Gehazi came and stood by his master. “Where did you go, Gehazi?” Elisha asked him. He replied, “Your servant didn’t go anywhere.”

²⁶“And my heart didn’t go when the man got down from his chariot to meet you,” Elisha said. “Is this a time to accept silver and clothing, olive orchards and vineyards, flocks and herds, and male and female slaves?

²⁷Therefore, Naaman’s skin disease will cling to you and your descendants forever.” So Gehazi went out from his presence diseased, resembling snow.