4 Kingdoms 1-3
1 After the death of Ahab, Moab reneged on its covenant with Israel. 2 Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and was injured. He sent messengers, telling them, “Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub, god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury.” And they went to inquire of him. 3 But the Angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go and meet the messengers of Ahaziah, 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 god of Ekron? 4 This is not true,’ says the Lord, ‘and you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’ ”
So Elijah went and told them. 5 When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, “Why did you return?” 6 They said to him, “A man came up to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent you, and say to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-Zebub god of Ekron? This is not true. You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’ ” ’ ” 7 Then the king said to them, “What were the distinguishing marks of the man who came up to meet you and told you these words?” 8 They answered him, “A hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist.”
And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.” 9 Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. So he went up to him; and there was Elijah, sitting on the top of a hill. And he spoke to him, “Man of God, the king summoned you. Come down!” 10 Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, then fire will come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And fire came down from heaven and consumed the captain of fifty and his fifty. 11 Then the king again sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty men. He answered and said to him, “Man of God, the king said, ‘Come down quickly!’ ” 12 So Elijah answered and spoke to him, “If I am a man of God, fire will come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” The fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. 13 Then the king sent yet a third captain of fifty with his fifty men. The third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah and pleaded with him, and said to him, “Man of God, please let my life and the life of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight. 14 Look, fire came down from heaven and burned up the first two captains of fifties with their fifties. But let my life now be precious in your sight.”
15 The Angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king. 16 Then Elijah spoke to him and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Why did you send captains with fifty messengers to inquire? It shall not be so. You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’ ” 17 So he died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah spoke. 18 Now the rest of the acts Ahaziah did, are these not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel?
Jehoram King of Israel
19 Jehoram, the son of Ahab, reigned over Israel in Samaria twelve years, beginning in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. 20 He did evil before the Lord, but not as his brothers nor as his mother. 21 He removed the pillars of Baal which his father made and broke them into pieces; nevertheless, he was joined to the sins of the house of Jeroboam, which caused Israel to sin. He did not remove himself from them. 22 The Lord in anger was furious against the house of Ahab.
Elijah Caught Up to Heaven
1 As the time came to be for the Lord to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha went from Gilgal. 2 Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, please, for the Lord sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So they went to Bethel. 3 Now the sons of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that this day the Lord will take away your master from over your head?” And he said, “I know. Please be silent!”
4 Then Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, please, for the Lord sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” And they went to Jericho. 5 Now the sons of the prophets in Jericho came to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that this day the Lord will take away your master from over your head?” So he answered, “I know, please be silent!” 6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, please, for the Lord sent me on to the Jordan.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So both of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood facing them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. 8 Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water. The water divided this way and that, and the two of them crossed on dry ground.
9 So it was that during the time they crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I may do for you, before I am taken away from you.” Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” 10 So Elijah said, “You have asked a hard thing. If you see me when I am taken up from you, it shall be so for you; and if not, it shall not be so.” 11 Thus it came to be, as they walked and continued to talk, behold a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and the fire separated them one from the other; and Elijah was taken up into heaven by a whirlwind.
12 Then Elisha saw it and cried aloud, “Father, O father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” He saw Elijah no more, and he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. 13 Then he raised Elijah’s mantle, which fell from Elijah and upon Elisha, and Elisha returned and stood on the bank of the River Jordan. 14 He took Elijah’s mantle which had fallen upon him and struck the water, but it did not divide. Then he said, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah himself?” And he struck the water again, and it divided this way and that. So Elisha crossed over. 15 When the sons of the prophets in Jericho met him and saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. 16 They said to him, “Look! There are fifty men of power with your servants. Please let them go and search for your master, lest perhaps the Spirit of the Lord took him up and cast him into the Jordan or onto one of the mountains or onto one of the hills.” Elisha said, “Send no one.” 17 But they urged him till he was ashamed, and he said, “Send them!” They sent fifty men and searched for three days, but did not find him. 18 They came back to where Elisha stayed in Jericho. And he said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go’?”
Elisha Works Miracles
19 Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold, as my lord can see, this city is a pleasant place to live, but the water is bad, and the ground is barren.” 20 So Elisha said, “Bring me a new water pitcher and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. 21 Then he went out to the spring of the waters and cast salt into it, and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘I have healed these waters; from them there shall no longer be death or barrenness.’ ” 22 So the water was healed by the word Elisha spoke, and so it remains today.
23 From there he went up to Bethel. Along the way some young boys came from the city who continued teasing him by saying, “Go up, baldy, go up!” 24 So Elisha turned around and stared at them. He then cursed them in the name of the Lord, and two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys. 25 From there he went to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
Israel and Moab at War
1 Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned for twelve years. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, but not like his father and mother, for he removed the sacred pillars of Baal his father built. 3 But still he persisted in the sin of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin; he did not depart from it.
4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a herdsman, and in the beginning of the year he regularly paid tribute to the king of Israel, one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams. 5 But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 So King Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time and inspected all Israel. 7 Then he went and sent to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” And he said, “I will go. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 8 Then he said, “Which way shall we go up?” And he answered, “By way of the Desert of Edom.”
9 So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and this roundabout march took them seven days to complete. There was no water for the army or for the animals that went with them. 10 And the king of Israel said, “Alas! That the Lord should call these three kings together only to deliver them into the hand of Moab.” 11 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord by him?” So one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, “Elisha the son of Shaphat, who poured water on Elijah’s hands, is here.” 12 And Jehoshaphat said, “He has the word of the Lord.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. 13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No, has the Lord called these three kings together to deliver them into the hands of Moab?” 14 And Elisha said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you. 15 But now bring me a harpist.”
When the harpist played, the hand of the Lord came upon him. 16 And he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Fill this valley with ditches.’ 17 For Thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your beasts, and your cattle may drink.’ 18 And this is easy in the eyes of the Lord. Then I will deliver Moab into your hand. 19 Thus you shall attack every fortified city; you shall cut down every good tree; you shall stop up every spring of water, and ruin every good piece of land with stones.” 20 Now when the grain offering was offered in the morning, behold water came from the direction of Edom, and the land was filled with water.
21 All the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to wage war against them. All those being able to bear armor and older uttered loud cries and stood at the border. 22 The Moabites rose early in the morning, when the sun was shining on the water. They saw the water on the other side being as red as blood. 23 So they said, “This is blood. The kings have surely struck swords and have killed one another. Now Moab, to the spoils!”
24 They entered the camp of Israel; and Israel rose and smote Moab, and they fled before them. They pursued them and killed the Moabites as they went. 25 They razed the cities, and each man threw a stone on every good piece of land and filled it; they stopped every spring; cut down all the good trees, leaving only the stones of the wall; and they pulled down the sling-throwers that surrounded them and broke them. 26 When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took seven hundred men with him who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom. But they could not. 27 Then he took his firstborn son who would rule in his place, and up against the wall they offered him up as a burnt offering. Then a great remorse came upon Israel, and they departed from him and turned back toward their land.
Psalm 105:1–15
1 Alleluia.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
For His mercy endures forever.
2 Who shall tell the mighty deeds of the Lord,
Who shall make all His praises heard?
3 Blessed are those who keep His judgment,
And do righteousness at all times.
4 Remember us, O Lord, because of the goodwill of Your people;
Visit us with Your salvation,
5 So as to see it in the goodness of Your chosen ones;
So as to be glad with the joy of Your nation,
So as to praise You in the midst of Your inheritance.
6 We sinned with our fathers;
We committed lawlessness; we acted wrongfully.
7 Our fathers did not understand Your wonders in Egypt;
They did not remember the multitude of Your mercy,
But rebelled when they went up to the Red Sea.
8 But He saved them because of His name,
So they might know His power;
9 And He rebuked the Red Sea, and it was dried up;
And He led them in the sea as though it were a desert.
10 He saved them from the hands of those who hated them,
And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy;
11 So the water covered those who afflicted them;
There was not one left among them.
12 Then they believed His words
And sang His praise.
13 They were quick to forget His works;
They did not wait for His counsel;
14 And they desired exceedingly in the desert,
And tempted God in a waterless place.
15 So He gave them their request
And fully satisfied their souls.
Proverbs 23:1–5
1 If you sit down to dine at a table of princes,
Understand carefully the things put before you;
2 And apply your hand,
Knowing you should prepare certain things;
3 And if you are insatiable, do not desire its delicacies,
For these things belong to a false life.
4 If you are poor, do not measure yourself with a rich man,
But keep away from this in your thinking;
5 If you fix your eye on him, he will disappear,
For wings like an eagle’s are prepared for him,
And he returns to the house of his master.
Luke 24:1–35
1 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.
2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.
5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?
6 “He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,
7 “saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”
8 And they remembered His words.
9 Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.
11 And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
12 But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.
The Road to Emmaus
(Mark 16:12, 13)
13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem.
14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.
16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.
17 And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?”
18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”
19 And He said to them, “What things?” So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
20 “and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.
21 “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.
22 “Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us.
23 “When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive.
24 “And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”
25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
26 “Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?”
27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
The Disciples’ Eyes Opened
28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther.
29 But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them.
30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.
32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”
33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,
34 saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”35 And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.