John the Baptist Prepares the Way^(A)

1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah,^[a] the Son of God,^{[b](B) 2} as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

⁴ And so John the Baptist^(E) appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance^(F) for the forgiveness of sins.^{(G) 5} The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. ⁶ John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist,^(H) and he ate locusts^(I) and wild honey. ⁷ And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.^{(J) 8} I baptize you with^[e] water, but he will baptize you with^[f] the Holy Spirit.”^(K)

The Baptism and Testing of Jesus^(L)(M)

⁹ At that time Jesus came from Nazareth^(N) in Galilee and was baptized by John^(O) in the Jordan. ¹⁰ Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.^{(P) 11} And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son,^(Q) whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”^(R)

¹² At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, ¹³ and he was in the wilderness forty days,^(S) being tempted^[g] by Satan.^(T) He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

Jesus Announces the Good News^(U)

¹⁴ After John^(V) was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee,^(W) proclaiming the good news of God.^{(X) 15} “The time has come,”^(Y) he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe^(Z) the good news!”^(AA)

Jesus Calls His First Disciples

¹⁶ As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁷ “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ¹⁸ At once they left their nets and followed him.^(AB)

¹⁹ When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. ²⁰ Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit^(AC)

²¹ They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach.^{(AD) 22} The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.^{(AE) 23} Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, ²⁴ “What do you want with us,^(AF) Jesus of Nazareth?^(AG) Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”^(AH)

²⁵ “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!”^{(AI) 26} The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.^(AJ)

²⁷ The people were all so amazed^(AK) that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” ²⁸ News about him spread quickly over the whole region^(AL) of Galilee.

Jesus Heals Many^(AM)(AN)

²⁹ As soon as they left the synagogue,^(AO) they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. ³⁰ Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. ³¹ So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up.^(AP) The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

³² That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed.^{(AQ) 33} The whole town gathered at the door, ³⁴ and Jesus healed many who had various diseases.^(AR) He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.^(AS)

Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place^(AT)

³⁵ Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.^{(AU) 36} Simon and his companions went to look for him, ³⁷ and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

³⁸ Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”^{(AV) 39} So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues^(AW) and driving out demons.^(AX)

Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy^(AY)

⁴⁰ A man with leprosy^[h] came to him and begged him on his knees,^(AZ) “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

⁴¹ Jesus was indignant.^[i] He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” ⁴² Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.

⁴³ Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: ⁴⁴ “See that you don’t tell this to anyone.^(BA) But go, show yourself to the priest^(BB) and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing,^(BC) as a testimony to them.” ⁴⁵ Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places.^(BD) Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.^(BE)

The Lord’s Judgment on Ahaziah

1 After Ahab’s death, Moab^(A) rebelled against Israel. ² Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers,^(B) saying to them, “Go and consult Baal-Zebub,^(C) the god of Ekron,^(D) to see if I will recover^(E) from this injury.”

³ But the angel^(F) of the Lord said to Elijah^(G) the Tishbite, “Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel^(H) that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’ ⁴ Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘You will not leave^(I) the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!’” So Elijah went.

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

⁶ “A man came to meet us,” they replied. “And he said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, “This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not leave^(J) the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!”’”

⁷ The king asked them, “What kind of man was it who came to meet you and told you this?”

⁸ They replied, “He had a garment of hair^[a](K) and had a leather belt around his waist.”

The king said, “That was Elijah the Tishbite.”

⁹ Then he sent^(L) to Elijah a captain^(M) with his company of fifty men. The captain went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down!’”

¹⁰ Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then fire^(N) fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men.

¹¹ At this the king sent to Elijah another captain with his fifty men. The captain said to him, “Man of God, this is what the king says, ‘Come down at once!’”

¹² “If I am a man of God,” Elijah replied, “may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then the fire of God fell from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.

¹³ So the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. This third captain went up and fell on his knees before Elijah. “Man of God,” he begged, “please have respect for my life^(O) and the lives of these fifty men, your servants! ¹⁴ See, fire has fallen from heaven and consumed the first two captains and all their men. But now have respect for my life!”

¹⁵ The angel^(P) of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid^(Q) of him.” So Elijah got up and went down with him to the king.

¹⁶ He told the king, “This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel for you to consult that you have sent messengers^(R) to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Because you have done this, you will never leave^(S) the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!” ¹⁷ So he died,^(T) according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken.

Because Ahaziah had no son, Joram^[b](U) succeeded him as king in the second year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. ¹⁸ As for all the other events of Ahaziah’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?

Elijah Taken Up to Heaven

2 When the Lord was about to take^(V) Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind,^(W) Elijah and Elisha^(X) were on their way from Gilgal.^{(Y) 2} Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here;^(Z) the Lord has sent me to Bethel.”

But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.”^(AA) So they went down to Bethel.

³ The company^(AB) of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?”

“Yes, I know,” Elisha replied, “so be quiet.”

⁴ Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, Elisha; the Lord has sent me to Jericho.^(AC)”

And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.

⁵ The company^(AD) of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?”

“Yes, I know,” he replied, “so be quiet.”

⁶ Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here;^(AE) the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.”^(AF)

And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.”^(AG) So the two of them walked on.

⁷ Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. ⁸ Elijah took his cloak,^(AH) rolled it up and struck^(AI) the water with it. The water divided^(AJ) to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry^(AK) ground.

⁹ When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”

“Let me inherit a double^(AL) portion of your spirit,”^(AM) Elisha replied.

¹⁰ “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”

¹¹ As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire^(AN) and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven^(AO) in a whirlwind.^{(AP) 12} Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots^(AQ) and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore^(AR) it in two.

¹³ Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴ He took the cloak^(AS) that had fallen from Elijah and struck^(AT) the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

¹⁵ The company^(AU) of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, “The spirit^(AV) of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. ¹⁶ “Look,” they said, “we your servants have fifty able men. Let them go and look for your master. Perhaps the Spirit^(AW) of the Lord has picked him up^(AX) and set him down on some mountain or in some valley.”

“No,” Elisha replied, “do not send them.”

¹⁷ But they persisted until he was too embarrassed^(AY) to refuse. So he said, “Send them.” And they sent fifty men, who searched for three days but did not find him. ¹⁸ When they returned to Elisha, who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?”

Healing of the Water

¹⁹ The people of the city said to Elisha, “Look, our lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive.”

²⁰ “Bring me a new bowl,” he said, “and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him.

²¹ Then he went out to the spring and threw^(AZ) the salt into it, saying, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.’” ²² And the water has remained pure^(BA) to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken.

Elisha Is Jeered

²³ From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered^(BB) at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here, baldy!” ²⁴ He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse^(BC) on them in the name^(BD) of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys. ²⁵ And he went on to Mount Carmel^(BE) and from there returned to Samaria.

Moab Revolts

3 Joram^[c](BF) son of Ahab became king of Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned twelve years. ² He did evil^(BG) in the eyes of the Lord, but not as his father^(BH) and mother had done. He got rid of the sacred stone^(BI) of Baal that his father had made. ³ Nevertheless he clung to the sins^(BJ) of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.

⁴ Now Mesha king of Moab^(BK) raised sheep, and he had to pay the king of Israel a tribute of a hundred thousand lambs^(BL) and the wool of a hundred thousand rams. ⁵ But after Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled^(BM) against the king of Israel. ⁶ So at that time King Joram set out from Samaria and mobilized all Israel. ⁷ He also sent this message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight^(BN) against Moab?”

“I will go with you,” he replied. “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”

⁸ “By what route shall we attack?” he asked.

“Through the Desert of Edom,” he answered.

⁹ So the king of Israel set out with the king of Judah and the king of Edom.^(BO) After a roundabout march of seven days, the army had no more water for themselves or for the animals with them.

¹⁰ “What!” exclaimed the king of Israel. “Has the Lord called us three kings together only to deliver us into the hands of Moab?”

¹¹ But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire^(BP) of the Lord?”

An officer of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha^(BQ) son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.^[d](BR)”

¹² Jehoshaphat said, “The word^(BS) of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.

¹³ Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Why do you want to involve me? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.”

“No,” the king of Israel answered, “because it was the Lord who called us three kings together to deliver us into the hands of Moab.”

¹⁴ Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, if I did not have respect for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not pay any attention to you. ¹⁵ But now bring me a harpist.”^(BT)

While the harpist was playing, the hand^(BU) of the Lord came on Elisha ¹⁶ and he said, “This is what the Lord says: I will fill this valley with pools of water. ¹⁷ For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water,^(BV) and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. ¹⁸ This is an easy^(BW) thing in the eyes of the Lord; he will also deliver Moab into your hands. ¹⁹ You will overthrow every fortified city and every major town. You will cut down every good tree, stop up all the springs, and ruin every good field with stones.”

²⁰ The next morning, about the time^(BX) for offering the sacrifice, there it was—water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water.^(BY)

²¹ Now all the Moabites had heard that the kings had come to fight against them; so every man, young and old, who could bear arms was called up and stationed on the border. ²² When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water. To the Moabites across the way, the water looked red—like blood. ²³ “That’s blood!” they said. “Those kings must have fought and slaughtered each other. Now to the plunder, Moab!”

²⁴ But when the Moabites came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and fought them until they fled. And the Israelites invaded the land and slaughtered the Moabites. ²⁵ They destroyed the towns, and each man threw a stone on every good field until it was covered. They stopped up all the springs and cut down every good tree. Only Kir Hareseth^(BZ) was left with its stones in place, but men armed with slings surrounded it and attacked it.

²⁶ When the king of Moab saw that the battle had gone against him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they failed. ²⁷ Then he took his firstborn^(CA) son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him as a sacrifice on the city wall. The fury against Israel was great; they withdrew and returned to their own land.

Psalm 67^[a]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.