Taste and See That the Lord Is Good

^[a] Of David, when he ^(A)changed his behavior before ^(B)Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.

Elijah Flees Jezebel

19 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how ^(A)he had killed all the prophets with the sword. ² Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, ^(B)“So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” ³ Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to ^(C)Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

⁴ But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. ^(D)And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” ⁵ And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” ⁶ And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. ⁷ And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” ⁸ And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food ^(E)forty days and forty nights to ^(F)Horeb, the mount of God.

The New Life

¹⁷ Now this I say and ^(A)testify in the Lord, ^(B)that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, ^(C)in the futility of their minds. ¹⁸ They ^(D)are darkened in their understanding, ^(E)alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to ^(F)their hardness of heart. ¹⁹ They ^(G)have become callous and ^(H)have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. ²⁰ But that is not the way you ^(I)learned Christ!— ²¹ assuming that ^(J)you have heard about him and ^(K)were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, ²² to ^(L)put off ^(M)your old self,^[a] which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through ^(N)deceitful desires, ²³ and ^(O)to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴ and to put on ^(P)the new self, ^(Q)created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

²⁵ Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you ^(R)speak the truth with his neighbor, for ^(S)we are members one of another. ^26 (T)Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷ and ^(U)give no opportunity to the devil. ²⁸ Let the thief no longer steal, but rather ^(V)let him labor, ^(W)doing honest work with his own hands, so ^(X)that he may have something to share with anyone in need. ^29 (Y)Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give ^(Z)grace to those who hear. ³⁰ And ^(AA)do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, ^(AB)by whom you were sealed for the day of ^(AC)redemption. ^31 (AD)Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. ^32 (AE)Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, ^(AF)forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Walk in Love

5 ^(AG)Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. ² And ^(AH)walk in love, ^(AI)as Christ loved us and ^(AJ)gave himself up for us, a ^(AK)fragrant ^(AL)offering and sacrifice to God.