Bible in 90 Days

²¹ Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; the other half followed Omri. ²² But the people who followed Omri prevailed over the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. And Tibni died and Omri became king. ²³ In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel and reigned twelve years; he reigned six years at ^(A)Tirzah. ²⁴ He bought the hill ^[a]Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver; and he built on the hill, and named the city which he built ^[b](B)Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill.

^25 (C)Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, and ^(D)acted more wickedly than all who were before him. ²⁶ For he ^(E)walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and in his sins which he made Israel sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel with their ^[c]idols. ²⁷ Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did and his might which he ^[d]showed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ²⁸ So Omri slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria; and Ahab his son became king in his place.

²⁹ Now Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. ³⁰ Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord ^(F)more than all who were before him.

³¹ It came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that ^(G)he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the ^(H)Sidonians, and went to serve Baal and worshiped him. ³² So he erected an altar for Baal in ^(I)the house of Baal which he built in Samaria. ³³ Ahab also made ^(J)the ^[e]Asherah. Thus ^(K)Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him. ^34 (L)In his days Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho; he laid its foundations with the loss of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.

Elijah Predicts Drought

17 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of ^[f](M)the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “^(N)As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely ^(O)there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” ² The word of the Lord came to him, saying, ³ “Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is ^[g]east of the Jordan. ⁴ It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and ^(P)I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.” ⁵ So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is ^[h]east of the Jordan. ⁶ The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook. ⁷ It happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ⁹ “Arise, go to ^(Q)Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, ^(R)I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” ¹⁰ So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and ^(S)he called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a ^[i]jar, that I may drink.” ¹¹ As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.” ¹² But she said, “^(T)As the Lord your God lives, ^(U)I have no ^[j]bread, only a handful of flour in the ^[k]bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering ^[l]a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and ^(V)die.” ¹³ Then Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from ^[m]it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. ¹⁴ For thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘The ^[n]bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil ^[o]be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth.’” ¹⁵ So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days. ¹⁶ The ^[p]bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil ^[q]become empty, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through Elijah.

Elijah Raises the Widow’s Son

¹⁷ Now it came about after these things that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick; and his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. ¹⁸ So she said to Elijah, “^(W)What do I have to do with you, O ^(X)man of God? ^[r]You have come to me to bring my iniquity to remembrance and to put my son to death!” ¹⁹ He said to her, “Give me your son.” Then he took him from her bosom and carried him up to the upper room where he was living, and laid him on his own bed. ²⁰ He called to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, have You also brought calamity to the widow with whom I am ^[s]staying, by causing her son to die?” ^21 (Y)Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and called to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, I pray You, let this child’s life return ^[t]to him.” ²² The Lord heard the voice of Elijah, ^(Z)and the life of the child returned ^[u]to him and he revived. ²³ Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house and gave him to his mother; and Elijah said, “See, your son is alive.” ²⁴ Then the woman said to Elijah, “^(AA)Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”

Obadiah Meets Elijah

18 Now it happened ^(AB)after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and ^(AC)I will send rain on the face of the earth.” ² So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. ³ Ahab called Obadiah ^(AD)who was over the household. (Now Obadiah ^[v](AE)feared the Lord greatly; ⁴ for ^(AF)when Jezebel ^[w]destroyed the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and ^(AG)provided them with bread and water.) ⁵ Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys; perhaps we will find grass and keep the horses and mules alive, and not ^[x]have to kill some of the cattle.” ⁶ So they divided the land between them to ^[y]survey it; Ahab went one way by himself and Obadiah went another way by himself.

⁷ Now as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah ^[z]met him, ^(AH)and he recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is this you, Elijah my master?” ⁸ He said to him, “It is I. Go, say to your master, ‘Behold, Elijah is here.’” ⁹ He said, “What ^[aa]sin have I committed, that you are giving your servant into the hand of Ahab to put me to death? ^10 (AI)As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent to search for you; and when they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made the kingdom or nation swear that they could not find you. ¹¹ And now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, “Behold, Elijah is here.”’ ¹² It will come about when I leave you ^(AJ)that the Spirit of the Lord will carry you where I do not know; so when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have ^[ab]feared the Lord from my youth. ^13 (AK)Has it not been told to my master what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, that I hid ^[ac]a hundred prophets of the Lord by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water? ¹⁴ And now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, “Behold, Elijah is here”’; he will then kill me.” ¹⁵ Elijah said, “^(AL)As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.” ¹⁶ So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

¹⁷ When Ahab saw Elijah, ^(AM)Ahab said to him, “Is this you, you troubler of Israel?” ¹⁸ He said, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because ^(AN)you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and ^(AO)you have followed the Baals. ¹⁹ Now then send and gather to me all Israel at ^(AP)Mount Carmel, ^(AQ)together with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of ^(AR)the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

God or Baal on Mount Carmel

²⁰ So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel. ²¹ Elijah came near to all the people and said, “^(AS)How long will you ^[ad]hesitate between two opinions? ^(AT)If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word. ²² Then Elijah said to the people, “I ^(AU)alone am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are ^(AV)450 men. ²³ Now let them give us two oxen; and let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood, and I will not put a fire under it. ²⁴ Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord, and ^(AW)the God who answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people said, “^[ae]That is a good idea.”

²⁵ So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.” ²⁶ Then they took the ox which ^[af]was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, “O Baal, answer us.” But there was ^(AX)no voice and no one answered. And they ^[ag]leaped about the altar which ^[ah]they made. ²⁷ It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened.” ²⁸ So they cried with a loud voice and ^(AY)cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them. ²⁹ When midday was past, they ^[ai]raved ^(AZ)until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no ^[aj]one paid attention.

³⁰ Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And ^(BA)he repaired the altar of the Lord which had been torn down. ³¹ Elijah 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, “^(BB)Israel shall be your name.” ³² So with the stones he built an altar in ^(BC)the name of the Lord, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two ^[ak]measures of seed. ^33 (BD)Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood. ³⁴ And he said, “Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” And he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. ³⁵ The water flowed around the altar and he also filled the trench with water.

Elijah’s Prayer

^36 (BE)At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “^(BF)O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that ^(BG)You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and ^(BH)I have done all these things at Your word. ³⁷ Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.” ³⁸ Then the ^(BI)fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. ³⁹ When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “^(BJ)The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God.” ⁴⁰ Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to ^(BK)the brook Kishon, ^(BL)and slew them there.

⁴¹ Now Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower.” ⁴² So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of ^(BM)Carmel; and he ^(BN)crouched down on the earth and put his face between his knees. ⁴³ He said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go back” seven times. ⁴⁴ It came about at the seventh time, that he said, “Behold, ^(BO)a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘^[al]Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’” ⁴⁵ In a little while the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower. And Ahab rode and went to ^(BP)Jezreel. ⁴⁶ Then ^(BQ)the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and ^(BR)he girded up his loins and ^[am]outran Ahab ^[an]to Jezreel.

Elijah Flees from Jezebel

19 Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and ^[ao](BS)how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. ² Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “^(BT)So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your ^[ap]life as the ^[aq]life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” ³ And he ^[ar]was afraid and arose and ran for his ^[as]life and came to ^(BU)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 ^[at]juniper tree; and ^(BV)he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take my ^[au]life, for I am not better than my fathers.” ⁵ He lay down and slept under a ^[av]juniper tree; and behold, there was ^(BW)an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat.” ⁶ Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. ⁷ The angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.” ⁸ So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food ^(BX)forty days and forty nights to ^(BY)Horeb, the mountain of God.

Elijah at Horeb

⁹ Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, ^(BZ)the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” ¹⁰ He said, “^(CA)I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, ^(CB)torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And ^(CC)I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

¹¹ So He said, “^(CD)Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And ^(CE)a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire ^(CF)a sound of a gentle blowing. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, ^(CG)he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, ^(CH)a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” ¹⁴ Then he said, “^(CI)I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

¹⁵ The Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, ^(CJ)you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram; ¹⁶ and ^(CK)Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and ^(CL)Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. ¹⁷ It shall come about, the ^(CM)one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu ^(CN)shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. ^18 (CO)Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not ^(CP)kissed him.”

¹⁹ So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah passed over to him and threw ^(CQ)his mantle on him. ²⁰ He left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Please ^(CR)let me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” ²¹ So he returned from following him, and took the pair of oxen and sacrificed them and ^(CS)boiled their flesh with the implements of the oxen, and gave it to the people and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah and ministered to him.

War with Aram

20 Now ^(CT)Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his army, ^(CU)and there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and ^(CV)besieged Samaria and fought against it. ² Then he sent messengers to the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, “Thus says Ben-hadad, ³ ‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your most beautiful wives and children are also mine.’” ⁴ The king of Israel replied, “It is according to your word, my lord, O king; I am yours, and all that I have.” ⁵ Then the messengers returned and said, “Thus says ^[aw]Ben-hadad, ‘Surely, I sent to you saying, “You shall give me your silver and your gold and your wives and your children,” ⁶ but about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants; and ^[ax]whatever is desirable in your eyes, they will ^[ay]take in their hand and carry away.’”

⁷ Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, “Please observe and ^(CW)see how this man is looking for trouble; for he sent to me for my wives and my children and my silver and my gold, and I did not refuse him.” ⁸ All the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen or consent.” ⁹ So he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you sent for to your servant at the first I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’” And the messengers departed and brought him word again. ¹⁰ Ben-hadad sent to him and said, “May ^(CX)the gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria will suffice for handfuls for all the people who ^[az]follow me.” ¹¹ Then the king of Israel replied, “Tell him, ‘^(CY)Let not him who girds on his armor boast like him who takes it off.’” ¹² When Ben-hadad heard this message, as ^(CZ)he was drinking ^[ba]with the kings in the ^[bb]temporary shelters, he said to his servants, “Station yourselves.” So they stationed themselves against the city.

Ahab Victorious

¹³ Now behold, a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, ^(DA)I will deliver them into your hand today, and ^(DB)you shall know that I am the Lord.’” ¹⁴ Ahab said, “By whom?” So he said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘By the young men of the rulers of the provinces.’” Then he said, “Who shall ^[bc]begin the battle?” And he ^[bd]answered, “You.” ¹⁵ Then he mustered the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and there were 232; and after them he mustered all the people, even all the sons of Israel, 7,000.

¹⁶ They went out at noon, while ^(DC)Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the ^[be]temporary shelters ^[bf]with the thirty-two kings who helped him. ¹⁷ The young men of the rulers of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out and they told him, saying, “Men have come out from Samaria.” ^18 (DD)Then he said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive.”

¹⁹ So these went out from the city, the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and the army which followed them. ²⁰ They ^[bg]killed each his man; and the Arameans fled and Israel pursued them, and Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen. ²¹ The king of Israel went out and ^[bh]struck the horses and chariots, and ^[bi]killed the Arameans with a great slaughter.

²² Then ^(DE)the prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself and observe and see what you have to do; for ^(DF)at the turn of the year the king of Aram will come up against you.”

²³ Now the servants of the king of Aram said to him, “^(DG)Their gods are gods of the mountains, therefore they were stronger than we; but rather let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they. ²⁴ Do this thing: remove the kings, each from his place, and put captains in their place, ²⁵ and ^[bj]muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they.” And he listened to their voice and did so.

Another Aramean War

^26 (DH)At the turn of the year, Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to ^(DI)Aphek to fight against Israel. ²⁷ The sons of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went to meet them; and the sons of Israel camped before them like two little flocks of goats, ^(DJ)but the Arameans filled the country. ²⁸ Then ^(DK)a man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because the Arameans have said, “^(DL)The Lord is a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the valleys,” therefore ^(DM)I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’” ²⁹ So they camped one over against the other seven days. And on the seventh day the battle was joined, and the sons of Israel ^[bk]killed of the Arameans 100,000 foot soldiers in one day. ³⁰ But the rest fled to ^(DN)Aphek into the city, and the wall fell on 27,000 men who were left. And Ben-hadad fled and came into the city ^(DO)into an inner chamber.

^31 (DP)His servants said to him, “Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings, please let us ^(DQ)put sackcloth on our loins and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will save your ^[bl]life.” ³² So ^(DR)they girded sackcloth on their loins and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, “^(DS)Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’” And he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” ³³ Now the men ^[bm]took this as an omen, and quickly ^[bn]catching his word said, “Your brother Ben-hadad.” Then he said, “Go, bring him.” Then Ben-hadad came out to him, and he ^[bo]took him up into the chariot. ³⁴ Ben-hadad said to him, “^(DT)The cities which my father took from your father I will restore, and you shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria.” Ahab said, “And I will let you go with this covenant.” So he made a covenant with him and let him go.

³⁵ Now a certain man of ^(DU)the sons of the prophets said to ^[bp]another ^(DV)by the word of the Lord, “Please strike me.” But the man refused to strike him. ³⁶ Then he said to him, “Because you have not listened to the voice of the Lord, behold, as soon as you have departed from me, ^(DW)a lion will ^[bq]kill you.” And as soon as he had departed from him a lion found him and ^[br]killed him. ³⁷ Then he found another man and said, “Please ^[bs]strike me.” And the man ^[bt]struck him, ^[bu]wounding him. ³⁸ So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the way, and ^(DX)disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. ³⁹ As the king passed by, he cried to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if for any reason he is missing, ^(DY)then your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ ⁴⁰ While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” And the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it.” ⁴¹ Then he hastily took the bandage away from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him that he was of the prophets. ⁴² He said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore ^(DZ)your ^[bv]life shall go for his ^[bw]life, and your people for his people.’” ⁴³ So ^(EA)the king of Israel went to his house sullen and vexed, and came to Samaria.

Ahab Covets Naboth’s Vineyard

21 Now it came about after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in ^(EB)Jezreel beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. ² Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “^(EC)Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden because it is close beside my house, and I will give you a better vineyard than it in its place; if ^[bx]you like, I will give you the price of ^[by]it in money.” ³ But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid me ^(ED)that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” ^4 (EE)So Ahab came into his house sullen and vexed because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and ate no ^[bz]food.

⁵ But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “How is it that your spirit is so sullen that you are not eating ^[ca]food?” ⁶ So he said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will give you a vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” ⁷ Jezebel his wife said to him, “^(EF)Do you now ^[cb]reign over Israel? Arise, eat bread, and let your heart be joyful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

^8 (EG)So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and sent letters to ^(EH)the elders and to the nobles who were living with Naboth in his city. ⁹ Now she wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people; ¹⁰ and seat two ^(EI)worthless men before him, and let them testify against him, saying, ‘^(EJ)You cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and ^(EK)stone him ^[cc]to death.”

Jezebel’s Plot

¹¹ So the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them, just as it was written in the letters which she had sent them. ¹² They ^(EL)proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the people. ¹³ Then the two worthless men came in and sat before him; and the worthless men testified against him, even against Naboth, before the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” ^(EM)So they took him outside the city and stoned him ^[cd]to death with stones. ¹⁴ Then they sent word to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.”

¹⁵ When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” ¹⁶ When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

¹⁷ Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ¹⁸ “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, ^(EN)who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth where he has gone down to take possession of it. ¹⁹ You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “^(EO)Have you murdered and also taken possession?”’ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “^(EP)In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth the dogs will lick up your blood, even yours.”’”

²⁰ Ahab said to Elijah, “^(EQ)Have you found me, O my enemy?” And he ^[ce]answered, “I have found you, ^(ER)because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord. ²¹ Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and ^(ES)will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free in Israel; ²² and ^(ET)I will make your house ^(EU)like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and because you ^(EV)have made Israel sin. ²³ Of Jezebel also has the Lord spoken, saying, ‘^(EW)The dogs will eat Jezebel in the ^[cf]district of Jezreel.’ ^24 (EX)The one belonging to Ahab, who dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and the one who dies in the field the birds of heaven will eat.”

^25 (EY)Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord, ^[cg]because Jezebel his wife incited him. ^26 (EZ)He acted very abominably in following idols, ^(FA)according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the sons of Israel.

²⁷ It came about when Ahab heard these words, that ^(FB)he tore his clothes and put ^[ch]on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about ^[ci]despondently. ²⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ²⁹ “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days, but I will bring the evil upon his house ^(FC)in his son’s days.”

Ahab’s Third Campaign against Aram

22 Three ^[cj]years passed without war between Aram and Israel. ^2 (FD)In the third year ^(FE)Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. ³ Now the king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that ^(FF)Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we ^[ck]are still doing nothing to take it out of the hand of the king of Aram?” ⁴ And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “^(FG)I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”

⁵ Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire ^[cl]first for the word of the Lord.” ⁶ Then ^(FH)the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” ⁷ But ^(FI)Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not yet a prophet of the Lord here that we may inquire of him?” ⁸ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” ⁹ Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “^[cm]Bring quickly Micaiah son of Imlah.” ¹⁰ Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and ^(FJ)all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹¹ Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made ^(FK)horns of iron for himself and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘^(FL)With these you will gore the Arameans until they are consumed.’” ¹² All the prophets were prophesying thus, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”

Micaiah Predicts Defeat

¹³ Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold now, the words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the king. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” ¹⁴ But Micaiah said, “^(FM)As the Lord lives, what ^(FN)the Lord says to me, that I shall speak.”

¹⁵ When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?” And he ^[cn]answered him, “^(FO)Go up and succeed, and the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” ¹⁶ Then the king said to him, “How many times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” ¹⁷ So he said,

¹⁸ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “^(FQ)Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

^19 [co]Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. ^(FR)I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and ^(FS)all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. ²⁰ The Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that. ²¹ Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’ ²² The Lord said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and ^(FT)be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You are to entice him and also prevail. Go and do so.’ ²³ Now therefore, behold, ^(FU)the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and the Lord has proclaimed disaster against you.”

²⁴ Then ^(FV)Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “^(FW)How did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?” ²⁵ Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you ^(FX)enter an inner room to hide yourself.” ²⁶ Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son; ²⁷ and say, ‘Thus says the king, “^(FY)Put this man in prison and feed him ^[cp]sparingly with bread and water until I return safely.”’” ²⁸ Micaiah said, “^(FZ)If you indeed return safely the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “^(GA)Listen, all you people.”

Defeat and Death of Ahab

²⁹ So ^(GB)the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead. ³⁰ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “^(GC)I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle. ³¹ Now ^(GD)the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with small or great, but with the king of Israel alone.” ³² So when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely it is the king of Israel,” and they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out. ³³ When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

³⁴ Now a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel ^[cq]in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn ^[cr]around and take me out of the ^[cs]fight; ^(GE)for I am severely wounded.” ³⁵ The battle ^[ct]raged that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot in front of the Arameans, and died at evening, and the blood from the wound ran into the bottom of the chariot. ^36 (GF)Then a cry passed throughout the army close to sunset, saying, “Every man to his city and every man to his ^[cu]country.”

³⁷ So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria. ³⁸ They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood (now the harlots bathed themselves there), ^(GG)according to the word of the Lord which He spoke. ³⁹ Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did and ^(GH)the ivory house which he built and all the cities which he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ⁴⁰ So Ahab slept with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son became king in his place.

The New Rulers

^41 (GI)Now Jehoshaphat the son of Asa became king over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. ⁴² Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. ^43 (GJ)He walked in all the way of Asa his father; he did not turn aside from it, doing right in the sight of the Lord. ^(GK)However, the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense on the high places. ^44 (GL)Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.

⁴⁵ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might which he showed and how he warred, are they not written ^(GM)in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ⁴⁶ The remnant of ^(GN)the sodomites who remained in the days of his father Asa, he ^[cv]expelled from the land.

⁴⁷ Now ^(GO)there was no king in Edom; a deputy was king. ⁴⁸ Jehoshaphat made ^(GP)ships of Tarshish to go to ^(GQ)Ophir for gold, but ^(GR)they did not go for the ships were broken at ^(GS)Ezion-geber. ⁴⁹ Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat was not willing. ^50 (GT)And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David, and Jehoram his son became king in his place.

⁵¹ Ahaziah the son of Ahab ^(GU)became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel. ⁵² He did evil in the sight of the Lord and ^(GV)walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. ^53 (GW)So he served Baal and worshiped him and provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger, according to all that his father had done.

Ahaziah’s Messengers Meet Elijah

1 Now ^(GX)Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. ² And Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber which was in Samaria, and became ill. So he sent messengers and said to them, “Go, ^(GY)inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, ^(GZ)whether I will recover from this sickness.” ³ But the angel of the Lord said to ^(HA)Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of ^(HB)Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’ ⁴ Now therefore thus says the Lord, ‘^[cw](HC)You shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” Then Elijah departed.

⁵ When the messengers returned to him he said to them, “^[cx]Why have you returned?” 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 sending ^(HD)to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore ^[cy]you shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die.’”’” ⁷ He said to them, “What kind of man was he who came up to meet you and spoke these words to you?” ⁸ They ^[cz]answered him, “^(HE)He was a hairy man with a leather girdle ^[da]bound about his loins.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

⁹ Then the king ^(HF)sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him, and behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. And he said to him, “O man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’” ¹⁰ Elijah replied to the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, ^(HG)let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” ^(HH)Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

¹¹ So he again sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he said to him, “O man of God, thus says the king, ‘Come down quickly.’” ¹² Elijah replied to them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

¹³ So he ^(HI)again sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. When the third captain of fifty went up, he came and bowed down on his knees before Elijah, and begged him and said to him, “O man of God, please let my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight. ¹⁴ Behold fire came down from heaven and consumed the first two captains of fifty with their fifties; but now let my ^[db]life be precious in your sight.” ^15 (HJ)The angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; ^(HK)do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king. ¹⁶ Then he said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have sent messengers ^(HL)to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word?—therefore ^[dc]you shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die.’”

Jehoram Reigns over Israel

¹⁷ So Ahaziah died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken. And because he had no son, Jehoram became king in his place ^(HM)in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. ¹⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

Elijah Taken to Heaven

2 And it came about when the Lord was about to ^(HN)take up Elijah by a ^[dd]whirlwind to heaven, that Elijah went with ^(HO)Elisha from ^(HP)Gilgal. ² Elijah said to Elisha, “^(HQ)Stay here please, for the Lord has sent me as far as ^(HR)Bethel.” But Elisha said, “^(HS)As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. ³ Then ^(HT)the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over ^[de]you today?” And he said, “Yes, I know; be still.”

⁴ Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please ^(HU)stay here, for the Lord has sent me to ^(HV)Jericho.” But he said, “^(HW)As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. ^5 (HX)The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, “^(HY)Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over ^[df]you today?” And he ^[dg]answered, “Yes, I know; be still.” ⁶ Then Elijah said to him, “Please ^(HZ)stay here, for the Lord has sent me to ^(IA)the Jordan.” And he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.

⁷ Now ^(IB)fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. ⁸ Elijah ^(IC)took his mantle and folded it together and ^(ID)struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

⁹ When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please, let a ^(IE)double portion of your spirit be upon me.” ¹⁰ He said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you ^(IF)see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” ¹¹ As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared ^(IG)a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a ^[dh]whirlwind to heaven. ¹² Elisha saw it and cried out, “^(IH)My father, my father, the ^[di]chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw ^[dj]Elijah no more. Then ^(II)he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. ¹³ He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴ He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he also had ^(IJ)struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over.

Elisha Succeeds Elijah

¹⁵ Now when ^(IK)the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho opposite him saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed themselves to the ground before him. ¹⁶ They said to him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men, please let them go and search for your master; perhaps ^(IL)the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him on some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send.” ¹⁷ But when ^(IM)they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, “Send.” They sent therefore fifty men; and they searched three days but did not find him. ¹⁸ They returned to him while he was staying at Jericho; and he said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go’?”

¹⁹ Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold now, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad and the land ^[dk]is unfruitful.” ²⁰ He said, “Bring me a new jar, and put salt ^[dl]in it.” So they brought it to him. ²¹ He went out to the spring of water and ^(IN)threw salt ^[dm]in it and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘I have ^[dn]purified these waters; there shall not be from there death or ^[do]unfruitfulness any longer.’” ²² So the waters have been ^[dp]purified to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.

²³ Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, young lads came out from the city and ^(IO)mocked him and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!” ²⁴ When he looked behind him and saw them, he ^(IP)cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of ^[dq]their number. ²⁵ He went from there to ^(IQ)Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

Jehoram Meets Moab Rebellion

3 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel at Samaria ^(IR)in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. ² He did evil in the sight of the Lord, though not like his father and his mother; for ^(IS)he put away the sacred pillar of Baal ^(IT)which his father had made. ³ Nevertheless, ^(IU)he clung to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, ^(IV)which he made Israel sin; he did not depart from them.

⁴ Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and ^(IW)used to pay the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. ⁵ But ^(IX)when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. ⁶ And King Jehoram went out of Samaria ^[dr]at that time and mustered all Israel. ⁷ Then he went and sent word to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” And he said, “I will go up; ^(IY)I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” ⁸ He said, “Which way shall we go up?” And he ^[ds]answered, “The way of the wilderness of Edom.”

⁹ So ^(IZ)the king of Israel went with ^(JA)the king of Judah and ^(JB)the king of Edom; and they made a circuit of seven days’ journey, and there was no water for the army or for the cattle that followed them. ¹⁰ Then the king of Israel said, “Alas! For the Lord has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.” ¹¹ But Jehoshaphat said, “^(JC)Is there not a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord by him?” And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, “^(JD)Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, ^(JE)who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.” ¹² Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.

¹³ Now Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What do I have to do with you? ^(JF)Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.” And the king of Israel said to him, “No, for the Lord has called these three kings together to give them into the hand of Moab.” ¹⁴ Elisha said, “^(JG)As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you. ¹⁵ But now ^(JH)bring me a minstrel.” And it came about, when the minstrel played, that ^(JI)the hand of the Lord came upon him. ¹⁶ He said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Make this valley full of trenches.’ ¹⁷ For thus says the Lord, ‘You shall not see wind nor shall you see rain; yet that valley ^(JJ)shall be filled with water, so that you shall drink, both you and your cattle and your beasts. ¹⁸ This is but a ^(JK)slight thing in the sight of the Lord; He will also give the Moabites into your hand. ^19 (JL)Then you shall strike every fortified city and every choice city, and fell every good tree and stop all springs of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.’” ²⁰ It happened in the morning ^(JM)about the time of offering the sacrifice, that behold, water came by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.

²¹ Now all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. And all who were able to ^[dt]put on armor and older were summoned and stood on the border. ²² They rose early in the morning, and the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood. ²³ Then they said, “This is blood; the kings have surely fought together, and they have slain one another. Now therefore, Moab, to the spoil!” ²⁴ But when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites arose and struck the Moabites, so that they fled before them; and they went forward ^[du]into the land, ^[dv]slaughtering the Moabites. ^25 (JN)Thus they destroyed the cities; and each one threw a stone on every piece of good land and filled it. So they stopped all the springs of water and felled all the good trees, until in ^(JO)Kir-hareseth only they left its stones; however, the slingers went about it and struck it. ²⁶ When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him 700 men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom; but they could not. ²⁷ Then he took his oldest son who was to reign in his place, and ^(JP)offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel, and they departed from him and returned to their own land.

The Widow’s Oil

4 Now a certain woman of the wives of ^(JQ)the sons of the prophets cried out to ^[dw]Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord; and ^(JR)the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” ² Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house except ^(JS)a jar of oil.” ³ Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, even empty vessels; do not get a few. ⁴ And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out into all these vessels, and you shall set aside what is full.” ⁵ So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing the vessels to her and she poured. ⁶ When ^(JT)the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not one vessel more.” And the oil stopped. ⁷ Then she came and told ^(JU)the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”

The Shunammite Woman

⁸ Now there came a day when Elisha passed over to ^(JV)Shunem, where there was a ^[dx]prominent woman, and she persuaded him to eat ^[dy]food. And so it was, as often as he passed by, he turned in there to eat ^[dz]food. ⁹ She said to her husband, “Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy ^(JW)man of God passing by us continually. ¹⁰ Please, let us ^(JX)make a little walled upper chamber and let us set a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; and it shall be, when he comes to us, that he can turn in there.”

^11 [ea]One day he came there and turned in to the upper chamber and ^[eb]rested. ¹² Then he said to ^(JY)Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” And when he had called her, she stood before him. ¹³ He said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Behold, you have been ^[ec]careful for us with all this ^[ed]care; what can I do for you? Would you be spoken for to the king or to the captain of the army?’” And she ^[ee]answered, “I live among my own people.” ¹⁴ So he said, “What then is to be done for her?” And Gehazi ^[ef]answered, “Truly she has no son and her husband is old.” ¹⁵ He said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. ¹⁶ Then he said, “^(JZ)At this season ^[eg]next year you will embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God, ^(KA)do not lie to your maidservant.”

¹⁷ The woman conceived and bore a son at that season ^[eh]the next year, as Elisha had said to her.

The Shunammite’s Son

¹⁸ When the child was grown, the day came that he went out to his father to the reapers. ¹⁹ He said to his father, “My head, my head.” And he said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” ²⁰ When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her ^[ei]lap until noon, and then died. ²¹ She went up and ^(KB)laid him on the bed of ^(KC)the man of God, and shut the door behind him and went out. ²² Then she called to her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and return.” ²³ He said, “Why will you go to him today? It is neither ^(KD)new moon nor sabbath.” And she said, “It will be well.” ²⁴ Then she saddled a donkey and said to her servant, “Drive and go forward; do not slow down ^[ej]the pace for me unless I tell you.” ²⁵ So she went and came to the man of God to ^(KE)Mount Carmel.

When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Behold, ^[ek]there is the Shunammite. ²⁶ Please run now to meet her and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’” And she ^[el]answered, “It is well.” ²⁷ When she came to the man of God ^(KF)to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to push her away; but the man of God said, “Let her alone, for her soul is ^[em]troubled within her; and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me.” ²⁸ Then she said, “Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say, ‘^(KG)Do not deceive me’?”

²⁹ Then he said to Gehazi, “^(KH)Gird up your loins and ^(KI)take my staff in your hand, and go your way; if you meet any man, do not ^(KJ)salute him, and if anyone salutes you, do not answer him; and ^(KK)lay my staff on the lad’s face.” ³⁰ The mother of the lad said, “^(KL)As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” And he arose and followed her. ³¹ Then Gehazi passed on before them and laid the staff on the lad’s face, but there was no sound or ^[en]response. So he returned to meet him and told ^[eo]him, “The lad ^(KM)has not awakened.”

³² When Elisha came into the house, behold the lad was dead and laid on his bed. ³³ So he entered and ^(KN)shut the door behind them both and prayed to the Lord. ³⁴ And ^(KO)he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth and his eyes on his eyes and his hands on his hands, and he stretched himself on him; and the flesh of the child became warm. ³⁵ Then he returned and walked in the house once back and forth, and went up and ^(KP)stretched himself on him; and the lad sneezed seven times and the lad opened his eyes. ³⁶ He called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her. And when she came in to him, he said, “Take up your son.” ³⁷ Then she went in and fell at his feet and bowed herself to the ground, and ^(KQ)she took up her son and went out.