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Elijah and the Messengers of Ahaziah
1 Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 2 Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice in his upper room, which was in Samaria, and he was injured. So he sent messengers, and he said to them, “Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, if I will survive this injury.”
3 Then the angel of Yahweh spoke to Elijah the Tishbite, “Get up, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and speak to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’ 4 Therefore, thus says Yahweh, ‘The bed upon which you have gone, you will not come down from it, but you shall surely die.’” So Elijah went.
5 When the messengers returned to him, he asked them, “Why have you returned?” 6 Then they said to him, “A man came up to meet us, and he said to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent you and speak to him, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron? Therefore the bed upon which you have gone, you will not come down from it, for you will surely die.’”’” 7 Then he spoke to them, “What was the manner of the man who came up to meet you and spoke to you all these things?” 8 They answered him, “A hairy man[a] with a leather belt girded around his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”
9 So Ahaziah[b] sent to him the commander of fifty with his fifty men, and he went up to him while he was sitting on the top of the hill. He said to him, “O man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’” 10 Then Elijah answered and said to the commander of the fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty!” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
11 So he again sent[c] another commander of fifty and his fifty men. He answered and said to him, “O man of God, thus says the king, ‘Come down quickly!’” 12 Then Elijah answered and said to them, “If I am a man of God, then 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 again sent[d] a third time a commander of fifty and his fifty, and the commander of the third fifty went up and came and knelt down on his knees before Elijah and entreated him. He said to him, “O man of God, please let my life and the lives of your servants, these fifty, be precious in your eyes. 14 Behold, fire from heaven came down and consumed the first two commanders of fifty and their fifties, so then let my life be precious in your eyes.” 15 Then the angel of Yahweh spoke to Elijah, “Go down with him. Do not be afraid because of him.” So he got up and went down with him to the king, 16 and he said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel from whom to inquire his word?—therefore the bed upon which you went, you shall not come down from it, for you shall surely die.’”
Epitaph for Ahaziah
17 So he died, according to the word of Yahweh which Elijah had spoken, and Joram became king in his place in the second year of Joram the son of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, because he had no son. 18 The remainder of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?
Elijah Taken Away from Elisha
2 When Yahweh was about to take Elijah up in the storm to heaven, Elijah and Elisha went from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for Yahweh has sent me up to Bethel.” Elisha said, “As Yahweh lives[e] and as your soul lives,[f] I will certainly not leave you!” So they went down to Bethel. 3 Then the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and they said to him, “Do you know that Yahweh is going to take your master from you[g] today?” He said, “I also know; be quiet!”
4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here because Yahweh has sent me to Jericho.” And he said, “As Yahweh lives[h] and as your soul lives,[i] I will certainly not leave you!” So they came to Jericho. 5 Then the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho came near to Elisha, and they said to him, “Do you know that Yahweh is going to take your master from you[j] today?” He said, “I also know; be quiet!”
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, because Yahweh has sent me to the Jordan.” He said, “As Yahweh lives[k] and as your soul lives,[l] I will certainly not leave you!” So the two of them went on. 7 Then fifty men from the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance while the two of them stood by the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the water. It divided in two,[m] and the two of them crossed over on dry land.
9 After they crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I may do for you before I am taken away from you.” Then Elisha said, “Please let there come to me a double portion of your spirit.” 10 He said, “What you ask is difficult. If you see me being taken from you, it will be so for you, but if not, it will not happen.” 11 Then they were walking, talking as they went. Suddenly a fiery chariot with horses of fire appeared and separated between the two of them. Elijah went up in the storm to the heavens 12 while Elisha was watching and crying out, “My father, my father; the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” But he could not see him any longer, and he grasped his clothes and tore them in two pieces.
13 Then he picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen off of him, and he returned and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from upon him and struck the water. Then he said, “Where is Yahweh, the God of Elijah?” So he also struck the water, and it divided in two,[n] and Elisha crossed over.
Elisha Begins His Ministry
15 When the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him from the other side, they declared, “The spirit of Elijah rests upon Elisha,” and they came to meet him and bowed down to him to the ground. 16 Then they said to him, “Look, there are with your servants fifty able men. Please let them go and look for your master, lest the Spirit of Yahweh has lifted him up and thrown him on one of the mountains or into one of the valleys,” but he said, “You must not send them.” 17 But they urged him until embarrassing him, so he said, “Send them.” So they sent fifty men, and they looked for three days, but they could not find him. 18 Then they returned to him while he was staying in Jericho. He said to them, “Did I not tell you not to go?”
19 The men of the city said to Elisha, “Please now, the location of the city is good, as my master can see, but the water is bad and the land unproductive.” 20 So he said, “Bring me a new bowl and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. 21 Then he went out to the spring of waters and threw the salt into it there and said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘I hereby purify these waters; let there be no longer any death or unproductiveness from it.’” 22 Then the waters were purified until this very day according to the word of Elisha that he spoke.
23 Then he went up from there to Bethel; as he was going up along the way, young boys came out from the city and mocked at him and said to him, “Go up, baldhead; go up, baldhead!” 24 When he turned around and saw them, he cursed them in the name of Yahweh. Then two bears came out of the forest and mauled forty-two boys among them. 25 Then he went from there to Mount Carmel and from there he returned to Samaria.
Response to the Message in Pisidian Antioch
42 And as[a] they were going out, they began urging[b] that these things be spoken about to them on the next Sabbath. 43 And after[c] the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and the devout[d] proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking to them and[e] were persuading them to continue in the grace of God. 44 And on the coming Sabbath, nearly the whole city came together to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But when[f] the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and began contradicting what was being said by Paul by[g] reviling him.[h] 46 Both Paul and Barnabas spoke boldly and[i] said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you, since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life! Behold, we are turning to the Gentiles! 47 For so the Lord has commanded us:
‘I have appointed you to be[j] a light for the Gentiles,
that you would bring[k] salvation to the end of the earth.’[l]
48 And when[m] the Gentiles heard this,[n] they began to rejoice[o] and to glorify the word of the Lord. And all those who were designated for eternal life believed. 49 So the word of the Lord was carried through the whole region. 50 But the Jews incited the devout women of high social standing and the most prominent men of the city, and stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and threw them out of their district. 51 So after[p] shaking off the dust from their feet against them, they went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Preaching in Iconium
14 Now it happened that in Iconium they entered together[q] into the synagogue of the Jews and spoke in such a way that a large number of both Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the Jews who were disobedient stirred up and poisoned the minds[r] of the Gentiles against the brothers. 3 So they stayed there[s] for a considerable time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who testified to the message of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be performed through their hands. 4 But the population of the city was divided, and some[t] were with the Jews and some[u] with the apostles. 5 So when an inclination took place on the part of both the Gentiles and the Jews, together with their rulers, to mistreat them[v] and to stone them, 6 they became aware of it[w] and[x] fled to the Lycaonian cities—Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding region. 7 And there they were continuing to proclaim the good news.
The Knowledge of God
For the music director. Of David. A psalm.[a]
139 O Yahweh, you have searched me, and you know me.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up.
You understand my thought from afar.
3 You search out[b] my wandering and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word yet on my tongue,
but behold, O Yahweh, you know it completely.
5 You barricade me behind and in front,
and set your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me.
It is set high; I cannot prevail against it.
7 Where I can go from your Spirit,
or where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, there you are,
and if I make my bed in Sheol, look! There you are.
9 If I lift up the wings of the dawn,
and I alight on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand would lead me,
and your right hand would hold me fast.
11 And if I should say, “Surely darkness will cover me,
and the light around me will be as night,”
12 even the darkness is not too dark for you,[c]
and the night shines as the day—
the darkness and the light are alike for you.
13 Indeed you created my inward parts;[d]
you wove me in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, because I am fearfully
and wonderfully made.[e]
Wonderful are your works,
and my soul knows it well.
15 My frame[f] was not hidden from you,
when I was created secretly,[g]
and intricately woven
in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my embryo,[h]
and in your book they all were written—
days fashioned for me when there was not one of them.
17 And to me, how precious[i] are your thoughts, O God;
how vast is their sum.
18 If I should count them,
they would outnumber the sand.
I awaken, and I am still with you.
19 If only you would kill the wicked, O God—
so get away from me, you bloodthirsty men—[j]
20 who speak against you deceitfully.
Your enemies take your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Yahweh?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
22 I hate them with a complete hatred;
they have become my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 And see if there is in me the worship of false gods,[k]
and lead me in the way everlasting.
19 He who loves transgression loves strife;
he who builds his high thresholds seeks destruction.
20 He who is crooked of heart[a] will not find goodness,
and he who is perverse, by his tongue he will fall into calamity.
21 He who begets a fool, there is trouble for him;
the father of a fool will not rejoice.
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