Old/New Testament
16 Jehu son of Hanani spoke the word of the Lord against King Baasha. 2 The Lord said, “·You were nothing, but I took you [L I raised/exalted you from the dust] and made you ·a leader [ruler] over my people Israel. But you have ·followed [L walked in] the ·ways [paths] of Jeroboam and have led my people Israel to sin. Their sins have ·made me angry [provoked/aroused me to anger], 3 so, Baasha, I will soon ·destroy [consume; wipe out] you and your ·family [L house]. I will do to you what I did to the ·family [L house] of Jeroboam son of Nebat. 4 Anyone ·from your family [L of Baasha] who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and anyone from your ·family [L house] who dies in the ·fields [country] will be eaten by ·birds [vultures; L birds of the air/sky].”
5 Everything else Baasha did and all his victories ·are [L are they not…?] written down in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 14:19] of the kings of Israel. 6 So Baasha ·died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors] and was buried in Tirzah, and his son Elah became king in his place.
7 The Lord spoke his word against Baasha and his ·family [L house] through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani. Baasha had done ·many things the Lord said were wrong [L evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord], ·which made the Lord very angry [L provoking/arousing him to anger with the works of his hand]. He did the same evil deeds that Jeroboam’s ·family [L house] had done before him. ·The Lord also spoke against Baasha because he killed all of [And Baasha had also destroyed/struck] Jeroboam’s ·family [L house].
Elah King of Israel
8 Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel during Asa’s twenty-sixth year as king of Judah, and Elah ruled in Tirzah for two years.
9 Zimri, one of Elah’s ·officers [officials; L servants], commanded half of Elah’s chariots. Zimri ·made plans [plotted; conspired] against Elah while the king was in Tirzah, getting drunk at Arza’s home. (Arza was ·in charge of the palace [L over the household] at Tirzah.) 10 Zimri went into Arza’s house and ·killed [L struck down and killed] Elah during Asa’s twenty-seventh year as king of Judah. Then Zimri became king of Israel in Elah’s place.
Zimri King of Israel
11 As soon as Zimri became king, he killed all of Baasha’s ·family [L house], not allowing ·any of Baasha’s family [L any male/one who urinates against the wall, of his relatives] or friends to live. 12 So Zimri destroyed all of Baasha’s ·family [L house] ·just as the Lord had said it would happen [L according to the word of the Lord as spoken] through the prophet Jehu. 13 Baasha and his son Elah sinned and led the people of Israel to sin, ·provoking [arousing] the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger because of their worthless idols.
14 Everything else Elah did ·is [L is it not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 14:19] of the kings of Israel.
15 So during Asa’s twenty-seventh year as king of Judah, Zimri became king of Israel and ruled in Tirzah seven days.
The ·army of Israel [people] was camped near Gibbethon, a Philistine town. 16 The men in the camp heard that Zimri had ·made secret plans [plotted; conspired] against King Elah and had killed him. So that day in the camp ·they [L all Israel] made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel. 17 So Omri and all the Israelite army left Gibbethon and ·attacked [besieged] Tirzah. 18 When Zimri saw that the city had been captured, he went into the ·palace [L citadel of the king’s house] and set it on fire, burning the palace and himself with it. 19 So Zimri died because he had sinned by doing ·what the Lord said was wrong [L evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. Jeroboam had led the people of Israel to sin, and Zimri ·sinned in the same way as [L walked in the way/path of] Jeroboam.
20 Everything else Zimri did and ·the story of how he turned [his conspiracy] against King Elah ·are [L are they not…?] written down in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 14:19] of the kings of Israel.
Omri King of Israel
21 The people of Israel were divided into two ·groups [factions; parts]. Half of the people ·wanted [followed; supported] Tibni son of Ginath to be king, while the other half ·wanted [followed; supported] Omri. 22 Omri’s followers ·were stronger than [prevailed over; overcame] the followers of Tibni son of Ginath, so Tibni died, and Omri became king.
23 Omri became king of Israel during the thirty-first year Asa was king of Judah. Omri ruled Israel for twelve years, six of those years in the city of Tirzah. 24 He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for ·about one hundred fifty pounds [L two talents] of silver. Omri built a ·city [fortified city] on that hill and called it Samaria after the name of its earlier owner, Shemer.
25 But Omri did ·what the Lord said was wrong [L evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]; he did more evil than all the kings who came before him. 26 Jeroboam son of Nebat had led the people of Israel to sin, and Omri ·sinned in the same way as [L walked in the way/path of] Jeroboam. The Israelites ·provoked [aroused] the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger ·because they worshiped [with their] worthless idols.
27 Everything else Omri did and all his successes ·are [L are they not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 14:19] of the kings of Israel. 28 So Omri ·died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors] and was buried in Samaria, and his son Ahab became king in his place.
Ahab King of Israel
29 Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel during Asa’s thirty-eighth year as king of Judah, and Ahab ·ruled [reigned over] Israel in the city of Samaria for twenty-two years. 30 More than any king before him, Ahab son of Omri did ·many things the Lord said were wrong [L evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. 31 He ·sinned in the same ways as [L walked in the ways/paths of] Jeroboam son of Nebat, ·but he did even worse things [L as though it were a light/trivial thing]. He married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal, the king of Sidon. Then Ahab began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He built a ·temple [L house] in Samaria for worshiping Baal and put an altar there for Baal. 33 Ahab also ·made an idol for worshiping Asherah [set up an Asherah pole; 14:15]. He did more things to ·provoke [arouse] the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the other kings before him.
34 During the time of Ahab, Hiel from Bethel rebuilt the city of Jericho. ·It cost Hiel the life of Abiram, his oldest son, to begin work on the city [L With Abiram, his firstborn, he laid its foundation], and ·it cost the life of Segub, his youngest son, to build [L with Segub, his youngest, he set up] the city gates. This happened ·just as the Lord, speaking [L according to the word of the Lord spoken] ·through [L by the hand of] Joshua son of Nun [Josh. 6:26].
Elijah Stops the Rain
17 Now Elijah the Tishbite was a prophet from the settlers in Gilead. “I ·serve [L stand before] the Lord, the God of Israel,” Elijah said to Ahab. “As surely as the Lord lives, no dew or rain will fall during the next few years ·unless I command it [except by my word; C the people were worshiping the false god Baal whom they believed brought rain].”
2 Then the ·Lord spoke his word [word of the Lord came] to Elijah: 3 “Leave this place and go east and hide near Kerith ·Ravine [Brook; Wadi] east of the Jordan River. 4 Drink from the stream, and I have ·commanded [ordered] ravens to bring you food there.” 5 So Elijah did ·what the Lord said [L according to the word of the Lord]; he went to Kerith ·Ravine [Brook; Wadi], east of the Jordan, and lived there. 6 The ·birds [ravens] brought Elijah bread and meat every morning and evening, and he drank water from the stream.
7 After a while the stream dried up because there was no rain in the land. 8 Then the ·Lord spoke his word to Elijah [L word of the Lord came to him], 9 “Go to Zarephath in Sidon and live there. I have commanded a widow there to ·take care of [provide for; feed] you.”
10 So Elijah went to Zarephath. When he reached the town gate, he saw a widow gathering ·wood for a fire [sticks]. Elijah asked her, “·Would you [Please] bring me a little water in a ·cup [jar; pitcher] so I may have a drink?” 11 As she was going to get his water, Elijah said, “Please bring me a ·piece [scrap] of bread [L in your hand].”
12 The woman answered, “As surely as the Lord your God lives, I have no bread. I have only a handful of flour in a ·jar [bowl] and only a little olive oil in a jug. I came here to gather some wood so I could go home and cook our last meal. My son and I will eat it and then die [C of hunger].”
13 “Don’t ·worry [be afraid],” Elijah said to her. “Go home and cook your food as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread from the flour you have, and bring it to me. Then cook something for yourself and your son. 14 The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘That jar of flour will never be ·empty [spent; used up], and the jug will ·always have oil in it [not run dry/fail/be empty], until the day the Lord sends rain to the land.’”
15 So the woman went home and did what Elijah told her to do. And the woman and her ·son and Elijah [family; L household] had enough food ·every day [L for many days]. 16 The ·jar [bowl] of flour and the jug of oil were never empty, ·just as the Lord, through Elijah, had promised [L according to the word of the Lord, spoken through Elijah].
Elijah Brings a Boy Back to Life
17 ·Some time later [L After these things] the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. He grew worse and worse and finally ·stopped breathing [died; L there remained no breath in him]. 18 The woman said to Elijah, “Man of God, what ·have you done to me [do you have against me; L to me and to you]? Did you come here to ·remind me of [reveal; point out] my sin and to kill my son?”
19 Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.” Elijah took the boy from ·her [her arms/lap/L bosom], carried him upstairs, and laid him on the bed in the room where he was staying. 20 Then he prayed to the Lord: “Lord my God, this widow is letting me stay in her house. Why have you ·done this terrible thing [brought tragedy/calamity] to her and caused her son to die?” 21 Then Elijah ·lay on top of [stretched himself on] the boy three times. He prayed to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this ·boy live again [boy’s life/breath/soul return to him]!”
22 The Lord ·answered [heard] Elijah’s ·prayer [cry; L voice]; the ·boy began breathing again [boy’s life/breath/soul returned to him] and ·was alive [revived]. 23 Elijah carried the boy downstairs and gave him to his mother and said, “See! Your son is alive!”
24 “Now I know you really are a man from God,” the woman said to Elijah. “I know that the ·Lord truly speaks through you [L word of the Lord in your mouth is true]!”
Elijah Kills the Prophets of Baal
18 During the third year without rain, the ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to Elijah: “Go and ·meet [present/show yourself to] King Ahab, and I will soon send rain.” 2 So Elijah went to ·meet [present/show himself to] Ahab.
By this time ·there was no food [the famine was severe] in Samaria. 3 King Ahab sent for Obadiah, who was in charge of the ·king’s palace [household]. (Obadiah ·was a true follower of [L greatly revered/feared] the Lord. 4 When Jezebel was killing the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah hid a hundred of them in two caves, fifty in one cave and fifty in another. He also ·brought [provided] them food and water.) 5 Ahab said to Obadiah, “·Let’s [Go] check every spring and valley in the land. Maybe we can find enough grass to keep our horses and mules alive and not have to kill our animals.” 6 So ·each one chose a part of the country to search [they divided the land between them]; Ahab ·went in one direction [L walked one way by himself] and Obadiah ·in another [L walked one way by himself].
7 While Obadiah was on his way, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized Elijah, so he ·bowed down to the ground [L fell on his face] and said, “Elijah? Is it really you, ·master [my lord]?”
8 “Yes,” Elijah answered. “Go tell your master that I am here.”
9 Then Obadiah said, “What ·wrong [sin] have I done for you to hand me over to Ahab like this? He will put me to death. 10 As surely as the Lord your God lives, the king has sent people to every ·country [nation and kingdom] to search for you. If the ruler said you were not there, Ahab ·forced the ruler to swear [required an oath that] you could not be found in his country. 11 Now you want me to go to my master and tell him, ‘Elijah is here’? 12 The Spirit of the Lord may carry you to some ·other [unknown] place after I leave. If I go tell King Ahab you are here, and he comes and doesn’t find you, he will kill me! ·I [Even though/Yet I] have ·followed [L revered; feared] the Lord since I was a boy. 13 Haven’t you been told what I did? When Jezebel was killing the Lord’s prophets, I hid a hundred of them, fifty in one cave and fifty in another. I ·brought [provided] them food and water. 14 Now you want me to go and tell my master, ‘Elijah is here’? He will kill me!”
15 Elijah answered, “As surely as the Lord ·All-Powerful [of Heaven’s Armies; of hosts] lives, whom I serve, I will ·be seen by [present/show myself to] Ahab today.”
16 So Obadiah went to Ahab and told him. Then Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17 When he saw Elijah, he asked, “Is it you—·the biggest troublemaker in [L you troubler of] Israel?”
18 Elijah answered, “I have not made trouble in Israel. You and your father’s ·family [L house] have made all this trouble by ·not obeying [forsaking; abandoning] the Lord’s commands. You have ·gone after [followed; worshiped] the Baals. 19 Now ·tell [summon; assemble] all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel. Also bring the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah [14:15], who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
20 So Ahab ·called [summoned; assembled] all the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] and those prophets to Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah approached the people and said, “How long will you ·not decide between two choices [L limp/hobble/waver between two opinions]? If the Lord is ·the true God [L God], follow him, but if ·Baal is the true God [L Baal], follow him!” But the people ·said nothing [L did not answer a word].
22 Elijah said, “I am the only prophet of the Lord ·here [left], but there are four hundred fifty prophets of Baal. 23 Bring two ·bulls [oxen]. Let the prophets of Baal choose one bull and kill it and cut it into pieces. Then let them put the meat on the wood, but they are not to set fire to it. I will prepare the other ·bull [ox], putting the meat on the wood but not setting fire to it. 24 You prophets of Baal, ·pray to [L call on the name of] your god, and I will ·pray to [L call on the name of] the Lord. The god who answers by ·setting fire to his wood is the true [fire—he is] God [C Baal, the storm god, threw lightening from the sky].”
All the people agreed that this was a good idea.
25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “There are many of you, so you go first. Choose a ·bull [ox] and prepare it. ·Pray to [L Call on the name of] your god, but don’t start the fire.”
26 So they took the ·bull [ox] that was given to them and prepared it. They ·prayed to [L called on the name of] Baal from morning until noon, shouting “Baal, answer us!” But there was no ·sound [voice; response], and no one answered. They ·danced [leaped; or limped; C “limped” may suggest that Israel had hobbled itself by worshiping both God and Baal] around the altar they had built.
27 At noon Elijah began to ·make fun of [mock; taunt] them. “·Pray [Call; Shout] louder!” he said. “·If Baal really is [Since he is surely] a god, maybe he is ·thinking [preoccupied; daydreaming], or ·busy [has wandered away], or ·traveling [is on a trip/journey]! Maybe he is sleeping so you will have to wake him!” 28 The prophets ·prayed [called; shouted] louder, cutting themselves with swords and ·spears [lances] until their blood flowed, ·which was the way they worshiped [as was their custom; C a ritual performed when they thought Baal had temporarily gone to the underworld]. 29 The afternoon passed, and the prophets ·continued to act like this [raved; ranted] until it was time for the evening sacrifice. But no voice was heard; Baal did not answer, and no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Now come ·to [near/closer to] me.” So they gathered around him, and Elijah ·rebuilt [repaired] the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down [C the remains of a previous altar to God]. 31 He took twelve stones, one stone for each of the twelve tribes [C symbolizing a previously unified Israel; cf Josh. 4:2–20], the number of Jacob’s sons. (·The Lord changed Jacob’s name to Israel […to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying “Israel will be your name”; Gen. 32:22–32].) 32 Elijah used these stones to ·rebuild the [build an] altar in ·honor [L the name] of the Lord. Then he dug a ·ditch [trench] around the altar that was big enough to hold ·about thirteen quarts [L two measures/seahs] of seed. 33 Elijah ·put [piled; arranged] the wood on the altar, cut the ·bull [ox] into pieces, and laid the pieces on the wood. 34 Then he said, “Fill four ·jars [pitchers] with water, and pour it on the ·meat [L burnt offering; Lev. 1:1–17] and on the wood.” Then Elijah said, “Do it ·again [a second time],” and they did it ·again [a second time]. Then he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it the third time. 35 So the water ran ·off [all around] the altar and filled the ·ditch [trench].
36 At the time for the evening sacrifice, the prophet Elijah went near the altar. “Lord, you are the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,” he ·prayed [said]. “·Prove [L Let it be known this day] that you are the God ·of [in] Israel and that I am your servant. Show these people that ·you commanded me to do all these things [L I have done all these things at your word]. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer ·my prayer [L me,] so these people will know that you, Lord, are God and that you ·will change their minds [L have turned their hearts back again].”
38 Then fire from the Lord came down and ·burned the sacrifice [consumed the burnt offering; Lev. 1:1–17], the wood, the stones, and the ·ground [dust] around the altar. It also ·dried [L licked] up the water in the ·ditch [trench]. 39 When all the people saw this, they fell ·down to the ground [on their faces], crying, “·The Lord is God [L The Lord—he is God]! ·The Lord is God [L The Lord—he is God]!”
40 Then Elijah said, “·Capture [Seize] the prophets of Baal! Don’t let ·any [a single one] of them ·run away [escape]!” The people ·captured [seized] all the prophets. Then Elijah led them down to the Kishon ·Valley [Brook], where he ·killed [slaughtered] them.
The Rain Comes Again
41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Now, go, eat, and drink, ·because a heavy rain is coming [L for there is the sound of rushing rain].” 42 So King Ahab went to eat and drink. At the same time Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel, where he bent down to the ground with his ·head [L face] between his knees.
43 Then Elijah said to his servant, “Go and look toward the sea.”
The servant went and looked. “I see nothing,” he said.
Elijah told him to go and look again. This happened seven times. 44 The seventh time, the servant said, “I see a small cloud, the size of a ·human fist [man’s hand], ·coming [rising] from the sea.”
Elijah told the servant, “Go to Ahab and tell him to get his chariot ready and go ·home [L down] now. Otherwise, the rain will stop him.”
45 After a short time the sky ·was covered with dark [grew black with] clouds. The wind began to blow, and soon a ·heavy [torrential] rain began to fall [C showing that it was the Lord, not Baal, that supplied the rain]. Ahab got in his chariot and started back to Jezreel. 46 ·The Lord gave his power to [L The hand of the Lord was on] Elijah, who ·tightened his clothes around him [T girded up his loins] and ·ran ahead of King [outran] Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
Jesus Is Arrested(A)
47 While Jesus was speaking, [L look; T behold] a crowd came up, and [L the man called] Judas, one of the twelve apostles, was leading them. He came close to Jesus so he could kiss him.
48 But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
49 When those who were standing around him saw what was ·happening [about to happen], they said, “Lord, should we strike them with our swords?” 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.
51 Jesus said, “Stop! No more of this.” Then he touched the servant’s ear and healed him.
52 Then Jesus said to those who had come to arrest him, the ·leading [T chief] priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, “You came out here with swords and clubs as though I were a ·criminal [revolutionary; rebel; L robber; C a term used by the Romans of insurrectionists]. 53 I was with you every day in the Temple, and you didn’t ·arrest [L extend your hands against] me there. But this is your ·time [hour]—the time when darkness ·rules [has power/authority].”
Peter Says He Doesn’t Know Jesus(B)
54 They ·arrested [seized] Jesus, and led him away, and brought him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed ·far behind them [at a distance]. 55 After ·the soldiers [L they] started a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat together, Peter sat with them. 56 A servant girl saw Peter sitting there in the firelight, and looking closely at him, she said, “This man was also with him.”
57 But Peter ·said this was not true [denied it]; he said, “Woman, I don’t know him.”
58 A short time later, another person saw Peter and said, “You are also one of them.”
But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”
59 About an hour later, another man insisted, “Certainly this man was with him, because he is ·from Galilee [a Galilean], too.”
60 But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about!”
At once, while Peter was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 Then the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. And Peter remembered what the Lord had said: “Before the rooster crows this day, you will ·say three times that you don’t know me [deny me three times].” 62 Then Peter went outside and ·cried painfully [wept bitterly].
The People Make Fun of Jesus
63 The men who were guarding Jesus began ·making fun of [mocking] him and beating him.
64 They blindfolded him and said, “·Prove that you are a prophet [L Prophesy!], and tell us who hit you.” 65 They said many ·cruel [insulting; blasphemous] things to Jesus.
Jesus Before the Leaders
66 When day came, the council of the elders of the people, both the ·leading [T chief] priests and the ·teachers of the law [scribes], came together and led Jesus to ·their highest court [the high council/Sanhedrin]. 67 They said, “If you are the ·Christ [Messiah], tell us.”
Jesus said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe me. 68 And if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will sit at the right hand of the powerful God [Ps. 110:1].”
70 They all said, “Then are you the Son of God?”
Jesus said to them, “You say that I am [C an indirect affirmation].”
71 They said, “Why do we need ·witnesses [testimony] now? [L For] We ·ourselves heard him say this [L heard it from his mouth].”
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