Bible in 90 Days

Omri Defeats Tibni

²¹ Then the army of Israel was divided into two factions. Half of the army followed Tibni, son of Ginath, and wanted to make him king. The ⌞other⌟ half followed Omri. ²² But the half which followed Omri was stronger than the half which followed Tibni, Ginath’s son. Tibni died, and Omri became king. ²³ Omri began to rule Israel in Asa’s thirty-first year as king of Judah. He ruled for 12 years, 6 of them in Tirzah.

²⁴ Omri bought a hill from Shemer for 150 pounds of silver. He fortified the hill and built the city of Samaria on it. He named the city after its former owner, Shemer.

King Omri of Israel

²⁵ Omri did what the Lord considered evil. He did more evil things than all ⌞the kings⌟ before him. ²⁶ He lived exactly like Jeroboam (Nebat’s son). He sinned and led Israel to sin with worthless idols, and the Israelites made the Lord God of Israel furious.

²⁷ Isn’t everything else about Omri—what he did and his heroic acts—written in the official records of the kings of Israel? ²⁸ Omri lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab succeeded him as king.

King Ahab Introduces Worship of Baal into Israel

²⁹ Ahab, son of Omri, began to rule Israel in Asa’s thirty-eighth year as king of Judah. He ruled for 22 years in Samaria. ³⁰ Ahab, son of Omri, did what the Lord considered evil. He was worse than all ⌞the kings⌟ who were before him. ³¹ It wasn’t enough that he committed the same sins as Jeroboam (Nebat’s son). He also married Jezebel, daughter of King Ethbaal of Sidon. Ahab then served and worshiped Baal. ³² He built the temple of Baal in Samaria and set up an altar there. ³³ Ahab made poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah. He did more to make the Lord God of Israel furious than all the kings of Israel who came before him.

³⁴ In Ahab’s time Hiel from Bethel rebuilt Jericho.

The Lord had spoken this through Joshua, son of Nun.

Elijah Prophesies a Drought

17 Elijah, who was from Tishbe but had settled in Gilead, said to Ahab, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord God of Israel whom I serve lives, there will be no dew or rain during the next few years unless I say so.”

² Then the Lord spoke his word to Elijah: ³ “Leave here, turn east, and hide beside the Cherith River, which is east of the Jordan River. ⁴ You can drink from the stream, and I’ve commanded ravens to feed you there.”

⁵ Elijah left and did what the Lord’s word ⌞had told him⌟. He went to live by the Cherith River, which is east of the Jordan River. ⁶ Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening. And he drank from the stream.

⁷ But after some time the stream dried up because no rain had fallen in the land.

Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath

⁸ Then the Lord spoke his word to Elijah: ⁹ “Get up, go to Zarephath (which belongs to Sidon), and stay there. I’ve commanded a widow there to feed you.”

¹⁰ He got up and went to Zarephath. As he came to the town’s entrance, a widow was gathering wood. He called to her, “Please bring me a drink of water.” ¹¹ As she was going to get it, he called to her again, “Please bring me a piece of bread too.”

¹² She said, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord your God lives, I didn’t bake any bread. I have one handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I’m gathering wood. I’m going to prepare something for myself and my son so that we can eat it and then die.”

¹³ Then Elijah told her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home, and do as you’ve said. But first make a small loaf and bring it to me. Then prepare something for yourself and your son. ¹⁴ This is what the Lord God of Israel says: Until the Lord sends rain on the land, the jar of flour will never be empty and the jug will always contain oil.”

¹⁵ She did what Elijah had told her. So she, Elijah, and her family had food for a long time. ¹⁶ The jar of flour never became empty, and the jug always contained olive oil, as the Lord had promised through Elijah.

¹⁷ Afterwards, the son of the woman who owned the house got sick. He got so sick that finally no life was left in him. ¹⁸ The woman asked Elijah, “What do you and I have in common, man of God? Did you come here to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”

¹⁹ He said to her, “Give me your son.” Elijah took him from her arms, carried him to the upstairs room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. ²⁰ Then he called to the Lord, “Lord my God, have you brought misery on the widow I’m staying with by killing her son?” ²¹ Then Elijah stretched himself over the boy three times and called to the Lord, “Lord my God, please make this child’s life return to him.” ²² The Lord heard Elijah’s request, and the child’s life returned to him. He was alive again.

²³ Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upstairs room of the house, and gave him to his mother. He said, “Look! Your son is alive.”

²⁴ The woman said to Elijah, “Now I’m convinced that you are a man of God and that the Lord’s word from your mouth is true.”

Elijah Comes to King Ahab

18 A while later in the third year of the drought, the Lord spoke his word to Elijah: “Present yourself to Ahab. I will allow rain to fall on the ground.” ² So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab.

The famine was particularly severe in Samaria. ³ Ahab sent for Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. Obadiah was a devout worshiper of the Lord. ⁴ (When Jezebel was killing the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had hidden 100 prophets in caves. He put 50 prophets in each cave and kept them alive by providing bread and water for them.) ⁵ Ahab told Obadiah, “Let’s go throughout the countryside to every spring and stream. If we can find grass, then we can keep the horses and mules alive and not lose any animals.” ⁶ So they split up in order to cover the entire countryside. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other way by himself.

⁷ Obadiah was on the road when he met Elijah. Obadiah recognized him and immediately bowed down to the ground. “Is it you, my master Elijah?” he asked.

⁸ “Yes,” Elijah answered him. “Tell your master that Elijah is here.”

⁹ Obadiah asked, “What have I done wrong to make you hand me over to Ahab to be killed? ¹⁰ I solemnly swear, as the Lord your God lives, my master has searched for you in every region and kingdom. When people would say, ‘He isn’t here,’ my master made that kingdom or region take an oath that they hadn’t found you.

¹¹ “Now you say, ‘Tell your master that Elijah is here.’ ¹² This is what will happen: When I leave you, the Lord’s Spirit will take you away to some unknown place. I’ll tell Ahab, but he won’t be able to find you. Then he will kill me.

“I have been faithful to the Lord since I was a child. ¹³ Haven’t you heard what I did when Jezebel killed the Lord’s prophets? Haven’t you heard how I hid 100 of the Lord’s prophets in caves? I hid 50 prophets in each cave and provided bread and water for them. ¹⁴ Now you say that I should tell my master that Elijah is here. He will kill me.”

¹⁵ Elijah said, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord of Armies whom I serve lives, I will present myself to Ahab.”

¹⁶ So Obadiah went to tell Ahab.

Elijah and the Prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel

Ahab went to meet Elijah. ¹⁷ When he saw Elijah, Ahab said, “Is that you, you troublemaker of Israel?”

¹⁸ Elijah answered, “I haven’t troubled Israel. You and your father’s family have done it by disobeying the Lord’s commands and following the various Baal gods. ¹⁹ Order all Israel to gather around me on Mount Carmel. And bring the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

²⁰ Ahab sent word to all the Israelites and brought the prophets together on Mount Carmel. ²¹ Elijah stood up in front of all the people and asked them, “How long will you try to have it both ways? If the Lord is God, follow him; if Baal is God, follow him.” The people didn’t say a word.

²² So Elijah told the people, “I’m the only surviving prophet of the Lord, but there are 450 prophets of Baal. ²³ Give us two bulls. Let the prophets of Baal choose one for themselves, cut it into pieces, lay it on the wood, but not set it on fire. I’ll do the same with the other bull.

²⁴ “You call on the name of your gods, but I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire is the real God.”

All the people answered, “That’s fine.”

²⁵ Elijah told the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves. Prepare yours first, because there are more of you. Call on the name of your god, but don’t set the wood on fire.”

²⁶ They took the bull he gave them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon. They said, “Baal, answer us!” But there wasn’t a sound or an answer. So they danced around the altar they had made. ²⁷ At noon Elijah started to make fun of them. “Shout louder, since he is a god. Maybe he’s thinking, relieving himself, or traveling! Maybe he’s sleeping, and you have to wake him!”

²⁸ So they shouted louder. They also cut themselves with swords and spears until their blood flowed. (This is what their ritual called for.) ²⁹ In the afternoon they continued to rant and rave until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no sound, no answer, no attention given to them.

³⁰ Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come over here.” So all the people came to him. He rebuilt the Lord’s altar that had been torn down. ³¹ Elijah took 12 stones, one for each of the tribes named after Jacob’s sons. (The Lord had spoken his word to Jacob: “Your name will be Israel.”) ³² Elijah built an altar in the Lord’s name with those stones. He also made a trench that could hold 12 quarts of grain around the altar. ³³ He arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and put it on the wood.

³⁴ He said, “Fill four jars with water. Pour the water on the offering and on the wood.” Then he said, “Do it again,” and they did it again. Then he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. ³⁵ The water flowed around the altar, and even the trench was filled with water.

³⁶ When it was time to offer the sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward. He said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make known today that you are God in Israel and that I’m your servant and have done all these things by your instructions. ³⁷ Answer me, Lord! Answer me! Then these people will know that you, Lord, are God and that you are winning back their hearts.”

³⁸ So a fire from the Lord fell down and consumed the burnt offering, wood, stones, and dirt. The fire even dried up the water that was in the trench. ³⁹ All the people saw it and immediately bowed down to the ground. “The Lord is God!” they said. “The Lord is God!”

⁴⁰ Elijah told them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let any of them escape.” The people seized them, and Elijah took them to the Kishon River and slaughtered them there.

The Drought Ends

⁴¹ Then Elijah told Ahab, “Get up, eat, and drink. It sounds like a heavy rain ⌞is coming⌟.” ⁴² Ahab got up to eat and drink.

Elijah went to the top of Carmel and bowed down on the ground to pray. ⁴³ He said to his servant, “Please go back to ⌞Mount Carmel⌟, and look toward the sea.”

He went up, looked, ⌞came back,⌟ and said, “There’s nothing.”

Seven times Elijah told him, “Go back.”

⁴⁴ After the seventh time the servant said, “A little cloud like a man’s hand is coming from the sea.”

Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Prepare ⌞your chariot⌟, and leave before the rain delays you.’ ”

⁴⁵ Gradually, the sky grew darker with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. Ahab got into his chariot to go back to Jezreel. ⁴⁶ The Lord’s power was on Elijah. He hiked up his robe and ran ahead of Ahab until they came to Jezreel.

Elijah Flees from Jezebel

19 Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including how he had executed all the prophets. ² Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah. She said, “May the gods strike me dead if by this time tomorrow I don’t take your life the way you took the lives of Baal’s prophets.”

³ Frightened, Elijah fled to save his life. He came to Beersheba in Judah and left his servant there. ⁴ Then he traveled through the wilderness for a day. He sat down under a broom plant and wanted to die. “I’ve had enough now, Lord,” he said. “Take my life! I’m no better than my ancestors.” ⁵ Then he lay down and slept under the broom plant.

An angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” ⁶ When he looked, he saw near his head some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water. So he ate, drank, and went to sleep again.

⁷ The angel of the Lord came back and woke him up again. The angel said, “Get up and eat, or your journey will be too much for you.”

⁸ He got up, ate, and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled for 40 days and nights until he came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ⁹ There he went into a cave and spent the night.

Then the Lord spoke his word to Elijah. He asked, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁰ He answered, “Lord God of Armies, I have eagerly served you. The Israelites have abandoned your promises,^[a] torn down your altars, and executed your prophets. I’m the only one left, and they’re trying to take my life.”

¹¹ God said, “Go out and stand in front of the Lord on the mountain.”

As the Lord was passing by, a fierce wind tore mountains and shattered rocks ahead of the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind came an earthquake. But the Lord wasn’t in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake there was a fire. But the Lord wasn’t in the fire. And after the fire there was a quiet, whispering voice. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his coat, went out, and stood at the entrance of the cave.

Then the voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁴ He answered, “Lord God of Armies, I have eagerly served you. The Israelites have abandoned your promises, torn down your altars, and executed your prophets. I’m the only one left, and they’re trying to take my life.”

¹⁵ The Lord told him, “Go back to the wilderness near Damascus, the same way you came. When you get there, anoint Hazael as king of Aram. ¹⁶ Anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, as king of Israel. And anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat, from Abel Meholah as prophet to take your place. ¹⁷ If anyone escapes from Hazael’s sword, Jehu will kill him. And if anyone escapes from Jehu’s sword, Elisha will kill him. ¹⁸ But I still have 7,000 people in Israel whose knees have not knelt to worship Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

The Call of Elisha

¹⁹ Elijah found Elisha, son of Shaphat. Elisha was plowing behind 12 pairs of oxen. He was using the twelfth pair. Elijah took off his coat and put it on Elisha. ²⁰ So Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and mother goodbye. Then I will follow you.”

“Go back,” Elijah answered him. “I’m not stopping you.”

²¹ Elisha left him, took two oxen, and butchered them. He boiled the meat, using the oxen’s yoke ^[b] ⌞for firewood⌟. He gave the meat to the people to eat. Then he left to follow and assist Elijah.

King Ahab Defeats King Benhadad

20 King Benhadad of Aram gathered together his whole army. With him were 32 kings along with their horses and chariots. He went to blockade Samaria and fight against it. ² He sent messengers into the city to King Ahab of Israel. They told Ahab, “This is what Benhadad says: ³ Your silver and gold are mine. Your beloved wives and children are mine.”

⁴ The king of Israel answered, “As you say, Your Majesty. I and everything I have are yours.”

⁵ But Benhadad sent messengers back ⌞to Ahab⌟. They said, “Benhadad has sent this message to you: ‘Your silver, gold, wives, and children are mine. Give ⌞them to me⌟. ⁶ At this time tomorrow I’m going to send my servants to search your palace and your servants’ houses. They will take anything that you consider valuable.’ ”

⁷ Then the king of Israel called for all the leaders of the country. He said, “You can see how this man is looking for trouble. When he sent for my wives, children, silver, and gold, I didn’t refuse him.”

⁸ All the leaders and all the people told him, “Don’t listen to him. Don’t agree ⌞to his demands⌟.”

⁹ Ahab told Benhadad’s messengers, “Tell His Majesty, ‘I did everything your messengers told me the first time, but I can’t do this.’ ” The messengers left to take back his answer.

¹⁰ Then Benhadad sent Ahab the following message: “May the gods strike me dead if there will be enough dust left from Samaria to give a handful to each soldier who follows me.”

¹¹ The king of Israel answered, “The saying goes, ‘Don’t brag about a victory before you have even dressed for battle.’ ”

¹² Benhadad heard this as he and his allies were drinking in their tents. He told his officers to get ready. So they got ready ⌞to attack⌟ the city.

¹³ Then a prophet came to King Ahab of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: Have you seen this large army? I will hand it over to you today. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”

¹⁴ Ahab asked, “How ⌞will this be done⌟?”

The prophet answered, “This is what the Lord says: by using the young officers of the district governors.”

“Who will start the battle?” Ahab asked.

“You will,” the prophet answered.

¹⁵ Ahab counted the young officers of the district governors. There were 232. After counting them, he counted all the Israelite soldiers. There were 7,000. ¹⁶ They attacked at noon, when Benhadad was in his tent getting drunk with the 32 kings who were his allies. ¹⁷ The young officers of the district governors went out first.

Benhadad had sent men ⌞to watch the city⌟. They informed him that some men had come out of Samaria.

¹⁸ He said, “Take them alive, whether they have come out to make peace or to fight.”

¹⁹ The young officers of the district governors led an attack, and the troops followed them. ²⁰ Each officer killed his opponent. The Arameans fled, and Israel pursued them. King Benhadad of Aram escaped on a horse with the cavalry. ²¹ The king of Israel went out and destroyed the horses and chariots and decisively defeated the Arameans.

Ahab Spares Benhadad

²² Then the prophet came to the king of Israel and said, “Reinforce your army. Consider what you have to do. When spring comes, the king of Aram will attack ⌞again⌟.”

²³ Meanwhile, the officers of King Benhadad of Aram told him, “Their god is a god of the hills. That is why they were stronger than we were. However, if we fight them on the plain, we will be stronger than they are. ²⁴ This is what we must do: Remove all of the kings from their positions, and substitute governors for them. ²⁵ Recruit an army with as many horses and chariots as the one which was defeated. Then, if we fight them on the plain, we will be stronger than they are.” He took their advice and followed it.

²⁶ Spring came, and Benhadad organized the Aramean army and went to Aphek to fight Israel. ²⁷ When the Israelite ⌞troops⌟ had been organized and given provisions, they went to meet the enemy. The Israelites, while camped opposite the Arameans who filled the country, seemed like two newborn goats.

²⁸ The man of God came again. He said to the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: Because the Arameans said that the Lord is a god of the hills but not a god of the valleys, I will hand over their entire army to you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”

²⁹ They camped facing one another for seven days, and on the seventh day the battle started. The Israelites killed 100,000 Aramean foot soldiers in one day. ³⁰ The survivors fled to Aphek, the city where the wall fell on 27,000 of them. Benhadad had also fled. He came to the city and hid in an inner room.

³¹ His officers told him, “We have heard that the kings of Israel are merciful. Allow us to dress in sackcloth, put ropes around our necks, and go to the king of Israel. Maybe he’ll let you live.” ³² So they dressed in sackcloth and put ropes around their necks. They went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Benhadad says, ‘Please let me live.’ ”

Ahab asked, “He’s still alive? He’s my brother.”

³³ The men, watching for a good sign, were quick to take him at his word. “Benhadad is your brother,” they said.

Ahab said, “Bring him here.” When Benhadad arrived, Ahab had him come up on the chariot with him.

³⁴ Benhadad told him, “I will give back the towns my father took from your father. You may set up trading centers in Damascus as my father did in Samaria.”

Ahab said, “If you will put this into a treaty, I will let you go.” So Ahab made a treaty with Benhadad and let him go.

³⁵ A disciple of the prophets spoke to a friend as the Lord’s word had told him. ⌞The disciple said,⌟ “Punch me,” but the man refused to punch him. ³⁶ The disciple said, “Since you didn’t obey the Lord, a lion will kill you when you leave me.” When the friend left, a lion found him and killed him.

³⁷ Then the disciple found another man. He said, “Punch me.” The man punched him hard and wounded him.

³⁸ Then the prophet, disguised with a bandage over his eyes, waited for the king by the road. ³⁹ When the king passed by, the disciple called to him. “I went to fight in the battle. A man turned around and brought a prisoner to me. He said, ‘Guard this prisoner. If he gets away, you will pay for his life with your own life or be fined 75 pounds of silver.’ ⁴⁰ But while I was busy doing other things, he got away.”

The king of Israel told him, “That’s your own penalty. You have determined it yourself.”

⁴¹ Then he quickly took the bandage off his eyes. The king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.

⁴² The prophet told him, “This is what the Lord says: You let the man go. He was claimed by God and should have been killed. For that reason your life will be taken in place of his life and your people in place of his people.”

⁴³ Resentful and upset, the king of Israel went home to Samaria.

Ahab Takes Naboth’s Vineyard

21 This is what happened next. Naboth from Jezreel had a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of King Ahab of Samaria.

² Ahab told Naboth, “Give me your vineyard. It will become my vegetable garden because it is near my house. I will give you a better vineyard for it. Or if you prefer, I will pay you a fair price for it.”

³ Naboth told Ahab, “The Lord has forbidden me to give you what I inherited from my ancestors.”

⁴ Resentful and upset, Ahab went home because of what Naboth from Jezreel had told him. (⌞Naboth had said,⌟ “I will not give you what I inherited from my ancestors.”) So Ahab lay on the couch, turned his face ⌞from everyone⌟, and refused to eat.

⁵ His wife Jezebel came to him and asked, “Why are you so resentful of everything? Why don’t you eat?”

⁶ He told her, “I talked to Naboth from Jezreel. I said to him, ‘Sell me your vineyard. Or, if you like, I’ll give you another vineyard for it.’ But he said, ‘I won’t give you my vineyard.’ ”

⁷ His wife Jezebel said to him, “Aren’t you king of Israel? Get up, eat, and cheer up. I’ll give you the vineyard belonging to Naboth from Jezreel.”

⁸ So Jezebel wrote letters, signed them with Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal. She sent them to the respected leaders and nobles living in Naboth’s city. ⁹ In these letters she wrote: “Announce a fast. Seat Naboth as leader of the people. ¹⁰ Have two good-for-nothing men sit opposite him and accuse him of cursing God and the king. Then stone him to death outside the city.”

¹¹ The men in Naboth’s city—the respected leaders and nobles who lived there—did what Jezebel asked them to do. They did just as she had written in the letters she sent. ¹² They announced a fast and had Naboth seated as the leader of the people. ¹³ The two good-for-nothing men came in and sat opposite him. In front of the people, these men accused Naboth of cursing God and the king. So the people stoned him to death outside the city. ¹⁴ Then the leaders sent ⌞this message⌟ to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned to death.”

¹⁵ Jezebel received the message and said to Ahab, “Get up! Confiscate the vineyard which Naboth from Jezreel refused to sell you. He’s dead now.”

¹⁶ When he heard about Naboth’s death, Ahab went to confiscate the vineyard.

¹⁷ Then the Lord spoke his word to Elijah from Tishbe: ¹⁸ “Go, meet King Ahab of Israel, who lives in Samaria. He went to confiscate Naboth’s vineyard. ¹⁹ Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord asks: Have you murdered someone just to confiscate ⌞a vineyard⌟?’ Then tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: At the place where the dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, the dogs will lick up your blood.’ ”

²⁰ Ahab asked Elijah, “So you’ve found me, my enemy?”

Elijah answered, “I found you. Because you sold yourself to do what the Lord considers evil. ²¹ So I am going to bring evil on you. I will destroy your descendants. I will destroy every male ^[c] in Ahab’s ⌞house⌟, whether slave or freeman in Israel. ²² I will make your family like the family of Jeroboam (Nebat’s son) and like the house of Baasha, son of Ahijah, because you made me furious. You led Israel to sin.”

²³ Then the Lord also spoke ⌞through Elijah⌟ about Jezebel: “The dogs will eat Jezebel inside the walls of Jezreel. ²⁴ If anyone from Ahab’s ⌞house⌟ dies in the city, dogs will eat him. If anyone dies in the country, birds will eat him.”

²⁵ There was no one else like Ahab. At the urging of his wife, he sold himself to do what the Lord considered evil. ²⁶ He did many disgusting things as a result of worshiping idols as the Amorites had done. (The Lord confiscated their land for Israel.)

²⁷ When Ahab heard these things, he tore his clothes ⌞in distress⌟ and dressed in sackcloth. He fasted, lay in sackcloth, and walked around depressed.

²⁸ Then the Lord spoke his word to Elijah from Tishbe: ²⁹ “Do you see how Ahab is humbling himself in my presence? Because he’s humbling himself in my presence, I will not let any evil happen to his family while he is alive. I will bring evil on it during his son’s lifetime.”

Micaiah Prophesies against King Ahab^(A)

22 For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. ² In the third year King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to visit the king of Israel.

³ The king of Israel asked his staff, “Do you know that Ramoth in Gilead belongs to us, and we are doing nothing to take it back from the king of Aram?” ⁴ Then he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight at Ramoth in Gilead?”

Jehoshaphat told the king of Israel, “I will do what you do. My troops will do what your troops do. My horses will do what your horses do.” ⁵ Then Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “But first, find out what the Lord’s word is ⌞in this matter⌟.”

⁶ So the king of Israel called 400 prophets together. He asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth in Gilead or not?”

“Go,” they said. “The Lord ^[d] will hand over Ramoth to you.”

⁷ But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord whom we could ask?”

⁸ The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, “We can ask the Lord through Micaiah, son of Imlah, but I hate him. He doesn’t prophesy anything good about me, only evil.”

Jehoshaphat answered, “The king must not say that.”

⁹ The king of Israel called for an officer and said, “Quick! ⌞Get⌟ Micaiah, son of Imlah!”

¹⁰ The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were dressed in royal robes and seated on thrones. They were on the threshing floor ^[e] at the entrance to the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying in front of them. ¹¹ Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, made iron horns and said, “This is what the Lord says: With these horns you will push the Arameans to their destruction.” ¹² All the other prophets made the same prophecy. They said, “Attack Ramoth in Gilead, and you will win. The Lord will hand it over to you.”

¹³ The messenger who went to call Micaiah told him, “The prophets have all told the king the same good message. Make your message agree with their message. Say something good.”

¹⁴ Micaiah answered, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives, I will tell him whatever the Lord tells me.”

¹⁵ When he came to the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth in Gilead or not?”

Micaiah said to him, “Attack and you will win. The Lord will hand it over to you.”

¹⁶ The king asked him, “How many times must I make you take an oath in the Lord’s name to tell me nothing but the truth?”

¹⁷ So Micaiah said, “I saw Israel’s troops scattered in the hills like sheep without a shepherd. The Lord said, ‘These ⌞sheep⌟ have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’ ”

¹⁸ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he wouldn’t prophesy anything good about me, only evil?”

¹⁹ Micaiah added, “Then hear the Lord’s word. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and the entire army of heaven was standing near him on his right and his left. ²⁰ The Lord asked, ‘Who will deceive Ahab so that he will attack and be killed at Ramoth in Gilead?’ Some answered one way, while others said something else.

²¹ “Then the Spirit stepped forward, stood in front of the Lord, and said, ‘I will deceive him.’

“ ‘How?’ the Lord asked.

²² “The Spirit answered, ‘I will go out and be a spirit that tells lies through the mouths of all of Ahab’s prophets.’

“The Lord said, ‘You will succeed in deceiving him. Go and do it.’

²³ “So, the Lord has put into the mouths of all these prophets of yours a spirit that makes them tell lies. The Lord has spoken evil about you.”

²⁴ Then Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, went to Micaiah and struck him on the cheek. “How did the Lord’s Spirit leave me to talk to you?” he asked.

²⁵ Micaiah answered, “You will find out on the day you go into an inner room to hide.”

²⁶ The king of Israel then said, “Send Micaiah back to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the prince. ²⁷ Say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this man in prison, and feed him nothing but bread and water until I come home safely.’ ”

²⁸ Micaiah said, “If you really do come back safely, then the Lord wasn’t speaking through me. Pay attention to this, everyone!”

²⁹ So the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to Ramoth in Gilead. ³⁰ The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you should wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.

³¹ The king of Aram had given orders to the 32 chariot commanders. He said, “Don’t fight anyone except the king of Israel.”

³² When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “He must be the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight him. But when Jehoshaphat cried out, ³³ the chariot commanders realized that he wasn’t the king of Israel. They turned away from him.

³⁴ One man aimed his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between his scale armor and his breastplate. Ahab told his chariot driver, “Turn around, and get me away from these troops. I’m badly wounded.” ³⁵ But the battle got worse that day, and the king was kept propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. He died that evening. The blood from the wound had flowed into the chariot. ³⁶ At sundown a cry went through the army, “Every man to his own city! Every man to his own property!”

³⁷ When the king was dead, he was brought to Samaria to be buried. ³⁸ His chariot was washed at the pool of Samaria, where the prostitutes bathed. The dogs licked up his blood, as the Lord had predicted.

³⁹ Isn’t everything else about Ahab—everything he did, the ivory palace he built, and all the cities he fortified—written in the official records of the kings of Israel? ⁴⁰ Ahab lay down in death with his ancestors. His son Ahaziah succeeded him as king.

King Jehoshaphat of Judah^(B)

⁴¹ Jehoshaphat, son of Asa, became king of Judah in Ahab’s fourth year as king of Israel. ⁴² Jehoshaphat was 35 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 25 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah, daughter of Shilhi. ⁴³ Jehoshaphat carefully followed the example his father Asa had set and did what the Lord considered right. ⁴⁴ But the illegal worship sites were not torn down. The people continued to sacrifice and burn incense at these worship sites.^[f] Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.

⁴⁵ Isn’t everything else about Jehoshaphat—the heroic acts he did and ⌞the wars⌟ he fought—written in the official records of the kings of Judah? ⁴⁶ He rid the land of the male temple prostitutes who were left there from the time of his father Asa. ⁴⁷ There was no king in Edom; instead, a deputy ruled.

⁴⁸ Jehoshaphat made Tarshish-style ships to go to Ophir for gold. But they didn’t go because the ships were wrecked at Ezion Geber. ⁴⁹ Then Ahaziah, son of Ahab, said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat refused.

⁵⁰ Jehoshaphat lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of his ancestor David. His son Jehoram succeeded him as king.

King Ahaziah of Israel

⁵¹ Ahaziah, son of Ahab, became king of Israel in Samaria during Jehoshaphat’s seventeenth year as king of Judah. Ahaziah ruled Israel for two years. ⁵² He did what the Lord considered evil. He followed the example of his father and mother and of Jeroboam (Nebat’s son) who led Israel to sin. ⁵³ Ahaziah served Baal, worshiped him, and made the Lord God of Israel furious, as his father had done.

Elijah and King Ahaziah of Israel

1 After Ahab died, Moab rebelled against Israel. ² During the rebellion King Ahaziah fell through a window lattice in his upstairs room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers ⌞to Ekron⌟. He had told them, “Go ask Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, if I will recover from this injury.”

³ Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah from Tishbe, “Meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and ask them, ‘Do you seek advice from Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, because ⌞you think⌟ there is no God in Israel? ⁴ This is what the Lord says: You will not get up from the bed you are lying on. Instead, you will die there.’ ” Then Elijah left.

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

⁶ They told him that a man came to meet them and said to them, “Go back to the king who sent you. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do you send messengers to seek advice from Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, because ⌞you think⌟ there is no God in Israel? You will not get up from the bed you are lying on. Instead, you will die there.’ ”

⁷ The king asked them, “What was the man who told you this like?”

⁸ They replied, “He was hairy and had a leather belt around his waist.”

“That’s Elijah from Tishbe,” the king answered.

⁹ The king sent an army officer with 50 men to Elijah. When the officer found Elijah sitting on top of a hill, he told Elijah, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’ ”

¹⁰ Elijah answered the officer, “If I’m a man of God, fire will come from heaven and burn up you and your 50 men.” Then fire came from heaven and burned up the officer and his 50 men.

¹¹ The king sent another officer with 50 men to Elijah. The officer said, “Man of God, this is what the king says: Come here right away!”

¹² Elijah answered the officer, “If I’m a man of God, fire will come from heaven and burn up you and your 50 men.” Then God’s fire came from heaven and burned up the officer and his 50 men.

¹³ The king sent a third officer with 50 men. The officer of the third group went up the hill and knelt in front of Elijah. The officer begged him, “Man of God, please treat my life and the lives of these 50 servants of yours as something precious. ¹⁴ Fire has come from heaven and burned up the first two officers and their 100 men. But treat my life as something precious.”

¹⁵ The angel of the Lord told Elijah, “Go with him. Don’t be afraid of him.” So Elijah got up and went with him to the king. ¹⁶ Elijah told the king, “This is what the Lord says: You sent messengers to seek advice from Baalzebub, the god of Ekron. Is this because ⌞you think⌟ there is no God in Israel whose word you can seek? You will not get up from the bed you are lying on. Instead, you will die there.”

¹⁷ So Ahaziah died as the Lord had predicted through Elijah. Joram succeeded him as king because Ahaziah had no son.^{[g] 18} Isn’t everything else about Ahaziah—the things he did—written in the official records of the kings of Israel?

Elijah Taken to Heaven

2 When the Lord was going to take Elijah to heaven in a windstorm, Elijah and Elisha left Gilgal. ² Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here because the Lord is sending me to Bethel.”

Elisha answered, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not abandon you.” So they went to Bethel.

³ Some of the disciples of the prophets at Bethel came to Elisha. They asked him, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?”

He answered, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

⁴ Elijah said, “Elisha, please stay here because the Lord is sending me to Jericho.”

Elisha answered, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not abandon you.” So they went to Jericho.

⁵ Then some of the disciples of the prophets who were in Jericho approached Elisha. They asked, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?”

He answered, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

⁶ Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here because the Lord is sending me to the Jordan River.”

Elisha answered, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not abandon you.”

⁷ Fifty disciples of the prophets stood at a distance as Elijah and Elisha stood by the Jordan River. ⁸ Elijah took his coat, rolled it up, and struck the water with it. The water divided to their left and their right, and the two men crossed ⌞the river⌟ on dry ground.

⁹ While they were crossing, Elijah asked Elisha, “What should I do for you before I’m taken from you?”

Elisha answered, “Let me inherit a double share of your spirit.”

¹⁰ Elijah said, “You have asked for something difficult. If you see me taken from you, it will be yours. Otherwise, it will not.”

¹¹ As they continued walking and talking, a fiery chariot with fiery horses separated the two of them, and Elijah went to heaven in a windstorm.

¹² When Elisha saw this, he cried out, “Master! Master! Israel’s chariot and horses!” When he couldn’t see Elijah anymore, he grabbed his own garment and tore it in two ⌞to show his grief⌟. ¹³ Then he picked up Elijah’s coat (which had fallen off Elijah), went back, and stood on the bank of the Jordan River. ¹⁴ He took the coat and struck the water with it. He asked, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” As he struck the water, it divided to his left and his right, and Elisha crossed ⌞the river⌟.

¹⁵ The disciples of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him from a distance. They said, “Elijah’s spirit rests on Elisha!” Then they went to meet him and bowed in front of him with their faces touching the ground. ¹⁶ They said to him, “There are 50 strong men here with us. Please let them go and search for your master. Maybe the Lord’s Spirit lifted him up and dropped him on one of the hills or in one of the valleys.”

Elisha answered, “Don’t send them ⌞to look⌟.” ¹⁷ But the disciples kept urging him ⌞to send the men⌟ until he was embarrassed. So he said, “Send them.” They sent 50 men who searched for three days without finding him. ¹⁸ They returned to Elisha in Jericho, where he was waiting. He said, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?”

Elisha Purifies Jericho’s Water

¹⁹ The people of the city ⌞of Jericho⌟ told Elisha, “This city’s location is as good as you will ever find. But the water is bad, and the land cannot grow crops.”

²⁰ Elisha said, “Bring me a new jar, and put salt in it.” They brought it to him. ²¹ He went to the spring and threw the salt into it. Then he said, “This is what the Lord says: I have purified this water. No more deaths or crop failures will come from this water.” ²² To this day the water is still pure, as Elisha had said.

²³ From there he went to Bethel. As he walked along the road, some boys came out of the city and mocked him. They said, “Go away, baldy! Go away!”

²⁴ Looking back, he saw them and cursed them in the Lord’s name. Two bears came out of the woods and tore 42 of these youths apart. ²⁵ He left that place, went to Mount Carmel, and returned to Samaria.

King Joram of Israel

3 Joram,^[h] son of Ahab, became king of Israel in Samaria during Jehoshaphat’s eighteenth year as king of Judah. He ruled for 12 years. ² He did what the Lord considered evil, but he didn’t do what his father or mother had done. He put away the sacred stone that his father had set up and dedicated to Baal. ³ But he would not give up the sins that Jeroboam (Nebat’s son) led Israel to commit. Joram would not turn away from those sins.

King Mesha of Moab Defeated

⁴ King Mesha of Moab raised sheep. ⌞Each year⌟ he had to pay the king of Israel 100,000 male lambs and the wool from 100,000 rams. ⁵ But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the ⌞new⌟ king of Israel. ⁶ King Joram immediately left Samaria to prepare Israel’s army for war. ⁷ He sent this message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you fight Moab with me?”

Jehoshaphat answered, “I’ll go. I will do what you do. My troops will do what your troops do. My horses will do what your horses do.”

⁸ Joram asked, “Which road should we take?”

Jehoshaphat answered, “The road through the desert of Edom.”

⁹ So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom took an indirect route ⌞to Moab⌟. After seven days they ran out of water for the army and the animals. ¹⁰ The king of Israel said, “Oh no! The Lord has put the three of us at the mercy of ⌞the people of⌟ Moab.”

¹¹ But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord whom we could ask?”

One of the officials of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha, the son of Shaphat, is here. He used to be Elijah’s assistant.” ^[i]

¹² Jehoshaphat said, “The Lord’s word is with him.” So King Jehoshaphat of Judah, the king of Israel, and the king of Edom went to Elisha.

¹³ Elisha asked the king of Israel, “Why did you come to me? Go to your father’s prophets or your mother’s prophets.”

The king of Israel answered him, “No. The Lord has called the three of us in order to put us at Moab’s mercy.”

¹⁴ Elisha answered, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord of Armies whom I serve lives, I wouldn’t even bother to look at you or notice you if it weren’t for my respect for King Jehoshaphat of Judah. ¹⁵ But get me someone to play some music.”

While the musician was playing, the Lord’s power came over Elisha. ¹⁶ He said, “This is what the Lord says: Make this valley full of ditches. ¹⁷ You will not see wind or rain, but this valley will be filled with water. You, your cattle, and your other animals will drink. ¹⁸ The Lord considers that an easy thing to do. In addition, he will put Moab at your mercy. ¹⁹ You will defeat every walled city and every important city. You will cut down every good tree, seal all the wells, and use rocks to ruin every good piece of land.”

²⁰ That is what happened in the morning. At the time of the grain offering, water flowed from Edom and filled the countryside.

²¹ All the people of Moab heard that the kings had come to fight them. So all men old enough to bear arms were called to fight. They stood at the border. ²² When the Moabites got up early in the morning as the sun was rising over the water, they saw the water from a distance. It was as red as blood. ²³ They said, “It’s blood! The kings have been fighting one another and have killed each other. Now, Moabites, let’s take their goods!”

²⁴ So when the Moabites came to Israel’s camp, the Israelites attacked them, and they fled from the Israelites. Israel went after the Moabites and defeated them. ²⁵ Then Israel tore down the cities, each man throwing rocks on every good field until it was covered. They sealed every well and cut down every good tree. Only the stones ⌞in the walls⌟ of Kir Hareseth were left. Soldiers surrounded Kir Hareseth and attacked it with slings and stones. ²⁶ When the king of Moab saw he was losing the battle, he took 700 swordsmen to try to break through to the king of Edom. But they couldn’t do it. ²⁷ Then he took his firstborn son, who would have succeeded him as king, and sacrificed him on the wall as a burnt offering. There was bitter anger against the Israelites. So they went home to their own country.

Elisha and the Widow’s Olive Oil

4 One of the wives of a disciple of the prophets called to Elisha, “Sir, my husband is dead! You know how he feared the Lord. Now a creditor has come to take my two children as slaves.”

² Elisha asked her, “What should I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”

She answered, “I have nothing in the house except a jar of olive oil.”

³ Elisha said, “Borrow many empty containers from all your neighbors. ⁴ Then close the door behind you and your children, and pour oil into all those containers. When one is full, set it aside.”

⁵ So she left him and closed the door behind her and her children. The children kept bringing containers to her, and she kept pouring. ⁶ When the containers were full, she told her son, “Bring me another container.”

He told her, “There are no more containers.” So the olive oil stopped flowing. ⁷ She went and told the man of God.

He said, “Sell the oil, and pay your debt. The rest is for you and your children.”

Elisha Brings a Shunem Woman’s Son Back to Life

⁸ One day Elisha was traveling through Shunem, where a rich woman lived. She had invited him to eat ⌞with her⌟. So whenever he was in the area, he stopped in to eat.

⁹ She told her husband, “I know he’s a holy man of God. And he regularly travels past our house. ¹⁰ Let’s make a small room on the roof and put a bed, table, chair, and lamp stand there for him. He can stay there whenever he comes to visit us.”

¹¹ One day he came ⌞to their house⌟, went into the upstairs room, and rested there. ¹² He told his servant Gehazi, “Call this Shunem woman.”

Gehazi called her, and she stood in front of him. ¹³ Elisha said to Gehazi, “Ask her what we can do for her, since she has gone to a lot of trouble for us. Maybe she would like us to speak to the king or the commander of the army for her.”

She answered, “I’m already living among my own people.”

¹⁴ “What should we do for her?” Elisha asked.

Gehazi answered, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.”

¹⁵ Elisha said, “Call her.” So Gehazi called her, and she stood in the doorway. ¹⁶ Elisha said, “At this time next spring, you will hold a baby boy in your arms.”

She answered, “Don’t say that, sir. Don’t lie to me. You’re a man of God.”

¹⁷ But the woman became pregnant and had a son at that time next year, as Elisha had told her.

¹⁸ Several years later the boy went to his father, who was with the harvest workers. ¹⁹ ⌞Suddenly,⌟ he said to his father, “My head! My head!”

The father told his servant, “Carry him to his mother.”

²⁰ The servant picked him up and brought him to his mother. The boy sat on her lap until noon, when he died. ²¹ She took him upstairs and laid him on the bed of the man of God, left ⌞the room⌟, and shut the door behind her. ²² She called her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys. I will go quickly to the man of God and come back again.”

²³ Her husband asked, “Why are you going to him today? It isn’t a New Moon Festival or a day of rest—a holy day.”

But she said goodbye to him.

²⁴ She saddled the donkey. Then she told her servant, “Lead on. Don’t slow down unless I tell you.” ²⁵ So she came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.

When he saw her coming at a distance, he told his servant Gehazi, “There is the woman from Shunem. ²⁶ Run to meet her and ask her how she, her husband, and the boy are doing.”

“Everyone’s fine,” she answered.

²⁷ When she came to the man of God at the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi went to push her away. But the man of God said, “Leave her alone. She is bitter. The Lord has hidden the reason from me. He hasn’t told me.”

²⁸ The woman said, “I didn’t ask you for a son. I said, ‘Don’t raise my hopes.’ ”

²⁹ The man of God told Gehazi, “Put on a belt, take my shepherd’s staff in your hand, and go. Whenever you meet anyone, don’t stop to greet him. If he greets you, don’t stop to answer him. Lay my staff on the boy’s face.”

³⁰ The boy’s mother said, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord and you live, I will not leave without you.” So Elisha got up and followed her.

³¹ Gehazi went ahead of them and put the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or sign of life. So Gehazi came back to meet the man of God. Gehazi told him, “The boy didn’t wake up.”

³² When Elisha came to the house, the dead boy was lying on Elisha’s bed. ³³ He went into the room, closed the door, and prayed to the Lord. ³⁴ Then he lay on the boy, putting his mouth on the boy’s mouth, his eyes on the boy’s eyes, his hands on the boy’s hands. He crouched over the boy’s body, and it became warm. ³⁵ Elisha got up, walked across the room and came back, and then got back on the bed and crouched over him. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. ³⁶ Elisha called Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunem woman.” Gehazi called her. When she came to him, he said, “Take your son.”

³⁷ Then she immediately bowed at his feet. She took her son and left.